Safe at Last: A Slow Burn Novel (Slow Burn Novels)

I enjoyed the storyline between the characters but too much time was spent on their thoughts going over and over the same old things. More storyline needed to be given to the danger around them. That part of the story was almost an afterthought.

I was excited after reading the first two, but this one was a disappointment. Too much repeating, and telling us about his football career, Zack sadness after 12 yrs. Before you get to find out why Grace ran off in the first place you have to suffer about 60% of the book with the description of her being scarred every time Zack mentioned " What did he do."

This book characters captures your attention from the beginning it keeps you engrossed in the book until the end I will not mention the characters but believe me you will not be sorry for reading this book

Review published at http://afterdarkbooklovers.com/2015/06/17/blog-tour-book-review-safe-at-last-by-maya-banks/

Zack has spent twelve years searching for the woman he loves beyond all measure. He finds her….and she’s scared spitless of him. What the heck happened? It takes a while and there’s alot of suspense, but romance does happen.

The Good, The Bad and Everything In Between

Excellent suspense: There’s alot going on with Zack and Gracie, and there’s a couple of different threads unraveling at once. The action is interesting, if a bit confusing for a novice like me. I haven’t read the earlier entries, so while the first 20% had its share of recapping (which flowed well), it wasn’t until after that point when a villain from the DSS crew’s past rears its head did I start to feel a little lost.

Kind of a standalone?: There’s certainly information provided to help the reader out, but between this and all the characters from the earlier books making an appearance, it got a bit hectic. I would say that it would make a difference to read the earlier books. As for the tension and suspense, I was right there screaming with Zack, wanting to know what the heck happened to Gracie all those years ago and it kept me turning the page….until it just made me want to cry for her.

Zack’s undying devotion is hot: Zack and Gracie’s romance began when they were teenagers and the plans for their wedding night? Literally made me awww out loud. His inner monologue about how he felt about Gracie, everything he wanted to give her was absolutely swoon-worthy and by far my favorite part of this book. For those who need “safe” romances, Zack is all about his girl. There is no doubt about his feelings or waffling in the least. The heat is in his feels for her...

Which is good because sexy times aren’t plentiful: It made absolute sense for this story to be more about their emotional journey than any sexual connection. It’s a very slow burn, but after all that Gracie went through, any quicker would have felt rushed. Which leads me to…

Gracie’s secret was heartbreaking: While I felt it was fairly to predict what it was, the details make it no less horrifying. There is violence against her in this book as well, so for those with triggers, this may be difficult to read. I do feel that the severity of her previous trauma makes her distrust and sheer fear of Zack a little more believable.

...if easy to figure out: While I enjoyed alot of things about this read, I did struggle with the plot being fairly standard, and a bit of repetitiveness when it came to drawing out the tension of the reveals. It could be frustrating at times. Zack’s devotion though? That made up for alot.

The Bottom Line
Issues aside, I liked it. I did feel a bit lost at times, so I would recommend this for fans of this series. Zack was a gem of a hero, though - those who adore their alpha heroes to be completely and utterly devoted to their ladies may want to check him out. I’m glad I read it.

**ARC provided by publisher via edelweiss for review**

I enjoy Maya Banks' stories and I really like this particular series in general, but this third installment to the series was a shorter than usual novel that went nowhere for a long time and then, BAM, a sequence of events start taking place with plot holes galore and TSTL moments to boot. At best, there was enough content to make a novella and the rest of the book is simply filler and side characters.

12 Years ago, Gracie and Zack were madly in love. At 20 years of age, Zack had plans to go into professional football to take care of 16 year old Gracie and their future children. He had it all planned out, but one day, Gracie disappeared from existence and Zack spent 12 years looking for her. From Gracie's perspective, 12 years ago, Zack had committed an unspeakable betrayal, literally unspeakable since no one would say what he did for almost the entire book, and she lives in terror of ever seeing him again. That incident also robbed her of her gift of mindreading, the extraordinary ability Gracie had, which falls in line with the series. A chance encounter at an art gallery brings the past crashing to the present and the two have to uncover the truth of what really happened.

