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Callisto #1
Callisto: Taken
Peace negotiations are easy right? Not when you’re learning a complicated alien language or having to match wits with the fiercely intelligent daughter of the opposing side. Between dodging her claws, avoiding a myriad of cultural taboos, and not accidentally getting married, life just got interesting for recently divorced diplomat Viktor Jacobs.
129 pages, ebook
First published September 2, 2011
128 people are currently reading
365 people want to read
About the author
Erica Conroy
20 books17 followersErica lives in New Zealand—otherwise known to the rest of the world as: that pretty scenic place where they made the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. She spends most of her time writing (also procrastinating), reading, hanging with her long suffering husband and frolicking with the neighbour’s cat. As a writer Erica delights in plotting evil and writing it all down for others to read and enjoy/despair–muahahahahahahahaha!
Oh, and she also likes LOLcats :)
Oh, and she also likes LOLcats :)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
May 17, 2016
3 Give me more, dammit! stars
There really isn't much I can criticize about this, apart from the the fact that it was too short, everything cascades downs from there.
Extremely easy to read, not a dull moment, fast paced but not chaotic, the aliens and their worlds very well sketched. Peace diplomatic negotiations between the human Alliance and the planet Lyrissia on board of the Callisto spaceship are the starting point for all action, including assassination and kidnap attempts, hostile alien race boarding and consequent fights and all sort of cultural small and big misunderstandings. There's a political complot with the aid of the violent race Orka, a wonderful father-daughter relationship between Lyrissian negotiator Tarn and his headstrong S'rea, an unusual human diplomat, Viktor, not easily phased by any of the crazy stuff that will happen around and because of him too.
Viktor and S'rea are both aversed to relationships even if for opposite reasons, S'rea is presented as an opinionated, intelligent, curious scientist who will lose all she worked for is she accepts to mate, Viktor is fresh out of a bitter divorce with a cheating, manipulative woman. In between all the political schemes, the harsh reality of Lyrissian mating rituals and gender roles, an attempted rape, the constant clashing, they are slowly drawn together.
You'll probably will be asking why I'm not rating this higher then, if everything works so well. Because as well as this works, as good as the side characters are, it is all really too light and short. I would have liked to know more of Viktor's past, which was not easy, and his marriage, which hurt him deeply, even if stayed friend with the man his wife cheated on him with. S'rea past was also painful, seeing your mother being mauled to the point of having no remains to bury or cremate and having to survive the alien attack yourself, was not a little thing, and she came out so strong anyway. Apart from a few physical traits mentioned, I really didn't get a clear picture of how the Lyrissians looked like, not even the colour of their skin; the scene at S'rea's lab should have been used better to really show how competent she was in everything scientific and not only to show once again how Viktor could really listen to females and treat them like equals or how interesting the little physical differences between the two races were. I wanted more world-buidling, what we were offered was good, it should have been expanded. The plot was predictable. And the romance needed more time. Their mating came by as a matter of life or death and I found the scene anticlimatic. The attraction was there but it didn't translate into a very intimate, sensual or sexy scene and it should have, considering it was was her first time, they were doing it the human way, she was physically much stronger than him and females of her specie usually feel nothing during copulation. I found very odd that she was a scientist but didn't know about her clitoris. Hard to believe. They didn't have a chance to talk about how it had been and how they felt about it afterwards either, the action went in a different direction. The fact that they suddenly declared love at the end of the book, after he fucked up, hurt her and got ready to grovel, felt a bit rushed...they were getting there, it didn't feel like they had gotten there yet.
If you want to just dive in and get swept in, more action than romance, this is a perfect, short, very enjoyable read. Nothing too complicated, nothing new, with a little gross expedient thrown in when you least expect it.
There really isn't much I can criticize about this, apart from the the fact that it was too short, everything cascades downs from there.
Extremely easy to read, not a dull moment, fast paced but not chaotic, the aliens and their worlds very well sketched. Peace diplomatic negotiations between the human Alliance and the planet Lyrissia on board of the Callisto spaceship are the starting point for all action, including assassination and kidnap attempts, hostile alien race boarding and consequent fights and all sort of cultural small and big misunderstandings. There's a political complot with the aid of the violent race Orka, a wonderful father-daughter relationship between Lyrissian negotiator Tarn and his headstrong S'rea, an unusual human diplomat, Viktor, not easily phased by any of the crazy stuff that will happen around and because of him too.
