Customer Reviews

The Darkest Hour (A KGI Novel)

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The Darkest Hour (A KGI Novel) by Maya Banks

Contemporary Suspense- Sept. 7, 2010

4 1/2 stars

The Darkest Hour is a blazing start to a series that is guaranteed to only get better!

Maya Banks captures the readers' imagination with several hunky and exciting men that seem larger than life but still retain their humanity. I was quickly absorbed in the main character, Ethan, his brothers and the entire crew of the KGI. (I especially liked the introduction of the single KGI female on the team P.J.. I hope she gets her own story!)

Ethan is drunk and hung over. It is the anniversary of his beloved wife's death. He blames himself and feels an utter failure. He regrets the mistakes he made that resulted in a rocky marriage before his wife died. But his life is suddenly altered when he receives a mysterious package that claims that his wife is still alive and a captive. Shocked and disbelieving he knows this must be some sick joke but the more he looks at the data sent to him, the more he is convinced that this is his second chance. Filled with hope and determined to save her Ethan tries to enlist the aid of his brother's special ops group KGI. Although his brothers are not convinced the woman imprisoned is Rachel they agree to help extract her. But Ethan's heart knows the truth.

Her mind shattered, Rachel barely remembers her name and dreams of a strong protector who never comes. Drugs and torture have taken their toll and when a strangely familiar man comes to rescue her she must decide if she can trust him. But how can she when she can't even rely on her own memories?

This story is a great introduction to the exciting and fascinating KGI team. Ethan's scarred emotions make him a very vunerable and sympathetic character. And Maya Banks has some interesting plots twists that keep this novel at a quick and thrilling pace. I could feel the confusion that Rachel felt as she tried to sort out her memories. She is a strong character who is able to overcome adversity and forgive. Their relationship felt very realistic and heartfelt. I was amazed at how many intriguing characters the author was able to juggle in this story and still keep it a clear read. But that only means more books!!

Maya Banks is known for her scorching romances and believable characters. While this not as racy as some of her books it still packs a lot of heat. This first in the KGI secret ops series does not disappoint! It is sure to be a hit with readers who love powerful emotions, sizzling romance and HOT alpha heroes.

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

`The Darkest Hour' is the first book in a hot new series from erotica author, Maya Banks.

Maya Banks is a bit of a `hit and miss' author for me. Sometimes I love her books (I would count `Colter's Woman' amongst my favourite erotica reads). And then sometimes I really despise her books (`Colter's Lady', for instance). But I am always willing to give her a try.

I was pleasantly surprised by `The Darkest Hour'.

The premise of the series revolves around KGI (Kelly Group International). This is a family-run group established by six brothers who have various backgrounds in the Army and SEALs. The KGI are private military contractors, of sorts. They do the tough jobs no one else will touch; hostage extractions, assassinations, and murky political surveillance.

We are first introduced to the Kelly family via middle brother, Ethan. Ethan is in a downward spiral following the tragic death of his wife, Rachel, in a plane crash in South America. Ethan has cut himself off from his family and become a recluse in the wake of Rachel's death, which is also tainted by his own guilt for his perceived involvement.

When we meet him the first year anniversary of Rachel's death is upon him, and Ethan is drinking himself into oblivion. Until a package arrives, showing surveillance pictures of Rachel and tangible proof that she is alive. Alive, but held hostage in a drug cartel's base camp.

Ethan rouses the KGI group together to save his beloved wife.... but even second chances come with complications. Rachel may be back, but she has demons to face, and so does Ethan.

I really enjoyed this book. To begin with, I love the series premise. The KGI will no doubt provide many a steamy book - I love the combination of tough army men, with the camaraderie of a family-run organization. I think there's a lot of possibility in this series, and I will definitely be sticking with it.

Secondly, I loved the fact that although this is a fairly outlandish erotica/romance read, there's a lot of emotional angst and characterization behind the characters. Rachel is, of course, the character with the most turmoil - and Maya Banks really doesn't pull punches with Rachel's post traumatic stress and agonizing recovery.

