Taken by Surprise (Marcy Series Book #7) by Linda Burson – Review by Angela Hayes

4 Stars

Taken by Surprise is the seventh book in the Marcy Series by Linda Burson. This story picks up from book six and has quite a lot going on between the covers that grabbed my attention. There are surprises, celebrations, birthdays, a wedding, hospital visits, stress, good news, unique family dynamics, past enemies, a little danger, discoveries, surprising developments, uncovering answers, emotions, romance, suspense, drama, tension… and more. Because this book/series has a continuing storyline that progresses from book to book- I really recommend reading the series in sequence, so you have all the information you need to make this a captivating reading experience and avoid any confusion.

I have really enjoyed following along as this series develops, each instalment adding more to the bigger picture that is being painted- keeping me intrigued and needing to know more, needing to see what happens next. The way the storyline has evolve is so clever, but it’s the way the characters have grown and developed over the course of the series that has made the biggest impression on me- they are not the same people we met at the beginning- especially Marcy, whose growth has impressed me the most. Also, the way their relationship/s evolved to where it is now has been wonderful to ‘watch’- Marcy, Brad and Liam have a complicated, unconventional family dynamics…. but it really seems to work for them- there is real love, understanding, patience, caring, romance and passion; as well as some more complex emotions/situations- such as tension, misunderstandings, and jealousy. But overall, they really do care for one another and make it all work. So, even though their situation is unconventional- Ms. Burson writes it in such a way that it is interesting, understandable, relatable and believable.

Another thing that continues to impress me with this series is that with so many instalments in the collection, and with more yet to come, it would be easy to assume that somewhere along the line the thread/storyline would lag, struggle, or lose momentum- but that is NOT the case with this series/book- as each instalment is able to hold its own, and enhances the overall storyline.

I thought after reading book #6 that this was probably going to be the last book in the series, but I am happy to find out that it isn’t- so now I can’t wait for book #8- “Extinguishing Emotions”!

Thank you, Ms. Burson!