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Taken! #1 [parts 1-6]
Taken! Box-Set - Books 1-6
From YEAR ZERO PUBLISHING
By DONALD WELLS
The author of THE CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY & BLUE STEELE
******** TAKEN! 8 - GABBY - AVAILABLE NOW! *******
TAKEN!
Twenty-three women are dead, murdered by a serial killer who shows no mercy.
All twenty-three women shared the same look as Karen Ryan and now Karen Ryan is being stalked,
hunted like prey by a man who will stop at nothing to possess her.
Will Karen become victim number twenty-four?
Or does the prey hide a secret that will bring her predator down?
**************************SPOILER ALERT******SPOILER ALERT******************
Reading the descriptions of TAKEN! 2-6 may spoil the twist ending of TAKEN!
TAKEN! 2 - Young Blood
There's a killer at large in the Colorado community of Eagle's Bluff, and the death toll is frightening.
Three families have been brutally murdered, but what really sets the town on edge is the fact that the killer is one of their own.
Gregory Michael Rouse, a seventeen-year-old loner, was on the outside looking in among the affluent residents.
Gregory just never seemed to fit and was often the butt of cruel jokes.
Now, no one's laughing after Gregory surfaces as the prime suspect in the slayings.
Criminal Profiler, Dr. Jessica White is called in to help capture Gregory, but she didn't come alone.
Her husband has also traveled to the town of Eagle's Bluff to track down the killer.
Dr. White knows that Gregory's days of freedom are numbered, because the only thing more dangerous than the man they hunt, is her husband.
TAKEN! 3 - Regret
After Sandra Jenkins' six-year-old daughter was taken, the young mother trusted the authorities to get her little girl back.
But when the man who holds the only possible lead to her daughter's whereabouts is set free, Sandra goes after him.
Hours later, the man is dead and Sandra is following a trail that she hopes will lead to her daughter, Chrissie.
As the young mother's quest makes the news, it catches the attention of Dr. White and her husband.
As the path to her daughter grows more dangerous, Sandra gains new allies and closes in on the men who have Chrissie.
The odds against her are high, and when Sandra walks into a trap, her only hope of rescue is Dr. White and her husband.
What comes next is a violent climax that forces husband and wife to break all the rules and, in the end, will leave them changed forever.
TAKEN! 4 - Mirror Image
When Jeffrey Mitchell abducted eighteen-year-old Hanna Jones, he had every intention of killing her.
But now, years later, as husband and wife they play games that have only losers.
Dr. White and her husband share a similar past, but when these two couples collide, only one pair can come out on top.
TAKEN! 5 - Young Love
Couples meet in many ways, but when beautiful, young, Jessica White awakened to find herself naked and tied to a bed, the last thing on her mind was romance.
However, terror soon morphed into an intense fascination with her captor and her innate understanding of human nature allowed her to see past his actions and into his heart
Meanwhile, Jessica's father was being threatened by a serial killer with a personal grudge.
But Dr. White is in luck, because his daughter's made a new friend, and he may be the only thing deadlier than the man that stalks him.
TAKEN! 6 - Red, White and Blue
When Dr. Jessica White is taken captive by fugitive, Sebastian Rojo, her husband will stop at nothing to get her back. Aided by a sexy female bounty hunter named Blue Steele, and the ever-efficient Carly Zhang, he races against time as a winter storm threatens, and corrupt government officials plot his wife's death.
With time running out, and a dozen armed men against them, he'll do anything to ensure his wife's safe return, and in the end, Sebastian Rojo will learn the folly of abducting the wife of a man, who is quite possibly, the deadliest man alive.
THE FIRST SIX TAKEN! BOOKS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE AS AUDIOBOOKS ON AMAZON.
DONALD WELLS is the author of numerous novels, among them, THE FIX-IT MAN and THE REYNOLDS FAMILY SAGA
By DONALD WELLS
The author of THE CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY & BLUE STEELE
******** TAKEN! 8 - GABBY - AVAILABLE NOW! *******
TAKEN!
Twenty-three women are dead, murdered by a serial killer who shows no mercy.
All twenty-three women shared the same look as Karen Ryan and now Karen Ryan is being stalked,
hunted like prey by a man who will stop at nothing to possess her.
Will Karen become victim number twenty-four?
Or does the prey hide a secret that will bring her predator down?
**************************SPOILER ALERT******SPOILER ALERT******************
Reading the descriptions of TAKEN! 2-6 may spoil the twist ending of TAKEN!
TAKEN! 2 - Young Blood
There's a killer at large in the Colorado community of Eagle's Bluff, and the death toll is frightening.
Three families have been brutally murdered, but what really sets the town on edge is the fact that the killer is one of their own.
Gregory Michael Rouse, a seventeen-year-old loner, was on the outside looking in among the affluent residents.
Gregory just never seemed to fit and was often the butt of cruel jokes.
Now, no one's laughing after Gregory surfaces as the prime suspect in the slayings.
Criminal Profiler, Dr. Jessica White is called in to help capture Gregory, but she didn't come alone.
Her husband has also traveled to the town of Eagle's Bluff to track down the killer.
Dr. White knows that Gregory's days of freedom are numbered, because the only thing more dangerous than the man they hunt, is her husband.
TAKEN! 3 - Regret
After Sandra Jenkins' six-year-old daughter was taken, the young mother trusted the authorities to get her little girl back.
But when the man who holds the only possible lead to her daughter's whereabouts is set free, Sandra goes after him.
Hours later, the man is dead and Sandra is following a trail that she hopes will lead to her daughter, Chrissie.
As the young mother's quest makes the news, it catches the attention of Dr. White and her husband.
As the path to her daughter grows more dangerous, Sandra gains new allies and closes in on the men who have Chrissie.
The odds against her are high, and when Sandra walks into a trap, her only hope of rescue is Dr. White and her husband.
What comes next is a violent climax that forces husband and wife to break all the rules and, in the end, will leave them changed forever.
TAKEN! 4 - Mirror Image
When Jeffrey Mitchell abducted eighteen-year-old Hanna Jones, he had every intention of killing her.
But now, years later, as husband and wife they play games that have only losers.
Dr. White and her husband share a similar past, but when these two couples collide, only one pair can come out on top.
TAKEN! 5 - Young Love
Couples meet in many ways, but when beautiful, young, Jessica White awakened to find herself naked and tied to a bed, the last thing on her mind was romance.
However, terror soon morphed into an intense fascination with her captor and her innate understanding of human nature allowed her to see past his actions and into his heart
Meanwhile, Jessica's father was being threatened by a serial killer with a personal grudge.
But Dr. White is in luck, because his daughter's made a new friend, and he may be the only thing deadlier than the man that stalks him.
TAKEN! 6 - Red, White and Blue
When Dr. Jessica White is taken captive by fugitive, Sebastian Rojo, her husband will stop at nothing to get her back. Aided by a sexy female bounty hunter named Blue Steele, and the ever-efficient Carly Zhang, he races against time as a winter storm threatens, and corrupt government officials plot his wife's death.
With time running out, and a dozen armed men against them, he'll do anything to ensure his wife's safe return, and in the end, Sebastian Rojo will learn the folly of abducting the wife of a man, who is quite possibly, the deadliest man alive.
THE FIRST SIX TAKEN! BOOKS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE AS AUDIOBOOKS ON AMAZON.
DONALD WELLS is the author of numerous novels, among them, THE FIX-IT MAN and THE REYNOLDS FAMILY SAGA
110 pages, ebook
First published October 9, 2012
543 people are currently reading
1944 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
August 25, 2014
Wow. These are so stupid, it hurts. Thank God I didn't pay for them.
I'm actually embarrassed that I clicked on these. That's how bad the writing is. The premise made me laugh out loud. A serial killer that doesn't kill because he loves his first victim, who he married? WTF. Now they profile? The cops are blown away because they solved a big case in a single day? NO. I'm gonna stop you right there.
It's rare that I cross paths with something this terrible. Worst book I've read this year, hands down.
I'm actually embarrassed that I clicked on these. That's how bad the writing is. The premise made me laugh out loud. A serial killer that doesn't kill because he loves his first victim, who he married? WTF. Now they profile? The cops are blown away because they solved a big case in a single day? NO. I'm gonna stop you right there.
It's rare that I cross paths with something this terrible. Worst book I've read this year, hands down.
August 23, 2014
If Only You Could Give A Negative Star
I'm sorry but I was absolutely confused, after reading the first short story I was left wondering WHAT JUST HAPPENED? I couldn't wrap my brain around it at all. Word of advice, don't get this I don't care if it's free it's not worth it.
I'm sorry but I was absolutely confused, after reading the first short story I was left wondering WHAT JUST HAPPENED? I couldn't wrap my brain around it at all. Word of advice, don't get this I don't care if it's free it's not worth it.
July 14, 2020
I liked this book but found it hard to follow, largely due to the fact that the person in the summary was a completely different person and I didn’t like that.
Okay so after the Karen Ryan situation, like 5% in, we hear the back story for Mr. White and Jessica White. So Mr. White captured her and was going to rape and kill her. He didn’t because he loved her so much. They then fell in love and she invited him to live with them after his mom kicked him out. Okay so this is TOTALLY Stockholm’s syndrome and if this happened to me I would move to the next continent over and call the police and the nearest asylum for insane people, but that’s me.
Also please tell me Mr. White’s name I mean it gets really confusing. Like you find out his name is Gnat or Gant but what is his first name? 🥺🤔🙄😑
So if you like hard to follow books, books about Stockholm’s syndrome, and books that aren’t about what’s in the summary, this is your book.
Okay so after the Karen Ryan situation, like 5% in, we hear the back story for Mr. White and Jessica White. So Mr. White captured her and was going to rape and kill her. He didn’t because he loved her so much. They then fell in love and she invited him to live with them after his mom kicked him out. Okay so this is TOTALLY Stockholm’s syndrome and if this happened to me I would move to the next continent over and call the police and the nearest asylum for insane people, but that’s me.
