Stolen by Kelley Armstrong

My rating: 4.5 stars Copyright: April 2004 Pages: 532 Stolen is gruesome & twisted & I loved it! In this wonderful sequel to Bitten, Kelley Armstrong maintains the intensity, pace & suspense that I thoroughly enjoyed in Women of the Otherworld Book 1. The reader is introduced to an assortment of supernatural beings in Stolen, the new characters & the new location allows for further expansion of the storyline & the exciting 'otherworld' already created. As part of her job in the pack, Elena investigates reports of werewolf activity & illicit mutt action & while following a lead meets with witches Paige and Ruth. Events spiral out of control and Elena is abducted & held by an organisation collecting supernatural beings for research; witches, shamans, half-demons, vampires & werewolves. Elena spends much of the book as a captive in an underground facility but this is by no means all the story; drama, mystery, loss, sadistic baddies, introspective moments & great characterisation makes for a page turning tale. What I did miss in Stolen, was the warmth and further development of the Stonehaven pack story & Elena & Clay's relationship. But as a sucker for 'hot & steamy' the reunion between Elena & Clay after Elena's escape from the bunker more than satisfied my 'romance' requirements. Pensive & vulnerable, passionate & playful; a wonderful combination. I'm looking forward to reading Paige's story in Dime Store Magic, but I have to admit, I have my doubts whether Paige will measure up to Elena. Kudos to Kelley Armstrong for a to-die-for supernatural series.