Fractured Promise

Where Promises Lie #1

by Ivy Layne

She chases answers. He guards secrets. Until their worlds collide in fire.

True crime podcaster Sylvie Calloway made a name chasing justice for forgotten women. But when her investigation into a quiet data analyst ends in a car bombing—and her camper van goes up in flames—she barely escapes with her life. Her only lead brings her to Sinclair Security—where she finds more questions than answers, and a man who swore he’d never work with a civilian… until walking away from her became impossible.

Eli Bishop has been on edge since his team lost their mentor under mysterious circumstances. Sylvie’s case links back to that disappearance, and the last thing he wants is a civilian complicating the investigation. Except Sylvie is nothing like he expects—sharp, fearless, too stunning to ignore—and the more she pushes back, the more he wants her by his side… and in his arms.

Forced into an uneasy partnership, Sylvie and Eli dig into a trail of lies, power, and buried crimes. Every answer brings them closer to a dangerous conspiracy—and to each other. As enemies close in, they realize the case is bigger than one murdered woman…

And someone will kill again to hide the truth.

She’s a target.
He’ll burn the world down to protect her.
But first—they have to survive the fire.


Fractured Promise is a standalone romance with a happy ending. It's the first book in the Where Promises Lie series, set in the world of Sinclair Security.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication July 21, 2026

About the author

Ivy Layne has had her nose stuck in a book since she first learned to decipher the English language. Sometime in her early teens, she stumbled across her first Romance, and the die was cast. Though she pretended to pay attention to her creative writing professors, she dreamed of writing steamy romance instead of literary fiction. These days, she’s neck deep in alpha heroes and the smart, sexy women who love them.

Married to her very own alpha hero (who rubs her back after a long day of typing, but also leaves his socks on the floor). Ivy lives in the mountains of North Carolina where she and her other half are having a blast raising two energetic little boys. Aside from her family, Ivy’s greatest loves are coffee and chocolate, preferably together.

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