As always Casey delivers a full on eye's on storks book that you just simply can not put down , as usual I should have been asleep ages ago but I just had to know what happens next . Hard hitting currant story with twist turns and vile character's galour leaves you willing your main characters to survive against the odds ! Great book would recommend to you all

Many really intriguing characters whose lives become intertwined as the story rocks back and forth.
The author steers the story well as we meet Lena & Saskia who are so very different but both in difficult dangerous situations. The ladies worlds collide as they both strive to flee & survive and they form an usual friendship, but closing in and tracking them down is Lena's violent Husband and the much feared Harper Brothers.
The story is gripping and brutal and kept me gripped right until the bitter end.
A must read for any fan of this genre.
My thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley in providing me with a arc in return for an honest review.

This is the fifth Casey Kelleher I've read this weekend, and honestly they just get better!!
A storyline is weaved around two strong women, who are differeny but still the same in their strong personalities. Can't wait to start the next one!!

There is a warning at the front of this book “Not for the faint hearted”. Never a truer word was spoken.

Gripping, heart-stopping, breath-holding, creepy.

Lena is kidnapped off the streets of Albania on her way home from school.
Saskia’s father died and left massive debts and their house mortgaged to big-time criminal Joshua Harper.
Colin, abused by his alcoholic mother all his life, has deep psychological issues.

I found the three different storylines not unique in themselves as I’ve come across each of them separately in different books. What was unique is Kelleher has combined them into one book and then successfully pulled off combining the three plot lines and making it highly believable.

I read this line in another book recently and it fits well here. “The stories are made-up but that doesn’t mean they’re not true.”

The Taken is a fast paced story that will have you hooked from the very beginning. With determined strong women and hard ruthless men it portrays the seedy side of London and the devastating toll of human trafficking and the incorrigible men behind it.

This will definitely be a 5 star read for many and I know these men were hardened criminals however the swearing was just a bit too much for me.

I received a copy from Bookouture via Netgalley to read and review

Bookouture and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Taken. This is my honest opinion of the book.

Lena Cona was just a teenager when she was taken, against her will, from the life she knew in Albania. Forced to marry Ramiz and bear his child, Lena must endure daily threats and punishments.

Saskia Frost was living a wonderful life with her father and attending a prestigious ballet academy. When tragedy strikes, Saskia's world falls apart after she learns of her father's indiscretions.

Joshua Harper is an opportunist, a deplorable man who uses his power and greed to line his pockets.

When these three plot lines intersect, along with a couple of others, The Taken becomes a convoluted web to untangle. The subject matter is very timely, as both trafficking and crimes against women and girls are very prevalent in today's society. Unfortunately, the book never really came together for me. There are too many main characters with their own individual stories, which split the focus too much from the central plot line. The book was good, but the lack of cohesiveness did not help to capture my attention.