What a truly remarkable book this is!

However, I still didn't enjoy reading about Elena being held captive. It was a rather distressing part of the story.

Nevertheless, it is still an outstanding book overall. I feel the urge to reread it many more times!

*First Read January 1st 2011*

I absolutely loved this book. It's a great second installment in the series.

I had a hunch about what was going to happen, and I really wanted to prevent it from occurring. But alas, it did happen, and surprisingly, that made the book even better.

I finished it rather rapidly. I remember getting most of this series in one go from the library, along with another series that had around 8 books. The librarians gave me some strange looks when they saw me checking out so many books at once. :)

STOLEN is the second book in Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series.

Elena Michaels, the sole known female werewolf, desires a normal life with her mate and family. However, a group of ‘researchers’ and the billionaire heading the institute have different intentions for Elena and the supernatural world.

After following a lead on werewolf sightings, Elena meets Paige and Ruth Winterbourne, mother and daughter witches on the Council for Supernatural beings. Elena is not only surprised by the council's existence but also by the presence of witches. She discovers that billionaire Ty Winsloe hunts the ‘supernatural’ for his collection.

When Elena is abducted and imprisoned at the compound, she realizes she's not alone. Ruth Winterbourne and various other supernatural beings are already in custody, attempting to communicate.

We are introduced to several supernatural characters like demons Xavier Reese and Leah O’Donnell, a chameleon shifter Armen Haig, and vampire Aaron Darnell. Through Paige, Jeremy and Clay try to contact Elena telepathically, but Clay doubts Paige's abilities. When the connection breaks, Elena is distraught and reconnects with Clay through dreams, seeing his suffering without her.

We also see the introduction of Adam to Savannah, hinting at future storylines, and the escape of Leah O’Donnell, who will reappear in a later book.

I can't praise Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series enough. I found it by chance while seeking paranormal reads. As a Canadian, I was excited to read this thrilling series with unique characters that deviated from the typical vampire/werewolf storylines. I'm sad that Kelley is ending the series in 2012, but with her novellas and anthologies, Elena, Clay, and the others will remain among my favorite characters, and Kelley will be one of my favorite authors.

I've just completed reading "Stolen", which is the sequel to "Bitten".

As one would anticipate with "Bitten", the writing in "Stolen" maintained the same high quality. The familiar characters that we hold dear (those who made an appearance in this novel) were truly excellent. Their development and interactions added depth to the story.

The storyline itself was extremely intense and gripping. It had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. There were numerous twists and turns that kept me guessing and eager to find out what would happen next.

However, I did find myself getting a bit frustrated with the "Stolen" aspect of the story. I had hoped that there would have been just a little more of Clay incorporated into the plot. His presence always added a certain charm and excitement to the previous installment.

Overall, though, if you were a fan of the first book, "Bitten", then you are sure to enjoy "Stolen" as well. It continues the engaging and thrilling world that the author has created, and I'm already looking forward to seeing what comes next.

More 3.5 stars

Even though this is the second book in the series, it's actually the last one I needed to finish it.

I know I'm in the minority, but Elena and Clay are just not my favorite characters. Their personalities and relationship didn't really click with me. So, when I knew this was an Elena book, it just didn't make me eager to come back to it. I had some initial hesitation and lack of enthusiasm.

However, I'm glad it had a lot of other familiar names in it. The presence of those other characters made it much more enjoyable for me. It added a sense of continuity and connection to the overall series. I was able to engage with the story on a different level because of those familiar faces. It was like reuniting with old friends and seeing how their lives intertwined with Elena's. In the end, it was a better reading experience than I initially expected.