4.5 Stars

This is the perfect little fill in story while readers wait for Book 2 in the series. This book takes us away from the team a bit, but it focuses on Raider's "siblings" so we do get to see quite a bit of him in the story.

This one is cross country search and rescue for Hunter's half brother. Faye and Hunter used to be a thing and they fell apart. Travelling together brings back all the good memories and they decide to give it a go again. Older, wiser and more reflective on life expectations. These two seem destined for each other.

Nice humor steamy hotel moments. And freaking Dage and Talan! What??!! Way to work that one in Rebecca! Loved it!

Can't wait for Raider's book!

I really enjoyed this one, I liked the characters and the plot. I enjoyed the pace that the story was too. Overall this story wasn't fairly long and i really liked that. This is 1.5 in the authors series. But i found even with reading book 1 you can read this with out reading the 1st book. though as always i recommend staring any series from the beginning.

Another successful book written by Rebecca Zanetti! I loved reading the first book, Hidden, in her new Deep Ops series, and was excited to see this novella. When I first started reading the novella I wasn't sure how the story fit into the Deep Ops series because the main characters hadn't been introduced in the first book. That being said, if you haven't read the first book you can easily read this novella as a stand alone book. The story is about Hunter and Faye. Hunter and Faye were in the same foster home and ended up romantically involved. Unfortunately, they broke up 5 years ago and now are working together again to find a boy that went missing from the same foster home,. The boy turns out to be Hunter's brother that he didn't know about. The chemistry between Faye & Hunter is electric and as a reader you just want them to lay their hearts open to each other and be together ASAP. The tie to the Deep Ops series is with Raider, whom is introduced in the first book. Raider is family to Faye & Hunter and was in the same foster home with them. I really enjoyed the dynamics between the 3 characters and the addition of Wolfe from HDD to the 'family'. I loved getting to know more about Raider's back story and can't wait to read about him in the next book!! You'll love the surprise appearance by 2 truly loved characters from the Dark Protectors series too. Bringing Roscoe, Kat, and Force to the story also added more depth and connection to the Deep Ops series. Once again, Zanetti wrote a phenomenal and compelling story. I found myself crying, laughing, and rooting for ALL of the characters to either find their HEA OR, in the case of Louise, the justice that is deserved. I can't wait for the next book in this series, Fallen, and the sneak peek in the back of this novella makes it even more difficult to wait patiently. Excellent, excellent book... enjoy!!

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Hunter and Faye have a past, but are brought back together in order to save a teenager. They are reunited with other former teammates, that are truly their family. They must all work together to find this boy before time runs out. Will this be the mission that leads Hunter and Faye back to each other or years them apart for good.

I love the way Rebecca tells this story. It’s not necessary to read the first book in the series in order to understand what is happening. Definitely recommend!!!

Rebecca Zanetti definitely caught my attention with “Taken”. I have enjoyed the overall premise of the story in which the lead characters, who were once in a relationship, join forces to find Hunter half-brother. With their past history, it became more than apparent the feelings of the past still longer and they must work around that to help find the foster kid before it's too late. With this story, I will say I was surprised how short the read was and was a little disappointed that the author didn't really include more background on Faye and Hunter tarnish romance and what lead up to it. I wished there was more or a built-up to the leads reconciliation but you can't win them all. In conclusion, this was a short decent read filled with a promising plot and likable characters.

ARC received for review

Hunter and Faye had a relationship in the past and they both walked away from it. Now five years later they have to work together to find a missing boy. There's not a whole lot said about the past, and I didn't really like that. Then they got back together with out much said. I did love seeing Raider, Wolffe, Kat, Roscoe and Angus. Roscoe and Kat are still my favorites. Looking forward to Raider and Brigid's book.

Well I was sad that this was just a novella. Until I started reading it and then I was quite happy that I didnt have to read a full length book about a teacher sexually abusing a 15 yr old boy. I'm down for reading serial killer books but this was just really high on the creepy scale. I understand why the book was written. So we can get the backstory on the fbi guy before his full length book. But I would have preferred 1. A longer book with more details, into his backstory. It felt rushed. And 2. Not to have to read about the 15 yr old being abused.

