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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
TW - sexual assault (if this triggers you, I wouldn't rec'd this book at all)
I'm still irritated by this book. The only woman on the KGI team gets raped violently, runs off, and tries to get revenge. It just felt trauma porn-y. I know women get raped, I'm a woman. But the only time we get a woman who kicks major ass, we have to read a violent account of sexual assault.
Other than that, I appreciate that the author did show the effects of the trauma, both short and long term. But I don't want that in a romance book. Maybe other people do.
I'm still irritated by this book. The only woman on the KGI team gets raped violently, runs off, and tries to get revenge. It just felt trauma porn-y. I know women get raped, I'm a woman. But the only time we get a woman who kicks major ass, we have to read a violent account of sexual assault.
Other than that, I appreciate that the author did show the effects of the trauma, both short and long term. But I don't want that in a romance book. Maybe other people do.
Very likable characters.
Kickass heroine
Disturbing scene during mission
Self discovery
Self healing
A little bit repetitive but brings out character.
Kickass heroine
Disturbing scene during mission
Self discovery
Self healing
A little bit repetitive but brings out character.
I really felt for P.J. in this one. Wow was that a dark start. Harsh in a lot, a lot of ways. This was hard for Cole as well. To be on the other side of that com, cringe. This story more than some of the others in the series felt more sectional. The different events were really separate, both by time and circumstances. The "threat" wasn't always really present. A lot of the threat felt distant and wasn't really coming for them so much as they had to go after it. But on the other hand the internal pain was there big time.
I liked that even by the end of the story everything wasn't perfect for P.J. but she was healing and Cole's a big part of that. Cole and the whole team. They are her family and she's learned how to lean when she needs it.
I liked that even by the end of the story everything wasn't perfect for P.J. but she was healing and Cole's a big part of that. Cole and the whole team. They are her family and she's learned how to lean when she needs it.
Trigger warning: sexual assault.
Okay! Wish I had read more of the reviews or comments before diving into this one. This one was DARK. I loved it but definitely was uncomfortable in some spots. I love PJ and Cole and it was fun to see them get their happily ever after.
Okay! Wish I had read more of the reviews or comments before diving into this one. This one was DARK. I loved it but definitely was uncomfortable in some spots. I love PJ and Cole and it was fun to see them get their happily ever after.
I've wanted Cole/PJ's story ever since I first met them in Book #2 of the series. However, there does seem to be an awful lot of sexual abuse of the Heroine in this series. I've only read 3 books but in 2 out of the 3 books the main character has been raped.
Review posted: Happily Ever After - Reads
Blog rating: A-
P.J. and Cole have been dancing around their attraction for years. Throughout all the KGI books, they’ve been in the background, bickering, fighting, but they’re a unit – both snipers on a small team led by Steele and they always have each others back. That hasn’t always been the case for P.J. She was previously the only female on her SWAT team and when she turned in a teammate, who also happened to be her lover, for some shady dealings he was involved in, she was the one that got called out and ultimately had to leave her position after having everyone turn on her. Her team then didn’t have her back and when a devastating and tragic event happens to P.J. during a mission with her KGI team, she learns that this team and these men not only have her back, but will do anything to help her.
I’m going to try my best to keep this review spoiler-free (one section below is hidden if you really want to know), but everything that P.J. goes through during this story, both personally and professionally, stems from one scene that happens early on in the book. But first, at the start of Shades of Gray, P.J. and Cole give in to their attraction and have a night of unbelievably hot sex that for both of them, changes their relationship. But before they can really stop and talk about what happened and what it means for them going forward, P.J. finds herself in her own personal nightmare.
Maya doesn’t hold back, she goes there with the trauma that P.J. endures and it’s the catalyst for the direction that P.J.’s life starts to move in. When her attackers get away, her entire focus is on revenge. She’s out for blood and knowing what that could bring down on KGI, she resigns and start to plan the murders of the men involved. There’s a time jump in the story where P.J. is MIA for 6 months. When she resurfaces, it’s to find her team, Cole specifically, pissed off and ready to read her the riot act for not trusting in them. This was the beginning of the healing for P.J. She learned the hard way early on about believing in her team only to have them turn on her. But KGI, Steele and Cole are different and she needs them all now more than ever as they all help her track the men she needs to find to put this painful nightmare behind her so she can start to try and move forward.
Maya Banks loves to torture her heroines and P.J. may have gotten the worst of it out of any heroine from Banks that I’ve read about. What I most loved about P.J. was that she could on one page, kick a guy’s ass up one side and down the other, but on the next page be completely vulnerable with Cole and lean on him. I loved that about her. She is so tough and strong but I liked seeing the woman she became around Cole, she softens up a bit and lets Cole get closer to her then anyone she’s ever let before. She’s a heroine that I’m going to be thinking about for a long time; that’s one the best things I can say about a character.
He leaned forward, tense and hesitant. His free hand went to her face, brushing aside her hair, and then he simply kissed her.
It wasn’t the burning, scorching-the-sheets kind of kiss that they’d shared that night so many months earlier. There was no impatience and no demand. It wasn’t even sexual. The touch was so exquisitely gentle that it made her want to cry.
He had a way of getting to her. Past her barriers. And there he was, at the very heart of her before she even realized he’d slipped past.
Right beside P.J. the whole way was Cole. He was broken too after he was forced to hear what was happening to P.J. but was unable to get to her. He turns into her rock once she’s lets him, and is exactly what she needs him to be; present and there for her and simply understanding. They have their one hot, sexy night early on, but for obvious reasons sex isn’t high on their list of things to think about during the rest of the book. And while that worked and made obvious since story wise, I was left feeling like there was so much more to tell between Cole and P.J. and I hope (hope hope hope!) that Maya has plans to revisit them and their relationship in a novella soon.
The other members of P.J.’s team and the Kelly men all make appearances in some way throughout the story. I was most taken with P.J.’s team leader, Steele. I loved seeing more of him and especially his reactions to everything that happens to P.J. and the team. He comes off as the ultimate loner when he’s not leading his team, and that makes me very intrigued about him.
This is up there as one of my favorite books in the KGI series. The scene early on was tough to read and while that scene is the huge, pivotal moment for P.J. and really everyone in the story, I really got caught up in not only the relationship that builds for Cole and P.J. but in how P.J. deals with her actions, what she’s choosing to do and how her life has gone from making clear black and white decisions to being in a completely gray area. My one teeny, tiny issue is I wish there was just a little more between Cole and P.J. at the end. P.J. ended up being one of my favorite Banks heroines. I loved seeing her kick ass just as much as I loved seeing her softer side when she was with Cole. She’s an unforgettable character.
Blog rating: A-
P.J. and Cole have been dancing around their attraction for years. Throughout all the KGI books, they’ve been in the background, bickering, fighting, but they’re a unit – both snipers on a small team led by Steele and they always have each others back. That hasn’t always been the case for P.J. She was previously the only female on her SWAT team and when she turned in a teammate, who also happened to be her lover, for some shady dealings he was involved in, she was the one that got called out and ultimately had to leave her position after having everyone turn on her. Her team then didn’t have her back and when a devastating and tragic event happens to P.J. during a mission with her KGI team, she learns that this team and these men not only have her back, but will do anything to help her.
I’m going to try my best to keep this review spoiler-free (one section below is hidden if you really want to know), but everything that P.J. goes through during this story, both personally and professionally, stems from one scene that happens early on in the book. But first, at the start of Shades of Gray, P.J. and Cole give in to their attraction and have a night of unbelievably hot sex that for both of them, changes their relationship. But before they can really stop and talk about what happened and what it means for them going forward, P.J. finds herself in her own personal nightmare.
Spoiler
During a mission that goes horribly wrong, P.J. is raped by two men. Part of her rape happens off page, we get the details through her team who are unable to get to her in time and have to listen to what she’s going through as P.J. is wired for sound. But there is a portion that does happen on page and I had to skim it. I don’t like reading scenes like this and skimmed. Quickly.Maya doesn’t hold back, she goes there with the trauma that P.J. endures and it’s the catalyst for the direction that P.J.’s life starts to move in. When her attackers get away, her entire focus is on revenge. She’s out for blood and knowing what that could bring down on KGI, she resigns and start to plan the murders of the men involved. There’s a time jump in the story where P.J. is MIA for 6 months. When she resurfaces, it’s to find her team, Cole specifically, pissed off and ready to read her the riot act for not trusting in them. This was the beginning of the healing for P.J. She learned the hard way early on about believing in her team only to have them turn on her. But KGI, Steele and Cole are different and she needs them all now more than ever as they all help her track the men she needs to find to put this painful nightmare behind her so she can start to try and move forward.