Also please tell me Mr. White’s name I mean it gets really confusing. Like you find out his name is Gnat or Gant but what is his first name? 🥺🤔🙄😑
So if you like hard to follow books, books about Stockholm’s syndrome, and books that aren’t about what’s in the summary, this is your book.
December 16, 2014
Poorly written and poorly edited. I liked the idea of the murder mystery short story- each chapter is supposed to be its own contained "case." I thought this would be perfect for reading before bed- a new mystery opened and solved every night. Sounded great to me, however-
These "cases" aren't "solved." The main character, referred to as "he" or "him," is a Dexter Morgan-esque figure, a real bad guy who has decided to use his darkness for good. This evil side apparently imbues him with this murderous "Spidey sense" that enables him to solve every single case through its employ. Basically, he sees the wanted killer across the room and can tell that they are kindred, murdering spirits, so he smiles at his wife and whispers dreamily, "Case solved, I love you." And then they gaze lovingly at each other
The whole thing is just ridiculous and badly written. There is no meat to any of the characters or any of the cases. And at one point, someone is murdered and sliced open and his guts are used as foot warmers. I'm not even joking. That really happens.
These "cases" aren't "solved." The main character, referred to as "he" or "him," is a Dexter Morgan-esque figure, a real bad guy who has decided to use his darkness for good. This evil side apparently imbues him with this murderous "Spidey sense" that enables him to solve every single case through its employ. Basically, he sees the wanted killer across the room and can tell that they are kindred, murdering spirits, so he smiles at his wife and whispers dreamily, "Case solved, I love you." And then they gaze lovingly at each other
The whole thing is just ridiculous and badly written. There is no meat to any of the characters or any of the cases. And at one point, someone is murdered and sliced open and his guts are used as foot warmers. I'm not even joking. That really happens.
November 7, 2014
If negative stars were possible, this would be a -1. This is labeled as a boxed set (Books 1-6), however in the description, says it's a series of short stories. Right off the bat, it can't decide what it is. In all actuality, it is a single book with 6 chapters.
I was ready to stop before I got to the second chapter, but decided to stick it out. The sad thing is, this could have been 2-3 okay books if the story was fleshed out. The description - that is almost the complete "book/short story" #1.
There is no real character development, so there is never any connection for the main characters. And seriously, wtf with the Stockholm Syndrome in less than a day (which was the part in the first chapter that almost made me stop reading)?!?!
I was able to finish this "box set" in an hour. And I want it back. I'm very glad this was free otherwise I would be fighting to get my money back.
I was ready to stop before I got to the second chapter, but decided to stick it out. The sad thing is, this could have been 2-3 okay books if the story was fleshed out. The description - that is almost the complete "book/short story" #1.
There is no real character development, so there is never any connection for the main characters. And seriously, wtf with the Stockholm Syndrome in less than a day (which was the part in the first chapter that almost made me stop reading)?!?!
I was able to finish this "box set" in an hour. And I want it back. I'm very glad this was free otherwise I would be fighting to get my money back.
June 2, 2016
This is a hard review to write.
This box set is a mix between, Mission Impossible, Taken, Dexter etc. Although the plot has a lot of promise the books themselves makes very litte sense since the psychology behind everything gets lost with the character development etc that falls short in the short read.
I do not get how a school girl tells a man who abducts her that thats' fine. Everybody makes a mistake.... it is well ahm, unbelievable. lol
Still, not bad and if you need a short book with short stories with gore and psychosis then this will do fine.
This box set is a mix between, Mission Impossible, Taken, Dexter etc. Although the plot has a lot of promise the books themselves makes very litte sense since the psychology behind everything gets lost with the character development etc that falls short in the short read.
I do not get how a school girl tells a man who abducts her that thats' fine. Everybody makes a mistake.... it is well ahm, unbelievable. lol
Still, not bad and if you need a short book with short stories with gore and psychosis then this will do fine.
July 29, 2016
I got this series free on Amazon. I'm really glad to have gotten them for free since I would have been mad if I spent my own money on it. These VERY short stories are 'mysteries'. I don't consider a book a mystery if there are literally NO clues leading up to the reveal. Here you read the first 90% of the story, than in the last paragraph, Donald Wells throws a bunch of unspoken clues at you and reveals the culprit. With each book I found myself shaking my head with disappointment.
November 4, 2013
Full review here on my blog: http://onenovelconcept.blogspot.com/2...
Synopsis: A series of short stories revolving around a man who has homicidal tendencies only to be leveled out by one of his would be victims. Jessica, was taken, tied up and about to be murdered when the killer has a change of heart and falls in love with Jessica. It is though this love, that her now husband has been able to contain his tendencies and together they have become two of the best criminal profilers in the business.
My review: Each short story is completely independent of the others but is also essentially a continued story as pertaining to the two main characters. These stories are very Dexteresque. The main character, his name has not yet been mentioned, is a killer at heart but it is because of the love of his wife that he is able to control these urges and apply them to catching other criminals. Together this married team runs into all sorts of trouble and each story is absolutely fantastic. This is just books 1-6 and at this point in time the books already go up to # 25, with more in the works. I have thoroughly enjoyed each of these books and will continue to read the rest of the books in the entire series.
