Review – The Darkest Hour by Maya Banks

Publisher:  Berkely
Publish Date: 9/7/10
How I got this book: Won ARC from author

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.

*blurb from author’s website*

Wow, just wow. This book is definitely on my list of Top Books to read for 2010!!  We start The Darkest Hour with Ethan as he mourns the death of his wife on the one year anniversary. He is overwhelmed with guilt, and does his best to shut out the world. When he receives a FedEx package with proof his wife is still alive, his life does a complete 180.

Ethan turns to his brothers who run a contract military like company for help in rescuing Rachel. Together they raid the jungle in search for her, only to find that she has been so doped up on drugs, she has lost most of her memory. The only thing she can remember is the face of an angel she knows as Ethan.

When they return home and begin weaning Rachel off the drugs, her memory slowly returns.  Together, Rachel and Ethan must rebuild their marriage, find their place amongst their family, and find out why a threat against Rachel still exists. But when her memories start to come back clearer and clearer, will they be able to move past some of the more ugly places in their marriage, or will they part ways forever?

I am a huge sucker for stories about couples who are married, or already share a past. And Maya Banks has taken the gold! The Darkest Hour is a perfect mix of action, romance, suspense, and passion.

I loved that the book was packed with action. The entire trip into the jungle to rescue Rachel was fast paced, fun to read, and great to imagine. It was like a Bourne movie playing in my mind; however it wasn’t too over the top. It was exactly what I image would take place in an isolated jungle camp overrun with cartel grunts.

The romance was perfect for me as well. I love that Ethan had to deal with both his guilt over the way he treated Rachel before she disappeared, his joy at having her back, and his fears of losing her all over again.  I love my alpha heroes full of angst, and Ethan does not disappoint. The small worries and gestures he showers on Rachel were enough to win even me over.

Having read a few books where a character was given amnesia, and having it fail miserably, I was a little hesitant about it. However, Banks scores again with having the perfect amount of confusion, frustration, and restoration with Rachel’s memory loss. It was done so well with Rachel having sporadic flashes of memory; working to both secure and alarm her about her past. I loved that she had insecurities about Ethan’s family, and that she struggled with overcoming them.

I don’t think there was one thing about this book I didn’t like, besides the fact that it had to end. I can’t wait for additional stories in the KGI world, and can only hope they are as awesome as this one was!

All in all I give The Darkest Hour 5 out of 5 salvaged marriages!