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KGI #1
The Darkest Hour
The Kelly Group International (KGI): a super elite, top secret, family-run business that handles jobs the US government can't. Qualifications: Military background, high intelligence, and a rock hard body...
It’s been one year since ex-Navy SEAL Ethan Kelly last saw his wife Rachel alive. Overwhelmed by grief and guilt over his failures as a husband, Ethan shuts himself off from everything and everyone.
His brothers have tried to bring Ethan into the KGI fold, tried to break through the barriers he's built around himself, but Ethan refuses to respond...until he receives an anonymous phone call claiming Rachel is alive.
To save her, Ethan will have to dodge bullets, cross a jungle, and risk falling captive to a deadly drug cartel that threatens his own demise. And even if he succeeds, he’ll have to force Rachel to recover memories she can’t and doesn’t want to relive—the minute by minute terror of her darkest hour—for their love, and their lives, may depend on it.
It’s been one year since ex-Navy SEAL Ethan Kelly last saw his wife Rachel alive. Overwhelmed by grief and guilt over his failures as a husband, Ethan shuts himself off from everything and everyone.
His brothers have tried to bring Ethan into the KGI fold, tried to break through the barriers he's built around himself, but Ethan refuses to respond...until he receives an anonymous phone call claiming Rachel is alive.
To save her, Ethan will have to dodge bullets, cross a jungle, and risk falling captive to a deadly drug cartel that threatens his own demise. And even if he succeeds, he’ll have to force Rachel to recover memories she can’t and doesn’t want to relive—the minute by minute terror of her darkest hour—for their love, and their lives, may depend on it.
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 7, 2010
About the author
Maya Banks
346 books20.9k followersMaya Banks is the #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today and international bestselling author of over 50 novels. A wife and mother of three, she lives in Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,647 reviews
March 25, 2015
Well, this was my first non-BDSM Maya Banks, and I really liked it!
I am definitely going to continue with this series, and I'm especially looking forward to book 3!
The story is about Ethan and Rachel, getting a second chance in life, literally.
It's been a year since Rachel's death and Ethan is still grieving, a total mess. One day he gets an envelope with loads in pics and information that leads him to believe his wife might be alive and held hostage somewhere in South America.
Lucky for him, he has a whole family in the covert operations business, and they set off to a rescue :)
Well as you can suppose, the rescue works and they bring Rachel home.
The rest of the book is all about the emotional aspect, their marriage, her memory loss and addiction, and basically A LOT OF CRYING!!!!
Now here is a RANT coming, if you loved this book like crazy, don't read it if it'll offend you :P
I liked the book VERY much, but this just bugged me!
**spoilers ahead**
Anyway, when I heard about this series, and the fact that it was romantic-suspense, I was all happy because I recently discovered the genre, and love it!
I was feeling in the mood for some action! And the guy on the cover looked like he could deliver! The series is named after their kick-ass business!
I got one action scene right at the beginning, and two car scenes, won't tell you what kind, it'd be a spoiler. Or hmm maybe there were three car scenes????
Anyway.
The suspense part of the book SUCKED! Big time!
The guy on the cover did NOT deliver! The heroine basically
You know what was the rest of the book?
Crying.
She cried all the time. He cried all the time. His mother cried. His father cried. The orphan girl cried. I can't remember correctly, but I even think some of his brothers cried.
The only character that didn't cry (or was overly emotional) was Steele. He's the awesomest!!
This book was totally off with the genre thing. Ok there was a bit of a suspense, but it pretty much sucked. It wasn't romantic at all. It was EMOTIONAL and melodramatic. They were constantly suffering about one thing then another thing, then crying again, then getting closer, then crying some more, then getting apart, then crying some more (and when I say crying I mean BOTH of them, ALL the time). That is not romance.
BUT!!!!!
Even with all of this, I managed to love it! I loved that it was emotional, and the relationship between them, I loved Ethan like crazy and I love that they managed to figure everything out.
I am just a bit frustrated because this was NOT what I was looking for, it really doesn't fit into the genre.
OK, rant OVER!
Sorry but I just had to say it cause it was THERE and it bothered me like crazy.
If you like your books emotional, then you'll LOVE this one!
If you're looking for a romantic-suspense book, look somewhere else.
And my lesson with this book was:
August 29, 2010
I loved the premise of this book because it reminded me a little of two of my favorite RS books, To the Brink by Cindy Gerard, and Wild Card by Lora Leigh--two stories about second chances. Although this book was good, and is a good start to what looks to be an exciting series, it just quite didn't make it to great. Something was missing for me--and I think it had something to do with the relationship between the H/h.
Let's back up a minute and get the synopsis out of the way. Ethan Kelly is an ex-Navy SEAL, wallowing in misery/grief/guilt on the one year anniversary of his sweet wife (of two years) Rachel's tragic death in a plane crash while on a humanitarian mission to somewhere (Colombia?) in South America. Ethan comes from a large, loving, loud and loyal family, headed by ex-schoolteacher/rules-the roost matriarch Marlene, Papa Bear/hardware store owner Frank, and including three older, ex-military, competitive, sometimes bossy brothers (Sam, Garrett, and Donovan) and younger brothers who are currently in the Army (twins Joe and Nathan). Sam, Garrett, and Donovan are all partners in KGI (Kelly Group International), an elite agaency that specializes in hostage and kidnap victim recovery, gathering intelligence, and handling jobs that the US government can't. They'd like Ethan to come and work for them, and have been after him ever since he'd resigned his commission to the Navy over a year ago. But Ethan's had a rough year since his wife's untimely death, and the last time he saw her, their marriage was hanging by a thread. Rachel was much beloved in the family--she was one of Marlene's favorite students, and after her parents died in a car accident, Marlene practically adopted her into the Kelly family. All the brothers adored her, but it was Ethan who won her heart and married her. But things took a turn for the worse in the marriage. After a tragedy happened to the young couple, Ethan left the Navy to spend more time with a wife who needed him. But Ethan's insecurities, jealousies, demands, and accusations came between the couple, and put such a strain on the relationship, that Rachel went on a humanitarian trip to South America to get away. Ethan regretted his actions, but before he could apologize to Rachel and beg her forgiveness, the accident happened. Rachel was dead, and Ethan's life would never be the same. Until the one year anniversary of her death, and a package arrives with maps and a note saying "Your wife is alive."
Well, to sum up, Ethan and the brothers head off on a daring rescue mission to Colombia, where Rachel is being held captive by drug lords. Yes, they get her out alive, but Rachel is not the same girl that she used to be. She'd been abused by her captors, became hooked on heroin, and suffers almost total memory loss. She does remember Ethan though. And Garrett....hmmmm.
The rest of the story revolves around Rachel trying to get her memory back (while answering the question "Are you okay?" at least a dozen times a day), battling her cravings for the drugs she's withdrawing from (she really needed to be in therapy of some sort), Ethan hoping she doesn't remember the state their marriage was in, and the brothers trying to figure out why Rachel was held prisoner for a year. When Rachel's story and recovery hits the local newspaper, someone is surprised that she's still alive, and takes action to rectify the situation. There's a bit of suspense when the brothers realize that someone's trying to kill Rachel, and it's tied into what she might have witnessed (but can't remember) while down in Colombia.
Okay, my thoughts...It started out very promising. I enjoy a good "rescue the hostage" plot, especially when it's a husband rescuing the love of his life (a la To the Brink). And when the spouse thought the love of their life was dead and they're not (a la Wild Card) that makes it even sweeter. Love when a couple gets a second chance--lots of emotion there. But something didn't quite click for me between Rachel and Ethan--I wasn't totally connected to them. I kept hoping to read about their courtship--I wanted to see Rachel fall for Ethan and Ethan fall for Rachel. I kept expecting to read a flashback scene about how they met (I wasn't even sure of their ages) and fell in love. Didn't get it. Got some scenes about how beloved Rachel was in the Kelly family (treated as a queen by all) but I needed to feel the connection between the two. I think that would've made the circumstances of the abduction and the rescue more meaningful for me. I knew that Ethan loved Rachel and was sorry for what he put her through, but I needed to experience a little more of their past to totally connect with them as a couple, and to root for their future.
Now, for things I thought the author did really well...the relationship among the brothers, their dialogue and actions were spot on. I could feel the love and camaraderie. The parents, and especially the portrayal of mother Marlene as the loving and loyal head of a family of six boys, and how all the boys respected (and feared!) their mom--well done. Marlene's loving penchant for taking in 'strays' (the parent-less Rachel, sheriff's deputy Sean, teenage runaway Rusty--who surely will keep popping up in the series--as maybe a future mate for Nathan?) and her knack for butting into her sons' lives, made her a colorful, memorable character. I'm sure we'll see a lot more of her in the series.
There are a lot of characters introduced in this book. So many that I started writing them down in a notebook just to keep everything straight, in case they pop up again in future books! Some of the most memorable were Dr. Maren Scofield, who had been rescued by KGI in Africa and treated Rachel at her clinic in Costa Rica; P.J. Rutherford, a (female) sniper on one of KGI's teams; "Steele" and "Rio"--two KGI team leaders with a lot of animosity towards each other; and of course the female runaway Rusty, who makes an initial bad first impression on the Kelly brothers, but who mom Marlene is determined to keep in the Kelly family. So lots of potential for future stories about not only the 5 remaining dashing, hunky brothers, but also for some supporting characters important to the Kellys.
So how about the love scenes? Well this being Maya Banks, I was expecting something extra steamy. But this was a mainstream romance, not erotica, so it was typical of what you'd get in a romantic suspense. There was only two extended scenes between Rachel and Ethan that I can recall, and had plenty of heat, but weren't anything unusual or kinky. I sure wish there had been a couple of scenes shown pre-abduction, but it wasn't to be.:(
All in all not a bad beginning to a series. There were a couple of things that could have made it better to bring it up to a 5 star read (more background on the H/h's relationship, a little more descriptions about the characters (not real clear about what everyone looked like--what color was Rachel's hair, how old was she?, how old are the brothers?, etc., a little more suspense), but maybe these little details that help to fill out a book will come out in the future stories. I'm hoping so. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series, big over-protective brother Sam's story (No Place to Run). For this first-in-the-series? 4 stars
Let's back up a minute and get the synopsis out of the way. Ethan Kelly is an ex-Navy SEAL, wallowing in misery/grief/guilt on the one year anniversary of his sweet wife (of two years) Rachel's tragic death in a plane crash while on a humanitarian mission to somewhere (Colombia?) in South America. Ethan comes from a large, loving, loud and loyal family, headed by ex-schoolteacher/rules-the roost matriarch Marlene, Papa Bear/hardware store owner Frank, and including three older, ex-military, competitive, sometimes bossy brothers (Sam, Garrett, and Donovan) and younger brothers who are currently in the Army (twins Joe and Nathan). Sam, Garrett, and Donovan are all partners in KGI (Kelly Group International), an elite agaency that specializes in hostage and kidnap victim recovery, gathering intelligence, and handling jobs that the US government can't. They'd like Ethan to come and work for them, and have been after him ever since he'd resigned his commission to the Navy over a year ago. But Ethan's had a rough year since his wife's untimely death, and the last time he saw her, their marriage was hanging by a thread. Rachel was much beloved in the family--she was one of Marlene's favorite students, and after her parents died in a car accident, Marlene practically adopted her into the Kelly family. All the brothers adored her, but it was Ethan who won her heart and married her. But things took a turn for the worse in the marriage. After a tragedy happened to the young couple, Ethan left the Navy to spend more time with a wife who needed him. But Ethan's insecurities, jealousies, demands, and accusations came between the couple, and put such a strain on the relationship, that Rachel went on a humanitarian trip to South America to get away. Ethan regretted his actions, but before he could apologize to Rachel and beg her forgiveness, the accident happened. Rachel was dead, and Ethan's life would never be the same. Until the one year anniversary of her death, and a package arrives with maps and a note saying "Your wife is alive."
Well, to sum up, Ethan and the brothers head off on a daring rescue mission to Colombia, where Rachel is being held captive by drug lords. Yes, they get her out alive, but Rachel is not the same girl that she used to be. She'd been abused by her captors, became hooked on heroin, and suffers almost total memory loss. She does remember Ethan though. And Garrett....hmmmm.
The rest of the story revolves around Rachel trying to get her memory back (while answering the question "Are you okay?" at least a dozen times a day), battling her cravings for the drugs she's withdrawing from (she really needed to be in therapy of some sort), Ethan hoping she doesn't remember the state their marriage was in, and the brothers trying to figure out why Rachel was held prisoner for a year. When Rachel's story and recovery hits the local newspaper, someone is surprised that she's still alive, and takes action to rectify the situation. There's a bit of suspense when the brothers realize that someone's trying to kill Rachel, and it's tied into what she might have witnessed (but can't remember) while down in Colombia.
Okay, my thoughts...It started out very promising. I enjoy a good "rescue the hostage" plot, especially when it's a husband rescuing the love of his life (a la To the Brink). And when the spouse thought the love of their life was dead and they're not (a la Wild Card) that makes it even sweeter. Love when a couple gets a second chance--lots of emotion there. But something didn't quite click for me between Rachel and Ethan--I wasn't totally connected to them. I kept hoping to read about their courtship--I wanted to see Rachel fall for Ethan and Ethan fall for Rachel. I kept expecting to read a flashback scene about how they met (I wasn't even sure of their ages) and fell in love. Didn't get it. Got some scenes about how beloved Rachel was in the Kelly family (treated as a queen by all) but I needed to feel the connection between the two. I think that would've made the circumstances of the abduction and the rescue more meaningful for me. I knew that Ethan loved Rachel and was sorry for what he put her through, but I needed to experience a little more of their past to totally connect with them as a couple, and to root for their future.
Now, for things I thought the author did really well...the relationship among the brothers, their dialogue and actions were spot on. I could feel the love and camaraderie. The parents, and especially the portrayal of mother Marlene as the loving and loyal head of a family of six boys, and how all the boys respected (and feared!) their mom--well done. Marlene's loving penchant for taking in 'strays' (the parent-less Rachel, sheriff's deputy Sean, teenage runaway Rusty--who surely will keep popping up in the series--as maybe a future mate for Nathan?) and her knack for butting into her sons' lives, made her a colorful, memorable character. I'm sure we'll see a lot more of her in the series.
There are a lot of characters introduced in this book. So many that I started writing them down in a notebook just to keep everything straight, in case they pop up again in future books! Some of the most memorable were Dr. Maren Scofield, who had been rescued by KGI in Africa and treated Rachel at her clinic in Costa Rica; P.J. Rutherford, a (female) sniper on one of KGI's teams; "Steele" and "Rio"--two KGI team leaders with a lot of animosity towards each other; and of course the female runaway Rusty, who makes an initial bad first impression on the Kelly brothers, but who mom Marlene is determined to keep in the Kelly family. So lots of potential for future stories about not only the 5 remaining dashing, hunky brothers, but also for some supporting characters important to the Kellys.
So how about the love scenes? Well this being Maya Banks, I was expecting something extra steamy. But this was a mainstream romance, not erotica, so it was typical of what you'd get in a romantic suspense. There was only two extended scenes between Rachel and Ethan that I can recall, and had plenty of heat, but weren't anything unusual or kinky. I sure wish there had been a couple of scenes shown pre-abduction, but it wasn't to be.:(
All in all not a bad beginning to a series. There were a couple of things that could have made it better to bring it up to a 5 star read (more background on the H/h's relationship, a little more descriptions about the characters (not real clear about what everyone looked like--what color was Rachel's hair, how old was she?, how old are the brothers?, etc., a little more suspense), but maybe these little details that help to fill out a book will come out in the future stories. I'm hoping so. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series, big over-protective brother Sam's story (No Place to Run). For this first-in-the-series? 4 stars
September 30, 2010
5 stars – Romantic Suspense
I’m a big fan of Maya Banks and military romantic suspense, so I was really looking forward to this first book in her new KGI series. I’m not at all surprised that I liked and enjoyed it, but I was amazed and impressed by the emotional depth and intensity of the story. Ethan might be an alpha military hero, but he’s not afraid to express his love, demonstrate his feelings, or shed tears of grief, relief, joy, and gratitude. The homecoming scene where Ethan cries while bathing, holding, and comforting Rachel is one of the most poignant moments of any romance that I’ve read. I loved this and can’t wait for Sam’s story next in No Place to Run.
And the cover is hot, HOT, HAWT !
I’m a big fan of Maya Banks and military romantic suspense, so I was really looking forward to this first book in her new KGI series. I’m not at all surprised that I liked and enjoyed it, but I was amazed and impressed by the emotional depth and intensity of the story. Ethan might be an alpha military hero, but he’s not afraid to express his love, demonstrate his feelings, or shed tears of grief, relief, joy, and gratitude. The homecoming scene where Ethan cries while bathing, holding, and comforting Rachel is one of the most poignant moments of any romance that I’ve read. I loved this and can’t wait for Sam’s story next in No Place to Run.
And the cover is hot, HOT, HAWT !
April 26, 2024
4 to 4 ½ Captivating Stars
I really enjoyed this book. Why on earth it took me so long to start this series is beyond me.
I really enjoyed this book. Why on earth it took me so long to start this series is beyond me.
April 9, 2011
Obviously I'm in the minority, reading other reviews, but I have to say - I didn't enjoy this.
I'm not going to rehash what the story is about, plenty of those kinds of reviews. Here's what pissed me off:
ETHAN KELLY.
To me, he's a sonofabitch. His wife has been presumed dead for a year. Granted, no one knew - but when she's finally, FINALLY rescued and brought home, a literal shell of the woman she was, all super dick can worry about is her not finding out about the divorce papers he gave her before she disappeared. GOD FORBID he be the one thing this poor woman needs: an honest husband. I've never been a fan of "the big secret" trope but this one takes the cake. I truly believe he didn't want her to recover her memory in full because she would find out what an insecure bastard he really was. Oh sure, he "claimed" he was sorry, he was over it, he was a jerk extraordinaire, but even after Rachel came home, he was STILL jealous of his own brother!
And how many times can he hug her, call her baby and profess his undying love? OMG it was over the top! At one point I was even hoping that Rachel and Garret HAD gotten it on, despite how much I hate adultery. Rachel didn't deserve to be shackled to that prick for the rest of her life.
The ONLY thing that garnered this an extra star (2 total) was Garrett, Sam, Sean, Donovan, Rio and Steele. I sooo cannot wait to read Steele's story.
This plot has been done before and MUCH better. Still not a fan Ms. Banks, but I'm willing to give Sam's book a shot. Don't screw it up.
D+
I'm not going to rehash what the story is about, plenty of those kinds of reviews. Here's what pissed me off:
ETHAN KELLY.
To me, he's a sonofabitch. His wife has been presumed dead for a year. Granted, no one knew - but when she's finally, FINALLY rescued and brought home, a literal shell of the woman she was, all super dick can worry about is her not finding out about the divorce papers he gave her before she disappeared. GOD FORBID he be the one thing this poor woman needs: an honest husband. I've never been a fan of "the big secret" trope but this one takes the cake. I truly believe he didn't want her to recover her memory in full because she would find out what an insecure bastard he really was. Oh sure, he "claimed" he was sorry, he was over it, he was a jerk extraordinaire, but even after Rachel came home, he was STILL jealous of his own brother!
And how many times can he hug her, call her baby and profess his undying love? OMG it was over the top! At one point I was even hoping that Rachel and Garret HAD gotten it on, despite how much I hate adultery. Rachel didn't deserve to be shackled to that prick for the rest of her life.
The ONLY thing that garnered this an extra star (2 total) was Garrett, Sam, Sean, Donovan, Rio and Steele. I sooo cannot wait to read Steele's story.
This plot has been done before and MUCH better. Still not a fan Ms. Banks, but I'm willing to give Sam's book a shot. Don't screw it up.
D+
July 24, 2017
So look. I'm not usually one to get on my high horse and go off on a rant about certain words or derogatory phrases used in books. It's fiction and sometimes things are said because the flow of the story and banter can lend itself to the occasional 'you're a girl' comment or 'that's a pussy thing to do' remark and I get that. And you know what? I would probably even overlook it more often than not. But...
This book pissed me right off. I LOVE alpha book men. Adore them. Can't read enough of them. I'm aware that these type of men can be misogynistic a-holes on occasion, usually as a plot device to show what a-holes they really are and then they become fabulously enlightened men who know that the woman they have fallen for is kickass and amazing and he falls over himself to show her he knows this. Those are the men I like to read, it's my jam. What is not my jam is reading about assholes who I'm supposed to want to read more of constantly using the term 'girl' as an insult to each other and to women. Men who think crying makes you a pussy or worrying about a person you love makes you a 'mother hen' because fuck you assholes. You think I exaggerate? Some examples of Kelly brother banter...
~~~~
“Shit, Ethan, you’re hit. You’re bleeding like a stuck pig.”
Ethan glanced up at his brother and curled his lip. “What are you, a pussy? Your years out of the army turned you into a girl? Since when do you worry over anything less than a missing limb?”
~~~~~
“It’s damn good to have you back, little brother.”
“Cut the mushy shit out,” Ethan grumbled as he pulled away.
“You girls having a love fest back here?” Donovan asked.
~~~~
Ethan looked up, then hastily away, as his father entered the kitchen. His emotional outburst was bad enough in front of his mom, but to break down in front of his father was more than he could stand. (I will allow that Ethan decided it was okay to cry after his father cried in this scene so I guess he is growing as a human or something!)
