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    The Taken: Celestial Blues: Book One
    Unavailable
    The Taken: Celestial Blues: Book One
    Unavailable
    The Taken: Celestial Blues: Book One
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Taken: Celestial Blues: Book One

    Written by Vicki Pettersson

    Narrated by Kevin Fabian

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    "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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJun 12, 2012
    ISBN9780062189547
    Unavailable
    The Taken: Celestial Blues: Book One
    Author

    Vicki Pettersson

    Vicki Pettersson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Sign of the Zodiac novels, a six-book urban fantasy series set in her hometown of Las Vegas. Though she'll always consider that glittering dust bowl home, she now divides her time between Vegas and Dallas, where she's learning to like good Tex-Mex (easy) and the Dallas Cowboys (easier than you'd think).

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    Reviews for The Taken

    3.5/5

    25 ratings13 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Griff Shaw is a Centurion, a lower class angel whose job is to take people when they die. He allows Nicole to change clothes after she dies (since you stay in whatever you were wearing at the time of death), and loses his wings because of that. Now he has to find Kit, Nicole's friend, and wait for her to die because Nic endangered Kit and now Griff has to take Kit to the Everlast. I am assuming the Everlast is something like a waiting room for Paradise where those whose lives ended violently come to forget. All he has to do is wait for the killers to come, kill Kit and take her. He couldn't. His superior can appear anywhere, anytime (like talking to Griff through a newborn - that must have been creepy).

      Kit's friends are all rockabillies. I am not sure why that was important other than to make them different. I can imagine how they looked to Griff who was killed in 1960.

      This book has one of the most disgusting, horrible, vile villains I've read. Whatever fate he got in this book, I am not satisfied.

