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The Promise That We Made
Fed up with the fast, hard life of the city, Tara Dada returns to her hometown to live a peaceful, quiet life. On her way back, she runs into tall, dark, and handsome Patrick Keen. Stuck in a cheap motel, the attraction that burns between them is undeniable.
He makes her a sacred promise…then ditches her the next morning without a proper goodbye.
Heartbroken, Tara makes it to her home to find two surprises. Her hometown is anything but peaceful, and the ever-charming Patrick Keen is not who he claims to be. He’s a man on a dangerous mission. Still…she’s going to make him keep that promise.
He makes her a sacred promise…then ditches her the next morning without a proper goodbye.
Heartbroken, Tara makes it to her home to find two surprises. Her hometown is anything but peaceful, and the ever-charming Patrick Keen is not who he claims to be. He’s a man on a dangerous mission. Still…she’s going to make him keep that promise.
295 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 12, 2018
22 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 18, 2018
My rating 4.8
The book “The Promise That We Made” by Aderonke Moyinlorun was pleasantly surprised by the story. On the cover, I thought it was another romantic story, but although the story is romantic, the plot is a lot more than that. Through the story, we learn about the customs of Kenya and many other things that are interesting. The main character in the story is Tara Dada and I just liked her personally. Her thoughts often made me smile on face. Returning from the city to her village Tara by the twist of circumstances meets Patrick Keen. This first meeting will evolve into something that Tara could dream of and will soon find their lives are at a turning point. Although she is not aware, Tara's life will soon be in danger because her village is no longer a peaceful place, from which she left eight years ago. Above the village towering shadow of danger, Tara will because of his sharp tongue soon be on the way of danger. The writer introduces us to a world that is full of unknowns in which life is not worth the grain of dust. I really liked the book, though a love story spells through it, the book seriously talks about poverty and how some people want to use ignorance in their own interests. I would recommend a book to lovers, romances and thriller.
The book “The Promise That We Made” by Aderonke Moyinlorun was pleasantly surprised by the story. On the cover, I thought it was another romantic story, but although the story is romantic, the plot is a lot more than that. Through the story, we learn about the customs of Kenya and many other things that are interesting. The main character in the story is Tara Dada and I just liked her personally. Her thoughts often made me smile on face. Returning from the city to her village Tara by the twist of circumstances meets Patrick Keen. This first meeting will evolve into something that Tara could dream of and will soon find their lives are at a turning point. Although she is not aware, Tara's life will soon be in danger because her village is no longer a peaceful place, from which she left eight years ago. Above the village towering shadow of danger, Tara will because of his sharp tongue soon be on the way of danger. The writer introduces us to a world that is full of unknowns in which life is not worth the grain of dust. I really liked the book, though a love story spells through it, the book seriously talks about poverty and how some people want to use ignorance in their own interests. I would recommend a book to lovers, romances and thriller.
November 18, 2018
I came across ‘The Promise That We Made’ and was intrigued by the plot. The romantic thriller, written Nigerian-born author, Aderonke Moyinlorun, was an easy read with a witty protagonist. I liked Tara, the main character, her insights, helped me navigate the plot of the book, plus she had a silly one-liners that made me snicker occasionally. Furthermore, I like books that take me places I have never been and probably won’t have the chance to visit otherwise, in this case, the action of the book is set up in Nigeria, a country, I’m not ashamed to admit I knew little of, besides what I’ve read in news articles.
Being a native Nigerian, Moyinlorun, writes with familiarity, which gives authenticity to her story and the turbulence her characters are set up to prevail. Her detail description of the scenes is a helpful guide to the reader, who haven’t had the pleasure of visiting her native country.
If I have to give one critique - it would be that for me the book starts out slow. I get that the writer is building up the suspense. I would have preferred if the action grabbed me from the get go.
Besides that, ‘The Promise That We Made’ is a worthy read by all accounts.
Being a native Nigerian, Moyinlorun, writes with familiarity, which gives authenticity to her story and the turbulence her characters are set up to prevail. Her detail description of the scenes is a helpful guide to the reader, who haven’t had the pleasure of visiting her native country.
If I have to give one critique - it would be that for me the book starts out slow. I get that the writer is building up the suspense. I would have preferred if the action grabbed me from the get go.
Besides that, ‘The Promise That We Made’ is a worthy read by all accounts.
