I am torn on how to rate this book, So I will go with 2 1/2 stars. I liked the premise and most of the plot. I feel as if there are some solid bones to the story. However I really struggled to connect to the characters and I felt the romance between Keaton and Tilly felt rushed and flimsy.

Tilly is a cocktail waitress at a Gentleman's club while working her way through school. She runs into her old flame, from many years ago and they instantly reconnect...Tilly's father was fired by Keaton's father for stealing, and they NEVER discuss it!! There is internal dialog about how Keaton and Kipling believe their father was wrong, but Keaton never really clears the air with Tilly.

Also if Tilly was really that important to him why did he never look for her ? Tilly seems hesitant at first but as bodies start piling up she leans on Keaton for support. I liked the brothers and the dynamic between them and Lena. They seemed a good basis for the series and I will be interested in what happens with Knox and Bea.
Not sure if there was something I missed about Kipling and Officer Drake, but his personality switch with her threw me off. He never acted that way with other women and came across as cold and self-contained so his aggressive behavior felt odd to me.

There is a good subplot with the "Gentleman" and I'm guessing it will be ongoing in the series. I would like to know what his endgame is and how Jade/Kaja plays out in the stories.

So good! The suspense is killing me! I need more now.

Note: I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I love romantic suspence novels. I have 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 seperated 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 do not think I got the complete story for them 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 some of the plot was a bit more developed and if proper formatting helps the story flow better. (There were times in the eARC I did not realize the POV changed. That did throw me off a bit.)

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.

The whole Elise situation was a complete turn off. I don't like a third party causing drama at every turn. I thought this story would be more focused on the mystery and I wished for a more well-plotted mystery. This just felt unrealistic and contrived. Not my type of romantic suspense.

Tilly Brock is working her way through school at a gentleman’s club as a waitress. Her family was wealthy but her father was accused of embezzlement and they lost everything. Keaton Benedict is very rich and has just graduated college. His brothers run Benedict Industries, an export business, and expect him to join them now. He goes out celebrating and finds Tilly, his best friend from when they were younger. It was his family’s company her father was accused of stealing from.
Someone is killing people from Tilly’s work and they make it known she’s next. After her apartment is trashed, Keaton moves her into the Benedict mansion. They also have another guest, Tilly’s best friend from childhood Elise. But Elise is the same girl she grew up with. She wants Keaton and she’ll do anything to get him. With someone trying to take the Benedict’s down, Tilly being in danger, and Keaton being blackmailed, their life is one surprise after another. Can they figure everything out and still be together or will Keaton lose Tilly after he’s just found her again?
Suspense. Sex. Surprises. Cliffhanger. Great story with intriguing characters and mystery.
* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for netgalley *

I could not finish this book. It seemed silly, not realistic at all.