Can't believe it took me this long to pick this up and read, now that I have I'm hooked and can't wait to read the others I have by this author , it was Fast, action packed, and the had me laughing at times because of the characters.

This is a short story in between the full length books in this series. Fast, thrill packed book! Must read!

I riveting story filled with suspense, emotions and past hurt that Hunter and Faye need to put aside as they search for a lost boy, as well as searching for their lost future.

Part of the Deep Ops series, it is a must read!!

I really liked the storyline in Taken, not so much the romance. I hate second chance romance, but yet it seems like every series has at least one book in it that has this terrible trope in it, and it’s just not in me to skip a book in a series. So here I am, reading a second chance, again. Faye and Hunter had all of the typical trope points, thankfully this was only a novella so it wasn’t drug out. That actually made it better. Wolfe though, I adore that man. He made this book, just stole every page he was on. I can’t wait to find out more about him. I also really enjoyed the cameo by Dage and Talon, if you are familiar with the Dark Protecter series you know exactly who they are. Between Wolfe, the cameo, and it being a short story, Taken wasn’t bad.

*3.5 Stars*

This was a good, short addition to the Deep Ops series. Hunter and Faye were very complicated characters, that ended things on bad terms but put that all aside to rescue Hunter's younger brother from a very bad situation. Because this is a novella, everything moved pretty fast, but considering the manhunt it made sense for to the story line to move so quickly so that worked in the books favor. We also get some more background on Raider with this book which was great and makes me even more excited to start his book next. My only real complaint with this book is that Hunter and Faye kept sort of dancing around what happened 5 years ago that caused them to break up. We get some details but its never really gone over for us to really understand what happened and I didn't really like that. Maybe we will get more details in Raider's book since there was definitely still a lot that wasn't discussed about his past/their past.

P.S. That cameo was awesome.

ARC Provided by NetGalley For An Honest Review

This was a great edge of your seat book! This book kept me captivated the whole time! I could not put it done!

So the craziness continues with a little bit of a side trip for the new Deep-Ops team, where we get to meet some childhood friends of one of the members and see him swoop in to assist them on a personal mission. While I admit I was a little bit skeptical when I read the first story, since it was seriously nutso, I enjoyed this novella immensely and look forward to the next story even more. Faye and Hunter were childhood lover who thought for a while that they would never be separated, but when their lives were struck with a terrible tragedy their young love was too fragile to withstand the damage. Now forced to come back together five years later, in order to find and rescue Hunter’s long lost little brother, Faye and Hunter have to put aside their past and their broken hearts, which still yearn for one another, in order to get the job done. Calling in a little back-up from another foster brother, a member of the super-secretive Deep-Ops team, they work against the clock to come to terms with each other as well as save Hunter’s brother. It was fantastic to watch these two circling one another as it was obvious their young love never truly died, but as they have grown the passions they have found adds and even deeper layer to their love as they embrace it. Hunter never truly recovered from Faye throwing their love away and seeing her again is more than just a kick in the gut, but having to work with her in such close quarters is making it more and more obvious that the heat between them has actually increased since their childhood. I loved Hunter because he was more than just a hero, more than just a sexy alpha male, but also immediately was a loving brother even though he never knew he was one, the second he discovered he had a brother out there. Seeing him give his all to finding his brother showed just how dedicated he was to his family, which could easily include Faye again if she opened her heart to him, and I wanted so badly for the two of them to find their way back together. Faye is a woman that has learned her lessons the hard way for sure; she has had to come to terms with some seriously bad decisions and find a way to peace with them, even knowing that happiness will never be complete now that she pushed aside the only man she could ever love. Finding her way back into his arms, and his heart, is the wisest choice she could ever make, but only by trusting in their new love and the relationship they could build will they both ever find the true happiness they deserve and be able to build the family they both so badly want. Honestly I found myself more involved with and enjoying this novella more than I did the first full-length novel in this series. There was so much heart, warmth, emotional turmoil, and action, with just a bit of fun and crazy thrown in, that it had all the makings of a truly fantastic Zanetti story. I am hoping the rest of the series follows in this story’s footsteps and looking forward to the next book massively.

A common goal of retrieving a young teenager brings together Faye and Hunter and Ryder, three people united by their shared foster family bonds. Faye and Hunter have not seen each other in five years and Hunter is also blindsided to discover that the missing teen is his half brother. The emotions are strong and there's also plenty of action to move the story along...a great read and a transition to the upcoming new Deep Ops installment

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC; all opinions are my own.

There was a large amount of backstory going on here, which was a bit confusing to keep track of given the novella length. I suspect this might have worked better as a full length novel, given the sheer amount of plot, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Love the Deep Ops series! Taken gives you Lots of action and chemistry as only Rebecca can deliver. This was an intense fast paced story with lots of twists. Hunter and Faye burned up the pages!

THE DELIGHT
Eager to jump into the Deep Ops team once more, I was excited to see a short story to tide me over the next full length title. Each character has a past, family or even someone we don’t know yet. Raider Tanaka’s family has an emergency and he isn’t going to sit home and knit. foster family needs him and it is a second chance at love for Hunter and Faye.