~~~~
He had to admire her courage. His family was enough to make him run screaming like a girl on a good day. Facing them when they were complete strangers? Brave.
~~~~
“Everything okay, sweet pea?” Garrett asked as he walked over.
“Yep. Just talking to Sean and getting some fresh air.”
Garrett shoved his hands into his pockets. “You mean you’re hiding out here with this pussy who’s here for the same reason.”
Sean grunted. “Yeah, the exact same reason you’ve run outside like a damn girl.”
~~~~
“It’s hard to run away from Ma in her own house,” Garrett said in resignation. “She’ll just hunt us down and give us the look.”
Sam chuckled. “Damn shame when grown men are reduced to a bunch of pussies by their mother.”
~~~~
She gathered the memories of Donovan and Garrett teaching her self-defense. How they’d despaired of her being too girly to ever learn anything.
~~~~
He rolled away shrieking like a girl, and she was careful to keep him between her and the guy with the gun.
~~~~
“Those self-defense moves Garrett and Donovan taught me when Ethan was away so much.”
“You’re shitting me!” Garrett said. “Hell, and to think we teased you for being such a girl.”
~~~~
“Okay, girls, enough,” Sam said in a quiet voice. “Mom and Dad are outside like two mother hens. They’ll want to peek in on Rachel, and Garrett and I need to talk to you, Ethan.”
~~~~
Oh and how fabulous. KGI have a most excellent sniper who is a women. But she is extra good despite having lady parts so don't worry about that.
I know that I'm probably fixating too much on this one thing and it's not helped by the fact that I've just finished books where the female lead was incredible and strong and her being a women had fuck all to do with anything but it's all I could see in this book. I have no interest in reading about the rest of these idiots. And the military aspect of their lives is not an excuse. Making it realistic and allowing your characters to be misogynistic douches are two completely different things. And it could be that the reason I fixated on all this in the first place was because I wasn't loving the story overall. Especially when you have a massive relationship breakthrough and 'I love you's' and then a miscommunication twist afterward. I have no faith in this relationship at all to be honest. Ethan's inability to communicate after all that has happened does not say white picket fences to me and you know what?
This book pissed me right off. I LOVE alpha book men. Adore them. Can't read enough of them. I'm aware that these type of men can be misogynistic a-holes on occasion, usually as a plot device to show what a-holes they really are and then they become fabulously enlightened men who know that the woman they have fallen for is kickass and amazing and he falls over himself to show her he knows this. Those are the men I like to read, it's my jam. What is not my jam is reading about assholes who I'm supposed to want to read more of constantly using the term 'girl' as an insult to each other and to women. Men who think crying makes you a pussy or worrying about a person you love makes you a 'mother hen' because fuck you assholes. You think I exaggerate? Some examples of Kelly brother banter...
~~~~
“Shit, Ethan, you’re hit. You’re bleeding like a stuck pig.”
Ethan glanced up at his brother and curled his lip. “What are you, a pussy? Your years out of the army turned you into a girl? Since when do you worry over anything less than a missing limb?”
~~~~~
“It’s damn good to have you back, little brother.”
“Cut the mushy shit out,” Ethan grumbled as he pulled away.
“You girls having a love fest back here?” Donovan asked.
~~~~
Ethan looked up, then hastily away, as his father entered the kitchen. His emotional outburst was bad enough in front of his mom, but to break down in front of his father was more than he could stand. (I will allow that Ethan decided it was okay to cry after his father cried in this scene so I guess he is growing as a human or something!)
~~~~
He had to admire her courage. His family was enough to make him run screaming like a girl on a good day. Facing them when they were complete strangers? Brave.
~~~~
“Everything okay, sweet pea?” Garrett asked as he walked over.
“Yep. Just talking to Sean and getting some fresh air.”
Garrett shoved his hands into his pockets. “You mean you’re hiding out here with this pussy who’s here for the same reason.”
Sean grunted. “Yeah, the exact same reason you’ve run outside like a damn girl.”
~~~~
“It’s hard to run away from Ma in her own house,” Garrett said in resignation. “She’ll just hunt us down and give us the look.”
Sam chuckled. “Damn shame when grown men are reduced to a bunch of pussies by their mother.”
~~~~
She gathered the memories of Donovan and Garrett teaching her self-defense. How they’d despaired of her being too girly to ever learn anything.
~~~~
He rolled away shrieking like a girl, and she was careful to keep him between her and the guy with the gun.
~~~~
“Those self-defense moves Garrett and Donovan taught me when Ethan was away so much.”
“You’re shitting me!” Garrett said. “Hell, and to think we teased you for being such a girl.”
~~~~
“Okay, girls, enough,” Sam said in a quiet voice. “Mom and Dad are outside like two mother hens. They’ll want to peek in on Rachel, and Garrett and I need to talk to you, Ethan.”
~~~~
Oh and how fabulous. KGI have a most excellent sniper who is a women. But she is extra good despite having lady parts so don't worry about that.
I know that I'm probably fixating too much on this one thing and it's not helped by the fact that I've just finished books where the female lead was incredible and strong and her being a women had fuck all to do with anything but it's all I could see in this book. I have no interest in reading about the rest of these idiots. And the military aspect of their lives is not an excuse. Making it realistic and allowing your characters to be misogynistic douches are two completely different things. And it could be that the reason I fixated on all this in the first place was because I wasn't loving the story overall. Especially when you have a massive relationship breakthrough and 'I love you's' and then a miscommunication twist afterward. I have no faith in this relationship at all to be honest. Ethan's inability to communicate after all that has happened does not say white picket fences to me and you know what?
July 31, 2012
Opening Line: " He'd hoped if he drank enough the night before he'd sleep right through today."
Ex-Navy SEAL Ethan Kelly is hangover again, it's been a year since his wife Rachael was killed in a plane crash in South America and he can't seem to move on, the pain as fresh as the day she died. Ethan has cut himself off from his large family and refuses to have anything to do with his brother's top secret business, that of KGI (Kelly Group International) With their expensive military backgrounds the Kelly brother's are essentially guns for hire taking the tricky jobs the government can't and specializing in intelligence recovery and hostage/kidnap victim extractions.
On the anniversary of Rachael's death Ethan receives an unmarked package containing surveillance pictures and maps of a drug cartel base camp in Columbia. The photos show something else too, a woman who looks very much like his late wife. Ethan doesn't think anyone will believe him but of course he now has to try and find her. Good thing most of his family is in the victim recovery business and handy with a gun because he's heading into the jungle and getting his wife back.
But Rachael's not the woman he knew a year ago; forcibly addicted to drugs, and suffering from memory loss and PTSD she may never fully recover and just because he's got her back Stateside doesn't mean she's safe either, the bad guys still want her dead. And then there's that little matter of the divorce papers.
There were parts of this book that I loved and others that I struggled with but all in all this was a really good romantic suspense. Banks writes an awesome tortured hero and although I did get tired of Ethan constantly "dropping to his knees" in front of Rachael and thanking or apologizing to everyone now that he's stopped self medicating, I loved that he was man enough to shed a few tears (that bathtub scene killed me)
One of my biggest issues here however was Rachael's extreme closeness to the brothers; it was just a little too intimate. They were forever enfolding her in their arms and cooing "Baby" and "Sweet Pea" and I guess because I've read some of Banks erotica I kept waiting for her to get it on with at least 3 of the 6 Kelly boys which distracted me from Ethan and Rachael's rekindled love story as well as creating several weird, ick moments. There was also the issue of Rachael having been adopted and brought up by the Kelly parents in the same house as her husband to be. Why was that little bit of info necessary? Wouldn't that kind of make everyone related? Another ick moment.
I also found that there were just too many Kelly brothers to keep track of properly and before long stopped even trying. Except for Garrett and Sam (who I'm sure were just trying to get lucky) they all sort of blended together along with the Kelly parents and a side story involving a runaway girl named Rusty that I can only assume we'll see more from in later books. I'll be continuing on with the series of course :)
Ex-Navy SEAL Ethan Kelly is hangover again, it's been a year since his wife Rachael was killed in a plane crash in South America and he can't seem to move on, the pain as fresh as the day she died. Ethan has cut himself off from his large family and refuses to have anything to do with his brother's top secret business, that of KGI (Kelly Group International) With their expensive military backgrounds the Kelly brother's are essentially guns for hire taking the tricky jobs the government can't and specializing in intelligence recovery and hostage/kidnap victim extractions.
On the anniversary of Rachael's death Ethan receives an unmarked package containing surveillance pictures and maps of a drug cartel base camp in Columbia. The photos show something else too, a woman who looks very much like his late wife. Ethan doesn't think anyone will believe him but of course he now has to try and find her. Good thing most of his family is in the victim recovery business and handy with a gun because he's heading into the jungle and getting his wife back.
But Rachael's not the woman he knew a year ago; forcibly addicted to drugs, and suffering from memory loss and PTSD she may never fully recover and just because he's got her back Stateside doesn't mean she's safe either, the bad guys still want her dead. And then there's that little matter of the divorce papers.
There were parts of this book that I loved and others that I struggled with but all in all this was a really good romantic suspense. Banks writes an awesome tortured hero and although I did get tired of Ethan constantly "dropping to his knees" in front of Rachael and thanking or apologizing to everyone now that he's stopped self medicating, I loved that he was man enough to shed a few tears (that bathtub scene killed me)
One of my biggest issues here however was Rachael's extreme closeness to the brothers; it was just a little too intimate. They were forever enfolding her in their arms and cooing "Baby" and "Sweet Pea" and I guess because I've read some of Banks erotica I kept waiting for her to get it on with at least 3 of the 6 Kelly boys which distracted me from Ethan and Rachael's rekindled love story as well as creating several weird, ick moments. There was also the issue of Rachael having been adopted and brought up by the Kelly parents in the same house as her husband to be. Why was that little bit of info necessary? Wouldn't that kind of make everyone related? Another ick moment.
I also found that there were just too many Kelly brothers to keep track of properly and before long stopped even trying. Except for Garrett and Sam (who I'm sure were just trying to get lucky) they all sort of blended together along with the Kelly parents and a side story involving a runaway girl named Rusty that I can only assume we'll see more from in later books. I'll be continuing on with the series of course :)
December 13, 2010
Your wife is alive. Four simple words and Ethan’s life implodes. Again. After losing his wife in a plane crash, a year after her death someone concocts a sick joke. Making him believe she might be alive. There’re pictures of her being a prisoner in a Colombian drug cartel camp. Guard change schedules, topographic maps, camp layouts...Everything he might need to get Rachel out of that hell. If he believed she was still alive that is.
And he does. Despite everything, he does. Because maybe, just maybe, a miracle is happening, and he’ll get his second chance. A second chance to do it all again, differently, to be a better—a good— husband to the wife he tried to selfishly push away a year ago. To be the man worthy of her love...But first, he must get her back. Then, their trials will only just begin.
