The Darkest Hour (KGI series Book 1)

Reviews

1. 

   E. Burns – September 30, 2024

   Semi-Conversion Experience
   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.

2. 

   A Lady – September 30, 2024

   THE DARKEST HOUR (KGI Series Book #1)
   Rating: 3.5 StarsTHE DARKEST HOUR wasn’t the best book I’ve read by Maya Banks and is not without its faults, but I still liked it for the most part. I really loved all the Kelly family members though, especially Ethan’s older brothers Sam & Garrett and their mother Marlene. And while I liked Rachel and Ethan too, neither were personal favorites of mine. Rachel had a lot of baggage (which I completely understood) and her addiction was not handled as realistically as it could have been, but she gets her strength and courage back in the end and I ended up really admiring her at that point. Ethan was not the alpha male I was expecting however and was a bit of a disappointment for a former SEAL. I’ve never seen a man so emotional or cry so much, and basically turn into such a pansy whenever his wife was around. I can relate to the guilt he feels and I know he loved Rachel with his whole heart, but he was just a little too mushy and saccharine for my taste.This was one of those books that I enjoyed whenever I was reading it, but for some reason I never had an immediate desire to pick it back up. Unlike many of Ms. Banks more erotic stories though, this one was not filled with gratuitous sex which I was happy about. There are only a couple of sex scenes (that I can recall) and the first one doesn’t occur until well over halfway into the story. Please note that the second love scene was extremely hot and graphic, which is what I’ve come to expect of this author. I have to admit to being a little let down with the action however, since there was not a lot of it. Except for the initial rescue, the rest of the action was saved for the end and not real suspenseful or surprising. Then there was the villain who took a backseat the entire time and was pretty much a faceless person. I expected more on that end but we literally only see and hear from him once, and he more or less just felt like an afterthought.Overall I decided to give this book four stars instead of three for the simple fact that I was able to finish it, unlike most books I’ve been starting and discarding lately. It wasn’t boring or bogged down, but was instead very touching and emotionally engaging. I tend to enjoy the way Maya Banks tells a story though, and this one was no exception. I’m really looking forward to reading Sam’s book next, but most especially Garrett’s who just happens to be my fave of all the brothers. There is also a sub-plot about a teenager (Rusty) who Marlene takes in and I assume is pretty much going to be an adopted member of the family. I’m really looking forward to watching her mature and grow into her own as this series progresses. So even though I didn’t entirely love this book, It was definitely worth reading just to meet the entire Kelly clan whose loyalty and camaraderie was a joy to witness and be a part of… if only for a handful of hours =)Pages: It contained 290 of 298 pages. I had this in paperback before I bought it on kindle though and the print was tiny.Kindle Locations: The story itself ended at 98% and location 5434 of 5558 with the remainder being a preview of “No Place to Run” which is Book 2 in the KGI Series.

3. 

   Kindle Customer – September 30, 2024

   It is exciting and sad. I will recommend this book to all my friends. I couldn’t put it down.,and neither will they.

4. 

   mari – September 30, 2024

   When ethan brings his wife home from south America after she been held prisoner for a year she has no memory of their life together before or any memories of their family so it feels like they are falling in love again but ethan has a reason why he is worried when her memories return and he wonders if she can forgive him, meanwhile someone learns of rachels return from the dead and tries to kill her so its up to the kelly family to find out who it is and why.Maya Banks is fast becoming one of my favourite authors I loved this book it is sucks you in to the story from the very first page right up until the last page leaving you wanting to read the next in the series, it has just the right amount of romance and action throughout the story, all the characters are great and fully dimensional, plenty of sexy alpha male characters who will get their own story. Brilliant story and im going to download the next in the series.

5. 

   Bookworm :) – September 30, 2024

   An emotional and touching story. Well written.

6. 

   Marina G. – September 30, 2024

   Vor einem Jahr verlor Ethan Kelly seine Frau Rachel bei einem Flugzeugabsturz. Nun ein Jahr später übersteht er ihren Todestag nur durch reichlich Alkohol. Als er ein kleines Päckchen erhält misst er ihm keine große Bedeutung zu, bis er es öffnet und den brisanten Inhalt durchsieht: Fotos von einer gefangenen Frau, die mitten im Dschungel gefangen gehalten wird und Rachel irgendwie ähnlich sieht und ein Satz: Your wife is alive.Sofort reisen Ethan und seine Brüder, auch wenn sie sich nicht sicher sind, ob es die Wahrheit ist, nach Südamerika um eine große Rettungsaktion zu starten! Ethan kann sein Glück nicht fassen, als er seine tot geglaubte Frau wieder in den Armen halten kann, doch die lange Gefangenhaltung ist nicht spurlos an Rachel vorbei gegangen: Sie wurde immer wieder unter Drogen gesetzt und hat ihr Gedächtnis verloren.Rachel kann es kaum fassen, dass sie nun in Sicherheit ist und wieder bei ihrem geliebten Mann sein kann. Gemeinsam reisen sie zurück nach Hause und Rachel versucht nun ihr Leben wieder in den Griff zu bekommen. Allerdings wird es nicht einfach werden, denn Ethan hat ein Geheimnis, dass ihrem Glück im Weg stehen könnte und als Rachel in einem Unfall verwickelt wird, hat sie einen gefährlichen Verdacht…Für mich ist Maya Banks schon lange ein neuer Stern am Romance Himmel. Mit diesem Buch hat die talentierte Autorin bewiesen, dass sie auch eine Geschichte mit großen Gefühlen in einem spannenden romantic Suspence Plot einbauen kann. Wobei der Fokus klar auf den Gefühlen und der Liebesgeschichte der Personen liegt, aber die Rahmenhandlung ist deshalb nicht weniger spannend. Die Autorin nimmt sich auch viel Zeit für die Brüder des Helden, die die Hauptprotagonisten in den nächsten Bänden sein werden. Ein gelungener Serienstart, der hundert Prozent begeistern konnte.Teil 1: The darkest hourTeil 2: No place to runTeil 3: Hidden Away

7. 

   minmin – September 30, 2024

   KGIシリーズ第一作目、Kelley家の四男Ethanが主人公です。一年前に事故で愛する妻Rachelを失った悲しみから立ち直れないEthanのもとに実は彼女が南米で監禁され生きているという知らせが届く。いてもたってもいられずEthanは兄弟とともに救出に向かう。無事救出されたRachelだがドラックのせいで記憶の大半を失っていた。愛する夫のもとに帰れたはずなのに何か違和感を感じるRachel。彼女が記憶をすべて取り戻すことを恐れるEthan。そして何者かがRachelが生きていることを知り、保身のため彼女を消そうと狙う。今回は、過去の過ちから罪悪感を感じるEthanと監禁によるトラウマで傷つき繊細になっているRachelが主人公なので、今一つストーリーにパンチがかけ、Kelley家のアルファな男たちの魅力が十分にひきだされていなかった気がします。個人的には第二作目の「No Place Return」の方がスリリングで好きです。