Bound By Books Book Review: Book Blitz, Review & Giveaway: The Sordid Promise by Courtney Lane

Book Blitz, Review & Giveaway: The Sordid Promise by Courtney Lane

Title: The Sordid Promise

Author: Courtney Lane

Genre: Erotic Suspense/Psychological Thriller

Publication Date: March 26, 2014

Tour Host: Dreams Come True Promotions

Warning: Contains graphic language, frequent graphic sex, disturbing violence, and very dark themes.

When physical pain allows you to escape your reality; what do you do when the pain is no longer strong enough to quiet the emotional ache?

Diouana "Nikki" returned to her hometown six months ago to tend to her sick mother. She thought she'd left her "baggage" behind her on the opposite coast, only to find that it never left her side. As her self-destructive thoughts begin to consume her, her mother -- realizing Nikki's torment -- pushes Nikki to complete her last wishes.

Eric Brenton, Nikki's new neighbor, lives in a dark, chaotic world that is easily hidden behind his model good looks and cocky demeanor. Unapologetic about his dirtier intentions, he sets his sights on Nikki with an offer to help her. But his help comes with very unorthodox conditions and a huge price.

And Eric...comes with an extensive black box warning label.

Rachel's 4.5 Star Review

The Sordid Promise is in the dark erotica genre. If you are easily offended, prudish, don't like swearing or only read for a half hour at a time, this book is most likely NOT for you. I, however, found this novel to be highly addictive to my curious nature. I don't read a synopsis or others reviews before I begin any novel, to do so would be to ruin it for me. I prefer to try and figure things out as I go along. I always ask the basic questions; who, what, when, where, and most importantly the WHY. The Sordid Promise was fifty shades of FUCKED UP, but I loved it. This novel had so many twists and turns, I could get partial answers, yet not enough to satisfy, so I had to read on... I finished this novel in a day. It was NOT short, but I literally couldn't put it down. Seriously, I'm not just saying that. Did it turn me on? No, not really. I was more in a clinical mode. I wanted, no, NEEDED to figure out WHO Dr. Eric Brenton was, and the HOW/WHY he came to be in Nikki's life the way he did.

Was it Dark? Most definitely! Dr. Eric Brenton was a complete mystery to me. Was he a killer, was he just an Alpha Dom? Did he feel real love? Did he only feel indifference to every one around him? Once I had him pegged, his character showed just enough of a twist or personality change that I had to read on, I had to place him into that mold that I couldn't quite get right yet.

Nikki was another story. She was mentally screwed up, on prescription meds, with suicidal tendencies ( maybe, we have no idea if she'd really tried to kill herself or was just seeking attention ) and a mother who wanted Nikki to help her die before the cancer kills her. Nikki was a different kind of character, and Ms. Lane did a remarkable job of bringing her insecurities and her mental acuity into question numerous times. I was always just out of reach of being able to figure it all out until the end.

Eric and Nikki have a seriously messed up relationship on one hand, yet on the other, they are perfect together. If only he would answer her questions instead of deterring her with hot, remarkable, orgasm after orgasm. To put in into Eric's words, "You're going to come SO FUCKING HARD" and yeah, he made her.

The writing was so smooth and effortless that I didn't have to do a re-read of a single sentence, NOT ONE! I just became SO engrossed in this novel, I read, to the exclusion of all else. I NEEDED to finish...and what a fine finish it was. Everything came around full circle and ALL my questions were finally answered.

The ONLY reason this read didn't get a 5 Star rating from me was because there are so few people I could actually recommend it to. Most of my friends like the light and fluffy, not the deep and dark, and I personally think that they don't know what they are missing. This novel was so fucking awesome, it struck a chord and I couldn't stop reading had I even wanted to. Thank you, Courtney Lane for one of the most thought provoking, deep, dark, fucking awesome reads I've had in a while.

I’ve been creating my own little world since I was very young. When I was eight years old, I began to bring those worlds to life with pen and paper.

While I write across genres (I find it hard to stick to one genre), I do have an archetype when it comes to the female protagonist — they have to have certain type of strength, strong convictions, and layered personalities. There will often be a lot of darkness and depth to my stories, but I don’t see the point in writing vapid characters who are thrust into “safe” situations.

Writing Science Fiction/Fantasy is my first love. If there is one thing for sure, I'm a bit of a misfit when it comes to Romance. I prefer my romances dark. The elements that will be common in my stories are: depth, controversy, and misfit characters.