If you like your thrillers multilayered and unafraid to delve into harsh realities, Promises in the Dark is definitely one to read. The author writes action well, and brings together not only a hot romance between her leads, but also some very effective secondary romances. With this book, Stephanie Tyler creates an entire world and it was one that really caught my attention.

Navy SEAL Zane Scott has come to Sierra Leone with a mission: He is determined to rescue Dr. Olivia Strohm and get her safely back to the United States. Olivia was kidnapped by a terrorist organization called Dead Man’s Hand (DMH), and we learn early on that she managed to escape from them after spending time in captivity in which they forced her to do horrible things. DMH still hunts Olivia and Zane is determined to find her before they do.

Not surprisingly, Zane manages to locate Olivia early in the book, and he rescues her in a very action-packed sequence. From there things take an unexpected turn as Olivia doesn’t exactly welcome Zane with open arms. Zane needs information about DMH from Olivia, but she obviously still feels traumatized by her experiences with them and so the road back for her is not exactly an easy one. Even so, she and Zane have believable chemistry and they begin a rather passionate relationship that is physical at first, but grows deeper as the book moves along. Zane and Olivia both have plenty of darkness in their pasts and have much to overcome emotionally, but the author does a good job of making their relationship feel authentic.

The plot involving DMH and the goings-on in Africa has lots of complications, and one can tell that the author has done her homework on conflicts in the area. Though sometimes harrowing, the setting of this novel is quite vivid and really brings the story to life. The intersecting plots involving Zane and Olivia on the run in Sierra Leone, Zane’s brothers, the attempts to locate DMH in the United States, and the secondary romances all add to the book’s richness and make the reader feel as if one is visiting a complete world.

While I enjoyed both the suspense and the romance, there were a few spots in the middle that got a little rough for me. For starters, the author has three romantic plots weaving through the book. I liked each couple, so this essentially worked for me. However, toward the middle of the book, it started to seem as if all of these people were having so much sex (or at least thinking about it) that it actually slowed the story down a bit.

With a gritty, action-packed plot and characters I genuinely enjoyed, Promises in the Dark was mostly a winner for me. One of my favorite subplots ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I’m looking forward to reading the sequel so that I can see what happens next.