For starters, the premise was actually quite a good one and I'm a personal sucker for second chance love stories, which his why I gave it two stars, however the execution and writing of this loosely called novel is so bad that it was almost torture. For 80% of the book, Zack is trying to figure out why Gracie left and why she's so terrified of him, but because of her terror, they don't actually talk and all we get are repeated speculations. Once the truth, or one version of the truth, is discovered, Zack works to get the proof he needs to convince Gracie she's wrong. While he's away, Gracie works with a bunch of strangers of DSS on a rescue mission.... wait what? Therein lies the problem. Any interesting aspects of this story are stolen by side characters whom Gracie may or may not have met during the story and the only time the two main characters have together is spent in tortured accusations without explanations. The underlying threat of the story, since this is romantic suspense, doesn't feel threatening for the whole novel and then gets complete attention for the last 10% of the book. Also because of the content, there isn't any of Ms. Banks standard sensuality. The story was completely unbalanced and if the protagonists had at least come to a resolution halfway through, then there could have been chemistry building for the second half as well as facing down a threat. Unfortunately, that's not how it went down.

This third book in the Slow Burn series focuses on Zack and Gracie, high school sweethearts whose relationship had an unexpected end.
After twelve years, Zack came to the conclusion that his dear Gracie had died after failing to find any trace of her. One day, she unknowingly walks back into his life and turns his world upside down. Seeing that Gracie is alive and well relieves him immensely, but his joy is quickly doused when she reacts with absolute fear towards him.
Zack yearns to have Gracie back in his arms and life permanently, but first he needs to get to the bottom of what happened all those years ago to make her leave him without a goodbye.

***

There were some issues that came up during my read which led to my rating of just 3 stars.
For one, the first half of the book carried on with a few too many repetitive phrases in terms of the inner and outer dialogue.
Another thing that I had an issue with was the confusion that stemmed from not having a complete background of the characters and the DSS company. This is said to be a stand alone novel, but there was a good amount of the story in which I had no clue what was what.
For example, the current bad guys of the story; though silent for most of the book, are still an underlying problem. I’m assuming they show up in the previous book, but not having read it, I was lost on the significance these villains truly held.
The other characters were also a huge part of the story, yet I didn’t feel a connection to them. They all were pretty much strangers to me. I wish there was a bit more background set in place in certain areas to ease the disconnect.

What I believed the author executed well was the suspense pertaining to Gracie and Zack’s past. The secret that Gracie held was traumatic to say the least. I’m sure many readers will be able to predict it early on, but seeing her relive it and recall the events piece by piece was heartbreaking. Her initial fear of him was striking and what really began to drum up questions.
The way she feared Zack and was adamant about having him gone built up the suspense and concern over their past. That hazy air that hung between them was the prime reason I was glued to the book. I wanted to see how it would all unravel and what the outcome would be for them.
Zack was a great character to read. He had a tenderness to him that showed whenever he spoke with or of Gracie. He was so determined to regain her trust and keep her safe, no matter how difficult she made it.
The supernatural elements began to really come into play later in the book when a secondary plot emerges. Coincidentally, at that moment is when the more action-packed aspect of the novel enters as well.
Overall, I thought this novel was good. I enjoyed the plot direction and the suspense throughout was really engaging. This book would be great for readers who enjoy a more slow burning story.
Despite the labeling of “stand alone”, I highly encourage reading the entire series in order, so that you can connect more to every character and story, and not get lost at any moment.

Zack Covington was briefly an NFL player when an accident had him walking away from the game. It wasn’t that he couldn’t play; it just wasn’t in his heart to continue. Now he is an employee for Deveraux Security, and he spends his time protecting people. Part of his dedication to his job is because he enjoys keeping people safe from those that would harm them, which is something he didn’t do to the love if his life twelve years ago. For the last twelve years, besides his job, Zack has been on a quest to find out just what happened to his “Gracie.”

Anna-Grace Hill is no longer a young and innocent girl and has survived an experience that no girl should ever have to deal with. If that was not bad enough, that same experience showed her a betrayal of a man that Anna-Grace loved and expected to spend the rest of her life with. Now Anna-Grace has become the artist that she always wanted to be and is about to have her first large show in a gallery. It is time for Anna-Grace to put the past behind her and finally move forward.

Zack and Anna-Grace come face-to-face unexpectedly, and the outcome puts fear in her and rage in him. Zack is trying to figure out just why his Gracie is beyond scared of him, and Anna-Grace is wondering if she can survive meeting Zack again after his last betrayal of her. Before Zack can get Anna-Grace to tell him just what happened so long ago, she is attacked by an old enemy of the owners of Devereaux Security and the women they love. Now, it’s beyond personal for Zack and with Devereaux Security to both help protect Anna-Grace and bring down those that hurt her. As Anna-Grace slowly recovers she finally confronts Zack about just what happened twelve years ago, and she receives a very different reaction—one of horror and disbelief. Anna-Grace begins to wonder if she has been correct in exactly what she has believed for so long. Zack has always loved his Gracie and will do whatever he needs to do to try and gain her trust and love again. Anna-Grace lost so much twelve years ago and now it appears that she might gain most of it back if she can just find the way back to Zack again. It’s an explosive few days when all those who hurt Anna-Grace get just what they deserve, and the how and by whom might be the bridge that bring Zack and Anna-Grace needs to find forever together.

When young love is destroyed and years later they meet up again, can a lost love find a way to blossom again? Zack and Anna-Grace have just this second chance in Safe at Last. I could almost feel the agony from both Zack and Anna-Grace when they met back up and again later as they traveled the pothole-filled path back to each other. My heart hurt several times for both Zack and Anna-Grace as I discovered just what happened to tear them apart, and I have to admit that I cheered as Zack took care of those who hurt his love. Then I cheered again as Anna-Grace proved just how strong she was when she put herself in danger to help save a woman who tried to protect her, and she was also Zack’s friend.

Safe at Last is full of emotions that will both tear your heart out and make you want to hug Zack and Anna-Grace. Their journey back together was not easy at all and yet it had me captivated to see what would happen next. While I will say there were several spots that were not comfortable to read, I found the entire book unforgettable and a definite keeper. In other words, Safe at Last is a Joyfully Recommended Read and a book you won’t want to miss even if you haven’t read the previous two books in the series.

This book was reviewed by Jo for Joyfully Reviewed (JR), and was provided by the publisher/author at no cost to JR for the purpose of being reviewed.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Jerjen

Gracie and Zack fell in love when they were still in high school and both knew they had found THE one. They were totally completely in love and devoted to each other and they knew they would get married, raise a family and live happily ever after. It did not matter to Zack that Gracie came from the wrong side of the tracks and many considered her to be “white trash”. To Zack she was perfect and he could not love her more. Gracie knew that Zack’s feelings were true and she never doubted his love. She could read people’s minds and she knew the truth. She loved Zack as much as he loved her. They were waiting to be married before they were intimate and both knew this would make the intimacy even more special. Everything was falling into place for their happily ever after and things were perfect, until they weren’t.

Zack returned home for the weekend from college and Gracie was gone. She just vanished with no word on where she went and no message from her. Zack was so sick with worry, wondering if she was kidnapped or murdered. He knew that she would never leave him voluntarily so something terrible must have happened. And although he did everything within his power to find her, he never did. He even went so far as becoming a security expert, hoping he would somehow be able to track her down through his connections. And although he found and saved many people while working for Devereaux Security, he was unable to locate the one person he desperately wanted to. He had never forgotten Gracie and he had never stopped loving her, but after twelve years he decided he had to move on with his life. Until he sees a painting of a place that was special to him and Gracie and realizes she must still be alive.

Gracie disappeared long ago because of an unthinkable evil that entered her life. She was not only violated in the worst possible way, she knew the person responsible was the one person she trusted and loved with all her heart. But she is a survivor and she has made a new life for herself. She is an artist and although she has only one friend, she is getting by day by day. But she has never forgotten what happened and she has never been able to forgive Zack. She knows she never wants to see him again and that she needs to move on with her life, instead of merely going through the motions of living. Just as she too decides to put the past behind and try to move on, she comes face to face with Zack.

When Gracie sees Zack, she is terrified of him. She cannot stand being in the same place as him and she refuses to talk to him. Zack cannot understand her reaction to seeing him and he realizes that she must have left voluntarily and left him with no explanation. He is furious and although he is full of regrets for what could have been, his anger is stronger than his regrets. And the fact that Gracie is scared of him and refuses to talk to him, except to blame him for what happened in the past, confuses him. Before he really has a chance to talk with her and find out what happened twelve years ago, she is attacked. When he realizes he almost lost her a second time, he knows he still loves her and will do anything he can to set things right between them.

I loved the plot and storyline. The fact that they have been separated for twelve years and there is such a gigantic misunderstanding between the two is entertaining and unique, I thought. That they could both live through the same experience and have entirely different ideas as to why it happened was very clever. And actually, there are two storylines running through the book: Zack and Gracie’s past and the current attack on Gracie. I thought the author created two great plots and although they did not intertwine, they ran together parallel very nicely. I could tell that a lot of thought went into the plotting and storytelling and I really appreciated that.

The one thing that bothered me about the book was that I felt it was so repetitive when it came to Zack’s desperation to find Gracie and her fear of seeing Zack again. I felt like I read the same thing (sometimes written in slightly different words) for a big part of the book. I understood their feelings and concerns the first ten times I read about it, I did not need to be continually reminded of it. I would get sucked into the action and the story and then I would have to read about the feelings again and I felt it disrupted the flow of the story. If it was not for that I would have rated this book five stars.

As I said earlier, I enjoyed the plot and storyline. I also enjoyed the paranormal aspect of the book. I always enjoy reading books that have paranormal included. I also thought that the characters were well developed and were people that it was easy to care about. I enjoyed reading about the relationships and friendships that were developed between Zack and his coworkers and Gracie and her one friend. I also thought that there was enough suspense to keep me turning the pages.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romantic suspense. I would not recommend this book to young adults due to the language that is used. This is the first book I have read by this author and I plan on reading the first two books in the series.

Safe at Last is the third installment in the Slow Burn series, and I think it’s my favorite in the series so far! The series is sort of romantic suspense with a psychic twist, which I love! In this installment, we get Zack’s story – who we met in the first two books. We knew that he had someone close to him who could read minds, and in this book we got to learn about that backstory – and see how it all played out!

We find out that Gracie disappeared when she was just sixteen and Zack has spent the past twelve years looking for her. They were planning to get married once she was old enough (he was four years older than her) and he was traumatized by her sudden disappearance, imagining all sorts of terrible things that could have happened to her. Well, it turns out that Zack was right about something incredibly horrible happening to Gracie, but that she has spent the past twelve years thinking that he was the reason for her pain. When the two meet again, by happenstance, Zack can’t understand why Gracie is terrified of him!

What I loved:

Zack and Gracie.
In the first two books, insta-love kept me from completely loving the romances, but this time Zack and Gracie had a connection from their pasts and a backstory, so we avoid that issue. Mostly – I mean, it could definitely be argued that twelve years later the two shouldn’t still be so connected, but they had some pretty traumatic circumstances that forged a deeper connection between them. Gracie felt Zack’s love psychically when they were young, so she was sure that his love for her was absolutely true – which made his apparent betrayal of her all the more painful. And Zack has spent twelve years imagining a million horrible scenarios, feeling like he failed Gracie, so he’s never been able to let her go. I definitely wanted to see this pair find their way back to each other, even if it was a very messy journey!

