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.

Shattered Fear by Tara Thomas is great novella. It offers readers, like myself, suspense, intrigue, and a romantic atmosphere. Danger is lurking nearer than the characters are aware of...the risks are high and fear is like a viral plague. Tara Thomas has caught my full attention.  I loved reading this short but more in-depth story on the characters from the main novels. It gave me more background into the overall picture. The heat is scorching and not listening to fear, could result in death. Killers are running loose and it is only a matter of time for the characters. Overall, I recommend this read.

Tara’s foray into romantic suspense does not disappoint. She has successfully transitioned from erotica to this genre flawlessly. This novella is a good way to get the background of book just follows ‘ Darkest Night’

Shattered fear by tara thomas.
Janie roberts is a cop. She is working undercover after 6 girls have been found dead 4 of them connect to the club she is working in. Brent taylor is captivated by Janie. But is he a suspect?
A absolutely fantastic read with great characters. Read in a few hours as I couldn't put it down. Looking forward to next part. Highly recommended. 5*.

Will undercover detective Janie Roberts catch a killer or fall in love with one. Brent Taylor is rich, sexy and possible a murder. Great book......steamy and thrilling.

Interesting story, the author jumps right in to the story with no real build up, I would have liked a bit more of a lead in and background on the characters.

So I knew going into this story that it was a novella designed to introduce a new series. However, I had no idea that meant it would end on a cliffhanger! Ugh! Other than that it was a great setup for a series. The story had interesting characters and what could be interesting plot twists. However, at times it seemed to focus more on the romance than the actual mystery so readers looking for more police procedural aspects may be disappointed.

Shattered Fear by Tara Thomas was a blood pumping, action packed thriller! I was on pins and needles, holding my breath. In this short story, introduces the main characters in Tara Thomas's new series.

Janie Roberts is an undercover cop, investigating the disappearance of young girls at a local gentleman's club. While acting as a bartender she meets a man that could definitely well be the suspect.

Enter in Brent Tyler.... aka wealthy business man and hell of a temper. From the very start Brent was attracted to Janie. But she has more to lose. Janie will stop at nothing to find the murderer and if it's Brent...... She will close off her feelings and bring justice to the town.

I love a good mystery suspense, and Shattered Fear was right up my alley!

Tara Thomas is a new-to-me author of romantic suspense. This author writes erotic romance under the pen name Tara Sue Mae, but I had never read her books. Her new series is off to a great start with this thrilling novella, I fell hard for her particular brand of romantic suspense. This short and suspenseful novella packs quite an emotional punch! From the very first page, the story is riveting and moves at a very fast pace. The characters are the highlight of this story, the suspense is tense and well-thought-out. I was glued to my kindle.

Janie Roberts is an undercover cop, working as barista at an upscale gentleman’s club. She is attempting to discover information on the disappearances of several women while they were working at the club. Brent Taylor is a wealthy, well-known public figure, a frequent customer of the club and a potential suspect. Getting involved with a person of interest is obviously not the best decision, but Janie wants to believe that Brent is not the killer she is looking for.

This was a quick, thrilling read, with a cliffhanger ending and I really look forward to reading more in the series!

This is a very short novella possibly a prequel to Tara Thomas's new series. It is definitely not what I expected though it does start of on a strong note with an undercover detective and what seems to be a sex trafficking theme.

Unfortunately the story is very short, intended to whet the appetite lean on the details. Before you know it you're at the end wondering what happened and whether you feel engaged in the story. I wish I hadn't requested or read it because it has colored my approach to the first book in the series and not in a good way.

Will keep you posted on how it turns out.

I would have like this to be more of a book than a novella. The characters were interesting but the romance felt a little rushed.

Shattered Fear is the thrilling introduction to the Sons of Broad series as a madman is abducting young women from the streets of Charleston, and Janie and Brent become targets as they race to solve the crime.
First off, this novella is the first of three parts. I wish I had known this before I started reading it because now I need to wait till the others are published before knowing what happens to Janie and Brent. This makes me annoyed and impatient. Serial novellas make me growly. Anyway, consider yourself warned. If you're planning on reading this (you should, it's good!) you may want to wait till all three parts are out to avoid the frustration I'm currently experiencing.
I liked Brent and Janie from the start. Janie is dedicated and hardworking. Brent is charming and likable. Right from the start, Brent comes to Janie's rescue first at the bar where she's working undercover and then later when danger starts to threaten her. And while Janie is suspicious of Brent at the start, her suspicions are laid to rest as she gets to know him. I loved that Brent has a protective side to him and Janie has a soft, feminine side to her. I was expecting Janie to be tough and a bit of a hardass and I'm glad she's not.
I'm utterly intrigued by who The Gentleman is and how he's able to pull the strings he does. And of course, I want to know who his puppet is that's doing all the dirty work and being the all round bad guy.
Unfortunately, now I want to know what's going to happen next to Janie and Brent, and I have to wait for the next part of the serial to come out. Grrr.

