Olivia has been having nightmare about a murder she witnessed 30 years ago.  Tina, an ex-con is battling cancer and worries about how her brother Wayne will cope when she is no longer around.  When Tina discovers an old letter that contains a promise of help, should she or Wayne need it, she contacts Olivia.

This is a reasonably well paced book as we learn about the event of 30 years ago in snippets as the story unfolds.  A promise that was made is now due to be claimed, but the manipulation, cover ups and lies that have been twisted into this story have potentially dire consequences. As with all things in life, honesty is the best policy, but Sally has created a character that has always kept part of her past behind her, not sharing the most important details with those important, but this character thinks it is the right and only thing to do.

The cast of characters are not huge, but are definitely memorable.  They each have a connection to each other in a well thought out way, but for some reason I couldn't warm to any of them.  I think because some of them are cheats and liars, but even though I wasn't struck  on the characters I read this book in one sitting.  I found the story engaging and kept me turning the pages to discover the full ins and outs of the plot.

I would recommend this to readers of crime and mystery novels, it is one I enjoyed.

This book is definitely action-packed. Sometimes there is so much going on you wonder how it will all wrap up by the end of the book. And, to be honest, I found that at least one major point was NOT wrapped up by the end.

The main premise of the book is how far someone would go to force someone to honor a promise made for them years ago. Tina needs to provide for her brother Wayne before cancer takes her life, She decides that Olivia should marry him and provide for him, and she is willing to go to extreme lengths to make sure it happens.

The story is very well written and paced, and the characters are well-defined. We get a look into their pasts, their motivations, and their emotions as the story plays out.

Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys this genre.

A really interesting read and one that I can't wait to see what else she can come up with.

Tina’s life is almost at an end. Faced with the news that she has terminal cancer, she finds a way to make sure her brother, Wayne, is looked after after she is gone. Tina did not have an easy life. She was in and out of jail a few times and since then has never held a steady job. The only thing Tina ever managed to do right was taking care her her younger brother as a promise she made to her mother many years ago. Wayne is not stable enough to live on his own and cannot hold down a job. He has rituals he performs and everything needs to be in the right order or he will freak out. Because of this, Tina reaches out to Simon and Olivia. Simon is the son of her ex-cellmate, Audrey. Audrey promised Tina, thirty plus years ago, that if she ever needed help Simon and Olivia will be there for her.

Olivia is starting to have nightmares. Nightmares of a murder that took place thrirty years prior. She chalks it up to the stress that she has been under while preparing to her wedding with Mark. Mark is concerned about her and offers to help her get counseling, but there are secrets Olivia does not want to get out. Secrets she thought she buried years ago in her past.

Tina knows all about Olivia and her secret. Audrey, her ex-cellmate wrote out a confessional and accidentally mailed it along with the letter stating that Simon and Olivia would offer assistance to her if she ever needed it. Tina will stop at nothing to get what she wants even if it means blackmailing Olivia in order to reach her end goal.

I really enjoyed reading THE PROMISE. At first, I was a bit confused because there are many characters introduced pretty early on in the story, but I realized it was needed once everything started to come out. Tina, although having numerous bad points, still managed to come across as somewhat caring when she talks about her brother and her willingness to do anything to protect him when she is gone. I had a love/hate relationship with Tina. Tina is quite devious blackmailing Olivia and Simon, but deep down you know its rooted in her belief that her brother will be cared for.

The story is a slow build up and I really liked the psychological play which kept me glued to the story to find out how it would all go down. I do have to say that the manipulation and lies and long ago buried secrets had me flipping through the pages to find out what happens next.

THE PROMISE is told through different points of view which I always find work really well in any story and helps me make a better connection to each of the characters. I love seeing the thought process behind the characters actions and the author, Sally Jenkins did a beautiful job of this. I highly recommend picking up a copy of this story. it is well worth the read.

Cor blimey - this book is intense!! 

Not that I should feel sorry for a couple of the main characters in this book, but they are a bunch which seem to attract a lot of negativity. I mean, how many bad things can one person endure?

Olivia is such a one tracked minded type of character, often coming across as quite self obsessed. Tina, well, it's hard NOT to feel sympathetic to her....well, that is until you get to know her character then any sort of empathy goes out of the window. And then there's Wayne, Tina's brother. I really don't think it would be useful to you if I gave my opinion on this character, as there is a high chance I may end up giving something away. Who knows, other readers may view his character in a completely different way as I did, but a lot of my opinions were formed on his actions throughout the novel. Intrigued? Understandable!

Whilst 'The Promise' gripped me as much as I would grip someone if I saw cookies, I have to be honest and say that the last portion of the book really didn't do it for me as there was far too many loose ends still loose. I really do think that 'The Promise' has room for a sequel and, due to the extremely open ending, I would welcome another book  just so that I could get answers.

All in all, I did enjoy the storyline and the way in which the chilling themes engulfed me right from the very beginning. The author has cleverly entwined several devastating events with the minimal amount of effort, resulting in such a shocking reaction from myself. Like I said at the beginning of this review - this book is extremely intense, make sure you remember to breathe!!

Many years ago Tina made a promise to her mother - to make sure her vulnerable younger brother, Wayne, was always taken care of. Now, though, Tina is dying and Wayne’s future looks very insecure. It’s time to call in another promise - one made in prison, long ago. When Tina’s gone, Wayne will need the trappings of a stable and secure life - money, a job, a wife - and Tina is prepared to go to any lengths to make sure he gets them.

Olivia is looking forward to her wedding to Mark. She’s tried hard to put the past behind her, but it still haunts her in dreams. Now though, her past actions are about to come back to haunt her in more tangible form.

From this basic premise, Sally Jenkins has woven a dark tale of murder, blackmail and retribution. As the plot thickens it’s hard to imagine where it will all end for the characters caught up in a web of intrigue and deceit.

There is a diversity of characters, with the most likeable for me being Mark’s teenage daughter Suzanne and Olivia’s friend, Joanne, both of whom I found to be quite engaging. Tina’s actions are reprehensible but ultimately born out of love for her brother, and it is possible to have sympathy with the predicament she finds herself in, even while the measures she goes to are far too extreme.

There’s perhaps some over reliance on coincidence - it’s a remarkable stroke of luck for Tina not only to find a letter from her ex-cell-mate Audrey at a crucial time, but also that a handwritten, signed statement of inestimable value had somehow been inadvertently attached to that letter. I’d have liked to have known more, too, about the background to the situation - Audrey’s marriage, and how things turned out the way they did.

The Promise is an intriguing and well constructed psychological drama which ends on a note of uncertainty - it would be good to know what happens next...

I thought this was a good book. While, I was not in love with it, I did enjoy it. It felt a little toned down in regards to the intensity level for me. For me personally, when it comes to physiological thrillers, I like the "mind games" that these types of books play. Although, this book was more character driven than about "mind games". Plus, the pacing of the story moved a bit slow.

Which, speaking of characters; Olivia and Tina were fine. As far as getting to know them, I felt like I did. Emotionally, I understood where each woman was coming from. Yet, the bond was more casual for me. Overall, as I stated previously, I did enjoy this book.

It's written with thanks to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me on the tour, and The Book Guild and Netgalley for my copy of the book.
Olivia Field is preparing to marry her fiance, Mark, but she is plagued by flashbacks of the bloodstained body of a man who was stabbed. The victim is her ex-husband, Simon's father and his mother, Audrey is sentenced to life in prison for his murder. Audrey's cellmate was Tina, who, thirty years later, is now terminally ill and worried about who will look after her brother, Wayne when she dies. Tina finds a letter that was written by Audrey and given to her upon her release, promising her that Olivia and Simon will look after her in the outside world. How far will Tina go to make Audrey keep her promise?
When I was invited on the blog tour for The Promise, I was immediately intrigued by the blurb I was given. How can a woman who appears to have everything become so involved with a woman like Tina? It is questions like these that drew me into The Promise and I couldn't let go. The novel only hints at violence in the beginning, and the relationship between Olivia and Tina is not immediately obvious, but it is captivating and I was desperate to know how it would end as the tension built until it was difficult to bear!
Olivia's situation makes her do and say things that, although probably out of character, are spiteful. This made it difficult for me to fully warm to her, but as the secrets she kept began to unravel, I did try to put myself in her shoes and think about how I would react in a similar situation. I hope I never am, but I am unsure what I would do, and this heightened the effect of the tension for me.
The Promise ends on a cliffhanger. It is not neat, but I liked this, as being able to reflect on the novel and consider what might happen next meant that it will stay with me for a long time to come.

I had a difficult time getting into this book. I didn't care for the characters and didn't want to keep reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for this review copy, given in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for organising the blog tour and inviting me to be part of it.

This was my first book by this author. For information, it is set in the UK, mainly around the Birmingham area.

Olivia Field is fast approaching her wedding day to Mark. This is her second marriage, but she is still good friends with her first husband, Simon who she has known since she was young. Simon’s mother was convicted of murdering her husband, Simon’s father, some years ago following years of domestic abuse and committed suicide whilst she was in prison. Ex-convict Tina was friends with Simon’s mother in prison. She has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer and whilst beginning to sort out her affairs she comes across a letter which her friend wrote to her son Simon and his girlfriend Olivia promising to help Tina in the future, should the need arise, as Tina had been a good friend to her whilst in prison. Tina decides to call in the debt, worried for her brother when she dies. What she also finds attached to the letter is a confession from Simon’s mother saying she hadn’t committed the murder, it was someone else…

I wasn’t sure about this book when I started it. The cover didn’t really entice me, but the blurb sounded more promising. I have to admit, I enjoyed it more than I thought I was going to. It started off well with the story of ex-convict Tina who had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. I did feel for Tina probably most of the way throughout the book, despite her making some bad decisions. She was obviously trying to cope with the bombshell that had been dropped on her, and also worried about her brother who she looked after. She had no other family, and he had behavioural problems which made it unlikely for him to hold down a job or a relationship. When Tina found the letter addressed to Simon and Olivia, which she should have given them all those years before, she thought that she could use it to blackmail them to secure some funds for her brother’s future. It got me thinking what would I do? Wouldn’t I do anything for the ones I loved?

The only other character I liked was Joanna. Joanna was treated very badly by her best friend, Olivia, who was obviously only trying to save herself from the truth being revealed. I personally wouldn’t have had anything to do with her after how she behaved! I didn’t really warm to any of the other characters to be honest, with most of them having very selfish and not really caring about their friends or loved ones. The plot of the story was interesting and well thought out. I got through the story at a good speed, and found the suspense built at a good pace. It held my attention well, although I did feel that some parts were a little far-fetched. I finished it in less than a day, so it showed that I did enjoy the book! I would have liked a bit more at the end though, even just a “six months later”, just to show what happened to everyone. Additionally, I loved the setting of the book, as I live just outside of Birmingham so it was nice to hear of places that I know! Overall, a good read which I would recommend!

Good story with lots of twists and turns. I did not like the ending. I wanted to know if she really got sent to jail. There should be another book to explain what happens next.

The Promise provides an interesting plot based on the blackmail of Olivia Field by ex-convict, Tina. Tina has discovered evidence that she believes uncovers a miscarriage of justice; Tina has not got long to live and she is determined to carry out the wishes of her late mother by ensuring her brother, Wayne, is settled before she dies. But will Tina's plans destroy the life that Olivia has planned for herself and her new husband?

I enjoyed this plot and thought that it was cleverly written. There was a point where the blackmail demands became quite far-fetched, however, in the spirit of fiction, I allowed myself to suspend belief and settled down into the story. 

A myriad of complex and intertwining relationships between Olivia, her fiance, her ex-husband and best friend combined with the toxic presence of Tina and Wayne provided an engaging and intriguing read. It wasn't a fast-paced read as described but it certainly had enough about it to keep me reading to the end. The build-up to the conclusion of the storyline was nailbiting and had me engrossed but I felt the end was rather abrupt.

Each character was well written and despite any redeeming qualities were totally unlikeable - oh I do love me an unlikeable character and it was a tense read as I switched from feeling sorry for them to disliking them intensely! It's hard to say too much without spoiling the plot but my top 3 love/hate relationships were with Olivia: at times I wanted to give her a good shake and tell her to man up a little! Yet I felt sorry for her as her fear was very real; Tina: oh what a nasty piece of work she was stopping at nothing to carry out her plans; yet how could I not feel for her, she was dying, she had a whole lot of guilt and emotions from past experiences and so it was hard not to understand her motivations and finally Wayne; he was repulsive at times yet there were clearly underlying and undiagnosed mental health issues with him; he was very much under the influence of his sister yet his fear at what lay before him was palpable.

The Promise might not be the fast-paced read as described but it was certainly an engaging and intriguing one, it does make you think, oh what would I do in a situation like that? A cast of unlikeable but understandable characters combined with a clever plot made it an engaging and enjoyable read for me.

My review will go up on my blog as part of the blog tour. My blog is here https://chapterinmylife.wordpress.com/

Some promises should never be made and some should never be kept.

Tina is an ex-convict and dying of cancer. Her biggest worry isn't dying .. it's what to become of her brother Her brother, Wayne, is unable to care for himself, what a lot of people would call simple mindedness.

Tina calls in a promise made to her many years ago ... by another inmate who was imprisoned for murdering her husband. When Tina reads the letter again, her friend has written a letter to her son and his girlfriend, asking them to please help Tina should she need help. What Tina finds, attached to the back of the letter, is another missive ... this time putting in writing that she did not kill her husband .... he was killed by her son's girlfriend.

Olivia and Simon are best of friends, even though they are no longer married. Each have moved on to better lies. Olivia is engaged to a wonderful man and Simon is dating one of Olivia's friends. No one but the two of them know what really happened years and years ago.

Tina turns to blackmail to get what she wants for her brother. Tina wants Simon to employ him .. even though he has absolutely no job history at all ... and he's 50 years old. She threatens Simon with the idea that she will hurt his new girlfriend. She tells Olivia she will go to the police if she doesn't pay her enough money to stockpile for her brother.

To what lengths would a person go in order to protect her loved ones from the truth?

This is a psychological thriller that I found to be a good read, if not fast-paced. The characters are deftly drawn, but they all had issues and few redeeming qualities.

Many thanks to the author / The Book Guild Ltd / Netgalley for the advance digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

overall this book was OK but not one of my favorite reads. I found the switching of perspective slightly confusing whilst trying to follow the story. Ididn't really feel an emotional connection to any of the characters