"nothing short of" is a set phrase that adds emphasis, example: "I am nothing short of amazed at your English" (meaning I am really amazed at your English). "taken with something" is also a phrase, it means to be really impressed with or attracted to something, example: "She tried on many dresses but she was really taken with the red one" (meaning she was most attracted to the red dress). Does this help you understand your sentence better if you read it again now?