After the Storm

A KGI Novel

By: Maya Banks

Narrated by: Adam Paul

Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's Summary

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.

©2014 Maya Banks (P)2014 Penguin Audio

Big Disappointment...

What would have made After the Storm better?

A storyline....

Any additional comments?

I have waited for this book with high anticipation. I love the series and Donovan's story was one I looked forward to reading. Except, there was very little storyline and what there was annoyed me mostly. I have an intense dislike of the BIG MISUNDERSTANDING plot. To me, that is lazy writing at best - reminiscent of '80s bodice ripper romance novels. One simple conversation would have prevented disaster. I found the character of Eve to be mostly too stupid to live. Yikes, what a disappointment!

Not a Believer

Maya Banks is a hit or miss author for me; I either love or hate her work. I'm ambivalent about this book. I forwarded through much of this book as I felt like the main characters went on and on about everything and I was bored. I don't believe in the "I've only known you 2 days and I love you". It wasn't realistic at all to me. I didn't get to take a journey with the couple as they fell in love. I agree with another reviewer that the "misunderstanding" situation was overdone. I saw it coming a mile away. As a person who appreciates the journey of earning someone's trust after they've been through some hard situations in this life I didn't believe that all 3 of the siblings trusted Donovan and his family within hours. For example; Eve was prepared to run away in the night to prevent Donovan from bringing a doctor by to see her sister but she's in the sac with him right away and in love? I definitely didn't buy into his book at all.

On a positive note Adam Paul did a great job narrating the book as usual.

Action, Romance and Mercenary Men

First, I must admit that I've listened to all of the books in this series and was hooked from the start. I say that only because this book continues in the same vein. So if you're looking for a drastic change in the series or shock in character development, you won't find it.
We learn about Donovan Kelly this round. I love the characters, the drama. I'm a sucker for strong, protective men who are equally sensitive and caring. I also love how Maya Banks drops in developments in the lives of other characters from previous books. The reader is a good though prefer the reader that started the series. It was an enjoyable listen. Predictable but fun if you're into the series.

Good but not great

3-3.5 stars

This was a good story. I've really liked Donovan in the past books and have been looking forward to him getting his own book and HEA. I have to admit I was a little disappointed. Overall the story was good but there was an insta-love situation between Eve and Donovan that made the whole thing seem a bit rushed. I think if the things had taken place over a little more time (giving more time for the relationship between Eve and Donovan to form) I might have given the story 4 stars but as is I just couldn't.

Eve is a good woman. Her mother was married to a horrible man (Eve's step father) who beat her and tried to control everyone in his "realm". Eve tried to help her mother but wasn't able to do anything as her stepfather's power and money meant he was able to convince people she was lying. He even had false papers drawn up saying that she had a history of mental instability when it wasn't true. When Eve's mother dies, Eve's brother, Travis (15 yrs old) calls her saying he's afraid of what their father will do to their little sister, Cami (who is 4 yrs old). Eve risks it all to get Travis and Cami and steal away with them to keep them safe.

Donovan is one of the Kelly brothers that run KGI (Kelly Group International), a private company that performs Ops like hostage/kidnap victim recovery & intelligence gathering among other things. He's always had a soft spot for women and kids in trouble and is well known for it. He wants his own family but has never found the right woman and wonders when it'll finally happen for him. He wasn't expecting to find a need for help so close to his home or to find that the women in need is the woman he's been waiting for.

Eve, Travis and Cami have rented a run down trailer and are trying to hide from everyone since Eve's stepfather has the law looking for her and the kids. Cami is sick so Eve is staying with her and Travis goes out to try to find some work. Luckily, Travis ends up at the Kelly's hardware store and Rusty is running it at the time. Rusty (who used to be a homeless kid in trouble until the Kelly's took her in) recognized that Travis is fearful of something and seems to be in trouble. She gives him work and proceeds to get Donovan to help her try to help Travis and his sisters. When Donovan and Rusty show up at the trailer, Eve is understandably freaked and unsure about how safe it is to have their notice. Donovan on the other hand, has realized that there's something about Eve and the 2 kids that has him feeling particularly protective and Donovan is determined to help them. Unfortunately, Eve freaks at all the attention and the possibilities of more people finding out about them and decides to run. They have both fortunate and unfortunate timing when they try to leave and barely get through the rough night with their lives. Donovan goes to help them and decides to take them all to his place where they'll be safe. By this time, Donovan has come to the conclusion that he's fallen for Even and loves the kids too. He decides he'll do whatever he has to to make them his and keep them safe.

Eve, Travis and Cami all end up staying with Donovan and come to trust him very quickly. Cami gets over her sickness quickly after getting some medication and Eve is feeling secure at last. Eve and Donovan fall in to a relationship pretty much immediately and Eve falls for Donovan pretty much as quickly as he fell for her. Unfortunately, both of them hold off on expressing their feelings to each other, feeling it's too soon and that it needs to be eased in to. They're together only a day or 2 before news comes that Eve's stepfather has shown up in the area looking for them. There are some unfortunate mis-understandings where Eve hears something out of context and ends up believing Donovan betrayed her. In the resulting mess, Eve is captured by her stepfather and a rescue must be mounted by KGI (with some help from friends). There is drama and much stress before everything is handled but in the end, Eve, Travis and Cami are safe and Donovan is able to convince Eve he never betrayed her and they all start their HEA together.

This was a good story. I liked the characters but felt a little disconnected from the romance, maybe because it all seemed to happen so fast. I still like the series and will be interested in trying out the next book. There's an indication that something is happening with Rusty and I'd really like to see what happens with her. Hopefully Banks can get back on her game with the next book. :)

Worth the wait!!! Another great KGI book!

Where does After the Storm rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I enjoyed this book along with the others from this series. Maya Bank always delivers!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Van is one of my favorites of the Kelly Clan. His gentleness was felt throughout this story as well as his fierce need to protect his family

What aspect of Adam Paul’s performance would you have changed?

His "hick-like" accents are horrible. Although this book is his best so far of the series his accent for Sam and Mama Kelly sound like they're from the backwoods yet the other Kelly brothers finally sound "normal" I like how he narrated for Sean's character with a strong voice but he needs to come up with a sound for the personality he's portraying. Joe was bad sounding like a surfer dude. Resnick was not at all like the gravely cigarette ridden voice he should have, rather he sounded younger than Donovan.

Any additional comments?

The story was good the narration better but I wish they never changed narrators mid series. Adam Paul doesn't have the grit in his voice needed for this series.

Donovan Get's His Girl

I love this series, and I'd loved to have been able to give this book 5 stars, but it didn't quite hit that mark for me. KGI is a private para military company, founded by ex-military tough as nails brothers who like to go in and save those in distress. This series, thus far, have been about how each brother or team member finds their love. Donovan, one of the Kelly Brothers, is the hero in this book.

Eve is on the run with her two half siblings from an abusive step father, and she winds up in Dover, Tennessee, near the Kelly compound. They are out of money and running out of luck when they meet up with Donovan and his adopted sister Rusty, who decide to give them a hand up and protection.

While I did enjoy the story, I felt like Van and Eve's relationship all happened a bit too quickly. Van came on pretty strong, with his "instant family" thing. This one didn't seem to have as much action as the others in the series did either. Other than that, it was a great read, and necessary for those following the series.

I thought Adam Paul did a great job with the narration, bringing life to the story and managing the voices competently. Being from the area where the Kelly boys live, it's no small praise when I say he nailed the accents. Well done!

Great Series!!

Have been waiting for Donovan's story. I have always admired his strength and his personality. This is a great story as all the KGI books are. I did feel Maya Banks added a little too much in the Family and Love, it just felt like it was a bit overwhelming in every chapter of the book. But as always this is a great series!!

I wish they have stayed with the same narrator (Harry Berkeley). He had all the characters dead on in the first 5 books of the series. Love this series so I made the mistake of listening to all the books again prior to this release and it reminded me of how great the narrator Harry Berkeley was in the previous books. Adam Paul is also a very good Narrator I have listened to him in many other books, however his multiple voices are just not a good match for this series. He has a young mans voice and is not as tuff. Also his female voices just didn't sound good.

All in all this is one of my favorite series, I'm looking forward to the next book., I had pre-ordered this book, this is a must have in the series. Please try to get the next book out in the series soon. One year is just too long to wait.

Disappointed

Would you try another book from Maya Banks and/or Adam Paul?

I have loved all the other KGI books but this one was a huge disappointment. I could barely finish it. Did not care for the theme and Donovan's over the top behavior over someone he met twice. Just hope the next ones are better. The narrator was ok. I do like the one that did the first few books better.

Would you be willing to try another one of Adam Paul’s performances?

Sure

Sorry Donovan but the other KGI stories are better

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I would tone down Donovan's attitude a bit. He was so cool in other KGI books but in his own he was too focused on making the heroine and her siblings into being his family and less focused on seeing they had issues and to take things slowly. I also think the love and trust came way too early - especially from the little girl.

Has After the Storm turned you off from other books in this genre?

Nope

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I like this reader

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

yes

Any additional comments?

This book was worth a listen, if only to keep up with the Kelly family. I like the other books in the series better, and I am looking forward to more Kelly/KGI stories.

After the Storm

This is Donovan's story. He was called in by Shane to find out where a young man who asked for work lives. This young man had a haunted look about him that Shane recognized. Now when Donovan meets his sister Eve he is immediately smitten. (To the extent that many other readers were turned off.) That being said there were no missions to make this a suspense of rockem sockem drama known in the KGI books. This is closer to home and the little family were hiding from Eve's step father who had killed their mother in a fit of rage. There was more to the story about this also. But Van (aka Donovan) had his own dilima going on with his possessive attitude over them, it felt rushed and unrealistic. The narration was good and I have since gone on to the next story.