After the Storm (KGI series Book 8)

Overall Rating: 4.5 Rockin’ ★★★★☆ Who you gonna call when trouble comes a knockin'? Call KGI they are always on the job. In this explosively exciting novel by Maya Banks, After the Storm book 8, the Kelly brothers are fighting for truth, justice, family and the American way of life. In this book, Donovan Kelly finally gets his story. Although it's through unlikely circumstances, he meets the beautifully broken Eve and knows without a doubt that this girl is his. The characters that are in play help to create the bold and audacious events, as the plot thickens in a way that only the Kelly's are known for. Donovan Kelly is a computer genius, with all the skills of a kick ass ex-marine. Being one of the founding brothers of KGI, there missions take them to places no one else wants to go. Donovan has always had a soft spot for women and children more so than the rest of his brooding brothers, but it doesn’t make him any softer than the rest. When he finds a woman and two kids in trouble, there’s no doubt what he has to do. But this time it’s personal…this time his heart is breaking in two for the little family that has come into his life. Donovan Kelly will stop at nothing to keep them safe, give them hope, and make them his! Eve is running for her life, the life of her brother and baby sister’s as well. She had to flee, had to save them from the abuse, the monster that was their father. Broken down in a small town in Kentucky, everything began to change for them. They met the Kelly family and most of all Donovan Kelly. Someone she could fall in love with. But that wasn’t a choice. Her choices were few and far between. Run and keep running, never get caught, her small families lives depended upon it. However, when tragedy strikes, there is no choice but to trust Donovan and hope for the best. Like everything else that Maya Banks creates, Donovan’s story is yet another work of art. Maintaining the intricacies of the KGI series, with a beautifully woven love story of trust, exploration and passion. Out of all the Kelly brothers, Donovan was the one I was looking forward to reading the most. His character always being so passionate and protective, it was a thrill for him to finally get his HEA! This book as well as the rest of the KGI series is a must read! Add it to you list today!

After I read After the Storm by Maya Banks, the eighth novel in her Kelly Group International (KGI) series, I began to ponder some questions: What is a hero? Does he have to be alpha and domineering? Or can he be a hero by conveying compassion, kindness, and love? I think you already have guessed that my answer may sound like I'm making heroes "wimp" out. However, my personal sense is that sometimes its much harder to be considered heroic while not making grand gestures, but in actually remembering how many sugars one's best friend's wife takes in tea. Or having the sensitivity to pick up on a young child's deep unease and teaching her to trust. Donovan Kelly, whose story is the focus of After the Storm, is the brother some might consider a geek, but he's always stepped up on missions saving lives. At no time throughout this series have I ever doubted his heroic qualities - nor do I now. In this book, Banks created a more subtle threat than ones that saw KGI scrambling against South American cartels, human traffickers, drug kingpins, but this threat is no less real. In fact, I found the sense of normalcy relaxing - and disarming. Here was the family essentially at rest, chatting, at home, and then presented with a family in need of help, actually living on the edge of survival. This family includes Travis, a young teenage boy whom Rusty gave a part-time job to at the hardware store seeing her reflection in him, and his two sisters, Eve in her twenties and Cammie just about four. Aid to them became a cause for Rusty and subsequently to Donovan or Van when she sought his help. During this time, it's revealed that Van has been the silent benefactor of several charities that help abused women and children. Yes, he's a hero to me. After securing confirmation that Maren, a physician and his teammates wife, will diagnose and treat the little girl who is quite ill. One thinks everything is on its way. Van will come to this family's aid and then he and the older sister, Eve, will begin to act on their mutual attraction once the dust settles and they're all secure. But this is a KGI novel and nothing ever, ever seems to go quite as planned. The evening before Maren can visit them, a tornado sweeps into their area, and the family's trailer is decimated. Luckily they were already on their way out-of-town, on the run, from a threat the Kelly's can only guess at. This is a blessing as otherwise when Van, his brother Joe, and Swanny race to see how they fared, the novel might have ended. Instead, the family of three is bundled back to the Kelly compound and soon the offer of shelter and safety that Van extends to them, just might be accepted. Now, I did say this was a KGI novel, but you'll notice that so far there haven't been gun or fist fights, nor car or plane chases, undercover operations, etc. So, please note this is more a domestic story than an edge-of-your-seat thriller. Quite frankly, I found that fact relaxing. The past few KGI novels have been so jam-packed with action that they were almost exhausting. But believe me, I stayed up late reading each one of them. Did I stay up late reading After the Storm? Actually no, because I read it this evening in about two hours. Could I put it down and pick it up? Absolutely, but that didn't mean that I wasn't captured by the story. I highlighted a passage that I'd like to share, which embodied Van to me. And gee, I'd love to meet a man like him who has strength wrapped in gentleness: "That's not true. You've given me something very precious indeed. Your trust, Eve. And I know what that cost you ... A woman's trust is the most priceless gift she can give a man. Her belief in his ability to keep her safe and protect her from all harm." Pretty powerful words and understanding from an alpha hero, right? I'm not going to go into more of the plot because you'll have to read it yourself, but be aware that all is not going to be smooth sailing (again, this is a KGI novel). If you've read other books in this series you know that the heroes and heroines go through "dark nights of the soul," before there's a story resolution. [NB: This is a series where I would definitely advise you to read each book sequentially, otherwise you may not pick up some necessary story threads.] Seeing all the Kelly's together around the dining table for a Sunday dinner early in the story was really charming. The parents, brothers, their wives, and adopted kin are like an extended family. I told a friend that I planned on reading this book today and her remark to me was, "Oh, I love those books. They're so relaxing, because I feel like I know the Kellys." That's the truth, that's the magic that Banks has given readers with this series. I think we all feel passionate about the Kellys, perhaps even more passionate than if they were our own blood. That's why I was so pleased to see Van perhaps, probably, find someone who "fit" him. Now for Rusty (and Sean?) and Joe. Oh, there definitely are more stories in store for us lucky KGI fans. By the next book, I'll probably be back in the mood for a wilder ride, but After the Storm hit my reader's mood and desire tonight perfectly. In conclusion, After the Storm by Maya Banks receives four solid stars for a love story about learning the power and beauty of trust. Fab Fantasy Fiction, 18 January 2014 [...] Please note that this review is based upon a book I purchased.

