ARC Review: Taken by Koko Brown

Taken is the first book that I have ever read by Koko Brown, and I had absolutely no idea what to expect with this one. I was drawn in from the blurb because this one sounded so unique and completely different from anything I have read before. It definitely was unlike any other book I have read, and I honestly am not quite sure what to think after having finished. On one hand I liked parts of the story, and yet I am still having a tough time with the relationship between the hero and heroine because of how everything happened. This one will not be for everyone, but I think that if you are looking for something different it is definitely worth a shot.

When Khalid Francois Duis meets his former college roommate's little sister, he is immediately drawn to her. He is used to having any woman he wants for however long he wants her. But Olivia Bryant is the first to tell him no. He refuses to give up though and continues to pursue her. When Khalid and Olivia share a passionate moment, he asks her to marry him. She turns him down and immediately plans a trip out of town to avoid him. But Khalid refuses to let her go and his obsession with her is enough that he kidnaps her to keep her with him. Khalid takes Olivia to Africa to become his and be a slave to his every desire. Khalid sets out to seduce her and make her see that he can give her the world. But will it be enough to convince Olivia to stay with him? Or will Olivia continue to search for a way to escape and return to her life before Khalid?

I both liked and disliked Khalid. He went about everything the wrong way, and he was completely obsessed with Olivia. But yet, she also had the exact same feelings as he did and she didn't fight him too hard on anything. I just didn't really know what to think, because while Khalid and Olivia shouldn't have worked they did. He was always thinking of her and trying to provide nice things for her. He treated her well and even came to admire everything about her that at first he couldn't stand. He really got to see her as a person and not just a woman who told him no. Olivia confused me as well because she kept turning him down and denying her feelings and yet she was upset that he didn't declare his love or include her in his picture of the future. These two really just needed to speak to one another and I wanted to smack them both at times. They had a ton of chemistry though and when they weren't fighting things between them they worked really well together.

I wasn't aware at first that this book was set in the early 1900s, so that was a bit of shock for me. But I thought that the author did a good job of bringing that to life and making it real. I did think that certain words or phrases weren't always accurate though, and seemed to be a bit too modern. But then other times things were spot on. I found it a bit strange and a bit distracting from the story. I would have to stop and think about whether that should have been said or done back in that time period. Overall, this one was an interesting and different read and I can honestly say I have never read anything like it before. I am still thinking about it and that tells me a lot right there. I think that this one is worth the shot if you are looking for something out of the ordinary with a twist on romance. This one had a pretty predictable outcome and wasn't anything new there, but the story itself was what made this one unique. I will definitely look for more from Koko Brown in the future.

**ARC Provided by Good Choice Reading**

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