What? Is it possible? A man that isn’t perfect? Are you sure? In Romancelandia? Really? Could it be? And what’s that you say? Their marriage wasn’t that perfect either? Wow!
Because Ethan is far from perfect (besides his height, dark good looks, and apparently being hung like a horse). This guy has made mistakes, big ones (which the reader finds out through the course of the story), and he’s convinced there’s no way of making amends. After all, his wife is dead. Then, a miracle happens (which makes us realize this is Romancelandia after all). He gets a second chance, he gets a do-over. And he’s adamant to not fail this time. Yeah, well, life, despite this being Romancelandia, isn’t always that easy, because he makes the biggest mistake of them all. He lies to his wife. Sure, he’s trying to protect her. Sure, he’s trying to rebuild their lives. Sure, he’s trying to forget the past and concentrate on their future.
Still, a lie is a lie. And that makes Ethan real. Yes, I know, it’s fiction. But it’s those flaws that make Ethan a realistic character. He doesn’t get everything right, he’s not perfect, and that’s why he’s “real”. Despite being a fictitious character, we can relate to him, because of those flaws he has and the mistakes he makes.
Though this is pretty much both Ethan and Rachel’s story, I appreciated him more. I don’t know why. Maybe because he was the screwed up party in their relationship (despite everything Rachel went through), maybe because he had the most to be ashamed and afraid of, maybe because he had the most to make up for.
And he didn’t get the “privilege” of a blank slate like Rachel did. He had to do it all from scratch, while still retaining every single (good and bad) memory of their life together before her “death”. Yes, I felt compassion toward Rachel for the hell she’s been through, but I loved Ethan to bits. Also because there was a moment where Rachel, despite being a great heroine (and a perfect match for her husband), reverted to that stereotypical heroine I hate with all my heart. It was a fleeting moment that ended almost as soon as it began, but it left a sour aftertaste in my mouth after pages and pages of excellent heroine behavior.
As for the rest, I absolutely loved the banter between brothers. It really gave an impression of real family and created yet another connection to the characters, both primary and secondary. The pacing was excellent, the plot tightly-woven, and the suspense intense, though I missed a more “profound” explanation for the villain’s actions.
Ms. Banks has created an amazing story, that despite being classified as a romantic suspense, was more a tale of second chances, new beginnings, and self-discovery. It worked perfectly and I only hope the next book in this series is as good (or better) than this one.
And he does. Despite everything, he does. Because maybe, just maybe, a miracle is happening, and he’ll get his second chance. A second chance to do it all again, differently, to be a better—a good— husband to the wife he tried to selfishly push away a year ago. To be the man worthy of her love...But first, he must get her back. Then, their trials will only just begin.
What? Is it possible? A man that isn’t perfect? Are you sure? In Romancelandia? Really? Could it be? And what’s that you say? Their marriage wasn’t that perfect either? Wow!
Because Ethan is far from perfect (besides his height, dark good looks, and apparently being hung like a horse). This guy has made mistakes, big ones (which the reader finds out through the course of the story), and he’s convinced there’s no way of making amends. After all, his wife is dead. Then, a miracle happens (which makes us realize this is Romancelandia after all). He gets a second chance, he gets a do-over. And he’s adamant to not fail this time. Yeah, well, life, despite this being Romancelandia, isn’t always that easy, because he makes the biggest mistake of them all. He lies to his wife. Sure, he’s trying to protect her. Sure, he’s trying to rebuild their lives. Sure, he’s trying to forget the past and concentrate on their future.
Still, a lie is a lie. And that makes Ethan real. Yes, I know, it’s fiction. But it’s those flaws that make Ethan a realistic character. He doesn’t get everything right, he’s not perfect, and that’s why he’s “real”. Despite being a fictitious character, we can relate to him, because of those flaws he has and the mistakes he makes.
Though this is pretty much both Ethan and Rachel’s story, I appreciated him more. I don’t know why. Maybe because he was the screwed up party in their relationship (despite everything Rachel went through), maybe because he had the most to be ashamed and afraid of, maybe because he had the most to make up for.
And he didn’t get the “privilege” of a blank slate like Rachel did. He had to do it all from scratch, while still retaining every single (good and bad) memory of their life together before her “death”. Yes, I felt compassion toward Rachel for the hell she’s been through, but I loved Ethan to bits. Also because there was a moment where Rachel, despite being a great heroine (and a perfect match for her husband), reverted to that stereotypical heroine I hate with all my heart. It was a fleeting moment that ended almost as soon as it began, but it left a sour aftertaste in my mouth after pages and pages of excellent heroine behavior.
As for the rest, I absolutely loved the banter between brothers. It really gave an impression of real family and created yet another connection to the characters, both primary and secondary. The pacing was excellent, the plot tightly-woven, and the suspense intense, though I missed a more “profound” explanation for the villain’s actions.
Ms. Banks has created an amazing story, that despite being classified as a romantic suspense, was more a tale of second chances, new beginnings, and self-discovery. It worked perfectly and I only hope the next book in this series is as good (or better) than this one.
September 1, 2023
Listening to this series on audio as a re read. This one, while a tougher read I would probably increase to 4 stars upon re read. Many of the below (originally) mentioned things did not bother me this time and I enjoyed the angst in this book even though I am not usually a fan of it.
Previous comments:
I know I am late to this series, but thought I would give it a try. The story is a heartbreaking love story. I enjoyed the character development and it makes me interested in the next books in the series. There were some sections that dragged a bit, but there was enough action to keep me going. I really did not like the Rusty storyline. Don't like her or think it is needed. Other than the books being way too expensive, if am interested in seeing the rest of the Kelly brothers find their HEA!
Previous comments:
I know I am late to this series, but thought I would give it a try. The story is a heartbreaking love story. I enjoyed the character development and it makes me interested in the next books in the series. There were some sections that dragged a bit, but there was enough action to keep me going. I really did not like the Rusty storyline. Don't like her or think it is needed. Other than the books being way too expensive, if am interested in seeing the rest of the Kelly brothers find their HEA!
April 2, 2012
Story Rating 4 Stars
Character Rating 4 Stars
Romance Rating 5 Stars
Action Level 4.5 Stars
Heat Level 3 Stars
Overall Rating 4 Stars
This book took off right from the beginning and kept me interested all the way through. It was exciting and had me tearing up in quite a few spots too. I absolutely loved how this story involved the whole family. They were just so caring for each other. I can't forget to mention all the hunky brothers and friends. The few love scenes were done well with some good heat to them and nothing over the top. I could feel the need that the H&h had for each other and how tortured they were over the past.
So yes, I really did like this book but not quite enough to give it 5 stars. Some of the things that happened in this book just plan out should not have happened. Also getting the bad guy could have been done with more imagination. I wanted to read about how he got caught not just the mention of it happening. That would have added some more excitement to the ending.
All and all it was a good book and I'm sure to read the next book in this series soon.
Character Rating 4 Stars
Romance Rating 5 Stars
Action Level 4.5 Stars
Heat Level 3 Stars
Overall Rating 4 Stars
This book took off right from the beginning and kept me interested all the way through. It was exciting and had me tearing up in quite a few spots too. I absolutely loved how this story involved the whole family. They were just so caring for each other. I can't forget to mention all the hunky brothers and friends. The few love scenes were done well with some good heat to them and nothing over the top. I could feel the need that the H&h had for each other and how tortured they were over the past.
So yes, I really did like this book but not quite enough to give it 5 stars. Some of the things that happened in this book just plan out should not have happened. Also getting the bad guy could have been done with more imagination. I wanted to read about how he got caught not just the mention of it happening. That would have added some more excitement to the ending.
All and all it was a good book and I'm sure to read the next book in this series soon.
September 9, 2014
***4 Kelly Family and Alpha Badass stars***
Pardon my excitement as I know I'm late to the party, but this book gave me two VERY awesome things:
(1) A new author to stalk
(2) A new series to devour
Allow me a moment.
Ok, I've composed myself.
What a great introduction to this series and the Kelly family.
Ethan is torn apart by the death of his wife Rachel. So many regrets swimming in his mind. And the cherry on top, he was horrible to her on the last day he saw her alive. But then on the one year anniversary of her death, a package arrives telling him she's alive and being held prisoner in South America. Enter KGI badasses (a/k/a the Kelly boys and a group of hot military Alphas). Rescue mission formulated, badasses united for justice, woman saved (Insert explosions and gunfire where applicable).
Rachel has no to little memory of her life. She's been drugged almost daily and is suffering from serious withdrawal symptoms. The only thing that kept her sane during her year of terror is the fact that she refused to forget her name and the image of Ethan in her mind. She wasn't sure who he was, but she held on to his picture in her head even during her drug filled days.
Now reunited, she tries to piece together her previous life while battling her withdrawal symptoms and slowly coming to the realization that things may not have been so perfect for her and Ethan.
Ethan is thanking his lucky stars every day that he's been given a second chance. A chance to makes things right....to make them better. But he knows he's living on borrowed time. Eventually all of Rachel's memories will come back and he'll need to explain himself, fess up to his past wrongs and hope she can truly see the love in his heart.
I mean come on....great setup, right?!?!?
In the midst of all that, add in the mystery of WHY did Rachel disappear? Did she see something she wasn't suppose to? Hear it? Are people still after her? Why wait a year to share that she's alive?
I seriously could not put this book down! If you are a lover of romantic suspense, with phenomenal characters, Alpha badasses, a heart-warming story and great action....well then, this is a series you need to pick up.
I can't wait to get my fill of all the rest of the Kelly brothers and KGI men. Because, well frankly...
June 10, 2016
3.7 stars
Y'all, the first 50% of this book was insanely good (It looks like the vast majority of you have read this already since I'm Way Late Lana to the party but remember how good it was?!) and I didn't even want to pull myself away to notch an update on here. I loved how this was romantic suspense but flipped a bit with the woman, in this case our former military dude's wife, being the one taken captive and held for a year; she was the one dealing with the trauma of that situation.
I also loved the big cast of characters and our hero's million brothers (ok, I'm exaggerating. I think there is six total?) and the other men of the KGI group. Usually, having this many names thrown at me feels overwhelming but it worked here as the author did an amazing job writing them as individuals but knitting them together in a cohesive group.
The second half kind of stuttered a bit for me with the hero constantly focused and worried if the heroine would remember the last fight they had; there was a lot of back and forth that stagnated the story. I also thought he disappeared into a one trick pony of repeatedly saying "baby" and hovering over her. I also have to say that the chemistry between the hero and heroine was lacking, I just happened to like the surrounding cast of characters a lot, so it made up for it. Having the villain identity and reasoning not being revealed until the last 15% made it feel very rushed and meh, do I understand who, what, where, and why? Yes. Just not sure it flowed right out of the story.
I'll definitely be continuing with the series, as I loved all the characters introduced and the first half had a gritty, thrilling, and emotional beat that sucked me right in.
