Review: No Place to Run

No Place to Run
Maya Banks
Romantic Suspense
KGI/Book 2
Berkley/December 2010

From the back cover ~

Sam Kelly Was Her First Love.

The last person Sam Kelly expected to pull wounded from the lake was Sophie Lundgren. Once they had shared a brief, intense affair while Sam was undercover, and then she vanished. She's spent the last five months on the run, knowing that any mistake would cost her life and that of her unborn child - Sam's child. Now she's resurfaced with a warning for Sam: This time, he's the one in danger.

Now He's Her Last Chance.

Sam has too many questions to let her slip away again - like why she disappeared in the first place. This time he vows not to be seduced. But one look in her eyes and the passion burns again, and Sam knows he'll do anything to keep her and his child safe. However, Sophie's dark past is more dangerous than he imagines, and the only way for either to survive is to outrun it.

The first book in the series, The Darkest Hour, I thought was okay and liked it enough to give the next book a try. This time many of the secondary characters are back but they're more familiar so there wasn't such an overload of who's who. The hero and heroine have a bit of a history but they didn't really get to know each other, it was mainly sex that kept them together the first time. Now they're back together and they still don't have a chance to get to know each other because they are being hunted and constantly on the run.

This is Sam's story, the eldest son of the Kelly clan. Sam is a true alpha male. Commanding, intelligent, a born leader. He's also a bit of a loner. He's close to his brothers, the Kelly family is a close knit family. But I do think Sam keeps himself apart from the women he's intimate with. You get this vibe from him that he has to look out for his siblings and his parents and has no time for a real personal life for himself. He does think of Sophie, even five months later, but has no idea where she is. Ha - careful what you wish for!

Sophie Lundgren has lived with the father from hell. He uses her and abuses her, causing her to fear for her life. She makes her escape and eventually goes to Sam for help. Sophie is a strong and brave heroine who is also preggers and let me tell you those hormones were a raging! She cries a lot and granted she has a lot to cry about but there were times when I was relieved when Sam or one of his brothers drugged her. It was easy to feel sorry for her, because of her background and her current situation. She loves Sam, is preggers with his child and she's not even sure if he loves her let alone trusts her. But that's okay cause they can still have wild monkey sex!

Is it just me or does it seem like the sex in mainstream romances is sounding more like what you would expect to read in an erotic romance? I have read some of Banks' erotic romances so I'm familiar with her other work. But in general, it seems like the wording in sex scenes is becoming more explicit in mainstream romances. Or it could just be my reading selections. :)

So back to Sam and Sophie - they still have a very strong attraction and find time to act on that attraction between hiding out, getting shot and the general mayhem that comes from being on the run from a vicious drug lord. They did have their sweet moments and Sam did give Sophie the benefit of doubt, against his brother Garrett's opinion, that she was telling the truth and wasn't working for her father. Sam, being an alpha, was very protective of Sophie but she still managed to escape him. That made me laugh. I think that might be a reoccurring theme in this series - the heroine running away from the hero at least once.

It's not just Sam and Sophie that are on the run. The whole Kelly family is in danger so we get to catch up with not only Sam's brothers but his parents and their adopted sister Rusty. Along with the member of the KGI teams, it made for a full character list. It didn't bother me as much this time, maybe because they were more familiar and gave the story it's momentum. All Sam and Sophie seem to do is argue, cry and have sex. The real action happened when the brothers and the team members were involved.

The story is fast pace, with lots of shooting, killing and dangerous situations. The boys and their toys are in full force with Sam, his brothers and their team members sporting lots of weapons, driving big SUVs and wearing a lot of black. I found No Place to Run a quick and somewhat entertaining read, but nothing that really stands out from the rest of the pack.

Rating: B-

Review: The Darkest Hour

The Darkest Hour
Maya Banks
Romantic Suspense
KGI/Book 1
Berkley/September 2010

From the back cover ~

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.

The story started out very strong. Ethan Kelly is trying to get through the one year anniversary of his wife's death. He tried drowning his sorrows, that only left him with a hangover. You can really feel his despair, his lack of direction in life. He's full of regrets and has no way of correcting his mistakes. When he receives evidence that Rachel might still be alive, he's completely thrown and afraid to hope it's true. He turns to his brothers for help. They're shocked as well but also grieve over Rachel's death and want to believe that she's still alive. So they set out to rescue her. It's after the rescue that the story begin to lose me with the continued ineptitude of these men to keep this woman safe.

Rachel Kelly has been living in hell for the last year. She's an incredibly strong woman, we see that in her will to live. She isn't sure if she's hallucinating when her "angel" appears. She's been dreaming of him and now here's really there to get her out of that hell hole. I liked how Rachel was portrayed during her rescue. She's wired on drugs, physically weak and yet she doesn't give up when given that chance to run. Her survival instinct are very strong and they kick in with a vengeance. Once she's back home she surrounded by people she has little memory of. Dealing with the drug withdrawal and memory loss take it's toll on her. I thought Rachel dealt with her situation well, showing that courage that helped her survive the past year.

Ethan Kelly comes from a large family. There are 6 Kelly boys, all either former or current members of the military. Ethan is a former Navy SEAL. They are a close bunch, with each other and with their parents. Ethan has everyone worried about him. He's become withdrawn since Rachel's death and his family is ready to close ranks and pull him out of his depression. Ethan knows this but isn't sure what to do. Then his second chance with Rachel comes and he grabs it, thinking he can make their marriage work this time.

The Kellys don't know why Rachel's death was faked and she was kept prisoner. The Kelly brothers, through KGI, have made some enemies. So they need to figure out why this happened to Rachel. I didn't feel like they did enough to find out why the faked death and kidnapping. It seemed obvious that she might still a target, at least until they find out why she was taken. And this is one of the main problems I had with the story line. I was surprised at the poor choices that were made regarding Rachel's protection.

After Rachel had been home about a week, Marlene Kelly, Ethan's mom, asks Ethan and Rachel over for a "simple family gathering". They agree but instead of just the family they find a party full of people, strangers to Rachel. Remember, Rachel has huge gaps in her memory, she doesn't even remember all of the Kellys. It made no sense to subject Rachel to this situation given that she's still recovering and would feel uncomfortable around strangers. It came across as a weak ploy to develop drama in the story.

A few weeks after Rachel returns to the states she decided to see a therapist. Great, except she doesn't want Ethan going with so she drives herself there. Which didn't make sense at all. She was malnourished and a drug addict when she was rescued from her Colombian captors. She had been captive for a year, so no driving during that time. Now she's back for a few weeks, still needs to gain weight, still battling withdrawal from the drug addiction, they still don't know why her death was faked and she was taken prisoner, but here she is driving herself to see a therapist. Why didn't Ethan take her, then pick her up an hour later? There was a good chance it would be an emotional session and she wouldn't be in any shape to drive. I was amazed that Ethan and his brothers thought it was okay for Rachel go off alone when the possibility that her life was still in danger was very real.

I really wish there had been more attention paid to Rachel dealing with her drug withdrawal. To finding out why she was kidnapped. To Rachel and Ethan's problems with getting to know each other after she comes back from the dead. With Ethan's deception of Rachel regarding their marriage before her kidnapping. There was too much sequel bait. Marlene takes in a stray teenager, who causes conflict for Rachel then fades into the woodwork. The two youngest Kelly brothers make an appearance but didn't add anything the other Kelly boys couldn't have done.

Maybe the second book, No Place to Run, will be more streamlined and focused on the hero and heroine now that so many secondary characters have been introduced. I'm still on the fence if I'll pick it up. I like the strong sense of family that we find in the Kelly clan but still need a better balance between the romance and the suspense. I did like the time that Rachel and Ethan spent together, when they were trying to get comfortable around each other. That was real but too little of it. Rachel was a strong heroine but shouldn't have had to save herself so often when so many of the Kelly brothers were around.

Rating: C+

YotC Review: The Tycoon's Pregnant Mistress

Title: The Tycoon's Pregnant Mistress

Author: Maya Bank

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: The Anetakis Tycoons/Book 1
Published: January 2009
Harlequin ~ Silhouette Desire
Year of the Category Challenge
*Some spoilers*

Who wouldn't want to be the mistress of a gorgeous Greek tycoon? Live in a penthouse apartment in New York City. Shop at the finest stores and have everything you could possibly want. This was the attitude of Chrysander Anetakis, the tycoon. He expected Marley Jameson available to him whenever he wants her when he's in the city. Marley, in love with Chrysander, quits her job and moves in with him not knowing that he thinks of her as his mistress. She thought she was more, that there was more between them. When she finds out she's pregnant she knows she must tell him but she's not sure how he'll react. Then a horrible misunderstanding followed by an even worse tragedy tears the two apart.

