Rowena’s review of The Taking by Erin McCarthy.
Hero: Felix Leblanc
Heroine: Regan Henry
Heiress Regan Henry knows that passion can be an illusion, and she keeps her emotions in check-until she falls under the spell of the beguiling Felix LeBlanc. He knows that the rumors that her mansion is haunted are true, and that he’s the only one who can save her from the spirits residing there. But the only way he can do it is to sacrifice his last chance at redemption…or risk a love that could consign them both to an eternity of evil.
I’ve read but one book by Erin McCarthy and I highly enjoyed that so don’t ask me why I haven’t read anything further by her because I have no idea. The last book that I read by this author was Heiress for Hire. I really enjoyed that book but that book was a lot fluffier than this book. It was also a contemporary and this book was a paranormal that I highly enjoyed. Going into this book, I didn’t even know that this book was the third book in the Seven Deadly Sins series but that didn’t stop me from jumping right into the story.
Felix Leblanc makes a deal with a demon for a better life for him and his mother. His greed leads him to making a bunch of bad decisions and now he’s stuck in an immortal existence of serving the demon. Regan, on the other hand has just left her husband and she’s playing at being an independent person again. She buys this ginormous house in the french quarter that is haunted. There’s an unsettling presence in her house and she needs Felix’s help trying to figure out what to do about the ghost.
Watching these two come together and watching Felix fight his attraction to Regan made for some really good reading. Felix didn’t want to fall for Regan but did anyway and I ate it all up. I enjoyed reading about Felix’s past and I enjoyed that he wasn’t always so perfect. I love heroes that aren’t cookie cutter heroes and Felix isn’t. He was led by greed at one point in his life and seeing the growth in him over the course of his immortal life was great. I really enjoyed Felix’s character and I totally wanted to do him! I never thought that I’d be interested in anyone remotely associated with voodoo but Felix sure did do it for me. He was yummy!
Regan on the other hand was just “meh” to me. I respected that she left her loser of a husband because I did not like him at the Christmas party at the beginning of the book. I respected that she was independent but it’s so easy to be independent with a trust fund to buy a ginormous house and everything you’ll ever need. Her money wasn’t what made me not care for her, it was her character that I just didn’t care for. There wasn’t anything about her that made me think, wow what a great heroine so, she was just okay to me. She was too nice, not enough spice? I don’t know, she was just forgettable.
But despite my not being wowed by Regan, I still enjoyed this story. I thought it was a great introduction to the paranormal stories that McCarthy is writing and I am really interested in reading more from McCarthy because of this book. Definitely recommendable. I’m glad that I read this book and what’s even funner is that I don’t think you miss much by not reading the other books but still, I want to read them!
Grade: 4.25 out of 5
This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
ooh, another one of those McCarthy paranormals! I really liked Fallen, I think it was. Also, I think you’re right, this isn’t really a series you need to follow the order of.
I agree that this is not a series that you need to read in order. I love Erin McCarthy. She writes great contemps that are lots of fun. Her paranormal series is darker and heavier but good just the same. I still have to read this one but I read all the others.