Taken was a twisty story that had me on the edge of my seat throughout, it had my head in a spin with me never quite knowing what to believe right up to the extremely satisfying ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC.

Taken by Danielle Ramsay
I am accused of the worst crime: murdering my baby. I have only hours before this passenger ferry docks in Spain to find him alive.
Someone knows about my difficult past and darkest secrets, and now I fear they have taken my baby. But who would do this to me, and why? I think I know the answer—or at least, I think I do.
The police are questioning why I fled my home and husband. How do I explain that I had a breakdown after my first baby died? Today marks the anniversary of his death, and my husband is planning to have me sectioned.
Despite what my husband claims, I'm not ill. Am I? I have discovered he has an agenda.
How could I have been so wrong about him?
I need to prove my innocence to the police, even though everyone believes I'm guilty. I will do whatever it takes to get my baby back before he disappears forever.
This is another edge-of-your-seat thriller by one of my favourite authors. The writing is always compelling, and this story is no different. Initially, it may seem like a slow burn, but then it picks up pace, and you won't want to stop until you close the book with immense satisfaction.
The characters are brilliantly crafted, and the twists and turns will keep you guessing throughout.
I am thrilled to recommend it.
I want to thank Boldwood Books, author Danielle Ramsay, and Rachel's Random Resources for providing a copy to read and review.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

'Taken' by Danielle Ramsay had me absolutely hooked from start to finish! Danielle Ramsay delivers an intense, nerve-wracking thriller that kept me flipping pages late into the night. The tension, the twists, the emotional gut punches—I was all in! The plot is layered with secrets and suspense, and just when I thought I had things figured out, Ramsay threw another curveball my way.

Alice’s story is absolutely heartbreaking. Accused of the unthinkable—murdering her own baby—she’s forced to flee, desperate to find her child before a passenger ferry docks in Spain. Her grief over losing her first child, Noah, is gut-wrenching, and her struggle to bond with her second, Eli, while running for her life had me completely invested. The emotional weight of this story, mixed with its fast-paced suspense, made Taken impossible to put down. If you love thrillers that keep you on edge and hit you right in the feels, you need to read this one ASAP!

Thank you NetGalley, Danielle Ramsay, and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this book in exchange for a candid review.

First, I want to thank Danielle Ramsay, Boldwood Books and Rachael’s Random Resources for providing you with this book so I can bring you this review.

WOW!! Warning you are going to want to grab your box of tissues for Danielle Ramsay’s latest read Taken! For me it was a very emotionally powerful read where she pulled hard on my heartstrings so hard! So many times I wanted to comfort Alice.

There are so many important life issues and messages that Danielle Ramsay brings up in Taken.

Taken is jam packed full of deep dark secrets.

"Your baby has been taken. But who will believe you?"


Alice is a young British nurse, originally from Devon but now living and working in London, who meets and after a whirlwind romance, marries American neurosurgeon Tom, more than ten years her senior and in the country working temporarily. Some months later, following the birth of baby Noah, they return together to Tom's home, where his parents William and Barbara apparently welcome Alice with open arms.

However, Alice has a guilty secret, one she has never shared with Tom, about a childhood incident at the family home, which has left she and her brother Oli virtually estranged and an emotionally and mentally vulnerable Alice, petrified of water. So when tragedy strikes for Tom and Alice, as well as them both being left bereft, torn apart by their loss and inconsolable with grief, a demented Alice is on the verge of completely losing her sanity.

Having been placed under sedation for her own good and unable to communicate or move, Alice does overhear a conversation between Tom and his mother, which makes it clear that Tom is harbouring secrets of his own about a past history with someone called Blair. Totally unable to function, Alice's continuing paranoia leads to her being 'voluntarily and temporarily' sectioned, where she still adamantly refuses to discuss her past, even when Oli arrives out of the blue to support her, as Tom withdraws and grows evermore distant from his wife, especially after the unexpected arrival of Blair.

At the end of his tether, Tom manages to convince Alice that he still loves her, although events conspire to take yet another strange twist of fate, filling them both with renewed hope, tempered with dread and trepidation about the future. During a short trip back to London, Alice receives an anonymous tip-off, which leads to her discovery of things about Tom which horrify and repulse her. Now convinced that she is not as sick as everyone would have her believe, with Oli's help, Alice plans to make good her escape and join her brother in Europe. However, her tormenter decides to up the ante, to the point where Alice is under suspicion of terrible crimes and threatened with prison, or worse!

