Book Review - Broken Promise (Sons of Broad #3)

Broken Promise by Tara Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the third in the Sons of Broad Series by Tara Thomas. I received this book from Netgalley and after I started it, I knew I had to start from the beginning. I hunted down the first two and finished them before diving back into Broken Promise. I did not read any of the prequel novellas which may have been helpful for some more backstory. Each of the books in the series focuses on one of the Benedict brothers. In the last book we are introduced to Kipling. I had a feeling the older mature and seemingly playboy brother was more deep than he let's on.
The romance begins between him and Alyssa, the police officer from the previous books. The romance isn't a surprise, there's a lot of playful banter and sexual innuendos from Kipling in the other books but the feelings behind them aren't introduced until this final installment. A lot of questions are answered in this one. We found out the who and why of the Gentleman which fills in a lot of blanks. I wonder if there's a novella from the POV of the Benedict's mom? That would be an interesting read.

I would definitely read the series in order, otherwise the finale built up in the first two is spoiled in book three. I liked Alyssa. She was a strong heroine but not perfect, you saw the flaws too. I do wonder, whatever happened to her partner from the first book? She originally has a partner, then he just stops coming and no more mention of him. Generally if a department runs two deep, they don't just stop. I also felt her decision to leave the department felt pretty rash. I definitely saw her leaving, but there wasn't much in the way of her decision, just that she made it.
I will say each of these girls seem to come from a home with a rough father.

SPOILER ALERT!!! SPOILER ALERT!!!


The loose ends from the other books all seem to tie up at the end. Some questions I had with the ending is Kipling's injury. We aren't ever really told what happens with him, he seems alright, like he's faking but then ends up in a coma and needing physical therapy? For what?! Also, Jade seems to have no problem being shot since it's no longer mentioned again. The part with Tilly's dad is a bit confusing. It's talked about that he's a hindrance to the Gentleman, but then that's it. So did he plant the evidence? It wasn't very clear. And the decision he made for the Benedict parents was surprising, considering his motive behind it all.

In the end it was a good book, a good series and I am definitely interested in reading more from this author, and perhaps I'll check out the novellas as well.

Thanks for the opportunity!

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Book Review - Deadly Secret (Sons of Broad #2)

Deadly Secret by Tara Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second novel in the Sons of Broad series by Tara Thomas. I actually received an ARC for the third in the series and started it. Since I ended up enjoying it I tracked down the first two.
This was probably my least favorite of all three. I didn't read any of the prequel novellas so I might be missing some of the back story to these.

What I didn't like as much in this one was our heroine, Bea. I liked Knox, he wasn't my favorite brother but I liked him a lot more than Bea. The first half of the book drove me nuts.

**Spoiler Alert!**
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

She was so adamant about not letting her fear of this madman move her from her home, but this was the same guy who's keeping her from who she loves? She won't let him dictate where she sleeps at night (which would keep her alive), but she's willing to give up her husband because he said so? What kind of a woman is this?

Rant over.

She was a little too trusting of Jade in my opinion. Not to say that Jade didn't need someone in her corner, but Bea was a bit too naive to stay alive without Knox.

The suspense was good, the madman was hate-able, the mystery was there. There are some open ends, some from the first are weaved in, but new ones are formed. For me, it wasn't so bad since I had all 3 books at once. I was able to pick up book 3 when this was over so it didn't leave me hanging.

There is romance, sex scenes, some language and mature content like in the last, an adult read for sure. On to the next in the series!

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Book Review - Darkest Night (Sons of Broad #1)

Darkest Night by Tara Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This author was new-to-me and I'm pleasantly surprised with the result. I haven't really gotten into romantic suspense until now. I actually received an ARC from Netgalley for the third book in the series. I began reading it, and then since I liked the story, I had to hunt down the first two. I have not read any of the author's other work under her pen name or through her novellas.
The Benedict boys each have their own angle and personality and each one will have their own book. The first begins with the youngest, Keaton and his childhood neighbor Tilly. This was a sweet and quick romance that skips the instalove feeling since they were childhood friends and crushes until a tragedy ripped them apart for years. They are later reunited and all the old feelings rush back.
As soon as they are reacquainted, the bodies and danger start showing up at Tilly's door. Keaton's desire to protect her was sweet. The suspense moved quickly and kept me thoroughly engaged. Sometimes the pacing and change of POV threw me, I'm not sure if that was because of the ARC format though.
The gentleman was a character I loved to hate, and I know there is something much deeper for him in all this. The characters weren't super deep, but I could get a good glimpse of them. This book really focuses on a few, I'm imagining the other books each focus on different characters. The only character I wasn't a fan of were the twins, and one of their quick 180 in personality. It just felt forced.
There were some sex scenes, some language, and mature content, it wasn't over the top but definitely an adult read. There were a few references that had me wondering and perhaps there is something in a previous novella that accounts for those details. A few loose ends when this was over, however, it's a series. It wasn't a cliff-hanger, but enough to make me wonder how they will connect in the next book. I will definitely continue in the series and I'm eager to find more from this author.

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Book Review - The Song of Blood and Stone

Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this one and felt it wasn't like anything I've read lately. It was a very easy read, fast paced and intriguing. I finished it within a day. I definitely felt that this book was hitting on a lot of different major issues all at once. It hits racism, refugees, interracial couples, f/f couples, sexual assault, political conflict, and moral dilemmas just to name a few. Race/cultural differences between the opposing sides plays a huge role in this book. I really enjoyed reading how there were good and bad on both sides and not singling one side out as good/evil. One could definitely take this book with a political view but I read for entertainment so I leave politics out of it.
I loved the characters. I found myself rooting for both main characters and connected with them each in different ways. I would loved to have read about Jasminda's life with her family before. I loved her connection to them, but some added memories of her twin brothers or her parents would have really brought them to life. I really liked how independent she was, how she was terrified and strong at the same time. I loved Jack. His identity wasn't a complete surprise by the time it is made known but it didn't detract from the story. I really enjoyed Nash and Usher and hope they make more appearances and perhaps some more depth in the future.
I would not classify this as a YA but more NA. It has some pretty descriptive sex scenes for YA, not too detailed, but way more than I would feel comfortable sharing with my teenager. There are also scenes of attempted rape that are pretty descriptive. There wasn't any language and in between these scenes, it was YA suitable.
The fantasy in this one was light and easy. It didn't get too complicated when speaking of magic, which makes it a fast read. Sometimes too much fantasy can weigh a book down and make it work to get through. This was not one of those. I really loved how the magic is connected to each other, to the earth.
This was a great and easy read and I am glad I was given the opportunity to review it. I will definitely follow the author and I'm eager to read what comes next!

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Book Review - The Best of Daughters

The Best of Daughters by Dilly Court
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was my first introduction to Dilly Court. I must say I was very pleased with this jump into a period novel. I was fascinated with the way that Dilly was able to use accurate verbiage throughout her descriptions and found myself looking up a few words here or there. When the words are added simply to push it onto the reader that the author is knowledgeable it annoys me. Dilly doesn't do this at all. The writing flows and fits and had she used modern words in her descriptions it would have been off-putting.

This book takes you back into times right before WWI when a well-to-do family is flung into a state of trial as her father's business is swindled by his partner and forces them to flee to the countryside giving up the luxuries they once took for granted. Daisy is on the path to finding herself and begins by attending meetings and demonstrations by the suffragettes. This path is halted on their move to the countryside which has Daisy searching for another path..

Most of the characters were likable and loved the family interactions. At the beginning I really struggled with Daisy's infatuation. I really love how we see and most of the other characters develop throughout the novel. At first I thought it was moving particularly slow amidst all the dress fittings and shopping sprees but I really got more into it as the war started. I really loved how much she grew and matured.

I enjoyed the story and the ending. There were no loose ends and everything ended well. There was romance but not a lot of lusty sex scenes, just small kissing scenes. There wasn't language and the war scenes were moving but not too heavy. There wasn't a lot of angst but there was a lot of painful war scenarios.

I definitely enjoyed this one and will find more by this author. I am eager to see what else she has written.

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Book Review - All For You

SPOILER ALERT!! SPOILER ALERT!!

I really enjoyed this one.  It's been awhile since I picked up a contemporary romance and a military one nonetheless.  I'm glad I started with this one.  This one kept me intrigued the entire way through.  I was hoping for a little more depth into the hazing, but I realize that wasn't the focus of this novel.  I felt the author did a really good job portraying the scene and brutal truth about mental health in the military.  I also loved that she was honest that it isn't as black and white as some try to make it out to be.  The characters weren't my fav, don't get me wrong, they were written well.  Reza was a broken and flawed character, which I think she pulled off well.  At first I was annoyed by an addict hanging on to a bottle to "prove" he was strong enough since you knew it was just a matter of time.  In the end I'm glad it came around.  Emily was a decent character but I felt she was a little to naive.  How could she not possibly know what ammo and mags are?  She did say she watched every war movie she could find, and while she was a doctor, she was also in the army for goodness sakes.  I also don't know that drinking with an alcoholic is the best way to support a man you are falling for.  My personal pet peeve was the reference to her female anatomy as her "sex."  That drives me nuts, there are quite a few other words that can be used and numerous to describe the male anatomy but any reference towards her was the single word.  I enjoyed my little trip to Fort Hood and am interested in reading the rest of the series.  Overall, the good outweighed the bad and I will continue to watch this author in the future.