this book was a big disappointment to me. I hated the back-and-forth between Olivia and Miller. At one point I had to stop the book and read a whole other novel just to come back to this one and try to finish it. I couldn't make it I got 70% and it was so annoyed with it I had to skip to the end. I was sad this one was not any good because there's a lot of people who raved about it and I loved Jesse in this man. ( )

Some of the controlling aspects of the hero irritated me, but I liked that he also got explicit consent for the sexual encounters with the heroine. ( )

Promised is the sexually charged first installment in Jodi Ellen Malpas' new erotic trilogy, One Night. Bistro waitress Livy is gobsmacked by her reaction to one her customers, the very mysterious and striking M. The two share an instant and scorching hot attraction but the enigmatic M cannot commit to a lasting relationship. He instead offers 24 hours of pure pleasure but will Livy accept his very provocative invitation?

Livy and M start out as likable characters but it does not take long to become incredibly frustrated with both of them. On the surface, Livy seems self-assured and confident but as soon as she becomes involved with M? She turns into an indecisive, whiny mess who puts up token resistance to M's commanding and ridiculous demands. The reasons for some of her behavior appear to stem from her dysfunctional past, but it takes so long to learn her secrets that she is more annoying than sympathetic.

M is closed off and secretive but he is upfront that he is emotionally unavailable. He relentlessly pursues Livy and he crosses over into creepy, stalker territory pretty much right away. He treats her like a child and M expects her to reveal everything about herself to him but he refuses to tell her anything about himself.

The pattern for Livy and M's relationship is established pretty early on with Livy running away, M pursuing her and the two jumping into bed. Lack of communication causes trust issues and Livy's suspicions continue to grow because of M's secretive behavior. Little progress is made in their relationship and the constant back and forth quickly becomes tedious.

The premise of Promised is intriguing but it is slow-paced and repetitive. The secondary characters are a mixture of likable (Livy's co-workers) and exasperating (Livy's grandmother and BFF). The plot is interesting but it gets bogged down by too many insignificant details. The constant back and forth between M and Livy is irritating and predictable. The story does eventually pick up steam and Jodi Ellen Malpas ends the novel with an incredibly shocking and dramatic plot twist that will leave readers absolutely dying to read the next novel in the One Night Trilogy. ( )

NNNNNOOOOOOO!!!! This can't be happening. This is why I shouldn't start another series by one of my favourite authors when I can't go onto the next book. Why do I do this to myself? Yet I couldn't just leave it alone on the shelf either. It was just begging to be read. Now I'll be a mess until I can get my hands on the next book.

Also NNNNOOOOOO to the ending. Jodi you're killing me. So did not see that coming. Loved the book to bits, but the last 10-15% of it was just mind blowing. So many things happening that I just couldn't put it down. So many surprises.

However YYYEESSS to the character and the story. Loved it to pieces. All of the characters were perfect, complimented each other, yet also stood on their own. The story just flowed perfectly.

I'm missing it already. The next one can't come quick enough for me. ( )

NNNNNOOOOOOO!!!! This can't be happening. This is why I shouldn't start another series by one of my favourite authors when I can't go onto the next book. Why do I do this to myself? Yet I couldn't just leave it alone on the shelf either. It was just begging to be read. Now I'll be a mess until I can get my hands on the next book.

Also NNNNOOOOOO to the ending. Jodi you're killing me. So did not see that coming. Loved the book to bits, but the last 10-15% of it was just mind blowing. So many things happening that I just couldn't put it down. So many surprises.

However YYYEESSS to the character and the story. Loved it to pieces. All of the characters were perfect, complimented each other, yet also stood on their own. The story just flowed perfectly.

I'm missing it already. The next one can't come quick enough for me. ( )