Can Tom convince people that Alice is innocent and that he had no part in the conspiracy against his wife? And will he and Alice ever find renewed solace in a relationship together?

...

My potted synopsis of this masterful fictional psychological thriller, probably doesn't do it adequate justice, however to elaborate further would be to give the game away completely. With so many more twists and turns, false leads and accusations, many of which I never saw coming, be prepared for a gut-wrenching ride, which is unrelentingly pursued and consumed by anguish and guilt from just about every direction! Just a small word of warning to anyone who has a trigger point related to SIDS, who might want to consider the consequences of reading this book ... Although, to me as a layperson, it seems amazingly well researched, sympathetically authentic and true to the subject, it is thus very detailed and explicit.

The narrative is set mostly in the present, although there are various flashbacks in time mingled in. However, when these events dictate, the chapter breaks are clearly defined and easy to follow, so no second-guessing is required.

There are references to various locations in Europe, the UK and the USA, however, none are really fleshed out in detail, although they are real places. This dark, slow-burning storyline is all about the characters, their rollercoaster emotions, their vulnerabilities, their acts of revenge and deception, and their interactions with one another.

I found it quite difficult to relate to, or become invested in, any of the characters, especially Tom, who I found particularly weak and a bit dim-witted when some things were staring him right in the face, although I'm not sure that was the outcome the author had hoped for. So whilst, yes, Alice's fragility and grief, leading to her complete breakdown and loss of reality, were undoubtedly founded and definitely twofold - Those lingering scars which had haunted her since childhood, her feelings of abandonment by her father, coupled with her belief that her mother didn't love or want her, and Alice's all-consuming guilt surrounding her mothers eventual death; coupled with those spiralling, traumatic and fragile emotions of a mother trying to come to terms with the loss of not one, but ostensibly two babies. However, no matter how vividly and realistically those events and their outcomes were portrayed, and never having walked a mile in Alice's shoes, as so many other readers might well have done, the storyline and narrative, descriptive, compelling and immersive as it was, was almost suffocating in its intensity, seeming much more lengthy than its purported 330 odd pages. Which, in all honesty, is probably the only reason I marked this review a little down at 4*

Did I guess who the villain of the piece was? Well I must admit that I did have an inkling, but nothing tangible enough to make me 'nail my colours to the mast' over.

Good twisty mystery with the main character who may or may not be losing her mind. My type of book!

This is a gripping read and I was invested from the first page. The plot is unique and the characters intriguing. This is another fabulous domestic thriller by Danielle Ramsay and one that I’d definitely recommend.

A brilliant thrilling read hard to put down once you start. A story full of twists and turns that keeps you hooked from the very first page.

The tension in this book was almost unbearable at times—in the best way. The gripping plot kept me glued to the pages.

Alice gives birth to Noah, only to have teh unimaginable happen - he soon dies from SIDS. Alice is heartbroken and blames herself. Alice's mental health understandably takes a dive, but her husband Tom is there to support her. Or is he just trying to lock Alice up in a mental institution? Not long after the loss of Noah, Alice becomes pregnant again and later gives birth to Eli. But Alice soon uncover some evidence that shows she cannot trust anyone, especially her husband. She makes the decision to flee with her baby, only to be discovered on a ferry in Spain. But to make matters worse, they are saying that Eli is dead. And Alice was responsible for his death. Alice cannot remember the evening question, so she has no idea if the accusations are true. But she knows she wouldn't harm her baby. Right?

The author did an excellent job at casting doubt on all the characters, making the reader wonder if it is the case of an unreliable narrator or if someone else is lying. I was constantly going back and forth on whether Alice was actually crazy or not. And if not, who was making it look like she was? There were plenty of suspects to choose from. There were lots of interesting twists and turns that I did not expect. It is a super fast paced read that will have you questioning everyone. Definitely recommend!

Thank you Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is definitely addictive! I was pulled into this and didn’t want to put it down. This is a book I devoured in just hours.

Ramsay is a brilliant author and never fails to pull me in. This has been no different and I’d go as far as saying that this is quite possibly my favourite.

This is a book that will make your heart pound. From the very beginning I was hooked. Ramsay literally made me feel all of the emotions as I read this.

This is one brilliant thriller. The beginning is really emotional when we find our couple have lost their child to SIDs. This pulled my heartstrings and hooked me.

Ramsay writes in a way that you are completely caught up and feel as though, you’re in the thick of it.

This is intriguing, addictive and full of deception and lies. This is guaranteed to send chills through your spine. Ramsay portrayed the emotions of the characters in a way, you could be them.

This is a brilliant read and one I have no hesitation in recommending. I loved it.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Make sure you're sitting comfortably when you pick up Danielle Ramsay's new novel, Taken, as you won't be able to put it down. I absolutely devoured it, reading way past my bedtime until I discovered all of the secrets buried in the book.

Alice is one of the most unreliable narrators I have come across and she is tortured by grief, guilt and what ifs following the cot death of her son. Alice blames herself and falls into a spiral of depression. Meanwhile, Alice's husband Tom seems to be getting on with life by planning a move back to America but then Alice falls pregnant again.

Oh Alice! I really wanted to reach into the book to give her a hug. She feels like everyone is conspiring against her and it's no wonder she is struggling to cope with the birth of her second son after losing her first baby so tragically. I wasn't sure whether Tom was just good at hiding his emotions or simply uncaring but it really seemed like Alice was a lone passenger on a rollercoaster of emotions.

With secrets in both Alice's and Tom's pasts, the pacing is blistering as I raced through the pages to uncover everything and I was kept guessing right to the end. Death of a child is a difficult and disturbing subject but it was handled very sensitively and I could almost feel the torment that Alice was going through. I really enjoyed Taken and would highly recommend it.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Great read with an even better plot twist. There are some slight trigger warnings for those who have lost an infant to SIDS; however, the novel itself is really great. Anytime I thought I had the plot figured out I would find i was very wrong. I guessed a very small part of it but the overall twist was something I never saw coming.

Taken by Danielle Ramsay was another excellent book by this author. This was a book that will keep you awake,
so no reading it before you go to sleep!!!!!!
It was full of great twists and turns throughout and can be dark in some places especially as Danielle tackles some very hard Subjects i.e mental health, and she tackles them very well

This book was a hard read for me but I am glad I had a chance to read it I highly recommend Taken a fantastic read from start to finish.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC.

I am accused of the worst of crimes – murdering my baby – and I have hours before this passenger ferry docks in Spain to find him, alive.

Someone knows about my difficult past and darkest secrets, and now I think they’ve taken my baby. But who would do this to me and why? I know the answer. Or at least I think I do…

The police want to know why I have fled my home and husband. How do I tell them that I had a breakdown after my first baby died? That today is the anniversary of his death? That my husband is planning on having me sectioned?

Despite what my husband says, I’m not ill. Am I? For I have discovered he has an agenda…

So how could I have been so wrong about him?

Loved it. Will recommend to others.

This was a fantastic read ! Twisty and dark I thoroughly enjoyed the plot. It tackles hard subjects and is gripping. Would definitely recommend

Alice and Tom go through something that no parent ever should - they lost their son Noah to SIDS and understandable this has a devastating effect on Alice, yet Tom seemed to be coasting on. I felt like Tom's feeling were all but forgotten about whilst the focus was on Alice and how she understandably wasn't coping after her sons death, but it almost felt like his character was gaslighting Alice which I didn't take to - but once you get to the end you realise what it was all about and how it meant to appear that way. I don't really want to spoil it but there was a lot going on with this book, and when Alice gets pregnant again so soon after losing Nosh she goes into an almost neurotic state fearing that something will happen to Elijah - and when the story moves on and the truth comes out I was a little blindsided, but boy was it a good twist.

Whilst not akin to anything featuring Liam Neeson, it is on the hand a fantastic psychological thriller that takes you on a tangled journey through mental health, the loss of a child and then the fight to survive.

It's a fast paced read and I found it very hard to put down once I'd started. Suspense and angst are prevalent throughout, anxieties are exacerbated and emotions run high.

With Alice's spiralling mental health I found myself questioning her narrative at times, was she telling the truth or was it down to her neurotic anxieties.

A solid and enjoyable thriller, definitely one to recommend.

Danielle Ramsay has taken an often used plot line and added a few twists, turns and surprises to spin the tale into thriller territory with enough tension between the characters that you start to wonder just who is telling the truth. Then........well, if you want to know what happens then, you'll have to read the book. It's really worth your time.