Decisamente inferiore a tutto il resto della serie. Il protagonista e' Donovan, che si era sempre dimostrato il piu' sensibile dei fratelli. Qui continua a ripetere, anche piu' volte per pagina, che lei gli appartiene, che sara' sua, etc. etc. Un neanderthal, insomma. L'antagonista, il padrino della protagonista, e' un maniaco stereotipato, la presenza degli altri del clan Kelly e' poco piu' che una nota di colore, piu' volte si dice ch il KGI ha come obiettivo di aiutare le persone in difficolta'... D'accordo che a questo punto forse l'autrice comincia a sentire il peso della serie, ma il risultato e' un libro melenso, casa-chiesa-armi libere. Unica, minima, parte positiva: finalmente si sblocca la tensione fra Sean e Dusty, che montava come sottotrama da un po' di libri.

待ってました度DONOVANのお話です。内容にひきつけられます。読んでよかった。

I loved this complete series would recommend for all to read. Right amount of action and romance.

Maya banks is another one of my best authors that I like to read . I have read every one of these books so far am now waiting for a new one each one of theses books the story has got better ,you can feel as thought you are there in the story . so again I say yes to any one who wants a good book to read

Ich hatte das Buch vorbestellt und daher die Rezensionen dazu vorher nicht lesen können und ich bin ehrlich gesagt ganz froh darüber. Zu romantisch und unspannend fand ich das Buch wirklich nicht. Bei der Story geht es dieses Mal um Donovan Kelly, der in Eve seine große Liebe findet. Im Prinzip befinden sich ja in jedem der KGI Bücher Liebesszenen und ich fand es auch nicht unpassend, das Van und Eve relativ schnell wussten, was sie füreinander empfinden. Zudem sollte man bedenken, dass Donovan sich von seinen Brüdern unterscheidet. Wenn man so will, wurde er in den vorherigen Büchern auch gerne als eher Strebermäßig und Soft im Umgang mit Frauen und Kindern beschrieben. Hätte er sich abweisend, abwartend oder distanziert Eve gegenüber verhalten, wäre mir das daher unrealistisch erschienen. Einen Stern ziehe ich lediglich deshalb ab, weil mir an manchen Stellen zu viel Wiederholungen von bestimmten Sätzen kamen und man die Geschichte dadurch noch etwas hätte kürzen können. Alles in allem fand ich es aber ein durchaus gut geschriebenes Buch, welches auch eine spannende Handlung zu bieten hatte und ich bin froh, dass ich es gelesen habe.