Member Reviews
I received this arc from NetGalley for an honest review. I have heard about Maya Banks books but I just can't seem to get into her books.
Kept is the final book in the Enforcers trilogy. I’m a little disappointed that it’s a trilogy because I would love to read Maddox and Justice’s stories. They featured prominently in this trilogy so I was very surprised that they didn’t get their own books. Still, I would have been more surprised had Silas not had his own book. He definitely needed a book.
Silas had the childhood from hell. He lives with demons that no one should have to face. He knows that there is no hope for him and he accepts that. He is an enforcer for Drake Donovan, but even Drake doesn’t give Silas orders. Silas does what he wants, when he wants. He’s loyal to Drake because he wants to be, not because he has to be.
Haley is desperately searching for an apartment. Working two jobs and only on a partial scholarship at a prestigious music school, Haley is running out of options. When she comes across an ad for a walk-up apartment, she decides to check it out even though she knows it may be too much. Still, Haley is hopeful. That is the kind of person she is. When she finds out the rent for the apartment, she is devastated. Haley knows that her time in New York is running out.
Silas sees Haley on his security monitors and instantly wants to protect her. Moving her into the apartment next to his is something that is completely unexpected. Silas is a loner by nature, but Haley brings peace to his world. It’s her music that starts their relationship although Haley doesn’t even know that Silas is listening to her.
A series of events bring Haley and Silas face-to-face. Soon after they are in an intense relationship, one that Haley revels in. When Silas breaks her heart, he’s only trying to protect her. The only problem is that he ends up bringing danger to her door. He only hopes it’s not too late to save her and her love for him.
This was probably my favorite book in the series. Silas was extremely dominating and Haley was submissive, but she was also very strong willed. There were things that she wouldn’t let Silas get away with and I fully appreciated that.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
It was fine. There was nothing overly special about it that spoke to me.
I'm so excited to read The Enforcers third book and it Silas' story!! Oh my goodness! I feel like I have been desperate to read this book forever! I absolutely loved Silas in the first two books and I was desperate for him to find someone that he would love, But honestly didn't think that would happen, but luckily Maya Banks had better ideas.
In true Maya Banks style, nothing in true love runs smoothly and boy it doesn't in Kept, but the writing and plot were absolutely fabulous. Haley's characters is amazing! I loved her from the beginning. She is spunky and is willing to stand up to Silas, which is no easy feat. But she is also willing to submit to his dominate side, and that I feel is more powerful. Silas character is a total alpha male, and while I'm sure all the women swoon for that, with Haley it became his downfall! And I honestly think that was my most favorite part of the book! His humility was refreshing.
Now I love Maya Banks books, but I know she can be somewhat controversial, so if you don't like Alpha Males, violence and rough sex, this book is not for you. But luckily for me, I love (almost all of) them, which is why I give Kept 5 stars!
Every girl deserves a Silas. He is by far my favorite hero that Maya Banks has ever written. I wanted his book from the first second he was introduced in the first Enforcers book and that want only grew throughout the first two books so I was beyond thrilled when Banks announced his book would be next. She didn't disappoint, not even a little.
Silas is a hard man, but he's got a big squishy heart that never stops. He might do questionable things and have a slightly skewed sense of right and wrong, but he's a protector through and through. Haley gives him all the sweet he deserves while proving time and again that she can go toe to toe with him when necessary. She's not a wilting violet.
Five stars and Five wet panties! A must read!!
ARC review by Miranda at Mommy's a Book Whore.
3.5 stars--KEPT is the third installment in Maya Banks’s contemporary, adult THE ENFORCERS erotic, romantic suspense series. This is enforcer Silas Goodnight, and musician Hayley Winthrop’s story line. KEPT can be read as a stand alone without any difficult. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.
Told from several third person perspectives including Silas and Hayley KEPT focuses on the ongoing threats against Drake Donovan and his now pregnant wife Evangeline (Mastered, Dominated), and Silas’s attraction to his new tenant Hayley Winthrop. Only days from being homeless Hayley finds herself accepting a rental unit in an area of town she cannot afford. The price was right, something she never questioned, but with it came the ongoing loneliness of solitude. With only a few belongings and her favorite violin, Hayley begins life anew until she meets her new neighbor and the building’s owner Silas-a broodingly, intense man with too many secrets and a passion for power and control. A late night attack that leaves our heroine broken and in pain, finds Silas taking responsibility for the woman with whom he will fall in fall. What ensues is the building relationship between Silas and Hayley-a relationship that is destroyed not once but two times, and the search for the people out to destroy their lives.
KEPT is a story line with graphic violence: not once, not twice but three times our heroine will be the victim of personal, physical and sexual assault. She is never the victim of rape but she is targeted by a criminal organization in retaliation for her connections to our story line hero. To keep her safe Silas will walk away placing Hayley in the direct line of fire once again. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and seductive. Hayley is a virgin who quickly learns what it is our hero likes.
Throughout the story line we get glimpses into our heroine’s past but Silas’s brooding behavior hides a darkened past that has made the man he is today. Heartbreaking in presentation, Silas is unable to let go of the memories and the fear believing himself to be damaged in the process.
But saying all of this I found myself appalled by the behavior of the leading couple. Hayley is very quick to defend and forgive a man who all but pushes her out of his life; and Silas’s secrets and duty to protect Evangeline Donovan leave our heroine puzzled as to her position in Silas’s life. Hayley is not a priority and she knows that to fall in love with Silas will mean always coming in second to the job she knows nothing about. Silas’s brothers and fellow enforcers were more protective of Hayley than the man that she loved.
Like the previous two installments KEPT has a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters-brothers, so to speak-enforcers who work for Drake Donovan, that are willing to die to protect the people they love.
The world building focuses on the upcoming war with the underground criminal element; a war where the woman Silas loved would get caught in the crossfire, and be targeted in a game of revenge. I did have an issue with the redundancy and repetition of events; the reminders of what was, and what was happening.
KEPT is a roller coaster ride of ups and downs; emotional uncertainty, and uncomprehending disbelief. I found myself shaking my head at the numerous attacks against one woman including the emotional attack by the man that she loved. The premise is entertaining but I struggled with the violence; the romance is painful and tragic; the characters are passionate and spirited, and in the end Hayley is willing to forgive the man who promised his protection but whose priorities were pulled in another direction.
Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley
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4.5 stars
This is the third book of three in the Enforcers series, It is a standalone, but is tied to the characters from Mastered and Dominated.
This is a much better book than the first two. Silas is a much more sympathetic character than Drake, and while he screws up, he does it for a good reason, unlike Drake.
Haley Winthrop has had a tough time of it lately. Cheated out of her late father’s life insurance money, she is struggling to hold on, working two jobs and going to school full time. When she comes to the attention of Silas Goodnight, he provides her with a place to stay, and then is captivated by her talent as a musician. He gradually starts taking care of her in other ways, not realizing that he was endangering her by showing his interest.
Haley isn’t at all sure at first that Silas has any romantic interest in her, but that quickly changes. But how can she offer her heart to a man who puts another woman, Evangeline, before her. In fact, she sometimes feels she is the lowest of his priorities. When Silas finds out she’s been targeted, can he protect her and his heart?
The story line is complex, pitting three gangs against each other. The characters are likeable: Haley is strong, dedicated, and caring, while Silas is a delicious Dominant. The two strike sparks off each other, all the while complementing each other’s weaknesses. The sex is hot, with mild BDSM, and the emotions run high.
While Maya Banks has been hot and cold, recently, Kept is one of her better reads. It is fine to read as a standalone.
Maya Banks never disappoints! Sexy and emotional, KEPT is the best one in the series.
I love Maya's books, however, this one just didn't really do it for me. Thank you so much for the opportunity.
I have to say that out of all the books I have read by Maya Banks – this one by far is my favorite.
Silas is an enforcer who has been protecting Drake and his brothers all his life and he has been happy with what that has been. When he sees Haley in the lobby of his apartment building desperate and beautiful he knows that she can change his life. Silas has never thought he was good enough for anything light and fresh which is why he has chosen to stay in the dark alone. Though after spending time with Drake and his beautiful wife Evangeline he is wondering if he could have a chance to experience love and happiness but how can he ask Haley to step into his dark life.
Haley came to New York as a promise to her father and to get her music degree. Now she is alone and virtually homeless she needs a place to live sooner rather than later. When she steps into an apartment building and is given an apartment that is too good to be true and then she meets the owner. Silas is unlike anyone she has met before and she falls for him quickly and easily but when she starts to understand how dangerous and secretive his life is can she stay with him.
What works for me is the characters not only Silas and Haley but the other brothers who we get to see more of in this story. The dialog between them is quick, witty and really good. The story moves very quickly which I appreciated. What didn’t work for me was how formulaic the story feels – a young innocent girl falls for an older man who feels that his unworthy of her love. There is a lot of the story where the author writes about just how young Haley is and how unworthy Silas feels. It was similar to the previous 2 books – though I will say I did think Haley has more of a backbone as the heroine then what we say in the first 2 books. What really put this over the edge for me was the writing and story of Maddox, Justice, Thane and the other brothers – they seem to be the voice of reason during the books. I am just hoping when/if they get their own stories they continue to be.