Darkest Night: A Romantic Thriller

Tara Thomas

Feb 2018 · St. Martin's Paperbacks

About this ebook

"Riveting...readers will not be able to put this book down." - RT Book Reviews on Deadly Secret

In the sultry streets of Charleston, one family, ruled by its powerful, take-no-prisoners sons, has risen to the top. But a merciless enemy is out to destroy them...and everyone they hold close...

Exclusive bonus content available only in the print edition!

SHE THOUGHT SHE’D LOST HIM FOREVER
Tilly Brock has learned—the hard way—how to take care of herself. Once a pillar of Charleston society, her family lost everything in the wake of a shocking scandal. And then Tilly lost the only boy she ever loved.

BUT NOW THAT HE’S BACK IN HER LIFE
Keaton Benedict is Charleston’s most notorious bachelor. But in spite of all his advantages—the money, the women, the family name—he longs for more: the heart of the young woman he still can’t forget.

THE DANGER HAS JUST BEGUN...
When Keaton re-enters Tilly’s life, after all these years, she is torn between feelings of doubt and desire. Can they put the past behind them and learn to love again? Tilly is willing to try. But Keaton is afraid that a vengeful enemy is watching—and waiting to destroy them. Can the rekindled flame of their love defeat the deadliest rival and light their way forward in the darkest night?

Ratings and reviews

Excellent read! This is a hard one to review without spoilers. Since the best part of this book is the anticipation you feel with every twist and turn of the story I don't want to give anything away. So I'll just say if you enjoy a good suspense filled book this one is for you!! Tilly and Keaton's characters are amazing and the writing is excellent. Their story is a full scale roller coaster ride you don't want to miss. There is a novella prequel series that although you don't have to have read to enjoy this book I do recommend that you read them. I can't wait for the next book and definitely recommend this one.

This romantic suspense tale was certainly loaded with suspense, but the romance side fell short for me. Tilly and Keaton shared one kiss when they were fourteen and due to family drama and accusations, they don't see each other for eight years. Both characters are likable and they share a quick wit that adds some levity to the story. They're also intelligent and wise beyond their years in everything except for their romance. The idea that they fell into each other's arms so quickly with so much past drama between them just wasn't believable for this reader. I will say that their intimate scenes were well done and what I would consider steamy light. If the romance had been a bit more developed, it would've been perfect. That aside, the book has plenty of suspense and intrigue, which did keep me reading to see who would be behind it all. There is one edge of your seat scene toward the end, but I expected that. What I didn't expect was the disappointing lack of information about the Gentleman's identity or about how Jade ties into things. As I got closer and closer to the end of the book, I knew there would have to be a cliffhanger, but this one just stops, leaving a lot more questions than answers. It felt more like the end of a chapter than the end of a book and I can only assume that it will pick up from there in the next addition to the series. As it stands, I'm left with a bit of "meh" feeling about this one and haven't decided yet if I'm intrigued enough to continue with the series.

3.25 stars--DARKEST NIGHT is the first full length instalment in Tara Thomas’ (aka Tara Sue Me) contemporary, adult SONS OF BROAD romantic suspense series. This is Keaton Benedict and Tilly Brock’s story line. DARKEST night can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary. There is a three –part novella serial-Shattered Fear, Hidden Fate, Twisted End-that introduces some of the characters and story behind the Sons of Broad series. Tilly Brock was first introduced in the Sons of Broad serial. Told from several third person points of view including Tilly and Keaton DARKEST NIGHT continues to focus on ‘The Gentleman’s ‘ quest for revenge against a number of citizens in Charleston, and his latest target is our story line heroine, a part time bar-waitress, and university student whose connection to The Gentleman is currently unknown. While working late night at the local watering hole, Tilly will come face to face with her past, a childhood friend whose father destroyed her family and ruined the reputation of a very good man. Enter Keaton Benedict, heir to the Benedict Industries and the man with whom Tilly will fall in love. What ensues is the quick building, rekindling romance between Tilly and Keaton, and the on-going fall-out as a series of brutal murders, all with connections to our story line couple, find Tilly the next intended target. DARKEST NIGHT follows several paths including the awkward introduction of a potential threat to our story line couple but a threat that reveals a sordid past that may have a close connection to the Benedict family-a connection that may be alive and well. The relationship between Tilly and Keaton is one of second chances but there was no palpable sexual attraction. The relationship felt impersonal and detached as though the couple were only going through the motions in a dispassionate display of neutral devotion. In this I struggled with the overall relationship. We are introduced to Keaton’s brothers Kipling and Knox; officer Alyssa Adams, attorney Bea Jacobs; socialite Elise Germain; hired assassin Jade, as well as a large assortment of secondary characters including a pair of exotic dancers in the wrong place at the wrong time; and the story line antagonist- a man known only as The Gentleman. DARKEST NIGHT is a story of suspense but got lost in the numerous changes in points of view throughout each chapter. The constant jump in perspectives was not delineated or noted, therefore the reader must be observant in order to keep track of the alternating positions. The premise is intriguing; the writing style, language and text are uncomplicated; the romance is stilted and lacked the palpable sexual energy of most romantic suspense story lines.

About the author

Tara Thomas’s love of books and writing started as a child and though she wanted to be an author, she decided a degree in science was more practical. After fifteen years in the pharmaceutical industry, she returned to her first love and hasn’t looked back since.

She writes erotic romance as Tara Sue Me. Her Submissive Series novels have been on both the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller lists. Her novel The Master earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was awarded Best Romance of 2016 from Best Book Awards.