My first book for the Year of the Category Challenge and it turned out to be a surprise. Thankfully in a good way. I have read Maya Banks erotic novels but this is her first for Silhouette Desire. It surprised me in a few ways. One was the fact that even though the premise involved amnesia Banks handled it well. IMO when dealing with amnesia the potential for disaster is high. It's just too soap opera-ee. Need to create some drama in a character's storyline? Giv'em amnesia. Fortunately Marley's amnesia was done in a believable way that didn't leave me shaking my head in disgust. The other surprise was the character of the Greek tycoon. Did he play the part well, in stereotypical fashion? Hell yeah! Was he redeemed by the end? Hmm... more or less. What surprised me is that I liked him. Not because he eventually came to see Marley as more than a mistress but because of his high-handed, autocratic ways. Heck, the guy owned an island. Can't get that far in life without being an ass at least sometimes.

And let's not forget the cover. The covers of the category romances have a tendency to be a bit over the top but in a different way than the bodice rippers of old. So it was a pleasant surprise that I actually liked the cover of The Tycoon's Pregnant Mistress. The couple are in a natural pose, not all bent over backwards like Cirque du Soleil performers. Also they don't have those crazy-ass goofy grins on their faces that seem to be common in some of the category covers ~ the ones that usually feature a child or two. No, the cover for Tycoon is simple yet well done with a man and woman in an embrace and no baby bump in sight.

As for the story we've got the big misunderstanding and the tragedy. The misunderstanding is Chrysander finding evidence that Marley is stealing information from his company and selling it to his competitor. Or so he thinks. So what's a Greek tycoon to do when confronted with such treachery? Kick her to the curb! Yep, that's what he does. Gives her 30 minutes to get out of the penthouse. Marley leaves, thinking she'll give him time to think things over. Before she gets very far from the apartment she's kidnapped. OK, I know. First kidnapping then amnesia. All on top of there being a Greek tycoon (with an island!). Sounds way too much like something out of All My Children or General Hospital but once again Banks pulls it off.

A few months pass and Chrysander is back in New York. While watching the news he sees none other than Marley on a stretcher. She's escaped her kidnappers and her and her unborn baby are fine. What kidnappers? What baby?! Yeah, Marley didn't get a chance to tell Chrysander about the baby before he sent her to the curb. And he knew nothing about the kidnappers since he never got any ransom notes. So off he goes to the hospital to find out not only is she pregnant but she has amnesia. So in typical Greek tycoon fashion he whisks her away to his private island where he hires a staff to take care of her and his soon-to-be heir. Oh, and he may have given Marley the impression they were engaged. Gotta have a reason to get her to go to the island with him.

So then there's Marley. Even with the amnesia she's a likable character. When I first read about her giving up her job and moving in with Chrysander I thought "how stupid". But I think it's just her nature to give her all when she falls in love. She had her concerns but she loved him in spite of his faults. She really thought they were on the road to matrimony. And when she gets to the island she doesn't simply believe everything he says but questions what he tells her. Her confusion is believable and her character is developed in such a way to lend sympathy for her even if you don't agree with her choices.

Chrysander is... an ass. But likable in an "I'm gorgeous, rich, sexy, sophisticated and Greek" kinda of way. He did have his reasons for being cautious and not trusting easily. And for not wanting a serious relationship. This guy is all about control. Control in business and his personal life. He doesn't give up the control easily but he does learn to trust Marley. The path he takes to learning to not only trust Marley but want her in his life permanently is not easy but he does get there eventually.

Another surprise for me was the sex. I wasn't sure what to expect since I'm not familiar with category romances, having read only a few. But it was hot. This is Maya Banks after all. So that was another pleasant surprise.

The book is just under 180 pages but packs a good, solid story. There are two brothers of Chrysander that will be getting their own stories. The Tycoon's Rebel Bride in May and The Tycoon's Elusive Lover in September. I plan on reading both. For more info on Maya Banks check out her website.

Rating: B+