This novella is an introduction to the new "Sons of Broad" series by Tara Thomas. The suspense series promises to be highly exciting and I ended up finishing it in one sitting. Set in Charleston, the heat and steam is gradually increasing every step of the way as undercover detective Janie Roberts tries to discover who the mysterious man behind the recent kidnappings is. Whoever he is, he has been targeting beautiful and lonely girls who are working at the bar where Janie is now posing as a barmaid. Can she discover the identity of the kidnapper before another girl goes missing?

Janie has her suspicions. She has just met a man that may be the one behind the kidnappings. And even though she knows that it's a bad idea, she can't help the instant attraction that she feels for Brent Taylor. Her mind may be telling her to stay away, but her body and heart are telling her to go for it!

What will Janie do and will she be able to find the kidnapper and put an end to it?

I can't wait for the next book of the series to find out what's in store for Janie!! This is truly a great suspense/romance series that is sure to leave you breathless!!

Did not enjoy the series. It did not engage or keep my interest

Shattered Fear was a quick, enjoyable romantic suspense read that does a great job setting up the series.

It's summertime in Charleston and undercover detective Janie Roberts has a killer to catch. Working as a bartender at a nightclub, she meets Brent Taylor who appears to match the criteria for the killer. As Janie gets to know Brent to find out if he's the killer, she unexpectedly finds herself falling her him. Could Brent really be the killer or is there someone else lurking in the shadows?

Janie is a competent detective who after discovering a link between several missing women and a nightclub, pushes to work there undercover. Janie is dedicated to her job and wouldn't know what to do in life if she wasn't a cop. Brent is a well known philanthropist who is as charming as he is handsome. As this novella is fairly short, Janie and Brent's relationship does move to the next level fairly quickly but it was well done and very sexy.

The plot with the missing women was a fairly interesting one. Then when one is murdered, the stakes are even higher. I'm curious to find out who the mysterious Gentleman is who's pulling the strings. I have a theory on who The Gentleman's helper is, so I'm excited to find out if I'm right in future books.

As the first of three prequel novellas, Shattered Fear did a great job getting me interested in the characters and the plot and I'm excited to find out what will happen in the rest of the books.

I always enjoy prequel novellas to a series because I love the world-building and context they provide. They give you a deeper understanding of the world, introduce you to the key characters and allow you to see the backstories that will me mentioned later on in the series.

I really enjoyed the flow to Shattered Fear. Having sections told from Janie's POV mixed in with scenes from the killer's POV gives this novella a thrilling momentum. You get to see what Janie is up against and it gets your brain thinking about all sorts of possibilities. I definitely have a few theories and I can't wait to see if I'm right or not.

*This is part of a series of novellas, that really must be read in order to get the full effect* It's been awhile since I've binge read an author. But Tara Thomas has me hooked and I've read all of this series so far. I'm not patiently waiting for book 3! I am looking forward to finding out about The Gentleman - I have so many ideas darn it!

I don't want to give anything more away but to say the characters are fabulous, the suspense is gripping and carries over between books, While you can read out of order, you learn pieces that may help you later in each book.

This was a quick novella. That introduces you to the start of Tara Thomas's new romantic suspense series and establishes the relationship between the two central characters Janie and Brent.

And whilst it set the scene, had some moments of intrigue, and was a good read. It never really jumped out at me. Yet there was enough to hold my interest and because of that I will continue on with this series.

This is the first novella that I was given of this series and absolutely loved it! The suspense and not knowing who is behind what drives me to the point I have to keep going to find out more. In this book we meet Janie a cop who is after a seriel killer undercover at a bar where the kidnapping occur. There she meets Brent a well know womanizer who could also be a suspect. We also meet her good friend and fellow cop Alyssa who will be in other books, but helps in the start of this mystery. The shortness of the books kills me, right when it gets to that one point, it ends. But that is the purpose of a novella so it is what it is. Great start and can't wait for the rest to come out.
Honest review in exchange for ARC.