Viktor and S'rea are both aversed to relationships even if for opposite reasons, S'rea is presented as an opinionated, intelligent, curious scientist who will lose all she worked for is she accepts to mate, Viktor is fresh out of a bitter divorce with a cheating, manipulative woman. In between all the political schemes, the harsh reality of Lyrissian mating rituals and gender roles, an attempted rape, the constant clashing, they are slowly drawn together.
You'll probably will be asking why I'm not rating this higher then, if everything works so well. Because as well as this works, as good as the side characters are, it is all really too light and short. I would have liked to know more of Viktor's past, which was not easy, and his marriage, which hurt him deeply, even if stayed friend with the man his wife cheated on him with. S'rea past was also painful, seeing your mother being mauled to the point of having no remains to bury or cremate and having to survive the alien attack yourself, was not a little thing, and she came out so strong anyway. Apart from a few physical traits mentioned, I really didn't get a clear picture of how the Lyrissians looked like, not even the colour of their skin; the scene at S'rea's lab should have been used better to really show how competent she was in everything scientific and not only to show once again how Viktor could really listen to females and treat them like equals or how interesting the little physical differences between the two races were. I wanted more world-buidling, what we were offered was good, it should have been expanded. The plot was predictable. And the romance needed more time. Their mating came by as a matter of life or death and I found the scene anticlimatic. The attraction was there but it didn't translate into a very intimate, sensual or sexy scene and it should have, considering it was was her first time, they were doing it the human way, she was physically much stronger than him and females of her specie usually feel nothing during copulation. I found very odd that she was a scientist but didn't know about her clitoris. Hard to believe. They didn't have a chance to talk about how it had been and how they felt about it afterwards either, the action went in a different direction. The fact that they suddenly declared love at the end of the book, after he fucked up, hurt her and got ready to grovel, felt a bit rushed...they were getting there, it didn't feel like they had gotten there yet.
If you want to just dive in and get swept in, more action than romance, this is a perfect, short, very enjoyable read. Nothing too complicated, nothing new, with a little gross expedient thrown in when you least expect it.
September 18, 2020
☺a funny quick little romance
☺This was a nice little book that I got for free on Amazon on a whim. And it turned out to be a nice surprise.🙂I've been reading a lot of grim and serious nonfiction books lately, so this was a sweet little change of pace. It took me only two hours to read (refreshing as I'm in the middle of several tomes📚📖right now). 🙂I'd recommend this for anyone who's interested in a sweet romance that's quick and not something that could bog ya down.
☺This was a nice little book that I got for free on Amazon on a whim. And it turned out to be a nice surprise.🙂I've been reading a lot of grim and serious nonfiction books lately, so this was a sweet little change of pace. It took me only two hours to read (refreshing as I'm in the middle of several tomes📚📖right now). 🙂I'd recommend this for anyone who's interested in a sweet romance that's quick and not something that could bog ya down.
August 22, 2016
Now normally I either am extremely excited to read a book or cautious...I was cautious going into this...now I want to read everything in this series...because seriously pulled me out of my bnook hangover!!!
Because it was hilarious!!!
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The writing was great and the characters were fun well rounded and surprising. I liked that the female h was so strong and that she faced criticism for it but still had a strong following too! She made the book.
I liked that the cultures were so different and that there were times they clashed because lets face it; it would happen! Every time S'rea rejected his advances, I laughed and felt a little pity for him.
I will be continuing with this series and hopefully they are all as good!
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Because it was hilarious!!!
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The writing was great and the characters were fun well rounded and surprising. I liked that the female h was so strong and that she faced criticism for it but still had a strong following too! She made the book.
I liked that the cultures were so different and that there were times they clashed because lets face it; it would happen! Every time S'rea rejected his advances, I laughed and felt a little pity for him.
I will be continuing with this series and hopefully they are all as good!
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December 16, 2014
Viktor is a ambassador for peace talks with the largely unknown Lyrissian race. The Lyrissians are trying to decide whether to make a peace treaty with the Alliance or the Orka. They will only choose one or the other. There is of course, a bad guy, with his own agenda.
When Viktor meets the Lyrissian ambassador and his daughter, S'rea, things get interesting. There are several cultural misunderstandings that lead to Viktor getting beat up on. Then there is the wide difference in mating rituals that lead to further misunderstandings and a whole lot of curiosity. S'rea is physically different but that doesn't impede the attraction between her and Viktor. S'rea is fascinated by his chest hair.
Taken was a cute book with lots of action. It was written second but the author lists it as the beginning of the series. This is a good option for anyone interested in a sci-fi romance.
When Viktor meets the Lyrissian ambassador and his daughter, S'rea, things get interesting. There are several cultural misunderstandings that lead to Viktor getting beat up on. Then there is the wide difference in mating rituals that lead to further misunderstandings and a whole lot of curiosity. S'rea is physically different but that doesn't impede the attraction between her and Viktor. S'rea is fascinated by his chest hair.
Taken was a cute book with lots of action. It was written second but the author lists it as the beginning of the series. This is a good option for anyone interested in a sci-fi romance.
January 20, 2015
Fun
It is a short read, one day for me. The alien, space, romance genre is new to me and since it was of a similar make with humans and what I consider a human evolution, it was easy to believe. Basically the lovers had the same body as a human, only advanced in areas and not a straight up human loving a reptilian. Also, the actual sexual portions were minimal in description and placement making it more about war, peace, consequences and love.
I fell in love with the descriptive and well written characters, drama, comedy and the settings. Yes, the writing was great. I'll read more of the series!
It is a short read, one day for me. The alien, space, romance genre is new to me and since it was of a similar make with humans and what I consider a human evolution, it was easy to believe. Basically the lovers had the same body as a human, only advanced in areas and not a straight up human loving a reptilian. Also, the actual sexual portions were minimal in description and placement making it more about war, peace, consequences and love.
I fell in love with the descriptive and well written characters, drama, comedy and the settings. Yes, the writing was great. I'll read more of the series!
October 20, 2025
What a wonderful read
Totally bemused by this novel. We have a reversal in characters. The Lyrissian females are .much stronger than the U-mans. In particular the peacekeeper Victor who was trying to arrange a peace with the Lyrissian people. His ability to.pick up alien language was useful but he needed to negotiate with Tarn whose knowledge of the.U-man language was being not as good so they needed S'rea, Tarn's daughter to explain the subtleties of the language and their culture. The story is full of political intrigue, betrayal and lots of action and humour. Victor, our protagonist, is not a traditional hero and gets beaten up.by the female protagonist. This were some really amusing parts in the novel and I applaud the writer's World building!! Really enjoyed this novel and will read the next book.in the series!! Thank you so much
Erica Conroy!!
Totally bemused by this novel. We have a reversal in characters. The Lyrissian females are .much stronger than the U-mans. In particular the peacekeeper Victor who was trying to arrange a peace with the Lyrissian people. His ability to.pick up alien language was useful but he needed to negotiate with Tarn whose knowledge of the.U-man language was being not as good so they needed S'rea, Tarn's daughter to explain the subtleties of the language and their culture. The story is full of political intrigue, betrayal and lots of action and humour. Victor, our protagonist, is not a traditional hero and gets beaten up.by the female protagonist. This were some really amusing parts in the novel and I applaud the writer's World building!! Really enjoyed this novel and will read the next book.in the series!! Thank you so much
Erica Conroy!!
November 17, 2020
Well written, fun, enjoyable read
This book was extremely well written. I liked the characters immensely: the serious and curious heroine S'era and I loved her dad's character as well. The hero, Viktor was a thoughtful and brave character also. I loved the alien world and the different alien species and the events unfolded nicely. It's my second time reading this book, actually. Great read!
This book was extremely well written. I liked the characters immensely: the serious and curious heroine S'era and I loved her dad's character as well. The hero, Viktor was a thoughtful and brave character also. I loved the alien world and the different alien species and the events unfolded nicely. It's my second time reading this book, actually. Great read!
