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Taken #1
A Ruthless Good
Roth Celebria leads a small band of free men fighting to overthrow the ruthless leaders of his colony and nearly dies for his cause until Captain Claudia Turan rescues him and introduces him to a world beyond his imagination.
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First published August 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 24, 2010
The cover alone caught my attention but don't let it fool you into thinking it is an erotica. The cover is very hot but the romance was sweet enough for just being a tease. Just when you think the writer is going to give good details, she skips into a new and different scene so that is why I give the book 4 stars. The story line/plot is excellent however but this book could of been a 5 if the romance would of been Erotica as the cover suggest.
I enjoyed the story line. It was how a dictatorship takes place after a diseased fruit kills off an entire race of humans and only a few survive. The dictator goes over board and says he will help his people but in all reality he has turned them into slaves and treats women like they are infidels and that they are only good for two things, cleaning and baring children, that they are only for mens pleasure and they are not allowed to experience pleasure or even look upon any man.
One dictator believes that only his seed can recreate a worthy race. Well that only last for a little while, for Roth, a rebel who refuses to live by this dictators laws fights back with the help from Claudia (Warrior female from another part of the world) shows up to help.
I love Claudia, she kicks ass and puts men in their place. Claudia and Roth fall in love and the story ends happy.
I enjoyed the story line. It was how a dictatorship takes place after a diseased fruit kills off an entire race of humans and only a few survive. The dictator goes over board and says he will help his people but in all reality he has turned them into slaves and treats women like they are infidels and that they are only good for two things, cleaning and baring children, that they are only for mens pleasure and they are not allowed to experience pleasure or even look upon any man.
One dictator believes that only his seed can recreate a worthy race. Well that only last for a little while, for Roth, a rebel who refuses to live by this dictators laws fights back with the help from Claudia (Warrior female from another part of the world) shows up to help.
I love Claudia, she kicks ass and puts men in their place. Claudia and Roth fall in love and the story ends happy.
September 10, 2012
This author seems to have a boner for Earth women getting kidnapped by or stuck with alien men. The language barrier and differing customs really get her going.
Unfortunately, it's the same thing in each story. Like the men are too stupid to understand that the woman has been ripped from the life she knew and knows less than nothing about the aliens or their way of life. And the woman is too stupid to understand that she needs to tread carefully and at least make an attempt to understand the alien customs or language.
Put yourself in their shoes. If you were suddenly snatched up and taken into outer space, would you really contemplate taking over the spaceship? Even if, by some chance, you were a fighter pilot with an Ivy League degree in WTFever, you wouldn't try to take over an alien ship. That's just stupid. You don't understand the language, the way things are set up, where you are, how to get home, etc. And you'd probably have to deal with the angry aliens after you realize how futile the entire attempt was. NOT SMART. Everyone gets angry for imagined slights or offenses without taking into consideration that neither party knows what might offend the other.
I just don't like how Kaithlyn O'Connor has her females behave in these situations. And what's even more frustrating is that she has her characters recognize their ridiculous or offensive behavior, but she doesn't make them learn from the situation or develop. She just has them act like morons and then... they keep acting like morons.
But regardless of all that, I enjoyed the story. I liked how Danica showed how fierce she was, that she wouldn't allow the priests to take anymore sacrifices, even though they weren't her people. Taj was confusing a bit, with his going back and forth between attraction towards Danica and exasperation. But I understood it. I wish we had his POV a little more. And I was hoping Kara would play a larger role in the conflict - the jealous fiance is always an amusing plot thread.
Unfortunately, it's the same thing in each story. Like the men are too stupid to understand that the woman has been ripped from the life she knew and knows less than nothing about the aliens or their way of life. And the woman is too stupid to understand that she needs to tread carefully and at least make an attempt to understand the alien customs or language.
Put yourself in their shoes. If you were suddenly snatched up and taken into outer space, would you really contemplate taking over the spaceship? Even if, by some chance, you were a fighter pilot with an Ivy League degree in WTFever, you wouldn't try to take over an alien ship. That's just stupid. You don't understand the language, the way things are set up, where you are, how to get home, etc. And you'd probably have to deal with the angry aliens after you realize how futile the entire attempt was. NOT SMART. Everyone gets angry for imagined slights or offenses without taking into consideration that neither party knows what might offend the other.
I just don't like how Kaithlyn O'Connor has her females behave in these situations. And what's even more frustrating is that she has her characters recognize their ridiculous or offensive behavior, but she doesn't make them learn from the situation or develop. She just has them act like morons and then... they keep acting like morons.
But regardless of all that, I enjoyed the story. I liked how Danica showed how fierce she was, that she wouldn't allow the priests to take anymore sacrifices, even though they weren't her people. Taj was confusing a bit, with his going back and forth between attraction towards Danica and exasperation. But I understood it. I wish we had his POV a little more. And I was hoping Kara would play a larger role in the conflict - the jealous fiance is always an amusing plot thread.
June 25, 2011
There is some serious Stockholm syndrome attraction going on .
Cat was leaving earth on her way to travel, while waiting she is abducted and sold as a sex slave, in comes Bayne who takes over as Cat's master. I love the story because I like to read captive romance/erotica so in some cases I know what to expect some can get pretty hardcore. I have to admit Bayne's treatment of Cat was a bit harsh at times and even I had to wonder how will this end due to his harshness, his harshness was mainly verbal. At times Cat would be a little defiant but in some cases holds her own, Bayne's harshness stems from having to have the facade of a brutal pirate and I think he just didn't know how to turn that off especially when he started to develop feelings towards Cat, I felt the ending was ok and it all came together for both Bayne's and Cat. If your an erotica fan and like these captive stories then you know what to expect, if you haven't dabbled into this territory then be warned, there are also explicit language and sex so prepare for that.
Also when your reading there might be some wording errors in the book, for me that didnt bother me I was more interested in the story.
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Feel free to join my book group on Facebook (Romance Novel Junkies) and fan page ( Romance Novel Junkies Book Reviews). We have over 500 members, which includes well known and indie authors and avid readers as members who are apart of this group. We would love to hear about new books and thoughts. Also check out our kindle and ebook lending library. Twitter @romanceJUNKIES.
Cat was leaving earth on her way to travel, while waiting she is abducted and sold as a sex slave, in comes Bayne who takes over as Cat's master. I love the story because I like to read captive romance/erotica so in some cases I know what to expect some can get pretty hardcore. I have to admit Bayne's treatment of Cat was a bit harsh at times and even I had to wonder how will this end due to his harshness, his harshness was mainly verbal. At times Cat would be a little defiant but in some cases holds her own, Bayne's harshness stems from having to have the facade of a brutal pirate and I think he just didn't know how to turn that off especially when he started to develop feelings towards Cat, I felt the ending was ok and it all came together for both Bayne's and Cat. If your an erotica fan and like these captive stories then you know what to expect, if you haven't dabbled into this territory then be warned, there are also explicit language and sex so prepare for that.
Also when your reading there might be some wording errors in the book, for me that didnt bother me I was more interested in the story.
********
Feel free to join my book group on Facebook (Romance Novel Junkies) and fan page ( Romance Novel Junkies Book Reviews). We have over 500 members, which includes well known and indie authors and avid readers as members who are apart of this group. We would love to hear about new books and thoughts. Also check out our kindle and ebook lending library. Twitter @romanceJUNKIES.
December 27, 2013
I read "Exiled" to meet a group challenge for reading a book with a bird on the cover, and I'm glad I picked this book. I kept putting the it off all month, however - it was probably Taj's armpit featured so prominently on the book's cover.
"Exiled" is typical O'Connor, who likes to write about strong, civilized Earth women who are kidnapped by alien races and thrown into barbaric environments with strong Alpha males. This book didn't disappoint me, and I enjoyed the sheer entertainment value of the story.
There's a little bit of everything thrown in here - a woman kidnapped in her wetsuit, thrown into a shark tank on an alien ship collecting different animal species, dumped on an offworld planet and enslaved by Taj of the Glaxons with his war bird and broken English. I had great images of Flash Gordon on this one! Despite the fact that Danica spends about three days living in her wetsuit (ewwwh!), she eventually learns home-ec for barbarians by Taj's mom and helps lead his people in a revolt against the evil alien lizards who are enslaving his people. With her knowledge of self-defense karate moves and homemade grain bombs. :) Loved it.
For O'Connor, the sex is minimal and pretty vanilla. Here, the world building and the storyline are what drive the plot forward. And that, in my opinion, is a nice change of pace.
"Exiled" is typical O'Connor, who likes to write about strong, civilized Earth women who are kidnapped by alien races and thrown into barbaric environments with strong Alpha males. This book didn't disappoint me, and I enjoyed the sheer entertainment value of the story.
There's a little bit of everything thrown in here - a woman kidnapped in her wetsuit, thrown into a shark tank on an alien ship collecting different animal species, dumped on an offworld planet and enslaved by Taj of the Glaxons with his war bird and broken English. I had great images of Flash Gordon on this one! Despite the fact that Danica spends about three days living in her wetsuit (ewwwh!), she eventually learns home-ec for barbarians by Taj's mom and helps lead his people in a revolt against the evil alien lizards who are enslaving his people. With her knowledge of self-defense karate moves and homemade grain bombs. :) Loved it.
For O'Connor, the sex is minimal and pretty vanilla. Here, the world building and the storyline are what drive the plot forward. And that, in my opinion, is a nice change of pace.
January 18, 2015
1 1/2 stars. Poorly written and the internal and spoken dialogues were ridiculous. Still I liked the world building and stuck with it because I enjoy pirate romances. Can't really recommend unless, like me, you can't resist a little space pirate/abduction/slave type story.
August 29, 2011
It was OK I guess. It had its moments.
It was more of an adventure story.
But I still enjoyed reading it.
Its not an erotica for sure.
It was more of an adventure story.
But I still enjoyed reading it.
Its not an erotica for sure.
July 22, 2016
2 1/2 stars
A strong heroine in a new world. Standard romance fare with a twist.
A strong heroine in a new world. Standard romance fare with a twist.
January 22, 2012
An adequate SciFi - interesting characters who are distinct. I think this would be best for those that like a more romantic less edgy capture/slave read (sorry I call these pseudocaps on account as they are not really like the real thing).
As noted it is another of the captured by an alien sort - but lacks the erotic tension that I've read in others. There's sex and it's hot sex but not "I've been captured and have to face sex slave status" sex and punishment. I found Bayne just too confusing - he is supposed to be this rebel space pirate but he sort of comes off at times as being a bit whipped. He does good dirty talk but it just never really feels like he's as nasty as he says he is - except for maybe once or twice. Perhaps my expectations were a bit off - normally books that feature capture and sex slave auction tend to have a bite, a edge, to them. This started like it would - and the first 30% was really promising but it never really got there once Bayne was introduced. Then Bayne kept threatening her with punishment and never followed through with any sort of discipline whatsoever and he never calls her on her acting a role- that is what separates the a real dominant guy from one who comes across as playing at it. A real dominant alpha guy is not going to let that slide. Unfortunately, I didn't buy him as a dominant and that meant I had a REAL hard time buying him as the captain of a bunch of space pirates. I will grant you that he certainly gets talked up as that (and he talks himself up!) but I just never felt that bad boy thing at all. At times he gets some kahones but it just doesn't feel real. I didn't find him that harsh - he was conflicted yes - and I should say that I read very dark erotica so do keep that in mind. If you only read romance and not BDSM or darker erotica (say like Kitty Thomas) then this will be a really good choice for you.
So I'm calling it a romantic fantasy of alien capture. The real worst that happens is Cat getting f*cked in front of others and she had a little rough sex maybe once. Anyone looking for a darker erotica book or edgy BDSM type SciFi erotic romance of capture/slave (for example Demon's Captive or Owned and Owner) should just understand that this one is not going to fulfill that desire. I did 3 stars even though Bayne was just mostly bark not bite because I did enjoy it - it just didn't hit the buttons I expected it to hit.
Oh and the spanking is very light (a few swats basically)- though if you like bondage this one has some of that.
As noted it is another of the captured by an alien sort - but lacks the erotic tension that I've read in others. There's sex and it's hot sex but not "I've been captured and have to face sex slave status" sex and punishment. I found Bayne just too confusing - he is supposed to be this rebel space pirate but he sort of comes off at times as being a bit whipped. He does good dirty talk but it just never really feels like he's as nasty as he says he is - except for maybe once or twice. Perhaps my expectations were a bit off - normally books that feature capture and sex slave auction tend to have a bite, a edge, to them. This started like it would - and the first 30% was really promising but it never really got there once Bayne was introduced. Then Bayne kept threatening her with punishment and never followed through with any sort of discipline whatsoever and he never calls her on her acting a role- that is what separates the a real dominant guy from one who comes across as playing at it. A real dominant alpha guy is not going to let that slide. Unfortunately, I didn't buy him as a dominant and that meant I had a REAL hard time buying him as the captain of a bunch of space pirates. I will grant you that he certainly gets talked up as that (and he talks himself up!) but I just never felt that bad boy thing at all. At times he gets some kahones but it just doesn't feel real. I didn't find him that harsh - he was conflicted yes - and I should say that I read very dark erotica so do keep that in mind. If you only read romance and not BDSM or darker erotica (say like Kitty Thomas) then this will be a really good choice for you.
So I'm calling it a romantic fantasy of alien capture. The real worst that happens is Cat getting f*cked in front of others and she had a little rough sex maybe once. Anyone looking for a darker erotica book or edgy BDSM type SciFi erotic romance of capture/slave (for example Demon's Captive or Owned and Owner) should just understand that this one is not going to fulfill that desire. I did 3 stars even though Bayne was just mostly bark not bite because I did enjoy it - it just didn't hit the buttons I expected it to hit.
Oh and the spanking is very light (a few swats basically)- though if you like bondage this one has some of that.
October 12, 2012
Plotwise, the book could use a lot of work. There was really no character development that could be understood. Rather, the characters simply go from resisting to being in love. The author says it, so it is so.
I was really disappointed in this because I like romantic sex slave stories (the ones where there is forced consent, but it's still sweet and sexy--not the hardcore pain and no consideration towards the slave who just suddenly turns into a sex maniac). Anyway, this one had potential, but lacked in substance.
When Cat is sold in the sex auction, she is given an implant that makes her horny. Not just horny for attractive men, but horny against her will for even her captors. And Cat is naturally humiliated and resentful about the implant. She responds to Bayne's huge sex drive because of the implant, but still resents and is troubled by Bayne's huge sex drive. And, yes, Cat does seem to suffer from Stockholm Syndrome. Bayne has very little gentleness in him. His character is a complete paradox. The ending was also disjointed and didn't really make any sense. So plotwise, and in terms of character development, this book just failed. And the sex scenes: not that hot, and definitely not worth reading again.
What this book needs more than anything else is an editor. And editor to recognize all the plot and character holes, and another editor to notice, not just the spelling errors, but the weird sentences. The books reads as though it was converted incorrectly where the computer is recognizing characters more than actual words. So you get these weird words and not-words thrown into a sentence and you're not sure if a different word is supposed to be there, or if that strange word was just taken from a different nearby sentence and misplaced. I'm not being picky. It's really very strange and makes it very difficult to read. And I'm college and post-college educated so my lack of understanding is not because of some inadequacy on my part. This book just SERIOUSLY needs several editors.
I was really disappointed in this because I like romantic sex slave stories (the ones where there is forced consent, but it's still sweet and sexy--not the hardcore pain and no consideration towards the slave who just suddenly turns into a sex maniac). Anyway, this one had potential, but lacked in substance.
When Cat is sold in the sex auction, she is given an implant that makes her horny. Not just horny for attractive men, but horny against her will for even her captors. And Cat is naturally humiliated and resentful about the implant. She responds to Bayne's huge sex drive because of the implant, but still resents and is troubled by Bayne's huge sex drive. And, yes, Cat does seem to suffer from Stockholm Syndrome. Bayne has very little gentleness in him. His character is a complete paradox. The ending was also disjointed and didn't really make any sense. So plotwise, and in terms of character development, this book just failed. And the sex scenes: not that hot, and definitely not worth reading again.
What this book needs more than anything else is an editor. And editor to recognize all the plot and character holes, and another editor to notice, not just the spelling errors, but the weird sentences. The books reads as though it was converted incorrectly where the computer is recognizing characters more than actual words. So you get these weird words and not-words thrown into a sentence and you're not sure if a different word is supposed to be there, or if that strange word was just taken from a different nearby sentence and misplaced. I'm not being picky. It's really very strange and makes it very difficult to read. And I'm college and post-college educated so my lack of understanding is not because of some inadequacy on my part. This book just SERIOUSLY needs several editors.
October 17, 2012
I have to agree with two of the prior reviewers. This book was greatly lacking in solid plot development and had no real meat as a capture fantasy. The dialog was particularly unrealistic and, at times, down right cheesy. Character motivations and pov's switched at a rapid pace for no given reason. This romantic slave capture story had the feel of one written by use of genre stereotypes alone.
In a way, the book was entertaining for its "B-movie" style dialog. Bad guys tried to talk their victims into submission rather than any real violence. Although it was never actually used, I kept expecting the hero to say a line similar to, "Me Tarzan, you Jane". He came pretty darn close - just replace Tarzan and Jane with master and slave.
I had intended to write a review that was relatively snark-free, I've obviously failed. I simply couldn't take this book at all seriously and I'm of the opinion that the authors didn't either.
In a way, the book was entertaining for its "B-movie" style dialog. Bad guys tried to talk their victims into submission rather than any real violence. Although it was never actually used, I kept expecting the hero to say a line similar to, "Me Tarzan, you Jane". He came pretty darn close - just replace Tarzan and Jane with master and slave.
I had intended to write a review that was relatively snark-free, I've obviously failed. I simply couldn't take this book at all seriously and I'm of the opinion that the authors didn't either.
August 27, 2016
I was surprise at how I enjoyed reading this. It have a great world building and the heroine was likable and I kind of like the way she handled everything. Danica was very different from the heroine in 'When Night Falls', 'Cyborg Nation' and 'Ja'Rael's Lioness' which I am truly happy.
Danica had more spikes than all the other heroines and even though Taj is an idiot in the first part which I assume a very typical male in Ms. Kaitlyn's story but it all went good at the later part and I for once like Taj's mother. Taj's mother and Danica working together to create a female warrior in bringing down the Priest was the part that I started liking the book.
Danica had more spikes than all the other heroines and even though Taj is an idiot in the first part which I assume a very typical male in Ms. Kaitlyn's story but it all went good at the later part and I for once like Taj's mother. Taj's mother and Danica working together to create a female warrior in bringing down the Priest was the part that I started liking the book.
September 1, 2012
Wow, what a surprise! I saw this on Goodreads and gave it a go, and Im glad I did. I was skeptical with the whole alien side of things but it was surprisingly good. I couldnt stop reading this book. Awesome.
October 25, 2015
This is more a sweet love story, definitely not erotica. That doesn't make it bad, just not this authors usual, so if that's what your looking for you might want to consider that factor. Still, she really can write a good story so it's never a waste of time.
July 3, 2010
Really 3.5*
September 18, 2010
OK adventure story. Not much sex for this author. I doubt that I will read it again.
February 20, 2011
Trade Paperback
May 26, 2011
this one was a bit wierd. liked her cyberevolution stuff better.
November 13, 2011
It wasn't as good as other Kaitlyn O'Connor books, but it was enjoyable.
It wasn't erotica, it was more and adventure book than other thing.
It wasn't erotica, it was more and adventure book than other thing.
December 17, 2011
Found this book to be very slow moving. Not the best kaitlyn o'conner book. I love her enslaved series, they are the best.
June 15, 2012
2 1/2 stars
July 13, 2012
It was fun and worthwhile. A bit slow developing and awkward towards the end but still entertaining throughout.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews