Workout Wednesday: The Darkest Hour

Can I Haz Abs Like Those if I Keep Ridin' my Bike?

Pages read 290 pages
Riding Time 3 hours 26 minutes
Calories Burned 1320
Distance Peddled 64.80



Making the Grade: B

For My Thoughts


I've noticed a peculiar trend with a lot of books I'm reading lately. Lots of hot, bare-chested, rock-hard man abs on the covers. Not a bad thing to be looking at as I'm peddling away the miles (yes I'm sneaking pecs peaks - it keeps me motivated...so the Hot Cover model gets an A).

The Darkest Hour is the 1st book in a new series by Maya Banks featuring the hot, sexy men of the Kelly family. These alpha males are all active or ex-military and are the brains behind the guns for hire organization they run known as Kelly Group International or KGI.

There were a lot of characters introduced early on in The Darkest Hour. In addition to meeting all 6 brothers of the Kelly clan plus Ma and Pa Kelly and the stray teenage girl they’ve taken, we also meet all the assorted operatives who work for KGI. I will admit to information overload while trying to keep track of all the players (an excel spreadsheet might have come in handy). One thing's for sure - Ms. Banks has lots of interesting options for future books in the series.

The Darkest Hour is Ethan Kelly's story, who when we first meet him is in a very dark place. He‘s been finding solace in the bottom of a bottle of booze, mourning the loss of his wife Rachel as the first year anniversary of her death approaches.

When a mysterious envelope arrives with proof Rachel is alive and being held captive in a South American hell-hole (and has been for the past year), Ethan's galvanized into action and enlists his brother's help and KGI's resources to mount a rescue operation.

Rachel Kelly has somehow managed to survive an unimaginable ordeal over the past year. Addicted to drugs and suffering from withdrawal, memory loss and being held captive by a drug cartel for over a year will mess with your mind and body. Rachel is fragile and damaged and has a huge mountain to climb as she attempts to re-enter civilization and reconnect with the man she’s married to and a family she can’t remember.

Rachel may be home safe and sound but her troubles are far from over because someone is majorly pissed she's risen like a phoenix from the ashes. The circumstances surrounding who went to the trouble and expense to fake Rachel's death and then keep her hostage was an intriguing component of the story and definitely kept me reading.

Ethan and Rachel's journey is a love story about second chances, learning to love again and rediscovering a lost love. I found the action slow to build between them and given the circumstances, I don't think it would have been realistic or appropriate for them to just jump right into the sack. Ethan is very understanding, patient and tender when dealing with Rachel but there's a secret he's been keeping from her and it proves to be a major stumbling block in regaining the trust in their relationship. I just wanted to shout at him “Dude” it’s not that bad. Just tell her already and save yourself a boatload of grief!“

The Darkest Hour is a good beginning to a new series and I’m sure future books featuring the men (or women) of KGI will only get better.

For Fans of: Suzanne Brockmann, Stephanie Tyler, Christy Reece

Read an Excerpt
Publisher: Berkley (September 7, 2010)

From The Author's Website
The Darkest Hour
KGI Series, Book 1

The Kelly Group International (KGI): A super elite, top secret, family-run business.
Qualifications: High intelligence, rock hard body, military background.
Mission: Hostage/kidnap victim recovery. Intelligence gathering. Handling jobs the US government can’t…
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.