About A Promise Given
by Stormy Glenn
176 pages / 60500 words
ISBN: 978-1-60370-924-8
Available file types -
html, lit, pdf, prc, epub, Sony Reader pdf, Paperback
Detective Cooper Thomas was kidnapped and tortured by a psychotic serial killer bent on revenge. If that wasn’t bad enough, Alec Whitley, the only man Cooper ever really loved, the man who left him ten years ago without a word, came back just in time to rescue him. Cooper never thought he'd see Alec again, let alone owe the man his life, so while Cooper might still have feelings for Alec, he's not sure he wants to open himself up to that kind of hurt.
Now, six months later, Alec wants to discuss their past and plan their future. But before Cooper can come to terms with Alec being back in his life he has to discover who’s killing young gay men before he and Alec become the next victims. Between undercover assignments and startling revelations, Cooper and Alec don't know if their fragile relationship can survive. Can they solve the case and find a way to be together? A Promise Given is the sequel to the popular novel A Promise Kept.
Review
Kiernan Kelly, author of the In Bear Country books, writes: Cooper Thomas has been trying to get on with his life for ten years, ever since the love of his life, Alec, left him without explanation. It’s been a rough row to hoe, because Cooper has never really gotten over Alec.
As a matter of fact, the past refuses to leave Cooper alone. Alec returns to him, seemingly out of the blue, looking to reestablish their relationship. The serial killer who tortured Cooper a few years ago remains safely behind bars, but his campaign of terror returns when a body is found mutilated in the same M.O. as the killer’s. Things take a turn for the worse as Cooper and Alec soon discover that the web of horror is much larger and more complex than they’d ever imagined as their investigation leads them into the world of BDSM clubs.
Stormy Glenn returns the
reader to the universe created in “A Promise Kept” in this riveting sequel.
“A Promise Given” is a page-turner, keeping the reader guessing with twists
and turns, as old characters and new are drawn into the web spun by the
antagonist. The relationship between Cooper and Alec heats to the boiling
point, exploding on the pages with incredibly hot sex as they race against
time to find the killer before it’s too late. A definite must-read for fans
of the first book as well as newcomers to the “Promise” universe!
Sample
Detective Cooper Thomas slowly climbed the stairs to his apartment. He was tired, so tired his bones ached. Every step he took up the narrow stairwell took effort. His feet felt like lead weights. It was all he could do just to lift his foot for the next step.
It seemed liked forever before he finally reached the top step of the three-story apartment building he lived in. What he wouldn’t give for an apartment with an elevator. But moving took energy too and right now, Cooper was all tapped out.
It wasn’t just the long grueling workday but the entire past six months. Between being kidnapped by that maniac serial killer, Daryl Wallace, Cooper’s time recovering from his injuries, and having his long lost love back in his life, Cooper felt exhausted.
Cooper chuckled to himself and shook his head. Correction, having his long lost love reappear and harass him every chance he got. Alec couldn’t be considered back in Cooper’s life. That implied that they were actually working on a relationship together.
As far as Cooper was concerned, Alec could take a long walk off a short pier. He drove Cooper out of his mind. Every time Cooper turned around, Alec appeared. He seemed to magically know when Cooper went out with friends, went to dinner at Jack and Mason’s new house, or even some get together at Janet and Bob’s.
Cooper felt pretty sure that it was a conspiracy. He knew he had been instrumental in getting Jack and Mason together and they felt that they were just returning the favor. They weren't. They were just making Cooper’s life a living hell.
Sliding his key into the lock, Cooper unlocked the door and pushed it open. The moment the lights in the room shone in his eyes, Cooper’s hand dropped to his waist and his holstered gun. He knew he hadn’t left the lights on when he left that morning.
Pushing the door open a little more, Cooper took a hesitant step into his apartment. Even though he had moved to a new apartment a few months ago, he still got the willies sometimes when he came home. Cooper wasn’t sure he’d ever get the memory of Daryl Wallace attacking him in his old apartment out of his mind.
“It’s just me, Coop.”
Cooper let out the deep breath he held as he recognized Alec’s voice coming from his living room. He dropped his hand from his gun and brought it up to rub over his face. Fuck! He so didn’t need this right now.
Lifting his head, Cooper glared across the room at Alec. “Breaking and entering is illegal, you know?”
Cooper wanted to scream in frustration as Alec raised one dark blond eyebrow. “I didn’t break anything,” Alec replied.
Sarcastic son-of-a-bitch, Cooper thought, breathtakingly, beautiful sarcastic son-of-a-bitch. He wanted to hit something.
He stepped into his apartment and closed the door behind him. He dropped his jacket over the back of the couch and walked to the fridge. Opening the door, Cooper grabbed a beer and twisted the cap off, drinking down nearly half of it at once.
Setting the beer on the counter, Cooper glared across the small space to where Alec sat. “What do you want, Alec?”
“You know what I want, Coop.”
Cooper shook his head. “I’m not going to have this conversation with you.” No way, no how! He finished off the beer in his hand and reached back into the fridge for another one. This would need a lot of alcohol.
He twisted off the cap and tossed it into the garbage bin before taking another swig. Walking back into the living room, Cooper loosened his tie and pulled it free. He tossed it over his jacket. He could feel Alec’s eyes on him.
“You need to leave, Alec.” Cooper sat down in a chair across from where Alec sat on the couch. He had to admit, with Alec’s blond hair and bronze skin he looked fantastic sitting back against the black leather of Cooper’s couch. Alec had always looked good in black leather.
“Not until we talk.”
Cooper rolled his eyes. Alec pressed the issue every time they ran into each other. He wanted to talk about their past, the things that had pulled them apart. Cooper just wanted to forget it like he had been trying to do for the last ten years.
“There’s nothing to discuss, Alec. You made your choice. You left me without a word, a note, nothing. You just left. I think that pretty much said it all,” Cooper said. If Cooper believed that Alec would drop everything if they discussed their past, he’d do it. But he didn’t.
Alec stared at him a little too hard; his eyes swept over Cooper’s body a little too long. Cooper knew that Alec was still interested. Cooper was too. Alec had been the love of his life. Still was. Cooper just didn’t know if he could allow his heart to be torn apart a second time when Alec decided he wasn’t worth it again. The first time had nearly destroyed him.