Taken by Kelli Maine

Taken (Give & Take #1)

by Kelli Maine

Published August 2012

Source: ARC Review

 

 

Plot:

ABDUCTION.
You steal me away to a deserted island, to the one place I’ve dreamed of being—the one place I can’t go.

SEDUCTION.
You’re used to buying whatever you want, but you can’t buy me...how do I resist the magnetism of your body, the longing ache deep inside me? I want you to take me—on my terms.

DESPERATION.
Every attempt you make to love me only hurts me. How can we go on like this?

This is the story of how I was TAKEN.


Rachael DeSalvo cares for those she loves with no regard for what she needs from them in return. When her father dies, her mother’s emotional dependency becomes overbearing. Unable to leave her distressed mother, Rachael turns down her dream job with Rocha Enterprises.

Billionaire real estate mogul, Merrick Rocha, knows what motivates people and what buttons to push to get what he wants. When the perfect project manager candidate turns down his job offer, it drives him mad. Three months of watching Rachael from afar has him more determined than ever to have her—for much, much more than an employee.

Merrick takes what he wants, but can he convince Rachael to give him what he needs?

My Thoughts:

I loved the story line of TAKEN. The idea of a misunderstood abduction screamed must read to me. While I admit, at first I was like who is this Merrick creep and why in the heck did he kidnap her, I grew to understand him—just like the main character, Rachel did. The idea of a lonely billionaire with a closet full of emotional baggage may fit the same profile as my beloved Christian Grey, but Merrick’s skeletons were different. They were not as twisted as Christian’s, but that doesn’t mean Merrick doesn’t have major flaws. The way Ms. Maine reveals his dark, dirty secrets made me understand a little about more about Merrick and the way he ticked. I felt more of a connection with him because his love and affection for Rachel wasn’t coming from such a dark and creepy place as Christian Grey.

 

I seen some of the other reviewers hated the 2^nd person tense the story was written in. I understand how it may seem a little weird, but if YOU think about it, we speak in 2^nd person all the time. So, that’s how I read it. I read it as if Rachel was speaking to me like I was Merrick and she was telling me her side of the story. I rather enjoyed it after a few pages. It made me feel closer and more involved in the story. To me it was a fresh way to present a cool concept in a book.

 

Overall, I loved this novel. It has all the makings of some of my other favorites in this genre (Thoughtless, Fifty Shades of Grey, Rock Me, Backstage Pass, and Beautiful Disaster…) of an epic love story. I just can’t get enough of these flawed bad boys. And Kelli Maine has created a new one for me to love. So, kudos Ms. Maine for an awesome novel!

Populazzi by Elise Allen Goes Paperback!

I loved this novel! So glad it's getting a paperback version! Check out my review here!

About POPULAZZI (In paperback August 7)
What would you do if you had the chance to erase your past and reinvent yourself as the person you’ve always wanted to be? Would you grab it? Would you stick with it, no matter what the consequences? Cara Leonard always wished she could be one of those girls: confident, self-possessed, and never at a loss for the perfect thing to say. One of the Populazzi.

It always seemed impossible… but now could be her chance. When Cara moves to a new school just before junior year, her best friend urges her to seize the opportunity and change her life… with the help of The Ladder. Its rungs are relationships, and if Cara transforms herself into the perfect girlfriend for guys higher and higher on the Popularity Tower, she can reach the ultimate goal: Supreme Populazzi, the most popular girl in school. The Ladder seems like a lighthearted social experiment — a straight climb up — but it quickly becomes gnarled and twisted. And when everything goes wrong, only the most audacious act Cara can think of has a chance of setting things even a little bit right.

About Elise Allen

POPULAZZI is Elise Allen’s first solo novel but she previously co-wrote the bestselling novel ELIXIR with author and actress Hilary Duff and is at work on the next book in the series with Hilary. She's written for several television shows from Cosby to Muppets to Dinosaur Train, which garnered her two Daytime Emmy Awards. Elise Allen has among the most random television-writing resumes ever, with credits that run the gamut from Cosby to Dinosaur Train. She recently fulfilled one of her many life’s ambitions by writing for the Muppets. Another ambition, anytime-access to Disneyland’s Club 33, is for the moment still a pipe dream. Elise has a sick penchant for running marathons, and can’t seem to stop even though fifteen really should be enough already. She lives in L.A. with her husband, daughter, and insatiable food-hound of a dog, Riley. For more, visit www.eliseallen.com or follow Elise on Twitter at www.twitter.com/EliseLAllen.

Praise for Elise Allen’s POPULAZZI

“Fresh, funny, and sometimes wrenching, POPULAZZI nails what it’s like to try to find yourself while navigating the crazy world of high school. I loved it." – Hilary Duff

"In her first solo novel, Allen offers a smart mix of hilarity and tragedy in this Macbeth–meets–Mean Girls tale.” - Publisher's Weekly

“Hilarious, psychologically chewy, downright Machiavellian, and heartfelt in all the most satisfying ways. Populazzi had me blazing through pages. Elise Allen rocks!” – Matthew Quick, author ofSorta Like a Rock Star and The Silver Linings Playbook

“Populazzi is a fresh, fun peek behind the popularity curtain. If you ever wanted to fit in, wondered how to climb the popularity ladder, or needed how to figure out which guy was the best for you- then you’ll love this book. Elise Allen is a welcome new voice in YA fiction and Populazzi is destined to climb the best seller lists.” – Eileen Cook, author of The Education of Hailey Kendrick