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The Promise: A powerful saga of the strength of love
She promised to protect her sister - no matter what the cost...The Promise is a heart-wrenching and powerful story of two young sisters caught up in an underworld of corruption and deceit, from popular saga author Benita Brown. Perfect for fans of Kitty Neale and Rosie Goodwin.When her father, a journalist, is murdered, Marion Brookfield vows to care for her younger sister Annette. The girls believe they have found a refuge when charming businessman Victor Bateman proposes to Marion and they move into his luxurious home.But Marion's friend, Daniel Brady, is conducting his own investigation into Henry Brookfield's death. He learns the journalist was closing in on the head of a child prostitution racket when he was killed. And now his precious daughters may not be so safe, after all...What readers are saying about The Promise :' Benita meets all the criteria which make a good book ... the research that goes into her books, and the clarity of style''I love Benita Brown's books and this one is no exception, it's hard to put it down , I have been trying to read it at every spare moment'' For anyone who enjoys a Catherine Cookson novel this book is an absolute must. I have read all of Benita Brown's novels and find her style of writing engaging with good plots and characters '
448 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2009
33 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Benita Brown
29 books11 followersaka Clare Benedict
Benita Brown was born and brought up in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England where she now continues living. Her mother, was an English, who was the youngest of thirteen children, and her father, a Indian, who on 1930's came to Newcastle to study medicine and fell in love with the place, the people, and her mother. She went to drama school in London where she met her husband who, also from Newcastle, was working for the BBC. After marrying and having four children she became a full time writer; writing for radio, and then girls' and teenage story papers such as Mandy, Judy, Jackie and Blue Jeans.
When her first romance, written under the pseudonym Clare Benedict, was published in 1991, she joined the Romantic Novelists' Association. After six more romances she changed genre and now writes sagas under her own name, Benita Brown. First novels under this name are set in Victorian/Edwardian Tyneside. One of these, Fortune’s Daughter, was long-listed for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award. In her more recent books she has moved forward to the mid-twentieth century and although not all the action is set in Tyneside the area still has a strong influence. She died at 77 on 15 April 2014 in Newcastle's Royal Victoria Hospital.
Benita Brown was born and brought up in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England where she now continues living. Her mother, was an English, who was the youngest of thirteen children, and her father, a Indian, who on 1930's came to Newcastle to study medicine and fell in love with the place, the people, and her mother. She went to drama school in London where she met her husband who, also from Newcastle, was working for the BBC. After marrying and having four children she became a full time writer; writing for radio, and then girls' and teenage story papers such as Mandy, Judy, Jackie and Blue Jeans.
When her first romance, written under the pseudonym Clare Benedict, was published in 1991, she joined the Romantic Novelists' Association. After six more romances she changed genre and now writes sagas under her own name, Benita Brown. First novels under this name are set in Victorian/Edwardian Tyneside. One of these, Fortune’s Daughter, was long-listed for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award. In her more recent books she has moved forward to the mid-twentieth century and although not all the action is set in Tyneside the area still has a strong influence. She died at 77 on 15 April 2014 in Newcastle's Royal Victoria Hospital.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 14, 2017
I owe my thanks to the 2017 Reading Challenge for this serendipitous find: I picked it because I thought it fit the category of 'set in my [adoptive] home town', and it does - just in a different country.
I was immediately immersed in the cold and damp of smog-filled industrial England. It gave me such a solid grounding of time and place that by the time I met the main players I was already comfortable in the story.
It isn't just the atmosphere but the level of technology - toast is made by forking it and holding it over an open fireplace. Baths are had in front of the same fire and only on Friday nights. Coal is fetched, horse manure is side-stepped, the poorer parts of town are peopled with desperates and the rich hide avarice and greed behind their prestige.
Life is harsh but Brown's characters are warm, solid, and friendly. The story is a cross-genre mix of crime, historic fiction, and romance with Brown building up a Jack-the-Ripper-style of dread on the villainy front as superbly as she does the nervous thrill on the love side of things.
