One Night Stand: Captive in the Dark by CJ Roberts
 |
| AMAZON | KINDLE |
Captive in the Dark (The Dark Duet #1) by CJ Roberts
Erotica
2011-08-12 (Neurotica Books)
Rating: A+
Heat: Not really applicable. Very dark subject matter.
Heroine: Livvie Ruiz – Captive, Survivor
Hero: Caleb – Kidnapper, Vigilante
Setting: Mexico
Review:
I was actually scared to read Captive in the Dark at first. But then, because I saw so many great reviews on Goodreads, curiosity got the better of me. It’s almost disturbing how much I loved this book. The story is dark, twisted, enthralling – and has now become one my favorite books I’ve read this year.
Caleb is a tortured soul. He was kidnapped when he was just a boy and sold into slavery. After being rescued by a man named Rafiq, he helps Caleb get revenge on the man who kidnapped and abused him. Rafiq then becomes Caleb’s mentor and teaches him to survive, to be ruthless, manipulative, so he can help Rafiq exact his vengeance against the man who wronged him and his family. For twelve years, Caleb and Rafiq have been looking for the man who is the mastermind behind so much suffering and they’ve finally found him. They have a plan. This plan involves kidnapping a girl, molding her into the perfect slave, and then auctioning her off to the enemy. Caleb’s job is to break her down and then build her back up into a Submissive. Using the girl this way will be the perfect weapon to get close to the enemy.
Livvie has been kidnapped and she doesn’t know why. She wakes up in a dark room, disoriented and afraid. Then a man comes into the room and begins to take care of the cuts and bruises she received while fighting back against her kidnappers. At first, she is blindfolded, unable to see who the person is caring for her. She’s scared and angry and never stops fighting. When her blindfold comes off, she is shocked to see that it’s the same man she had encountered on the street once before — a man she later comes to know as Caleb, her kidnapper.
"This isn't a romance. You're not a damsel in distress and I'm not the handsome prince come to save you.”
Livvie has been called a whore by her mother most of her life even though she is a virgin. She is starving for affection and does everything possible to please her mother. But she's a survivor, with a strong spirit, who refuses to give up even when Caleb tries to beat her into submission. It's disturbing to read the different ways Caleb tries to break Livvie. He beats her and then shows mercy by putting salve on her wounds. His humiliating punishments are always followed by him soothing her. His caresses, kisses, and company become a craving for Livvie. It’s hard for Livvie to grasp what she is feeling for this man. Was it Stockholm’s syndrome she was feeling? Was he manipulating her to feel this way? After a close call, almost losing her life, Livvie comes to see Caleb as not only her savior but she begins to WANT him and will do anything to keep him.
Caleb is captivating. I wanted to hate him for the degrading things he did to Livvie. But, learning his back story, it became hard to see him as cold and calculating. He’s been kidnapped, tortured, raped and then brain washed into believing his main goal in life is to help his mentor get his revenge. And now he is torn between being loyal to the man who saved him and wanting to save the one person he cannot have.
She was his and Rafiq’s instrument of revenge. Through her, they’d get close enough to kill that motherfucker. He needed to put a swift end to her rebellious nature, not admire it. He needed to bring out the Submissive he’d observed. Submissives were survivors.
Like Livvie, Caleb’s been starved for affection for most of his life. Which makes it confusing when he starts to feel like he needs to rescue the girl he’s kidnapped. And as his feelings grow, he starts to question if the end game is worth it.
I predicted this situation wouldn’t be resolved by the end. It didn’t make it any easier to continue reading. The complexity of the situation broke my heart. I wanted so badly for Caleb to give it all up and run away with Livvie. But his loyalty to the man who saved him was impossible for him to let go. When Caleb finally tells Livvie why he has kidnapped her, she feels betrayed but resigned to what her life has become.
If I survive this, I can't go back. I'll have to move forward and I don't know what that means.
Captive in the Dark is dark, edgy, twisted, shivery, wrong, hot, wrong, hot– a complete mind fuck. It’s not a romance with a HEA. You will feel empathy towards a situation that is completely and utterly wrong, and yet… compelling. I’m so relieved that I can continue with this story and go ahead and read Seduced in the Dark. It was That. Damn. Good.
Thoughts While Reading:
18.0% - "this is dark and edgy...I really like it."
60.0% - "I'm honestly at a loss for words. This book is shredding my heart."
Wow! What a great review on this book. I will definitely be reading this. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteJessieL62@comcast.net
Wow! What a great review on this book. I will definitely be reading it. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteJessieL62@comcast.net
Thank you. I agree, you need to read this book ASAP. It might still be .99 on Amazon right now.
DeleteWhat a beautiful review. Thank you! So many incredible things are happening with my career right now and I know I owe it to all the wonderful bloggers who've stuck their necks out and taken the time to review such a controversial work.
ReplyDeleteCJ
Thank you so much! I absolutely loved these books. They are two of my most favorite books I've read this year. I'm looking forward to reading more from you. *coughAgentReidcough* :D
Delete