Y'all, the first 50% of this book was insanely good (It looks like the vast majority of you have read this already since I'm Way Late Lana to the party but remember how good it was?!) and I didn't even want to pull myself away to notch an update on here. I loved how this was romantic suspense but flipped a bit with the woman, in this case our former military dude's wife, being the one taken captive and held for a year; she was the one dealing with the trauma of that situation.
I also loved the big cast of characters and our hero's million brothers (ok, I'm exaggerating. I think there is six total?) and the other men of the KGI group. Usually, having this many names thrown at me feels overwhelming but it worked here as the author did an amazing job writing them as individuals but knitting them together in a cohesive group.
The second half kind of stuttered a bit for me with the hero constantly focused and worried if the heroine would remember the last fight they had; there was a lot of back and forth that stagnated the story. I also thought he disappeared into a one trick pony of repeatedly saying "baby" and hovering over her. I also have to say that the chemistry between the hero and heroine was lacking, I just happened to like the surrounding cast of characters a lot, so it made up for it. Having the villain identity and reasoning not being revealed until the last 15% made it feel very rushed and meh, do I understand who, what, where, and why? Yes. Just not sure it flowed right out of the story.
I'll definitely be continuing with the series, as I loved all the characters introduced and the first half had a gritty, thrilling, and emotional beat that sucked me right in.
October 26, 2010
If you have read Amy Fetzer, Cindy Gerard, Suzanne Brockman, Cherry Adair or even Lora Leigh then you have read this book. That is part of the problem with this book, it has been done before. Lots of times, which is what I think hurt this book the most. There wasn't much about this book that was different enough to separate it from the pack. I won't go into a lot of detail about the book itself, as of course I am late to the game and everybody else has told it better than I.
The story of Ethan and Rachel was well told and for the most part well edited. I was able to stay with the story and didn't feel that I needed to roll my eyes at parts ala Lora Leigh. It did drag just a little in the middle, but overall flowed pretty good. It also had no unknown wandering extra digits in any anal orifices. (As we know would happen in other nauti brother series. ;-)
What I did have issues with was the number of times that Rachel was called baby. It is not that I mind a woman being called that, it was just it was overused and I couldn't see Ethan saying it that number of times. Also, Rachel being the sole younger female out of all those males I did find creepy and unusual. Guys that age are going to have a g/f or more than one would be married. But I guess we know how many books we have coming in there series.
For me, I just wish she would just jump straight to bad boy Steele's story, so we can find out why he is so damn surly and mean, so we can rub it and make it better. :-)
The story of Ethan and Rachel was well told and for the most part well edited. I was able to stay with the story and didn't feel that I needed to roll my eyes at parts ala Lora Leigh. It did drag just a little in the middle, but overall flowed pretty good. It also had no unknown wandering extra digits in any anal orifices. (As we know would happen in other nauti brother series. ;-)
What I did have issues with was the number of times that Rachel was called baby. It is not that I mind a woman being called that, it was just it was overused and I couldn't see Ethan saying it that number of times. Also, Rachel being the sole younger female out of all those males I did find creepy and unusual. Guys that age are going to have a g/f or more than one would be married. But I guess we know how many books we have coming in there series.
For me, I just wish she would just jump straight to bad boy Steele's story, so we can find out why he is so damn surly and mean, so we can rub it and make it better. :-)
December 9, 2015
Originally read - June 2011
Re-read - December 2015
Review posted June 2011
What a great story! I haven't read much of Maya Banks in the past but she has definately now registered on my radar:)
It was quite sad in places and bought a tear to my eye especially when learning how Rachel was treated for a year whilst in captivity and how Ethan suffered emotionally both when he thought she was dead and on learning what she had been through.
I really liked the scenes where he showed his emotions and several times cried and wasn't affraid to do so in front of Rachel. Some were really touching especially the bath scene where he held her and cried.
We didn't really get to see a lot of what KGI do as much of the story was focused around Ethan & Rachel's relationship which as I said I enjoyed but I would have liked to see a little more action, but then as this was the first in the series Ms Banks had a lot of characters and background to build and had a limited amount of space/pages in which to do it.
Overall a solid and good start to the series and I will definately be reading the other 2 and sit in wait of the 4th installment due out early 2012.
Re-read - December 2015
Review posted June 2011
What a great story! I haven't read much of Maya Banks in the past but she has definately now registered on my radar:)
It was quite sad in places and bought a tear to my eye especially when learning how Rachel was treated for a year whilst in captivity and how Ethan suffered emotionally both when he thought she was dead and on learning what she had been through.
I really liked the scenes where he showed his emotions and several times cried and wasn't affraid to do so in front of Rachel. Some were really touching especially the bath scene where he held her and cried.
We didn't really get to see a lot of what KGI do as much of the story was focused around Ethan & Rachel's relationship which as I said I enjoyed but I would have liked to see a little more action, but then as this was the first in the series Ms Banks had a lot of characters and background to build and had a limited amount of space/pages in which to do it.
Overall a solid and good start to the series and I will definately be reading the other 2 and sit in wait of the 4th installment due out early 2012.
July 16, 2014
3 stars
The Suspense
I have to admit I wasn't vowed and amazed by this one. The story is:someone kidnapped Rachel a year ago and then faked her death, so everyone, including her family, thought she was dead. Now, a letter arrives to Rachel's husband Kelly, with pictures of his supposedly dead wife and her coordinates. They get her out, but who did this to her? And why?
I felt the suspense part could have been done better. The premise could be a good one, but it was paid almost no attention at all, so the result felt kind of jumbled and obvious.
The Relationship(s)
If the suspense bit was overlooked, the romance and relationship part wasn't. The renewal of the marriage between Ethan and Kelly is a difficult thing to achieve, made even more so by her memory loss and recent trauma. So, now they have to get over everything that was done to Rachel and also over the past, because it turns out their marriage wasn't so picture-perfect after all. So, even as Ethan looks forward to his wife's complete recovery, he also dreads the arrival of her memories, because that can mean the end of their marriage. About 20 pages before the ending I was very ready to hold their lack of *marriage problems-resolving* against them, but I liked the way it was written at the end. It's not the perfect HEA, they're together and they'll give it another chance. All is not easily resolved or forgiven(as it shouldn't be). It's a beginning, non an ending.
What's also very well developed are the relationships between other people in the book as well. Rachel's and Ethan's with Ethan's family, Rusty's with everyone, everyone's with everyone, lol, etc... I liked the multitude of POVs we had present here. The back stories give all the other characters a depth and a presence I hadn't expected, which would certainly make it easier for me to like the next books, since I already like the Kelly brothers and KGI employees very much.
Ethan
I have conflicted feelings about this one. Ethan used to be a SEAL and a husband and he lost both a year ago. Now, he's recovering just as much as Rachel, finding who he is and trying to save his marriage. Ethan has quite a lot of missteps and bad decisions in his past. He'd been jealous, unreasonable sometimes, selfish...Now, he's trying to make up for it, even though I found his secrecy regarding their past and his constant obsessing over it a bit selfish. You know she'll find out, why not just tell her and discuss it with her? Besides you should be more concerned with her health and well-being than potential issues.
Still, he felt real to me. He has his faults, but he's working on them, and I ended up liking him, despite myself.
Rachel
I had the most problems with Rachel. Maybe because of the plot itself, because all this is happening during her recovery. I understand, she's strong and brave, and wronged and innocent, and fragile(I think that was mentioned many, many times). and I admire her for surviving, BUT I didn't get a feel for her as a person at all. All the time she's remembering things it's all about her relationships with other people, but who is she? What does she do? What are her quirks, her likes and dislikes, totally unrelated to other people? What are her faults?
And that last one was my biggest peeve. She has no faults. She is this perfect, innocent person bad things happen to and that people love. She doesn't get angry, she's not stubborn, doesn't fight, nothing. I felt Rusty was a much more tangible character than her! Even Ethan, with his faults and mistakes, has a personality. She-not so much.
Also, I found it hard to believe that ALL fault for marital problems was on Ethan's side. When something goes wrong both sides are usually, in some way, the cause. Maybe there is one spouse that is guiltier, but not usually to this point. This contrast between perfect/poor innocent Rachel and bad Ethan made it hard for me to accept the whole thing, but especially the Rachel-That-Can-Do-No-Wrong.
General
Despite everything, I liked this book and I couldn't put it down. I got to care for this characters and I'm looking forward to the other books.
The Suspense
I have to admit I wasn't vowed and amazed by this one. The story is:someone kidnapped Rachel a year ago and then faked her death, so everyone, including her family, thought she was dead. Now, a letter arrives to Rachel's husband Kelly, with pictures of his supposedly dead wife and her coordinates. They get her out, but who did this to her? And why?
I felt the suspense part could have been done better. The premise could be a good one, but it was paid almost no attention at all, so the result felt kind of jumbled and obvious.
The Relationship(s)
If the suspense bit was overlooked, the romance and relationship part wasn't. The renewal of the marriage between Ethan and Kelly is a difficult thing to achieve, made even more so by her memory loss and recent trauma. So, now they have to get over everything that was done to Rachel and also over the past, because it turns out their marriage wasn't so picture-perfect after all. So, even as Ethan looks forward to his wife's complete recovery, he also dreads the arrival of her memories, because that can mean the end of their marriage. About 20 pages before the ending I was very ready to hold their lack of *marriage problems-resolving* against them, but I liked the way it was written at the end. It's not the perfect HEA, they're together and they'll give it another chance. All is not easily resolved or forgiven(as it shouldn't be). It's a beginning, non an ending.
What's also very well developed are the relationships between other people in the book as well. Rachel's and Ethan's with Ethan's family, Rusty's with everyone, everyone's with everyone, lol, etc... I liked the multitude of POVs we had present here. The back stories give all the other characters a depth and a presence I hadn't expected, which would certainly make it easier for me to like the next books, since I already like the Kelly brothers and KGI employees very much.
Ethan
I have conflicted feelings about this one. Ethan used to be a SEAL and a husband and he lost both a year ago. Now, he's recovering just as much as Rachel, finding who he is and trying to save his marriage. Ethan has quite a lot of missteps and bad decisions in his past. He'd been jealous, unreasonable sometimes, selfish...Now, he's trying to make up for it, even though I found his secrecy regarding their past and his constant obsessing over it a bit selfish. You know she'll find out, why not just tell her and discuss it with her? Besides you should be more concerned with her health and well-being than potential issues.
Still, he felt real to me. He has his faults, but he's working on them, and I ended up liking him, despite myself.
Rachel
I had the most problems with Rachel. Maybe because of the plot itself, because all this is happening during her recovery. I understand, she's strong and brave, and wronged and innocent, and fragile(I think that was mentioned many, many times). and I admire her for surviving, BUT I didn't get a feel for her as a person at all. All the time she's remembering things it's all about her relationships with other people, but who is she? What does she do? What are her quirks, her likes and dislikes, totally unrelated to other people? What are her faults?
