Promise Not to Tell - Romantic Suspense Review

Promise Not to Tell (Cutler, Sutter and Salinas #2) by Jayne Ann Krentz (Amazon Link)

Rating: Very Good

Source: NetGalley

Description: A painter of fiery, nightmarish visions throws herself into the sea—but she leaves her secrets behind . . .

Seattle gallery owner Virginia Troy has spent years battling the demons that stem from her childhood time in a cult and the night a fire burned through the compound, killing her mother. And now one of her artists has taken her own life, but not before sending Virginia a last picture: a painting that makes Virginia doubt everything about the so-called suicide—and her own past.

Like Virginia, private investigator Cabot Sutter was one of the children in the cult who survived that fire... and only he can help her now. As they struggle to unravel the clues in the painting, it becomes clear that someone thinks Virginia knows more than she does and that she must be stopped. Thrown into an inferno of desire and deception, Virginia and Cabot draw ever closer to the mystery of their shared memories—and the shocking fate of the one man who still wields the power to destroy everything they hold dear

Genre:  Romantic Suspense

Why I Picked This Book:  I really enjoy Krentz's romantic suspense books and I enjoyed the previous book in the series.

My Impression:  I love romantic suspense and no one writes it better than Jayne Ann Krentz.  She writes fast paced books with likable main characters and the perfect balance of romance and suspense.  This one just might have been my favorite yet.  I had pretty high hopes for this one - especially when I saw it was connected to the previous book - When All the Girls Have Gone - which I read last year and really enjoyed.  I was a little concerned because while Kretnz's books are thoroughly enjoyable they are rarely particularly memorable.  It turned out to not be a problem because while the cult that this book is centered around does come up in the previous book you can just jump in here with no trouble.

I loved Cabot and Virginia and the focus on finding answers to the past.  The fact that they had this shared trauma strengthened their connection and enabled them to understand each other in a way that no one else did.  I really appreciated the fact that Cabot experienced many of the same issues that Virginia did and while he was very much on the strong and silent type he also was honest regarding his struggles and had no problem shedding the occasional tear.  Virginia isn't quite as okay with her feelings as her upbringing post-cult was full of mixed messages and strained loyalties. Watching them help each other on an emotional level was really nice and made it easy to believe that the relationship was fueled by more than just adrenaline.  As well they respected each other academically and professionally.  They both took each other seriously and really listened to the various ideas as the investigation progressed.

This was a thoroughly entertaining read and perfect for a day spent inside under a blanket avoiding the cold.  The suspense kept me turning pages and the characters kept me invested.  I didn't want to put it down!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I'm already looking forward to her next romantic suspense title and am hoping to read more from her backlist.

Would I Recommend this Book? Absolutely!  If you enjoy romantic suspense this is a must not miss read.  Don't let the fact this is the 2nd in a series scare you.  They're very loosely linked and this is a complete standalone.