There were so many good things in this little novella. I get such a kick out of the alcoholic/cross-dressing dog, the big, scary dude named Wolfe who carries a kitten in his pocket, and we even get an appearance from Dage and Talen from the Dark Protector series.

The main characters are not anyone we met in book 1. Our couple, Hunter and Faye are foster siblings to Raider. Raider is who met in book 1. He comes to help Hunter and Faye chase down Hunter's half brother who he just learned about, and we get the rekindled relation of Hunter and Faye.

I'm not sure if Hunter and Faye will make any more appearances in the Deep Ops books but it was fun getting to know them and learning a little bit more of Raider's background. Wolfe is such a quirky character and I love seeing him in every book but I really can't wait until he's the main character.

This had a great mix of fun and seriousness to it. I can't wait for the next book!

Taken is a novella set in the world of the Deep Op series. Faye Smith left Hunter Holt five years ago when she realized love was not going to be enough to make their relationship last. Both slightly broken with the weight of guilt from much different situations, they fled to work on themselves. Now years later, Faye chases Hunter down to let him know he has a little brother and that he is missing from the foster home they were raised in. Calling in the big dogs, Raider and Wolf from Deep Ops use their resources from Homeland Security to aid in the search for Hunter's little brother and the spree killing teacher he took off with. Faye and Hunter story is sweet as they manage to save the day and rediscover a sweet love. This story moves quickly but is believable because I could envision a true love broken from hard times but so easy to fall back into. Wolf and his kitten, Kat adds a fresh dose of humor to lighten up the tense situations. I love the Deep Ops characters and their wacky animals. I need Wolf's book soon since I might be in love with all the weirdness that is Wolf. A great short read that flies by way too quickly. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

This novella was a good second chance romance with a few twists. Faye, Hunter, and their friend Raider (from book one of the Deep Ops series, Hidden) are back home to help their foster mom find and rescue Hunter’s teenage brother.

Personal issues aside, Faye and Hunter were funny! Their bickering was similar to playground taunting and their heartfelt attraction sizzled. The camaraderie between all three characters was neat since it was cemented in childhood and as adults remained as strong as ever.

Then there’s Raider’s Deep Ops team. Wolfe’s lack of filter and his pocket kitten was absolute comic relief. And I don’t know how I could have forgotten Roscoe, the alcoholic German Shepherd and his penchant for heels! He’s just as hysterical as he was in Hidden!

Mixing Deep Ops with a couple of characters from the Dark Protector series and Taken actually turned out funnier then I was expecting! The story had steam, suspense, a twisty villain, and a wonderfully crazy supporting cast I enjoyed.

I don’t think it’s necessary to read Hidden before picking up this novella. The Deep Ops team is working as supporting assist while the central focus stays on Faye and Hunter. However, I do think it should be read before the next book Fallen, if only to get established with Raider’s feelings for Brigid.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As a side-story of Rebecca Zanetti’s Deep Ops series, ‘Taken’ is pretty much a compact standalone as Raider Tanaka’s old friends take the stage in a short, second-chance romance.

In this case however, the brevity of the story probably made me less engaged than I could have been, since this felt as though it could have been a full-length book and had lost so much because it wasn’t. All we know is that Hunter Holt and Faye Smith had once been together; she’d split five years ago and is now back to get him to search for his teenage half-brother he’d never known existed. In fact, I felt as though I’d been missing a big chunk of their backstory—the breakup, the —even though it was sort of told in a few lines what had happened to Faye and Hunter.

Coming back together in the midst of the search, then pledging themselves to each other again after scorching sexy times or talking things through to re-cement their broken bond just seemed too easy, too soon…too coincidental. Would Faye really have searched Hunter back out had it not been for this incident when she’d done nothing for five years? As a result, Faye/Hunter were a pairing that seemed to happen only again because unexpected circumstances forced them back again, rather than a pairing that actively wanted to solve the problems that had first rent them apart while finding their way back to each other again—a rather common occurrence in the second-chance romance trope that typically leaves me feeling scratchy on the inside.

There’s no denying that Zanetti writes pretty well though, but what constantly threw me off were the strange and awkward inserts of humour that broke the intensity of what would have been otherwise an enthralling narrative. In here, it come in the form of out-of-the-blue humour, even odder animal behaviour and weird pick-up lines that bad-ass characters spout, incongruous to what you think they might behave.

In short, ‘Taken’ was pretty much what I thought it would be—no big surprises and not entirely a let-down either but not something I could really get excited about…at least not while Raider’s story is in the making.

This book is a novella that is part of a series, but really is a stand alone. It is a quick and easy read, and I really felt the pain Hunter and Faye suffered in their relationship. But also the closeness, how thoroughly they knew each other. I would really like to know what happened five years ago, and hopefully we will learn more in other books in this series.

Received an ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.

The infusion of serious subject matter and humor make up this romantic suspense. Its amazing the those two things work together but the author manages it in such a way your both on the edge of your seat and laughing.

This novella gives us Hunter Holt and Faye Smith story who grew up in foster care with Raider Tanaka (a main character from her new Deep Ops series). Both Raider and Wolfe (also from Deep Ops) play a big part in the story so you definitely get a feel for what the series is about even though Hunter and Faye are not part the Homeland Defense Department. This could be read as a stand alone and it was very enjoyable having all the elements of suspense, serial killer, and a rekindled romance. But for me it was even more so because of having the connection to Raider and the Deep Ops team.

this is a novella that follows the first book in this series. I loved the first book and I loved this one too. Lot of emotion and humor. The only complaint that I have is that the dog only shows up briefly in this book. I am waiting anxiously for the next book in this series. I highly recommend this series.

Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read this book for an honest review

While I really enjoy books by Rebecca Zanetti, I have to admit I was a bit confused by this book as far as it being part of the Deep Ops series. Having read the first book in the series, I was expecting a novella about some of the characters from that book. Or even a story that set the stage for book two. However, this book was about Hunter and Faye that actually grew up with Raider a character from the first book and hopefully the hero of the next book in the series. So while the novella was enjoyable and there was a brief scene with the Deep Ops team in this story, you definitely can read this book without having read Hidden. In fact, I would have just left it as a totally separate novella.

Faye and Hunter were both in the same foster home. They broke up five years ago but Faye has came back to help find a foster kid. Faye was a psychologist and Hunter went into the military. A teacher takes her student on a robbery spree and the student happens to be Hunter’s half brother he never knew about. Can they get along long enough to find him before something bad happens?
Short, sexy, and action. Two damaged souls find their way back to each other. A couple of surprises, which made me love the story more. A little funny.
* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for NetGalley *

Not gonna lie I am starting to become a fan of Rebecca Zanetti and her new series Deep Ops.

This is a side story between the first and second story. As a readers of the series I will admit I was a little lost at first trying to figure out how it connected to the Deep Ops series. Once it became clear the humor from the first book arrives almost with the goofy characters from the first book.

I think it will impossible for readers of Rebecca Zanetti to miss this story as well as the series. Faye is a lost soul who knows her soul mate but can't seem to keep her temper in check long enough before she hits Hunter. Hunter is you Rebecca Zanetti Alpha Male with a heart that have readers wanting more of the two lead characters.

The story has heat and soul that new readers will be able to fall in love with Rebecca Zanetti characters and books

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Zebra for the advance copy of Rebecca Zanetti Taken.

This is a can't miss read.