“Rush” by Maya Banks – An Odyssey into the Darkness

Rush by Maya Banks is the first book in what is known as The Breathless series, and it tells the story of Gabe Hamilton, one of the richest and most powerful men in the country. However, beneath his charming exterior beats a heart with much to hide from everyone. 

One day, he notices Mia Crestwell enter into the bathroom of his grand hotel, a young lady on who he had a crush ever since she was a teenager... and little did he know, Mia felt the same way towards him. 

And so they embark together on an ill-advised relationship, one which could threaten the integrity and honor of their families if it was to ever be exposed. However, it’s not as if all is fun and games, as Mia begins to learn about some of the darker tendencies Gabe hides from the world, going on a long and perilous odyssey into the darkest reaches of the human soul.

I have to say that even though I expected the first book to be some kind of run-of-the-mill love story, I was happy to see that despite everything, it does strive to evolve above that and explore deeper, existential themes. Of course, it all remains within the context of this type of book, with the main exploration being limited to human drives and desires, what is considered right and wrong, and of course, why. 

Rush by Maya Banks (Book cover)
In addition to that, the story itself is written quite well, with Maya Banks having a pretty good knack for choosing the proper words and making the whole thing feel mature. Also, I have to admit that it was nice to see that even though Mia was somewhat naive, she could stand up for herself and wasn’t just a lamb taken out for the slaughter.

As far as the meat of the book is concerned, the relationship between Gabe and Mia, I have to say that I was slightly disappointed in the general direction that was taken. While it was still interesting to read, it lacked originality, following the same structure multiple such stories before it have.

Nevertheless, the characters are still interesting to watch while they grow and develop, and on the whole, despite its flaws, the book is an interesting start to the trilogy and I believe anyone who likes stories such as Fifty Shades of Grey will take a liking to this book as well.

Maya Banks (Author)

Maya Banks


Personal site

Maya Banks is part of the writing movement in the United States which wants to bring erotic romance novels to casual readers. In one way or another, Maya Banks has ensured every one of her books to be grounded in romance, whether spiritual or physical.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

“The Locked Door” by Freida McFadden – Roots of a Lost Innocence

Image
  Freida McFadden has been quietly writing some exciting and original thrillers in her spare time from being a practicing physician, and The Locked Door is one of her latest offering in the genre.  It tells the story of Nora, a surgeon and daughter of a serial killer now in jail, who sees her life assaulted from the dark as someone begins to recreate her father's work with the exact same signature.
Read more

“The Lost Colony” by A.G. Riddle – A New Home Among the Stars

Image
A.G. Riddle's Long Winter Trilogy Series is one many of us will remember for the amazing story it brings of humanity's last stand against an overwhelming enemy in times of hopelessness. In The Lost Colony , the third book in the series, we follow James and Emma on their own respective struggles as humanity tries to settle itself on a new planet with an unseen danger none could have foreseen.
Read more

“Winter World” by A.G. Riddle – Ice Age from the Void

Image
A.G. Riddle is a true literary explorer seeking to push humanity to its limits and beyond, setting them on a desperate collision course with something beyond its understanding in Winter World . With a sudden ice age dawning on humanity entire swathes of land become uninhabitable and people begin dropping like flies, with anarchy reigning supreme. Looking to the stars for a miraculous solution, the remnants of humanity find a massive mysterious object floating near Mars ...whatever it is, our civilization's hopes of survival rest entirely in its hands.
Read more

“The Girl on the Stairs” by Barry Ernest – The Small Thorn you Can’t Ignore

Image
Girl on the Stairs , by Barry Ernest and with a foreword written by David Lifton, is an exploration of one specific aspect of the JFK assassination. More precisely, it looks into what a little girl by the name of Victoria Adams saw on that day while standing in the staircase of the Texas School Book Depository, where Lee Harvey Oswald was supposedly making his escape.  Actually, it is more about what she didn’t see than what she did see. Victoria was on the staircase Oswald supposedly used, at the exact same time he supposedly used it. If he were to be there, even the little girl she was, Victoria would have noticed a nervous man quickly running down the stairs. However, she says that on that day, she was alone there, with nobody to be found, especially Oswald.
Read more

“Three Comrades” by Erich Maria Remarque – The Other Side of the Barricade

Image
The two World Wars have been documented, discussed and depicted from virtually every perspective imaginable, ranging from small children caught in a crossfire all the way the leaders of each country. However, it seems that here is a startlingly small amount of attention dedicated to the small hiatus period between the two wars, a time during which many changes came to pass in Germany in a very short amount of time.
Read more