Well the hell do I start with this one?! Georgie and Marnie haven't exactly had a childhood to be proud of; not that it was their own doing of course. Having heard (and seen) a lot of things that children should most certainly NOT be hearing, the sisters need to find a way protect their sanity, and fast. Unfortunately, due to their mothers extra curricular activities shall we say, Georgie and Marnie's sanity isn't the only thing which they need to protect; their lives are now hanging in the balance.

How? What? When? Why? Geeeeeez Casey! 'The Promise' had me hooked straight away; the squalor Georgie and Marnie were living in, as well as wondering what the hell their mother was playing at, were two HUGE reasons for me to keep reading. To be honest, I felt weary of stopping the book for even one second, in case I was in danger myself! That's my excuse to have had the book glued to me the whole time and I'm sticking to it!

I just wanted to reach into the pages and pull Marnie out into safety. My maternal instincts went through the roof for both of the girls of course, but I needed to save Marnie! Poor souls! Their lives were a complete mess and so was their mother to be honest, but oh my goodness the suspense! I didn't know which character needed more focus, I had no idea where the storyline was heading, nor had I a clue as to who was going to be the next 'client' in the door! But I'll tell you something, I could NOT tear my eyes away from the gritty storyline that was unfolding before my very eyes.

I got about halfway through the book when I had to pause. All of a sudden the storyline became much darker than I ever anticipated, and it became a little hard for me to read. I had to pause, gather my thoughts and then pick up the book again. The intensity of the storyline changed so suddenly, the events that were happening at that moment in time actually made me jump. Casey Kelleher managed to not only hold my attention for a very long time, she also managed to make me forget my surroundings and placed me IN the storyline. Have you ever had that when you're so invested in a storyline and the slightest thing, like patting your arm whilst reading, will make you jump? It's as though your own reality is an intruder and the storyline is your current reality.

I'll admit, yes the storyline at times was a bit difficult to read in places due to the harsh and powerful circumstances within. However, if an author is able to make you feel as though you cannot continue with the book, yet is also able to make you return to the novel as though it's your addiction; it means that the author is phenomenal at their craft. Yes Casey Kelleher, I'm talking about you! I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, just like you shouldn't judge people, but Casey, WOW! I had NO IDEA that she had those disturbing, real, gritty and dark situations up her sleeve. It.Blew.My.Mind.

What a completely disturbing, hard-hitting, head funk of a book that will have you hanging off of every single word the author has written. To tear your eyes away from such an intense storyline would be a travesty; for you.
'The Promise' is full of gut wrenching, spine tingling and hair-raising moments, enough to keep you on the edge of your seat wanting more (as well as giving your heart a good work out). Casey Kelleher has showcased her true writing ability within this novel and by golly it's not one to be missed. Shame on you if you do!

Thank you NetGalley. I devoured this book and could not put it down, fantastic read

The Promise was definitely a unique and gripping read and I can honestly say had never read something quite like it. Was it a thrilling book? Totally. Will I remember it forever? Probably not.

This is the story of Josie Parker and her daughters Marnie and Georgie. Josie is a drug-addicted prostitute who can't seem to catch a break. She's poor, their house is filthy and they barely have money for food. Marnie and Georgie spend their evenings locked in their rooms while her mother entertains her clients. meanwhile, we have Delray Anderton, Josie's pimp and basically a really bad guy. You see, Delray has some plans regarding Javine Turner, a young woman who wants it all...

Although this was surely a fast and engaging read, I thought it lacked mystery and surprises. I didn't feel like I was reading a crime book, but a series of misfortunes. I guess I thought it would be a different type of novel and even though I couldn't stop reading, I wanted a more memorable plot. Also, I can't say that the ending caught me by surprise. However, despite the story being simple, the characters, on the other hand, were not. And I loved that.

I need to warn you: there are various graphic scenes and the book deals with several ugly topics, this is not for the faint-hearted. Let's say I was glad I wasn't eating anything while reading some of the scenes.

Anyway, I would definitely read another book by Casey Kelleher, as I almost couldn't believe I wanted to keep reading after everything the characters went through. She's an excellent writer that manages to immerse yourself into the lives of her characters and never lets you go.

The Promise by Casey Kelleher

Wow…just W O W…

I love finding a new-to-me author that I will add to my list of favorites. Casey Kelleher wrote a book that kept me enthralled until the wee hours of the morning. When I read the last word I was unable to stop thinking about what I had just read. I was unable to fall instantly asleep though it was after 2am because my mind would not let go of this story. I am one who reads the end of a book before I reach it and even so I was surprised. In fact, I had to reread the prologue again this morning.

This book is dark, gritty and real. It made me feel sad for many of the characters in the book and wish that they had been able to or had chosen to live different lives. My heart went out to five year old Marnie and 12 year old Georgie Parker – I wanted to scoop them up and bring them home with me. The choices people make impact them but also impact those they care about and not always in a positive way.

This book made an impact on me, an impact that will stay with me for quite some time. I don’t believe that I will ever forget the characters in this book. Some were wicked with no redeemable features whether in their teens or adults and I wanted them to be exposed and punished. Some had been abused and were just trying to get by or get on with their lives and I wanted them to find the help they needed…not what seemed to be a helping hand but instead was a hand that was more likely to withhold rather than provide succor. At the end the story left me wanting to know what the future holds in store for the characters. That said, I realize that each of us creates our own future based on our life experiences, how we interpret them, and then the choices we ultimately make – I can only hope that the characters choose wisely as they move forward.

I have to thank NetGalley and Boukouture for the copy of this book. And, I have to thank the author for writing a story that will stay with me a long long time. This is my honest review.

5 Stars

I always enjoy these types of books which is so different from the life I have lived. But I enjoyed the characters in this book perhaps a sequel could happen?

My thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC of this book.

Eeeeeek! I have been a massive fan of Casey Kelleher from the very start and have read each of her books with eager anticipation as I knew they would deliver. The Promise, for me, has to be the best book by far! Although Casey is unique in her own style of writing, the influence of such great authors as Martina Cole, Mandasue Heller, Kimberley Chambers and Mel Sherratt is evident in the gritty, gangland feel that oozes from the pages!

Set in Brixton, the reader is immersed in violence, control, greed, exploitation, fear, loss and doing whatever is necessary for survival. The main theme tying everything together is the making of promises – some for the greater good, some that bring harm and some that are made with the best intentions but are never going to be kept.

OMFG this book was awesome! With a fast-paced plot that pulls the reader in from the get go, I really struggled to put this book down once I started! I just found myself holding my breath as I turned each page to find out what the hell would be happening next! The storyline was fantastic and quite emotive at times. The characters took over and made the story raw, gritty, and left my heart racing. Superb, Mrs! Absolutely superb!

Characters are my favourite aspect of any story – I need to feel some connection with them or I will struggle to enjoy a story – no fear with this book – Casey Kelleher really shines in this area and had a brilliant array of diverse characters that held my interest from the first page to the last. I won’t go through each and every one of them, but there are a few that are definitely worth a mention!

Josie and her two daughters, Georgie and Marnie were cleverly written as I think I went through every emotion under the sun with this family. Josie has some serious flaws and demons to battle: drug & alcohol abuse, prostitution, and quite selfish. However, she really does love her kids and believes – whether rightly or wrongly- that she is doing what is best for them. Unfortunately, her choices often cause more harm than good and she ends up …well, I won’t say as I don’t want to spoil anything – but I started out really disliking her to only end up liking her by the end! And her girls are just amazing! The author has made these innocent, young girls develop into amazing, strong characters who will do whatever is necessary to protect each other! I almost felt maternal towards them….almost….and that is some feat!

I also adored Javine Turner. What a character. Another I disliked immensely – a gold-digger, out for herself but damaged due to her own upbringing. You understood why she was the way she was, but her personality did not win any sympathy ….at first. Wow! What she endures and survives and comes out fighting against was simply amazing! I was cheering for her by the end!

Lenny Oldham and Delray Anderton — Holy sh*tballs, these guys were just the nastiest, vilest scumbags walking! Evil personfied, they made my skin crawl. They elicited fear, disgust, anger and distrust from me as a reader – I felt like jumping in the pages at times and doing some damage! That is how much I despised these guys! As a reader, I wanted to see someone bring these guys down and stomp all over their faces…whoa! I need to calm down! But it is exactly how they made me feel. Torture would be too good for them!

Do I recommend this book? OMFG, that is a massive Hell Yeah from me! The characters are Rotten To The Core and Heartless but you watch them Rise and Fall and even though there is Bad Blood you almost become part of The Taken as you are drawn into The Promise! See what I did there! Seriously real, believeable and full of twists, this is definitely a book you will want to read!

Another fantastic book from Casey kelleher had me gripped right from the very start. Fantastic tension and very easy to read would highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this fast paced and gritty thriller. A tale of two sisters, a well written plot and well developed characters. Casey Kelleher has delivered another great story with an excellent plot. I say no more, apart from read it yourself! many thanks to Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreads.

This story is about Josie and her two daughters Georgie and Marnie. Josie is a prostitute who is trying to do the best for her girls but life keeps getting in the way. Her pimp Delray throws her to the curb and she needs to find a way to make money so she invites a client into her home and he ends up dead.
There are two stories in this book that interweave and several twists which I didn't see coming. An excellent suspenseful thriller which I read in a day. Highly recommended.

thank you for letting me review Casey is a very talented writer she writes from the heart story line brilliant and i cried my review will be on amazon and goodreads day of publication

Sisters Georgie &Marnie Parker has grown up in squalor. Their Mother is a drug-addicted prostitute. When their Mother gets sent down for murder, Georgie & Marnie are sent to a children's home. But the girls soon discover they are in real danger, so the girls make a run for it. Desperate to find a safe place.

This book is full of suspense. With two stories getting interwoven together. This is gritty, fast paced and well written. With some characters you will love and other characters you will love to hate.. I found this book very hard to put down.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Casey Kelleher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Modern day Brixton, with all the drugs and prostitution you expect from it.

Washed out old hags working the streets to feed habits, that are slowly eating them alive.

Attractive young girls, looking to be the next WAG and getting tricked into being High Class Escorts, to feed their addiction to the modern scourge of materialism.

Pimps feeding off addictions and fantasies.

Drug dealers feeding the addictions.

Families that get caught in the mess made by it all.

This story has it all.

Josie, the single mother of two girls, Georgie, 12 and Marnie 5. Living in a stinking flat with no food or clean clothes the girls hear their mother, “earning” money for her next fix.

Josie used to be a good earner, until her looks were ravished by the substances she was putting in her veins. Her dealer has been given a beating once by her pimp, but he keeps coming back and Josie keeps buying.

Delray Anderton is Josie’s pimp. He started running whores like Josie but has moved up in the world and now runs a high end escort agency, but he still looks after his old girls.

So when Josie disgraces herself with a client Delray comes to sort it out but then cuts Josie free. She can't work within 20 miles of home, that’s his patch.

In desperation for money Josie gets herself into more trouble which ends with her being convicted of murder.

Her Girls are taken into care and that’s when their troubles really start.

Running away they end up under Delrays wing, but he is only interested in one thing. He has a client who likes young teenage girls, and Georgie is perfect.

The girls must escape, or at least try, but do they? can they?

This is a good story and Casey Kelleher does a great job of describing the world we all know exists but try to ignore. The book can be uncomfortable reading at times, but it's gritty, so maybe its not supposed to be an easy read.

I was amazed with this book despite the fact that I really disliked most of the characters.

I did enjoy the story even if it was hard to read as deals with some disturbing topics.

I did guess the twist but how you got there was the fun part. A very good book and can't wait for more.

Wow Casey what are you doing to me. If I've got bags under my eyes today I blame you. I loved this book and couldn't put it down I kept saying just one more chapter and ended up reading half the night. I will definitely be recommending this book to all my book loving friends. I can't wait to see what you do next.

What an amazing book. This story puts casey on another level. The characters are brilliant and the storyline is gripping. I honestly could not put this book down, and to be honest am a bit gutted I have finished it. If you only read one book......this is the one.....Enjoy it because I certainly did

I have read most of Casey Kelleher's books and once again this one did not disappoint.
The Promise is gritty and true to life, well written, full of suspense and a real page turner. The characters get under your skin, they are so well described.
I found this book so hard to put down that I read it in less than a day. The story gripped me from the outset and played havoc with my emotions. Superb!
Another winning story from Casey and very highly recommended.

This book is just epic. Truly epic. There's no other word for it.

The last two books by Casey Kelleher I have bought or requested I've gone in completely blind, not even having read the blurb. Mainly because I know for a fact that anything she writes I will instantly love for so many reasons...

The way she develops characters and the depth of her plot is just incredible. You can tell that a lot of research went into it and the story of the two children is told brutally yet sensitively.

Gritty. Heart-stopping. Tear-jerking. Dark. Epic.

Thanks to Bookouture for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I am a huge fan of this authors novels as they are dark, edgy and hard hitting. The Promise is no different.

Due to the story line in The Promise I have to admit at times I found it to be a very uncomfortable read. There is one bit which I have to say I think is slightly risky by the author due to what was happening to the character, I didn't know whether I could carry on. It affected me that deeply. I did though as I had to know how things were going to end and I am so glad I did.

Georgie and Marnie are two girls that are well and truly going to pull on the readers heart strings. Georgie, who is twelve and the older sibling, is very much the one bringing her younger sister up. Josie, their mum, is pretty much a waste of space. I did feel empathy to Josie but the neglect on her own children just made me want to weep. Both girls, regardless of the neglect, love their mother and just want to be a proper little family.

What I really loved in this book is how some of the characters really took me by surprise. There was a few who I had written off from the start but their actions later on changed how I felt about them and I ended up developing a soft spot for them. It's certainly a novel that is full of surprises and certainly wasn't as straight forward as I thought it was going to be.

The Promise is without a doubt a hard hitting and powerful read. It's another of the author's books where the story and characters will stay with me for a long time to come. I felt really emotional after finishing it as the author brings the atrocities from real life into fiction. Whilst it made me sad as to what evils go on in the world, it also gives the reader strength and hope in some of the good that there is out there also.

Powerful, emotional and heartbreaking, The Promise is this years must read.

A gritty thriller that has you shouting at the book. Your immediately drawn into this horridly dysfunctional family. Casey Kelleher puts you right smack bang in the room. You can smell your surroundings and you desperately want to help. Your only power is to take a deep breath and turn the page!

If your looking for a thriller that keeps you guessing till the end then this is your pick!

I eagerly want to read more and more of Casey Kelleher

5 Heartstopping Stars
Javine Turner is a young girl that knows what she wants. Desperate to escape her past she teams up with her roommate Ashleen Jacobs in search for her Mr Right, someone who will change her life for her.
When she meets Delray Anderton he's exactly what she is looking for, successful, good looking and wealthy.
But Javine is about to learn a costly lesson......

Georgie Parker and her sister Marnie haven't had the best start in life. Georgie must protect herself and her sister no matter what because she is not sure she can trust anyone else to do just that.
osie Parker loves her kids but her lifestyle puts her children in danger.
Oblivious of her decisions, Josie then finds herself deeper in trouble and she makes her children keep a secret ..... one that they must never tell.
My Thoughts
There are some authors that will always be on my automatic read list and Casey Kelleher is for sure one of those authors.
This was an unputtable down type of book. Fast paced and exciting with some very interesting characters.
And some not so nice ones either.
I love the way the author once again brings two stories into a book and weaves them together brilliantly. Each chapter edging you on to read more.
Josie was never going to be mother of the year but I really felt deep down she loved her kids and would fight to protect them if needed.
Javine was like any impressionable young girl who had been dealt the wrong set of cards in life and wanted to better herself but she soon has a wake up call.
At times I was holding my breath not knowing what was coming next.
The Promise is gritty and definitely for fans of Kimberley Chambers and Martina Cole but at the same time this author has made her own stamp on this genre.