Not my usual read but I’m glad i picked it up. This read is full of suspense, drama and of course love. Well worth the read.

Tilly Brock had everything she could ever want, then tragedy struck her perfect world, and she lost everything... including the love of her life. Now she is a shell of the woman she once was, trying to to find her place in an uncertain new world, and is barely scrapping by working as a waitress in a gentlemen's club. Then something unexpected happens, she runs smack dab into her ex- boyfriend Keaton and from there things start to take an interesting, and oh so sexy, turn!

The moment Keaton runs into Tilley at the club while out celebrating with his brothers he is shell shocked at what he sees, she is no longer the pampered and posh girl he once knew, now she is a waitress working hard to earn tips to barely scrape by. Shortly after they reunite, things in Tilley's work world start to get a little dangerous and she finds herself right in the middle of it, and she's next on the hit list. Keaton isn't about to let anyone harm a hair on her pretty little head so he convinces her to move in with him, for safety purposes only, but soon things start to take a heated turn!!

Darkest Night is a thrilling page turner that is sure mesmerize readers, with it's suspenseful plot, dramatic exchanges, and erotic steamy moments, it's sure to score serious points!! This series is quickly becoming a favorite of mine, each installment brings excitement, amazing characters, and unforgettable literary moments that leave you craving more... I can't wait to see what this author has in store for us next!! I highly recommend you make time in your reading schedule to settle down with this one, it is an enthralling tale this is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat the whole way through!!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title.

Keaton and Tilly reconnect after years of being apart. She is surprised to see him at the Club where she works and he is surprised to see her after all of these years. Keaton was told that Tilly and her family moved to Texas after her father was accused of embezzling money from their family company. Tilly didn't know he had been told that, just that he was absent from her life. Keaton then learns that his older brother, Kipling, knew where Tilly and her mom were for the last few years. Keaton then sets about getting to know Tilly again and he really likes what he finds. Tilly has compared all men to Keaton and knows that he makes her happy. When co-workers wind up dead, Tilly realizes that her life may be in danger. Keaton also gets blackmailed by an unexpected source so both of them are dealing with some scary outside forces in their relationship. The book did move quickly and was interesting. It had some of the same characters as the prequel book, but I was missing some of the pieces and found it confusing at points. Overall a good read and it kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

I most definitely like the writing style of this author. And if it's a thing where suspense books don't have love triangle angsty love then I think this genre is my thing.

Tilly had everything taken away from her when she was young. Friends, family, and money. Though money wasn't the most important thing to her it certainly was to the Benedict family.

Keaton Benedict loved Tilly. She was his best friend and she up and left one day. No goodbyes, just gone.

When they run into each other years later neither of them is willing to lose the other again. Though someone else has it out for Tilly. They want her gone and they want Keaton hurting.

As people are murdered and the Benedict family is thrown under the bus, Tilly and Keaton stay strong for one another. They get threw it all together and it makes them so much stronger. The love they once had for each other has grown romantic in nature and they just mesh so we'll together!

I can't wait for more of this series!!

Darkest Night, (Sons of Broad 1), Tara Thomas


Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Romance

I didn't realise Tara Thomas was also writer Tara Sue Me, I've enjoyed some of her early Submissive series. Its a good idea to have two names for different genres because this ( these) feel a very different sort of read, and readers who auto buy when they see a name could be disappointed.
Having said that I like all sorts of genres, but no author is auto buy for me, I have to see book description first, unless its an essential series I'm reading.
So – This book....well, the romance was OK, but I did feel it went from 0 to 100 very quickly given the way they parted and the length of time since they seen each other, but then again the situations, the dangers, kind of pushed that forward. Tilly was in a tough place, had been for so long but...it always amazes me how in books these rich people go from having everything to having nothing. I know her dad was framed but surely they had money put aside. Do these people always spend every penny they have? Because they always end up as almost trailer trash, having lived as kings for so long, and I can't help thinking, what happened to all that money they had? It crops up so often in novels...still, it left Tilly in the place she needed to be for this story.
I liked Keaton, didn't really understand the family dynamics though. Maybe if I'd read the prequel novellas that would have been clearer although from descriptions I'm not sure how they fit this story.
I love a character like Elise, self entitled, indulged princess, but I did think the brothers let her get away with far too much, and I'd like to know just why she was so fixated on Keaton, other than family expectations. Her actions didn't really add up to the person she seemed to me.
Then there's the suspense angle with The Gentleman, and Jade/Kada. Its pretty clear – I think – who Jade is, though that could just be a clever red herring, but I've no idea who the Gentleman is. I have no idea what his motives are either, money seems to be coming from his illegal enterprises but he's fixated on the Benedicts, and seems to want revenge on them for something.
Somehow for me this mix of romance and suspense didn't work very well, didn't fit together properly. It felt like two separate stories which had a tenuous connection, and intersected occasionally. Then throw in Elise and its like – how many things can happen to one family within a few weeks....In a way for me it would have been better to have left Elise out and concentrate on the Gentleman/Jade or leave them out and concentrate on Elise. It just didn't seem believable to have both in one story.
Maybe as the series progresses they'll connect more or possibly if I'd read the prequels but I'm not really a fan of books which have an indefinite number of parts and which can end up being very expensive to get to the end of the story. Its a personal thing, others don't mind it, and devour ever extending series like this so it depends on how you personally feel about it. It works for Lisa Renee Jones, her fans seem to adore books written this way so maybe its just me out of step ;-)


Stars: Two and a half, will be perfect for others but just not right for me

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

I was offer the chance to read this book first, through NetGalley
It’s actually my first book by this author and I was not deceived
So this book is the first in a Brand new series and it’s the story of Tilly and Keaton

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.

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.

