Review: Taken by the Others by Jess Haines

Title: Taken by the Others
Author: Jess Haines
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 01/01/11
Summary:

Once, New York P.I. Shiarra Waynest's most pressing problem was keeping her agency afloat. Now she's dealing with two dangerous, seductive vampires who have been enemies for centuries. The only thing Max Carlyle and Alec Royce agree on is that they both want Shia -- for very different reasons. Max is determined to destroy Shia for killing his progeny, while Royce's interest is a lot more personal. That's not sitting well with Shia's werewolf boyfriend, Chaz. As the feud between Max and Royce gets ever more deadly, a powerful vampire-hunting faction is urging Shia to join their side. Shia has always believed vamps were the bad guys, but she's discovering unexpected shades of grey that are about to redefine her friends, her loyalties -- and even her desires.

Plot: 4 Stars
This is one of the few novels I've read that has included a vampire-biting scene that was truly scary and definitely not sexual in any way. That scene reinforced my love for this series because the vampires are evil and scary, and I love that. As the title suggests, Shia is taken (or kidnapped) by some of the others in New York. While kidnapping is normally a plot point that I find a bit boring, the author definitely made it interesting and necessary to the plot. All in all, Shia's crazy adventure back into the world of the others was a roller coaster of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. I just wish there could've been a bit more private investigating. Her job was such an important part of Shia's character in book one, so I expected more than just a couple passing comment to her job.

Pace: 4.5 Stars
This novel flew by. I just couldn't put it down at times. And it read even smoother than book one. Every scene had a purpose, even if that purpose wasn't totally explained until the end of the book. But I love when a book wraps up so nicely. There wasn't a cliffhanger, but there was just enough at the end to leave me jumping up and down for the next novel. I can't wait to see what's in store for Shia on her next adventure.

Characters: 4 Stars
Shia has definitely grown since the last novel, and grew quite a bit in this one as well. I have really enjoyed watching the evolution of her character. Although Royce didn't seem to be around quite as much as the last book, we also learned more about him (and I like him a bit more now). He was still manipulative at times, but he also seemed to have Shia's best interest in mind, even if it didn't seem like it at first. Max was a great villian because he was truly frightening and his moves were unexpected throughout the whole book. I wish we could've seen more of Sarah, Arnold, and Chaz. I really missed Arnold's humor and mage powers that helped Shia so much in book one. But I loved Mouse! She was such a strong little vampire, and a very interesting character. I really, really, really hope she's in the next book. It was also nice to see a few more of the White Hats and learn more about them.

Cover: 3 Stars
This cover's model was all sorts of wrong. The cover model looked like she had aged at least five years from the last novel, although barely a year had gone by. Plus, I'm not even sure if they used the same model. And her outfit was just wrong. She should've been wearing the trench coat from the first cover again, since Shia once again wears it to hide her crazy stash of weapons. Plus, she shouldn't have so much skin showing because she does not want the vampires to bite. Cover model aside, the it wasn't that bad of a cover. Purple is a color that doesn't seem as widely used in the genre as blues/greens and reds/oranges are, but it works very well against the model's red hair. And I really enjoyed the large moon in the background, especially considering most of the novel took place at night.

Overall: 4 Stars

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review from the author.