Taken By You

(The Killer Next Door #2)

By: Carlie Sexton

SYNOPSIS:

How tragic it is when a caged spirit finally finds its freedom and — entranced in its ecstasy — is invited by that freedom into a cloaked dance with danger.

In Book One of this three-part epic, Kate Simmons — young and alluring, and finally out of her cage of grief — attracts more than attention. Intoxicated by her newfound independence, a blithe Kate is on her way to finding out that around the corners of life, some life-changing eye-openers await. As the story continues in Book Two and she begins to churn a dangerously turbulent trail, it is Kate who now has to snap to, to react, to outrun, or become yet another tortured victim who vanishes down the path of wrong choice.

Having already roiled the risky waters of jealousy, Kate moves in with Neil while Roger — an enamored oddity — visits his son in Germany. Upon his return and finding Kate gone, Roger’s predator mind becomes unhitched, and then unleashed, on the hunt of a lifetime. But whose life?

Step by creeping step, even as Kate’s future closes in on her, she attends — obliviously — to her new life, working through the challenges of fresh relationships, losing family members both to death and to deceit, questioning the depth of love.
Every path offers a choice. Every choice offers a consequence. And every consequence summons its due. As emotions swirl across fateful days and nights, some in Kate’s life will reach out to touch happiness in warm embraces, others to sever ties in bloody traces.

The stains of passion are frequently mistaken. The question here is who will be taken?

EXCERPT:

He drove to Nordstrom and staked out the employee entrance. It was nine o’clock and he knew that Kate was in class, but he wanted to be waiting when she arrived. He watched as many associates entered the building to begin their shifts. Time passed quickly. At about ten, he knew that Kate would be on her way soon. He just had to be patient.

But two hours passed and Kate didn’t show. Maybe she had been changed to the late shift. He knew that meant she would be working from one to ten that night.

He decided to call the store and ask to speak with her. Perhaps that would give him something to go on. He had the number on his speed dial. When the operator answered, he asked for the children’s department.

“Thank you for calling the children’s department. This is Lori.”

“Hi, Lori. I’m calling for Kate. Would you please put her on the phone?”

“Oh, I’m afraid I can’t because Kate no longer works here,” she replied.

He hissed at Lori through clenched teeth. “What do you mean? She quit? When did she quit?”

“She quit several weeks ago.”

“Do you know where she is currently working?”

“I’m afraid I have no idea where she is now. She didn’t leave any forwarding information. She just quit without even giving notice.”

“Okay, thanks,” he said, ending the call. He grabbed the steering wheel and squeezed it tightly. Why would she quit her job? This didn’t make any sense at all. She had talked about how much she liked her job and her co-workers. Something didn’t add up.

Kate must have thought that he had killed Rose. “Fuck,” Roger yelled out, as he hit the steering wheel. He needed her to make his life perfect. He was not going to settle for mediocrity any longer with the regular women he dated. His foster mother had always told him he was special and damn it if he didn’t deserve to have exactly what he wanted. Nothing was going to stand in his way.

BOOK CASTING:

MY THOUGHTS:

In Book 1 we are introduced to this irresistibly gorgeous apartment manager – Roger. For someone so well put together you would never think that he is this homicidal maniac. He’s had his eyes set on Kate from day one. In book 2 he is even more psychopathic than I would have even thought. He literally will do anything just to have her. Anything.

Kate tries to ignores the danger but with her friends’ persuasion she agrees that her safety is at risk. With all the stress happening in her life, Neil stays with her side every step of the way. With the amount of time spent together Kate learns that Neil has some pressing secrets as well. Even as they unfold, their relationship is proven to be strong enough to handle it.

In this story we get to see Neil’s sweet and romantic ways. Even with the impeding doom hovering around them he makes it a point to show Kate his passion, love and devotion. Neil supports her, shelters and protects her. Roger realizes how serious their relationship has become and it angers him even more. Because of this he goes through even greater lengths to possess Kate.

I thought that Fallen For You was great. (Read my review HERE) In my opinion, Taken By You is even better. FFY just scrapes the surface of this tale of obsession and possession while TBY delves even deeper. Just like book 1, I could not put this one down. It is just kept me on the edge of my seat. Yes it does have a major cliffhanger but I think this one is justifiable especially knowing that the finale drops within the next couple of weeks.

I truly am impressed with this debut author. For such a complex story, I thought it was delivered effortlessly. To me it is mind boggling that this is her first series. In my opinion, Carlie Sexton is one author to watch out for.

PURCHASE LINKS:

AUTHOR INTERVIEW:

Liezel: Hi Carlie, first of all I wanted to say congratulations for all the attention your books have been getting lately. I’m so happy that everyone is enjoying this story as much as I have.

Carlie: Thank you so much Liezel. This has been an amazing experience.

Liezel: Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Carlie: I am married to a wonderful man who adores me and dotes on me like Neil does with Kate! We have been married for twelve years and have two dogs, but no children. I have been teaching elementary school for the past nine years and before that I was in sales. I grew up in Louisiana and moved to Southern California when I was nineteen. I worked full-time and put myself through college. It took me seven years to earn my four year degree! In my spare time, which I don’t seem to have anymore, I love to write, read, go to the beach, watch movies, workout and do renovations on my home.

Liezel: Have you always wanted to be a writer and how long have you been writing?

Carlie:Honestly, I had no clue until last August that I wanted to be a writer. A coworker told me that he was writing a book based on a short story he wrote in college. I also learned while talking to him that Mr. Miller’s wife, Raine, had written Naked as well as other books. Of course I bought it and devoured Naked right away. I also realized that I had some stories of my own to tell. I wasn’t expecting this to turn into a three book series. But, more story kept coming to me. I began writing Fallen for You in September. I finished it in January, but wanted book 2 to be done before releasing book 1. I thought I was done with book 2 in April, but my beta readers had some suggestions and a third book emerged from my conversations with them.

Liezel: How did you come up with the unique concept for this story?

Carlie:I wrote this series as a fiction, but some of the story line is based on my personal experiences with a next door neighbor when I was in college. Kate is based on my personality in many ways. Many of Neil’s personality traits come from my husband~ minus the fat bank account!!

Liezel: Are there certain writing rituals that you follow?

Carlie: I jot down ideas into my word document and then begin creating chapters from that. I don’t really have any rituals per se. I just let it flow and see where the story goes.

Liezel: Can you tell us what your favorite book of all time is and what makes it so special to you?

Carlie: I don’t have one favorite book, but I have read The Choice by Nicholas Sparks enough times that the book fell apart! I have enjoyed The Choice because of the love story between Travis and Gabby. It’s heart warming and heart wrenching~ but with a happy ending.

Liezel: Can you name some authors that have influenced your writing?

Carlie: I have to say that I have read almost all of Nicholas Sparks books. I find him inspiring, but I don’t write like him. He is extremely detailed and I enjoy writing the conversation between the characters. I also love Raine Miller, Catherine Bybee, and Nora Roberts.

Liezel: Is there anything in particular that you found challenging in writing this story?

Carlie: I do find it challenging to write the male point of view. Writing Roger’s vile thoughts were difficult as well as some of Neil’s reactions. At times I made him sound too soft and had to do some rewriting.

Liezel: Can you tell us what your plans are after this series?

Carlie:I do plan on spinning off Mac and Natalie into their own story. I have already started it and have a good feel for how it going to turn out. I’m thinking about spinning off Michelle into her own story as well.

Liezel: Do you have any advice that you could give for other aspiring authors?

Carlie:Don’t give up and believe in yourself. I have received 5 star reviews and 2 star reviews. The 2 star reviews didn’t exactly make my day, but I try to learn from what people say and move on. If I let it get me down it would be very difficult to continue as a writer. There will always be critics just like there will always be people who love you book.

Liezel: Is there anything that you would like to add?

Carlie: I am so grateful to be able to share my story with all of you. It has been amazing to find so many bloggers that have embraced me, read and reviewed my work, gone out of their way to help me. The whole experience has been amazing and I wouldn’t trade a moment of it!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Carlie Sexton has had a passion for reading her entire life. She loves it so that she dedicated her life to educating children. As a teacher, she has had the profound pleasure of teaching children to read and explore their imaginations through a good book. Just recently she decided to write a story that had been on her mind. Now she has several that she wants to turn into additional books. Writing has become a passion that she dearly loves.

Carlie lives with her handsome husband in Southern California. They enjoy the relaxed lifestyle that California provides. They have two beautiful dogs, but on children.