Seized [Paperback]

Jaid Black (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2003

1.5 in the series Trek Mi Q'an There is only one person on Earth who ever mattered to Geris Jackson and that one person is her best friend Kyra Summers (The Empress' New Clothes). When Kyra is kidnapped, Geris fears nobody will believe her tale about the giants with the glowing blue eyes who snatched her best friend away, so she sets out to find Kyra herself. Suffering disappointment after disappointment, Geris begins to give up hope. She gets the surprise of a lifetime when one of the giants who stole her best friend hunts her down and claims her for his own. Publisher's Note: We advise you to read this installment after No Fear. The Trek series should be read in the following order: Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, Book 4, Book 4.5, Book 5, Book 1.5, Book 5.5. We apologize for any confusion, however, we cannot change the name of a title after it has been released!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jaid Black is a novelist for Ellora's Cave, Berkley/Jove, and most recently, Simon & Schuster (Pocketbooks). Her earlier (steamy but not erotic) titles can be found under the pen name Tia Isabella. A single mother, Jaid and the kids enjoy traveling together as time allows. When Jaid gets her way, which usually involves a lot of begging and dire threats, they head toward Europe. When the kids get their way, which is usually the case, they head for Disney World.

In addition to writing erotic romances, Jaid also collaborates on horror novels and screenplays (horror and romantic comedies) with fellow EC author Claudia Rose. Their joint pen name is Millar Black.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Ellora's Cave (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972437738
• ISBN-13: 978-0972437738
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #814,051 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Seized, June 26, 2004

By 

K. Hill (Windsor, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seized (Paperback)

This novel is surprisingly short for the price. It's only 160 pages and it's not small type. This novel is a sequel to The Empress' New Clothes and can't really be read without it. Certain parts of that novel are repeated in this one. I liked Geris and Dak. I wish that their romance had a greater part in this novel. For some reason, the author chose to put in segments about other characters who I can only assume will be featured in other novels. During these times, the main characters are not even mentioned.
Also, if you're in favor of complete monogamy from your characters as I am, this isn't the book for you. I found the love scenes to be rather more a description of sex than love making. I didn't find it to be nearly sensual or stimulating enough. And here again, I don't think the main couple was focused on enough. I can only recall one love scene that was properly described between the two of them.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars No reason to read this book, December 30, 2005

By 

Jadelyn Cinn "Jade" (VA, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Seized (Paperback)

This is book 1.5 of Jaid Black's Trek mi Q'an series. The first one is The Empress' New Clothes.

We see the main female and male character in the first book: Geris Jackson and Dak respectively. It is recommended to read book one first. However, I do wish that Jaid Black combined this book with the first one. This book is only about 145 pages; and it is not small print. It does not have enough content to stand on its own.

The Plot: Geris Jackson, best friend to Kyra (heroine in the first book) was present when Kyra got kidnapped by Zor (hero in the first book). Kyra and Geris share a strong bond, fashioned by a common tragic loss of a parent. They have known each other since the age of 5.

Kyra has been kidnapped to another galaxy, where time passes at a shorter rate. It has been 3 months since Kyra has seen Geris, but to Geris, it has been 3 years on Earth since she has seen Kyra.

During those three years, she has searched long and hard for Kyra. As a last resort, she goes to a psychic who tells her that she would find her friend in Vegas. Geris does not believe the psychic at first, but after the psychic describes "Zor" to her, Geris ends up going to Vegas.

Meanwhile, Dak, the hero of this book, Seized, sure that Geris is his sacred mate (his other half) comes from another dimension / galaxy in search of Kyra. He goes to Vegas dressed as Elvis Presley, under the misconception that this is what all women find desirable on Earth.

In Vegas, Dak and Geris meet. She is perturbed by the way Dak possessively runs his hands on her "micro braids" and all over her anatomy.....but she yields to her passion. (If you are familiar with the series, it is important to remind you that they cannot consummate their relationship till the "joining" process. However, there is a lot of intense foreplay till then). She also cannot help wanting to please him, her heart full of regret anytime she says something not very nice to him.

Geris has some form of a fainting spell, after Dak places the sacred mate necklace on her. Taking advantage of her disabled state, Dak begins to whisk her away to his planet.

The journey of Dak and Geris is not a love story but more of a voyage towards this joining process in my humble opinion. That is what the book is all about - when are Dak and Geris going to finally join? There is a minor sub plot that is somewhat interesting, but it does not constitute enough relevance to fill even one chapter in a complete novel. This sub plot involves the mistreatment of giants in a mine. A character stands out called Yar'at, who is hinted to be the future life mate of Dak and Geris offspring....

My Critic: A lot of people find this series humorous but I fail to see the humor in it. Besides, I am not looking for romantic comedy when I pick up this book. To me the "humor" should be an added bonus, but not a central driving force in the plot. The romance should be.

I found the eroticism extremely foul. Pun intended. I shall explain. There are different species in this other dimension or planet called Tryston. One of them is called a "pugmuff". It is a "spotted guy" with a "butt where his face should have been" and a "beady little eye popping out of each cheek" who produces a stench that is "vomit-inducing" according to the author. These pugmuffs supposedly have talented tongues and during a visit to their home - about 5 of them give Geris a taste of their talent.

Another species is called a Rustian. A Rustian is a "foot tall human looking creature, handsome as sin and dumber than a box of rocks" who has a "gluttonous" appetite for a woman's essence, as written by Jaid Black.