And that last one was my biggest peeve. She has no faults. She is this perfect, innocent person bad things happen to and that people love. She doesn't get angry, she's not stubborn, doesn't fight, nothing. I felt Rusty was a much more tangible character than her! Even Ethan, with his faults and mistakes, has a personality. She-not so much.
Also, I found it hard to believe that ALL fault for marital problems was on Ethan's side. When something goes wrong both sides are usually, in some way, the cause. Maybe there is one spouse that is guiltier, but not usually to this point. This contrast between perfect/poor innocent Rachel and bad Ethan made it hard for me to accept the whole thing, but especially the Rachel-That-Can-Do-No-Wrong.
General
Despite everything, I liked this book and I couldn't put it down. I got to care for this characters and I'm looking forward to the other books.
December 18, 2010
3 ½ stars. Very enjoyable beginning and end. The middle part about Rachel’s healing and problems with Ethan was a little slow.
STORY BRIEF:
Ethan and Rachel were married. Rachel went to South America with a group of relief workers. On her way back, the plane went down and her wedding ring was returned to Ethan. He’s been mourning her death for a year. All of a sudden an anonymous package arrives showing pictures of her as a prisoner in the jungle of Columbia. Ethan and his brothers (all former military guys) plan a mission to attack and extract her.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
The first 100 pages were great. I loved the action and rescue operation. The middle part was less exciting. Rachel was back, but she was fragile. She couldn‘t remember her prior life. She was going through terrible withdrawal from drugs her captors gave her. She was weepy and afraid a lot which was believable, but it wasn’t as much fun to read about. I got tired of one brother calling her “sweet pea” and her husband calling her “baby.” That was ok at first but a little annoying after a while. The last third of the book was very good. There are bad guys wanting to harm Rachel. I was impressed and enjoyed her actions during that time. I was also impressed with the motives – who the bad guys were and why she was held prisoner and kept alive. I hadn’t guessed that.
Early in the book. I loved the description of the female sniper PJ. She only played a tiny part on page 21 but I was fascinated.
There is a lot of warm family interaction. I enjoyed the tough guy amusing insults among the brothers.
Although there were a couple of sex scenes, they weren’t very exciting or emotional. It felt like they were added as an afterthought. I skimmed one of them because I wanted to get back to the action.
DATA:
Story length: 290 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 2. Total number of sex scene pages: 13. Setting: current day mostly Dover area, Tennessee, with some Columbia and Costa Rica. Copyright: 2010. Genre: romantic suspense.
STORY BRIEF:
Ethan and Rachel were married. Rachel went to South America with a group of relief workers. On her way back, the plane went down and her wedding ring was returned to Ethan. He’s been mourning her death for a year. All of a sudden an anonymous package arrives showing pictures of her as a prisoner in the jungle of Columbia. Ethan and his brothers (all former military guys) plan a mission to attack and extract her.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
The first 100 pages were great. I loved the action and rescue operation. The middle part was less exciting. Rachel was back, but she was fragile. She couldn‘t remember her prior life. She was going through terrible withdrawal from drugs her captors gave her. She was weepy and afraid a lot which was believable, but it wasn’t as much fun to read about. I got tired of one brother calling her “sweet pea” and her husband calling her “baby.” That was ok at first but a little annoying after a while. The last third of the book was very good. There are bad guys wanting to harm Rachel. I was impressed and enjoyed her actions during that time. I was also impressed with the motives – who the bad guys were and why she was held prisoner and kept alive. I hadn’t guessed that.
Early in the book. I loved the description of the female sniper PJ. She only played a tiny part on page 21 but I was fascinated.
There is a lot of warm family interaction. I enjoyed the tough guy amusing insults among the brothers.
Although there were a couple of sex scenes, they weren’t very exciting or emotional. It felt like they were added as an afterthought. I skimmed one of them because I wanted to get back to the action.
DATA:
Story length: 290 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 2. Total number of sex scene pages: 13. Setting: current day mostly Dover area, Tennessee, with some Columbia and Costa Rica. Copyright: 2010. Genre: romantic suspense.
September 7, 2010
“The Darkest Hour” by Maya Banks starts on the one year anniversary of Ethan Kelly’s wife’s death. She died in a plane crash on her way back from a humanitarian mission in South America. He is not taking Rachel’s loss well, even one year later. When I first started reading this book, I thought ‘whoa, this dude needs a hug.’ Then, when Ethan receives an envelope containing photos of his supposed dead wife with a note stating that she is still alive, I thought ‘whoa, this dude needs a beer!’
Can you imagine?! What do you do in that situation? What Ethan did is approach his brothers, the leaders of KGI. The back of the book explains The Kelly Group International (KGI) is “a super elite, top secret, family-run business. Qualifications: High intelligence, rock hard body, military background.
Mission: Hostage/kidnap victim recovery. Intelligence gathering. Handling jobs the US government can’t…” What?... You kinda lost me there after ‘rock hard body’. *clears head* The brothers, along with some of their crew head to South America to save Rachel and to try to unlock the mystery as to why she was being kept alive, let alone being held captive.
Maya Banks writes family units and circles of friends very well. There is always a strong bond between the friends that you can’t help but fall into. The characters in this story are personable and honest and relatable, even if they are all ex military guys and I’m well, not. That’s one of the reasons why I love Maya’s ‘Sweet’ series. The camaraderie between the characters is infectious, and it’s no exception in this book. The Kellys are loud and competitive but they are dedicated to each other, they watch each other’s back and will do anything for their mama. Now who wouldn’t fall for a family like that? And it’s a big one. Marlene and Frank Kelly have six sons! Ethan, Sam, Garrett, Donovan, Nathan and Joe.
The action is this book starts from page one and barely subsides until ‘the end’. But it’s not overwhelming at all because the action vs. the tender moments is well balanced. You get your heart pumpin’, guns blazin’, people duckin’ and muscles quakin’ moments, but you also get your heart tuggin’ moments. Most of those moments are courtesy of Rachel.
During her captivity, Rachel loses most of her memory. She remembers Ethan and his brother Garrett, but not much else, and no specifics about the brothers. She doesn’t even remember why she was being held. After she is rescued, we witness her trying to transition back into her life of before. Slowly pieces start coming back to her, but she’s frustrated. And who can blame her? Rachel is a lovely character. She is strong, even though she has every excuse to curl up into a ball and cry. Now, if you are one who likes an angst ridden hero, then you are going to be a happy camper when it comes to Ethan. He is very happy to have Rachel back, but he is also very anxious. It seems their perfect marriage may not have been so perfect after all. It seems Ethan was a bit of an a-hole, and he’s a little nervous about Rachel remembering about that because he still loves her. He never didn’t love her. He was just a jerk. A big ol’ selfish, jealous jerk. While you’re reading, you know it’s just a matter of time until she remembers how he really was with her, so you are sitting on the edge of your seat, waiting and wondering how it will all go down.
Speaking of going down *wink*, Maya Banks is known for her erotica titles. So, it’s just understood that she knows how to writes yummy, steamy scenes. What I really enjoyed about the love scenes in “The Darkest Hour” was that they were just that, love scenes. Don’t get me wrong, they were hot. But you have a man who screwed up with his wife whom he thought he’d lost (in more ways than one). He is desperate to feel her again and to show her how much he loves her. You have a woman who has no memory of her husband, but who feels a chemistry and a connection to him. She’s dying to get what she feels they had back. The sex is tender while it’s hot. It’s sweet while it has you fanning yourself. It’s just right.
I’m really glad Mandi from Smexy Books asked me to read and to review “The Darkest Hour”. Thanks to her, I’ve been introduced to a new series that is fun, exciting and moving by an author I truly enjoy. I’ve been introduced to a series that I plan to keep up with. Yup, yet another series to add to my long list of series I plan on following. Yeah. Thanks Mandi. Really...thanks. ;p
“No Place to Run”, Sam’s story and book two in Maya’s ‘KGI’ series hits stores December 7th 2010 and “Hidden Away”, Garret’s book and the third installment in the series hits shelves in March 2011. Mark your calendar. You know I already have.
Can you imagine?! What do you do in that situation? What Ethan did is approach his brothers, the leaders of KGI. The back of the book explains The Kelly Group International (KGI) is “a super elite, top secret, family-run business. Qualifications: High intelligence, rock hard body, military background.
Mission: Hostage/kidnap victim recovery. Intelligence gathering. Handling jobs the US government can’t…” What?... You kinda lost me there after ‘rock hard body’. *clears head* The brothers, along with some of their crew head to South America to save Rachel and to try to unlock the mystery as to why she was being kept alive, let alone being held captive.
Maya Banks writes family units and circles of friends very well. There is always a strong bond between the friends that you can’t help but fall into. The characters in this story are personable and honest and relatable, even if they are all ex military guys and I’m well, not. That’s one of the reasons why I love Maya’s ‘Sweet’ series. The camaraderie between the characters is infectious, and it’s no exception in this book. The Kellys are loud and competitive but they are dedicated to each other, they watch each other’s back and will do anything for their mama. Now who wouldn’t fall for a family like that? And it’s a big one. Marlene and Frank Kelly have six sons! Ethan, Sam, Garrett, Donovan, Nathan and Joe.
The action is this book starts from page one and barely subsides until ‘the end’. But it’s not overwhelming at all because the action vs. the tender moments is well balanced. You get your heart pumpin’, guns blazin’, people duckin’ and muscles quakin’ moments, but you also get your heart tuggin’ moments. Most of those moments are courtesy of Rachel.
During her captivity, Rachel loses most of her memory. She remembers Ethan and his brother Garrett, but not much else, and no specifics about the brothers. She doesn’t even remember why she was being held. After she is rescued, we witness her trying to transition back into her life of before. Slowly pieces start coming back to her, but she’s frustrated. And who can blame her? Rachel is a lovely character. She is strong, even though she has every excuse to curl up into a ball and cry. Now, if you are one who likes an angst ridden hero, then you are going to be a happy camper when it comes to Ethan. He is very happy to have Rachel back, but he is also very anxious. It seems their perfect marriage may not have been so perfect after all. It seems Ethan was a bit of an a-hole, and he’s a little nervous about Rachel remembering about that because he still loves her. He never didn’t love her. He was just a jerk. A big ol’ selfish, jealous jerk. While you’re reading, you know it’s just a matter of time until she remembers how he really was with her, so you are sitting on the edge of your seat, waiting and wondering how it will all go down.
Speaking of going down *wink*, Maya Banks is known for her erotica titles. So, it’s just understood that she knows how to writes yummy, steamy scenes. What I really enjoyed about the love scenes in “The Darkest Hour” was that they were just that, love scenes. Don’t get me wrong, they were hot. But you have a man who screwed up with his wife whom he thought he’d lost (in more ways than one). He is desperate to feel her again and to show her how much he loves her. You have a woman who has no memory of her husband, but who feels a chemistry and a connection to him. She’s dying to get what she feels they had back. The sex is tender while it’s hot. It’s sweet while it has you fanning yourself. It’s just right.
