The Darkest Hour

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.

I’ve read a few of Maya Banks’ Contemporary/Erotic Romances and absolutely adore her Historical Romances, so it’s time to try her Romantic Suspense. I read The Darkest Hour, the first KGI book, in 2020, but decided to reread it and opted for the audiobook this time. 

Male Protagonist: The MMC, Ethan Kelly, an ex-Navy SEAL, has grieved his wife for over a year, believing she was dead. His family is concerned about him. I liked Ethan, but didn’t love him. He was determined to find his wife after learning she was alive, but kept a secret from her about their past. I think he should have told her the truth from the start. 

Female Protagonist: Rachel Kelly, Ethan’s wife, has been held captive for a year and suffers from PTSD. She was hooked on drugs from her captors and has memory lapses. She only remembers Ethan, but not what happened before her capture. I felt for her since she didn’t know anyone and needed time to recover her memories. Learning what happened before she was taken and why Ethan hides the truth broke my heart. 

Storyline/My Thoughts: Ethan gets help from his brothers, who work for their own security company called KGI, to help rescue his wife. They have been trying to get Ethan to work for them for a while now. They are skeptical at first of the anonymous tip that his wife is alive, but they are willing to help him. After they find her, though, they realize someone wanted to kill Ethan’s wife and determine who. I don’t want to give too much away from the story for readers who haven’t read it yet. I will say this that I enjoyed reading the suspense of the story and finding out why someone wanted to harm Rachel Kelly. The story did feel rushed at times, but I powered through it. This book is the foundation for the series because it introduces all the other characters in KGI. Be prepared to be introduced to them all, and you may fall for one or two or several of them. I know I did. 

I give this book 3.5 stars, mainly because I didn’t feel a connection with the main characters. Otherwise, it’s an enjoyable, suspenseful story with heart-pounding moments. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series, which has been on my TBR list for a while. 

Standalone or Series: It’s part of a series, but each can be read as a standalone.

POV: Third Person Omniscient. 

HEA: Yes

Would I recommend this book? Yes, especially if you are a fan of Maya Banks’ books and enjoy the Romantic Suspense genre. 

Audiobook Review: I recommend the audiobook version of The Darkest Hour if you like to listen to books. Harry Berkeley brings the story and characters to life. 

What to Expect:
✔️Romantic Suspense
✔️Military Romance
✔️Marriage in Trouble
✔️Second Chance at Love
✔️Amnesia
✔️Traumatized Heroine

About Maya Banks

Maya Banks is the #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today and international bestselling author of over 50 novels. A wife and mother of three, she lives in Texas.

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FranJessca

Owner/Reviewer at A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog

I guess I should type a bio here. I'm FranJessca, or Fran for short. I'm the owner/reviewer behind A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog. I've been reading and reviewing books on my blog since leaving the Navy in 2011, and I will keep doing it as long as possible. My favorite genres will always be Romance & Fantasy, and I read every subgenre underneath those two genres. (Sorry, not a fan of nonfiction, so don't try to convince me to read it.)
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)

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