My rating: 9
Pages: 133
Author website: http://www.donaldwells.com/
Synopsis: A series of short stories revolving around a man who has homicidal tendencies only to be leveled out by one of his would be victims. Jessica, was taken, tied up and about to be murdered when the killer has a change of heart and falls in love with Jessica. It is though this love, that her now husband has been able to contain his tendencies and together they have become two of the best criminal profilers in the business.
My review: Each short story is completely independent of the others but is also essentially a continued story as pertaining to the two main characters. These stories are very Dexteresque. The main character, his name has not yet been mentioned, is a killer at heart but it is because of the love of his wife that he is able to control these urges and apply them to catching other criminals. Together this married team runs into all sorts of trouble and each story is absolutely fantastic. This is just books 1-6 and at this point in time the books already go up to # 25, with more in the works. I have thoroughly enjoyed each of these books and will continue to read the rest of the books in the entire series.
My rating: 9
Pages: 133
Author website: http://www.donaldwells.com/
January 6, 2014
i got this free from amazon; thank god i didnt pay for it!
from the picture i expected a series of novels but it was short stories, which i've never been a fan off, so yes i should of read the small print.
The idea behind the stories is a good one; the man constantly referred to as just 'he' kidnaps jessica white whth the intention of raping and murdering her but can't go through with it. jessica is fascinated by him and a series of events in where he saves her and her families lives leads her to fall in love with him and they become the best criminal profilers/vigilantes in the business.if only the writer had made a bit more effort these stories could have made a great novel, but , i was left wanting more from it. i wont be buying the next in the series but if he used the same ideas and characters for a novel i might give it a try.
from the picture i expected a series of novels but it was short stories, which i've never been a fan off, so yes i should of read the small print.
The idea behind the stories is a good one; the man constantly referred to as just 'he' kidnaps jessica white whth the intention of raping and murdering her but can't go through with it. jessica is fascinated by him and a series of events in where he saves her and her families lives leads her to fall in love with him and they become the best criminal profilers/vigilantes in the business.if only the writer had made a bit more effort these stories could have made a great novel, but , i was left wanting more from it. i wont be buying the next in the series but if he used the same ideas and characters for a novel i might give it a try.
December 13, 2013
These were interesting short stories. A would be killer changes his mind about killing his victim and they fall in love and collaborate with the authorities in catching other killers.
I liked the writing style and they were interesting enough to keep reading. Not sure if I totally like the premise of the stories, but enjoyable all the same.
I liked the writing style and they were interesting enough to keep reading. Not sure if I totally like the premise of the stories, but enjoyable all the same.
December 26, 2013
Dnf. SPaG are desperately in need of serious proof-reading. When I read something like this: '..one of the other women approached her and lied on the chaise to the left of her.'..... I usually give up. There is no real excuse for such errors. The frequent switches from third person to first was another bugbear.
I got to 50% before I could not stand any more.
I got to 50% before I could not stand any more.
May 15, 2014
This was a very quick read. It's labeled as 6 books but it's more like 6 short chapters. We go into the mind of a serial killer who isn't a serial killer. It was a little rough around the edges and could have been filled out much more. It took me maybe 40 minutes to read it in it's entirety.
June 1, 2014
This book lacked imagination and writing skill. It's as if the writer had an idea, but didn't know how to logically fit the pieces together. The characters all have a general lack of development which make them uninteresting. I will not read anything else from this author.
June 14, 2015
Taken by remington kane
Not sure I liked this book. It was just weird .... too deranged. Also too much repetition of certain scenes.
Not sure I liked this book. It was just weird .... too deranged. Also too much repetition of certain scenes.
August 3, 2017
Quick Review a la Mode (because numbers are immaterial)
All my reviews contain spoilers. Proceed with caution.
Had I an ounce of self-control, I would prevent myself from delving into convoluted "books" that have as much story to them as McDonald's has nutritional value.
First things first, these are not "books." This is a book of short stories that are loosely connected via the main characters. Now, understand me, short stories in this fashion are largely and universally fine. In fact, they have the potential to form amazing stories a la Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. However, these stories were sold as books, as the item advertised is a six-book digital box set. Readers, that is false. Each chapter contains its own slice of story, and each story is, again, loosely connected. Do you see the problem with the advertising here?
Speaking of problems, this collection is chock full of them: cardboard characters, deus ex machinas, plot devices, 9th-grade level grammar, dialogue so stilted it puts Barnum and Bailey clowns to shame, and worst of all, an absolutely unbelievable backstory of how the two main characters met and fell in love. In fact, the origins of their meeting rather sickened me. The unnamed male lead, when he was eighteen years old, abducted Jessica White, tied her to a bed in an abandoned building, meant to rape and kill her, and only stopped himself when suddenly she began to speak to him and he saw that she was more than an object and they eventually got married and lived happily ever after fighting crime and solving mysteries in under-the-law schemes.
I'm sorry. Let me read that again. Yes, I know I wrote it. No, it still doesn't make sense.