I’m really glad Mandi from Smexy Books asked me to read and to review “The Darkest Hour”. Thanks to her, I’ve been introduced to a new series that is fun, exciting and moving by an author I truly enjoy. I’ve been introduced to a series that I plan to keep up with. Yup, yet another series to add to my long list of series I plan on following. Yeah. Thanks Mandi. Really...thanks. ;p
“No Place to Run”, Sam’s story and book two in Maya’s ‘KGI’ series hits stores December 7th 2010 and “Hidden Away”, Garret’s book and the third installment in the series hits shelves in March 2011. Mark your calendar. You know I already have.
April 20, 2011
I think first and foremost I need to apologize to Dee, for taking so long to get my gear into action and actually read this. And I wasn’t disappointed in the least. A story about alpha brothers, a tight knit family, danger, mystery, romance, passion and betrayal. I was a reader’s heaven.
The story starts with Ethan mourning the death of his wife. It is the one year anniversary of her death. During the middle of his drunken break down he receives a package that brings light to the hope that his wife still might in fact be alive and being held captive.
Ethan runs to his brothers who run KGI – to ask for help in finding his once dead but now alive wife. His brothers support him and faster than a duck to water their on there way to Columbia to do a rescue. All this intense rescue mission happens very early on in the book. I’m talking first 50 pages or so.
Rachel has been kept prisoner for the last year and has been kept high on drugs for the entire time aiding her in losing her memories of her past. The only thing she can remember is Ethan and that he was her guardian angel.
Finally she is rescued and going home to a family and house that she is blank in remembering. She remembers Ethan and Garrett, and almost immediately as a reader you can see something going on between Rachel and Garrett. Ethan however her saviour continues to haunt her dreams as her mind starts to put things into place. Rachel begins to work out that something is very wrong in her marriage and starts to question Ethan’s feelings for her. Ethan will do anything to make his marriage work, he knows he made a big mistake before losing her and if it takes begging to gain his wife’s love and trust then so be it.
On top of all the emotional drama of being reunited with a family she doesn’t remember, Rachel’s life comes on the line from totally left field. This part of the story really didn’t add anything to the novel. There was massive build up to Rachel finding out about Ethan’s past misgivings and then right when it was about to unfold – we insert attempts on Rachel’s life – things felt a little unfinished and not talked through.
While reading I was happy to say that I felt like I was reading a refreshingly original story. I haven’t read many if any stories where the hero is already married and earning her love again. It was sad and emotional and I loved it. There was a little side story about a stray girl, Rusty who was taken in by the brothers mother. I can see down the track a story with her and maybe Nathan.
This family supports each other, loves one another and fight and argue like all families do. Ms. Banks has constructed a great set up for future books and I am happy to say that I have already gone ahead and ordered the next two in the series.
The story starts with Ethan mourning the death of his wife. It is the one year anniversary of her death. During the middle of his drunken break down he receives a package that brings light to the hope that his wife still might in fact be alive and being held captive.
Ethan runs to his brothers who run KGI – to ask for help in finding his once dead but now alive wife. His brothers support him and faster than a duck to water their on there way to Columbia to do a rescue. All this intense rescue mission happens very early on in the book. I’m talking first 50 pages or so.
Rachel has been kept prisoner for the last year and has been kept high on drugs for the entire time aiding her in losing her memories of her past. The only thing she can remember is Ethan and that he was her guardian angel.
Finally she is rescued and going home to a family and house that she is blank in remembering. She remembers Ethan and Garrett, and almost immediately as a reader you can see something going on between Rachel and Garrett. Ethan however her saviour continues to haunt her dreams as her mind starts to put things into place. Rachel begins to work out that something is very wrong in her marriage and starts to question Ethan’s feelings for her. Ethan will do anything to make his marriage work, he knows he made a big mistake before losing her and if it takes begging to gain his wife’s love and trust then so be it.
On top of all the emotional drama of being reunited with a family she doesn’t remember, Rachel’s life comes on the line from totally left field. This part of the story really didn’t add anything to the novel. There was massive build up to Rachel finding out about Ethan’s past misgivings and then right when it was about to unfold – we insert attempts on Rachel’s life – things felt a little unfinished and not talked through.
While reading I was happy to say that I felt like I was reading a refreshingly original story. I haven’t read many if any stories where the hero is already married and earning her love again. It was sad and emotional and I loved it. There was a little side story about a stray girl, Rusty who was taken in by the brothers mother. I can see down the track a story with her and maybe Nathan.
This family supports each other, loves one another and fight and argue like all families do. Ms. Banks has constructed a great set up for future books and I am happy to say that I have already gone ahead and ordered the next two in the series.
December 15, 2022
Awesome as usual
I think I like the concept of the KGI a lot more than I loved this book. While the characters were amazing, they didn't feel fully fleshed out - at least for a first-book feeling - I've read all of the others, and I think that this has got the classic first-book feels.
Anyway, the way that the trauma Rachel felt was described was super real and she felt super authentic which is what I liked.
Also.. apparently I read this book every year around this time?
I think I like the concept of the KGI a lot more than I loved this book. While the characters were amazing, they didn't feel fully fleshed out - at least for a first-book feeling - I've read all of the others, and I think that this has got the classic first-book feels.
Anyway, the way that the trauma Rachel felt was described was super real and she felt super authentic which is what I liked.
Also.. apparently I read this book every year around this time?
August 29, 2011
I'm not even sure of what to say about this book. I did love it and I definitely had a great time reading it. From the first page I was completely entailed by it. What's not to love? A great family, 6 HAWT bad ass brothers with a huge love towards their family and a special soft spot for their mother, a guy who thought he had lost his wife forever without being able to apologize for huge mistakes he made to one day find out she is actually alive... So many things made this such an appealing story, one you just couldn't help to want to finish because you just needed to know what would happen next. An amazing thriller with a great romance.
Why not 5 stars then? hmmm, well probably because a few things were a bit off IMHO. First, the heroine went through too much, there's a limit of things I believe the heroine should go through, after that it just starts to annoy me. Then the romance wasn't as good as it could have been because from the beginning there just were too many lies between them. I felt like everything was kind of a false setup between them, a scam, as she never got to know the truth about him until the 80% of the book. Still, things kinda wrapped up at the end and I do wanna get to the next one right away.
Why not 5 stars then? hmmm, well probably because a few things were a bit off IMHO. First, the heroine went through too much, there's a limit of things I believe the heroine should go through, after that it just starts to annoy me. Then the romance wasn't as good as it could have been because from the beginning there just were too many lies between them. I felt like everything was kind of a false setup between them, a scam, as she never got to know the truth about him until the 80% of the book. Still, things kinda wrapped up at the end and I do wanna get to the next one right away.
November 15, 2021
The book starts off with Ethan in mourning. It's coming up on the one-year anniversary of his wife's death, and he's barely functioning. Then he's given a note stating that she might actually be alive.
For an older military romantic suspense, the story was pretty good. I felt like Rachel kept getting abused to move the plot along, but overall it was a decent read.
I think I've been reading too many reverse harems recently, because all the brothers in this book are smokin hot, and I kept thinking 'oh she should be with him too!' 😂
For an older military romantic suspense, the story was pretty good. I felt like Rachel kept getting abused to move the plot along, but overall it was a decent read.
I think I've been reading too many reverse harems recently, because all the brothers in this book are smokin hot, and I kept thinking 'oh she should be with him too!' 😂
August 13, 2011
** 4 1/2 stars **
Exciting, fast-paced story. I liked the hero's family and how they interacted.
Exciting, fast-paced story. I liked the hero's family and how they interacted.
September 13, 2018
I have so many so mixed feelings about this book. This is my first book in this well-known series. And in my opinion this is a very well-written book about literally nothing. Yeah, I know, but this is how I find it.
I expected a romantic suspense. This is neither a suspense novel nor a romance in fact. Well, there is some suspense part, but it is located entirely in the last one fourth of the book and even there it’s more like action than mystery. Of course, there is also this action part in the beginning, but except for that there is no suspense or mystery in the whole book.
As for romance, Rachel and Ethan are married from the very beginning of the story. Their marriage was a troubled one but Rachel is not aware of it due to her memory-loss and Ethan is all about her right now. So they are sweet and loving each other mostly through the whole story (not including this little drama in the end). They also find themselves again pretty quickly.
So, what is this story about? Well, it’s mostly about Rachel fighting to get her life back and going over her drugs addiction. Or this is how it looks to me at least.
And this is where the greatest of my problems with this book lies - I don’t really like Rachel. She is just too perfect for me to like her. There is no even one minor flaw in her character. It is sole Ethan who is responsible for any troubles in their marriage. Little Miss Perfect never complains, never gets angry, never does anything wrong. It’s really hard to like someone so perfect, she is fake. And even all those traumatic experiences didn’t change her a bit. She is still your sweet, loving Miss Perfect.
But, as I said in the beginning, this is a really well-written book, it’s not hard to read. I think that it is just too little plot-line for me. Hopefully it will be more in the other books in this series. I truly like the Kelly’s brothers, so I will keep on with the series.
I expected a romantic suspense. This is neither a suspense novel nor a romance in fact. Well, there is some suspense part, but it is located entirely in the last one fourth of the book and even there it’s more like action than mystery. Of course, there is also this action part in the beginning, but except for that there is no suspense or mystery in the whole book.
As for romance, Rachel and Ethan are married from the very beginning of the story. Their marriage was a troubled one but Rachel is not aware of it due to her memory-loss and Ethan is all about her right now. So they are sweet and loving each other mostly through the whole story (not including this little drama in the end). They also find themselves again pretty quickly.
So, what is this story about? Well, it’s mostly about Rachel fighting to get her life back and going over her drugs addiction. Or this is how it looks to me at least.
And this is where the greatest of my problems with this book lies - I don’t really like Rachel. She is just too perfect for me to like her. There is no even one minor flaw in her character. It is sole Ethan who is responsible for any troubles in their marriage. Little Miss Perfect never complains, never gets angry, never does anything wrong. It’s really hard to like someone so perfect, she is fake. And even all those traumatic experiences didn’t change her a bit. She is still your sweet, loving Miss Perfect.
But, as I said in the beginning, this is a really well-written book, it’s not hard to read. I think that it is just too little plot-line for me. Hopefully it will be more in the other books in this series. I truly like the Kelly’s brothers, so I will keep on with the series.
September 12, 2020
3.5 Stars.
A sweet, groveling romance with a bit of action at the end of the book. I loved the plot and the way things turned out at the end. Both of the characters were amazing.
“Sometimes second chances are the very best chances,” she whispered. “Because this time we’ll get it right.”
