Erryn reviews ‘Wrong Way Home: Taken (Organized Crime Book 1)’ by K. A. Merikan. Published by Acerbi & Villani ltd on April 5, 2019, 264 pgs. The audiobook was released April 12, 2019, is narrated by Wyatt Baker and is 7hrs and 1min. A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Why I read this book: I read another Criminal Delights book and enjoyed it so I figured I would try this one as well.
One wrong turn. One right man.
Colin. Rule-follower. Future doctor. Witness to murder. Captive.
Taron. Survivalist. Mute. Murderer. Captor.
Like every other weekend, Colin is on his way home from university, but he’s taunted by the notion that he never takes risks in life and always follows the beaten path. On impulse, he decides to take a different route. Just this one time. What he doesn’t realize is that it’s the last time he has a choice.
He ends up taking a detour into the darkest pit of horror, abducted by a silent, imposing man with a blood-stained axe. But what seems like his worst nightmare might just prove to be a path to the kind of freedom Colin never knew existed.
Taron has lived alone for years. His land, his rules. He’d given up on company long ago. After all, attachment is a liability. He deals with his problems on his own, but the night he needs to dispose of an enemy, he ends up with a witness to his crime.
The last thing Taron needs is a nuisance of a captive. Colin doesn’t deserve death for setting foot on Taron’s land, but keeping him isn’t optimal either. It’s only when he finds out the city boy is gay that an altogether different option arises. One that isn’t right, yet tempts him every time Colin’s pretty eyes glare at him from the cage.
Warning: for adult readers who enjoy stories where lines between right and wrong get blurry. High heat, twisted and tantalizing, not for the fainthearted.
Buy Links: Audible | Amazon | Add to Goodreads
My Review:
I had read another book from the Criminal Delights series and so was enthusiastic to pick up this one. I probably should have read the synopsis more closely as I quickly found myself in the middle of a slasher horror book. I wasn’t prepared for the level of violence and it was a bit off-putting but I reminded myself that the monster had to have some redeeming qualities or this wouldn’t be shelved under romance. Or so I kept telling myself as the degradation and nastiness continued. My perseverance paid off and I did get my happy ending. An odd ending, but happy nonetheless.
Colin is a good guy who is under a ton of obligations, the most prominent being medical school. He is always doing what is expected of him and aside from random gay hookups, he follows the straight and narrow. One night he’s listening to an audiobook that is urging him to step out of his comfort zone. He takes a chance then gets lost on a dirt road leading to nowhere.
Or so he thinks.
He witnesses a horrific crime and is taken hostage. So much for following advice to take a chance on doing something new. He knows his parents will be frantic with worry but, seeing as he’s trapped, he has no way to contact them. He knows nothing of his captor but despises the man.
Taron has his reasons for living off the grid and away from people. His tragic backstory gets revealed and it explains a lot of his character. His participation in the horrific crime is also somewhat mitigated by his motive, but it was hard to swallow that he was one of the heroes in the book. In the end, I came to care about both men. I believed they deserved their happy ending.
Wyatt Baker is a new narrator for me and I thought he was great. His deep resonant voice matched the men. He was also able to convey the empathetic side of Taron and the caring side of Colin. If you have a strong constitution I can recommend the book.
My Rating:
9/10 Pots of Gold (100% Recommended) – Compares to 4.5/5 Stars
K. A. Merikan is the pen name for Kat and Agnes Merikan, a team of writers, who are taken for sisters with surprising regularity.
They love the weird and wonderful, stepping out of the box, and bending stereotypes both in life and books. When you pick up a Merikan book, there’s one thing you can be sure of – it will be full of surprises.
To keep up to date with their new releases (and get a free book in the process!) sign up to their newsletter: http://kamerikan.com/newsletter
e-mail: kamerikan@gmail.com
More information about ongoing projects, works in progress and publishing at:
K.A. Merikan’s author page: http://kamerikan.com
FUN FACTS:
– We are Polish,
– We’re neither sisters nor a couple,
– Kat’s an artist, and Agnes is a psychologist but neither works in her field,
– Kat’s fingers are two times longer than Agnes’s.
Rainbow Gold Reviews 
Wow, fingers twice as long? That sounds like quite a contrast. Ok, the book itself…being somewhat squeamish, I am not sure I am willing to wade through the gore to get a chance to appreciate the story itself, but it does sound interesting. Thank you for your review.
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