Maya Banks loves to torture her heroines and P.J. may have gotten the worst of it out of any heroine from Banks that I’ve read about. What I most loved about P.J. was that she could on one page, kick a guy’s ass up one side and down the other, but on the next page be completely vulnerable with Cole and lean on him. I loved that about her. She is so tough and strong but I liked seeing the woman she became around Cole, she softens up a bit and lets Cole get closer to her then anyone she’s ever let before. She’s a heroine that I’m going to be thinking about for a long time; that’s one the best things I can say about a character.
He leaned forward, tense and hesitant. His free hand went to her face, brushing aside her hair, and then he simply kissed her.
It wasn’t the burning, scorching-the-sheets kind of kiss that they’d shared that night so many months earlier. There was no impatience and no demand. It wasn’t even sexual. The touch was so exquisitely gentle that it made her want to cry.
He had a way of getting to her. Past her barriers. And there he was, at the very heart of her before she even realized he’d slipped past.
Right beside P.J. the whole way was Cole. He was broken too after he was forced to hear what was happening to P.J. but was unable to get to her. He turns into her rock once she’s lets him, and is exactly what she needs him to be; present and there for her and simply understanding. They have their one hot, sexy night early on, but for obvious reasons sex isn’t high on their list of things to think about during the rest of the book. And while that worked and made obvious since story wise, I was left feeling like there was so much more to tell between Cole and P.J. and I hope (hope hope hope!) that Maya has plans to revisit them and their relationship in a novella soon.
The other members of P.J.’s team and the Kelly men all make appearances in some way throughout the story. I was most taken with P.J.’s team leader, Steele. I loved seeing more of him and especially his reactions to everything that happens to P.J. and the team. He comes off as the ultimate loner when he’s not leading his team, and that makes me very intrigued about him.
This is up there as one of my favorite books in the KGI series. The scene early on was tough to read and while that scene is the huge, pivotal moment for P.J. and really everyone in the story, I really got caught up in not only the relationship that builds for Cole and P.J. but in how P.J. deals with her actions, what she’s choosing to do and how her life has gone from making clear black and white decisions to being in a completely gray area. My one teeny, tiny issue is I wish there was just a little more between Cole and P.J. at the end. P.J. ended up being one of my favorite Banks heroines. I loved seeing her kick ass just as much as I loved seeing her softer side when she was with Cole. She’s an unforgettable character.
I was super excited for this one... superdeeduper excited. I ended up reading this one 14hrs or so... I cruised through it. There were times where I was kind of frustrated with PJ and her bipolar personality. But, I guess I can see where she compartmentalized everything. She and Cole were pretty hot together when she finally let her guard down and went for it with him.
And then the big bad happened and it was downright hard for me to get through that part. The fact that her whole team knew what happened and the aftermath was heart wrenching.
Gotta love Steele and the whole KGI family closing ranks around her especially once they found her again. She needed to know that they would not desert her like her other team had.
COLE. Loved him and I loved that he pulled PJ out of herself and we got to see her show some personality. Altho some of the stuff she said and did where Cole was concerned (being so almost schmoopy with Cole) was a bit unnerving. We've known so little about her that any kind of personality or affection she shows feels out of character.
Good from Maya Banks... not my favorite of this series but still a good one.
And then the big bad happened and it was downright hard for me to get through that part. The fact that her whole team knew what happened and the aftermath was heart wrenching.
Gotta love Steele and the whole KGI family closing ranks around her especially once they found her again. She needed to know that they would not desert her like her other team had.
COLE. Loved him and I loved that he pulled PJ out of herself and we got to see her show some personality. Altho some of the stuff she said and did where Cole was concerned (being so almost schmoopy with Cole) was a bit unnerving. We've known so little about her that any kind of personality or affection she shows feels out of character.
Good from Maya Banks... not my favorite of this series but still a good one.