Backstory (briefly) aside, Jessica and her husband make for lousy characters at all. She constantly talks about that one time he abducted her and then decided to fall in love with her instead of rape and kill her, and he kills people without question, without the authorities ever suspecting him (despite the fact that he and his wife constantly work with the FBI), and without his wife even once asking herself, "Should these sociopathic tendencies have resolved themselves by now, or should I file for a restraining order/divorce?"
I don't know, Jessica; you're the PhD criminal profiler here. You tell me.
Out of everything I could possibly choose to highlight and make note of in the collection, I wish to bring to the table a circumstance that, in even the corniest Chuck Norris 80s film, would still have made me want to punch my fist through the nearest wall in sheer rage.
In the second story, the male lead helps a woman reclaim her daughter from a child trafficker, and the mansion has an area specifically designated for holding the children before auction. A nanny in the bathroom, who is currently taking a bath and wearing a shower cap, begs the male lead not to kill her as she only watched the children and her employer said he would kill her if she ever told the authorities. The male lead relents for a moment, saying she should leave immediately, if that's the truth. She nods vigorously.
Then pulls a .45 Derringer out from under her shower cap.
I showed my brother that paragraph while in a quiet waiting room, and he turned as red as a boiled lobster holding in his laughter. Please, for the sake of sanity, listen carefully: a .45 Derringer is a pistol. Granted, a small one. But it is a double-barreled, .45-firing pistol. Under a shower cap. And it was not noticed while she nodded vigorously and had this pistol under her shower cap as she nodded vigorously, and yes I know that is a run-on sentence, but my brain is attempting to wrap itself around that moment and failing to do so.
As of right now, I honestly can tell you, readers, that I have so much compacted in my mind that would love to grip this collection in its talons and rend it. However, with so much bilge to sift through, it's a wonder I managed to write any sort of review at all.
Taken!, you are, in a word, laughable.
All my reviews contain spoilers. Proceed with caution.
Had I an ounce of self-control, I would prevent myself from delving into convoluted "books" that have as much story to them as McDonald's has nutritional value.
First things first, these are not "books." This is a book of short stories that are loosely connected via the main characters. Now, understand me, short stories in this fashion are largely and universally fine. In fact, they have the potential to form amazing stories a la Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. However, these stories were sold as books, as the item advertised is a six-book digital box set. Readers, that is false. Each chapter contains its own slice of story, and each story is, again, loosely connected. Do you see the problem with the advertising here?
Speaking of problems, this collection is chock full of them: cardboard characters, deus ex machinas, plot devices, 9th-grade level grammar, dialogue so stilted it puts Barnum and Bailey clowns to shame, and worst of all, an absolutely unbelievable backstory of how the two main characters met and fell in love. In fact, the origins of their meeting rather sickened me. The unnamed male lead, when he was eighteen years old, abducted Jessica White, tied her to a bed in an abandoned building, meant to rape and kill her, and only stopped himself when suddenly she began to speak to him and he saw that she was more than an object and they eventually got married and lived happily ever after fighting crime and solving mysteries in under-the-law schemes.
I'm sorry. Let me read that again. Yes, I know I wrote it. No, it still doesn't make sense.
Backstory (briefly) aside, Jessica and her husband make for lousy characters at all. She constantly talks about that one time he abducted her and then decided to fall in love with her instead of rape and kill her, and he kills people without question, without the authorities ever suspecting him (despite the fact that he and his wife constantly work with the FBI), and without his wife even once asking herself, "Should these sociopathic tendencies have resolved themselves by now, or should I file for a restraining order/divorce?"
I don't know, Jessica; you're the PhD criminal profiler here. You tell me.
Out of everything I could possibly choose to highlight and make note of in the collection, I wish to bring to the table a circumstance that, in even the corniest Chuck Norris 80s film, would still have made me want to punch my fist through the nearest wall in sheer rage.
In the second story, the male lead helps a woman reclaim her daughter from a child trafficker, and the mansion has an area specifically designated for holding the children before auction. A nanny in the bathroom, who is currently taking a bath and wearing a shower cap, begs the male lead not to kill her as she only watched the children and her employer said he would kill her if she ever told the authorities. The male lead relents for a moment, saying she should leave immediately, if that's the truth. She nods vigorously.
Then pulls a .45 Derringer out from under her shower cap.
I showed my brother that paragraph while in a quiet waiting room, and he turned as red as a boiled lobster holding in his laughter. Please, for the sake of sanity, listen carefully: a .45 Derringer is a pistol. Granted, a small one. But it is a double-barreled, .45-firing pistol. Under a shower cap. And it was not noticed while she nodded vigorously and had this pistol under her shower cap as she nodded vigorously, and yes I know that is a run-on sentence, but my brain is attempting to wrap itself around that moment and failing to do so.
As of right now, I honestly can tell you, readers, that I have so much compacted in my mind that would love to grip this collection in its talons and rend it. However, with so much bilge to sift through, it's a wonder I managed to write any sort of review at all.
Taken!, you are, in a word, laughable.
