Review – After the Storm by Maya Banks

Publisher: Berkley
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: NetGalley

Over the years, Donovan Kelly has fought relentlessly for justice, women and children always holding a special place in his heart. Working side by side with his brothers, Donovan has witnessed firsthand the toll it’s taken—physically, mentally, and emotionally—on his loved ones, and the innocent lives caught in the crossfire. What he never expects is for his next mission to happen right on his home turf—or for it to take a very personal turn.

Picturesque Kentucky Lake is the perfect place for a soul in search of safe harbor. A beautiful stranger has arrived—desperate, breathless, and on the run from a dark past closing in on her and the younger siblings she has vowed to protect. Donovan must now draw on every resource at his disposal—if he wants to save a woman and the children who may prove to be his destiny.
*Blurb from Goodreads*

I was so excited to read Donovan’s story, because I absolutely fell in love with him from the first book. However, this series has had quite a few bumpy moments over the past 4-5 books. While I went into this book optimistic, I was pretty annoyed with the end result.

Donovan has always had a soft spot for women and children. He does anything and everything he can to protect them every chance he gets. When Rusty introduces him to Eve, he knows he needs to help her, not because of the instant attraction, but because he can’t seem to keep his mind off her.

Eve is on the run, with her younger half brother and sister in tow. She is doing everything she can to keep them safe, but it’s getting harder and harder to run and keep their heads above water. Donovan and the Kelly family seem too good to be true, but Eve gets swept up in their generosity and kindness. But Eve’s past is quickly catching up with her, and Donovan might not be able to keep her safe from everything.

I think the biggest disappointment for me in this book was the insta-love between Donovan and Eve. I think they had barely known each other for 2 days before they were professing their undying love for one another. There wasn’t even the huge stakes and high intensity that comes along with many other romantic suspense books. Instead, other than a tornado that whips through Eve’s pathetic trailer, there is almost no suspense in the beginning or middle of this book. It made for a very slow reading pace.

I also struggled horribly with Eve’s character. I admired her for her desire to do anything in her power to keep her brother and sister safe. However, in every other aspect of her life, she was a little too meek. She let Donovan steamroll her into moving in with him, caring for the kids, and everything else. Although it seemed like she was pretty fierce before going on the run, it seemed like life really beat the spunk out of her before we get the chance to spend some time with her character.

My biggest problem with this book came toward the end when Eve and Donovan had their falling out. I thought Eve’s reason for losing faith in Donovan was totally unrealistic, especially since they had been so “in love” not only seconds before. Eve’s inability to hear exactly what was said, and then to misinterpret it so completely annoyed the crap out of me. I almost stopped reading at that point.

Despite my issues with the book, Banks continues to write secondary characters that absolutely blow me away. Every scene with Rocky and Sean was perfect. I love these two and am so excited for whenever they actually get their story. The new recruits to the KGI family are super intriguing as well. I can’t wait to read about Swanny, and I sincerely hope that Banks looks back to the first few books for inspiration to get this series back to the incredible roots it began with.

All in all I was pretty disappointed with Donovan’s book. I really wanted more for his character, especially since I have loved him for so long. I had a lot of problems with Eve’s character, and found her to be the weakest heroine in the series so far. I hated the insta-love relationship between Donovan and Eve, and thought it didn’t jive with the drama that drew them apart at the end. I am anxious to read the next book though, because Swanny stole my heart in this book.
I give After the Storm a C-

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