Member Reviews
The Story in 4 Sentences or Less: Hacker Knox Torren is the best at getting intel and protecting his family but when he meets Darya Volkova he’s stumped. She has more secrets than Knox is comfortable with but he can’t stay away. Darya is desperate to escape the life she’s built and she’s come to Knox for help not realizing that his help will come at a price.
Like It? Hate it? Love it? Why? I have a soft spot for nerdy guys but Knox takes nerdy to a whole new level. He’s more than just brains behind the Men of Haven, he’s the one who watches their backs without having to be in the same room as them. Part of the reason he is so good at his job is because Knox borders on the brink of paranoia when it comes to keeping his family safe. He’s confident, bordering on arrogant but he’s got the skills to back him up so it’s a bit difficult to knock him down a few notches. It would have been so easy to dislike him because of that but his devotion to his family is what makes him not just likable but book boyfriend material. Knox doesn’t commit to anyone but his family until he meets Darya who is the human equivalent of a top security computer system to Knox: Difficult to break down and utterly irresistible.
Darya is hiding some big secrets and she’s running scared. She could have easily been an annoyingly useless damsel in distress type character but she’s a sensible character. She doesn’t create unnecessary drama and while she clings as tight as she can to her secrets (reasonable, she hasn’t survived by being trusting), she also knows when to let someone else help her. She wasn’t the type to run off with the delusional thought that she could do everything on her own, which was unbelievably refreshing to me. Darya is easily one of the handful of heroines that didn’t get on my nerves at all. I liked her and I wanted her to be free and find happiness. She and Knox had some steamy chemistry but the author also added emotional depth to their time together so that when these two characters fell in love, I believed it.
Of course, Knox’s family is a big part of who he is and I loved spending time with them, they’re a real family. Built on love, trust, respect, and good natured teasing.
The only real complaint I have is that I wish the suspense element had been kicked up a couple of notches. Everything was a bit tame for what the situation was. Other than that though, I had fun.
Click It or Skip It? Click It. Knox and Darya’s romance is the best out of the series, or maybe it’s because I love me a nerdy hero.
You know when you pick up a book in a series you love and are ridiculously giddy, doing everything in your power to ignore life so you can read the book? That would be exactly what I did with this book. And oh my goodness how I've missed these men. I can't believe how effortless it was, diving right back in, like it hasn't been a while. Sigh...these Haven men.
KNOX!!!!!!! Yep, the one and only. The coder, the hacker, the businessman, the friend...the dominant one. If you've been following this series, then you know that this story was one that we've been waiting to read for a while. We've known that Knox had some things happen in his past that helped "sculpt" the man he is today. In this book, we learn just what those things are. Being a player, never committing to one female, has been his motif for quite some time. That is until he's propositioned by a woman who's identity doesn't mesh and she becomes the puzzle he's dying to solve.
Darya isn't exactly who she says she is. It's not like she's taking on a new personality or anything. Just an new identity. Why? Well, you're gonna have to read this to find out. But I'll say this much. Asking Knox for help is one sure way to NOT stay hidden. After all, he loves getting past Firewalls. But is Darya ready to face her past in order to have a future? She'd be dumb not to.
The way this story develops is perfect. We not only get to know who Darya is, we get a better glimpse at what type of man Knox really is. The chemistry between Darya and Knox is obvious and bound to happen. But it's the "feels" that go along with it that make this so wonderful. Usually when we read about HEA's, it's the female we're always happiest for. Not with this one. Not with these men. It's Knox who I'm happiest for. So. Dang. Happy.
This was so good!!! We get to visit with the Haven men again, but we even get to meet new characters that I'm finding myself obsessed with. But back to Knox...you guys have no idea how much further in love you're going to fall for him. You thought you loved Trevor? Buckle up and hold on to that eReader.
This series is starting to grow on me. At first I wasn't sure about this Haven brotherhood because they weren't a MC but kind of like one, but as the series has gone on the brotherhood is growing on me. And this time around its time for Knox to fall in love.