But I also loved the fact that Ethan is recovering, both from his wife's death and her return. Not to give anything away, but Ethan is harbouring some guilt over the way he treated Rachel before she left for South America. Her return from the dead is a miracle to Ethan, but at the same time he is worried about what she will remember of their imperfect marriage... and that worry turns to guilt over not being 100% elated by her return. I loved the emotional connection Maya Banks made with the characters; it made for a surprisingly fulfilling read.

I did have one or two problems with the book, however...

Because there are six Kelly siblings it was a little hard to keep track of everyone and I felt that the brother's weren't given enough page-time to be distinctive. On the one hand I thought their family dynamic came across beautifully, and the Kelly's were definitely a formidable clan. But I felt a little disconnected from the individual brothers. Ethan was obviously well developed because this is his story. But twins Nathan and Joe have a `blink and you'll miss them' appearance. Donovan `Van' is the quiet recluse and therefore virtually invisible. Sam and Garrett seemed to be the two Alpha brothers, and were given the most characterization of any other brothers, but still not enough for my liking. But Maya Banks also throws into the KGI/Kelly mix employees like Sean (who is also the town cop) and Rio, and there are a lot of men to keep straight in your head. I would have been fine if Banks had simply referred to some of the brothers, without introducing them in this book (I think Nathan and Joe could have remained off the page, merely mentioned by the family members to be formally introduced in scene in later books?).

There's also a second storyline about a runaway girl called Rusty who ma and pa Kelly take in off the street. This was a little `huh?' for me. I'm sure this story will come to fruition in future books as Rusty grows and matures, but in this first book it felt out of place running concurrently with Rachel and Ethan's emotional story.

On the plus side, the sex is hot. This is a guarantee in a Maya Banks book.... she alternates between rough and sensual, smutty and romantic. There's a little something here to push everyone's buttons. And because the emotional stakes are constantly raised between Rachel and Ethan the sex is even more intense and frantic. I loved it.

I had a few problems with `The Darkest Hour', but overall I thought this was a great and tempting introduction to a wonderful new series. I will definitely be reading more books in the KGI series.

A protective alpha hero and a vulnerable heroine will almost always work for me but this one had me crying off and on for almost the entire first half of the book. I loved it! There was just enough of a suspense plot to enhance the romance but the hero and heroine's relationship was front and center which is the perfect mix for me.

I consider myself a fan of Maya Banks but her books are hit and miss. This one was a total hit and probably my favorite book of hers she's written to date (I've read them all). Add in the sexy brothers with a military background and a strong sense of family and I can't wait to read more--I'm sold on this series.

Because Banks also writes erotic romance I think it's worth mentioning that this is not erotic romance. While the sexual language used was explicit the one or two love scenes were an integral part of the story and the emphasis was on the emotional intimacy.

This is the reason why Maya Banks is on my top ten list of best authors. What an amazing start to this brand new series. Give me a hot alpha male/navy seal, add a hot defenseless female, a huge supporting family and you have the makings of a great story/series. This book/series is similar to "Chase Brothers Series" written by Lauren Dane but so much better. Usually, Maya Banks can write some hot steam romance, however this book was completetly different from the norm. The book opens with Ethan mourning his wife's death just to find out that she is alive, a drug addict and some loss of memory. This couple had to learn how to face all of these obstacles, plus somebody trying to kill Rachel while rebuilding their relationship. All in all this book was loaded with everything you can imagine. I expected the sex scenes to be mind blowing. However,it would have overrode the very heart of this book which was the rebuilding of Ethan and Rachels relationship. You could just feel the love and pain rolling off the pages from the two main characters. This book made me cry (not pleased about that), there is not many books that can make me cry but this one did. Do yourself a favor buy this book, you will not be disappointed. I cannot wait for the next book in the series...well done Ms. Banks!

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.