December 7, 2018
A compelling story. When you begin to read "The Promise That We Made", you believe it to be a romance...a quirky, delightful, likeable romance. While hints and clues are given throughout that this is not the case, Tara, the protagonist, is far too likable to see beyond the story of a young woman confused and distracted by life's challenges and trials. Abruptly, even with the warning, the story turns into a thriller. I would very much like to give an analysis of the plot from that point forward, but thanks to the author's deft and detailed talent, nearly anything revealed could potentially unravel the many unexpected and exciting plot twists.
Through it all, though, we remain a fan of Tara, liking her and cheering her on, right to the end. Wonderful story. I look forward to reading more by this author.
Through it all, though, we remain a fan of Tara, liking her and cheering her on, right to the end. Wonderful story. I look forward to reading more by this author.
August 19, 2018
The first few pages of this Nigerian-based novel reminded me of Alexander McCall Smith – perhaps Smith’s Botswanan stories had a resonance, but it was more the author’s narrative voice. The diction comes across the page so simply, but I think it’s far more difficult to achieve this style of writing successfully. I was immediately transported to the streets of Lagos, the hardships of many of those that live there, and the desire to break free. The story takes its first turn and I become a little uncomfortable – the sexual desires of an 18 year old girl sit awkwardly with me – but I’m invested now, and I continue.
I’m so glad I did. I didn’t expect to enjoy this book nearly as much. That beautiful, fresh McCall Smith-like narrative voice continues, and I found myself laughing at regular intervals. I was firmly on the side of the protagonist, Tara, and I appreciated the detail the author added from time to time, cultivating a real sense of a country and culture I’ve never seen.
The story didn’t fall into the teenage romance that I’d feared, but it did take several surprising turns, each taking the reader to a place they didn’t expect to be. This was a book of surprises for me, and it crosses many genres – it doesn’t allow itself to be pigeon-holed. I’d recommend it to anybody who wants an original take on a good story, and who is happy to have romance, adventure and suspense thrown at them – usually when not expecting it. I have no hesitation in giving it five stars.
I’m so glad I did. I didn’t expect to enjoy this book nearly as much. That beautiful, fresh McCall Smith-like narrative voice continues, and I found myself laughing at regular intervals. I was firmly on the side of the protagonist, Tara, and I appreciated the detail the author added from time to time, cultivating a real sense of a country and culture I’ve never seen.
The story didn’t fall into the teenage romance that I’d feared, but it did take several surprising turns, each taking the reader to a place they didn’t expect to be. This was a book of surprises for me, and it crosses many genres – it doesn’t allow itself to be pigeon-holed. I’d recommend it to anybody who wants an original take on a good story, and who is happy to have romance, adventure and suspense thrown at them – usually when not expecting it. I have no hesitation in giving it five stars.
September 8, 2018
An Amusing Read.
The story takes the reader from the dirty, run-down streets of Lagos to the village of the heroine, Tara, as she attempts to escape to a new start in life. From the first page, the reader begins to share the hardships of this young woman's life and her fight to flee from her horrific environment.
Her feelings, hopes and ambition are told in the first person using simple but expressive language. Tara's development is coupled with a bright and racy voice and is a pleasure to read. The reader feels like rooting for her at every unfavourable turn. And there are many of them. The backstory is not new and revolves around the eternal yearning of the black African masses to break free from the oppressive burdens and chains of a powerful, dominating elite.
The narration is breezy, but Tara's young age shows through in her sexual fantasies. The repetition here, though, gets wearisome as the story progresses due to lengthy chunks of introspection which slow the story down. Also, there is too much tell and too little show which reduces the suspense. Until the end, the secondary characters remain thin and some fleshing out could add more suspense to the story.
Overall, this book is well-written and the personality of Tara is very well portrayed.
Recommended especially to readers who like a serious tale told in a light-hearted manner.
The story takes the reader from the dirty, run-down streets of Lagos to the village of the heroine, Tara, as she attempts to escape to a new start in life. From the first page, the reader begins to share the hardships of this young woman's life and her fight to flee from her horrific environment.
Her feelings, hopes and ambition are told in the first person using simple but expressive language. Tara's development is coupled with a bright and racy voice and is a pleasure to read. The reader feels like rooting for her at every unfavourable turn. And there are many of them. The backstory is not new and revolves around the eternal yearning of the black African masses to break free from the oppressive burdens and chains of a powerful, dominating elite.
The narration is breezy, but Tara's young age shows through in her sexual fantasies. The repetition here, though, gets wearisome as the story progresses due to lengthy chunks of introspection which slow the story down. Also, there is too much tell and too little show which reduces the suspense. Until the end, the secondary characters remain thin and some fleshing out could add more suspense to the story.
