A Promise So Bold and Broken

Compelling Fates Saga, Book 2

By: Sophia St. Germain

Narrated by: Abigail Reno, Anthony Palmini

After saving her rebel friends on the final day of the election, Elessia is on the run.

But the danger is far from over.

As she fights her guilt for betraying Loche, the man she foolishly believed could mend her broken soul, and wrestles with the unexpected emotions stirring within her for Merrick, her fiercely loyal guard, Elessia learns of the rebels' true plans—plans that threaten every loved one she's left behind.

But it's the even greater peril looming on the horizon—the one that could shatter the very foundations of their world—that forces her to decide whether she is willing to embrace her birthright to the Rantzier name and, with the help of Merrick and his band of unwilling warriors, lead the journey to unite the warring factions of Havlands before it's too late…

Or before the Fae king and human regent find her.

Contains mature content. A complete list of content warnings can be found on the author's website.

©2025 Sophia St. Germain (P)2025 Podium Audio

I couldn’t put it down

This is the first series I devoured in a long time and I’m so sad that the third one is not out yet

Not actually dual narration

I have finished 30 our of 45 chapters and the only narrator the will time has been Abigail Reno. No male narration at all. So when does it start??? I mean she does a passable job at both gender voices I guess, but it would be much better if it were actually dual narration. Don't tlead me to believe it is and get my hopes up if it's not. EDIT: The only chapter narrated by Anthony Palmini is the very last one. One very short chapter out of 45... 3 minutes out of 728.... 0.4% of the book.

Addictive

A great second book upping the stakes, romance, and depth of the world. LOVED both books so far!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 🌶️🌶️🌶️

OHHHHWEEEEEE. Sophia St. Germain absolutely knocked it out of the park with A Promise So Bold and Broken.

I won’t lie—I had to do a little recalibrating at the start. Book one left me unsure where this series was headed, but once I settled into the story? Hooked. Completely and utterly hooked. The swooning, the slow burn, the tension, the yearning, the unrequited love… perfection. No notes.

We pick up right where book one ended with Lessia on the run alongside Merrick, Ardo, and Venko after being banished by Loche and having her heart absolutely shattered. The group retreats to an island where they reconnect with Raine, one of Merrick’s long-lost brothers-in-arms, to regroup and figure out their next move.

While Lessia is grieving the loss of her friendships, her home, and the man she thought she loved, something starts shifting. Because while Merrick is dark, broody, impossible to read, and determined to keep everyone at arm’s length, he’s also been her fiercest protector from day one. The tension between these two had me kicking my feet. And that first kiss on the park bench? EXCUSE ME. Worth every second of the buildup.

As war looms across the fae realms and threatens everything they know, Lessia begins training, growing stronger, and finally stepping into the power that’s been simmering beneath the surface all along. Along the way, family secrets come crashing down. Revelations about her father and sister change everything, and she reunites with the family who had been forced to forget she ever existed.

Then comes the inevitable return to Loche.

What I loved most is that this wasn’t a love triangle filled with endless back-and-forth. Lessia’s feelings evolve naturally. As truths come to light, she realizes Loche’s betrayal wasn’t exactly what it seemed—but that doesn’t change the fact that her heart is no longer where it once was. She returns to help save the people she loves, not to rekindle what was lost.

And Merrick? SWEET MERCIFUL FAE GODS.

Watching him become increasingly possessive, protective, and completely unravel as he fears losing Lessia was everything I wanted. Then Raine drops an absolute bombshell, the truth finally comes out, and I was sitting there grinning like an idiot. The angst. The heartbreak. The longing. The spice. The payoff. CLAPPING. STANDING OVATION. GET YOUR MAN, GIRL.

The ending had me STRESSED. The group’s plan to take down the king goes spectacularly sideways, Lessia is taken, and we’re left with Merrick’s POV as everything spirals into chaos.

This series went from “yeah, this is pretty good” in book one to a full-blown obsession in book two. Merrick supremacy. That’s the review. Sophia St. Germain has me completely locked in, and I will now be feral while waiting for book three.

Great read!

This series hits all of the great places in your mind and heart! Can’t wait to start the next one.