Love Me Still, another story by Maya Banks

I’m pretty certain that I’ve read everything Maya Banks has published.  Since reading The Darkest Hour for our book club, I re-read her story, Love Me Still.  Love Me Still is a short (very short) story by Maya Banks that has the same theme of forgiveness that laces The Darkest Hour.  Maya hits the mark in dealing with the difficult issue of forgiveness in her short story as she did in her newest book.

Left to die by her wolf shifter mates after they are convinced she betrayed them and killed their father, Heather proves herself a survivor.  Even though she makes it against the odds, without the men she has committed herself to, her soul feels dead inside.  When Cael and Riyu learn the truth and realize their mistake in shunning their mate, they bring her back to their village.  Heather is a broken shell of the woman she once was and damaged more than her mates first believed.  The question then is whether her trust in them has been irrevocably broken.

Seriously, I wasn’t certain I wanted her to forgive her mates.  In her darkest need, the ones who should have cared for her weren’t able to be there for her.  Even the circumstances didn’t excuse them in my eyes.  With more time to develop her characters, I may have felt differently.  Maya has the ability to instill empathy for her characters but she just didn’t have enough time to develop all of the characters enough in this short story.  I did, however, feel for the pain that Heather was going through.  I ached for her at her loss of her mates and for the hurt she saw in their eyes when they believed she had betrayed them. And when they returned to her, I could feel the joy Heather did at her return to the mates and the pack she so cherished. I would’ve cheered for Heather regardless of what her decision had been.

So if you’re in the mood for a romantic, short story that is likely to make you cry, I recommend picking up Maya Bank’s Love Me Still.  I’d give it 3 out of 5 chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Rebecca