REVIEW
Taken is a standalone novella about Hunter and Faye, two characters not directly in the Deep Ops storyline, but secondary family members to Raider Tanaka.

Faye left five years ago. Five years ago when a client commits suicide and she never suspected. She messed up and wasn’t dealing with it very well. Hunter was back home from a mission where his friend was killed. He messed up and wasn’t dealing with it very well. The distance between the two was growing and Faye needed to walk away before she was too far gone to recover. Hunter let her walk away. There is the crux of the problem.

Faye is back with the job of telling Hunter he has a half brother from his alcoholic, loser of a father. The teenage brother is on the run with the teacher who convinced him she loves him. The one person he believes out of his shitty life. Only the teacher has gone off the rails ad is killing people as she robs convience stores for money on their journey to one place she found happiness. Only the teenager thinks she is protecting him form a robbery charge, not murder.

Hunter now has a new mission to save his brother, but Faye is tagging along bringing up all the hurt emotions, bad and good memories and things he needs to deal with. He knows he didn’t handle Faye leaving the right way. He loved her, but he couldn’t share. They both grew up in abusive homes, but once they made it to a safe home, they created a family. Raider, Faye, Hunter and one deceased brother. Hunter and Faye were fated to be together only to be torn apart.

On the road to find his half-brother before he gets involved with the robberies and murders, Hunter is joined by Faye, Raider and Wolfe (Raider’s “co-worker” at deep ops). Racing against time, Hunter has one goal in mind, keeping his brother safe. Faye though seems to think it’s a great time bring focus on their relationship. She isn’t exactly gentle about it either. It felt at times completely off. Hunter has purpose, but Faye can seem to get past the need to have some focus time as well. Maybe wait till they have the brother safe? Maybe?

The story deals with so many issues. It is probably why I put it down once or twice and had to come back later. Throw in what seemed like a selfish heroine made me feel angst. I loved seeing some of the original characters come by (Wolfe, Kat, the drunken dog just to name a few) and see that another mission is about to take over their lives.

Taken is a novella between Hidden and upcoming release Fallen. While you don’t have to have read Hidden, it does help you to understand a few characters that come and go from the story. Explains more about the dog you see in the novel…well you get to know the dog if not explained why he is the way he is. Hide your shoes and booze! If you like fast paced suspense with a side of humor, this ones for you!

An action packed adventure! Next up in Rebecca Zenetti's newest Deep Ops series is a fast paced novella. Two former loves are drawn together to help an old friend. She turned her back on the relationship years ago, but neither of them could forget the other ... their first love ... their only love ... the one they still can't get out of their hearts.

Hunter Holt would do anything to help Miss Angelina ... even if it means pairing up with the woman who tore his heart out when she left.

Faye Smith sets out to look for a missing foster teen that Miss A took in, but in doing so reconnects with Hunter and Raider from her youth. Uncovered secrets make for an interesting story!

As has become an habitual quirk of mine, I'm once again starting a series with the novella that falls in between books #1 and #2 in the Dark Ops series, neither of which I've read, so thanks a lot, Netgalley, for omitting these little details from your blurb about this advance reader copy. I should also mention that this is the first time I've read anything by this author, whom I've heard good things about. For the aforementioned reasons, I expected to be lost, clueless, and probably dissatisfied at getting a novella rather than a full novel, yet I found myself totally engrossed by this short novel from the very first page, and having started to read it at 2:00 a.m., and finishing it at sunrise, I found it impossible to put down, and I'm giving Taken 5 well-earned stars.

Five years earlier, Faye Smith (who's tried out more than a half dozen surnames rather than use the surname of her physically and verbally abusive alcoholic father) a psychiatrist, missed the signs and one her patients committed suicide, and blaming herself, she left the profession to try to deal with the tragedy. Unfortunately, her issues conflicted with the issues of Hunter Holt, the love of her life, was facing including the loss of a man who enlisted in the Marines because Hunter was a Marine, so Hunter blames himself when his friend is killed while serving. The end result of all this tragedy and drama was that Faye walked away from Hunter, and, as the novel opens, Faye is headed to Hunter's remote cabin in the woods, at the request of Miss Abigail, the kindly woman who fostered Hunter, Mark, Faye and their other friend, Raider. All of these characters were abused and deserted by people who should have loved them, but they forged a family while under Miss Abigail's guiding and loving hand--a family far better and more supportive than the families they ran from.

Now, 5 years later, Faye has been sent to enlist Hunter in helping to locate one of her runaways, a kid in his mid-teens, who has fled Miss Abigail's home after only one night, and run off with his married, 35-year-old math teacher, with whom he is having sex even though his young age makes it statutory rape. Miss Abigail wants him back, and is tasking Faye, Hunter, and Raider with finding him and returning him to her care. Oh, as if that wasn't enough, the teacher has been robbing small, independent convenience stores for money as she and Jackson cross the country, staying off the grid, and looking for a safe place to settle. Jackson believes they're deeply in love, but what he doesn't know that is that the 35-year-old math teacher is also murdering whoever is minding those convenience stores, although she's convinced Jackson that all she's doing is stealing.

