Maya Banks – Forged in Steele

The seventh book in the Kelly/KGI series, published June 25, 2013.
Genre: romantic suspense
Cover: I like strong men on my covers.



The Kelly Group International (KGI): A super-elite, top secret, family-run business.
Qualifications: High intelligence, rock-hard body, military background.
Mission: Hostage/kidnap victim recovery. Intelligence gathering. Handling jobs the U.S. government can't

Steele, a KGI team leader, is an enigma not even his teammates understand. His emotions are tightly locked down and nothing can break that icy exterior. Nothing except Maren Scofield, a doctor on a mission, a woman who has gotten under Steele's skin and threatens to crack that unflappable cool he's legendary for.
Steele is determined not to allow Maren past his carefully guarded defenses. But when she's in danger, there's no way he'll allow anyone else to protect her.
Maren's hiding something. He's sure of it. But he isn't prepared for the shocking discovery her secrets reveal. Or how they will forever alter the course of his destiny. He has a decision to make. Hold tight and shut her out. Or take a chance on something more powerful than he's ever faced: Love.


Steele and his team are on a mission, to free a girl from a villain, only the girl doesn’t want to leave, she is in love! But the girls’ parents paid them handsomely, so she doesn’t stand a chance, especially if the villain gives her up without any affection at all. But the team does not escape unscathed, and Steele will have to make a stop at Maren’s practice to get them sown up again.

Steele doesn’t like the intense attraction he is feeling for Maren, and she is totally clueless about it. And when she finally spots his interest, he is going to do something about it, tonight, and get her out of his system once and for all. Lucky for him, Maren is interested in him as well, and never thought the man who hasn’t said ten words to her if he could have used 2, would ever want to have sex with her. She is okay with a one-night stand, even though she knows she will regret it in the future, when she wants more and won’t get it. But to her surprise, Steele comes back after a few weeks. He did not get her out from under his skin, instead, she is distracting him even more. And for a black ops operative, that is not working. He needs to be able to focus on his job, to keep his team safe and succeed in the mission.

Maren suspects that first night got her pregnant, even though they used condoms, but she is not sure yet. And now that Steele is back, he will be with her when she gets the test results back. Living in the middle of nowhere in Costa Rica, there is no convenient grocery store with home pregnancy tests available.

Maren is a doctor, and like her parents have done for many years, she enjoys working with the underprivileged in the world, people who would never see a doctor otherwise. And now she has captured the attention of a local bad guy. And when Steele has to leave on his next mission, Maren finds herself abducted. She will have to stay and provide medical care for the bad guy after his next plastic surgery, or he will kill her and her unborn child …

When KGI and Steele find out that Maren is missing, Steele goes ballistic and uses every means at his disposal to find out where she is, what has happened to her. She is his, and he will safe her. But it takes one of Rio’s contacts, a man they don’t trust at all, to get Maren safely back in his arms, but can he keep her there? The bad guy has every intention of getting Maren back …


I love the KGI series but somehow this book was missing something that usually keeps me glued to the pages. Perhaps it is because Maren is pregnant immediately, and the whole book revolves around that, and well, it is just not sexy in my opinion. And the suspense, well, I just didn’t feel it as I usually do. This does not mean I did not like the book, as I did. Maya Banks is a great author who is very good at making me like her characters. But if every series has to have a lesser book in it, this one is it for me.

Steele is not as cold inside as he pretends to be, and he will rearrange his life to accommodate Maren and their baby. Of course that was sweet, and how he explains to Maren how he will try to be less alpha than he wants to be. He had no intention of getting in a relationship, as he loves his job and KGI and does not want to give it up. But it is not fair to ask a woman to wait for him while he goes on missions with no guarantee he will come back unhurt or alive.

Maren is a good doctor, and I admire her for the choices she has made in her life. How she wants to make a difference where it counts, instead of a posh practice in the USA. She doesn’t have much time for relationships or even a casual affair, and Steele sweeps her off her feet. She is a bit insecure about her looks though, can’t understand why a man like Steele (and the bad guy) are interested in plain her.

I enjoyed meeting with the previous KGI couples and characters again, it is nice to see that Rachel and Ethan like their live as parents of twins. And I do love Rusty a lot, and that police man has to lighten up around her, or she will ditch him.

It is a good story, and if you like to read about pregnancy and such in your books, you will like this one perhaps a bit more than I do.

7 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian