The Taken

Celestial Blues #1

by Vicki Pettersson

“Exceptional. Mystery, crime scene drama, and more than enough romance to keep the heart pumping blend seamlessly into an enthralling read that kept me glued to the pages.”
—Kim Harrison

“A delectably dark paranormal thriller. I’ve always been a fan of Pettersson’s work, but she knocks it out of the park with this one.”
—Kelley Armstrong

Vicki Pettersson, author of the New York Times bestselling Signs of the Zodiac urban fantasy novels, breaks out with The Taken. The first book in her sexy, supernatural noir mystery series, Celestial Blues, The Taken features a former p.i.-turned-fallen angel and a beautiful, tough Las Vegas reporter—the most unorthodox pair of avengers since Jeaniene Frost’s Cat and Bones—joining forces to confront a terror that threatens to wreak murderous havoc in both the mortal and the immortal worlds. A dark and delicious mix of noir mystery, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance, The Taken is a must-read treat for the insatiable fans of Nalini Singh’s angel books, and for the many, many readers who have made Kelley Armstrong, Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, and Laurell K. Hamilton fantasy superstars.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery, Angels, Romance, Paranormal Romance

417 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2012

About the author

Vicki Pettersson is a NYT and USA Today bestselling author of ten novels, most set in her hometown of Las Vegas. Though she'll ever consider that glittering dustbowl home, she now divides her time between Vegas and Dallas,Texas, where she's learning to like good Tex-Mex (easy) and the Dallas Cowboys (easier than you'd think).

Her most recent release is SWERVE, aptly titled as it's both a chase book and a hard departure from her fantasy work. A pure adrenaline, white-knucked thriller, Swerve releases on July 7, 2015 -- perfect for the novel's Fourth of July setting. If you're looking for a romance with little to no violence ... this is not your novel. If, as with her other work, you're looking for a strong female protagonist who comes out swinging when pushed into a corner, then perhaps you can connect. Welcome!

Reviews

[gremlinkitten · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even though I'm not especially fond of angels, I decided to try out this new series based on my previous experiences with Vicki Pettersson's work. Sadly, after an intriguing first chapter, any enjoyment I may have expected never came knocking (guess it was too busy knockin' on heaven's door).

Meet one of the two main characters, rockabilly girl Katherine "Kit" Craig. She's an eternally optimistic and peppy reporter whose best friend and co-worker, Nicole, was just murdered while following a lead. Our other MC is a haunted Centurion angel named Griffin Shaw who ushers the newly murdered into the afterlife, otherwise known as the Everlast, while bemoaning the murders of both himself and his wife Evie back in 1960. After making a mistake concerning Nicole, he's been sent back to earth as a human with some angelic senses still intact. Kit and Grif soon meet up and begin investigating the circumstances around Nicole's death, whilst Griffin seeks out any details involving his own.

Problem Number One:
The Cardboard Characters
Character development is supposed to unfold over the course of a book, in this case it actually appeared to deteriorate as the book went on. Kit never developed into anything but one of those annoyingly chipper people you just want to hit with a sledgehammer, while Grif started promisingly enough but then stagnated. They were both very shallow characterizations, and on top of that, I never understood Kit's actions or reactions to just about anything. I never felt her sadness about her best friend's death, whom she rarely gave a passing thought, believed she was smart (by the end, I thought her a dolt), or seem in any way human with nary a rational thought in her head. About mid-way through the book, Grif tells her he's an angel after they kiss, so what does she do? Does she a) run away screaming, b) think he's a few feathers short of a goose and tell him to get hell out of her house and life, or c) have a calm Q&A session followed by giving him a whatfor that consists of "I won't kiss you again" and "you're watching me walk out that door (in her own house) because you can't handle any emotion blah, blah, blah by pretending you're an angel" and then proceed to attend a charity event wherein she acts and converses normally, like nothing happened? If you picked "c" *ding ding ding*, you're a winner! Because as we all know, any sensible guy will pull out the "I'm an angel" trick and expect a woman to believe him. *rolls eyes* Never was it ever crystal clear if Kit thought Grif was either crazy or a liar. It was all a bit hazy, but what can you expect from someone we're never allowed to know? All we discern is she dresses and lives (somewhat) rockabilly, but it's all a veneer to her hollowness inside, which led me to dub her Rockabilly Barbie.

Because that's all she is and nothing more. The only character that I found a little more well-rounded was the secondary character Bridget Moore and the two Centurions introduced close to the end. Everyone else was either forgettably two-dimensional or they were a caricature, a la Caleb Chambers and Paul Raggio.

Problem Number Two:
The Relationship(s)
I'm expected to believe in a possible relationship between Grif and Rockabilly Barbie, err I mean Kit, but there's not much there to believe in. Like the characters, it was shallow with the same descriptions reiterated over and over again. Basically it's a case of telling instead of showing. I felt no love, maybe some attraction, but that's all she wrote. Likewise I never bought that Kit and Paul could ever have gotten far enough to be married, they were just too different. Most people don't do a 180 after they get married, the seed of who Paul really was deep down inside would have already been there and if Kit was even a fraction astute, she should have caught that. All this served was to be a plot point in the book.

Problem Number Three:
The Plot(s)
The main plot involving Nicole's death and Chambers had a "been there, done that" quality to it. The plot didn't shock me or seem like anything new, I've come across the same before or at least plots that were very close, and it wasn't even told in a fresh way. So I wasn't as affected by anything in the book as I probably should have been, partially due to the indifference I felt and the fact that I figured out everything long before the author dropped, what I guess she thought, were informational bombshells.
The book had three major plotlines: Grif and Evie's deaths, Nicole's death/prostitution ring, and Grif and the Pure Anas' philosophical moments. They weren't juggled well at all. Ms. Pettersson should have picked only one and paid more attention to developing that specific plot and the characters. The scenes with Anas (or Anne) especially didn't mesh with the other stories and felt as if the author was overreaching the boundaries set up by the book. One scene in particular was extremely bizarre and pointless to the book as a whole.
Where was the noir? I've seen enough film noirs to know it ain't here.

Problem Number Four:
The Ending
What happened at the end is what I'd expect in a book that's exclusively romance and not in a mystery/urban fantasy hybrid, which made the rushed ending seem even more ridiculous and sappy. It was incredibly unbelievable to the story and didn't seem to set up the next book in any way. Also, one of the plotlines was all but left dangling with no foreshadowing or anything. Poor, poor, poor execution. Don't expound on a storyline if you're not going to finish it up or at least leave it dangling in a way that makes the reader want to come back. All that boring set-up for a completely stupid and cheesy ending. I expected rainbows and unicorns to pop out at any moment.

Overall the book felt more like a rough copy than a finished one and definitely could have used a few more goings over. Several descriptions were rushed and chaotic or simply poorly done so that I was scrambling to picture what was going on. The book is almost 400 pages and it is simply too long. With so many storylines, I'm not sure how they managed to both crawl and have very little action at the same time. I was going to give this two stars because I didn't hate the book, that would imply that it elicited any feelings what-so-ever, but the truth of the matter is that there isn't one thing I really liked about the book either. The only way I'd read a sequel to the bafflingly-named Celestial Blues series is if it featured different leads like the aforementioned Centurions, and even then I'd cautiously dip my toes into the book.

Originally reviewed: June 29
Received: Amazon Vine

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

It wasn’t love at first sight. No, it was more like casual curiosity in a sea of strangers where one stood out a little more than all the rest, wearing a tailored suit and an upturned do whereas the other women wore red dresses and spiked heels. But I was intrigued enough to continue the flirtatious glances, and she was inviting enough to offer up those baby blues and batted eyelashes and slight smiles when I least expected them, and before either of us realized it, the glances led to a conversation and the conversation led to dancing, and ultimately to a night neither of us would ever forget.

And it would be easy to classify Grif and Kit in a similar fashion, as their relationship started off rockier than a wooden rollercoaster in the middle of a windstorm. But there was a spark, a flare, and a need inside of them that had more pull than an undertow. Grif’s hard-boiled voice carried this story to new heights, while Kit proved every bit as tough as her pencil skirts and sharp tongue, and her milky skin was as pure as a fresh snowfall.

THE TAKEN took me for a ride I won’t soon forget, and I’m more than a little intrigued to discover what happens next for Grif and Kit. In a sea of books that sometimes strive to be more alike than they are different, I’m always delighted when I find a fresh voice, a fresh twist, or a combination of factors that individually aren’t any different than what I’ve already discovered so far, but when combined create a brand new element.

This novel offered me a glimpse behind a curtain, and I want to peel back the rest of the red velvet and discover what other joys wait for me on the other side.