December 27, 2022
Really enjoyable
Loved that the typical roles were reversed . She was the alien, a strong silent type with a bad temper and he was the diplomatic human. Also has one of the funniest scenes I've read in a long time. I didn't give it 5 stars because there was not really enough detail about what the characters actually looked like and it made it very hard to even picture her and as far as sizzle I give it a 2. But it was still an enjoyable story that will make you laugh
Loved that the typical roles were reversed . She was the alien, a strong silent type with a bad temper and he was the diplomatic human. Also has one of the funniest scenes I've read in a long time. I didn't give it 5 stars because there was not really enough detail about what the characters actually looked like and it made it very hard to even picture her and as far as sizzle I give it a 2. But it was still an enjoyable story that will make you laugh
February 14, 2017
Taken to me is a really quick read. Is it confusing at times? Yes. That is due to some holes in the story. I was actually looking forward to reading this but felt it was more about the differences in the couple and politics than it was about the romantic aspect of the relationship. Will read the next book just to see what happens next.
October 23, 2017
Differences Connect
At first I wasn't sure that I would like this story. After getting into it, I began to pull for S'rea and Viktor. They came from different races with different ways of dealing with things. They began to learn about each other, and found a way to broker peace between their races. Against alll odds they found love and happiness.
At first I wasn't sure that I would like this story. After getting into it, I began to pull for S'rea and Viktor. They came from different races with different ways of dealing with things. They began to learn about each other, and found a way to broker peace between their races. Against alll odds they found love and happiness.
June 19, 2019
Combination of peace talks to end a war while not knowing there is another war going on, difficulty with an alien language filled with grunts, and a love story, mixed in with mating rituals very different from humanity's. If all that sounds confusing, this is a well-written, fast paced novel. I have already bought the boxed set that continues the series.
January 4, 2020
Really good sci-fi love story
This is a little gem of a sci-fi romance. One of the hardest parts of writing in this genre is getting the balance right between the love story and the sci-fi. Ms. Conroy pulls it off beautifully. The alien culture is well developed, the characters are engaging and the relationship satisfying. I'll be reading more of this series. Well done!
This is a little gem of a sci-fi romance. One of the hardest parts of writing in this genre is getting the balance right between the love story and the sci-fi. Ms. Conroy pulls it off beautifully. The alien culture is well developed, the characters are engaging and the relationship satisfying. I'll be reading more of this series. Well done!
March 2, 2018
Good read
I enjoyed this book, although I will admit it took me a bit to get the U-man......had to smack myself for that one. I liked how the story developed and the bumps in the road.
I enjoyed this book, although I will admit it took me a bit to get the U-man......had to smack myself for that one. I liked how the story developed and the bumps in the road.
August 16, 2018
Very cute
This story was better than I thought it was going to be. I was pleasantly surprised. It was cute and funny. I even enjoyed the characters in the story enough to buy the whole series.
This story was better than I thought it was going to be. I was pleasantly surprised. It was cute and funny. I even enjoyed the characters in the story enough to buy the whole series.
June 29, 2021
Great sci fi romance
The world building is excellent, the story has more adventure than romance (my favorite thing), and the non-Terrans are interesting. The body count was higher than I like, but the story was still enjoyable.
The world building is excellent, the story has more adventure than romance (my favorite thing), and the non-Terrans are interesting. The body count was higher than I like, but the story was still enjoyable.
September 16, 2021
Luv!
I seem to enjoy reading first contact stories and this one did not disappoint. I couldn't put it down until I was done. Fortunately I was sick in bed with the flu too, so I had the means and opportunity to just immerse myself in the story.
I seem to enjoy reading first contact stories and this one did not disappoint. I couldn't put it down until I was done. Fortunately I was sick in bed with the flu too, so I had the means and opportunity to just immerse myself in the story.
September 11, 2017
Unusual but excellent science fiction
I liked the kick-ass heroine in this book. She was ambitious, opinionated and strong. I enjoyed the story's mix of action, humor and romance.
I liked the kick-ass heroine in this book. She was ambitious, opinionated and strong. I enjoyed the story's mix of action, humor and romance.
November 7, 2017
I wasn't aware of Sci-Fi Romantic stories like this were out there. I'll be reading more of Erica Conroy's books, and looking for similar stories.
March 24, 2019
3.5 STARS
January 26, 2021
Made me laugh a couple of times.
July 31, 2024
This was fun to read. Very addictive read, too, as I couldn't put it down until I finished the book. I enjoyed the differences between alien culture and U-Man culture.
January 22, 2017
While it was okay. I enjoyed the story line, but at times it seemed hard to follow.
March 2, 2023
I really enjoyed this story. Unfortunately it was a lot shorter than the books that I like to read. It was hard for me to picture what the Lyrissians looked like. It would have been helpful to have a full description in one paragraph. Of course it didn't help that S'rea essentially went about in the alien version of a burka most of the time.
There was a lot of story and action packed into this short story. I plan on reading the other two books in this trilogy ASAP.
There was a lot of story and action packed into this short story. I plan on reading the other two books in this trilogy ASAP.
April 27, 2016
Taken by Erica Conroy has taken me by surprise.
I have been complaining over and over that my latest reads lack plot, world and character build or there is little to no romance and a lot of sex.
This book was indeed short but very well written and developed.
Form beginning the action of this book grabbed me and I couldn't put it down until I finished it.
Viktor was trying to negotiate a peace treaty with the Lyrissian delegation aboard the spaceship Callisto. Right from the start he had his first miscommunication when he tried to speak the Lyrissian language and offendedLyrissian peace talker Tarn.
To his luck Tarn's daughter S'rea could speak the common language so they were able to overlook his faux pas and understand from where is comes.
I loved the way Viktor discovers few cultural differences as he learns about his counterpart's civilization. I had fun with few miscommunications between him and Tarn but mostly S'rea. Viktor soon found out about the mating rituals on Lyrissia and the way females and males interacted, or not.
S'rea initially has a standoffish attitude towards the U-man but she soon discovers that he his a nice man even in his ignorance. I had a blast the few times she threw him across the room after what was perceived as a mating offer.
S'rea was an independent woman who wanted the freedom to explore the world and work. She had a strong character and defended herself well.
At the same time with the negotiations between the Alliance and Lyrissians another delegation was working on another peace treaty with their life long enemies the Orka.
These negotiations were conducted by Karo whom had his own agenda. That includes making S'rea his mate by force to further his position in the government.
His attempts made S'rea chose, better said give Viktor no choice but to take her as his mate. I loved the way this two characters came together.
Their mating was well written and detailed enough not to let me wonder of what and how it might have been. Ironically S'rea didn't want or need a mate and Viktor after his divorce was on the same page with her.
I had fun when the differences between the civilizations were outlined through Viktor's interaction with Karo:
"He stuck his hand out to Karo and introduced himself. 'Viktor Jacobs, U-man peacetalker.'
Karo looked down his nose at the outstretched hand. 'Karo, son of Larn', he finally sniffed. 'And your parentage?'
'I doubt you knew them', he said"
Taken was a very interesting book that introduced me to a very well built world, traditions and aliens. I loved every aspect of it from the physical to the cultural differences.
I cannot say that this is a romantic book through and through. Both characters were coming from too different backgrounds and had was too different reasons not to fall in love. The love and respect grew in time with their attraction. It was very well done and not rushed at all.
That doesn't mean that there were not enough swoony moments to satisfy my romantical needs:
"'That is the second time I have heard that word,' she said. 'What does this love mean?'
'You're full of questions, aren't you?' he said, and sighed. He dropped his formal tone in order to better explain the term. 'Love is a lot of things. To me, it's when you wake up thinking of the same person and go to sleep thinking of them as well. When you can't think of anyone else in between. Love is laughter, respect, smiles and warmth. You feel it here.' He tapped his chest.
'It makes you want to be a better person. It's beautiful."
If you are a fan of the SF romance books and had enough of the "mars needs women" genre this might be just what you need. It is not overly romantic but it has all the right ingredients to be a great read keeping a very good balance between the plot, romance and sex. My only complain it would be that it was to short and I wanted more and had a small inconsistency: S'rea initially was the eldest daughter and in the end she was not anymore.
The ending is sweet and I am looking forward to reading Viktor and S'rea's son story. This is an author that I will pay attention in the future and look forward to more book.
Highly recommending this book with my thumbs up.
I have been complaining over and over that my latest reads lack plot, world and character build or there is little to no romance and a lot of sex.
This book was indeed short but very well written and developed.
Form beginning the action of this book grabbed me and I couldn't put it down until I finished it.
Viktor was trying to negotiate a peace treaty with the Lyrissian delegation aboard the spaceship Callisto. Right from the start he had his first miscommunication when he tried to speak the Lyrissian language and offendedLyrissian peace talker Tarn.
To his luck Tarn's daughter S'rea could speak the common language so they were able to overlook his faux pas and understand from where is comes.
I loved the way Viktor discovers few cultural differences as he learns about his counterpart's civilization. I had fun with few miscommunications between him and Tarn but mostly S'rea. Viktor soon found out about the mating rituals on Lyrissia and the way females and males interacted, or not.
S'rea initially has a standoffish attitude towards the U-man but she soon discovers that he his a nice man even in his ignorance. I had a blast the few times she threw him across the room after what was perceived as a mating offer.
S'rea was an independent woman who wanted the freedom to explore the world and work. She had a strong character and defended herself well.
At the same time with the negotiations between the Alliance and Lyrissians another delegation was working on another peace treaty with their life long enemies the Orka.
These negotiations were conducted by Karo whom had his own agenda. That includes making S'rea his mate by force to further his position in the government.
His attempts made S'rea chose, better said give Viktor no choice but to take her as his mate. I loved the way this two characters came together.
Their mating was well written and detailed enough not to let me wonder of what and how it might have been. Ironically S'rea didn't want or need a mate and Viktor after his divorce was on the same page with her.
I had fun when the differences between the civilizations were outlined through Viktor's interaction with Karo:
"He stuck his hand out to Karo and introduced himself. 'Viktor Jacobs, U-man peacetalker.'
Karo looked down his nose at the outstretched hand. 'Karo, son of Larn', he finally sniffed. 'And your parentage?'
'I doubt you knew them', he said"
Taken was a very interesting book that introduced me to a very well built world, traditions and aliens. I loved every aspect of it from the physical to the cultural differences.
I cannot say that this is a romantic book through and through. Both characters were coming from too different backgrounds and had was too different reasons not to fall in love. The love and respect grew in time with their attraction. It was very well done and not rushed at all.
That doesn't mean that there were not enough swoony moments to satisfy my romantical needs:
"'That is the second time I have heard that word,' she said. 'What does this love mean?'
'You're full of questions, aren't you?' he said, and sighed. He dropped his formal tone in order to better explain the term. 'Love is a lot of things. To me, it's when you wake up thinking of the same person and go to sleep thinking of them as well. When you can't think of anyone else in between. Love is laughter, respect, smiles and warmth. You feel it here.' He tapped his chest.
'It makes you want to be a better person. It's beautiful."
If you are a fan of the SF romance books and had enough of the "mars needs women" genre this might be just what you need. It is not overly romantic but it has all the right ingredients to be a great read keeping a very good balance between the plot, romance and sex. My only complain it would be that it was to short and I wanted more and had a small inconsistency: S'rea initially was the eldest daughter and in the end she was not anymore.
The ending is sweet and I am looking forward to reading Viktor and S'rea's son story. This is an author that I will pay attention in the future and look forward to more book.
Highly recommending this book with my thumbs up.
October 10, 2016
This was given to me and I decided to give this a shot. The main girl character in this was just funny. She was so entertaining. The story was well done but I just wish that there was more romance.
August 30, 2015
Taken (Callisto Series - Book 1)
I don’t generally read Science Fiction, but the beginning of this novella grabbed me. Viktor was having a rough start with his first Peacetalker mission trying to negotiate peace with the Lyrissian delegation aboard the Callisto. Peacetalker Tarn took offense when Viktor miscommunicated while trying to speak in the Lyrissian’s own language. Luckily, S’rea, Tarn’s daughter, was able to speak common so the Alliance of Worlds peace talks could move forward.
Viktor is confronted with several cultural differences as he learns more about the Lyrissian as the talks proceed. There are several humorous miscommunications between S’rea and Viktor dealing with mating rituals of the Lyrissian. S’rea has no intention to ever take a mate, she is a scientist and loves her profession. Viktor is recently divorced and has no intention of having any relationships right now.
Karo was the other Peacetalker dispatched by the Lyrissian to negotiate peace with the Orka in a neighboring galaxy. Karo has an agenda of his own which includes taking S’rea as a mate whether she agrees or not. The Orka are an aggressive and violent race who mutate their females into hideous monsters to use as warriors. They are a humanitarian nightmare.
This is an enjoyable story that moves at a nice pace. The reader will find humor, political intrigue, violent confrontations, and romance. I found it easy to become invested in the outcome from the humans on the Starship Callisto to the Lyrissian race as a whole. They had a fascinating hierarchy and culture.
The only thing I had a problem with was that S’rea was referred to as the eldest daughter of Tarn in the beginning of the story. However, at the end Ae’a is the eldest daughter. I understand why the birth order was changed. Due to certain privileges the eldest daughter is granted on Lyrissia, the story would have had an entirely different ending for S’rea and Viktor.
FYI: The author uses British/New Zealand spelling conventions. Taken is the first book in the Callisto Series. **Originally written for "BigAl’s Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy.** August 24, 2015
Format/Typo Issues: I found no issues except for the inconsistency I mentioned at the end of the review.
Amazon and Barnes & Noble have Taken as Book 1 in the Callisto series.
I don’t generally read Science Fiction, but the beginning of this novella grabbed me. Viktor was having a rough start with his first Peacetalker mission trying to negotiate peace with the Lyrissian delegation aboard the Callisto. Peacetalker Tarn took offense when Viktor miscommunicated while trying to speak in the Lyrissian’s own language. Luckily, S’rea, Tarn’s daughter, was able to speak common so the Alliance of Worlds peace talks could move forward.
Viktor is confronted with several cultural differences as he learns more about the Lyrissian as the talks proceed. There are several humorous miscommunications between S’rea and Viktor dealing with mating rituals of the Lyrissian. S’rea has no intention to ever take a mate, she is a scientist and loves her profession. Viktor is recently divorced and has no intention of having any relationships right now.
Karo was the other Peacetalker dispatched by the Lyrissian to negotiate peace with the Orka in a neighboring galaxy. Karo has an agenda of his own which includes taking S’rea as a mate whether she agrees or not. The Orka are an aggressive and violent race who mutate their females into hideous monsters to use as warriors. They are a humanitarian nightmare.
This is an enjoyable story that moves at a nice pace. The reader will find humor, political intrigue, violent confrontations, and romance. I found it easy to become invested in the outcome from the humans on the Starship Callisto to the Lyrissian race as a whole. They had a fascinating hierarchy and culture.
The only thing I had a problem with was that S’rea was referred to as the eldest daughter of Tarn in the beginning of the story. However, at the end Ae’a is the eldest daughter. I understand why the birth order was changed. Due to certain privileges the eldest daughter is granted on Lyrissia, the story would have had an entirely different ending for S’rea and Viktor.
FYI: The author uses British/New Zealand spelling conventions. Taken is the first book in the Callisto Series. **Originally written for "BigAl’s Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy.** August 24, 2015
Format/Typo Issues: I found no issues except for the inconsistency I mentioned at the end of the review.
Amazon and Barnes & Noble have Taken as Book 1 in the Callisto series.
May 15, 2025
Easy read. 3.5 ⭐️
January 2, 2015
Human ambassador Viktor is assigned to meet with the Lyrissian delegation aboard the spaceship Callisto to negotiate an alliance between Earth and Lyrissia. This has everything in it that a science fiction fan could want without the story getting overly bogged down in technical detail. So many of the science fiction stories seem to just fill up their pages with endless technobabble, which just bores me to tears even though I do love science fiction for it’s flights of imagination in giving us new locales and cultures to explore. Taken certainly delivered all that and more.