I want to preface that no one is more surprised that I liked this book than I am. I'd only read one of Bank's prior books (Colter's Somethingerother) and had put her on my "won't read even if tortured by rabid weasels" list. So yes, I read the reviews of this one several times, looking for clues for 'one woman's trash is another's treasure'...which I didn't find.

I still put off downloading the book for weeks (even the studly cover didn't sway me) only downloading after I realized I'd checked the reviews for the 10th time and still no weasels. Believe me, I expected disapointment, annoyance, disgust and a silly scenario of 'how many places can we put a penis in a woman at once even though this IS a woman's not a mans fantasy' story line. Nope...none of that.

So count me as pleasantly surprised! OK, extremely surprised! The story isn't simplistic, it's complex in characterizations, relationships and emotions. While the sex is hot, it's touching, romantic and filled with feeling! The good ole boys ring true to their natures, region and upbringing. The battered, tattered and ragged relationship between Ethan and Rachel sets a totally different tone and makes for a unique story. A very different kind of story-- one of 'what would you do if you had a second chance at love?'

Rachel isn't 'fixed' or totally well by the end of the book... while I do find that her suffering was as limited as it was odd in light of Bank's other graphic writing-- as if rape is too much. In reality, well...in reality, Rachel's abuse would have been far far more brutal and as expected. Ethan goes through a total change and does grovel sufficiently, though I'm never totally clear on why he was such an ass before (that bit remains vague and not fleshed out enough for me). Some aspects of the story are over the top or contrived, but hey! That's why it's called fiction. All in all, the story works, holds your attention and really makes you care for the characters.

Nits to pick---Rusty's sub-plot is a bit annoying for anyone who works with juveniles in any way in the legal system--- like, no, you can't pick them up like stray cats.

To make it palatable, I just imagined the parents going through foster parents training, getting home checks from DFACS workers, finger prints, criminal background checks, drug testing, a judge declaring parental rights severed after attempts at contacting the parents was exhausted. Then I imaged the weekly court ordered counseling sessions and pscyh evals, total medical eval/clearance happening etc and the author not thinking to mention it to us readers. Sadly, the heros constantly referring to her as a stray DID knock them back a bit in my eyes---- to the point I still don't 100% like them, IOW, it would be a dealbreaker in a relationship for me for a man to hold Rusty in that much contempt. As if some women are more worth saving than others and a very damaged teen is just not worth caring about or noticing.

Anyhow, with the nits, the story is still one I recommend, it's engaging and the characters likeable for the most part. The KGI series is one I'll happily read by Banks....no weasal torture required.

Bought on Amazon to read for Book Club

What I Loved: The Kelly's are such a wonderful close-knit family that was the first thing that struck me about this book. The brothers each had such unique personalities and yet they mashed together really well. This was one cohesive unit even when they were disagreeing, mad because others were making unilateral decisions, and at times growling at each other (mom and dad included) but it all seemed to reinforce how important family was to them. The strong story that introduced all these wonderful characters was engaging and thrilling. It was very military based though more in covert ops type of way and you were rooting for them all the way. Rachel and Ethan had a very moving storyline that had you pulling for them against all odds and I will admit I cried a few times.

What I Liked: Rio, Steele, PJ, and all other ops team members were on the tops of my list to learn more about. They weren't in the book overly much but they were refreshingly fun. Sean and Rusty were also good additions to this character palette enforcing the family principle whether by blood or heart. It was the well rounded cast of characters that really made the book shine.

Complaints: None

Why I gave it a 4: I had fun reading this book from beginning to end. I laughed, cried, got angry, and wanted to reach through the book a couple of times. All signs of a good read.

Who I would recommend this too: This is a romantic thriller that I think would appeal to military thriller readers and contemporary romance readers a like. I am thinking of suggesting it to my dad--I bought it on Kindle so he never has to see the cover LOL.

Author Website: [...]

Other Books in the Series:

The Darkest Hour (Ethan's Story)

No Place to Run (Sam's Story)

Hidden Away (Garrett's Story) March 2011

The Darkest Hour is the 1st book in a new series by Maya Banks featuring the hot, sexy men of the Kelly family. These alpha males are all active or ex-military and are the brains behind the guns for hire organization they run known as Kelly Group International or KGI.