March 17, 2020
The stories were interesting adventures to some degree, but rather gruesome. There were some punctuation errors and typos. But what really bugged me was that the main male character never had a name , just "He" or "Him". This became very confusing when there were other men in the scene. So was "He" the main character or one of the secondary male characters? There was no description of him either, just that he was good-looking, while the wife was described in detail. I didn't understand the whole point of the author not giving"Him" a name, when everyone else in the stories had names. Also I believe Mr. Wells would benefit from the services of a professional editor.
October 29, 2025
What in the world did I just read?! Is this a joke? Did AI write this?
So I didn't realize until I finished it that this was actually not one story, but 6. the way the editing is done, it looks and feels like it's just a few chapters, not 6 short stories.
It was bad. Like really bad.
I'm not sure if it's supposed to be mysterious or something that Dr White's husband's name isn't used in the book. He's only referred to as "he" or "him." That gets very confusing when there's other male characters. The story jumps around and is just very confusing at times.
The characters weren't likable either.
So I didn't realize until I finished it that this was actually not one story, but 6. the way the editing is done, it looks and feels like it's just a few chapters, not 6 short stories.
It was bad. Like really bad.
I'm not sure if it's supposed to be mysterious or something that Dr White's husband's name isn't used in the book. He's only referred to as "he" or "him." That gets very confusing when there's other male characters. The story jumps around and is just very confusing at times.
The characters weren't likable either.
March 10, 2019
"Not impressed"
This is like fast food. Pulp fiction for the masses. The subject matter of a child being traded between a paedophile ring is grotesque but seems trivialised with this treatment. I can't imagine the White's ever being a real couple. The writing style is awkward and almost like reading a newspaper article. Even the mother searching for her abducted daughter had the skills of a trained assassin. Unlike most housewives I know. Based on the prolific nature of this writer and the ranking of his books there are many who enjoy this stuff. Who am I to judge? Not my cup of java.
This is like fast food. Pulp fiction for the masses. The subject matter of a child being traded between a paedophile ring is grotesque but seems trivialised with this treatment. I can't imagine the White's ever being a real couple. The writing style is awkward and almost like reading a newspaper article. Even the mother searching for her abducted daughter had the skills of a trained assassin. Unlike most housewives I know. Based on the prolific nature of this writer and the ranking of his books there are many who enjoy this stuff. Who am I to judge? Not my cup of java.
September 14, 2024
I wasn't sure what I was walking into with this one. I was thinking of it more like a romance and it definitely isn't. It has some elements, but this is primarily a thriller. It gives off strong Dexter vibes, which I love. A man who could have become a serial killer, instead spends his time hunting them. The time jumps back and forth and even bouncing around in the present, were hard to deal with. I felt like I needed a written timeline to keep track. In the end, it does come together nicely with the set up for more.
July 23, 2021
Yeah, the story was a little hard to follow at times, but overall, I enjoyed it. I like graphic reality in my stories, whether it be life, love, or death. Don't sugar coat it to save your readers from embarrassment. I also like strong heroes and heroines, and Kane knows how to deliver them. It's also obvious that this author does his research before laying pen to paper. Details are accurate which goes a long way toward believability.
October 13, 2022
OhMyGoodness! What a read!
Best book I've read in ages. Action murder romance adventure. I found a few typos but I'm still giving five stars because it's a compelling read. Rarely do I give five stars. As an editor, I've read some bad writing on this platform but not this book. It delivers page after page until the end. Didn't check to see if there's another in the series but if so, I can't wait to get started!
Best book I've read in ages. Action murder romance adventure. I found a few typos but I'm still giving five stars because it's a compelling read. Rarely do I give five stars. As an editor, I've read some bad writing on this platform but not this book. It delivers page after page until the end. Didn't check to see if there's another in the series but if so, I can't wait to get started!
June 19, 2016
Taken! Book 1
What motivates a serial killer? What plays in their minds as they plan and stalk their next prey? Do they feel sorrow, regret, or elation and pride in a job well done? Are they looking forward to extending their list of victims or are they secretly hoping to get caught?
Welcome into the mind of a serial killer. As the killer plans what he is going to do with his latest victim, twenty-nine-year-old Karen Ryan, his mind drifts back to the beginning. Jessica White was an eighteen-year-old high school senior that striking resembles Karen Ryan. Both, actually all twenty-three women looked very much alike. 5’ 4”, attractive, intelligent, and independent were the basic traits which formed the killer’s profile. The killer prides himself on his choice in women and the imaginative variations he employs in toying and ultimately killing them. The police and FBI suspect that all the murders are related but have no concrete proof of this fact. Drugging, transporting, stripping, and binding them is the standard operating procedure but what follows, the good part, is pure genius.
I find being privy to a psychopath's inner thoughts disturbing. This reaction is probably the logical one to most normal people. The chapters are short, the tension is high and the book ends after a mere introduction to the characters and the motives behind their actions. Generally, this would be the point where I would berate the brevity of the story and its cliff-hanger and abrupt ending. Expecting this brevity, I bought the whole series so I can read them in order; pausing just enough time to write a quick review and maybe catch a cat-nap in between.