This is an awesome little novella from the Deep Ops world. RZ does romantic suspense with such flare. This story line packs in the suspense while also providing us with some humor, heat and yes, heart. Hunter and Faye finally get a second chance after 5 years. They were in the same foster home as Raider, one of the Deep Ops team members. They are all reunited by Miss A their foster mom to save Jackson, who as it turns out is Hunter's half brother. Seems despite the bickering, Faye and Hunter's feelings may have only grown in all that time apart. I love their back stories and how they have shaped who they both are today. I also absolutely love the Easter Egg thrown in with two of my favorite characters from one of RZ' s other series!! The unusual antics of the Deep Ops team, like Roscoe, the drunken dog and Wolfe who keeps a kitten in his pocket was a bit of fun to break up the intensity of the situations they find themselves in.
Can't wait for what comes next!

Taken is a novella in the Deep Ops series and while Faye and Hunter aren't on the team they are childhood friends of Raider. Faye and Hunter were kids together and then they were so much more. Since I'm a sucker for second chance romances this was perfect for me. I loved that neither one had stopped loving the other and how although they both tried moving on during their 5 year separation they never could. I loved seeing the men from the team, Wolfe was great and Roscoe had me laughing. While I loved the cameo of two of my favorite characters I felt it was odd and honestly out of place. With that said it was a really enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to Raider's book.

Hunter and Faye, who were together since they were teens, broke up five years ago after suffering tragedies in their lives. Neither has been really happy since then.

Their former foster mother gets them together again to search for another one of her foster kids who has run away under dangerous circumstances. Jackson just happens to be Hunter's half-brother, whom he didn't know he had.

Hunter and Faye call in Raider, from the Deep-Ops team, to help. Raider was a foster kid with them, and they were all as close as family.

Jackson is on the run in a very bad situation, and there is some good suspense as they try to catch up with him before he gets hurt or gets in too deep. Along the way, Hunter and Faye have to face "us."

Wolfe, Roscoe and Kat make fun appearances from the Deep-Ops series. Even better, a duo from another series make a cameo appearance and are scary/hilarious. Zanetti fans won't want to miss it.

Taken
Rebecca Zanetti
4/30
Rebecca Zanetti has another winner in her novella for the Deep OPs series. Taken comes out at the end of April. Hunter Holt lives in a cabin near the river where he is a guide. As a foster child, now an ex-soldier he lives his life in solitude. Faye Smith was his one and only but since the split, have not seen each other in 5 years. She too is a foster kid from Ms. Angelina’s house. Those who have lived there have become family. They never ignore pleas of help from her, so when Faye gets a message from Ms. A to go visit Hunter to ask for his help with one of her new foster kids, she goes. Unsure of why she came, Hunter questions her visit until he learns of the request. He’s not certain why Angelina did not call instead of sending Faye but in finding out that this lost boy is his step brother, he starts the plan to rescue him.
He phones this brother, Raider who arrives that night with another member of the Homeland Defense Unit, Wolfe. They layout the plan and leave early the next morning to find Jackson, the young man who was captivated with his teacher, Louise Stockley. Louise a 40 year old woman who was insane enough to take the boy with her, then go on a spree of robbing convenience stores, killing the workers in each location.
It’s a good story and in typical Zanetti form becomes a page turner. In this series most of the usual Deep OPs are present. I found the storyline captivating and the characters a great bunch to follow.
I appreciate the opportunity from Kensington Books to read and review this novel. Rebecca Zanetti fans will not be disappointed. Those who enjoy a good romantic suspense read should pick this up as well.

This novella in the Deep Ops(1.5) series gives some background information on Raider from the first book, HIDDEN. He grew up with other foster children who are his brothers and sisters of the heart. Hunter Holt and Faye Smith are part of that family who also walked away from a relationship as adults with each other five years ago. Both were left wounded, but when Hunter finds he has a young half-brother who goes missing, they put aside their issues to track down the teenager on the run. The woman he is with being much older adds an ick factor. She’s a bit of a whack job doing a Bonnie and Clyde impression so things can easily turn deadly.

Clearly Hunter and Faye still love each other; but the question remains whether they can overcome the hurts of the past including the loss of one of their foster brothers. Each one carries scars along with a deep connection that has never stopped though time has passed so when Hunter and Faye work together, sparks fly.