      I would have liked this book more if only it hadn't been preachy at times. Since Griff is an angel, I expected some talk about God and all that, but I wouldn't mind less. Apart from that, this is a pretty good mystery - minus the religious talk.
    • 3/5
      I liked the idea the author presents in the book about angels. What I didn't care for was all the tell and not show on the rockabilly side of the heroine's life. And as much as she talked about the lifestyle other than the dress up I wasn't sure what drove her to aggressively live in that time frame to the point of tracking down old brands of cigarettes to smoke. The villain is really evil and he does almost everything except twirl his mustache since he is so secure that he will never be caught. I'll read the next one since I liked how the book ended with the angel side but the heroine side was a bit weak.
    • 1/5
      After Grif died, he became an angel tasked with shepherding newly killed souls to the afterlife. But a moment of mercy threatens the angels' secrecy, and as punishment Grif is forced to become human again. He can return to his celestial form only after he watches Katherine Craig die. But Grif finds her imminent death intolerable, and is clearly going to try to circumvent fate. I don't know--I only got 14% of the way into it. I just didn't care about Grif or the oh-so-beautiful Katherine. The writing is fine, but it didn't pull me in.
    • 5/5
      Great Book can't wait for the next one.
    • 4/5
      The approach to angel lore is interesting, but I most enjoyed the interplay of Twitter-era technology and Film Noir-esque personalities and outfits.
    • 3/5
      Angel mythology mixed with Rockabilly flair and a touch of romantic suspense. I enjoyed the interesting combination.
    • 4/5
      Griffin Shaw used to be a PI until he was killed and now he escorts dead souls to the afterlife. He makes a mistake in his latest collection and he lands back in the mortal world to learn a lesson.He's ordered to collect the soul of Kit Craig but when they meet there's something there between them, and not only because Kit is a rockabilly! He's also curious about his and his wife's death fifty years ago.This is a fun read, interesting mythology and interesting characters.
    • 3/5
      This was the first Vicki Pettersson I’ve read, and I did so on a recommendation from Kim Harrison, whose books I LOVE.This wasn’t bad, but she’s no Kim Harrison. There were a number of things about this story that set it apart from the usual paranormal/urban fantasy books out there. The angel stuff was new and interesting, and I also liked the focus on the rock-a-billy lifestyle. Really, the rock-a-billy stuff was necessary in order for Grif to be accepted with few questions, and I liked the “film noir” feel it gave the story. The mystery went in directions that I didn’t expect, so that was good. Las Vegas is also the perfect setting, because there no one raises an eyebrow at things that would be considered quite odd elsewhere.But I wasn’t overwhelmed. Things moved quite slowly at times, and it took me a long time to get into the story. I found I was more invested in Grif than in Kit, when it should have been at least equal.I would definitely read Ms. Pettersson again, but I’ll be hoping her other books are a little stronger.
    • 5/5
      Loved, loved, LOVED this book. It's the beginning to a new trilogy by Vicki Pettersson (author of the Signs of the Zodiac series, beginning with The Scent of Shadows). It's set in Vegas and features an angel who was a noir-ish PI when alive (he died in the 1960's) and a modern reporter who lives the rockabilly life. I love the way the characters interact, and Pettersson makes each one jump off the page. But my favorite part of this book is the language. Pettersson is extremely precise in her word choice and the narrative throughout this book SINGS. I can't recommend it highly enough.
    • 4/5
      Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy:allthingsuf.comAn 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.
    • 4/5
      I got an advanced copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. This is the first book in a new series by Pettersson called Celestial Blues. Previously Petterssen wrote the Signs of the Zodiac series which I enjoyed. This book was an interesting start to a new series; I enjoyed the characters and the world was decently done as well.Griffin used to be a PI, now he is a Centurion...an angel who escorts people to their place of rest after they die. When he helps out a dying woman (against the angelic laws) he is sentenced to dwell in human flesh until he collects the soul of Kit Craig. Kit is investigating a prostitution ring and has no idea how deep in trouble she is. This is no ordinary prostitution ring; and Griffin will have to decide if we will do his angelic duty and watch Kit’s death or go against his duty and save her.I really enjoyed the two main characters; they were fun to read about and a bit different from the normal types of characters you get in these paranormal series. Kit follows a rockabilly life-style; I liked her dedication to something different and enjoyed how it gave an old-fashioned flare to Kit’s character. I really enjoyed Kit’s sunny attitude and how she strove to find something good in everyone. She does come off as a bit too perky at times; but since most urban fantasy heroines are all bad-ass and serious, I enjoyed the change.Griffin is your typical hard-boiled PI type; except he is understandably a bit old-fashioned (being he’s been dead for 50 years or so). I like the gruff, stoic hard-boiled types and again enjoyed the old-fashioned flare he had. I loved how he acted respectful, yet a bit old-fashioned toward Kit but he still respects her strength and her tenacity.The romance between the two isn’t all that compelling, but their mutual respect makes it a relationship that is nice to read about. There isn’t a lot of sizzle here...more of a slowly building relationship of trust.The story is a well done murder mystery of sorts. This is definitely a book for adults. There are a few orgy scenes, lots of violence towards women, and some sex scenes as well. If violent sex or violence towards woman (Kit and Griffin are trying to bust a rather disturbing prostitution ring) really bothers you a lot I would not recommend this book. There are some good twists in the book, they made the book engaging...if a bit disturbing at times. There are definitely parts here that will give you a bit of a yucky feeling; but I still thought they were well done.The book ends well and left me looking forward to Kit and Grif’s future adventures.Overall a good start to a new paranormal/urban fantasy series. I really enjoyed the unique and fun characters; I love the old-fashioned flare added to a modern day story. I enjoyed the twisty turny plot and thought the writing was well done. There isn’t a ton of romance here, and what is here isn’t all that compelling. The book also gets a bit graphic in the sex/violence arena. I would recommend this book to fans of investigative urban fantasy. I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series to read.
    • 2/5
      I was interested to see what the author could do with Rockabilly, noir, angels and murder. Obviously, Ms Pettersson is a very talented author who received success with her "Signs of the Zodiac" urban fantasy series. "The Taken" didn't appeal to me much on first glance, but I thought maybe the author could prove me wrong. Unfortunately, I ended up bored through most of the novel."The Taken" is about an angel named Grif who died in the 50's. He messes up when he goes to usher a woman into the afterlife. This inadvertently paints a target on the woman's best friend Kit. When he attempts to save Kit because he feels to blame, the two end up forming a partnership of sorts. He will help find the killer and Kit will help him find out who killed his wife decades before. The storyline really does sound interesting. I loved the rockabilly lifestyle and I would have gladly read more about these people; I found them irresistible. Unfortunately I found the book to be very slow paced and I never took interest in either Grif or Kit. On the surface I should have loved them both, but I just didn't. The thread about the killer was ok. I will definitely say what is going on behind closed doors in this story was pretty jarring and certainly unique...but everything that surrounds it is just bland.After recently reading a string of exceptional books, I found I almost couldn't finish this one. It was a struggle to plod through the story and I actually felt relief upon finishing it. Other may enjoy the story. It certainly is unique in plotting and execution. It is just not for me and I won't be continuing the series. If you like Urban Fantasy though, you should give the Signs of the Zodiac series a try.
    • 2/5
      The Taken is my second attempt to read one of Vicki Pettersson’s novels. My first try was the First Sign of the Zodiac novel, which I never really got into. I thought I’d give her another try with this new series, especially when it looks like such a fun noir/mystery type deal with a good dose of urban fantasy fun.Kit is an investigative reporter in Sin City, where she prides herself on finding the truth. After a young girl is found dead in a motel, Kit knows this is her next big story. Just as she becomes involved in the investigation, she meets Griffon, a Centurion (basically, a low-ranking angel). The two, of course, are down to each other, but not just to unravel the truth behind the murder, but in other ways as well.I had somewhat high hopes for this book. I was expecting something fun with plenty of steamy moments, snappy dialog and fun characters. No serious plot needed. What I found was close to my expectations, but it just didn’t quite get there. First, this book is slow. It was a little painful to get into a first, and I felt like the author had, at best, a jumbled sense of where she was going much of the time. I spent much of the novel lost and confused between a semi-entertaining plot, a handful of decent one-liners and some very steamy scenes. Nothing here really reached critical mass for me. Perhaps this will be cleaned up before the first version of the book is published, but right now, I would say there are many other series in the urban fantasy/mystery genre that do it better.