Monday, January 8, 2018

Promise Not to Tell - Romantic Suspense Review


Rating: Very Good
Source: NetGalley

Description: 
A painter of fiery, nightmarish visions throws herself into the sea—but she leaves her secrets behind . . .

Seattle gallery owner Virginia Troy has spent years battling the demons that stem from her childhood time in a cult and the night a fire burned through the compound, killing her mother. And now one of her artists has taken her own life, but not before sending Virginia a last picture: a painting that makes Virginia doubt everything about the so-called suicide—and her own past.

Like Virginia, private investigator Cabot Sutter was one of the children in the cult who survived that fire... and only he can help her now. As they struggle to unravel the clues in the painting, it becomes clear that someone thinks Virginia knows more than she does and that she must be stopped. Thrown into an inferno of desire and deception, Virginia and Cabot draw ever closer to the mystery of their shared memories—and the shocking fate of the one man who still wields the power to destroy everything they hold dear

Genre:  Romantic Suspense

Why I Picked This Book:
  I really enjoy Krentz's romantic suspense books and I enjoyed the previous book in the series.

My Impression:
  I love romantic suspense and no one writes it better than Jayne Ann Krentz.  She writes fast paced books with likable main characters and the perfect balance of romance and suspense.  This one just might have been my favorite yet.  I had pretty high hopes for this one - especially when I saw it was connected to the previous book - When All the Girls Have Gone - which I read last year and really enjoyed.  I was a little concerned because while Kretnz's books are thoroughly enjoyable they are rarely particularly memorable.  It turned out to not be a problem because while the cult that this book is centered around does come up in the previous book you can just jump in here with no trouble.

I loved Cabot and Virginia and the focus on finding answers to the past.  The fact that they had this shared trauma strengthened their connection and enabled them to understand each other in a way that no one else did.  I really appreciated the fact that Cabot experienced many of the same issues that Virginia did and while he was very much on the strong and silent type he also was honest regarding his struggles and had no problem shedding the occasional tear.  Virginia isn't quite as okay with her feelings as her upbringing post-cult was full of mixed messages and strained loyalties. Watching them help each other on an emotional level was really nice and made it easy to believe that the relationship was fueled by more than just adrenaline.  As well they respected each other academically and professionally.  They both took each other seriously and really listened to the various ideas as the investigation progressed.

This was a thoroughly entertaining read and perfect for a day spent inside under a blanket avoiding the cold.  The suspense kept me turning pages and the characters kept me invested.  I didn't want to put it down!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?
  Absolutely!  I'm already looking forward to her next romantic suspense title and am hoping to read more from her backlist.

Would I Recommend this Book?
Absolutely!  If you enjoy romantic suspense this is a must not miss read.  Don't let the fact this is the 2nd in a series scare you.  They're very loosely linked and this is a complete standalone.

10 comments:

  1. I haven't read Krentz in a while, but someone else just reviewed this last week, and I fell in love, ready to grab this book. It truly sounds like a keeper! Hugs...RO

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  2. It's been a while since I read any of Krentz's book too. I think I read all of her Arcane Society books, which she wrote partly under this name and partly under Amanda Quick and Jayne Castle. Loved those. Glad you enjoyed it and I might one day come back to her books.

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  3. I really need to read Krentz! I know I read some of her books years ago when I was first getting into romance, but honestly I can't remember anything besides the fact that I read a few of her books. And I have been super into romantic suspense lately.

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  4. I am so glad you liked this one! I need to get to her books in my TBR pile. I love romantic suspense.

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  5. I haven't read the previous book - yet so am happy to hear it is only loosely linked as most likely I will catch up on this one first as I love your review of it.

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  6. I also enjoyed Krentz's book When All the Girls Have Gone...and just downloadeded this book. I love the romantic suspense genre from this author, too.

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts...can't wait to read it!

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  7. New author new book for me. Thanks for the review.

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  8. I'm going to see if this is on audible or hoopla - sounds like it would be a good audiobook. Thanks for the review!

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  9. I am really regretting that fact that I didn't request this one. It sounds so good. I am so glad that you enjoyed it!

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