"I want strings. Ropes. Chains. Whatever it takes to bind you to me. And I wan you in my bed. Mine. Not yours. "
"Swear to God, sometimes I think the reason I couldn't sleep all those years is because a part of me was afraid I'd miss my chance if it ever came."
I absolutely LOVED Tempted & Taken!
“Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die tomorrow.” That's what JJ told her, and that's what Darya intends to do, that is, if Knox will help her.
Darya, is on the run from her past in Russia. Now she's about to ask Knox Torren if he'll mentor her so she can secure her future. She's been a part-time contractor for him and his company, doing skip tracing, but she wants more. She wants to learn coding from the master, and if he'll teach her and mentor her, she can obtain that good life her dear friend always wanted for her. She never expected to give the man her heart. And Knox certainly never expected to give Darya the one thing he's never given another, his love, his heart.
I can't remember the last time I fell quite as hard for an alpha guy the way I did for Knox. He's so protective and so damn loving, that I had a hard time believing the man when he told Darya that they were only having some fun, that he could only give her some fun between the sheets and nothing else. And my God, Darya, that woman is such a sweetheart with the hugest heart. These two are such a passionate, loving couple that I couldn't help but fall in love with them the way they fell for each other. Add in lots of suspense, some new characters like Sergei (can I have his story next, pretty please?!), all Knox's amazing brothers, their women, their kids, and their moms, and I was rubbing my hands together in glee because the world these characters have created is fabulous - sexy and filled with so much love.
Although I haven't read any of the previous books in this series, I was able to easily figure out what was going on in Tempted & Taken. Sure, I could tell that most of the secondary characters already had backstories detailed in previous stories, but they're still given enough meat here to complement Knox and Darya's story, that I wasn't overwhelmed. But, these amazing characters did make me want to know their stories, too, so I'm about to head off and 1-click the previous stories because if they're all as amazing as Tempted & Taken, I'm going to be Rhenna Morgan's fan for life.
I think this one was my favorite so far. Knox was great as the hero and I really liked his personality. There is always the nerd in these types of books but I loved that yes he is a nerd but it isn't exaggerated. He is a hot guy that is good with computers and not the other way around. I also liked Darya. I would have liked a little more from her but I'm good with her character.
3.5 stars
So, I've been trying to read this book for months. Every time I started I would get distracted and I'd find something wrong with the story, or more precisely, the voice I was getting from one of the MCs, Darya. And I really couldn't tell you what the problem was, I just could not get into it. So much so that I would only make it maybe 3 or 4 pages before distractions happened and I would willingly put it down and start something else.
Now that I've finally read this, I'm not sure what my problem was. I'll admit, I've had to reread those first few pages so many times that I was getting angry. But I really think I was just not in the right place for this book at the time because it only took me about a day to get this finished. And I really liked it a lot. If I'm being honest, I really liked Knox the most, but Darya was a great character too. She strong and didn't do anything to piss me off. Neither of them did.
The story moves quickly, spanning weeks and weeks until we have any sort of declarations, thankfully. And the more I got into it, the happier I got.
Book one is still my favorite in this series but in the end, this one really started to give it some competition. Any complaints I have literally have to do with the Epilogue. A very long time passes between the last chapter and the Epilogue. And with what happens, I felt a little cheated. I wanted to see more there. Without spoiling it, a big thing happens. Huge. And we don't get to see it so I was mad. Otherwise, this was a lot of fun to read.
Despite being the fourth in the series, you don’t need to read the other in the series to enjoy this novel. That being said, Tempted and Taken is a fast-paced romance filled with as much action as it does romance. The reader is reunited with old friends from previous novels, but are treated to the engrossing romance that is Knox and Darya as well as the introduction to a whole new group of interesting characters.
Even if you don’t typically enjoy action packed romance, this novel may change your mind. Well written with cast of colorful characters, Tempted and Taken is an engaging novel worth the read.
I know I said I was in love first with the very hot and sexy Jace from Rough & Tumble Book #1 of this Haven Brotherhood series and then I had replaced him with the very energetic always on the move Dr. Zeke from Wild & Sweet Book #2. But along comes the very nerdy and sexy as h**** Knox and once again I changed my mind. But seriously girls a computer geek with a smoking body will keep you glued to the pages of this book. His "not me" attitude towards relationships and his dedication to the Haven Family causes the reader to wonder why he has that attitude towards women when he clearly loves his family and their closeness.
Parts of Darya's personality drew me in instantly. Key was her ability to survive the roughest of times, devote her time to being better as a coder and her desire to live. But even more so, was her hidden sweetness that had not been broken with the past three years of her life. the biggest impact for me was the phrase she lived by "Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow.". This greatly impacted me that she chose to live a life of meaning in spite of her past. This is a great lesson for everyone.
Like the other books to the Haven Brotherhood series there is enough intrigue to keep a guys interest and the love scenes are just down right scorching hot appealing to both men and women.
A BIG 5 STARS for continuing to hold me mesmerized with Book 4 of this sensual dramatic series.
I've said it before (pretty much with every review I've written in this series) but each book in this series gets better and better. To be honest, that may be because the characters are becoming closer to both each other and the reader. Which means that they're becoming more and more like family. The Men of Haven have considered themselves family for a long time, but as they add their significant others to the mix, that sense gets even stronger.
I loved watching Knox reluctantly fall for Darya. Once he was hooked though, there was no turning back. She was his, no argument. His brothers saw it coming way before he did, which was fun.
Darya's back story was heartbreaking, but it didn't break her. It just made her more determined not to waste a minute of the life she'd been given and always remember the people in her past who had made it possible. She was a hard character to not admire.
That thin line that the brothers crossed from time to time to protect those they loved was stretched to its limit in Tempted & Taken. It proved once again what lengths they would go to in order to protect the innocent at the cost of the threat. They made some unexpected allies who they probably haven't seen the last of, which could prove to make things even more interesting for the Men of Haven.
Speaking of which, the next book in the series, Stand & Deliver, features Beck and Gia... interesting indeed ;)
Tempted & Taken
Men of Haven # 4
Rhenna Morgan
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die tomorrow.”
I completely loved every minute of this book. I had no idea going into this how much I was gonna fall in love with all the characters. I have not read any of the previous books but I am gonna read them all now.
This was Knox and Daryl’s story. It has so much love, action, and suspense in this one I couldn’t put it down.
This is def one all my book reader friends would enjoy so do yourself a favor and download this one today. You won’t be disappointed.
Thanks NetGalley, Harlequin, and Carina Press for the arc in exchange for my honest review.
Tempted & Taken is another 5-star edition to Rhenna Morgan's Men of Haven series. This book's hero is Knox Torren, tech extravaganza, brooder who thinks he's unworthy of love, and straight up sex on a stick. He keeps everyone but his brothers, their women, and mothers, at arms length. That all changes when a skip tracer walks into his life.
Darya Volkova made a daring escape from Russia and has been living under an assumed name trying to keep herself safe. While working as a skip tracer, Darya decides that she no longer wants to do that and takes a chance by emailing Knox. When they finally meet, sparks fly but Knox knows Darya is hiding something.
Knox spends a good portion of the book denying his deep attraction to Darya, although it's apparent to everyone around him. He's protective of her yet tries to stay away. When Knox finally gives into the attraction, he lays out the ground rules that have been his standard - love em but leave out the emotional attachment. Except, things doesn't quite work out the way they have in the past. Afraid of hurting Darya, Knox backs off. When Darya's past comes calling, he realizes that he can't live without her and does everything he can to protect her life.
This series is phenomenal. Rhenna Morgan has mad freaking skills. Everything about her books are wonderful. I love everything about Tempted & Taken. Knox is a sexy tech genius with a less than stellar background. He uses his past as a way to keep from building anything lasting with the various women he's invited into his bed. Darya is on the run and when her ghosts catch up to her it won't be pretty. She's been provided opportunities to separate herself from her former life but she knows it's only a matter of time before things take a nasty turn. Her hope is that she can change careers into something less dangerous and Knox is the man she wants to teach her.