Raider comes in to help them using his Deep Ops skills and with a team member, Wolf, who is quite quirky and entertaining as are most of his team. It’s not necessary to have read the first book in the series, but it does add to the enjoyment. For Dark Protector fans there is a fun Easter Egg scene. New readers will be introduced to some of the decidedly left of center Deep Ops team member including a very strange dog who has the habits of a frat boy. Raider and Brigid’s story is next in the series.

Advanced Readers Copy Courtesy of Netgalley...:)

This was a perfect little novella to keep us occupied while we wait for book 2. It has the guys from the Deep Ops series in, including the high heel wearing/ alcoholic dog and the cute little kitten, who sits in big bad Wolfe's pocket.

This is the story of Hunter and Faye. They met when they were kids having both come from horrible home situations. It's been years since they broke up after both having dealt with the death of one of their childhood friends in different ways. They have come together now as the lady who raised them has one of her foster children who has run away. She wants them to find him before he gets in trouble. It also turns out the kid is Hunter's half brother. Together with the guys from Deep Ops they set out to save the kid and along the way they realize they still love each other. Now, will it be enough this time around, or are there too many hurts in the past that they just can't get past.

Very suspenseful for a novella. I absolutely love the misfit dynamic of the team. It is amazing how easily it is described and played out within the story. The novella is absolutely action packed and you don’t loose anything in the condensed story but I have to say I hope for more full length books

This book was amazing. I just finished it and wasnt ready to leave Faye and Hunter. They were perfect for eachother and scorched my kindle. I loved when Talen and Dage made an appearance i alm3fell of the treadmill jumping when they appeared. It was perfect. Please hurry and relase Raiders book soon i cant wait!

The best thing about this book for me was the two main characters--Hunter and Faye. They both came from abusive homes and met in foster care. They were each others first love but broke up five years prior to the story starting (it wasn't exactly clear why they broke up). They are reunited when their foster mother alerts them that Hunter has a 16-year old half brother who is in danger. They have an interesting backstory and a lot of chemistry.

Because this was a novella, the story was really compacted to the point where everything seemed rushed or wrapped up too neatly. There were a ton of ancillary characters that kind of overwhelmed me. I think that is because this book is related to Zanetti's Deep Ops series which I haven't read. It seems like maybe the author is setting up the next full length book in the series. I could have done without all the extra characters and had a little more time developing Hunter and Faye's story.

Overall, I enjoyed the story though.

This book is an excellent read. Faye and Hunter were in Miss Angelina's foster home. Family until they were old enough to know there was more between them. Mistakes tore them apart but this book follows their journey back to each other. Faye comes across as broken and unsure but that's not her. Her backbone and sheer determination makes the interaction with Hunter poignant at times yet often humorous. Raider's deep ops unit is comprised with quirky characters and a drunken dog. I laughed out loud at Roscoe and his antics. The ending was perfect. I highly recommend this book.

I really enjoyed the first book is this series and was excited to see that this one had been released. Perhaps in the minority, I am actually a big fan of novellas when done well because I like being able to finish a book in an evening, particularly during the work week. I think that although novellas may be somewhat easy to accomplish in contemporary romance, they must be very difficult to do in romantic suspense. And that makes this one, which is very well done, stand out. Even without having read the first book (where we're introduced to the HDD team and told how they came to be), I would have enjoyed this book. The main characters of Hunter and Faye are not introduced in that first book, so readers don't need to have read that story to understand this one. The book is full of action and likeable characters, and it gives us another glimpse at characters whose stories are coming soon; particularly, it gives us some background on Raider, who is next in line for his HEA. I can't wait!

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for providing an ARC for review.

I received an advanced copy through NetGalley for an honest review.

Hunter and Faye have a long history, so it was nice reprieve from the stories that have insta-love within the first 48 hours of the book. Even though this is Hunter and Faye's story, the tie into the team is that these people are Raider's family. So we get some of his backstory in this in time for the next full-length book. Raider comes in to help his family and Wolfe comes with him. I was confused as to why the others pop in and felt like it was forced a little.

The next book is Raider and Brigid. Between last book and this book, Wolfe seems to play larger roles so he may be up soon for his story. I appreciate his quirkiness.

This was a fairly long novella, but it still felt rushed to me. I feel like it could have easily been lengthened in order to give more backstory and create more connections.

I thought this book was fantastic, a real page-turner. it captivated me from page one and will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end.