Now, it is kind of funny to talk about in concept, but when you are reading the book and having "butt faces" performing foreplay on the main female character, I have to say that it is not very charming. Furthermore, whilst the Rustians are displaying their "gluttonous appetite" Jaid Black mentions that Geris can hear them belching and burping....

I am not a big fan of bathroom jokes. I found these nuances quite nauseating. This is definitely not erotic romance to me at all.

Moreover, although at last Jaid Black now gives us some more insight to their personalities (she fails to do so in my opinion in the first book), this book still lacks in character development. Jaid Black provides us with behavioral patterns, but this only produces a character blueprint or an outline. I still do not get a sense of who the characters are, and frankly, I really do not learn to care for them.

I have no idea why they even loved each other being that they never knew each other. I do not buy into this sacred mates thing. It is becoming too abstract for my taste. (Perhaps Jaid Black should read a Christine Feehan's Dark Series for reference on lifetime mates...). Why can't they find their sacred mates in Tryston? Why are their sacred mates born 400 years later and on earth...? Why is it so important to have a sacred mate? How can their sacred mate be human? I can go on and on with the questions....

I would not recommend this book because to me there is absolutely no reason why anyone should read this book. I have no idea what you would gain by doing so to be honest. All I know is that you will be loosing your $.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Interracial or Not?, May 21, 2007

By 

L. McClain "Book Junkie" (Durham, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seized (Paperback)

I have loved interracial books for years. Even when there was none except horrible anti-bellum, slave/master relationships that were just demeaning and insulting. Except I read them because when I was growing up I had difficulty with reading; I HATED reading. Until one day my mother tried something different. She took me to the library and we went through book after book until I find something I thought I wanted to read. We discovered I loved books. I just needed to read something that I found interesting enough to devote the effort. But then I discovered that reading a book was pleasurable, finding a book was the difficult part. I couldn't find books with characters that looked like me in them. Those were the stories I wanted to read. Needless to say, I was always very frustrated and devastated with what was available to read. On the other hand I was grateful when I found anything; especially the ones where the author really seems to love the black character created. Most of the time the "negro" characters were weak sidekicks, uninteresting stereotypes and basically there to help the author develop the white character story (period).

I just spent about two hours trying to discover what this book was about. I read a lot about the other books in the series and thought, okay maybe the author has created a book where the black woman is treated with as much care and diligence as all the other female characters in the series.

Again, I would love to read this book and would have hoped that the author treated the black female in the book with all the care and devotion she showed for the other female characters in all her other books.

However, after doing my research, I'm afraid I am right. And because I don't want to hurt again by the mistreatment of a black female character, I don't think I will be able to stomach this one (and it will have nothing to do with the storyline).

First the novel is really not a novel at all, its a novella (only about 150 pages). Thus it would seem that the author did it just to get it over with. Second, "micro braids"!!! Come on, micro braids is a hair SYTLE not a characteristic of black females. Third, not all Africans have "full" lips. Not all Europeans have "thin" lips. (Would you give your European females the same description, "her thin European lips".) Again using stereotypes are a lazy way to create character and if you don't really want to create a story about a character you don't really like or know anything about, it's a cheap way out. Fourth, how would a black woman speak? What is her way of expressing herself? How would she react to specific situations? Happiness, fear, worry, loneness, love, sexual desire? Note: you can not use stereotypes. In other words, you will have to know your character even if she is a black woman. If you have to wonder if you're using stereotypes, you are!!!! With Fiction you can "create" characters that you can give all their characterizations to. But with African, Native, Asian, Hispanic characters, YOU CAN'T MAKE IT UP, YOU CAN'T GUESS AND YOU CAN'T USE WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW.

So with that being said. There is a easy way to do this and a hard (genuine) way. First, the easy way. Create a story that is creative, full of depth, create a story that you can just get down deep into. Make all the characters white, if that's the easiest for you. Give them all the characterizations you can muster. Finish the book, edit it once. Then (this is the only hard part) go back into your story and change only the physical description of the character you would like to make black. Don't change their name, don't change their body size, don't change whether they have relatives or siblings. Only change their physical description. Please don't say African lips, say "she loved the look of her full lips, her caramel colored, smooth skin and her hair that she could easy wear naturally curly or straighten it with a blow drier and a stiff brush. She thanked her African ancestors for that one." And yes, if you create a character that is well educated, has a bit of money, can hold down a job for more than a week, you're going to find that most of us, even black women, will speak and interact with others just about the same exact way, as a white woman, specially in public. Now when we get around each other, and away from other races now that's a different story. Just don't create any black family reunions in your story. (LOL).

Now for the hard way, read as many books as you can by black women authors about black women characters. Read books by black men about black women characters. Not the old stuff, read the newest stuff you can find. Don't watch TV and think you can use what you see there. Don't watch movies and think that same thing. See we as black people have an advantage. We see whites all the time, work with them, go to school with them, met them on the train, bus, plane. We can just sit on the bus and listen to how whites interact with each other. But many white people will not have the luxury of that. Again this is the hard part. Ask if you can have an editor that is a black woman, edit your book. Ask if another black female author could look at your book.

Why should you take my advice? You should because I'm a reader, writer and a teacher but most of all I want to read your story; I just would have liked for it to be one I could have loved as well.