Taken by Surprise by Jessica Frances

By: Unknown on Tuesday, November 05, 2013

Title:  Taken by Surprise

Author:  Jessica Frances

Series:  Taken Trilogy #1

Published:  September 5th 2013

Page Count:  336

Genre:  NA Paranormal Romance

Shelf:  Review Copy

Rating:  ★★★★

Book Blurb:

Five strangers scattered across America have three things in common with each other.

One: They each have special abilities that shouldn’t be possible.

Two: They’ve all just had people try to kill them.

Three: They’ve all just been kidnapped and taken away from their home, families and friends.

Their lives will never be the same as they’re taken to a government facility and told that their abilities mean that they must train to become soldiers and fight. But are they being told the truth? Or is something more sinister going on? They must learn to trust each other and decide if they should stay on this path or run away from it. Either way there is no going back.

Excerpt:

His hand travels up my back and he moves it to my neck then to the front of my chin where he forces me to look up into his eyes.

“You’re beautiful; you know that, right?” he says and I fear I’ve had my drink spiked.

“You smell really good,” is my reply. Now I know I’ve had my drink spiked. Did I seriously just say that?

He smiles down at me then leans towards me and closes the distance between my lips and his. He’s gentle at first and my mind goes into overdrive as my instincts try to punch me in the guts with the urge to run away from him. I even move my hands down to his chest, ready to push him away, but then the kiss changes. It grows more urgent and his tongue slips into my mouth. He tastes so good that all thoughts of running away leave me. My hands instead grip his shirt roughly and I pull him closer to me, opening my mouth even more for him as I lose myself to him.

When he pulls away from me, I’m struggling to breathe and my body is flush against his.

“What are you doing to me, Zoe?” he whispers to me. I want to say the same thing to him. What is he doing to me?

My Review:

This novel has lots of characters developed on many different levels. Because there are so many different characters who’s stories are told separately before coming together it takes a long time to get into the story proper. Once you get there, however, this story is extremely trippy and scary in its possibilities. Frances gives you all the information that you need to piece the story together at the end. This novel is exciting and emotional, melded together with a low key, mellow writing style.

The characters in this novel are quite well developed. Each has gone through a multiplicity of trials in his or her life and becomes a bigger person because of this. Frances doesn’t waste time or words on irrelevant character development, but rather focuses on bringing forward elements that will further the story.

This novel definitely stands out as one of a kind. It’s a definite twist on the paranormal in a genre where it’s hard to stand out.

Add to your Goodreads or Shelfari shelves.

Buy online via Amazon.

About the author:

Born and raised in South Australia, Jessica spends her days working in a bakery, afternoons catching up on lost sleep, and nights reading and writing. Writing has always been a passion of hers, however it wasn’t until Zoe appeared into her head and wouldn’t leave that she finally was able to put a story down and finish it. After writing three books, she is wondering if she should start charging Zoe and her friends rent.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Frances-Author/156139237914619
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18375303-taken-by-surprise