Wednesday, January 8, 2014

DNF--After The Storm (KGI #8) by Maya Banks


Over the years, Donovan Kelly has fought relentlessly for justice, women and children always holding a special place in his heart. Working side by side with his brothers, Donovan has witnessed firsthand the toll it’s taken—physically, mentally, and emotionally—on his loved ones, and the innocent lives caught in the crossfire. What he never expects is for his next mission to happen right on his home turf—or for it to take a very personal turn.

Picturesque Kentucky Lake is the perfect place for a soul in search of safe harbor. A beautiful stranger has arrived—desperate, breathless, and on the run from a dark past closing in on her and the younger siblings she has vowed to protect. Donovan must now draw on every resource at his disposal—if he wants to save a woman and the children who may prove to be his destiny.

Type: Romantic Suspense
Heat: N/A tension but nothing at point of DNF
Rating: DNF/1 star out of 5

Amazon | Goodreads

So. Yall know, I love me some Kelly brothers. Absolutely love them. These guys are pretty much everything I look for in a hero or fictional family. I'm always pretty damn excited when a new one hits the shelves. So it's pretty incredible for me to actually be typing this but After the Storm has joined the minuscule list of books I've DNF'd.

There were things I liked, of course. I mean, it's the Kelly family, hello! They're amazing! Sexy and alpha and all make-a-girl-swoon amazing. And there were some nice scenes at the beginning that really had my heart pounding. But it was the romance that had me calling this one quits by the 50% mark.

The big issue here, like I said, was the romance. Donovan has always been the geek behind the KGI operations and the one that most longs for a family of his own. He's a total champion of women and kids. He's geektastic and panty melting at the same time, right?

So when he sees Eve and her siblings are in need of help it's a pretty perfect situation, really, and understandable that he could eventually see them as a package deal and want to make them his family. I am all on board at that point. Great set up in my opinion. A man who craves a family and a family that desperately needs someone to love them and that they can trust and love in return. Excellent!

The problem was that from the moment they lay eyes on each other until there are declarations of becoming a family and of the L word it's about 48 hours give or take a few. And in that time they're actually in each others physical presence maybe 4 hours? Of which she and her siblings are either terrified or suffering from severe injuries. Even for romantic suspense--where love and passion are lightning fast-- it was just...absurd. And not done in a way that was believable or convinceable at all.

Adding to the issue is that Eve and her siblings have been abused. Her little sister has been molested by her father, fears all men and strangers, yet hardly knowing Van is asking if she can call him Daddy and clinging to him. Hrm. It just...really did not work.

I was just so disappointed and got to the point I was forcing myself to turn pages. And I just had to call it quits. From too much telling and not enough showing, to Donovan's constant thoughts on how much he loves/wants/cherishes this family--with no real explanation or reasoning behind it other than they're in need of rescue-- to editing blips and confusing scene transitions this just isn't one I could or would recommend--even to hard core KGI fans.

I'll read more from Banks--because really one book does not negate the dozen others I've read and a secondary storyline going on was awesome!--but I'll definitely be more cautious from here on out. Hopefully this was just a fluke read.

More Maya Banks on Herding Cats



Have you read Banks? Do you have a favorite?
How do you handle a disappointing read from a favorite author? 
Plug on and finish, call it quits, etc?

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