The mystery of Gracie’s story.
It took quite some time to unravel what actually happened to Gracie and why she believed that Zack was at fault for the horrific event. I loved peeling back the layers as the book went on and I truly felt for both Zack and Gracie in the situation. It was obvious that they were both victims of something – but it took a while to find out what happened and then even longer to find out why! (I’d actually pretty much guessed at the why, but it was still fun to see it all revealed.)

Showdown with the bad guys.
In addition to Gracie and Zack’s story, this book continued the fight against with the bad guys that were introduced in Ari and Beau’s story – and there’s a pretty major showdown where the women all get to show who’s really boss!!

The negatives:

Gracie’s refusal to listen.
Okay, here’s the thing – Gracie was horribly traumatized by what happened to her and so I could kind of understand why she didn’t want to hear Zack’s side of the story – especially at first. But I sometimes wondered why she didn’t start to question things a little earlier – even if it was just to demand that Zack explain himself when he made wild claims that he’d been searching for her. When you find out why Gracie believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that Zack was behind the event, though, it was a little easier to understand why she felt so sure and why she just assumed that Zack was feeling guilty or completely lying.

Wish there were more psychic powers involved.
For the first seventy-five percent or so of the book, there was nothing more than small hints at the idea of Gracie’s ability to read minds. There were reasons for this, but I still missed the psychic powers of the first two books. The last quarter of the book made up for it, though!

I’m guessing that the next book in the series will focus on Eliza and a certain someone. We shall see! (Okay, we don’t have to wait and see. A quick glance at Twitter proved that I’m right). I give this book a very solid 4/5 stars.

***Disclosure: This book was provided to me by Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

I was super excited about getting my hands on the third book in the Slow Burn Series, and even though it wasn't my favorite book of the series, it was still freaking awesome!
So you may remember Zack from the last two slow burn books, he was the one that always seems to be in the thick of things with the hero… Well now it's his turn to be the hero, but in this very girl power book, he is not the only one.
Zack and Anna-Grace, or Gracie as Zack calls her; were inseparable, they had plans to build a life together, until on night changes everything for Gracie and she disappears, fearing for her life and feeling betrayed and Zack is left devastated and left without a purpose. Now Zack is working for Deveraux Security, but he still feels like a huge part of his life is missing…and her name is Gracie.
But after a chance meeting between him and Gracie at an art gallery, now Zack is even more confused than ever! Why did she leave him? and more importantly why is she so terrified of him?!
Anna-Grace lived a night of horror at the hands of Zack’s friends, who were under Zack’s orders, so she believes. But it was an elaborate set up by people who disliked Anna-Grace. But while she is struggling with the truth and her feelings for Zack, her life is suddenly plunged into even more danger and she is not sure she will get out alive…
To start with, this book is different from the others as it's more of a girl-power book, which I have to say is a very nice change. I will be honest that I was a little freaked out at first with Anna-Grace’s reaction to Zack, also to the assault storyline. But I honestly don't know how the author could have written the story without it. I have to admit though, I did thoroughly enjoy Zack’s brand of punishment.
Now on to the nuts and bolts of the story, the writing was smooth and it had the right amount of intrigue, without branching over to the horror side. The characters were whole, and their back story's not skipped over, but we're well developed. The story had no holes, so by the end of the book, it made you feel like they were your friends and you were there with them.
Again, Safe At Last is a freaking amazing book and kept me gripped to the edge of my seat.
I give it 10 out of 10!

Wow! Maya Banks did not disappoint her eager fans with this one! I, like most of us, am a HUGE Maya Banks fan, so when the opportunity came to review this book, I could not fill out the request form fast enough. I love anything she writes and knew this book would be no different. I wasn't wrong. This book sucks you in right from the beginning and you can't read the pages fast enough to find out what happens.

Zack has been in love with Gracie for half his life. He wanted nothing more than to marry her and have a happy life, but one weekend he comes home from college to find her gone. No one seems to know where she went or what happened to her. He searched for her for years and vowed to one day find her. Just when he has given up any hopes of having her back in his life, she unexpectedly appears.

Gracie has only loved one man; however, she feels as though he betrayed her and set the event in motion that forever changed her. She has never gotten over his betrayal, but she knows she must move on. Just when she thinks she is at a point in her life to let go of the past, the one man who owns her heart slams back into her life.

Zack and Gracie can't believe they are facing each other again. Zack thought he had lost her forever and will stop at nothing to get her back. Gracie is forced to face her past and re-live the worst night of her life. When Zack realizes that Gracie thinks he hurt her, he makes it his mission to prove that he would never do so. However, when Gracie is attacked and left on his doorstep, will this be the final straw that breaks them both completely? Will they ever find out what happened to Gracie? Will they ever catch who is responsible for all the hurt? In order to find out, you HAVE to read this one.

Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down. I had so many questions that I needed the answers to and I couldn't read fast enough to answer them. I couldn't help but feel for Zack. He loved Gracie so much and every time something happened, I felt my heart break with his. I wanted them to overcome their past and be together, I mean, they are perfect for each other. I could understand Gracie's issues with Zack, but I couldn't help but want her to open up to him once and for all so they could find a way back to each other. They were a perfect fit for each other and I adored them.

Zack was the perfect BBF and I think I will just go ahead and claim him for myself. No one will ever come close to the person he is and how much he puts his heart on the line for those he loves. While their story may be a little hard for some to read, I think this was truly a great read. Maya may have outdone herself on this one and I can't wait to see how she tops it with the next book!

Dreams Lost

No truer words can express Zack and Anna-Grace’s lives for the past twelve years – the years after their young love was shattered leaving both of them in a state of confusion, fury, and pain. For Zack, the years have been filled with uncertainty, not knowing if his Gracie is alive or dead and wondering why she left him if she is alive. Gracie has lived a life of fear since she was 16, allowing her past to haunt and dominate her present and her feelings of betrayal to consume her. Neither Zack nor Gracie has had any closure on the events that separated them because Zack’s been unable to find her, and Gracie wants nothing to do with the man who shattered her heart. But the past is exactly what they’re going to have to confront when they come face to face and answers are not going to be easily found because one is completely in the dark and the other wants nothing to do with the person who betrayed her in a way she believes there’s no coming back from…can Zack and Gracie’s dreams be reborn or are they too far gone to be found?

As I read Safe At Last, my heart broke for both Zack and Gracie. Maya Banks does a great job of illustrating all of the emotions that the first loves go through as they deal with the fallout of reconnecting and setting facts straight. Both of them feel betrayed by the other and that type of feeling cuts deep and changes a person, is clearly shown in Zack’s frustration to understand what Gracie is accusing him of doing all of the those years ago and Gracie’s overwhelming fear to be anywhere near him.

The plot line centers on Zack and Gracie unearthing the truth about what happened to their relationship twelve years ago, but there is also a secondary storyline that deals with a dangerous enemy threatening their lives. The situation forces them together, and Zack and his teammates must work to protect those they love while Zack also works to understand how he lost the love of his life. Maya Banks seamlessly ties the two situations together, allowing readers to understand what’s at stake for all those involved, but the one aspect I would have liked to see a bit more of is Zack and Gracie’s reconnection…everything that happens after the truth is learned…how the issues are resolved…how they reestablish themselves as a couple. I was waiting for that insight as I rode through the torment and anguish with Zack and Gracie, and I just didn’t feel like enough information was given.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed Zack and Gracie’s story, and I’ll definitely be checking out the first two books in the series.

A complimentary copy was provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.

4 poison apples

4 Forgiving Stars

Safe at Last is a standalone and is part of the Slow Burn series.