This is a great and quick read with everything you want in a book, compact sized.
Set in the beautiful city of Charleston Janie is an undercover cop working as a bartender at a gentleman's club that seems to be the point of impact where a serial killer has been targeting women. With virtually nothing to go on, Janie is sent in to work. There she meets the handsome, hot Brent who rescues her from a drunk customer. They hit it off and while Jamie is obviously on duty starts thinking Brent may, just maybe fit a little of the serial killers profile. So while filling out one of her weekly reports she does note he may be a person of interest, without saying much more.
Meanwhile Brent and Janie grow closer and start seeing each other. One day spent together turns
Janie's world upside down. She's suspended from her job, removed from the case which she is heavily invested in and the end of this book is the perfect segue into part two.
This is a well written short story that packs a pretty decent punch. The suspense is there for sure and it's got enough sizzle to keep you happy without being distracting. I really liked Brent and Janie together, nice level playing field and none of the usual bs we too often see in other books.

**arc from NetGalley and Publisher in exchange for an honest review**
3.5 stars

Whew! This novella was fast paced and quickly sucked me in! It did a great job of being mysterious while also letting a romance begin! Janie is an undercover cop. There are kidnappings and murders happening to women around Charleston. And the reader sees a glimpse into the life of the murderer and his henchman, but we don't know who they are just yet. She's working to solve the clues, but things end up closer to home than she ever imagined. And the way this book ends is a doozy! I enjoyed watching Janie and Brent get to know each other and now I'm really looking forward to the next novella, Hidden Fate!

“Shattered Fear” is the first of three novellas that act as a prequel to author Tara Thomas’ full length romantic suspense novel that releases at the end of February. Charleston is the setting for this author’s new Sons of Broad series and serves to introduce the reader to the darker side of this bustling yet charming South Carolina city.

The action kicks in quickly with the introduction of Detective Janie Roberts, who is working undercover as a bartender in the club where several women have mysteriously disappeared. In the course of working her case, the handsome & wealthy Brent Taylor falls under Janie’s radar. But despite circumstantial evidence pointing a finger in Brent’s direction, Janie waivers when it comes to presuming his involvement and/or guilt.

During her ensuing investigation, Janie instantly connects to Brent, and the pull towards him is undeniable. Soon, Janie finds herself in a professional predicament, as she helplessly falls for this sexy, charismatic man, who may or may not be the kidnaping murderer she’s been hunting. But as the story continues to unfold, events lead me on a path paved with theories I’ve come to believe are true and towards a cliffhanger ending that leaves me craving so much more.

A perfect blend of secrets, sex and suspense, I really enjoyed this Sons of Broad novella and look forward to reading the next two installments, as well as this author’s upcoming full-length novella.

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Stand-Alone: No There'll be cliffhangers here
Part of a Series: Yes. One of (it appears) three novella prequels to the Sons of Broad series
POV: Janie and the killer
Steam Level: Slow burn to sexy
3.5/5

I'm torn on what to rate this novella. The writing was really good. The story is suspenseful and engaging with likable characters and plenty of twists and turns. However, I REALLY do not like cliffhangers and this one was a doozy. I'm pretty sure I know who the killer is (or at least I suspect) but I don't have a clue as to who is pulling the strings. I don't like that I need to get the next two (?) in order to find out if I'm correct or completely wrong. Cliffhanger aside this was a great story and a nice introduction to the series that I'm definitely interested in reading. Tara Thomas is a fabulous (new-to-me) author in one of my favorite genres.

I received an advanced copy of this book for free from the author/publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Shattered Fear started out pretty strong, but as the story went on, I found Janie to be a rather weak female character. For a seasoned police officer, she acted more like a damsel in distress than someone who could take control and catch a killer.

This was a pretty decent super quick novella that sets up the SONS OF BROAD series. The relationship was a little too insta and fell a little flat for me but since Janie and Brent continue in other novellas and maybe the full-length books as well I went with it. I also have a reasonably good idea who the baddie is that is doing THE GENTERLMANS dirty work. Overall though, I was intrigued enough to continue with the series.

I don't enjoy cliffhanger's and this one has one. I didn't realize going in that there are going to novella's to follow the Janie and Brent's romance. Besides that, I found the story predictable and my eye's rolled a lot! This was my first time reading any of this authors work. I'm willing to give it her another chance, though. ARC received through Netgalley for an honest review.

Will you be next? Janie is undercover at a nightclub where young girls have gone missing, firstly the police thought that the girls were been trafficked but they have all been found dead since. So who could be the killer someone at the club or just a serial killer? Janie starts getting closer to a local playboy Brent Taylor as he has all the profile points but can he really have taken all those women without anyone knowing? Janie is about to learn a big lesson about getting involved with a suspect she is fired as she just couldn't stay away. But why is the killer fixated on her now and will the gentleman get his prize? A good short read. I was lucky enough to receive a copy via Netgalley & the publishing house in exchange for my honest review.

Shattered Fear by Tara Thomas is the first of three prequel novellas being published in the new romantic suspense Sons of Broad series. These prequel novellas feature detective Janie Roberts who has been working undercover as a bartender while working a case searching for a killer.

As Janie is tending bar she meets the handsome and charming Brent Taylor and there is something about him that draws her in. Brent checks all the boxes of the type of man Janie should be looking for as a suspect in the crime but before Janie knows it she finds herself crossing a line that she shouldn’t.

I wasn’t familiar with this author before picking up this series but it didn’t surprise me at all to learn that she is crossing over from writing erotic stories when the steam began to rise from the pages in this little novella. Her first attempt her with romantic suspense though felt like a solid beginning to the series and had my curiosity up.

Anyone that follows my reviews at all may very well be able to guess what my complaint with this first book would be…. it’s just too short of course. It seems like as soon as the story is established and the characters introduced the book was at the end. I would give this open 3.5 stars and I do believe that all three opening novellas in this series though focus on Janie and Brent so I’ll definitely be checking out what happens to them next in Hidden Fate.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

3.5 Stars

Romantic suspense is quickly becoming a favorite trope of mine so I jumped at the opportunity to start reading this new series by Tara Thomas. I have been an avid reader of the erotica series of books that Tara wrote under her pen name Tara Sue Me so I was anxious to read her in a new light.

Shattered Fear is one of three novellas in the Sons of Broad series that will release prior to the first full length book release at the end of February. As such, I guess I expected this first novella to spend a majority of it's time building the characters, the story, the world the reader will be living in for the duration of the series. So I was a little off kilter when events happen at an accelerated pace right out of the gate.

Janie Roberts is an undercover police officer working as a bartender in a club where multiple women have gone missing. Pretty much at the same time the reader meets her, we also meet Brent Taylor who comes to her rescue from a drunken patron. Their attraction is immediate, and after just two brief interactions in a busy club, Janie goes out on a date with Brent. Now, I don't have anything against quick connections, insta-love, lust, whatever you want to call it, but Janie is a police officer, undercover, who hasn't ruled out Brent as being the killer. She begins an intimate relationship with him, not knowing if he is the one, who could potentially kill her too?

The suspense story is intriguing, I am very invested in seeing where this part of the story goes. I feel like there are clues woven into the story that I'm just not seeing yet, but I have my suspicions on who the killer is. I am anxious to move on to the next novella to see what happens next. The mix of suspense to romance in this story felt more weighted towards the romance, and since the relationship between Janie and Brent escalated so quickly, I don't feel a connection to them yet.

Tara is an amazing author, and I have no doubt that this romantic suspense series will be a huge success for her. I am moving on to the next novella to see what's in store for Janie and Brent!

NetGalley and St. Martin's Press provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

A southern mystery unfolds…

This is one of three connected novellas in the Sons of Broad series, the ending is a cliff-hanger. These novellas are scheduled to release a week apart from each other.

Single women are disappearing, four of whom had a connection to a gentlemen’s club. Police Officer Janie Roberts is undercover as a bartender at the club to discover information when she meets Brent Taylor, a man who the papers label a playboy philanthropist. He takes an immediate liking to Janie and her assessment is that he fits part of the profile for the perpetrator law enforcement seeks but the man is nothing like the media have portrayed him. Drawn to him, more than she should be, and knowing that she shouldn’t Janie begins to date him though she can’t say if she does so because he’s a suspect or he’s a man that attracts her. Her decision is risky and could amount to career suicide.

This novella is a piece of a larger story that is being serialized and according to promos is an introduction to the series. I found it interesting enough that I want to see what happens next but the characters were lacking in depth, perhaps because the plot moves quickly. The story is being told through Janie’s eyes but we are also given another viewpoint, that of an accomplice to the crimes through which we learn of the man behind it all who remains in the shadows, those portions of the story were quite intriguing. The focus in this piece of the puzzle is more on the budding romance between the protagonists than investigation of the disappearances which I expect will change as the story progresses.

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

I didn't realize that this was almost a mini-series of novellas leading up to the new Broad series. I hate cliffhangers, so I'm glad that I have all three of these novellas to read. Janie and Brent's romance went a little too fast, but it should be interesting to see how they figure out who the Gentleman is and also who his lackey is.