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KGI #1-4
KGI Series 1-4
The Kelly Group International (KGI) is a super-elite, top secret, family-run business that handles jobs the U.S. government can’t. And the qualifications for those jobs are high intelligence, a military background—and a rock-hard body…Don’t miss the first four in the action-packed, sexy series… “Maya Banks writes the kind of books I love to read!”—Lora Leigh
The Darkest Hour
No Place to Run
Hidden Away
Whispers in the Dark
The Darkest Hour
No Place to Run
Hidden Away
Whispers in the Dark
1368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 7, 2012
136 people are currently reading
667 people want to read
About the author
Maya Banks
245 books21.5k followersMaya 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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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 5, 2018
I love the KGI books and the Kelly brothers. KGI is a special-ops type company made up of ex-military, that does hostage and fugitive recovery all over the world.
These books will keep you on the edge of your seat. I liked that no matter what the KGI men thought of the people they were protecting, they kept them safe anyway. Protecting people is ingrained in them so that's what they do. Whatever it takes.
The KGI team was incredible. I loved the way they worked so well together and were remarkably good at what they did. These stories made me laugh, cry and gave me goose-bumps. They are must-reads for romantic suspense fans.
These books will keep you on the edge of your seat. I liked that no matter what the KGI men thought of the people they were protecting, they kept them safe anyway. Protecting people is ingrained in them so that's what they do. Whatever it takes.
The KGI team was incredible. I loved the way they worked so well together and were remarkably good at what they did. These stories made me laugh, cry and gave me goose-bumps. They are must-reads for romantic suspense fans.
August 12, 2015
If you loved this series then you will love the Hard Ink series too!!!!
June 8, 2021
The Darkest Hour:
I adore this series! It has the perfect amount of description, the characters are likeable, and the plot is engaging. The story never stalls, and it holds the readers interest.
I personally love the amount of personal responsibility Ethan takes when thinking about/recounting the "end" of his marriage. I appreciate that it acknowledges that neither he nor Rachel felt they could tell family, because of the shame. I also appreciate that though he expresses his desire for the two of them to stay together, he says he will leave the decision to her- that he doesn't want to push her to a bad decision. It shows a certain amount of character evolution- enough for character development, but not so much to be unbelievable.
Also, the sex scenes are well written and worth the read. Some of the best I've ever read.
No Place to Run:
It isn't always that an installation in a series holds up to the first book, but this one did. Great plot and the book never stalled.
I will say that Sam isn't my favorite of the 6 brothers, but he is mostly likable. Sophie is a great character, and I would hazard to say that she is more likeable than Rachel (heroine from book 1) because she seems to have more depth. More edge.
One of my favorite things about this book is that the plot does not necessarily go in a direction you might expect. Some surprise is a good thing!
Hidden Away:
I love this series! The plot of this installment felt like it was going to stall briefly, but then it picked up nicely.
Garrett's personality evolves in this book, and I can't decide if it's character development or if it was unintentional and the story wouldn't progress with him maintaining his surliness, so the author had to write in some softer edges.
I'm not sure how I felt about Sarah's character development. I love her protective streak, and I identify with it, but I wish there was more development for her- she states that she feels safe when Garrett is around, and I was hoping she would begin to feel safe on her own accord without him. I also feel like her background as a foster child could have been used to develop her more fully. I am glad that being in the relationship with him helps her regain some of her confidence that the rape took from her.
I regret not having the confrontation with Stanley Cross written in, because I wanted to be there for him getting his ass kicked. By the same token, do men like Stanley Cross stop targeting people because you beat them up and tell them to? I'm thinking not. I can see that working on the kid who assaulted Rusty, but I feel like Stanley Cross is a loose end.
Speaking of which, I love that the Kelly boys claimed Rusty as their sister. Watching her character develop is wonderful.
I also found myself really identifying with Rio and his love of solitude and creature comforts. It was nice to see flashes of who his character is in this installment of the series.
As always, the sex scenes are phenomenal.
Whispers in the Dark:
While this story was a little darker than the other installments in this series, I enjoyed it. The plot had a decent amount of mystery in it, and the "fantasy" element sprinkled in wasn't over done, so it added to the action as opposed to taking away from it.
I loved the description of how dark things got for Nathan and Swanny while in captivity, because the trauma bonding (between Nathan, Swanny, Shea and even Grace) adds a whole new psychological layer to the book. I even enjoyed getting to know Joe a little better, though I do think that the twin relationship between Joe and Nathan could have been explored a little more.
There are parts of the book that get a little sappy... A little too pat, if that makes any sense. Some of Nathan's lines were a little cliche. I honestly found him more likeable at the beginning of the book when he wasn't spewing syrupy lines.
As for Shae, I loved her strength in the beginning of the book... but after her captors kidnapped her again after escaping Resnick, she goes sort of catatonic and that part just wasn't believable for me. She had gone radio silent before and not had people talking to her telepathically, and while I get that she was terrified in that tube, I just don't see that she wouldn't fight her way to the surface and stay there to be with Nathan. Instead, she hovers in some kind of semi-awareness and it just doesn't seem like her. The whole incident with Charlotte almost tumbling off of the deck seemed a little far fetched too. Sort of like Nathan, she was more likeable at the beginning and middle of the book as opposed to the end, when she apparently lost everything that I enjoyed about her as a character.
I almost wish some of the grittiness from the beginning got carried through to the end, as opposed to Nathan being reduced to nothing more than a "I'm so in love with her that I can't function" character and Shae being turned into an "I just can't face reality even though I'm totally aware that I'm safe" character. Both started out great and ended up being annoying. Here's to hoping that doesn't resurface in the other books.
I adore this series! It has the perfect amount of description, the characters are likeable, and the plot is engaging. The story never stalls, and it holds the readers interest.
I personally love the amount of personal responsibility Ethan takes when thinking about/recounting the "end" of his marriage. I appreciate that it acknowledges that neither he nor Rachel felt they could tell family, because of the shame. I also appreciate that though he expresses his desire for the two of them to stay together, he says he will leave the decision to her- that he doesn't want to push her to a bad decision. It shows a certain amount of character evolution- enough for character development, but not so much to be unbelievable.
Also, the sex scenes are well written and worth the read. Some of the best I've ever read.
No Place to Run:
It isn't always that an installation in a series holds up to the first book, but this one did. Great plot and the book never stalled.
I will say that Sam isn't my favorite of the 6 brothers, but he is mostly likable. Sophie is a great character, and I would hazard to say that she is more likeable than Rachel (heroine from book 1) because she seems to have more depth. More edge.
One of my favorite things about this book is that the plot does not necessarily go in a direction you might expect. Some surprise is a good thing!
Hidden Away:
I love this series! The plot of this installment felt like it was going to stall briefly, but then it picked up nicely.
Garrett's personality evolves in this book, and I can't decide if it's character development or if it was unintentional and the story wouldn't progress with him maintaining his surliness, so the author had to write in some softer edges.
I'm not sure how I felt about Sarah's character development. I love her protective streak, and I identify with it, but I wish there was more development for her- she states that she feels safe when Garrett is around, and I was hoping she would begin to feel safe on her own accord without him. I also feel like her background as a foster child could have been used to develop her more fully. I am glad that being in the relationship with him helps her regain some of her confidence that the rape took from her.
I regret not having the confrontation with Stanley Cross written in, because I wanted to be there for him getting his ass kicked. By the same token, do men like Stanley Cross stop targeting people because you beat them up and tell them to? I'm thinking not. I can see that working on the kid who assaulted Rusty, but I feel like Stanley Cross is a loose end.
Speaking of which, I love that the Kelly boys claimed Rusty as their sister. Watching her character develop is wonderful.
I also found myself really identifying with Rio and his love of solitude and creature comforts. It was nice to see flashes of who his character is in this installment of the series.
As always, the sex scenes are phenomenal.
Whispers in the Dark:
While this story was a little darker than the other installments in this series, I enjoyed it. The plot had a decent amount of mystery in it, and the "fantasy" element sprinkled in wasn't over done, so it added to the action as opposed to taking away from it.