Cross-posted at Robert's Reads

[Cat Russell (Addicted2Heroines) · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are books and characters I've thoroughly enjoyed that over time have blended in with others in their genre, no longer standing out in my mind. Then there are books and characters that leave such an impression that they serve as a reminder of why I initially fell in love with reading. This is one of those stories.

Pettersson has a truly impressive writing style with descriptions that are clever and incredibly vivid. She also possesses a talent for world building, providing enough detail so that we're able to understand the angels' various purposes and hierarchy without being overwhelmed or coming across as info dumping. And the dark noir mystery vibe with its paranormal aspects and developing romance gave this novel a uniqueness that I have yet to experience in the urban fantasy genre.

The story focuses on two exceptional characters, Katherine "Kit" Craig and Griffin Shaw. Kit is a rockabilly reporter with Bettie Page bangs and dresses that would make June Cleaver proud. She's a protagonist that stands out not only because of her 50's lifestyle, but because of her encouraging, positive attitude despite her tragic past. She's strong, independent, and unwavering in her values and beliefs.

Also, looking beautiful is one of her top priorities, which I admired. During her investigations, she makes trips to the beauty salon to have her hair pinned and nails manicured. While I very much admire the protagonists that are strong and lethal with well-conditioned bodies, it was nice to have a softer, curvier, more feminine character to relate to.

"Craig wasn't big or small, but right in the middle where a woman should be. She was like that roller coaster he'd loved at Coney Island as a kid, made up of long slopes and wide curves, built for thrills. Something wild, he thought, but also something that made a man just want to let go."

Griffin Shaw, former P.I., died in the 1950's and became a Centurion, an angel whose job is escorting souls to the Everlast. He was demoted, placed back in his human flesh, as punishment for assisting in anchoring a recently murdered body, allowing the deceased to become temporarily reanimated. He's blunt, moody, insensitive and sports a coconut-scented pompadour under his stingy brim fedora. He's also a troubled soul, haunted by his past and the questions surrounding the death of his wife, Evie.

"Your love should have saved me."
"I know."
"You weren't strong enough."
... "I know that, too."
"Are you strong enough now?"

A series of unfortunate events bring Grif and Kit together and they team up to find those responsible for murdering her best friend, Nicole Rockwell. What they discover is a dark, disturbing mystery involving a seedy underworld of prostitution rings.

As the story progresses, you realize Kit and Grif have much more in common than their 50's clothing and lifestyle. They both consider themselves "lone wolves", they're both dedicated and determined when they have their mind set on a goal, often to the point of stubbornness, and discovering the truth is one of their highest priorities. As Grif often says, "Facts were bricks." You can't build a wall without them.

While I gush and drool over this story, and would love to do it a whole lot more, I can also admit to understanding why this wouldn't be enjoyed by everyone. This isn't written like your typical urban fantasy, so don't let the references to angels, souls, and the hints at romance fool you. As I mentioned before, this has a dark noir/hardboiled mystery feel to it, so violence, sex crimes, and several demeaning references to women are to be expected.

Also, the mystery is at times so dark that some readers will find certain aspects of this story too disturbing for their taste. The villains are sick, twisted, and undeniably evil. They are created in a realistic way that provides an unpleasant reminder that this level of evil exists outside of paranormal mysteries.

Overall, The Taken was a debut novel that I enjoyed immensely. I savored every moment and will be impatiently waiting for the sequel. 5 well-deserved stars.


"And you can lay odds that a man who's driven in his life's pursuits - whatever they are - will be equally driven when it comes to you." Stilling suddenly, she looked up from her work. "You can lose yourself to a man like that."

[marlene · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have never been so happy to be done with a book. Possibly ever. This was a great idea so poorly executed it made me want to cry. I just kept reading about how amazing this book was. There were recommendations from authors I love singing about how this is the best book they have read in a millennium. It would have no be at least decent right? Wrong.

400 pages of “I am so rockabilly no one understands me. This is a lifestyle not just me playing dress up. I should be working on the murder mystery at hand but I need to take an hour or two to have my hair done in that Betty Paige style that all of the boys wearing cigarette packs rolled up in their shirt sleeves will love.”

400 plus pages of that. No, I am not exaggerating. I have never once read a book where one of the characters clothing was such a focal point. It should have had little to do with the story. There was an actual Scooby Doo mystery at hand with a touch of the paranormal. That should have been the focus, not the chick’s plight with people just “not getting” her rolled hair, cherry tattoos, and adorable cupcake dresses with a Lucite purse.

The highlight moment of this ridiculousness was when an entire gaggle of these broads got together. You got introduced to a bunch of characters that had no reason to be in the store except to talk about more fashion and reinforce the idea that being a “billy” was a “lifestyle choice” and not just the clothes you slapped on. The entire plot dragging chapter should have been edited out of the book. It did not move the plot along, advance the story, or provide any character development. It did however confirm the facts that if I was trapped in a room with these people I would resort to Thunderdome tactics to escape.

The writing style and vernacular was neat. The book did have that touch of noir feel to it. The mystery and the preternatural elements could have made for a really well done book. It was a shame we spent page after page listening to outfit descriptions and how tough it is that this poor soul just goes so completely misunderstood. Boo hoo. Let me get a tissue and wipe my winged eyeliner eyes.

[Sher Free · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I have to start by saying that I should not have liked this book. While it offers an intriguing, very original mash-up ~ urban fantasy with a rockabilly noir mystery ~ … it's also an angel book. I detest angel books, for the simple reason that you can’t have them without at least some religious overtones. Even when the angels are darkly sexy, broodingly tortured former P.I.’s. And Pettersson doesn’t hold back on stuffing The Taken with heavenly mythology and bonk-you-over-the-head piety. I would have been okay with it had she employed a bit of a lighter hand. You would also think a rockabilly noir trope would lean towards that as well. But it was so persistent as to take me out of the story far too often, along with an internal ‘there it goes again’ and a roll of the eyes. True, some people will like this aspect a lot. You know where I stand. However, I just don’t think urban fantasy is generally the target audience anyway, even if an angel happens to be the main character. Then again, what do I know.

BUT… despite this (and not to mention a few other inanities that had the potential to annoy me almost more than Twilight did, but I digress)… I DID like this book. And there were two reasons why: The Mystery and Griffin Shaw. The Taken begins with a bang as Grif, the aforementioned broody and sexy angel, arrives on a prostitution murder scene. As a centurion his job is to take souls to the Everlast (yes, heaven), especially those who have a difficult time passing over due to the nature of their deaths. What should have been a by-the-book “take” of course turns out to be much more complicated. Pettersson effectively lays the groundwork not only for a disturbingly gritty mystery, but also of Grif’s nuanced nature. One would think a gruff, hardboiled detective right out of the 50s would end up being a cardboard cutout, but this guy has layers. He may be hard and cynical, but he’s also a self-described gentleman whose protective nature and sensitivity rise to the surface in the face of female objectification, domination, and violence (which there is a lot of, so be forewarned). He is a great character, by far the most compelling in the book.

Unfortunately it practically skids into low gear after such a great start, as Grif’s story is revealed and the mythology laid out. He also becomes fascinated with the beautiful siren Katherine “Kit” Craig, who as he sees it is somehow involved in the mystery. I don’t think I would have been bored as much at this point had their paths not remained separate for so long as I just didn’t find her interesting in any way apart from Grif. I did mention something about cardboard characters, didn’t I? Well, you would think a rockabilly newspaper reporter would be slightly more eccentric, cool, and interesting. Unfortunately there’s not much to say about her other than her idealistic naiveté and supposedly sunnily optimism. As none of her characteristics are explored to a satisfactory extent(we are mostly told what she is supposed to be, rather than shown), she comes off as very bland and vanilla. I was disappointed. I expected more, oh I don’t know… sass. The fact that she sometimes acted frustratingly stupid also didn’t help me to connect with her. There were just too many childish reactions in her exchanges with Grif that seemed to come out of the blue or made no sense at all. Even so, I was invested in the budding romance, probably more so because I wanted to see Grif get past his… um… past. While I love a tortured hero, he had suffered enough and was deserving of a nice alive girl in the here and now. And really, there’s probably nothing like a re-corporealized angel nee private dick from a bygone era to sass a gal up.

When Grif and Kit are eventually brought together the story begins to liven up. Her truth-seeking reporter instincts turn very personal as she doggedly pursues answers to the murder, which not only stemmed from her investigation into an ugly prostitution ring but resulted in a terrible loss. Naturally, this places her in danger. Unfortunately Grif’s involvement does not bode well for either of them, especially him. But he can’t help himself, being the gentleman he is, even as he attempts to maintain a brusque detachment in the face of growing attraction.

This is where it gets dark, really dark. And then it gets darker. It snuck up on me. Not the prostitution part, which is seedy enough as it is, but the context of the mystery and the victims involved. Yes, there are hints along the way, but for some reason (maybe all the proselytizing?), I was not prepared for The Taken to be quite so creepily sinister. But as unsettled as I was, I could not put it aside. The villains are about as sick and twisted as they come and the action heart-poundingly intense. I was as caught in the mystery, intrigue, and decadent perversions as I was disturbed by it all.

Still, the hardboiled edge of The Taken, which was slight really, could have, no should have, been pushed further. I was expecting snappy and sultry noir-ish type dialogue of the “You know how to whistle don't you - just put your lips together and blow" variety. Like Kit, there was very little of the sassiness this genre demands. In addition, the rockabilly component felt a bit forced, as if thrown in as an aside. It just wasn’t used in any significant way other than to lend a romantic love interest that fit in with Grif’s 50s persona. It would have been really fun to have more of an evocative glimpse into this subculture, exploring it meaningfully enough to be infused into the ambience. There were also some incongruities, easy solutions, and a host of other superficial at best characters, but I wasn’t overly bothered as I can sometimes be.

So The Taken is by no means a perfect book, but do I recommend it? Yes I do. Just not for those who are easily troubled by disturbingly dark subject matter, or who have a hard time suspending disbelief or easily frustrated by inconsistencies. It had enough gripping moments for me to overcome it all, and I was invested in the outcome and what turned out to be a hot little romance (but certainly not over the top). I’ll definitely be listening to book 2, The Lost, at some point.

The Taken was provided in exchange for an honest review, originally published on the Hot Listens blog: http://lupdilup-hotlistens.blogspot.c...

[Benjamin Cheah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't. The story drew me in with its first chapter and its promise of an intriguing world and dark plotline, but these were overshadowed by all the other flaws in the story.

Consider the protagonists. They are pretty bland and stereotypical. Kit Craig, the female lead, gets a few points for originality for being a rockabilly girl, but her rockabilly persona doesn't fit in with the rest of her character. It's almost as though that part of her exists simply so she can appeal more to Griffin Shaw, the male lead. Most of the time, you think of Craig as a reporter, not a rockabilly girl. The story would not have suffered much without that aspect. Craig is annoyingly cheerful and chipper throughout the book, without any explanation for her approach to life. It's hinted that she has issues, but the author didn't follow up on that. She is a grown-up Pollyanna, her mood changing only at dramatic events. What is harder to swallow is her hard-headed refusal to believe Griffin Shaw's insistence that he's an angel, and her failing to actually research the man who mysteriously dropped into her home to save her life at the beginning. She insists on doubting Shaw's sanity instead of actually listening to him or researching what he says until it is convenient for the plot. Worst of all, though, she acts as though there aren't any killers chasing after her, confronts villains in their strongholds with little more than words and confidence -- and expects to survive. And, most of the time, she gets away without anything happening to her. She comes across as willfully ignorant, painfully chipper and just plain hardheaded.

Griffin Shaw is supposed to be a PI. He can pull off the act, walking and talking and acting with movie-style drive and charisma. He is relatively straightforward, seeking vengeance for his (and his wife's) untimely death, and later seeks to protect Craig. Unfortunately, that's almost all there is to him. His interludes with another angel are supposed to draw out deeper, philosophical points to living, but the scenes come out awkward and pedantic, adding little to the rest of the story.

What killed the story for me was everybody's lack of sense. Craig and Shaw have well-connected killers coming after them. Craig insists on using her car -- which has vanity plates -- and they stay in the homes of known acquaintances. The people they interview aren't that difficult to find or silence, and at one point they travel to the lion's den without taking any precautions. Nobody even brings up the idea of obtaining weapons in case the killers show up again. Craig thinks and acts as though her facility with words grants her power, even though the villains plainly demonstrate that this is not so, and nobody comments on it. They don't even think about hunting their hunters beyond a cursory background check, and nobody thinks of calling the police in the climax of the story, even though phones are clearly available. And one minor character somehow gets away clean with murder.

The villains, too, display the same lack of sense. In one action scene, Shaw fights off the killers from Shaw's home with his bare hands. They either don't draw weapons or are unarmed, which makes them pretty useless killers. They don't even re-arm themselves and go back in, or call for reinforcements. They just retreat into the night, appearing only when convenient for the plot. The killers don't even take the trouble to track Craig until an important plot point occurs, even though they don't make themselves difficult to find. The main antagonist refuses to throw them out of his lair, and actually invites them to keep exploring, giving them ammunition to use against him later. One character's explanation for betrayal doesn't make sense if you understand the criminal underworld, and another character is tortured and killed apparently just to make Craig suffer and to give the angels a chance to show off their power.

I get that this is primary a paranormal romance story. But it's PNR set in the world of a crime thriller, populated with men who are experienced in breaking and killing people. This lack of common sense and the cardboard characters turned reading this story into a chore. I don't expect to come back to the series unless Pettersson does more research into how her characters should think and act.

[Melindeeloo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - The Taken, the Celestial Blues series starter, was a mixed read for me. The first chapter was a 'grabber', but I found the next few chapters to be uneven and I kept wavering as to whether I even had the patience to continue on, because I liked the parts with leading man Grif Shaw - a 'busted' (not fallen) angel and former 50's PI - but I had a hard time connecting with leading lady Kit Craig - a newspaper reporter who embraces the 50's nostalgia driven Rockabilly lifestyle and has an attitude that brought to mind Pollyana – so, Kit's chapters would loose me and Grif's would reel me back in.

It took pretty much until the 90 page mark and an attempted murder, and for Kit and Grif to finally combine forces, to even things out - and for me to finally get into the flow. But after that, I got wrapped up in the story which involves an investigation into a murder that Kit knows ties into a prostitution ring and involves a list that names many of Vegas' who's whos as clients. However, the actual truth adds an even uglier and disturbing side to murder and prostitution and while ended up liking the development in Grif and Kit's relationship and the way that the investigation unfolded kept my interest, the ugliness of that truth left a yucky aftertaste to the Taken.

So that aftertaste, when combined with the slow start, makes it hard to give the Taken a hearty endorsement. Still there was enough promise in what Petterssen crafted in her angelic mythos and in the partnership – with a late developing romance – that I will likely check out the next book.

[Kathy (Kindle-aholic) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think a more violent and sexual His Girl Friday.

Griffin Shaw is an angel, of sorts, who ferries the recently departed to their next stop. Originally he was a `50s Vegas PI, but since he can't get past the murder of himself and his wife he is stuck on angelic escort detail. Then in a moment of compassion he breaks the rules and is punished by becoming flesh and blood again. He's also forced into the company of one Kit Craig, a rockabilly reporter who is marked for death because of Grif's lapse. She is investigating a prostitution ring whose reach goes to the very top of Vegas' elite. There are 2 mysteries at play here, as well as visits to old mobsters, crooked cops, murders, and a pretty horrific secret underneath the sex ring.

This is a dark UF with noir tones. I really liked both Kit and Grif. They make a very good team even when they bicker. Kit lives a nostalgic lifestyle dressing and living as though she were from the 50s. Grif is actually from the 50s and doesn't understand the idealized view of his era, though he definitely looks the part. I enjoyed the details in the clothing and hairstyles. I didn't know much about rockabilly coming into this book, so sometimes my curiosity over the clothes and the lifestyle took me out of the story for a bit. It didn't last long though, and I liked how both stayed true to character.

There is also a different take on angels here too. I wouldn't say that they like people all that much (a common theme among many of the recent angel-inspired tales I've read). If you are a person who cannot take a different view of angels, God, etc then you'll probably have issues. I enjoyed Pettersson's take on the heavenly host, especially Anas. I almost wish that we had a little more with her as her character's progression was one of my favorite parts.

I also really liked the overall theme of what it means to live. It resonated with me.

Not everything is solved, but it still was a satisfying ending and I'll be reading the next book in this series, as well as checking out Pettersson's other UF.

[I received a copy of this to review for Amazon Vine.]
http://www.amazon.com/review/RCSZCL1L...

[D.G.]

DNF at 10%

The Taken wasn't going horribly, I just had trouble believing this whole rockabilly business. I can definitely understand somebody liking the style of a different era but it was just too weird for me here. A journalist speaking in the vernacular of another time? How would people understand what you're talking about! And smoking because it was part of the lifestyle! She divorced her husband (which btw, wasn't done in the 50s) so she could deviate from the norm...after all, I'm sure that if the people in the 50s knew what we know today about cigarrettes, they wouldn't have smoked so much either.

[Lolly's Library · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cute, mostly forgettable PNR. While the story at the book's heart, the one actually driving the plot, is as dark and twisted as they come, the rest of the book is fairly prosaic. There's the spunky heroine, Katherine "Kit" Craig, this time dressed up as an "I defy you to pigeonhole me" rockabilly Lois Lane, which, I'll grant you, is an interesting twist--I haven't seen too many rockabilly dolls in modern fiction. Then there's the deep and brooding hero, Griffin Shaw, with the requisite dark past, only this particular incarnation of the trope is a not-quite-fallen, more-like-demoted angel, who died in 1960 and has enough baggage to fill one of those brass hotel trolleys. Also shuffling in and out of the story are the other contract players whom we never quite learn much about, but are necessary to fill out the plot: the schmuck of an ex-husband (who is appropriately schmuck-like and, naturally, completely different to Kit's lifestyle, so much so it makes one wonder why the author had Kit married to him in the first place, other than to lay the groundwork for a future dramatic scene); the protective girlfriend (who can also create Kit's killer Bettie Page 'do); and the supportive cop friend (who we have to take on faith as being trustworthy as we're never really introduced to him beyond a superficial intro). Basically, nothing really original, except maybe for the Vegas location and the kitschy retro backdrops.

While I must say I didn't find Kit quite as annoying as many other PNR heroines, I don't feel as though I came away from the novel knowing who she is, what drives her, what's really underneath that rockabilly exterior. (In fact, the most annoying thing I ran into was everyone else's insistence on calling her 'Kitten' or 'Kitty-Cat'. How cute. And how so completely unoriginal.) Griffin Shaw, the angel/P.I., complains constantly about Kit's incessant talking, the fact that she's too cheerful, too stubborn, flighty, contradictory, cavalier, yadda yadda yadda, but we never learn why she's any of those things, most especially when it comes to her indefatigably upbeat nature, or if those mannerisms are merely a cover for deeper issues. (We kind of get a hint that it's the latter, but that hint is never fully explored. Perhaps Pettersson is leaving that for later books.) When it came to the rockabilly part, you can tell Pettersson is fascinated by the phenomenon and respects those who belong to that particular subculture, but it never felt fully integrated into Kit's character. At times, it felt as though she was almost too "kooky" or, as one character called her, "weird," as though she was trying to hard to be insouciant and one-of-a-kind. She wore the clothes, she talked the talk and walked the walk, but it still felt a bit like a little girl playing dress-up. Basically, she seemed...unfinished.

Griffin Shaw is little better, as his main motivation is vengeance. His wife, Evie, was murdered in front of him, just before his own life was taken, and he was set up as the fall guy by whomever committed the murder. Once he returned as a Guardian (an angel responsible for ushering newly departed souls to the Everlast--which is just about the worst name for an afterlife, though highly appropriate for the book's Vegas setting, as every time I saw it mentioned, I thought of boxing equipment), he made it his mission to somehow find out who killed his beloved Evie. Or at least never stop thinking about her and her death. And believe me, for most of the first part of the book, he never does. Evie this and Evie that. It gets a bit tiresome after a while because you began to believe his memories of perfect Evie and their perfect, wedded bliss have become enhanced by the rose-tinted glasses of memory and Griffin's driving need for closure. However, it does make his gradual realization of his feelings for Kit feel a bit more realistic, even if I did want to hit Griffin over the noggin to speed up the process. For all the drama/trauma driving him, there's little more to Griffin's personality. He always acted the complete gentleman and from his actions it was obvious he had a strong moral center, but, like Kit, you never really knew what, if anything, was going on underneath that polite exterior. Once again, the word 'unfinished' comes to mind.

I think the most disappointing feature of the novel is the lack of spark. I'm not talking about romantic chemistry, which you can see between Griffin and Kit. No, I'm talking about a different kind of spark. After all, I figured with a rockabilly heroine and an authentically cool cat angel/P.I. there'd be some snappy dialogue, along the lines of the Howard Hawks/Rosalind Russell/Cary Grant type you see in His Girl Friday (the best movie of all time for that kind of one-liner repartee). Instead, the dialogue was pretty flat and occasionally awkward or forced. The book tries to strike a balance between funny and dramatic, yet usually only achieves jarring results when a scene can't decide which way it wants to lean. It wants to be noir, but can't achieve the necessary hard-boiled snappiness required to be good noir; it wants to be a romantic comedy, but can't achieve the light-hearted snappiness required to be a good romantic comedy. So it ends up being a slightly confused mishmash of all of the above.

About the only thing that makes this novel stand out is the plot line, which is dark, diabolical, and completely reprehensible. It makes you wonder if Pettersson has some issues with men or perhaps just Mormons and this is how she's working them out. While it may not be utterly believable, the plot did make me want to keep reading, just to see the villain get his well-deserved and inevitable comeuppance. However, a dark and disturbing story line does not a good PNR/urban fantasy make; it needs all the other parts to make it whole, which once again brings me to that word 'unfinished'. The book felt as though it was missing that one key ingredient which would've brought the whole mess together and made it into something spectacular.

I'm not sure I'm invested enough in either the premise or the characters to continue reading the series, mainly due to the disappointing execution of the tale. There are other authors out there who can do twisted suspense stories even better and without all the angel falderal (which is the aspect of the novel which really got on my nerves. Yes, yes, before ya'll start foaming at the mouth, I knew the book involved angels and I knew there would be some God talk, but it still seemed a bit heavy-handed at times). I don't know why angels are the new big thing lately in the PNR genre, but I think I'll stay away. They're really not my cup o' tea. And as far as Pettersson, I have the first novel of her Zodiac series sitting in one my bookshelves; I'm still interested in reading it, but I think I'll go into it a bit more reservedly than I would've before reading The Taken.

[It's Me - Yvette · Rating 1 out of 5]

This just isn’t for me. I find myself completely uninterested. DNF @ 10%.

[MISS VAIN · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You know. People treasure the moments in their lives because they know those times will soon be gone. A normal person like that girl over there focuses on the present because even if she doesn't acknowledge it, death still looms in her future."

The Taken begins with a murder and leads us on an investigation that kept me intrigued and guessing until the very end. Originally I thought I was going to be reading a new paranormal romance series but upon completing this book, I'm going to place it in the Urban Fantasy genre with plenty of mystery to discover. Clearly this series is going to be greatly appreciated by readers that enjoy the Rockabilly era, intelligent detective skills, characters with integrity and an engaging and colorful plot.

"Money is the invisible elephant in every bedroom, Mr. Shaw. You'd do well to remember that."

A Centurion is a low level angel that maintains the job of escorting the souls of tragic deaths to their final resting place, called the Everlast. Well that's exactly what Griff Shaw is, and he can relate to these souls despite his brazen and pompous attitude since he tragically lost his life when he was murdered fifty years ago. Griff is purely motivated by vengeance and he seeks it relentlessly. His wife Evie was murdered while he lay witness prior to being executed himself and he's determined to solve the murder of his wife's murder as well as his own. This vengeance is what keeps Griff retaining such a low level angel status. I'm drawn to his moody, arrogant, tortured attitude while he wears a fedora, and a pompadour. 

Unfortunately Griff does something he's forbidden to do that has ultimately sealed Kitt's fate and do he must decide whether to team up with her to solve the murder of her best friend therefore saving Kitt's life or let fate take its course. This is where the working relationship between Kit and Griff begins and Pettersson leads us readers into a fascinating world, of dark, mysterious, gritty, graphic and violent crime investigations  against women 

"Do you want to know what the difference is between sex for money and sex for free, Mr . Shaw?" "Sex for money always costs less."

Kit Craig is a sassy yet snarky reporter that I enjoyed thoroughly as the story progressed. I found her charming and in many ways she reminded me of a Vasser girl pin-up style character with a Lois Lane-esque vibe to her. It's not very often do we read about a female reporter in an urban fantasy mystery plot. With this being said, I found myself eager to know more about Kit as well as aching for Griff to see just how incredibly charming she really truly is. However, the romance is subtle with a very slowly progression leading me to think its coming in future installments.,


"Marie was one of my first acquisitions," Chambers said, as she strode away. "She's worked her way up in my esteem because, like a good bitch, she's learned to take orders. Sit. Stay. Shut up."

I expected The Taken to be dark and gritty, but I didn't expect to be taken on a journey investigating a prostitution rink. The plot was engaging, and descriptive with plenty colorful and vivid details. I enjoyed how Kit and Griff are such polar opposites that I found that they complemented eachither immensely, Its was unique and these original elements captivated me and I flew through this book rather quickly than I expected. I'll admit with the disturbing and very shocking ending I'm eagerly anticipating the next installment Vicki Peterrsson has created in Kit and Griff's investigative world. I will definitely be reading the next book. This was my first book read by Vicki Pettersson and it won't be my last. I thoroughly recommend this to fans of dark & gritty Urban Fantasy lovers with an engaging plot that keeps so on your toes failing to solve the mystery.

"Your love should have saved me."


ARC provided by Harper Voyager for Harper Collins


http://MissVainsParanormalFantasy.com

[Carmel (Rabid Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

Much like the cover, this book is an interesting mix of new and old. I think the black & white artwork with a splash of colour does a good job of summing up this story in a nutshell. Griffin's fifty years dead and Kit is all about the rockabilly (50's lifestyle). In that respect, they compliment each other well. The main plot revolves around a murder investigation which I really enjoyed because it kept me guessing but in the end, I just couldn't get past the 3rd person POV and because of this I never managed to really get into the story.

I enjoyed the rockabilly aspect of this novel. It's the first time I've encountered anything of the sort so it really stood out. Having a hobby is one thing but Kit takes her obsession to a whole new level by staying true to her favourite era as much as possible. From watching the news on an old school tube TV (I'd miss my LCD within the hour) to her vintage clothing and hairstyles. Her lifestyle helped with Griffin's transition into the modern day world. Being surrounded by cellphones, computers and the multitude of other 21st century inventions was a little overwhelming so hanging out with miss Craig definitely helped to lessen the blow.

The pacing of The Taken is a little on the slow side. I started to get pretty impatient in the beginning waiting for something to finally happen only to have to stick it out until roughly the half-way point. That combined with the 3rd person narration really dampened my reading experience. I had a hard time connecting with either of the main characters because of the POV. The dialogue was also rather stiff. Some witty banter would have gone a long way into livening up the story. I understand that Griffin's not the most outgoing person but his single word replies made it difficult to get a feel for him. That being said, I did like him more than Kit. Her perpetual cheeriness is never fully explained and as a result came off as forced, to the point of being fake.

The murder investigation aspect of the story was enjoyable. I thought it was imaginative and downright disturbing in its conclusion which is fine because I love a good jaw dropping ending. Then there's the angel angle. Unfortunately, very little is explained about them so every time a new celestial being popped-up it left me scratching my head. There's also a character named Tony that outright disappears for a while and neither of the two main peeps seem to even notice; he then reappears and no explanation is given. Finally, the whole dead wife murder investigation subplot pretty much goes pouf as well. I found that there were too many holes and lose ends in this story to the point that it felt unfinished. Granted, I'm basing my review on an advanced, unedited proof so perhaps all of my beefs have been resolved in the final version.

The Taken is a dark tale modeled off of the butterfly effect and has all of the makings of a great story but unfortunately there were just too many elements that didn't sit right with me. Regardless, I'm interested to see what the next installment has in store because of this book's originality.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in September 2012 but hadn't posted the review here, so here you go.

Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy Noir/Mystery Thriller Reading Level: Adult

Disclosure: I received a free paperback galley (uncorrected proof) from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Griffin Shaw used to be a PI, but that was back when gumshoes hoofed the streets... and he was still alive. Fifty years later, he's an angel, but that doesn't make him a saint. One small mistake has altered fate, and now he's been dumped back onto the mortal mudflat to collect another soul – Katherine "Kit" Craig, a journalist whose latest investigation is about to get her clipped.

Bucking heavenly orders, Grif refuses to let the sable-haired siren come to harm. Besides, protecting her offers a chance to solve the mystery of his own unsolved murder – and dole out some overdue payback for the death of his beloved wife, Evie.

Joining forces, Kit and Grif's search for answers leads beyond the blinding lights of the Strip into the dark heart of an evil conspiracy. But a ruthless killer determined to destroy them isn't Grif's biggest threat. His growing attraction to Kit could cost them both their lives, along with the answer to the haunting question of his long afterlife...

My Thoughts: This is the first book in a new series called Celestial Blues. The second book, The Lost , is scheduled for publication in March, 2013. I will be watching for it. Pettersson has a way with characterization and description that is highly engaging and entertaining, and I greatly enjoyed reading this combination urban fantasy/noir crime thriller.

There was a lot of humor in this, which I always love. There is also plenty of suspense and mystery, and a wonderful romance for those who enjoy that sort of thing – I even enjoyed it, since it wasn’t overwhelming to the plot. There were times I wanted to shake Kit, though; her attitude toward “bad boys” made me shake my head in dismay. They aren’t all like Grif, after all.

I also enjoyed the idea of Vegas and how it has changed; it has made me curious about the old Vegas. The whole rockabilly thing was interesting – I never thought of someone completely living a nostalgic, anachronistic life, like Kit does. It made me wonder if there aren’t people who are so heavily into the Society for Creative Anachronisms that they would live their entire life like that.

At any rate, I can and do highly recommend this book for those who enjoy paranormal fantasies with a romance involved, or those who enjoy urban fantasies. I think this book will please a lot of different people, actually, so definitely do not hesitate to check it out.

[Christal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Taken combined angel mythology with noir-style mystery and the retro rockabilly subculture to create a unique story. I am hooked on this new world and definitely interested to learn more about the characters, especially Grif.

Griffin Shaw is a "busted" angel who finds himself trying to protect Girl Friday and rockabilly enthusiast, Katherine "Kit" Craig from some very influential people. These men don't want their prostitution ring investigated and they will kill Kit to stop her. Grif helps Kit in her investigation and, in the process, hopes to learn who killed him and his wife back in the 50's.

The world building was very good in this novel. The different classes of angels were well-crafted and explained pretty well. I imagine we will be given more details in the future novels. The rockabilly scene was cool and not something you find in many other novels.

Grif was a great character. He has a murky past filled with mysteries and Vicki Pettersson doesn't give us all the answers here. I can't wait to read the other two books in this trilogy to find out everything about Grif and his wife, Evie. Kit wasn't fleshed out as well as Grif for me, but I am still okay with her character. I hope she is given a little more depth in the next novel because she has a tragic past that could make for an interesting psychology.

The beginning of the book was a little slow. Ms. Pettersson had a lot of setup to do with the angel world and introducing Grif and Kit to each other and the audience. I don't think this should be a problem in the next books. Once the story got moving, about 1/3 of the way in, I didn't want to put this book down. The villain was pretty easy to identify once he was introduced, but I was sucked into the ride and couldn't wait to see him brought to justice. The romance between Grif and Kit was a slow burn but it adds a dimension to both characters that elevates their story.

I've sampled Ms. Pettersson's Signs of the Zodiac series in the past, but I have to say this novel captured my attention in a way that series never did. The Celestial Blues trilogy has the potential to be something unique and different in the urban fantasy/paranormal romance landscape and I can't wait to be taken along for the ride!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Initially, The Taken didn't fully grab my attention because I had a hard time grasping the rockabilly influences of Katherine "Kit" Craig and the story took it's time sketching out details surrounding the characters. I just couldn't see any fascination in rockabilly lifestyle, and in all honesty I didn't realize that people followed this type of living, in past. The story took it's time pulling together the characters' hows, whys and how comes, which made it for slow read for the first half of the book. But as I read, I became more comfortable with story's setting and Kit's predilection to all things 50's so by it's ending felt it was fitting, lending to the story air of noir. Though the involvement of some of Griffin Shaw's old buddies from days past also helped with giving a gangster feel.

The characters were all colorful and engaging which is this where this book shines. Pettersson did an excellent job in the details describing them. So well done that sometimes when the scenes were between Kit and Griffin Shaw, it felt like a 50's movies. though Kit was a vivacious lady with an optimistic outlook on life and Griffin was a silent, brooding man, making a contrasting pair.

The real action and momentum in reading The Taken didn't really happen for me until the last third of book, by then I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen in solving the murders and the romance between that had finally bloomed between Kit and Griffin. I felt the ending was a good one, leaving room for future books in this series.

The Taken is described as a "...blend of noir, mystery, paranormal romance and urban fantasy" which I feel is a close summation. However, I would add that the romance is very subtle throughout most of the book and it doesn't start heating up until towards the end. And I think this book lends itself more towards a noir mystery since the paranormal/fantasy aspects were very understated and underplayed.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly Stylized Noir Homage
A Centurion's gig should be simple. Someone dies a sudden and violent death, he shows up to escort the terminally confused into the Everlast. That's how it's supposed to go, anyway. Doesn't mean it always goes that way.

It's not that former PI and current angel Griffin Shaw doesn't sympathize with the hooker who got her throat sliced by her last john. She's dead. It sucks. He knows, because fifty years ago he was murdered, too. He deals with it. Mostly.

So okay, he's not the most sympathetic Centurion, and no, he doesn't believe his latest Take when she is adamant about not being a hooker. Fortunately, believing the dead isn't a requirement for the job. Still, he can't see forcing her to spend eternity in those working girl threads she's wearing, so he bends the rules just a little. Biggest mistake Grif's ever made.

That one moment of sentiment sets into action events that force him back to the mudflat, wings gone, slammed into a suit of meat. Skin. Breath. Life. Sounds great, except for an angel...now not-so-angelic...it hurts. And his punishment isn't over. His "good deed" such as it was, has consequences, and his punishment is to watch those consequences unfold, suffering through them all the while.

Now Grif, a gentleman from way, way back, is supposed to watch the most gorgeous woman he's ever seen get attacked by two men, be raped, then murdered. And stand by doing nothing. Because it's his fault Katherine "Kit" Craig is now fated to die.

Reporter and rockabilly enthusiast Kit is devastated by the murder of her best friend. They had been working together on a potential career-making story when Nic went undercover to get some corroboration on a tip. Now all Kit can do is follow through with that story, because besides ripping her heart out, there's one other thing that Nic's death does to Kit...it convinces her the story she and Nic were trying to verify has teeth. Nic wouldn't have been killed unless those teeth were extra pointy and sharp.

Problem is, only Grif knows that Kit is going to be next. And there's nothing he can do about it.

~*~

Gritty and decadently dark, the sheer artistry of Pettersson's new series debut totally rocked my socks. The concept alone is brilliant, and pairing a punished angel who was a PI in the fifties with a reporter who embraces the rockabilly lifestyle to the fullest is the hot fudge on one delicious hardboiled mystery sundae. Pettersson's gift for writing and her superlative grasp of all things Vegas spun the narrative of this tale like a well-oiled and glittery top, neon flashing over the soul-deep rust of human corruption, greed, and sexual deviance.

Grif and Kit were fantastic characters and perfect foils for one another. Kit is the idealistic reporter, passionate in her beliefs and clear in her grasp of black and white. A little naive at times, she cloaks herself in the detritus of a bygone era out of a combination of the yearning for simpler times and perhaps willing ignorance of the sad fact that there are no simpler times. Emotional and intelligent, she is forged by grief but untouched by the seedy violence around her.

Grif is like the shadow that Kit casts. He is all about the gray areas, full of a chilly cynicism that he calls having a solid grip on reality. Even fifty years as a Centurion, touched by the celestial as he was, didn't shake his world-weary view of human weakness. He's filled with angst over his death and the murder of his wife, but he's a man's man and stoic with it. He could have stepped out of a Sam Spade novel, or hung out with Phillip Marlowe and been right at home. He is definitely of a type, yet Pettersson avoids the pitfall of stereotype in lovely and unique ways.

The story, though obviously seeped in the paranormal, reads far more like a mystery than an urban fantasy. The supernatural elements become more like background noise as the story progresses, ancillary to the investigation that Kit and Grif are working on. There are times when it flares up throughout the story, and comes closer to the front towards the book's climax, but it's largely inconsequential to the bulk of the narrative.

That obviously wasn't a detraction for me, especially as I absolutely adored every moment of the leisurely-paced mystery plotline and tend to be picky about angel-themed fiction as a general rule. Fans of more traditional urban fantasy, as well as those who have little interest in this particular style of mystery, might have a less favorable view of the read. For me, it couldn't have possibly been any better.

The relationship between Grif and Kit was complex and added some delightful moments of levity to what really is a pretty horrific case. For all that they are picture-perfect together in appearance, Kit is a modern woman and Gif is a fifties man, and that sparked some great conflict between them. For all that conflict, though, there was also a nice give and take in their relationship that superseded the secrets Grif held, and absolutely enough sexual chemistry to light up the Vegas skyline.

Though there is a thread of romance through the book, this is not a romance novel, and the relationship between them evolved in a way that I felt heightened the intensity of the plot, especially towards the end. I also thoroughly enjoyed Kit's reaction when Grif comes clean, after, of course, Kit started putting pieces together and asked the tough questions. That changed the dynamic of their burgeoning partnership in some interesting ways.

Completely unique and utterly original, this book was a treat on every front for me. The Bad Guys were as bad as it gets, the crimes heinous, the mystery rich and meaty, and the characters vibrant and three dimensional. I can't wait to sink my teeth into the next book in this exciting new series and highly recommend it for fans of highly stylized noir fiction. Plainly spoken, it's art, and while art is always in the eye of the beholder, this particular beholder wants much more to see.

Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me through the Amazon Vine program. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.
~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot mystery and romance all wrapped up in this urban fantasy novel.

I had no idea what a rockabilly was before reading the The Taken. Rockabilly is one of the earliest forms of rock-n-roll from the 1950’s, and there are a group of people in contemporary times who have taken to that way of life. They dress in the 1950’s styles, and walk the talk of that time period. Kit is one of those women. It makes it much easier for Grif to slide right into the scene then, given he is straight out of the 1950’s. It was his era. I admit I was a little taken aback at how quickly Kit accepts Grif into her life particularly given how he entered it. But he is a good guy with good intentions, so I was able to overlook that. Somewhat.

I had not been expecting the novel to go down such a dark path in terms of the mystery. It left me with a hopeless feeling the more Grif and Kit uncovered. Even if they were able to get to the bottom of the mystery itself, the filth would remain and crop up in other ways (how is that for a vague spoiler?). I even wondered if perhaps this book should have come with a trigger warning.

I did like this one despite how it may seem, and plan to read further in the series. I liked both Grif and Kit quite a bit, and Vicki Pettersson knows how to pull in a reader and keep her hooked. I especially liked the fantasy aspects of the novel, which were often on the subtle side except for when they weren’t. I am curious to know the direction Pettersson will take the series next.

Review originally published in its entirety on my blog, Musings of a Bookish Kitty: https://www.literaryfeline.com/2019/1...

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Do you want to know what the difference is between sex for money and sex for free, Mr. Shaw?" Chambers' voice twisted across the room to snag Grif one last time. He waited until Grif had turned to finish. "Sex for money always costs less."

Flummoxed by the death of her best friend and newspaper photographer, Katerine "Kit" Craig embarks on a journey of discovery to answer the questions: Who killed Nicole and why?

Katherine is an investigative reporter at her family's newspaper. Kit and Nic were working on a story that involved prostitution and wealthy, powerful Las Vegas businessmen. This is a very dark story that hinges on a mystery. Angels and celestial beings are definitely involved, but they seem to take the back burner to the mystery at large.

Kit is a young lady with a hard core rockabilly style. What is rockabilly style you ask? Rockabilly culture began in the 1920s with the fusion of blues and country music. Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley were all considered part of the rockabilly sound in the 1950s. There have been several revivals over the years of this sound, and today there are rockabilly lovers that dress in the style of the 1950s. Men tend to dress in jeans, white t-shirts and leather jackers, with their hair greased back. Women tend to favor 1940s and 1950s hairstyles with curls, Betty Page bangs and flower hair accessories. They like to wear halter dresses, dresses with sweetheart necklines and pencil skirts.

Griffin Shaw was present at Nicole's death. He is an angel, or a Centurion, charged with helping the recently deceased find their way to the other side. He makes a small mistake while trying to help Nicole, and changes his destiny. He is punished and forced to take on flesh as a human until his penance is complete. Although in human skin, Grif can still sense death around humans. Since his mistake was made with Nicole, he investigates Kit's apartment. When he sees a disaster about to take place, he intervenes, which further angers the Powers That Be.

Grif is from the 1950s. Literally. He has returned to human form wearing the exact same clothes he died in. He is handsome and charming, and a private investigator by trade. Once he meets up with Kit, they agree to help one another. Grif will help Kit solve Nicole's murder, and Kit will help Grif solve his wife, Eva's, murder. Grif has a bit of a chauvanistic nature that I think is indicative of the times he lived in.

Even a random, careless act - even bad luck - was too much for most females to handle.

Kit is a modern girl with a love of all things 1950s. She a stubborn, dogged reporter with a nose for big news stories. She feels that she is fighting the good fight - investigating stories that will make the world a better place. She is very talkative, beautiful and almost Pollyanna in her positive thinking. She has lost a lot of people in her life, but is always looking for the silver lining to every cloud. She is a hard worker and very bright.

So what on earth, he wondered, kept that swivel in her step? What made her dust herself off after getting knocked down? Why the hell did she insist on gifting him with that damned magnificent smile? Why did she taste like his own forgotten hope?

Grif and Kit start off with a slow burn. They are obviously attracted to one another, but Grif has some baggage. He is an angel, and on top of that, he carries around guilt for the death of his wife fifty years earlier. This guilt keeps him just out of Kit's grasp and causes some emotional problems for them both.