The character development and world building continues in each book with each main brother and their potential love interest while still making sure we get to hang out with the rest of family. The chemistry between Knox and Darya is instant, electric, and realistically written. Both characters are unique, yet are perfectly paired in the author's brotherhood world. I was drawn into the story from the very beginning and everything about it kept me engaged. The love scenes were steamy and sensual and written well. Knox and Darya compliment each other in front of the computer and between the sheets.
The plot was smooth and the entire story was perfectly paced. I was never bored or overwhelmed with details. The dialogue between everyone was realistic and conversational - it was like I was there with them. There is a conversation later in the book between Beckett and Knox that is emotional and I found myself immersed in the feelings exhibited. The events and storylines were well thought out and eventually they all came together in an explosive crescendo. Be prepared to get lost in Tempted & Taken and not find your way back out into the real world until you get to the very last word in the story!
The author did a wonderful job writing Trevor’s story and I can’t wait for the next one in the series.
Content is suitable for ages 18 +.
This was a good romantic suspense. I enjoyed it very much.
I voluntarily read an advanced reviewers copy of this book
I have been addicted to this series from book one. Knox and Darya have this great relationship. I love how it was not an instant romance... there was definitely attraction at first sight, but the skeletons in their closet kept things very realistic and at a reasonable pace.
Overall this book was really good, it has great elements about family, true friendships and how great life can be when all of those elements combine.
Absolutely LOVED Knox and Darya. The Men of Haven just keep getting better and better. Knox is a modern day caveman and his alpha ways were swoon worthy. I love how Darya challenged him along the way and became his perfect compliment. Lots of romance and steam in this sexy story. I can't wait to see which man falls next...maybe Beckett or Axel?!
ARC provided by NetGalley.
Will add link when review posts this week.
Book four in the Men of Haven series by Rhenna Morgan features computer programmer, hacker extraordinaire Knox Torren. Knox spent his childhood in foster homes, always longing for a family and a place to belong. Then he meets Jace and Axel and settles down with the men of the Haven Brotherhood. A certain incident in his teenage years has programmed him to believe that relationships aren’t for him, but the only way he can let his mind rest and get a decent night’s sleep is to wear his body out through sex. Which he does through hooking up with a string of beautiful women, but they always know ahead of time that a hook up is as far as their relationship will go. Then he meets Darya and suddenly a relationship with the mysterious woman on the run is all he can think about.
Darya Volkova, aka JJ Simpson, is trying to leave her life in Russia, and the dangerous man who won’t stop searching for her, behind. She made a promise to a friend that she would live for today and do things that make her happy and that is exactly what she intends to do. Skip tracing pays her bills, but she wants more. Knox Torren is the best at what he does and Darya hopes that he will accept her as an apprentice. As soon as they meet face to face the first time the sparks fly and it’s all Darya can do to keep her thoughts on code and apps and computers and not on the man who sets her body and mind on fire.
Knox officially turns this series back around to the bossy, alpha men of Haven. Knox reminds me a bit of Jace, although less on the tough guy swagger and more on the sexy geeky side. He’s definitely a smooth talker. Despite his determination that he won’t fall for Darya, he does, and he does pretty fast. They had a chemistry that burned up the pages. Like a lot of pages. They fall into bed pretty quickly and there are plenty of love scenes to make fans of this series happy. I liked Darya and her take life by the horns attitude. She’s intelligent, hardworking, and holds her own with the (IMO) controlling Knox. There was a bit of a mystery to her backstory that had me turning pages in anticipation. So far we’ve seen the men of Haven tangle with drug dealers and bad guys, but the Russian mob is on a whole other level and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen.