A sweet, groveling romance with a bit of action at the end of the book. I loved the plot and the way things turned out at the end. Both of the characters were amazing.
“Sometimes second chances are the very best chances,” she whispered. “Because this time we’ll get it right.”
September 10, 2010
I loved this book. The writing was solid. The plot was solid. Ex SEAL Ethan's wife, Rachel, died in a plane crash a year ago but he gets some info that she is not dead but being held by a drug cartel in South America. He and his brothers, who have a spec ops type agency, go to get her back. She doesn't remember that their marriage had been troubled and Ethan doesn't want her to remember because the trouble was all his fault and he wants a second chance to do better.
There wasn't a lot of suspense and spec ops stuff here but what there was was well done. I'm assuming that future installments might have more spec ops/suspense stuff depending on the story to be told. For those of you who have read other books by this author this in not erotica but a totally mainstream book. There are just a couple of well written hot love scenes of the type which are normal for these types of books.
Most of the book concerned their love story and it was very well developed. You get a very clear and emotional but not maudlin picture of Ethan's love for Rachel and his agony over his previous failures. Rachel is drawn as a woman who is currently fragile but who is ultimately strong as her memories begin to come back.
This is the start of a series and I can't wait for the next one. There are already 5 more brothers mentioned and a couple of other guys who work for the agency who are potential stars for their own books. However all the characters had a part to play in the story and weren't just shoved in in an obvious set up for the 'next' book. There were lots of scenes with the family although the book stayed mainly in the POVs of the 2 main characters. The family scenes were very well done and I personally like stories where the characters do not exist in a vacuum but you see them interacting with their family and friends as long as the focus stays on the main characters as it does here. The family was a bit idealized but this is fiction and I like to read about a big family of guys who all love each other.
On a final note, I liked the name of the agency. So normal and not some hokey acronym that stands for World's Best Super Duper Good Guys. Rather it was the name of the family, Kelly Group International. Such a normal and believable name. Thank you Maya Banks.
There wasn't a lot of suspense and spec ops stuff here but what there was was well done. I'm assuming that future installments might have more spec ops/suspense stuff depending on the story to be told. For those of you who have read other books by this author this in not erotica but a totally mainstream book. There are just a couple of well written hot love scenes of the type which are normal for these types of books.
Most of the book concerned their love story and it was very well developed. You get a very clear and emotional but not maudlin picture of Ethan's love for Rachel and his agony over his previous failures. Rachel is drawn as a woman who is currently fragile but who is ultimately strong as her memories begin to come back.
This is the start of a series and I can't wait for the next one. There are already 5 more brothers mentioned and a couple of other guys who work for the agency who are potential stars for their own books. However all the characters had a part to play in the story and weren't just shoved in in an obvious set up for the 'next' book. There were lots of scenes with the family although the book stayed mainly in the POVs of the 2 main characters. The family scenes were very well done and I personally like stories where the characters do not exist in a vacuum but you see them interacting with their family and friends as long as the focus stays on the main characters as it does here. The family was a bit idealized but this is fiction and I like to read about a big family of guys who all love each other.
On a final note, I liked the name of the agency. So normal and not some hokey acronym that stands for World's Best Super Duper Good Guys. Rather it was the name of the family, Kelly Group International. Such a normal and believable name. Thank you Maya Banks.
March 19, 2015
★Book Basics★
Genre : - Cont Romantic Suspense
Series : - Book 1 in the series.
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Would I read more by this author/or in this series? - Yes
Rating - 3 stars
★Review★
I have had this series sat on my kindle for a fair few months.
I really liked the premise of the story, but for me, the execution was not as good as it could have been.
I would have maybe liked more from them from before. Not just the glimpses of dreams she had. We are told she had known the family for a long time, before she got involved with Ethan. But being told is not enough. A bit of page time given over to the history, could have improved the story.
The lack of chemistry between Rachel and Ethan troubled me. She did seem to have more of a connection to his brother Garrett.
I would have liked to have an impression of her as a character before she is kidnapped. All we see of her is a traumatized victim, and for me, them solving their relationship difficulties a bit sooner would have improved it. But right to the end, it is still up in the air and a very traumatized relationship. What made them even get together in the first place, other than it seems Ethan getting jealous over her being asked out by one of the other brothers.
The side story of Rusty, interesting, but took away from what would have made me connect with the 2 main characters more. Ie some back story and an insight into who they actually were as people, other than a traumatized victim and guilt ridden grieving husband.
BUT, as I say, I did like the idea of the story, liked the secondary characters, such as Sam, Donovan, Garrett and Steele (especially Steele). If I did not have some more books of this series already on my kindle (curse my 1 click finger making buy up nearly an entire series that catches my interest before I have even read book 1) I may not continue, but since I have got further books in the series, and there are a couple of the KGI men I really want to read about, I will continue on.
A decent did not quite live up to its promise 3 stars.
Genre : - Cont Romantic Suspense
Series : - Book 1 in the series.
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Would I read more by this author/or in this series? - Yes
Rating - 3 stars
★Review★
I have had this series sat on my kindle for a fair few months.
I really liked the premise of the story, but for me, the execution was not as good as it could have been.
I would have maybe liked more from them from before. Not just the glimpses of dreams she had. We are told she had known the family for a long time, before she got involved with Ethan. But being told is not enough. A bit of page time given over to the history, could have improved the story.
The lack of chemistry between Rachel and Ethan troubled me. She did seem to have more of a connection to his brother Garrett.
I would have liked to have an impression of her as a character before she is kidnapped. All we see of her is a traumatized victim, and for me, them solving their relationship difficulties a bit sooner would have improved it. But right to the end, it is still up in the air and a very traumatized relationship. What made them even get together in the first place, other than it seems Ethan getting jealous over her being asked out by one of the other brothers.
The side story of Rusty, interesting, but took away from what would have made me connect with the 2 main characters more. Ie some back story and an insight into who they actually were as people, other than a traumatized victim and guilt ridden grieving husband.
BUT, as I say, I did like the idea of the story, liked the secondary characters, such as Sam, Donovan, Garrett and Steele (especially Steele). If I did not have some more books of this series already on my kindle (curse my 1 click finger making buy up nearly an entire series that catches my interest before I have even read book 1) I may not continue, but since I have got further books in the series, and there are a couple of the KGI men I really want to read about, I will continue on.
A decent did not quite live up to its promise 3 stars.
July 25, 2015
She stared from face to face, her heart swelling and aching with irrefutable truth. She was home. She had a family. She was loved.
Ethan believes his wife died a year ago when he suddenly receives a package with her pictures, a detailed map and a note "Your wife is alive". Luckily he has his brothers "The KGI" who launches a big rescue operation. Rachel has been held captive by a Colombian drug cartel for the last year. They've drugged her on cocaine and heroine and she almost doesn't remember her name. She just remembers her guardian angel Ethan...
I loved this book! From the blurb I got the idea that there would be a lot of time spent in the jungle but I was wrong. It is a book about healing. I was afraid it was going to be too dark for me but I was wrong. My heart ached at times but there was also much joy. And it was my favorite type of book including a broken and tortured (this time for real) heroine.
"The past...is the past, Rachel. All we can do is go forward. The past doesn't matter. Just here and now and today and tomorrow".
The Kelly clan is the best and I can't wait to read the rest of this series. I hope we get to meet Rusty, the "orphan" Marlene adopted from the streets. I loved Garrett and I'm looking forward to his book. I kind of missed an epilogue so I hope we get to spend more time with Rachel and Ethan in the next books. And I loved the small thought worthy tidbits.
"I don't doubt that you've had a hard life and that a lot of people have let you down. You can wallow in that misery and remain a victim, or you can take charge of your destiny and turn it all around. The choice is up to you".
Ethan believes his wife died a year ago when he suddenly receives a package with her pictures, a detailed map and a note "Your wife is alive". Luckily he has his brothers "The KGI" who launches a big rescue operation. Rachel has been held captive by a Colombian drug cartel for the last year. They've drugged her on cocaine and heroine and she almost doesn't remember her name. She just remembers her guardian angel Ethan...
I loved this book! From the blurb I got the idea that there would be a lot of time spent in the jungle but I was wrong. It is a book about healing. I was afraid it was going to be too dark for me but I was wrong. My heart ached at times but there was also much joy. And it was my favorite type of book including a broken and tortured (this time for real) heroine.
"The past...is the past, Rachel. All we can do is go forward. The past doesn't matter. Just here and now and today and tomorrow".
The Kelly clan is the best and I can't wait to read the rest of this series. I hope we get to meet Rusty, the "orphan" Marlene adopted from the streets. I loved Garrett and I'm looking forward to his book. I kind of missed an epilogue so I hope we get to spend more time with Rachel and Ethan in the next books. And I loved the small thought worthy tidbits.
"I don't doubt that you've had a hard life and that a lot of people have let you down. You can wallow in that misery and remain a victim, or you can take charge of your destiny and turn it all around. The choice is up to you".
January 4, 2013
I knew Maya Banks could write historicals. I love her historicals. Well, let me tell you, the woman can write romantic-suspense too. And she throws some angst in there and well, I'm a goner and in love :)
For me, this had the right mix of suspense, action, angst and romance. I admired Rachel and her will to fight. If I were in her place I would have probably given up and just let the bad guys kill me. Ethan was a wonderful, protective, tortured hero who had so much guilt that I don't know how the man could stand. The fact that he cried had me melting :)
I'm looking forward to more of this series :)
For me, this had the right mix of suspense, action, angst and romance. I admired Rachel and her will to fight. If I were in her place I would have probably given up and just let the bad guys kill me. Ethan was a wonderful, protective, tortured hero who had so much guilt that I don't know how the man could stand. The fact that he cried had me melting :)
I'm looking forward to more of this series :)
March 29, 2012
To sum this book up only one word comes to mind...
ROLLERCOASTER!
I was up, I was down, I was up, I was down and then suddenly I was thrown to the left then the right then up again, down again...
What a great storyline.. It made me smile, laugh, blush, cry, get angry, and really frustrated at times!
I loved the Kelly family.. All of them... Mum, Dad and Rachel included with all the boys, not too sure about Rusty yet though.
Looking forward to the next book.
ROLLERCOASTER!
I was up, I was down, I was up, I was down and then suddenly I was thrown to the left then the right then up again, down again...
What a great storyline.. It made me smile, laugh, blush, cry, get angry, and really frustrated at times!
I loved the Kelly family.. All of them... Mum, Dad and Rachel included with all the boys, not too sure about Rusty yet though.
Looking forward to the next book.
November 15, 2016
This was the first book I have read by this author, and I definitely will be reading more. This book contains the most emotionally charged opening chapter I have ever read. My heart was breaking for Ethan in just the first five pages. This fantastic book kept my heart racing at times, and had me weeping at others. Wonderfully written characters, you meet the entire family and I felt I understood their personalities.
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