Book Reviews

Book Blurb

On the day he and Roman Capanelli were to be married, Malik Stevens wakes up in a small room with very little light. Time must be passing, because a door opens from time to time and food is left for him—that’s his only connection to the outside world. Roman is a choreographer on Broadway, and he’s waiting for Malik at the park with all their friends, ready to start their marriage ceremony. When Malik doesn’t show up, Roman is nearly heartbroken thinking he’s been left at the altar. But soon he understands that Malik hasn’t stood him up, he’s been taken.

Desperate and determined, Roman begins searching for clues to aid the police. Then, when Malik escapes, the couple continues the search until they ferret out the culprit, and in the process open up a box of secrets. An orphan who grew up in a foster home, Malik knows his father was a serial killer and his mother died of grief and shame after his father was convicted. Now it seems some of his parents’ skeletons still hang in the family closet. But was Malik’s kidnapping meant to uncover those secrets or to hide them forever?

 

Book Review

‘Taken’ is the sequel to 'Stranded', and has the same intensity on both the thriller and the romance side of the equation. It is also a deeply emotional love story between two pretty normal men who are about to get married, yet find their efforts thwarted by a mysterious villain to the point where fear and tension brings out the best in both of them. The suspenseful mystery of who is behind Malik’s disappearance and why had me on the edge of my seat, but Andrew Grey managed to keep me on tenterhooks for the solution to that particular problem until the last 10% of the book. Well played!

Roman is a choreographer on Broadway, and he wants nothing more than to marry the love of his life. The opening scenes in the book when he waits for Malik “at the altar” only to be disappointed when the man doesn’t appear are very powerful. Roman goes from anger to disbelief, to thinking he has been abandoned, until h finally realizes something must be wrong. He and Malik have been together for two years, and nothing adds up to what he knows his lover to be like. Once he starts to investigate (more effectively than the police!), things begin to move.

Malik is an orphan who grew up in a foster home and never had anyone who really loved him. Meeting Roman has truly changed his life – and that is all he thinks about while he is locked up in this bare room, disconnected from the world. Some very powerful scenes and flashbacks there had me close to tears. But once he manages to orchestrate his escape (very cleverly), the sh*t really hits the fan. Action and physical danger are not frequent in Andrew Grey’s work, but when he does add them? His stories become even more incredibly powerful.

Like with ‘Stranded’, I can’t say too much about the details of all the twists and turns that happen (and there are a LOT!) without ruining the surprise for you. If you like mystery and suspense, if you want a great love story on top of that, and if you’re ready for an intense experience, hot loving, and fascinating revelations about Malik’s past, then you will probably enjoy this novel. I certainly did and really hope there will be more in the series!

 

 

 

 

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Additional Information

Format	ebook, print and audio
Length	Novel, 200 pages/70517 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	28-October-2013
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle, $19.95 audiobook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/taken-by-andrew-grey-3142-b