Overall, this book is well-written and the personality of Tara is very well portrayed.
Recommended especially to readers who like a serious tale told in a light-hearted manner.
July 29, 2018
This book starts off well. The pictures are painted well, the book is easy to read, it keeps my attention and it’s nice to read a book for once that isn’t located in a fantasy set up or in a country that has it all. The main character, Tara definitely has humor as I caught myself laughing a few times. I could easily place myself in Tara’s position and the feelings that came with it. The ending is heartbreaking but also romantic. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read a romantic book with a new twist of where it takes place.
August 11, 2018
Even though the book is fiction, the author has managed to make me feel like it is real! The language and the tempo of the events in the book has a great flow, and I especially enjoyed Tara's (main character) personality and the way she handled herself in life.
December 13, 2018
If you want a crazy indie mashup that's a somewhere between a sweet romance, a thriller and a superhero story about a normal Nigerian girl from the country who is the hero, this book might be for you. Warning though, this book manages to either violate the expectations of all those genres (one way of looking at it) or of subverting them into something new (another way of looking at it) and it's really going to depend on the reader whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.
I was intrigued by Tara and what she was going to do with her life. At the start of the story, she has just left Lagos, disillusioned by how hard life is there, even with a good education and two jobs, to return to her hometown in rural Nigeria. When she gets there, she discovers that things are really bad; the machine gun and slavery kind of bad.
I liked a lot about this book. The main character is smart and passionate. I believed in her love for her family and her determination to have a better life for herself. I think the author did a good job of balancing the story to make it accessible to people not familiar with Nigeria while not over-explaining things that Nigerians would know (at least from the perspective of someone who has read a few books by Nigerians, but not many. For example I looked up the currency to see how much things cost.) I liked the details about Nigeria, what food Tara eats, how she gets home, what life in village is like, which were all portrayed strongly but without being overwhelming. One of the most touching moments in the book is about her jumping off a bus in Lagos and ripping her skirt.
What I didn't like: whenever the main character is around the love interest she acts very young. I think she is supposed to be inexperienced with men, but it made her seem 15 instead of 25. That might be cultural differences, I don't know. I also had trouble suspending my belief that someone in her position would actually survive all the reckless things she does. She gets people killed and still doesn't keep her mouth shut. Like I wrote earlier, this comes across as a superhero story, because nothing ever seems to touch Tara, but I didn't realize that at first so I just thought the plot was unbelievable.
In the end, this book wasn't for me, but I can see others really enjoying it for all the reasons I didn't. It's well written and interesting and Tara is not boring. This book is listed in romance so I think it's fair that to warn romance readers there's no HEA.
I was intrigued by Tara and what she was going to do with her life. At the start of the story, she has just left Lagos, disillusioned by how hard life is there, even with a good education and two jobs, to return to her hometown in rural Nigeria. When she gets there, she discovers that things are really bad; the machine gun and slavery kind of bad.
I liked a lot about this book. The main character is smart and passionate. I believed in her love for her family and her determination to have a better life for herself. I think the author did a good job of balancing the story to make it accessible to people not familiar with Nigeria while not over-explaining things that Nigerians would know (at least from the perspective of someone who has read a few books by Nigerians, but not many. For example I looked up the currency to see how much things cost.) I liked the details about Nigeria, what food Tara eats, how she gets home, what life in village is like, which were all portrayed strongly but without being overwhelming. One of the most touching moments in the book is about her jumping off a bus in Lagos and ripping her skirt.
What I didn't like: whenever the main character is around the love interest she acts very young. I think she is supposed to be inexperienced with men, but it made her seem 15 instead of 25. That might be cultural differences, I don't know. I also had trouble suspending my belief that someone in her position would actually survive all the reckless things she does. She gets people killed and still doesn't keep her mouth shut. Like I wrote earlier, this comes across as a superhero story, because nothing ever seems to touch Tara, but I didn't realize that at first so I just thought the plot was unbelievable.
In the end, this book wasn't for me, but I can see others really enjoying it for all the reasons I didn't. It's well written and interesting and Tara is not boring. This book is listed in romance so I think it's fair that to warn romance readers there's no HEA.
January 25, 2019
I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I was expecting just your typical romance, but there is so much more to this story and I know this is only the first part in a series. It is the story of a woman named Tara. She is a character that you can't help but want to succeed through all of her trials. Now that I have had introduction to her life I want more.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews