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?
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?
Tam's review of book #1, Stranded
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? Grey 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 Grey’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. Grey, however, is not. I think that he brings a little piece of himself into each and every one of his books. The love, passion, sacrifice 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 stand alone 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 Grey book you pick up.
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? Grey 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 Grey’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. Grey, however, is not. I think that he brings a little piece of himself into each and every one of his books. The love, passion, sacrifice 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 stand alone 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 Grey book you pick up.
My question to Mr. Grey was, what was the story behind the story for Taken. Here is my guest post with author Andrew Grey.....
The idea for Taken came to me a while ago. I was watching what I call the schmaltz
channel on television, that’s The Hallmark Channel to everyone else. In November and December they run marathon
after marathon of holiday movies. I’m
half ashamed to say that I’m totally addicted to the dang things. Most of the weekends this time of year I
write in front of the television watching these movies with my computer in
front of me, some snacks, and tissues at hand for when the movies get
sappy.
One of the movies they run starts with a woman who has been
left at the altar. As I was watching
that particular movie, I began playing with that idea. Then I went further and looked at the idea of
being left at the altar and, but the person they were waiting for had been
kidnapped. I found the idea intriguing
and let the idea simmer on the back burner for a few months.
At that point when I was starting to write, I had the idea,
but I needed characters. Just before I
started work, I was in New York and went to see Wicked and Roman popped into my
brain as I was sitting in the show. I
honestly have no idea where my security expert Malik came from. My demented mind seemed to present him front
and center. He was perfect for Roman and
the story took shape. From there I sat
down to write. I really hope you enjoy
Taken. It has suspense, drama, intrigue,
and of course romance and deep love. The
things I love best in a story.
Excerpt from Taken:
Malik was
cold. He reached to pull covers over him and then scooted over to be closer to
Roman’s radiator-like heat. When the cold didn’t abate, he tried again.
Somewhere in his clouded mind, he knew this wasn’t right. He was in bed with
Roman at their place, and it should be warm. He was always warm with Roman,
inside and out. Malik tried a third time and then gave up. He curled into a
ball, and for a few seconds he was warmer and sank back into oblivion.
He didn’t stay
there for very long. The cold seeped through him once again, and this time when
Malik moved, he realized there was no bed at all. He was lying on something
hard and cold. He reached out and patted the area around him, the source of his
discomfort, which shocked him.
“Roman, you
pushed me out of bed,” Malik whined, and then he stood up, eyes still closed,
and tried to get back in bed. But there was no bed to get back into, and he
stumbled and caught himself before forcing his still-heavy eyelids to open.
Malik looked
around in complete confusion. He had no idea where he was, his head ached
something awful, and he could barely stand up. His mind swam and swirled. Malik
closed his eyes once again and ended up sitting on the floor because it was the
only position that didn’t make him want to throw up. He breathed in deeply and
then released the air from his lungs, trying to figure out what in hell had
happened. Slowly, very slowly, his head cleared, and he was able to open his
eyes without dizziness. He could see very little. The only light in the room
came from one of those glowing nightlights. Nothing else. Malik was in a bare
room with what looked like concrete walls. No furniture. The only things that
broke up the walls were two doors. Malik stood up and took a few tentative
steps. He opened the first door. It led to a bathroom with a sink mounted to
the wall, and a toilet, nothing else. Not even a towel or anything to wipe his
hands with. He turned and closed the door before walking to the other one. The
knob didn’t turn, and he tried pulling, but the steel door didn’t budge.
What the hell
was going on? Why was he in this room? “Hey, let me out!” he cried, pounding a
few times on the metal door. No answer. Nothing. He pounded again and then
listened…. He could hear nothing at all from the outside. “What’s going on?” he
asked out loud, needing to hear something. He wrapped his arms around himself
for comfort and warmth before slowly making a circuit of the entire room.
In one corner,
he found two blankets folded and left in a pile. Malik opened one of them and
wrapped it around his shoulders. He reached up and touched the low ceiling. It
seemed to be made of those acoustical tiles they used in the seventies. There
was a light in the center, and Malik looked for a switch on the walls. He found
one near the steel door, but nothing happened when he flicked it on.
Malik took a
few steps to the other blanket and carried it to the center of the room. He
placed the blanket on the floor and sat on it before looking around again. His
eyes had adjusted to the dark, but there was nothing to see. He was in a cold
concrete room with a bathroom and two blankets. He patted the pockets of the
jacket he was wearing, hoping to find his cell phone, but they were empty. He
slipped his hand into each pocket of the soft tuxedo jacket, only to come up
empty.
He froze, then
stood up, stepped closer to the only source of light, and looked at his
clothes. Tuxedo. His brain must have been scrambled. He was wearing a tuxedo.
A chill went
up Malik’s spine, and he remembered. He’d gotten dressed to go to a wedding—his
wedding. His mouth dropped open. Today he was marrying Roman. A smile spread across
his face but quickly faded. He tried to check his watch to see what time it
was, but it was gone too. Malik began to shiver. Was he too late? Had he
already missed it?
Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father
who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he
has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a
master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in
information systems for a large corporation.
Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques,
gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly
when writing) He considers himself blessed with an accepting family,
fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew
currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
For more information on this and other books by Andrew Grey please visit his website.
~ And now for the fun stuff! Andrew Grey is graciously donating one ebook copy from his library for one lucky winner. Winner's choice!!
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