I loved the description of how dark things got for Nathan and Swanny while in captivity, because the trauma bonding (between Nathan, Swanny, Shea and even Grace) adds a whole new psychological layer to the book. I even enjoyed getting to know Joe a little better, though I do think that the twin relationship between Joe and Nathan could have been explored a little more.
There are parts of the book that get a little sappy... A little too pat, if that makes any sense. Some of Nathan's lines were a little cliche. I honestly found him more likeable at the beginning of the book when he wasn't spewing syrupy lines.
As for Shae, I loved her strength in the beginning of the book... but after her captors kidnapped her again after escaping Resnick, she goes sort of catatonic and that part just wasn't believable for me. She had gone radio silent before and not had people talking to her telepathically, and while I get that she was terrified in that tube, I just don't see that she wouldn't fight her way to the surface and stay there to be with Nathan. Instead, she hovers in some kind of semi-awareness and it just doesn't seem like her. The whole incident with Charlotte almost tumbling off of the deck seemed a little far fetched too. Sort of like Nathan, she was more likeable at the beginning and middle of the book as opposed to the end, when she apparently lost everything that I enjoyed about her as a character.
I almost wish some of the grittiness from the beginning got carried through to the end, as opposed to Nathan being reduced to nothing more than a "I'm so in love with her that I can't function" character and Shae being turned into an "I just can't face reality even though I'm totally aware that I'm safe" character. Both started out great and ended up being annoying. Here's to hoping that doesn't resurface in the other books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2017
The Kelly family includes 6 brothers. The 2 youngest are still in the military. 3 have started a Rescue operation group.
Darkest Hour is Ethan's story. Ethan has fallen apart since his wife died in a plane crash. On the one year anniversary his gets a packet saying she is alive and being held in the jungle in Central America. He and his brothers promptly arrange a rescue mission.
Darkest Hour is Ethan's story. Ethan has fallen apart since his wife died in a plane crash. On the one year anniversary his gets a packet saying she is alive and being held in the jungle in Central America. He and his brothers promptly arrange a rescue mission.
June 21, 2018
Formula books.. Read book 1.. kind of interesting. Normally like my sex scenes but these got in the way of the story... Started book 2.. which was almost a repeat of book 1.. returned to library. (Rachel, then Sophie.. injured arm, half dead, yadda yadda.. sexy brothers run the KGI.. have a great mom
December 7, 2021
Love this series.
This is one of my all time favorite series. Loved each book in this boxed set and then I bought every book in this series. I felt emotionally connected with all the characters. Each book also has a very happy ever after. I highly recommend this book.
This is one of my all time favorite series. Loved each book in this boxed set and then I bought every book in this series. I felt emotionally connected with all the characters. Each book also has a very happy ever after. I highly recommend this book.
January 5, 2013
love this series
March 26, 2014
I love love this series, full of action and hot steamy men. The Kelly brothers are perfect Alpha males who know when to love and when to be soft.
May 24, 2014
Pretty good so far. Fluffy, but good.
Lots of book. I liked it but I need a break from this series. That said, I already picked up #5 from the library.
Lots of book. I liked it but I need a break from this series. That said, I already picked up #5 from the library.
August 11, 2014
Love this series. If you like lots of hot ex ops guts saving the day & getting the girl, these are your books.
September 20, 2015
Loved the series. Highly recommend.
July 29, 2017
Just loved each of the books.
Read
March 15, 2016I really enjoyed this series. It was so romantic and aventerous
Read
December 13, 2016I have read the first 9 books and enjoyed them.
April 22, 2019
Language and too much detail sexual acts
Each story was basically the same just added a new character that needed recused and fall in love. All 4 books the same.
Each story was basically the same just added a new character that needed recused and fall in love. All 4 books the same.
October 3, 2020
This is a great series but by the 3rd book I had enough. I will go back and finish the book at some point.
January 25, 2021
I love the KGI series. I started reading a long time ago and I am now rereading it. I can wait for the next in the series.
July 31, 2015
Loved Nathan's the most
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews