A very dark romance which tackles some difficult subjects. But I was drawn in from the start. I loved the way it was written and the way both characters dealt with the issues and with each other. An amazing book that will keep you hooked to the end of you can handle the subject matter. Not for the faint hearted.

This book is a tale about a kidnapping with abuse involved so if you have those triggers its not recommended. At first I was struggling with it, but I kept going because I needed to know how it was going to end. This book is about the will to survive and try to move on from a horrible experience.

This book was not what I had expected. All in all it was a very good book that truly came around in the end. Definitely beware before reading because some topics could be triggering. I can’t image going through such problems and coping in the way Aliana did but Kade helping out and never leaving was the best.

Aliana and Kade are questing their relationship but that doesn’t matter when they are taken and held captive. Will they be able to survive the pain and despair they are going through or will it destroy their relationship and who they are as individuals? Fast-paced read with plenty of triggers, loads of drama, and suspense. This dark read draws you in from beginning to end. I loved it.

I was sucked in from the beginning! Loved the writing style. I also loved Aliana but didn't care for Kade much at first. Their relationship was going through a rough spot so when they are suddenly kidnapped together, it becomes really heartbreaking.

Of course, throughout their imprisonment, you are pulling for their freedom.

What they went through and then their fight for survival in the aftermath was completely real. (Trying to avoid spoilers). Aliana was drowning and Kade was definitely her rock in the end.

My biggest complaint was how quickly the book ended...all tied up with a nice little bow.

I do recommend you read it. Be aware of certain triggers.... this book may not be for you. But I did end up loving it. First book by this author and will definitely be reading more.

This is my first book by this author, but won't be my last. I've read my fair share of dark romances, and found this one refreshing. This story doesn't follow the typical captive romance formula. The povs of each character felt authentic, and there were some emotional truths to their relationship I think most people will be able to relate too. I like characters who are flawed, who are tested and put through trials -- the author definitely put this couple through trials. Cheating is a trigger -- but this book was so much more than the cheating. I felt it was more about a couple learning how to survive and move on from trauma. They both got a well-deserved HEA. I read this in one day, it was difficult to set down.

Taken: A Dark Captive Romance by M. Jameson. A new to me author. This book had a lot of trigger warnings of kidnapping, trafficking, rape, and very spicy content. The author knows how to write a book that keeps you intrigued even though some of the story was too much for me to read. I might try reading other books by author but will check reviews before trying them.

Wow, this was dark! I don’t normally read gang/mafia related books but this one blew me away. Beautiful writing. This is a tragic story of Kade and Aliana and how they go through horrific events together but grow through them, all while trying to salvage their relationship. The ending is beautiful, I really couldn’t put this down!

A huge thank you to NetGalley for providing me this copy in exchange for my honest review. ❤️

This was a dark story, darker than I expected. The heartbreaking and tragic ordeal of the main characters lingers and was hard to read at times. It was still a good story of survival and the power of connection, but it was a little unsettling at times. Perhaps I'm just used to lighter reads.

I am not going to lie this was very well written and i will now read all books by this author. I was really surprised. I started the book and I could not care any less about the characters but luckily that quickly changed. I think you could actually feel their pain, embarrassment, weakness and strength. the trauma here felt real and it wasnt wrapped up in a pretty bow and called BDSM or something insane like that. It was real trauma responses and real healing... and really hard to do.. so kudos loved it

Not my favourite read but quite juicy as the two leads fight to ignore the sexual chemistry between them.

Taken by M. Jameson.
Aliana and Kade are taken. Aliana and Kade are assaulted, held captive, and tortured in inexplicable ways.
Their captors peel away at every ounce of self-worth they possess.
With no way of escaping, all they have to cling onto is each other. This is dark and twisted and I loved it. It was different. I loved Aliana and Kade. 5*.

This book grabbed hold of me, the horrific story of Kade and Aliana. While I couldn’t fathom how I would be able to survive what they experienced, I couldn’t judge Aliana’s way of survival either. How would they ever be able to stay together? I did admire Kade and although the way he helped her was certainly unconventional. I cried for Aliana and how she struggled to become whole again.
I love dark romances and this is one of the darkest I have read this year and well worth reading, one I won’t forget for a long time.

My initial thoughts are that this is unique, but not to my particular tastes. That being said, I devoured this book in a matter of hours.

WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR: This book is perfect for someone that likes very unique and bold plots and someone that doesn’t overanalyze character’s reactions. It is great for someone that loves erotica and the taboo.

The plot of this book is definitely unique to the romance world, which is what made me so intrigued. I was completely new to this author, so I didn’t know what to expect going in. If you are looking for something outside the box then this story definitely delivers.

This story is about a couple, Aliana and Kade, who have been having problems in their relationship. Then, the unthinkable happens and they are taken as captives and have some pretty harrowing experiences that could definitely be distressing to some readers. The author doesn’t shy away from a realistic view of what could happen to people in captivity. Definitely do not forget to check out the trigger warnings for this book!

I was drawn into the story quickly and the plot really moved at the beginning of the story, which I appreciate. I felt bad for both Aliana and Kane as you get to see what is happening to their relationship through each of their point of view. I found the way their arguments were approached to be fairly realistic, but not the ultimate source of their disagreements. I feel like their issues could have, and would have been solved relatively easily. However, that is a small negative when it comes to the great story setup in the beginning.

Then we get to the part where they are taken. I really felt for the couple through all their ordeals. I was right there on the edge of my seat wondering how it was all going to go and what was going to happen to them next.

It was deranged, believable and heart-breaking. I loved getting both Kane and Aliana’s point of view during the torture they endured. It was easy to see how much it was breaking both of them. I particularly loved Kane’s responses during all of it.

However, the book took an unexpected turn for me after their captivity. First, this book is listed as a romance, which I firmly believed during the first half of the book. The second half definitely seems more like erotica. Erotica isn’t a deal-breaker for me, but I do like to know that is what I’m getting into when I pick up a book. Going into the book I imagined the trigger warnings mostly applied to the captivity scenes, but that isn’t really the case. That is the difference to me between romance and erotica. I knew we would get some tough scenes, but I thought it would only be the “bad” guys, not the hero.

I expected the captivity to last much longer than it did. Before reading this book, I imagined it was about the couple growing back together while they were in captivity, so I thought the majority would take place during their captivity. Instead, a great deal of the book is dedicated to the fallout from what happened to them. That is not an issue for me and I happily continued to read. My issue came with how both Aliana and Kade respond to their PTSD from being held captive. Both respond in a way that just doesn’t seem realistic to me, especially Aliana. That probably seems from the fact that my profession is in the field of psychology. It got even worse for me when she went to therapy because the sessions were not realistic in the slightest. That doctor would lose his license, and rightfully so.

While Aliana’s response disappointed me, Kane’s devastated me and not in a good way. He seemed so caring, kind and even noble while in captivity, but afterward, he seems to care more about himself than her. His love for her is possessive and selfish and he repeatedly ignores major cries for help. In fact, he almost seems to take advantage of her trauma, which I found to be particularly distasteful. He, in effect, becomes as bad as the people that held them captive. It was night and day different from how he acted in the first half of the book, which is why it is so jarring. Honestly, I was cheering for her to dump him by the end of the book, and no…that isn’t a spoiler…just what I wanted to happen.

Overall, the book delivered on what I wanted, which was something different than the same recycled plots of other romances. I wanted to try something new and that is exactly what this was. I would like to warn other readers that this reads more like erotica to me than romance, so if you go into it knowing that then you won’t be disappointed with the book. I went into it hoping for a romance and was thrown off when the tone shifted. I was thrown further by the unrealistic responses from both the characters. Again, my psychology background definitely affected the way I viewed this book and other readers might not find it as objectionable as I did.

The sex in it toward the second half of the book wasn’t hot to me because my focus was on how it was violating Aliana. To me, it felt as unpleasant as the trauma she went through while in captivity, or worse because this was someone she loved and trusted doing it now. I felt kind of fed up with every character by this point.

The ending of the book was mostly satisfactory, but I felt it did resolve all the trauma a bit too easily. Had Aliana’s response to the trauma been different, and ironically more like a normal person’s response should be, then the ending would have been spectacular and right on point. However, Aliana’s response was far from an average response or what one might expect after her ordeal, so the ending didn’t make sense to me.

There were some editing mistakes in the book, but nothing I couldn’t overlook. There were some question marks that clearly should have been periods and misspellings and grammatical errors here and there.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required. I posted my review on Goodreads on 12/11/2021.I will attempt to post a review on Amazon when it is released.

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
This was a hard book to read I have to admit. In the middle I considered stopping because I felt so crushed for the couple. I was pulling for them to stay together through all their set backs and trauma they faced.
I am glad they found healing and that Kade stuck around through it all.
This is not a book to read if you have a history of the themes listed in the beginning.

Wow what an intense ride. Taken deals with extremely dark and heavy topics but also coming back from it. This book was pitch black and I’m so glad I read it.