Admittedly, my attention lagged at the beginning, trudging through the politics and constant dialogue confined solely within the unchanging steel walls of the ship, but by thirty percent (my usual decision point), action had picked up with an attempted assassination, and the entrance of S’rea, the Lyrissian ambassador’s daughter, who seemed eager to seek out the differences between the humans and the Lyrissians, along with her cultural differences and gaps in knowledge in mating overtures, and an attempted kidnapping and invasion by an alien party. S’rea was a joy to read about with her scientific curiosity, courage, brawn, and combat skills. While Victor has a good balance between intellectual man of action, and personal problems that he is running away from that makes him being aboard the Callisto believable. It was wonderful watching S’rea and Viktor tangle, to growing curious about their differences and similarities, to if there actually was love through it all or whether it was just politics. And it was a treat seeing the Lyrissian homeworld from their mating customs, to their scientific community, to their ruling body.
The only thing I didn’t understand and still question about the story is, I never did find out what the installment title “Taken” refers to. I would recommend this to fans of Star Trek and Babylon 5, who like their science fiction with a dose of romance and adventure.
Admittedly, my attention lagged at the beginning, trudging through the politics and constant dialogue confined solely within the unchanging steel walls of the ship, but by thirty percent (my usual decision point), action had picked up with an attempted assassination, and the entrance of S’rea, the Lyrissian ambassador’s daughter, who seemed eager to seek out the differences between the humans and the Lyrissians, along with her cultural differences and gaps in knowledge in mating overtures, and an attempted kidnapping and invasion by an alien party. S’rea was a joy to read about with her scientific curiosity, courage, brawn, and combat skills. While Victor has a good balance between intellectual man of action, and personal problems that he is running away from that makes him being aboard the Callisto believable. It was wonderful watching S’rea and Viktor tangle, to growing curious about their differences and similarities, to if there actually was love through it all or whether it was just politics. And it was a treat seeing the Lyrissian homeworld from their mating customs, to their scientific community, to their ruling body.
The only thing I didn’t understand and still question about the story is, I never did find out what the installment title “Taken” refers to. I would recommend this to fans of Star Trek and Babylon 5, who like their science fiction with a dose of romance and adventure.
August 10, 2016
Title: Taken
Author: Erica Conroy
Publisher: E.C.
Series: Callisto #1
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"Taken" by Erica Conroy
My Thoughts....
"Taken" was a good romantic science fiction read where the 'alien's will keep you turning the pages to see what will be going to happen next. If you are looking for a read with a 'real tough female lead, humorous parts in the read that will have you laughing out loud, different cultural species, diplomatic banter wrangling, suspense and let's not leave out the love between a alien and human.' Take all of this in and you get a real adventurous sci-fi romantic read with many twist and turns. I found the characters [Viktor, S'rea, Tarn, Karo, Roger] to name a few for the most part were well developed, portrayed and even somewhat believable being very strong and opinionated which gives the reader a good well written read. Would I recommend this novel? YES especially if you are into romantic sci-fi reads.
Oh, by the way, I enjoyed the ending "Viktor's Interview" with the reporter!
Author: Erica Conroy
Publisher: E.C.
Series: Callisto #1
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"Taken" by Erica Conroy
My Thoughts....
"Taken" was a good romantic science fiction read where the 'alien's will keep you turning the pages to see what will be going to happen next. If you are looking for a read with a 'real tough female lead, humorous parts in the read that will have you laughing out loud, different cultural species, diplomatic banter wrangling, suspense and let's not leave out the love between a alien and human.' Take all of this in and you get a real adventurous sci-fi romantic read with many twist and turns. I found the characters [Viktor, S'rea, Tarn, Karo, Roger] to name a few for the most part were well developed, portrayed and even somewhat believable being very strong and opinionated which gives the reader a good well written read. Would I recommend this novel? YES especially if you are into romantic sci-fi reads.
Oh, by the way, I enjoyed the ending "Viktor's Interview" with the reporter!
March 15, 2015
I have two main problems with this. First, the ending felt rushed. The ending itself wasn't bad but after the last bit of action a whole ton of important things happened really fast with little textual backing.
The second problem is that this was a romance with semi-erotic scenes yet the scene I was looking forward to the most (the two main characters AFTER they admitted their feelings) didn't occur in the text, it was merely suggested as happening. I was really looking forward to it so I was dissapointed when it didn't happen.
Outside of these two issues you have a well written story. I think the formatting could have been handled better though. I also feel like the content of this story could have been expanded to be two or three times the length without detracting from the story. In fact it would have only added to it.
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