She also captures the attitudes of the time admirably: the thought that one should not seek to rise above one's station, and the way this impacts on lives, rich and poor.
Behind this story's simple plot lies a richness that could only have arisen out of intense, thorough research. Well worth the happy accidental discovery!
I was immediately immersed in the cold and damp of smog-filled industrial England. It gave me such a solid grounding of time and place that by the time I met the main players I was already comfortable in the story.
It isn't just the atmosphere but the level of technology - toast is made by forking it and holding it over an open fireplace. Baths are had in front of the same fire and only on Friday nights. Coal is fetched, horse manure is side-stepped, the poorer parts of town are peopled with desperates and the rich hide avarice and greed behind their prestige.
Life is harsh but Brown's characters are warm, solid, and friendly. The story is a cross-genre mix of crime, historic fiction, and romance with Brown building up a Jack-the-Ripper-style of dread on the villainy front as superbly as she does the nervous thrill on the love side of things.
She also captures the attitudes of the time admirably: the thought that one should not seek to rise above one's station, and the way this impacts on lives, rich and poor.
Behind this story's simple plot lies a richness that could only have arisen out of intense, thorough research. Well worth the happy accidental discovery!
January 9, 2014
Not a bad read - enjoyed the audio version as the reader is so good.
June 7, 2020
This book is about a young girl called Marion Brookfield, her father is a journalist who was looking into child prostitution and he is killed early on in the book. After his death she meets Victor Bateman who is a businessman and wants to marry Marion but Marion is in love with Daniel Brady who was being tutored by Marion's father. When Marion learns that Daniel is to be married to Dora she agrees to marry Victor so that her sister Annette can have a good life and go to school etc so they both move into Victor's home but Marion soon realises that Victor doesn't love her and she doesn't love him. Daniel is looking into the death of Marion's father and is also looking for his sister Susan who has disappeared. Victor knows where Susan is, he has hired a man to follow Daniel and he is looking for documents that Marion's father might have had in relation to the child prostitution. The man paid to follow Daniel tells Marion where Susan is and when she gets there she finds that Victor is also there and it ends up with Victor being killed. Susan returns home to her family and Daniel admits to Marion that he loves her and the book ends with Marion and Daniel finally together.
This is my second book that I have read by Benita Brown and I really liked this one just as much as the other book I have read because the story is not dragged out for too long and you don't know how the book is going to end.
I couldn't think of anything that I disliked about the book but I would have liked more in the story about Gilbert and Susan before Susan is taken away by Gilbert. It would also have been interesting to know a bit more about Dora after Susan returns home.
All in all I finished this book super quick because I was just hooked into the story that was a mixture of crime and love and will definitely be looking for another book by Benita Brown to read.
This is my second book that I have read by Benita Brown and I really liked this one just as much as the other book I have read because the story is not dragged out for too long and you don't know how the book is going to end.
I couldn't think of anything that I disliked about the book but I would have liked more in the story about Gilbert and Susan before Susan is taken away by Gilbert. It would also have been interesting to know a bit more about Dora after Susan returns home.
All in all I finished this book super quick because I was just hooked into the story that was a mixture of crime and love and will definitely be looking for another book by Benita Brown to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2023
I liked it a lot!
Like how the characters were written and the environment was described.
The ending could’ve been a bit different (i wanted to see more of the characters and their relationship evolving).
Like how the characters were written and the environment was described.
The ending could’ve been a bit different (i wanted to see more of the characters and their relationship evolving).
May 12, 2022
Great story
Another great book by author. Time to read another one. Benita Brown gets you so involved in her books you don't want to put them down. An amazing book.
Another great book by author. Time to read another one. Benita Brown gets you so involved in her books you don't want to put them down. An amazing book.
November 21, 2025
An enjoyable, engrossing read somewhat let down by a rushed ending.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews