REVIEW: Long Road Home by Maya Banks

 

Author: Maya Banks

Pages: 272

Genre: Romance - Suspense

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

AMAZON: Long Road Home

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

No matter how far and how fast you run, the truth is never far behind.

CIA counter-terrorism expert Manual Ramirez has spent the last three years looking for the woman he loves, who disappeared without a trace while on a post-graduate trip to France.

Then, as suddenly as she disappeared, Jules Trehan turns up in a small-town Colorado hospital bed, injured in an explosion that killed her parents. Manny is shocked by the change in the woman he once knew. Kidnapped by a shadowy organization, Jules has been forced to become the very thing he’s pledged his life to defeat—a terrorist assassin.

Knowing her testimony will finally bring down the organization, Manny races to get her to Washington, D.C. in one piece. Just when there’s a glimmer of hope of overcoming her past, Jules must pull off one last job or Manny’s life will be forfeit. It’s a mission she must complete…even if it means betraying the only man she has ever loved. 

REVIEW: 4 out of 5 stars

Jules Trehan is on the run from a man she knows only as Northstar and from a terrorist organization she was forcefully recruited into when she was on a post-graduate trip to France, what was meant to be a vacation turned into her worst nightmare.

Manual Ramirez is a CIA counter-terrorism expert and has been searching for Jules since she disappeared three years prior, only leaving him with a vague message and not knowing one way or another whether she was safe, using all the resources he has on hand he finally locates her but is surprised by the person she has become and the links she has to the terrorist organization known as New French Revolution (NFR).

Trained as an assassin, Jules had to perform some unthinkable acts whilst employed by the organization and struggles to forgive herself for what she has done; she spends a lot of time trying to protect Manny and accepts one last job to try and free herself from the clutches of the organization but it is a job that could ultimately mean her demise.

Long Road Home is heavy on the suspense, there were a number of twists and turns that kept me captivated and wanting to know more – I was surprised by who the villains were and was thankful of the outcome. I truly felt for Jules and the predicament she was in. I liked her as a character, she had courage and determination but I wish she had of trusted someone from the very beginning and more so when she knew of Manny’s connections and capabilities.

I adored Manny, he had always been protective of Jules and became even more so when he found her again after being separated for so long, he was torn over whether she could be trusted but he never faltered in his protection, love and care.

Long Road Home has all the things I enjoy in a Romantic Suspense, mystery, betrayal, action and of course a healthy dose of romance – I loved Jules and Manny together.

Tony was a wonderful side character and was the perfect partner to Manny, the sort of person you would definitely want covering your back.

It is a fast paced and engaging plot, the action is ongoing from the very beginning and didn’t let up. I enjoy Maya Banks writing; she has a way of pulling me in, I was engrossed in Long Road Home.

This novel was previously released under Ms Banks pen name Sharon Long.