Title: Taken
Series: Stranded book #2
Author: Andrew Grey
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: Novel (200 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (October 28th 2013)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5Hearts
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?
Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4279
Reviewer: Tams
Review: Imagine standing at the altar, awaiting the arrival of the man you’ve chosen to spend the rest of your life with. Minutes turn to hours and you still stand there alone. Roman Capanelli is heartbroken thinking his fiancé has left him jilted, only to learn that Malik has in fact been kidnapped.
Malik awakes in a cold, dark room, dreaming of Roman only to discover he is truly alone. As the minutes tick by Malik finds comfort and solace in his memories of Roman and plots his escape. As Malik suffers in a cold cellblock of a room, Roman suffers as well, tormented trying to figure out who took his lover, and why. When Malik escapes they think the worst of it is behind them. Until an explosion rocks their world and proves that this is far from over.
Malik has a very dark past, one he’s worked hard to distance himself from. If you can’t trust your family, who can you trust? Gray has gone completely outside of anything he’s ever written, even this books predecessor, and amazed me with his skills at mystery. I actually had to read this book twice. I zipped through it the first time at warp speed to find out first, where was Malik? And then, who did this?! I absolutely loved the relationship that played out between the two ML. Roman is very unsure of where he stands at the start, but as the story progresses he becomes the rock in their relationship providing that steady ground Malik needs to get through this ordeal.
I can’t say enough about Gray’s writing prowess. As an author of m/m fiction I fully admit I’m lacking certain plumbing and knowledge to fully embrace the genre. Gray, however, is not. I think that he brings a little piece of himself into each and every one of his books. The love, passion, sacrifices and uncertainty of these men is evident on each and every page. Just that little something that reels you in and puts you in the mindset of that particular character. It’s magical.
I think it goes without saying that I recommend this book. It is strong as a standalone read, but why not read the first book in this series first, Stranded. Strong gay fictional love stories written by a strong gay man, that is any Andrew Gray book you pick up.