ARC Review: Taken by Him by Red Garnier

Taken by Him by Red Garnier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sex appeal oozed from his pores so powerfully Peyton almost felt assaulted. He was all Greek god, do-me-now-or-kill-me-now sexy.

I went into this novella with very little expectations. I mean what can you really expect from 112 pages? When it’s written by Red Garnier, quite a bit actually.

I wanted a quick and steamy little read and I got that. What I also got was great characterization, an interesting story, HOT AS HELL sex scenes, and even a few laughs.

I don’t usually enjoy novellas too much simply because they are too quick for me to get any sort of feel or liking for the characters. I was so happy to see that when it came to sexy as hell Luke and the serious yet craving some spice Peyton, that was not the case. I really enjoyed this one.

Anyone that follows my reviews knows that I have a thing for the arrogant, slightly assholish, sexy manwhores. I can’t help myself. They just do it for me. And Luke was the manwhore to beat all manwhores. The man managed to get shot because he got caught having sex with a woman he shouldn’t have been having sex with. He’s not exactly discerning when it comes to women.

Everyone knew he was a cad – clearly, the heart in his chest was just for pumping blood to his cock. Not for feelings and shit.
Hell, he could probably live without one.

Luke has it all; good looks, success, money, and women seem to just flock to him. His ego also knows no bounds.

He was a sexy man. Everybody wanted him. His famed and acclaimed advertisements for one of his own male underwear companies were fit for a Playgirl cover; he was every woman’s wet dream and they went wild for his big, thick cock perfectly delineated under those damned white briefs.

Something about this egotistical bastard just worked for me

I’m like the fucking holy pope of sex. A night with me is like the pinnacle Of a lot of these women’s sexual lives.”.

While the man that shot him still hasn’t been caught, and his friends practically force him to get out of Chicago for the time being, Luke decides that Cancun will be the perfect place for him to regroup.

Peyton Lane is a successful business woman, a partner in a big invesment firm. She is always the responsible one, the serious one. So when she spends a week in an exotic resort in Cancun she plans to get lose. And what better way to do that then to have a steamy affair with a man she will never see again. When she first lays eyes on the sinfully sexy Luke, she knows she found just the man.

If there had been a god of pure lust and sex in Greek mythology- without the love aspect attached to it, like with Eros- the she had no doubt that his name would be Luke Fucking Preston.

Peyton Lane has always been serious and responsible and she’s determined to have some fun for once in her life. And that means a deliciously, sexy affair with a stranger while she’s on vacation. So when a blond Adonis named Luke crosses her path at the Cancun resort, she’s determined that he will be the one. What takes place is a 3 night scorching hot affair.

Peyton discovers that she doesn’t quite get what she bargained for with Luke, she gets more. She gets passion the likes of which she has never experienced.

For a quickie novella, this one packed quite a punch. I am not usually a fan of a quick relationship development, particularly with a renowned manwhore like Luke was. I am not sure if it was the writing, or the fact that I really enjoyed both the characters, but in this story it really worked. It wasn’t instantaneous, but it was believable.

And when Luke does fall, he falls hard.

This was a short, steamy, and extremely satisfying read. I read it in one sitting, and will definitely be reading the rest of the books in the series.

ARC courtesy of publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review