There were a lot of characters introduced early on in The Darkest Hour. In addition to meeting all 6 brothers of the Kelly clan plus Ma and Pa Kelly and the stray teenage girl they've taken, we also meet all the assorted operatives who work for KGI. I will admit to information overload while trying to keep track of all the players (an excel spreadsheet might have come in handy). One thing's for sure - Ms. Banks has lots of interesting options for future books in the series.

The Darkest Hour is Ethan Kelly's story, who when we first meet him is in a very dark place. He`s been finding solace in the bottom of a bottle of booze, mourning the loss of his wife Rachel as the first year anniversary of her death approaches.

When a mysterious envelope arrives with proof Rachel is alive and being held captive in a South American hell-hole (and has been for the past year), Ethan's galvanized into action and enlists his brother's help and KGI's resources to mount a rescue operation.

Rachel Kelly has somehow managed to survive an unimaginable ordeal over the past year. Addicted to drugs and suffering from withdrawal, memory loss and being held captive by a drug cartel for over a year will mess with your mind and body. Rachel is fragile and damaged and has a huge mountain to climb as she attempts to re-enter civilization and reconnect with the man she's married to and a family she can't remember.

Rachel may be home safe and sound but her troubles are far from over because someone is majorly pissed she's risen like a phoenix from the ashes. The circumstances surrounding who went to the trouble and expense to fake Rachel's death and then keep her hostage was an intriguing component of the story and definitely kept me reading.

Ethan and Rachel's journey is a love story about second chances, learning to love again and rediscovering a lost love. I found the action slow to build between them and given the circumstances, I don't think it would have been realistic or appropriate for them to just jump right into the sack. Ethan is very understanding, patient and tender when dealing with Rachel but there's a secret he's been keeping from her and it proves to be a major stumbling block in regaining the trust in their relationship. I just wanted to shout at him "Dude" it's not that bad. Just tell her already and save yourself a boatload of grief!"

The Darkest Hour is a good beginning to a new series and I'm sure future books featuring the men (or women) of KGI will only get better.

For Fans of: Suzanne Brockmann, Stephanie Tyler, Christy Reece

Get ready military romantic suspense fans for Maya Banks fantastic new The Kelly Group International (KGI) series for Berkley Sensation which debuts with THE DARKEST HOUR in Sept. 2010. Ex-Navy SEAL, Ethan Kelly is trying to forget the first year anniversary of his wife, Rachel's death by getting drunk when he receives a mysterious FedEx package. Rachel died in an Amazon plane crash while doing relief work in South America. Ethan has been a recluse for the last year to his large, close family which includes his loving parents and five brothers. Ethan's two younger brothers, Joe and Nathan are still in the military. However, his three other brothers, Sam, Garrett and Donovan run KGI, a super elite, top secret business specializing in hostage/kidnap recovery handling jobs the U.S. government can't undertake and they've been trying to recruit Ethan to join them. After going to the cemetery, Ethan opens the envelope and can't believe that there are photos of Rachel as a hostage in the jungle with a message that she is still alive! Ethan takes the photos to his brothers' KGI headquarters and they decide there's enough evidence to try to rescue her. Although injured on the mission, Ethan returns with Rachel determined to help her get well and put their lives back together. But secrets are hindering their progress. Why was Rachel held hostage and is she still in danger? And why does Rachel keep having bad dreams of something not being quite right in their marriage despite Ethan's loving behavior? Maya Banks has penned an absolutely brilliant debut to her KGI military series with THE DARKEST HOUR. Not only are the six Kelly brothers seriously hot heroes, they're men of honor, compassion and the right stuff to accomplish any daring mission. Add to this mix strong, loving women that are their perfect match and you get a phenomenal new romantic suspense series for readers to savor!

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 is 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 for that Maya Banks.