I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
When Day Breaks
by
Maya Banks
romantic suspense in eBook edition that was published by Penguin on June 24, 2014 and has 282 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Sweet Surrender, Colters' Woman, Sweet Persuasion, Sweet Seduction, In Bed with a Highlander, Darkest Hour, Seduction of a Highland Lass, Colters' Lady, No Place to Run, Men Out of Uniform, Red-Hot Summer, Never Love a Highlander, Brazen, Sweet Temptation, Whispers in the Dark, "Colters' Wife", Colters' Promise, Echoes at Dawn, Undone By Her Tender Touch, Four Play, Cherished, The Tycoon's Pregnant Mistress, Never Seduce a Scot, Highlander Most Wanted, "Softly at Sunrise", Shades of Gray, Rush, Fever, Forged in Steele, Burn, Colters' Daughter, Colters' Gift, Be With Me, After the Storm, Taking It All, Keep Me Safe, Darkest Before Dawn, Enticed by His Forgotten Lover, Sweet Possession, Sweet Addiction
Ninth in the KGI romantic suspense series and revolving around the fighting men of Kelly Group International. The couple focus is on Eden Sinclair and Swanny Swanson.
My Take
Normally I adore the KGI stories. There’s so much love, loyalty, and unconditional support among the men and their families that you can’t help but love them all back. Especially when the Kellys have such terrific parents! And the boys’ mission statement is one any decent person can get behind.
With When Day Breaks however, oh brother… Banks has her two main characters whining and questioning throughout the entire story. Before and after the faster-than-insta-love reaction. What’s worse is it simply repeats the same whines over and over and over. It’s enough to drive you mad.
It also slides into the great-admiration trope almost immediately. Banks does have a good message in this, that beauty is only skin-deep. That Swanny’s scar is a badge of honor to his courage. And she beats this horse to death as well.
I don’t know if Banks is going through a bad time in her personal life or if she was struggling to stretch this story out into a full-length novel, but if she’d cut out the soul-searching out, I suspect this would have been novella-length, at best. The flag-waving got annoying as well. Probably because it was in addition to and mixed-in-with all the breast-beating and the aw-shucks attitude.
Skylar cracked me up with the relationship advice she’s adding out. A much-needed bit of help for both parties, although, why Eden doesn’t get why Swanny is befuddled is beyond me. She’s got to know how the world works, and just because she’s an open-minded young thing, she can’t believe the rest of the world is as accepting as she is. I mean, duhhh.
Nice insight into the modeling world and what they have to do as part of their job. I also like Swanny’s thoughts on how Joe and Nathan’s team operates, leadership sliding to whoever has the expertise in a situation.
It is fun to read of all the weaponry…and how well prepared KGI is for the zombie apocalypse, lol. There are some good bits of back history in here about what Swanny did after he and Nathan escaped from Afghanistan. You’ll laugh too at Banks’ description of those big tough guys, Sam and Garrett, playing daddy with their babies. Swanny cracked me up with his comment about the Kelly girls growing up and dating…or not, lol.
I have to agree with Hancock and Swanny. They both screwed up. Hancock should have called as soon as he realized the truth, and Swanny and his team should have never assumed everything was fine. Then all that posturing at the hospital about the decision to bring in a plastic surgeon. Why is this even a debate?
Now, I like Swanny. And I like Eden. She seems like a great girl anyone would be proud of. And while there are some great tidbits in here, there is too much that is awful. See if you can find a condensed version or borrow this from the library…if you’re really desperate to know what happens.
The Story
Eddie’s past is rising up, again, to threaten all he holds dear, and his contacts are not responding as fast as he needs.
That past is threatening Eddie’s supermodel daughter, and he trades on Ryker’s friendship with the Kellys to protect her. Only. She can’t know what’s going on or why.
The Characters
Eden Sinclair is a down-home kind of girl, even is she is an internationally acclaimed supermodel. Ryker and Raid are her big brothers. I think Raid is a cop. Ryker was in the army with Nathan and Joe Kelly. Big Eddie Sinclair, their dad, retired from special ops some years ago and is an old friend of Guy Hancock who is practically family (yeah, who knew?!) and helped Eddie out years ago when Eddie’s wife was murdered. Hancock is that special thorn in the side of KGI.
David and Micah are Eden’s security. Nigel Blackstone is Eden’s agent. Detectives Gibbs and Barnes are investigating the sniper attack in the States.
Daryl “Swanny” Swanson is part of Joe and Nathan’s KGI team. He was horribly scarred when he was tortured in Afghanistan when he and Nathan were held prisoner.
The rest of KGI
Nathan and Joe Kelly are twins and head up this latest team; Nathan’s married to Shea (see Whispers in the Dark, 4). That naughty Skylar Watkins and Zane “Edge” Eddgerston are the rest of the team. Steele‘s team (he’s married to Doc Maren; Forged in Steele, 7) includes Cole and P.J. (Shades of Gray, 6). Rio leads up another team.
Sam (married to Sophie with TWO kids now, Charlotte and baby Grant, No Place to Run, 2), Garrett (married to Sarah with baby Kelsey, Hidden Away, 3), Ethan (married to Rachel with twins; Darkest Hour, 1, and “Softly at Sunrise”, 6.5), and Donovan “Van” (married to Eve with her two siblings, Travis and Cammie; see After the Storm, 8).
Marlene and Frank Kelly are the boys’ parents — they raised six of ’em! Being born to them isn’t exclusive to Marlene and Frank Kelly as they simply keep adding “children” in as they find ’em. Rusty Kelly is about to graduate from college. Sean Cameron is a sheriff’s deputy in Stewart County.
Grace is Shea’s sister (she married Rio; Echoes at Dawn, 5), and it’s thanks to these two that Swanny and Nathan were able to escape their captors (see Whispers in the Dark, 4).
Aria is a huge and lucrative modeling contract Eden has just landed. Justin is the photographer in the States. Lonnie is the shoot director in Paris. Inspectors Mercier and Dubois investigate the RPG attack.
Raul Sanchez was the mission that got screwed up.
The Cover and Title
The cover is perfect as Swanny and the team have to get tuxes for some parties in Paris. And Swanny looks madder’n anything as he stalks toward us, his gun held down at his side, his tie askew, and his shirt rumpled while the city of Paris glitters in the night behind him.
The title is cute; I suspect it’s a metaphor, When Day Breaks, for Swanny falling in love and being loved back, in spite of his disfigurements.