This is Zack and Gracie’s story.

Zack and Gracie were high school sweethearts and were 100% in love. I loved that there weren’t any flash backs. When you start the read, it goes to the heart of the story. Zack loved Gracie and he was going places too. He was a football player and was very good at it. Gracie and Zack were saving themselves for each other and wanted to spend the rest of their life together.

Until Gracie disappears

Twelve years later Zack, still in love with Gracie, is still trying to forget her. He doesn’t have relationships and doesn’t know how to love any women. He misses Gracie and thinks about her all the time.

Then, he meets her again.

Where has Gracie been? What happened to her? Why is Gracie acting so different?

This is a very tragic and heavily angst filled book. There’s tons tons tons of angst in this one. When Zack meets Gracie again, it’s not the reunion he hoped for. Gracie **GASP** is terrified of Zack! It breaks my heart to read that part and you just FEEL for Zack.

She is screaming out loud petrified of Zack and you just do not know why?!

Again, you are angry and sad for Zack and want Gracie to just tell him what happened! Gracie is too upset and very time Zack pressures Gracie to tell him what’s wrong, something happens. A good deal of the book you are wondering what happened with Gracie. Zack tries very hard to piece together her past and does everything he can to reconnect, but Gracie puts up major walls.

"I won’t give up. I won’t go away. I won’t forget. I’ve waited twelve years for this moment, and I’ll be damned if I walk away from you like you walked away from me."

Safe at Last reads very differently from the first two books. This one is less paranormal, less suspenseful and less steamy. There’s not any steam to be honest. The story is mainly between Gracie and Zack and what happened that cause Gracie to go missing years ago. I would say this was a drama filled romance.

I wanted to pull my hair out many times because I just wanted to know what happened. I understand Gracie is upset, but when a man tells you again and again he loves you, you have to think he may not know what happened. I love Zack’s love for Gracie and I love that he will stop at nothing to get her back. I love it when the Hero is head-over-heels in love with the Heroine.

Like I said, it’s a little different from the previous two books, but Maya Banks sure knows how to keep you on your toes.

AN ARC was provided

Over the years, I have heard nothing but rave reviews for Maya Banks. So naturally, I was thrilled when given the opportunity to review her newest release in the Slow Burn series - Safe At Last. And given my weakness for a second chance romance, I was sure that this would be a home run for me. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Don't get me wrong, the writing was great, and the story showed great promise. Where the story struck out for me was in the content.

First we are introduced to Zack Covington, former NFL star turned private security. Zack is down on himself for having failed his first love and devastated at having lost her without a trace. He's turned to security as a means to continue his twelve year search for her, even knowing there is a good chance that she is no longer among the living.

Enter Anna-Grace Hill, a.k.a. Gracie, Zack's mystery love. A chance meeting throws them in each others' paths, and Gracie is terrified. Not only did Zack fail to protect, in her mind he is the cause of her destroyed life. He orchestrated her demise, or so she believes. She wants nothing to do with him, yet he won't leave her alone. And the more time she spends with him, the more she is convinced that maybe her gifts of insight were what failed her and it was never really Zack's fault in the first place.

Sounds good, right? Shows a lot of promise. But here's where the book struck out for me. Based on the length of this novel, I would have loved to have seen more depth to the story. I struggled to really connect with the main characters. We never learned more about them than their sadness or anger or confusion of the events that had or hadn't transpired between them. For more than half of the book, it was a back and forth of Gracie's accusations and Zack's bewilderment. When Gracie was finally forced to unveil the truth to him, Zack immediately disappeared, only to return in time for Gracie to have forgiven him. End scene. Happily ever after.

For me, this book was no more than a 3 star review. I did like the bit of back of story we got about Zack's employers, and I would go back to read the first two in the series. I don't fault the author at all for my mediocre feelings about the book, and I'm sure there are people who will enjoy Safe at Last immensely. If you like a second chance romance with a truly angst filled back story, this will be the one for you.