Review:Taken by Charlotte Stein

It was just a prank I didn't want to be a part of. I never meant to hurt anyone, least of all Johann Weir. You wouldn't know that he sells literature for a living. He has these wild eyes—eyes that light something up in me—and he must be twice as big as I am, with strong, warm hands. Hands I try not to imagine everywhere.

He scares me. And thrills me.

But now the deed is done, and I have to face the consequences. He says he just wants to hold me here until the police come, but it's been hours and I'm still here.

Chained to a pipe in his back room like a prisoner.

The only person I have to talk to is Johann, and I tell him dark, shameful secrets—secrets that involve the metal around my wrist and him standing over me. But I can't stop. I need him to know everything. I need him.

Johann has his own secrets—ones he wants to tell me too. And more than anything, I want to listen. And maybe, before he sends me away, he'll punish me.

Just a little.

Just enough.

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What I thought about Taken

 I'm a fan of Charlotte Stein's writing.  She can take me so deep into a character's head with a very unique voice that is all her own. She does that again with Rosie in Taken.  The story is told from her point of view, and we get to know her very intimate thoughts -- especially how she's feeling about the very hairy Johan, or Han as she calls him. There's sparks flying between these two from the very start.

But for every stab of attraction between them, Han has his own reservations about moving forward and it's up to Rosie to figure out how to handle his quirks and reasons. There's a very refreshing take on BDSM involving control that I really liked. 

It took me a while to read Taken. Charlotte Steins words can be so rich that I could only take them in small portions, especially when she goes deep into the characters thoughts.  It's not a story that I guzzled down -- it's more like fine chocolate I savored over a few days. That's a very different reading experience for me and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it.   

The last 25% of Taken is phenomenal.  A roller coaster ride that builds you up, starting  with a super sexy scene, and then plunges you down into some definite angst until the coaster gets back to the platform and dumps you out. Just a fabulous reading experience. 

Overall, this is a strong story with a lot of heat and unique voices from the two main characters.  While I thought the build-up to the big event was more cerebral than exciting, I absolutely loved the ending.  Nicely done. 

ARC provided for review.



About the Author

Charlotte Stein is the acclaimed author of over thirty short stories, novellas and novels, including the recently DABWAHA nominated Run To You. When not writing deeply emotional and intensely sexy books, she can be found eating jelly turtles, watching terrible sitcoms and occasionally lusting after hunks. She lives in West Yorkshire with her husband and their now totally real and completely nightmarish dog. 

http://charlottestein.net/