The ending of this book kept me on the edge of my seat. The villain in this story is uber bad. Every time there was a conversation with him on the page, I had to wipe the imaginary slime off of me. There were twists and turns in the mystery that kept me guessing, and some very intense scenes. I liked how this book ended in regards to Grif and Kit.

Vicki Pettersson does a wonderful job of writing in this book. The writing is tight and descriptive, and I felt connected to all the characters in this book, including the despicable Chambers and the self-absorbed Paul. I loved the dark feeling to this story, and the Hollywood feel to it. Instead of reading a book, I could have easily been watching an old Hollywood noir mystery film. I am definitely looking forward to the next installment of this series.

Many thanks to Harper Voyager for providing an ARC of this book.

[Jessica (a GREAT read) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally read The Taken, Vicki Pettersson's first book in the Celestial Blues series. And it was quite different than I expected. It was an intriguing read with a good mystery built up and awesome characters, I guess I just thought there would be a little more paranormal involved. Though, we do get that with Griffin Shaw, since he's sort of an angel and all!

Griffin Shaw was murdered 50 years ago. He's now a Centurion and basically helps souls cross over. There's a more intricate process than simply helping a soul move on to Heaven or whatnot. But I won't get into all that. After helping out a soul, Griffin makes an uh-oh and his punishment is to be human for awhile. Didn't quite grasp as to the whys and hows of that, but it basically puts him in Kit's path. He's to let her die and he is to cross her soul over before taking his proper place back.

Kit is a blast from a past. She's a genuine rockabilly and from what I grasped, it means she enjoys the lifestyles from time past. She enjoys dressing in the 50s fashion and even her house and car are retro 50s style. But she still holds to some modern tech in her career as a reporter.

Needless to say, the character building was awesome! It took a bit of understanding at times to what was going on with them in their world, but I followed along rather well.

The mystery aspect was great too! A genuine murder mystery, as Kit's best friend was murdered and she's determined to find the culprit. She follows her reporter instincts and gets herself into a bit of trouble, but luckily for her, Grif has made himself her guardian angel for the time being.

The mystery was rather good. It got really into the thick of things with prostitution rings and all that illegal jazz, involving secret clubs. Creepy stuff, because that kind of stuff is real. So uber creepy. Vicki really knows how to do her research and integrate into the story in a professional and easily understandable way.

The romance was good too. It was the slow building kind, for at first, Grif is still mourning the murder of his wife. She was killed 50 years ago, just before his own murder. He has yet to see her in the afterlife and wants to. He also wants to find justice for their murders. So he wasn't really looking to fall in love. But Kit has a special way about her and a romance slowly builds and forms. It was beautifully done!

I guess my only complaint was that there wasn't as much paranormal-ness to the story. Sure, Grif's a Centurion and he gets visits from other celestial friends throughout the book, but that was about it. I guess I just thought that the mystery itself would tie in more paranormal goodness, but it didn't. It was a purely humanistic or rather inhuman case. But the read was still overall enjoyable! I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series over the next month or so (since the third and final book, The Given releases May 27). A highly recommended read if you like a good mystery, and of course were a fan of Vicki's Signs of the Zodiac series!


Overall Rating 3.5/5 stars

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

"The Taken" has the dubious distinction of being in a select group of books which I could not bring myself to finish, no matter how hard I might try. When stuck alone with this book and none other in my bag on mass transit, I actively resented its presence. On lunch breaks, I tried my level best to finish it, but ended up surrendering about two-thirds of the way in and just peeking to see if the ending was as stupid as I imagined it would be (spoiler: it was).

It's almost a talent to make a book this bloody awful, especially to a reader like me. I love Urban Fantasy. I'm a vintage enthusiast who wears mid-century clothing, and adheres to a vintage aesthetic. But frankly, if I ever find myself becoming as fucking unbearable as Kit, the heroine of this sad little tale, I'll shave my head and start wearing black leather instead.

Kit is this book's biggest problem, followed by the fact that there's no mystery to speak of (though the author wants us to think there is), followed by the regrettable characters. Regrettable, not because they're particularly badly drawn - it's that they're not drawn at all. It's like reading a book where all the characters are represented by wooden cubes with motives written on them. But let's get back to Kit, shall we?

Have you ever known someone who was so into a subculture that their entire personality derived from, and revolved around, said subculture? Kit makes them look like a fucking day-tripper. Ostensibly she's "rockabilly," though I've never known a rockabilly person to be as obsessed with historical accuracy as she is. No part of this book can take place without Kit reminding us HOW GODDAMN ROCKABILLY SHE IS. She is so rockabilly, she smokes 40 year old Gauloises (did you just urp up a little too? sorry.). She is so rockabilly, she stops in the middle of investigations to get her hair and nails done. And if we were to forget, she'll bust out with some completely goddamn insipid monologue about how she's honoring a better time and place.

Meanwhile, Pettersson loves to drop pseudo-feminist ideals into her writing, but dear darling Kit is too busy hating any other woman who crosses her path (except her dead best friend, the Aunt-with-cancer whom Kit is guilting into running her family business, and her safely married-with-a-baby-friend). Sex workers are poor abused gals who have no agency. Other women are poorly dressed bimbos when seen through Kit's eyes.

I could keep going on here, but in the interest of not being repetitive, I'll just say that when I gave up, Kit was ranting about how GOD took her mother away from her, and it was nothing her mother ever did, not a result of her bad choice, blah blah blah. BITCH YOUR MOTHER WAS A CHAIN SMOKER. YOUR MOTHER CHOSE TO FUCKING SMOKE AND GOT LUNG CANCER. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU TOO SMOKE BECAUSE IT'S "period appropriate." YOU ARE A GODDAMN MORON.

In conclusion, fuck this book, fuck me for buying it, and fuck whoever told Vicki Pettersson about rockabilly in the first place.

[Michelle Leah Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our Review by Michelle L. Olson - LITERAL ADDICTION'S Pack Alpha:

I received an ARC of this book from the Publisher in preparation for an Event that LITERAL ADDICTION was doing with Vicki in mid-June 2012. I'm a fan of Ms. Pettersson's, and seeing that this was the first in a new series I was seriously intrigued. Not to mention that the blurb was original and that peaked my interests even more.

In preparation of the read I did a little research and saw that the pre-release reader reviews were quite low rated. While I didn't let that impact my decision to start the book or my thoughts, it was always in the back of my mind. After finishing, I have to say that I'm very shocked at the low reviews. I REALLY enjoyed it!

It was a heart pumping mystery with intense action, old fashioned romance, and just enough of the preternatural to keep it in my 'usually preferred' genre, and while it's a long book, I read it in 3 sittings.

I adore Grif. Maybe because I've always been an absolute sucker for the dicks & gumshoes of the past - the Humphrey Bogarts and Dick Tracys of the world. Those smart, sexy, intense, standoffish, sleuthy men who could solve a crime by finding a book of matches. Those that while maybe not classically handsome could still make your heart swoon with just their smarts, a cock-eyed fedora and a trenchcoat. *sigh* Grif is all that and a bag of chips! LOL. He's uber sexy, tortured, haunted, smart (and smart-a**), plus... he's an angel (literally).

Kit is an amazing heroine as well. She takes on the world with a smile, all the while staying true to herself despite what others think. She's also strong, smart, and compassionate and an incredible investigative journalist (a profession I thoroughly enjoy in my fiction).

Together, these two are the ultimate pair, yet their relationship is tragically flawed and utterly doomed from the start. It made you cheer them on and wish for the best even more, and made my heart swell anytime anything did go their way breaking through Grif's ice and bringing one of those wide smiles to Kit's face.

I loved the book and I'm really looking forward to the sequel!

I have to say that while I enjoyed the action, mystery and romance, my favorite part of the book was the underlying message - that life is meant to be lived, enjoyed one day at a time to its fullest, and that death shouldn't be feared, because dying means you were once truly alive.

LITERAL ADDICTION gives The Taken 4 Skulls and would recommend it to all Urban Fantasy and Mystery lovers, especially those with a penchant for vintage PI and Detective work.

[Kara-karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

*slight spoilers ahead*

I have to say straight away that Celestial Blues is a very different series from what Miss Pettersson wrote previously, as in it's not an urban fantasy. I was expecting one and to my (pleasant) surprise discovered that The Taken was a sort of a murder mystery with slight paranormal elements and distinct noir-ish undertones.

To give it a better definition I would describe it as a love child of Carole Nelson Douglas and Chris F. Holm.

Kit Craig is a intrepid small scale journalist whose family runs a local newspaper in Vegas. She is an interesting character, a rockabilly who loves living in the style of 1950s, a brave and bright woman with very distinctive views on what's right and wrong. Her and her friend Nicole are investigating a hidden prostitution ring on the outskirts of the city when Nicole is viciously murdered in the motel where she is meeting her informant.

Here comes Griff Shaw, who was murdered in the 50s and who since then has been promoted into a Centurion whose task is to take souls of the dead and help them to cross to the other side. He takes pity on Nicole and allows her to pretty herself before they go as the soul is mortified to spend afterlife the way she looked when she died, and while he waits Nicole manages to leave a message for Kit that starts a horrible chain of reactions beginning with Griff being thrown back into the mortal coil as a punishment and Kit marked for death.

Griff who never let go of his wife's death in the first place refuses to let another beautiful young woman die and instead of not interfering aids Kit in her investigation which uncovers more and more awful, gruesome details.

This was an excellent thriller, slightly dry, intense and dark. Kit and Griff are a great team and it's a pleasure to see their interactions as their views come from very different eras. Their attraction to each other might not feel romantic on the surface and lacks grand declarations of love, but it feels sincere for the emotional state they are in and the personal demons they are battling. I see strong companionship and great detective work in the future ;)

The villains in this book are not something to be taken lightly as well. They are chillingly real and truly evil, that's why you feel such a great satisfaction when they're brought to justice.

Overall, a solid, interesting read which I recommend without any reservations.

[All Things Urban Fantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An angelic Sam Spade with a softer side and a fast talking reporter who sees the good in everyone, the two main characters of THE TAKEN are two of my favorite tropes brought to glorious new life on the Vegas strip. Pettersson’s rich writing style brings the witty banter and glamorous fashion of noir mystery into modern day technicolor, and I could not be more fascinated by her intriguing new world.

THE TAKEN asks you to buy into two main conceits: the Rockabilly lifestyle that defines Kit Craig and a celestial mechanism of souls being returned to heaven. Pettersson won me over with the billies. Though there were times when the underlying psychology of nostalgia seemed a little far fetched, THE TAKEN‘s entire narrative structure activates the senses. A lifestyle of immediacy, of practiced living and art, seems both possible and seductive in this context. Grif’s position, of being a reincarnated P.I. simultaneously wrestling with unresolved guilt and celestial longing, took longer for me to digest. Like the slow burning romance, however, when Pettersson turns her attention to a subject she does a fantastic job. Kit and Grif’s chemistry just burns off the page, and by book’s end, Pettersson had taken all of her individual threads: Kit’s lifestyle, Grif’s past, angelic politics and human murder and corruption and depravity… all weave together into a cohesive story that makes me oh so glad I went along for the ride.

Though THE TAKEN is satisfying all on it’s lonesome, I’m excited to know that it is just the start of a beautiful friendship. Despite the dark nature of the mystery in THE TAKEN, Pettersson’s hero has a gentle center underneath his gruff exterior. Paired with Kit’s whimsy, these two make a team I can’t resist. Add to that the intriguing impact of earthly senses on celestial beings, and this is one world I can’t wait to revisit.

Sexual Content: References to prostitution, rape; Mild descriptions of group sex; sex scenes.

[MissM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. I debated long and hard between 2-stars and 3-stars. Personally, it was more 2-star for me but I think that's a bit of an unfair rating, especially looking back at other books I gave 2 stars to. It's not a bad book, but I just could NOT get into it. I mean it took me a week to read it because I just didn't want to. Ultimately, I'm giving it 3 stars because I just think it's my personal bias rather than a case of a horrible book.

I didn't like the rockabilly theme or the conveniently 1950's PI; I didn't feel like I had the slightest clue who Kit was and she didn't feel like a real person to me at all. Grif was ok but still kinda one-dimensional and I just was bored. I just didn't care. And I felt like the theme was all forced and kinda stupid honestly.

It got dark and twisted in the bad guy towards the end which didn't help the interest for me, just kinda made me feel even more uncomfortable.

I don't know. I just didn't like it. I greatly enjoyed the creativity and imagination of Pettersson's Signs of the Zodiac series, but this just felt so much more shallow and fake to me. Maybe rockabilly just isn't my scene. I was annoyed much of the book.

And now writing this, I want to put it down to 2 stars because I'm reminded how much the book just irritated me. But, I think if you like the gumshoe/throwback/rockabilly sensibility, you'd probably like it more. For me, I was just bored.

[Chris Davis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I rarely quit on a book before finishing it, but I literally reached a point in this book where I realized that life was entirely too short to spend it on a book this bad.

I was really surprised by the number of stars and positive reviews this book has. The dialogue was repetitive and simplistic, as was the exposition that went along with the story itself. Which is a shame, because the story idea was actually very interesting. It was just overshadowed by the same points over and over. (Nicole is dead, Kit is a rockabilly and Griff loved his long dead wife.)

Also, I felt like the author didn't actually know anything about the rockabilly lifestyle, but did a lot of research and wanted to use every. single. piece of information.

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ended up liking this book more then I thought I would. I enjoyed watching the relationship grow between Griff and Kit. And I liked Griff's strong sense of right and wrong. That he fought to protect the woman he loves and to punish the men for the wrongs they have committed. What I didn't like is that it took me a long time to be able to connect with these characters. The story seemed disjointed at times. And at times, Kit's optimism was just too much. Her reaction to the death of her friend didn't seem realistic. In the end, though, I was glad I stuck it out and finished the book.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The shady underworld of Vegas and a journalist destined for death after catching the wrong attention following her best friends death. An old timey detective, sent from the heavens to help but after a mistake walks the earth and gets caught up in the case. But things are more complicated and matters of life, death, crime, murder, god and love are at play. A thrilling dark fantasy, with great worldbuilding that pulls you in to the story from both sides.. heaven and earth.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers should be warned at the outset that there are some disturbing scenes in keeping with a persistent theme of crimes against women in this dark mystery that resembles a 1950s detective novel with a supernatural twist.

Kit and Nic, best friends from way back, are an intrepid reporter & photographer team who discover that the clandestine prostitution operation they're investigating involves some of the movers & shakers of Las Vegas. Nic is murdered when she goes undercover to get more information, and Kit feels responsible; her boss (and aunt) at the newspaper supports her stubborn determination to investigate the whole story, hound the police, and bring the murderer to justice.

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I like Kit, probably because I know people like her: basically positive, cheerful, and wanting to enjoy life but familiar with grief too; Kit's mother died when she was 12 and her father, a policeman, was killed when she was 16. Maybe that's why she seeks comfort and companionship with others in the retro lifestyle of music & clothing from the 1950s known as "rockabilly," even though people keep calling her "weird" because of it. Now she is plunged into grief again and takes it as a call to action.

Enter Griffin "Grif" Shaw, a Las Vegas private detective in the real 1950s who fits the hard-boiled fictional stereotype. He was murdered in 1960 right after he failed to prevent his wife's murder, so he has something in common with Kit, and (here comes the supernatural twist) he is going to team up with her. How can that be?

Vicki Petterson has built us a unique world called the Everlast (why?) between Earth and Paradise. This is where souls of the departed are sorted out; some are guided to Paradise right away, but those who die suddenly or violently are first taken (hence the book's title) to an incubation tube to heal up from their psychological trauma so they'll be ready for Paradise. A few such souls, like Grif, have so much regret and need for vengeance that incubation doesn't cure them, so they are put to work taking other souls to incubation; by helping others they too might heal. These workers, a kind of sub-angels, are called Centurions (for goodness' sake, why?), and they remain looking exactly as they did when they were murdered. That's what Nic sees in chapter one when Grif shows up to take her: a man in real 1950s clothing! (What would she have seen if Grif had been murdered in his bathtub?)

Brief mention is made of the "forest" where beings called the "Third" (don't ask) punish souls whose evil deeds disqualify them from Paradise by doing to them over and over exactly what they did to others, so you know where the bad guys in this story are going to go.

The final piece of the setup: Grif breaks one of the many Centurion rules out of pity for Nic, and by doing so he unknowingly sets Kit up to be murdered too. He is therefore demoted by being returned (painfully) to the flesh, and Kit is assigned to him as his next take! Now the story really begins, and from here on it reads like a good thriller with only occasional interventions from Grif's angelic supervisors. Highly recommended!

[Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator really sold the story. Loved the detective film noir feel to the story. Griff was gruff, stubborn, and darkly intriguing. Kit, who i found a bit annoying at times, was that intrepid girl reporter. Their was a enough mystery and danger to keep me invested and it was filled with just the right amount of drama. The story was pretty evenly paced with only a slight bogging down in the middle. But, then it picked right back up and kept going to the end. I'm eager to read the next in the series.