Taken! Book 2
Youngblood
Three families in three different locations are brutally murdered. Each family had a teenage daughter and these were, unlike their families, tortured, disfigured, and then killed with a knife. Criminal profiler, Dr. Jessica White is again called in by the authorities to work the case. As always, her husband accompanies her as they have formed themselves into a successful team. As is often the case, the FBI assumes many things before they are in evidence. Once they are cleared up by another, they are quick to take the credit.
Taken! Book 3
Regret
Tuesday, August 29, 4:49 PM, Brooklyn, New York. Six-year-old Chrissie Jenkins is abducted from her home and her mother is understandably frantic. The slow and apparently lackluster performance of the NYPD sends Sandra, Chrissie’s mother on a vigilante rampage for answers and revenge. Clubbing to death her first lead, she discovered more names and more victims. She follows her daughter’s kidnappers the hard way. Once again Dr. Jessica White and husband are called in to help.
This book is quite a bit longer and more detailed than the first two.
Taken! Book 4
Mirror Image
Dr. Hanna Jones was Jeffrey Mitchell’s first victim. Naked, with her hands and feet bound in a spread-eagle position, Hanna begged for her life. To Jeffrey’s surprise, he felt something. Apathy, regret, sexual lust, or was it love. Slowly he reconsidered the situation and found himself cutting her free of her bonds. Instead of fleeing in terror, Hanna and Jeffrey talked and soon formed a bond that nothing could break. She became a willing participant in Jeffrey’s quest to relieve the demons that possessed him. Eventually, paths cross and they are introduced to Dr. Jessica White and husband. When the two women meet at a spa, a sudden affinity is felt by both. They may just become more than just good friends.
Taken! Book 5
Young Love
Back to the beginning, eighteen-year-old Jessica White is abducted, tied, and stripped on an old mattress. Planning to rape and hurt her, he changes his mind and let her go. When she protects him, a bond is formed and love prevails. Dr. White, Jessica’s father is a psychiatrist and a pioneer in a new forensic field known as criminal profiling. The FBI is searching for a mass murderer known as Stiletto. Dr. White’s profile appears to be spot-on as someone breaks into their home to kill him.
Taken! Book 6
Red, White, and Blue
Trouble just seems to find trouble. Jessica and her husband were at the end of their week-long stay at a Vermont bed and breakfast. They stop at a diner to eat. Twenty-eight-year-old ravened-haired Blue Steele enters the restaurant, looking for someone; she is a bounty hunter. A rash of bank robberies has plagued a tri-state area. The robbers are ruthless and won’t hesitate to inflict collateral damage in the form of innocent lives. While attempting their twenty-fourth robbery, everything went wrong and now the gang is reduced to one, the ringleader, Sebastian Rojo. Blue has her sights set on bringing him in; dead or alive.
I can only reiterate my complaint about serial novellas. Generally speaking, they just provide a taste of what might come in order the reader into making multiple purchases to hopefully scratch a literary itch. These books alone might get a two-star rating. Together, an extra star can be added but without an ending, this prediction could be iffy. Tenacity and the hope of discovering out the name of Jessica’s husband kept me reading. I would have gladly added another star if the author would have seen fit to share that missing tidbit with his readers.
What motivates a serial killer? What plays in their minds as they plan and stalk their next prey? Do they feel sorrow, regret, or elation and pride in a job well done? Are they looking forward to extending their list of victims or are they secretly hoping to get caught?
Welcome into the mind of a serial killer. As the killer plans what he is going to do with his latest victim, twenty-nine-year-old Karen Ryan, his mind drifts back to the beginning. Jessica White was an eighteen-year-old high school senior that striking resembles Karen Ryan. Both, actually all twenty-three women looked very much alike. 5’ 4”, attractive, intelligent, and independent were the basic traits which formed the killer’s profile. The killer prides himself on his choice in women and the imaginative variations he employs in toying and ultimately killing them. The police and FBI suspect that all the murders are related but have no concrete proof of this fact. Drugging, transporting, stripping, and binding them is the standard operating procedure but what follows, the good part, is pure genius.
I find being privy to a psychopath's inner thoughts disturbing. This reaction is probably the logical one to most normal people. The chapters are short, the tension is high and the book ends after a mere introduction to the characters and the motives behind their actions. Generally, this would be the point where I would berate the brevity of the story and its cliff-hanger and abrupt ending. Expecting this brevity, I bought the whole series so I can read them in order; pausing just enough time to write a quick review and maybe catch a cat-nap in between.
Taken! Book 2
Youngblood
Three families in three different locations are brutally murdered. Each family had a teenage daughter and these were, unlike their families, tortured, disfigured, and then killed with a knife. Criminal profiler, Dr. Jessica White is again called in by the authorities to work the case. As always, her husband accompanies her as they have formed themselves into a successful team. As is often the case, the FBI assumes many things before they are in evidence. Once they are cleared up by another, they are quick to take the credit.
