Darkest Night
Sons of Broad #1
Tara Thomas
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Amazing read!!! Couldn’t put it down! There’s a serial killer on the loose and you never know who is gonna be next.
This was such a great start to this new series by Tara Thomas. It definitely gets your heart racing during some scenes. And you can’t stop reading because you have to know what’s coming next.
Can’t wait to start on Book 2 Deadly Secret so I can get closer to finding out who the killer mastermind is. I have my ideas but we will see.
Thanks NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

DNF- this author's writing style did not work for me.

A second chance as a vengeful plot unfolds…

This is the first book in the Sons of Broad series.

Someone is out to destroy the Benedict sons, three wealthy brothers, the heirs of a shipping magnate. An evil murderous plan has been set in motion and the targets are just now realizing there is a problem. Anyone connected to them is purposefully in danger or considered collateral damage. Vengeance for what we don’t know is to be had by a sinister puppeteer who remains in the shadows.

The youngest of the brothers, Keaton Benedict, has graduated college and returned to the family home in Charleston, South Carolina. It’s expected that he’ll join his brothers in the family business but he has another idea in mind. This son cares about the human community and wants to give back and he’s not sure how his brother’s will take his ideas. Before he can discuss things with them he runs into the girl, now a woman that he lost when he was young due to a scandal that he never believed. He’d never forgotten her and the connection he once felt with her still lives. As they rekindle things strange happenings occur and he is supportive and protective. He lost her once, he won’t again.

Tilly Brock never thought she would see the boy she first kissed again, her best friend growing up, after her father was fired from the Benedict company accused of embezzling funds. Her life and social status changed that day and she lost everyone she knew and cared for with no chance to even say goodbye. When she sees Keaton at the bar she waitresses at she knows it’s him, the memories and feelings she once felt surface. She’s no longer in his league but she can’t help reconnecting with him. As these two try for a second chance the world around them seeks to divide them. Will they survive?

I found this to be a clinical read, there was no emotional depth to the characters, and being new to this author perhaps it’s the writing style this reader couldn’t connect to. There was no palpable passion in the sex scenes, no horror to the evil doings or any sense of dread or suspense. The plot was at times interesting though chaotic in its presentation, there was the potential to be more but as is, it did not capture this reader’s attention/emotions enough to want to continue the series. Don’t just tell me a story, make me feel the story, make me invested in the character outcomes.

The numerous changes of scenes and character voices within chapters that were not clearly designated caused confusion, this reader had to backtrack often to see where the focus changed. There was much evil being perpetrated and more than one villain unrelated to each other, open threads were left at the end of the book by design for later resolution though this couple ends on a happy for now.

An advanced reading copy was obtained from the publisher via NetGalley.

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF: 21% I stopped when the second dead body showed up no more than 7% after we see the first dead body.

Nope. I couldn't do it. And I tried. I didn't care about the characters at all. The relationship between Keaton and Tilly seemed way too fast and weird to me. There was no romance, no slow build, nothing. The two of them reconnect and BAM! it's like the last eight years didn't happen and nothing has changed. Mind you, the last time they saw each other was when they were fourteen. In my experience, a lot changes between the ages of fourteen and twenty-two.

Also, this is supposed to be a romantic thriller. But there's nothing thrilling or suspenseful about it. I had to stop because I found the plot comical and I knew it wasn't meant to be that way.

I'd like to think this would've been better had it eased into things a bit. I wasn't given a chance to be curious about the thrilling part, nor a chance to become emotionally invested in Tilly and Keaton before they were thrown together.

I wouldn't recommend this book.

When I was given the chance to read this series earlier, I never expected it to be this drawn in from the start. I started with the novella series and knew if the real story was anything like them I was in trouble. This book starts off with Keaton, the youngest Benedict and his former friend Tilly from his childhood. Someone wants Tilly dead for some reason and the Benedict's destroyed. We get preview off stuff to come and just enough details thrown out there to make you guess and try to put together theories but not enough tangible evidence to come up with anything hard core. Each story ends with a conclusion of sorts but still leaves you with a hundred more questions. If you hate cliff hangers, its best you wait for all three books in the series because one book at a time will kill you with the waiting. But this is a great start. Honest review in exchange for ARC.

