Broken Promise: A Romantic Thriller (Sons of Broad)

by Tara Thomas

Charming on the surface, Kipling Benedict’s attitude doesn’t show his cutthroat mentality. But there’s one woman who is able to see through him to push past his hardened heart and open him up to love. That is, if he can keep her safe from the powerful man that is out to destroy them…

Haunted by her sister’s unsolved murder, Alyssa has always wanted to be the best detective, to put cases to rest so that other families don’t have to go through the pain of never knowing, like hers did. But as Alyssa digs deeper into the threat that hunts Kipling and his brothers - and brings a massive, deadly revenge plot to light - they must both find strength in their love if they are to stop their powerful foes, and keep the Benedict Family and their loved ones safe, once and for all.

• ISBN13: 9781250137982
• Publish Date: 1 July 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 4 April 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: St Martin's Press
• Imprint: St. Martin's Paperbacks
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 304
• Language: English
• URL: http://melia.co.uk/page/detail/?k=9781250137982

Reviews

[Eve1972]

3.5 Stars

I enjoyed this one quite a lot. In fact, I think it may be my favorite of the series. We finally find out the identity of the "Gentleman" and all the "hows & whys" of it all. Both Kipling --- god awful name BTW. Every time I read it all I could think of was a kipper (lol), and Alyssa were likable main characters. I continued to like Jade as well, and I really hope we see a novella featuring her HEA at some point.





That said, I had a couple of issues that lowered my rating a bit. Both took place right near the end. I was a tiny bit annoyed that the author never told us what happened to Kipling when the gentleman had him. When they are saved, he appears to have just a concussion and no outward signs of injuries. Then all of a sudden he is almost dead, in a coma, and spends weeks in intense physical therapy?? For what exactly?? A little more detail was definitely needed. The other issue was, we are told Jade got shot, but then she is perfectly OK sitting in the hospital waiting room, and her being injured is never brought up...like AT ALL. Both those issue did have me lowering my rating a bit.

Apart from that, this was a really good book and a really enjoyable series.

[chymerra]

I should keep a list of what I don't like when reading series. Everyone knows my extreme dislike of picking books up mid-series. But, that's not the case here. This is a whole different dislike. I don't like skipping books in a series. Like picking up books mid-series, I get lost. I miss a huge chunk of the story between book 1 and book 2. That wasn't the case with Broken Promise. The author did a great job of explaining what happened in the last book without overwhelming this one. 

Now, I betcha you all are wondering why I rated Broken Promise a 3. I couldn't get into the book. Alyssa and Kipling's relationship seemed forced. That, in turn, made the sex scenes a little uncomfortable to read. I didn't like how Jade was treated by/her entire relationship with The Gentleman. And those are the reasons why I gave it a 3.

I did like some parts of the book, believe it or not. While I didn't like them in a relationship, I did like Alyssa and Kipling. I also liked the relationship that Kipling had with his brothers. I also liked how Jade was tied to Alyssa. Actually, that part of the book was bittersweet.

What I didn't like about the book:
I couldn't get into the book. I must have some sort of connection to the plot in order for me to like it or dislike it. I couldn't with this book. I know it was because of the tandem storylines that were going on. The Kipling/Alyssa storyline and the Jade/The Gentleman storyline.  Normally tandem storylines don't bother me. But this one did. 

I felt that Alyssa and Kipling's relationship was forced. They went from battling each other about what was going on to magically falling in love while dealing with a serial killer. Not realistic at all. So, because I felt the relationship was forced, it made the sex scenes uncomfortable to read. Don't get me wrong, I love a good sex scene. I also like a sex scene where the woman likes it rough, which Alyssa did. But I couldn't get into it. Which made me sad.

Jade's relationship with The Gentleman was beyond screwed up. He took an innocent 5-year-old and shaped her into a ninja killer (yes, you read that right). The abuse Jade suffered was barely scratched at but what was revealed was awful. Which brings us to why he did to Jade what he did. Let's say that he was one disturbed dude. He also took his anger over Helen out the wrong way. I was surprised at who The Gentleman was, though. It was not who I thought it would be.

What I liked about the book
I loved Alyssa. She was a good cop. She was determined to solve her sister's cold case. She had a feeling that her sister's murder was tied to The Gentleman somehow. I did feel bad for her. Her family was horrible. Her stepfather was a bully and her mother allowed it. I was glad Kipling was there and stood her stepfather down. Because of that, they got a huge break in her sister's case and what is going on with Kipling's family.

I also liked Kipling. When The Gentleman contacted him with the news that he had Jade, Kipling jumped to action. No question. That was his sister and he was going to find her. Even though I found their relationship forced, he did look over Alyssa too. 

I liked his relationship with his brothers. He worried about them and tried his best to protect them. But, in the end, it was his brothers that came to his rescue. That is the type of relationship that siblings should have.

I can't discuss how Jade is tied to Alyssa. But I will say that it came as a huge surprise. I was as shocked as Alyssa was when she connected the dots. My exact words were "Dayum". Talk about bittersweet. I also got beyond angry with certain other people in Alyssa's life about that. Not cool, that they did. 

So to recap...

What I disliked about Broken Promise:

A) Couldn't get into the book

B) felt Alyssa and Kipling's relationship was forced

C) Jade's relationship with The Gentleman

What I disliked about Broken Promise:

A) Alyssa. Enjoyed her character

B) Kipling. Also enjoyed his character

C) How Jade is tied to Alyssa

I would give Broken Promise an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

There are trigger warnings in Broken Promise. They are kidnapping and torture.

I am on the fence about recommending Broken Promise to family and friends. I am also on the fence about rereading this book. I am willing to read more books by the author.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Paperback, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Broken Promise.

All opinions stated in this review of Broken Promise are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

[Lynn]

The wait is finally over as the identity of The Gentleman is revealed. I had a hunch about who he was but I'm not too proud to say my presumptive suspicion was way off.

Alyssa Adams became a police officer in the hope she could solve the crime leading to her own sister's death. During her investigations, she constantly crosses paths with the Benedict family and the oldest brother, who she once arrested is becoming more of a distraction as they both become targets of The Gentleman.

Kipling Benedict, the eldest brother with a womanising reputation like his father's. His brothers may have found their true loves, but after a humiliating break-up with a woman he loved, he has sworn off women until officer Adams catches his eye. After a family secret unfolds which connects the two, they work alongside each other as professional lines become blurred.

As I dived into Broken Promise, what surprised me the most was how the author tied up all the loose ends as the crimes in Savannah are solved. The high points in the narrative are the flashbacks giving us information about the motivation fuelling The Gentleman's crimes. These fit perfectly with the clues already identified. The romance between the protagonists is sexy and I enjoyed catching up with the other Benedict men and their women and happy the whole family are reunited with their sister. As in the earlier instalments, both have heart-warming and heartbreaking moments and a satisfying Happy Ever After.

Overall, an enjoyable romantic suspense trilogy. I read the three prequel novellas before starting this series and although it's not necessary to read them before this series, I feel they enhance the series.

***arc generously received courtesy of St Martin's Press via NetGalley***

[Linda]

2.5 stars
I received a free ARC from the publisher.

Broken Promise ended this series with some excitement, and I enjoyed it. I never felt fully involved, though, and I think that's partly because the pace was very slow in places. Also, there were quite a bit of grammatical errors that made my reading flow difficult. Hopefully those errors will not be in the final version.
I also think that this author's writing just doesn't really work for me - the story was good, as it was in the previous books as well - however, I didn't really feel the characters. And I also didn't really care very much for any of them.