A slow-simmering stealth attack of a Southern style whodunit. Janie is an undercover cop posing as a bartender as she hunts a serial killer. She is instantly attracted to wealthy, local playboy Brent Taylor but is he truly interested in Janie or a deviant hunting his next prey?

The chemistry between Janie and Brent fell flat quite a bit so I never really became invested in whether Brent was innocent or not. Far more intriguing were the characters in the shadows like the sinister The Gentleman and his unnamed henchman. While Janie and Brent's story was bland, the real story brewing was the tightening of the killer's circle around Janie. The tension built slowly bit by bit until one hell of a creepy cliffhanger.

The ending was the ultimate amuse bouche- a little bite meant to tease the rest of the meal. I can hardly wait to continue with this Charleston creeper saga.

This novella introduces the Sons of Broad romantic suspense series. The setting is Charleston where a serial killer is targeting young women without families. They have been disappearing from a local club. The Prologue introduces The Gentleman and the nameless minion who is kidnapping girls for him. The minion is a gambler who owes The Gentleman half a million. He also apparently has ties to the police department since he knows Janie has been assigned to work undercover.

Janie is a police officer who is undercover at the club working as a bartender. There she meets Brent Taylor who is a rich guy who is also really handsome. She starts dating him despite the fact that he fits the profile of the kidnapper. They are shot at and Janie is removed from the case for her relationship with Brent. However, since a homeless guy she befriended outside the club is murdered, she doesn't want to let the case go and decides to investigate on her own.

The story ends on a cliffhanger and has a few things that bothered me. First of all, Janie is awfully weepy for a police officer. Also the relationship with Brent happened very quickly. I know that things have to happen fast in a novella but I still thought the relationship got too serious too fast. I also thought that Janie going from suspended to fired in the course of a couple of days seemed pretty unrealistic and looked like a potential lawsuit for the police department.

I am eager to see where the clue that Janie smelled a minty cedar smell and has linked it to the kidnapper goes in the next novella.

A quick read! Janie is undercover as a bartender looking for a serial killer when Brent comes walking in ...is he the serial killer or her next love interest? You will have to read to find out. Great start to this series. Loved!

This is a short novella to start of a new series for Tara Thomas. It's about a cop named Janie Roberts who has gone undercover in a gentleman's club (as a bartender) to try to catch the person kidnapping young women. While there she meets Brent Taylor, who meets the profile that was put together for her before she went undercover. After spending time with him, she doesn't believe he has anything to do with the disappearances but he is still a suspect that she is now falling for.

This was a short tease to introduce this new series. I didn't realize going into it that it was a cliffhanger though, so be aware. There were parts of it I liked but some of it just didn't resonate with me. I didn't feel like I could connect with the characters. Parts of the things they did I really liked, others? Not so much. I really didn't like that you are left hanging at the end with no warning that it was a cliffhanger. I think once I read the other connecting books and novella's to it that it will make me like it more. Or at least that is my hope because it definitely has the potential there to be a great series!

Janie never thought she would have to go undercover at a Gentlemans Club to catch a serial killer. Bartending gives her the opportunity to scope out the patrons for the evil which has linked several killings in recent months.

Brent comes from money and he is successful to boot. He is brought into the club where Janie is undercover by a friend. But Janie is on high alert. Why would such a rich successful, guy want anything to do with a bartender. He fits her profile of the bad guy to a T! But she is also attracted to him and her interactions with him are far from purely professional!

But Janie gets sidelined when her investigation gets out of hand and Brent gets more and more involved.

Great plot with plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. Brent is not your typical rich guy and actually had a personality! Can't wait to read the rest of the series!!

Undercover cop Janie Roberts knows he fits the profile of the villain who is abducting women near a refined “gentlemen’s club.” Shouldn’t be a problem for Janie, except handsome charming and extremely wealthy Brent Taylor also fits as a possible love interest for the normally all-business cop. That blur of focus and his incredible skills behind closed doors could not only cost her job, but the lives of innocent victims as she gets too up close and personal with a suspect.

Only when she is caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar, is she forced to reveal who she is. Has Janie blown the case? Has she blown any chances with Brent if he is innocent? Someone is lurking in the shadows, pulling the strings of life and death and he may just get away with it, thanks to Janie.

SHATTERED FEAR by Tara Thomas is a short introduction to a new romantic suspense series that has all of the elements to promise some high tension reading, but acts more as a slightly erotic teaser than anything. Sure there are some very dark elements that beg to be revealed, and hopefully more depth will follow for each of the characters!

A quick read that may entice readers to want more of the meat and potatoes of a mystery/suspense with a side of steaming fluff.

I received a complimentary ARC review copy from St. Martin's Paperbacks.

Series: Sons of Broad - Book .5
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (February 6, 2018)
Publication Date: February 6, 2018
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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