This story start with a nice pace, it so smooth that when I got to the end I wanted more
This story contain lots of Drama, crazy people and Lots of action including a loose murderer!
So this book contain kind of 2 Stories, you got Tilly and Keaton but also a family secret that will most probably go on till 2nd and 3rd book (that’s my assumption) I will have to read them to know the truth. So for that I give this book a big for star

I was asked to review this book for an honest opinion, I am not to sure what to say. I didn't like it. I thought I would have but it just wasn't for me, in sure if it was the writing or the story. I think it was the writing. Because I normally like stories like this. Tilly is working her way through school at a gentleman's club, then the people who work there end up dead. Keaton swoops in and is her hero. this has suspense, sex and twist and turns, and a damn cliff-hanger...

I began reading this full-length novel in this series after finishing the first novella, in which Tilly and the background of the mystery are introduced. Like with the novella, I found the plot interesting, and I think this author tells a good story. What I didn't like in this one had to do with the Elise character. I do not enjoy books with anything close to a love triangle, or a vindictive ex, or some other third-party love interest causing problems, or anything along those lines. And had I known such a character would be in this one, I would have passed on the opportunity to read it. I don't know why publishers (or whomever writes the blurbs) have taken to leaving out such things in the book descriptions, but I'm growing increasingly frustrated with it. So, if such things don't bother you and you like a good mystery, give this one a try; the plot is interesting. Note, however, that it's definitely part of a series, and I personally think it's one that you'll need to read in order if you want the full enjoyment of it.

I am torn on how to rate this book, So I will go with 2 1/2 stars. I liked the premise and most of the plot. I feel as if there are some solid bones to the story. However I really struggled to connect to the characters and I felt the romance between Keaton and Tilly felt rushed and flimsy.

Tilly is a cocktail waitress at a Gentleman's club while working her way through school. She runs into her old flame, from many years ago and they instantly reconnect...Tilly's father was fired by Keaton's father for stealing, and they NEVER discuss it!! There is internal dialog about how Keaton and Kipling believe their father was wrong, but Keaton never really clears the air with Tilly.

Also if Tilly was really that important to him why did he never look for her ? Tilly seems hesitant at first but as bodies start piling up she leans on Keaton for support. I liked the brothers and the dynamic between them and Lena. They seemed a good basis for the series and I will be interested in what happens with Knox and Bea.
Not sure if there was something I missed about Kipling and Officer Drake, but his personality switch with her threw me off. He never acted that way with other women and came across as cold and self-contained so his aggressive behavior felt odd to me.

There is a good subplot with the "Gentleman" and I'm guessing it will be ongoing in the series. I would like to know what his endgame is and how Jade/Kaja plays out in the stories.

So good! The suspense is killing me! I need more now.

Note: I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I love romantic suspence novels. I have enjoyed novels of a different genre by Tara Thomas under a different pen name. Sadly, while I did love the Benedict brothers and Tilly Brock, I did not enjoy Darkest Night as much as I hoped to.

Overall, I thought Darkest Night simply had too many elements leaving it feeling a bit underdeveloped. There was Tilly and Keaton’s second chance romance. There was the mystery behind the embezzlement case that seperated Tilly and Keaton as teens. There was Tilly’s ex-best friend that was scheming to be the future Mrs. Keaton Benedict. There were more family secrets, people getting falsely accused and arrested, dead bodies, and a mysterious man determined to bring down Benedict Industries.

As a reader, it was a difficult story for me to follow and get into. (The formatting of the eARC also did not help.) With all of the different things going on plot wise and the fast pacing of the plot, things just moved too fast. Darkest Night was definitely a quick read, but I did not feel the suspense. I never felt as if I was worried for their lives, when I should have been considering all the dead bodies.

What I did love about Darkest Night was the ending. I thought the story ended well and set itself up nicely for the next book in the series. Will I read the next book in the series? Yes, I probably will. I want to see more of Tilly and Keaton because I do not think I got the complete story for them yet. The ending of Darkest Night also left me wondering what will happen next. I just hope that the key plot gets proper development in the next book.

I am contemplating getting my hands on a finished copy of Darkest Night after it is published to see how the finished product compares to the eARC. I wonder if some of the plot was a bit more developed and if proper formatting helps the story flow better. (There were times in the eARC I did not realize the POV changed. That did throw me off a bit.)

Of course, this is simply my own opinion. If you enjoy romantic suspense novels, I would say give Darkest Night by Tara Thomas a try. I think things can only improve as the series progresses. I did truly love the ending after all. It was nicely set up for the next book in the series.

The whole Elise situation was a complete turn off. I don't like a third party causing drama at every turn. I thought this story would be more focused on the mystery and I wished for a more well-plotted mystery. This just felt unrealistic and contrived. Not my type of romantic suspense.

Tilly Brock is working her way through school at a gentleman’s club as a waitress. Her family was wealthy but her father was accused of embezzlement and they lost everything. Keaton Benedict is very rich and has just graduated college. His brothers run Benedict Industries, an export business, and expect him to join them now. He goes out celebrating and finds Tilly, his best friend from when they were younger. It was his family’s company her father was accused of stealing from.
Someone is killing people from Tilly’s work and they make it known she’s next. After her apartment is trashed, Keaton moves her into the Benedict mansion. They also have another guest, Tilly’s best friend from childhood Elise. But Elise is the same girl she grew up with. She wants Keaton and she’ll do anything to get him. With someone trying to take the Benedict’s down, Tilly being in danger, and Keaton being blackmailed, their life is one surprise after another. Can they figure everything out and still be together or will Keaton lose Tilly after he’s just found her again?
Suspense. Sex. Surprises. Cliffhanger. Great story with intriguing characters and mystery.
* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for netgalley *

I could not finish this book. It seemed silly, not realistic at all.