Ash’s review of The Darkest Hour (KGI Series, Book 1) by Maya Banks
Romantic Suspense released by Berkley 07 Sep 10

The blurb for this book is a bit misleading. Rachel’s rescue is only a small part of the story, and the whole suspense aspect of was almost in the background. The Darkest Hour centers mostly on Rachel rebuilding her life, and her marriage. The relationships between all the characters were strong and they felt real. It was what immediately drew me in.

At the beginning of the story we meet Ethan and his brothers. Their interactions felt genuine, and it was like looking in on a real family. The brothers joke around, hit each other, and throw each other in lakes. It was nice to see a group of bad ass ex-military men doing something other than standing around and scowling at each other. As soon as that happened, I was hooked.

Off they go to save Rachel and I was worried about the amnesia plot. It is one of my least favorite plot lines and I read on with apprehension. Thankfully, Maya Banks does a wonderful job with it. Rachel remembers some things, and one of those things is Ethan. It is hinted to us by Ethan that their marriage was not the best before Rachel was presumed dead. We don’t really know the facts until the end, but Ethan’s pain is obvious. Their scenes together were heart wrenching and I was rooting for them to get their happily ever after.

The Darkest Hour was centered more on the relationships of the characters. The whole Kelly family is terrific, and huge. There are a lot of men but they all stood out to me. Maya Banks knows how to make a character their own person, and instead of being overwhelming, all these people just made the book richer.

There is also the side plot of the boys’ mother, Marlene, taking in a homeless teen girl, Rusty. It was one of the few things I had an issue with. When it switched to those scenes, it took me out of the book and it felt like it didn’t belong. Rusty seemed to be there to make a certain thing happen, and then it’s almost as if she was forgotten about. She was in the background after that. The guys don’t like her and she is jealous of Rachel’s return. I wanted more with her and Rachel. Rachel seemed to understand Rusty and I was hoping for a relationship between them. I thought a lot more could have been done with her, but I expect to see her in the next books, so maybe there is more to her.

The whole mystery of why Rachel was kept captive for a year was a bit weak. She is being hunted by this mysterious villain, and when we do finally find out what is going on, it seemed like an after thought. There wasn’t much suspense in this book, but I didn’t care. None of these issues bothered me at all because the rest of the book was so strong. Rachel is a heroine that you can’t help but like. She has been through hell, and she still struggles to get through the day. I liked that she wasn’t suddenly wonder woman. She fights back against her attackers, and saves her self, but in a way that seemed real. She also ends up hiding in a corner scared out of her mind, which was true to her.

Ethan was the perfect hero. He felt like a real person, not some cardboard cut out alpha male. He has emotions and he shows them. He isn’t scared to cry, even in front of his brothers. I could see why Rachel fell in love with him.

I can’t wait for the next book, featuring one of Ethan’s brothers. I hope this series continues on with all the Kelly men, and their friends. This is a family I don’t think I could ever get tired of reading about.

Grade: B+

Summary:

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 anonymous information 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.

Read an excerpt.