SPOTLIGHT: Taken by Amy McKinley
I'm extremely excited to introduce my new website to the Goddess Fish family today. Welcome to the Yellow Book Road. Today, I have a lovely author and her awesome book, Taken.
Forged through a childhood trauma and cursed by the Fates, Layla vows never to be at another’s mercy. With determination and training she evolves into a deadly weapon and quiets her inner demons—until the prophecy activates, shattering her peace. The gods who want her dead converge and the hunt to end her life truly begins. The skills that Layla honed for protection become an unconscious tool for death and destruction, threatening not only the gods but her family. Entrenched in clan turmoil, Thaull’s life hangs at a precipice. He’s faced with a condition known only to his kind, the soul-divide. If not dealt with, his soul will rip in half and he will turn into an unstoppable, ice-cold killing machine. As he hunts the traitor within his Phantom Warrior clan he worsens. A fragile thread of hope remains. The love of a female, freely given, can save him. Through a premonition of an alluring demigoddess, he gambles his very existence in the chance she will be his salvation. She will go dark from her curse. He will go numb from his. To survive, Layla must risk trusting another or become another.
An excerpt from this unique and mythical story:
Sunlight sliced into Layla’s eyes the moment she cracked them open. An impending threat itched along her skin. Outside, mostly naked and vulnerable, she jackknifed to a sitting position. Darkness roared to life. No! She’d dropped her guard. Out of the corner of her eye, she just managed to register Thaull lunge for her before her vision faded.
It was different this time...the reemerging. She took stock of her shaking limbs, the hand clamped onto her wrist, and the deep rumble of displeasure rattling in a male’s chest as reality seeped into her consciousness.
Her free hand grasped for her knife, her senses expanding, filling. Thaull. She knew his smell, and from last night, his name. Oh gods... What had she done?
Terrified to see the condemnation in his eyes, or worse, the pall of death filling them by her hand, she slowly turned. Transfixed by the splattered blood covering his bare chest, she followed the trail up his neck until her gaze landed on his face. His raw carnality hit her like a blast of heat. Was he always this way? His calculating eyes narrowed, observing her every move.
Unsure what to say to him, she cleared her throat. “Get out” hardly seemed appropriate.
Before she could speak, he was on her. His mouth forced hers open, his tongue filling her, fighting for space. He kissed the breath from her, and she was glad for it.
With his hand fisted in her hair, he tugged her head back, staring with an unfathomable look that pierced the depths of her soul. She stood, plastered against him, because he willed it. What just happened?
About the Author
Amy McKinley is a freelance writer and author. She lives in Illinois with her husband, their four talented teenagers, and three mischievous cats. Her series, the Five Fates is underway with the first two books released and the next three soon to follow. She is excited to finish the series and begin the next that's already demanding attention.
You can follow or like Amy on her social media sites, as well as visit her website at:
To Purchase Amy's books, please link to the following:
Amy will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a random raffle entrant here on Rafflecopter.
Eryn's Review:
I really enjoyed this book. It was bold and imaginative, well thought out, extremely researched and simply told such a vivid story. It is part of a series though, which if I had known (and had the time), I would've read the first one, Hidden, before I read this one, so I wouldn't have been so confused over characters, but that is no fault of the author. In fact, I am going to go back and read the first one now.
To begin, I love Greek mythology. It's one of my favorite sets of stories, so right there I was excited about this read. Layla (awesome name by the way ;) ) and her sisters are scattered around the world hidden from the gods and a curse that has plagued them since birth. Unfortunately this poses many problems, especially for the sisters' mates, including Layla's Thaull who is facing his having his soul divided. Layla must create weapons to stop the gods and save her family and her love.
This is such a complex story, and so full of imagination and creativity with the backdrop of Greek mythology. My only small complaint is the wording, the author uses a lot of the same repetitive words for descriptions...i.e molten. I would've liked to have seen a tiny bit more variation, but really that's just nitpicking. Excellent read. Thank you, Amy!