This book was a little hard to finish. Although the beginning eluded to some kind of mystery. it just kind of went on and on. The writing is good and the secrets did make me want to finish the book but there were a lot of back and forth that I thought was redundant.
The main heroine, Tilly fought well in the story but my favorite character was Kaja, a runaway girl of sorts with a whole lot of secrets and extraordinary strength. I hope to author will write more about her in the future installments.
Overall I did enjoy reading the book and the ending was opened to another book in the installment.

So after reading the novellas in this series and enjoying them (for the most part), I was super curious to see how this author tackled the full-length stories. I was not disappointed. This was a pretty decent read. Oh sure the relationship was a little insta, and it had some crazy OW drama, but the mystery aspect was pretty well done. We get a tiny bit more insight into THE GENTLEMAN, and we are introduced to a new character JADE. I have a theory about Jade, and I can't wait to see if I am right or not. I loved Tilly and Keaton. Both were excellent main characters. In fact, I loved all the brothers. There was some background stuff going on during this book with both Knox and Kipling and their heroines (Bea & Alyssa). So that has me excited for those upcoming books. There was also some good sexy times sprinkled throughout. What more can you ask for? I enjoyed it. Therefore, yours truly is giving this one a solid thumb and a half up.

This was a tough one to read and even tougher to review. I liked the concept of the story but there were parts of the execution that I did not like as much. The story itself started out rather strong and I was interested to see how the relationship between the two characters, Keaton and Tilly, would develop. They both were decent enough characters but they did not feel developed enough for me to truly care for them and/or about them. I was just curious enough about them to stick around until the end.

Now this was supposed to be a suspense story but it did not completely feel like a suspense story. There were large parts of the story that drug on and that caused me to lose focus about what the story was about. There was a lot of stuff happening but not all of it made sense. It felt as if there was chaos for the sake of chaos. On top of that, some things were left unresolved that really bothered me. I know this is the first book in a new series so I would hope they were tied up or answered in the next book but it didn't seem they would be addressed again.

Overall, this was an okay way to start a series but I am not interested in continuing. I am just not that curious to find out what happens.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to have a digital ARC of this book. I enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading the remaining books in the series. I understand from other readers that there was a Novella, Shattered Fear which is 0.5 of this series which I would like to get my hands on (I'm working on it!)

I would have liked a little more substance between Tilly and Keaton's love affair and the fact that his father fired her father and caused this huge upheaval in her young life. There is someone in the shadows called "The Gentleman" but a young girl, Jade who he uses to do his bidding. She has is part of his crew whose intent is to hurt the Benedict family in every way possible. You never learn who this man is and as the bodies pile up, so does your curiosity. Then you also have a subplot, Elise, who is blackmailing Keaton into marrying him. I did not expect what happened with this "love triangle" to go down the way it did, but it made for an interesting end. I think I have figured out who Jade is and how she fits into this story, and look forward to the next book.

If this book were the work of an indie author, I would be contacting her and suggesting she employ a good content editor. But this book is being published by St. Martin’s Press, and as such, it is a major disappointment.

It feels like a first novel that’s incorporating every storyline the author ever came up with, regardless of whether or not it contributes to a cohesive plot. The youngest of three wealthy, handsome brothers —all with cutesy first names — miraculously discovers his spunky long-lost childhood sweetheart working in a gentleman’s club, heroically struggling to make her own way. They reunite and immediately fall into wild, passionate love. But then a crazed, conniving female fortune hunter willing to commit blackmail and even murder to get her man enters their lives. And, a dangerous, powerful villain, who is sending out his minions to destroy the wealthy brothers, now makes the found lost love his target. There’s also a vulnerable young girl associated with the powerful villain. The young girl is strangely drawn to helping the wealthy brothers in spite of the fact that doing so will endanger her own life, and she’s very good at being in the right place at the right time. Oh, and did I mention the tough, no-nonsense female detective?

The setting is Charleston, but we could be in Omaha. We never hear anything about the city itself, and it has absolutely no influence on the story. The characters are flat but we do know they’re having good sex because we’re treated to all the details. There’s not a real build-up of tension but there are victims – dead or grievously injured – showing up regularly. And, because this is the first of a series, a lot is left unresolved. The found lost love is still in danger. The identity of the murderous villain remains unknown. The young girl remains on the run, and the oldest of the handsome brothers continues to flirt inappropriately with the tough female detective.

If the prose were beautiful or the descriptions scrumptious, this book would have redeeming qualities, but neither is true. The book starts with one of the brothers receiving a single, long-stemmed rose in a box, and the author doesn't even bother to mention what color the rose is. When I found myself picturing a gray rose, I knew this book was in trouble.

Darkest Night is the first full length book in Tara Thomas’ Sons of Broad romantic suspense series and can be read as a standalone.

This one features Keaton Benedict (1 of 3 brothers from a wealthy & powerful family) and Tilly Brock (a cocktail waitress that works at a Gentlemen’s Club to put herself through college).

Keaton and Tilly were very close childhood friends and shared a kiss as young teens. When a huge scandal happens with her father and Keaton’s family, it tears them apart. They never see each other until eight years later when he sees her at the club. All this time he thought her family had moved out of state after the scandal. They both see this as a second chance for them.

Unfortunately as things are heating up between them, danger is just around the corner. The mysterious “Gentleman” (a powerful, evil man who has a hatred for the Benedict family) is having women murdered who are connected to Tilly and it ends up affecting the Benedict’s. Add to all of that;Tilly is next on the Gentleman’s list...Keaton vows to keep the woman he loves safe.

There’s another side story going on through out the murder mystery and I personally felt it took away a bit from the main storyline going on.

This one was geared a little more towards the romance than the suspense part. It also leaves some questions unanswered, so be prepared for that. It looks like part of the story arc from this one will continue into the next book that features Knox Benedict.

While this wasn’t a perfect read for me, I will give book 2 a chance to see how the overall story arc progresses.

**I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review”

This book had the romance and mystery but I felt like I needed more at the end. Tilly and Keaton reconnect after years apart. Their romance starts fast and the characters are likable. But someone is stalking them and soon the threat is hurting those around them. As the danger grows so does their connection. But nothing is really resolved in this story. Who is after them? Did Tilly’s dad actually commit the embezzlement that caused Keaton and Tilly to be apart? What does the runaway girl introduced in the series have to do with Keaton’s family? I was left with more questions than answers at the end, but I guess that’s why it’s book one in the series. I have my theories on all this and hopefully they’ll be answers in the next two books. I don’t feel like this is a stand-alone book. You need to continue reading the series to figure out the mystery and all the answers to the questions raised from this novel.

Will you get the ending that you need? Tilly is doing the best that she can until she finishes her studies and she will have her teaching diploma and be debt free. She won't have to work at the club again even though the money is good. But when she is feeling down she remembers her past and what happened to her parents and she just wishes that she could find out the truth about what happened all those years ago. It destroyed her family life and she lost her best friend Elise and the first boy that she kissed. She thinks of Keaton at times and wonders what he has done since then. Keaton has been receiving a rose in a box for the last couple of months but he has no idea why. He is about to come face to face with his past when he sees Tilly again, he has thought of her often and always wondered what happened to her. Now that they have come face to face and they realize how much they have both lost but what now? And who wants to make sure that she fears for her life? Someone is killing off people that Tilly knows but why do they want to harm her? Keaton gives her no choice but to move in with him as she isn't safe but Elise is at the house and she has changed. She wants Keaton and nothing is going to stop her from getting her way. And if that means that Tilly has to disappear so be it. Keaton wants nothing to do with Elise, she is a family friend and nothing more but she just won't give up as she needs to marry him as she has no money and he is her ticket. How far will Elise go to get what she wants? But why is the Gentlemen involved, why does he keep on popping up and why is he using a young girl to do his dirty work? Will they make it out alive as now the whole family has been dragged into this mess. We get to see Alyssa & Bea again unfortunately Bea is attacked and left for dead just to get back at Knox Keaton's brother and now the older brother Kip is accused of murder but who wants to bring the family down? A great read. I was lucky enough to receive a copy Via Netgalley & the publishing house in exchange for my honest review.

Interesting start to a new series. While I liked Tilly and Keaton, there was just too much drama here. I wanted to tell them to move. Just move. There was good potential for a second chance romance but unfortunately, for me at least, it got bolluxed up in a screwball threat thing which included (seriously?) someone trying to blackmail Keaton into marriage. It's 2018 people. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This one just didn't resonate with me.

I want to say up front that I enjoy a great mystery combined with romance. Darkest Night has that and for the most part I enjoyed it.

Tilly and Keaton, finding love again after so many years was a wonderful thing to witness. These two never forgot about the other but family circumstances and dirty dealings separated them at the tender age of 14. Now in the present, neither wants to let the other go but death seems to find them no matter where they turn and they are determined to get to the bottom of it all.

I liked that there was enough romance to counter all the mysterious deaths with the addition of the unstable Elise as a prominent foe for Tilly. There are many side stories going on with the other Benedict brothers and the author does a good job of keeping it all straight.

There were some choppy parts that were hard to understand at times with POVs being told too close together and I'll give this one a pass since it's an arc, assuming formatting will help with the flow.

The mysterious 'Gentleman' who seems to be behind all the murders has yet to show his face. I'm sure by the end of this series, it will all come together.

A good read that needed just a bit more structure but I most likely will continue with the rest of the series.

3 stars.

I was so happy to read this book and thrilled at how much i liked it. Romantic suspense is fun, coupled with deadly secrets, suspense. It's fast paced with strong characters. A couple trying to build a relationship through danger. Very cool. Highly recommend. 5 stars!
I reviewed Darkest Night by Tara Thomas. #DarkestNight #NetGalley

OOOHHHH!!! I Loved this book!

When Keaton Benedict runs into Tilly, who is not only a server at a bar he is at, but a familiar face from the past, their feelings start to reignite. Unfortunately, a misunderstanding from the past has kept them apart, and Elise, another kink in their past, tries to push her way into Keaton's life.

This book is full of murder, mystery, love and heartache. It is so well written, and I really enjoyed the way the author, Tara Thomas, was able to make it all flow smoothly and kept the story going so well! This is the first book I have read of Tara's and will DEFINITELY not be the last!

So we have a segment of another series of books connecting characters to the 3 previous novellas of Janie and Brent saga. This is the Benedict's phase. We have Tilly who was one of the waitress from the gentleman's club that Janie worked as a bartender while working under cover. She ends up reconnecting with Keaton who she had a young love with and secrets are being discovered, and the info about her dad is coming to light.. again we have to keystone cops, these people are doing the most ridiculous things and I can't believe that I am reading it, but now I want to know who the hell is the gentleman...

This book can be read as a standalone although it is Book #1 in a new series, Sons of Broad.
Darkest Hour was a fast-paced and entertaining book with lots of suspense and romance, twists and turns and overall I enjoyed it. It just felt jumpy and rushed to me at times. That being said I still enjoyed it and would still be interested in reading more books in this series.

I give The Darkest Night a thumbs up. I enjoyed the characters. I found myself willing them to do or not to do certain things that came up. The story pulled together nicely and was a smooth read. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.