Taken! Book 3
Regret
Tuesday, August 29, 4:49 PM, Brooklyn, New York. Six-year-old Chrissie Jenkins is abducted from her home and her mother is understandably frantic. The slow and apparently lackluster performance of the NYPD sends Sandra, Chrissie’s mother on a vigilante rampage for answers and revenge. Clubbing to death her first lead, she discovered more names and more victims. She follows her daughter’s kidnappers the hard way. Once again Dr. Jessica White and husband are called in to help.
This book is quite a bit longer and more detailed than the first two.
Taken! Book 4
Mirror Image
Dr. Hanna Jones was Jeffrey Mitchell’s first victim. Naked, with her hands and feet bound in a spread-eagle position, Hanna begged for her life. To Jeffrey’s surprise, he felt something. Apathy, regret, sexual lust, or was it love. Slowly he reconsidered the situation and found himself cutting her free of her bonds. Instead of fleeing in terror, Hanna and Jeffrey talked and soon formed a bond that nothing could break. She became a willing participant in Jeffrey’s quest to relieve the demons that possessed him. Eventually, paths cross and they are introduced to Dr. Jessica White and husband. When the two women meet at a spa, a sudden affinity is felt by both. They may just become more than just good friends.
Taken! Book 5
Young Love
Back to the beginning, eighteen-year-old Jessica White is abducted, tied, and stripped on an old mattress. Planning to rape and hurt her, he changes his mind and let her go. When she protects him, a bond is formed and love prevails. Dr. White, Jessica’s father is a psychiatrist and a pioneer in a new forensic field known as criminal profiling. The FBI is searching for a mass murderer known as Stiletto. Dr. White’s profile appears to be spot-on as someone breaks into their home to kill him.
Taken! Book 6
Red, White, and Blue
Trouble just seems to find trouble. Jessica and her husband were at the end of their week-long stay at a Vermont bed and breakfast. They stop at a diner to eat. Twenty-eight-year-old ravened-haired Blue Steele enters the restaurant, looking for someone; she is a bounty hunter. A rash of bank robberies has plagued a tri-state area. The robbers are ruthless and won’t hesitate to inflict collateral damage in the form of innocent lives. While attempting their twenty-fourth robbery, everything went wrong and now the gang is reduced to one, the ringleader, Sebastian Rojo. Blue has her sights set on bringing him in; dead or alive.
I can only reiterate my complaint about serial novellas. Generally speaking, they just provide a taste of what might come in order the reader into making multiple purchases to hopefully scratch a literary itch. These books alone might get a two-star rating. Together, an extra star can be added but without an ending, this prediction could be iffy. Tenacity and the hope of discovering out the name of Jessica’s husband kept me reading. I would have gladly added another star if the author would have seen fit to share that missing tidbit with his readers.
April 20, 2022
I got this book in error from Amazon. I ordered Taken! Love Conquers All by Remington Kane. Instead, this book downloaded and I am unable to separate them. So, I have this 6 part short-story book. I never got Remington Kane's book.
These are very strange stories with killers bonding with their victims and then teaming up to find other serial killers. Interesting concepts and interesting stories.
These are very strange stories with killers bonding with their victims and then teaming up to find other serial killers. Interesting concepts and interesting stories.
May 18, 2018
The beginning
This is the second time I have read this series and it's just as good as the first. Who doesn't love a bad boy? This series always gets my blood pumping. This author writes great adventure stories packed with non stop violence that will have cheering out loud.
This is the second time I have read this series and it's just as good as the first. Who doesn't love a bad boy? This series always gets my blood pumping. This author writes great adventure stories packed with non stop violence that will have cheering out loud.
September 11, 2019
Unbelievable
A great story but lots of violence unanswered questions. I will continue reading this unusual author. To find out if I get answers to my many questions quite a team Dr. White and wife Jessica
A great story but lots of violence unanswered questions. I will continue reading this unusual author. To find out if I get answers to my many questions quite a team Dr. White and wife Jessica
July 8, 2020
Great thrIller
This story was so bizarre . The two main characters were so cute together. He was sort of a James Bond character. Would love to read more with these two main characters.
This story was so bizarre . The two main characters were so cute together. He was sort of a James Bond character. Would love to read more with these two main characters.
August 4, 2020
I’m ‘Taken’ by this series now...
A love we all wish we had - albeit perhaps without the starting of it - a wee bit scarey! And a duo team hunting psycho’s?? what more could I ask for in a series. :)
A love we all wish we had - albeit perhaps without the starting of it - a wee bit scarey! And a duo team hunting psycho’s?? what more could I ask for in a series. :)
January 24, 2024
Didn't appeal to me
This is more like a collection of really short stories. They seem to be woven together simply by the main characters, although there are some flashbacks showing how they got together. Everyone has different taste, so some of you may really like it.
This is more like a collection of really short stories. They seem to be woven together simply by the main characters, although there are some flashbacks showing how they got together. Everyone has different taste, so some of you may really like it.
January 13, 2025
I mean, the whole series was free for a reason. At one point, Mr White, whose actual name we don't know for no apparent reason, killed a man so his wife could warm up her feet on his internal organs. Luckily it was a short read.
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