Margins
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The Taking
Series · 4 books · 2012-2025

Books in series

Surge book cover
#0.5

Surge

2025

They’re running out of time… Sixteen-year-old alien Val Stone was born for one mission—to kill teenage Randolf “Rolf” Cartier before he fulfills an age-old prophecy, becomes the future American president, and murderers thousands of her kind. Val is ready to sacrifice herself for the good of her people. She knows every aspect of Rolf’s life and is prepared to strike. But what she doesn’t know is that Rolf’s been watching her, too. Waiting for her. Ready to defeat her and save himself. Only when the day arrives, doubt overcomes purpose, and they discover the prophecy was all a hoax. Oh, and they can’t seem to stop thinking about each other. Now they’re running against the clock, desperate to reveal who created the fake prophecy before tensions erupt and there's nothing left but the memory of a species called human.
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#1

Gravity

2012

From Book 1: In the future, only one rule will matter: Don't. Ever. Peek. Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed—arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die. Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she's been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she's falling for him. But Ari isn't just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She's a military legacy who's been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know—especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.
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#2

Hover

2013

On Earth, seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander was taught to never peek, but if she hopes to survive life on her new planet, Loge, her eyes must never shut. Because Zeus will do anything to save the Ancients from their dying planet, and he has a plan. Thousands of humans crossed over to Loge after a poisonous neurotoxin released into Earth's atmosphere, nearly killing them. They sought refuge in hopes of finding a new life, but what they became were slaves, built to wage war against their home planet. That is, unless Ari and Jackson can stop them. But on Loge, nothing is as it seems...and no one can be trusted.
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#3

Collide

2015

Military legacy Ari Alexander has survived alien spies, WWIV, and a changing world order. But when the new leader of Earth uses Jackson—the only boy she's ever let herself care about—to get to her, Ari has no choice but to surrender. To free Jackson, she agrees to travel to the national bases to train others to fight. What she discovers is a land riddled with dying people. Ari has the power to heal by turning the fighters into aliens—half-breeds like her. If she succeeds, together, they have a chance at overthrowing the alien leader, Zeus. But if she fails, everyone she holds dear will be wiped away forever. Once again, everything Ari’s come to believe is thrown into question. In a world of uncertainty, loyalties are tested, lies are uncovered, and no one can be trusted. If Ari and Jackson have any hope at survival and at preserving a life for the future, they must fight the final war with their eyes wide open.

Author

Melissa West
Melissa West
Author · 16 books

Melissa West is the USA TODAY bestselling author of swoony Southern romance and YA sci-fi romance,
all with lots of kissing. Because who doesn't like kissing?. She lives outside of Atlanta, GA with her husband and two daughters and spends most of her time writing, reading, or fueling her coffee addiction. She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and a M.S. in Graphic Communication, both from Clemson University. Connect with Melissa at www.melissawestauthor.com.

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The Taking