When Hunter looks at the files and photos Miss Abigail gave Faye orders to deliver to Hunter, the resemblance between Jackson and Hunter is impossible to deny, and since they share the surname Holt--Hunter obviously has half-brother he knew nothing about, and the search is on. Told in alternate points of view, Ms. Zanetti has managed to give us insight into who these characters are, what they're thinking and feeling and since I usually find short novellas lacking depth and character development, the author managed to give us both. Yes, it would have been nice to include a prologue, giving us glimpses of their childhood trauma and how they ended up at Miss Abigail's foster home, but even without one, these characters are well developed and clearly defined--no small accomplishment.

So, in-between the second-chance romance between Faye and Hunter, there's also the ongoing hunt for Jackson and his murderous partner, made worse by a rather incompetent police chief, as well as the introduction of several interesting characters and one somewhat quirky one, Wolfe, who works with Raider at Dark Ops. There's also the rekindled romance and a few steamy scenes when the love Faye and Hunter still feel for each other becomes physical, and it was impossible not to want them to get their relationship right this time and have them get their HEA at last.

All I can say is that if this is a sample of Ms. Zanetti's skills as a writer, I'm hooked, and I will be following her work and reading her backlist titles. This is one novella I'm very happy to recommend, and I can't wait to read the other titles in the Dark Ops series.

As stated, I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this novella. The opinions expressed are my own.

It was great dipping into Raider's background and meeting some of his family. A total surprise was meeting Talon and Dage! So Worlds Collide!!!!

**ARC kindly provided by via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Love, love, love this amazing new series by one of my favorite authors! Highly recommend this read, as well as all her other books!

Let me just say that I am a fan of Rebecca Zanetti and her Dark Protectors and Sin Brothers series. This one not so much. I don’tknow if it’s because it’s a novella so the characters are not as developed as in her other books or what. I just didn’t feel a connection. That being said, the writing is very good and the story line is there, but I just didn’t feel like it was as developed as her other stories are. I will continue reading this series to see if I like it better and I would recommend this author.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity of giving a honest review.

I am a huge fan of Rebecca Zanetti and she has yet to disappoint! Her latest, Taken, was a short and sweet novella with two main characters - Faye and Hunter - who have a lot of history and a lot of passion. When Hunter's half-brother that he never knew existed ends up in a bad situation and needs his help, their "makeshift" family with Miss Angelina and Raider band together with Hunter and Faye. Their family is supportive and heartwarming, especially when Raider shows up with one of his "brothers in arms", Wolfe, to help out. Not only is Wolfe adorably weird, but he carries a kitten in his pocket. Yep, a kitten. Throw in Raider's commander, Arson, and his alcoholic German Shepherd Roscoe, and this ragtag group of passionate, fierce, loving characters will win readers over in a heartbeat. I loved each one as from their first lines. The only disappointment for me was that this was only a novella -- the history between Faye and Hunter doesn't get explored very much and each character's story could easily have filled a whole book. I definitely could've used more Faye and Hunter, but I'm very much looking forward to Raider's upcoming story and hopefully Wolfe won't be too long of a wait, either.

I must have read a different book than everyone else, so keep in mind I'm the minority in my feelings on this book.

I read the first book in this series and really enjoyed it. In fact it was the first book I've read by this author. So I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately it fell very short.

First off, I'm not a fan of novellas because they rarely give the reader enough depth to feel connected with the characters.

Secondly, I felt no connection from the first book to this one. I expected to have Malcolm involved in this book, at least somewhat. This seemed like a different series entirely.

Third, I wish the author spent more time on Hunter and Faye's past. We were given glimpses of their childhood, how they knew each other and what happened when they broke up. But I didn't really get the feeling that they were in love back in then or even now. The author did a TON of telling instead of showing.

The book was fast paced and the story line was interesting. I just wished the author spent more time developing the characters, their pasts and their current relationship.

** ARC received from Netgalley **

It’s taking me a bit to get into Zanetti’s new series as there aren’t any immortals (Dark Protectors) or super soldiers (Sin Brothers). With that said, the story of Faye and Hunter is still really good. Hunter and Faye both had crappy childhoods and were brought together into a foster home where they finally get a family. Faye and Hunter get together but end up apart when they don’t deal well with a tragedy due to their lack of trust in each other.

This book is a story of second chance love. Zanetti does a good job (for a novella) to show you the past love and circumstances the main characters move through.

Case in point... He hated explaining himself, and he really disliked talking this much. Damn Faye. “Even if she hadn’t sworn off men, we are just friends, and that’s all it can be, because she’s a keeper, and I stay far away from those.” Faye crossed her arms, looking even angrier than she had before. “And why is that?” His temper blew. “Because I’m the type of guy who only loves once, and you walked away.” *swoon*.

As Hunter and Faye work to save Hunter’s brother, they encounter two dangerous men in Idaho.... Dage and Talen.... and thank you very much for the Dark Protectors tie in.

Good conclusion to the drama that brings Hunter and Faye back together as they head toward their HEA.

I loved it! Full of adventure and lots of emotions. So great to see past characters, especially those from another series! I can't wait for the next book!