A Man’s Promise, the second film in the Granger brother series based on the books by New York Times bestselling author Brenda Jackson, is now out on Passionflix. And it features one of our favorite tropes—the Second Chance Romance.
The series is about the three Granger brothers, Jace (Jeremy Batiste), Caden (Michael Marcel), and Dalton (Robert Christopher Riley). As each of the men is navigating Romance in their lives, they are also working to free their father, Sheppard Granger (Ricco Ross), who is in prison after being wrongfully accused of killing their mother.
The second film tells Caden’s story, and here is the synopsis based on the book:
A man’s word is his bond. His family is his strength. His heart is his own.
Superstar musician Caden Granger has spent years running from love, commitment, and family. Yet despite his fame and fortune, he knows the kind of respect and adoration he needs can only come from one person, the very woman who wants nothing to do with him.
Charity volunteer and owner of a wine boutique, Shiloh Timmons, finally got her life on track once her relationship with Caden ended, and she’s in no hurry to revisit a romance with the man who believes she left him standing at the altar.
If Caden can’t have Shiloh by his side, all the success in the world will mean nothing. Now, he has a chance to renew his promises, but is it too late?
I loved Jace and Shana’s (Celestine Rae) story in A Brother’s Honor, but I was looking forward to Caden’s, especially after seeing his and Shiloh’s (Jasmine B. Johnson) interaction in the first film. Caden and Shiloh have a long history. The two split up after a misunderstanding that stole years from them. When Caden learns the truth from Shiloh’s mother, including the fact that she was pregnant with this child, he is determined to get her back. Shiloh has been hurt majorly by Caden, so she is rightfully hesitant to even consider being with him again. Caden makes it clear to her that he knows he messed up in a big way and will do whatever it takes to get her back.
While all of this is going on, the brothers are still trying to get their father’s conviction overturned and get him out of prison. They always believed in his innocence, which is further proved by Jace and his new love, Shana, who learned in A Brothers Honor that their mother was having an affair with a man named Michael Greene, who worked for their father. They believe Michael’s wife is behind what happened and may have set their father up to take the fall, but they still need to prove it. The brothers don’t know that their father is doing everything he can to prevent them from getting him released. He knows he is innocent, but he’s receiving threats to stop trying to do anything to prove that innocence. That includes allowing his sons to try and help him.
It’s a sad situation because the brothers want their father out and don’t know what he’s doing behind the scenes to try and protect them. He’s sacrificing his freedom to keep them safe. This isn’t the only obstacle the brothers are facing. There are enemies from all sides. The Grangers are well-known businessmen, and Granger Aeronautics is turning around under their leadership. That means constant attempts to ruin them, whether it be those working for them on the inside or even people they believe are friends. And don’t even get me started on that cliffhanger we were left with at the end. It’s a wonder these brothers even have time for love with all this. But they do.
I loved watching Caden and Shiloh work to find their way back to each other. Though Caden had hurt Shiloh, it was clear that she was still so in love with him. When the thought of losing him permanently was put in her face, she was forced to confront her feelings head-on. Both realized that life was far too short and began to seize every moment they could. A Man’s Promise is a beautiful exploration of Black love that we seldom see onscreen. As a Black woman, these are the love stories I crave. I want to see people who look like me falling in and fighting for love.
I also want to see Black people leading successful lives filled with love and support from family. I can’t remember the last time I watched a film that had three Black men as brothers who were not being shown in a way that leaned into stereotypes. The Granger Brothers are good men. And strong men who look after each other and the people they love. They pride themselves on honoring their father and grandfather’s legacy and, most importantly, respect the women they are with. I am so glad that Brenda Jackson wrote stories like these, and I am even more pleased that Tosca Musk and her team saw the importance of bringing these books to life.
Check out the trailer for A Man’s Promise below:
A Man’s Promise is available to stream on Passionflix now.
