Darkest Night by Tara Thomas Series: Sons of Broad #1
Published by St. Martin's Press in February 2018
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads
In this first novel in the explosive, brand-new romantic suspense Sons of Broad series from Tara Thomas comes a novel of deadly secrets and hidden danger. In the sultry streets of Charleston, one family, ruled by its powerful, take-no-prisoners sons, has risen to the top. But a merciless killer is out to destroy them…and everyone they hold close…
Keaton Benedict is the notorious playboy of Charleston’s streets. The youngest brother in the ruthless clan of men that run the biggest shipping industry in the South, he’s got money to burn and time to play. But there’s one woman for whom Keaton would give up everything he has just to kiss her one more time—the beautiful girl he loved when he was just a teenager. And when he finds her waitressing at an upscale gentlemen’s club the same night as a gruesome murder of one of the dancers, Keaton knows he must do everything he can to protect her.
Tilly Brock has learned the hard way to take care of herself. Once the daughter of a wealthy, well-bred Southern family, her life fell apart when her father was accused of embezzling money from Benedict Industries—an accusation that left her family destitute, and ripped Tilly away from the only boy she knew she would ever love. But just as she slowly reenters Keaton’s world of wealth and status, an enemy of Benedict industries is out there, biding his time, waiting to make his next move…
As the killer draws Tillly and Keaton closer into his dark web, they must uncover the threat that hunts them, before it’s too late.
Note: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions shared are my own.
I love romantic suspense novels. I have also 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 separated 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 don’t think I got their complete story 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 the plot becomes a bit more developed and if proper formatting helps the story flow better.
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.
Have you read Darkest Night by Tara Thomas? Are you thinking about reading it? I would love to hear your thoughts!