While I’m actually kind of over the overbearing alpha males in my contemporary romances, this series remains one that I request as soon as I see it up for review. I know what I’m getting and I don’t care. There is something about this group of guys that I really like. They are all so alike, yet different in their own ways. I was looking forward to Knox’s story and was pleased with his romance and HEA.
I’m kind of jonesing for Axel’s story, although I know he will probably be last in line in the series. I have a feeling Beckett will be up next and you can be sure I’ll have my one-click finger ready.
Favorite Quote:
“Then give me slow. But let me love you with my eyes the way I love you with my heart.”
4.5 stars!
I LOVE this series! I just want the author to finish all the books and hand them over to me now. I love the premise of this group of "brothers" and the way they function in society. They take care of their own but they also protect the innocent. They operate like an MC almost but they are well to do businessmen with a bad ass side. Gah! I love them all.
This one had my inner geek sitting up and dancing. Knox is the computer wiz for Haven. He is a love em and leave em guy. No relationships--ever. He has crossed paths professionally with Darya although he knows her as her alias--JJ. Now Darya wants to seal her future by learning from the best. Another friend tells her about Knox and she proposes to him that he tutor her so she can also be the very best.
Lots of coding and designing of Apps and software--geek speak. Knox doesn't last a day as Darya's boss before he has another proposition--friends with benefits--no strings. Yeah--hearts always get involved don't they?
As was true in the previous stories, their are some baddies out there. Darya has been running and hiding for a few years. Meeting Knox lets her have someone in her corner finally.
Action, adventure, brotherhood, steamy sex, and family. Loved it all!! Gimme more!
In the entire Haven Brotherhood series, I found Knox and Darya's book to be a sweet romance as compared to the previous books. I loved these two. Darya has Knox intrigued from the first moment that she reaches out to help him and his brothers. And for Darya, Knox is the embodiment of her Mr.Forever. She may wish for more with him but is satisfied to get whatever she can. Because she lives every day to the fullest. Knox is really not prepared for the feelings that Darya provokes within him but what I liked about him is that he doesn't really put up much of a fight. But once he realizes what she means to him he doesn't waste a second in claiming her in front of his family. I loved Becket's big brother role in Knox's life and I can't wait to read his book which is up next. Yay!
I feel like I can’t do this series justice with this book review of Tempted & Taken. First of all, I LOVE THIS SERIES!!! I’ve read each one at least 3 times. It’s not particularly easy to find a good romance series that you want to keep coming back too. It’s a good day when a new book is released in this series….although I know it’s also going to be a long night because this book was just as un-putdownable as the previous three.
Soooo, I feel like I keep coming back to #TeamZeke, but for the duration of this book and a few days after….I was #TeamKnox. I love myself a hot, smart, computer nerd. I am all about a partner who can continuously challenge you intellectually. The loyalty he demonstrates towards his friends and family is worthy of a swoon.
I think this book could be a standalone, but it is SO much better if you have read the previous ones because you will feel like you already know the character a little bit. And you have the backstory as to what is going on and how Jace, Zeke and Trevor found their significant others. You also have high expectations for some hot, kinky, scorching sex scenes. *fans self*
As soon as you meet, JJ Simpson (aka Darya Volkova), you know she is hiding something. She has a job that pays her bills, but she wants more for herself and she went through great lengths to set up a meeting with Knox Torren to ask him to become her mentor. It seems as though Knox knows she is hiding something, but he can’t figure it out and it’s driving him crazy because he can always figure things out. He agrees to mentor Darya, but they try to keep things at a friend level because they are co-workers. Their attraction is off the charts and being “friends” is not going to work out. They both fall hard for each other, they just need to figure out a way to get out of the mysterious mess that Darya is in.
This book took a bit of a different approach as to who the “bad guy” was. Because of Darya’s background, the storyline is a bit more international. Some high-tech spying, hacking, mystery, suspense and off the charts sex, you will wish you picked it up sooner. Once you start reading about Darya and Knox, you won’t be able to stop. If you have been reading this series, then you probably already bought this book. If you are looking for a new series to start on this Black Friday, you can’t go wrong with this one.