My Review:
5 stars are not enough for these books...I was seriously hypnotized by this author and drawn into the lives of these characters. It is a dark, sometimes hard series to read. If you don't like having your emotions pushed to the limit, skip it. If you can't read dark, seductive reads, forget this one. You are on a heart-wrenching, gut checking ride all the way. The books are filled with pain, anguish, despair, horrific events...but through it all I felt hope - a spark of hope that kept me turning pages as fast as I could. As the spark was fanned with each passing chapter, I just knew the ride would be worth it.
We are introduced to an empty shell of a man known as Caleb in Captive In The Dark. I both hated and loved him or felt compassion for him in spite of the terrible deeds he perpetrated again Livvie. The author does an outstanding job of making you feel empathy for this character in spite of all his flaws. By the second book, Seduced In The Dark, I kept hoping and praying that he would let go of the past and do the right thing. I'm not going to rehash the story for you...you can read the synopsis below my review. I will say that Caleb is a dead man...he is hollow inside, dead to all emotions except for the deep, burned into his soul desire for revenge.
Livvie is an unhappy girl who is kidnapped...but was what she left behind actually worse that what she's found in captivity? In Captive, Livvie is coming to terms with the horrific situation she wakes up in. She is beginning to learn her captor, what he demands from her, and also learning how to survive. She is stripped bare - both physically & mentally - totally dependent on Caleb and begins to realize there is more to him than he wants her to see. She experiences touching moments with him when he lets his guard down which gives her hope, right along with me.
I will say that in Seductive, I fell in love with Caleb in spite of his cruelty. I felt his pain and grieved just as much for him as I did Livvie. As for Livvie...How can you fall in love with a monster? A man so damaged that he no longer believes he has a heart or soul? A man who is both your worse nightmare and yet your protector at the same time? A man whose touch both repels you and draws you like a magnet? Livvie is telling the story of what happened to her in this book. It is compelling, intense, and definitely not your fairytale romance...but it is a love story. The writer took me from hating this monster called Caleb to understanding and loving him. I experienced his darkness and like Livvie, survived it to find myself pulling for him to make it. It is one of the most emotional reads I've read in a long time.
Epilogue gives us MORE than the ending. Please do not be lulled into not reading this book after the ending of Seduced. Tony's POV is worth more than I can say plus, it gives us more of an in-depth ending...one I could live with. I wiped tears for Tony while reading his POV of some of the scenes...I already sympathized with him but this final book sealed the deal for me. It gave me confirmation of the man who was still alive deep down, hidden away in his empty heart. And, I must say, I laughed as Tony learns how to be an ordinary man, how to give and receive love in a normal, healthy relationship. This series is a must read! I can't say how much I loved it! It has ruined me for "normal" romance reads...I now demand something more!
Rating: 5 Gorgeous ♥♥♥♥♥'s...And that's the truth! It really deserves so many more!!
Cross My Heart...xxx
Sandra
Synopsis: Captured In The Dark
Caleb is a man with a singular interest in revenge. Kidnapped as a young boy and sold into slavery by a power-hungry mobster, he has thought of nothing but vengeance. For twelve years he has immersed himself in the world of pleasure slaves searching for the one man he holds ultimately responsible. Finally, the architect of his suffering has emerged with a new identity, but not a new nature. If Caleb is to get close enough to strike, he must become the very thing he abhors and kidnap a beautiful girl to train her to be all that he once was.
Eighteen-year-old Olivia Ruiz has just woken up in a strange place. Blindfolded and bound, there is only a calm male voice to welcome her. His name is Caleb, though he demands to be called Master. Olivia is young, beautiful, naïve and willful to a fault. She has a dark sensuality that cannot be hidden or denied, though she tries to accomplish both. Although she is frightened by the strong, sadistic, and arrogant man who holds her prisoner, what keeps Olivia awake in the dark is her unwelcome attraction to him.
WARNING: This book contains very disturbing situations, dubious consent, strong language, and graphic violence.
Synopsis: Seduced In The Dark
The exciting, titillating, and action-filled conclusion to Captive in the Dark.
What is the price of redemption?
Rescued from sexual slavery by a mysterious Pakistani officer, Caleb carries the weight of a debt that must be paid in blood. The road has been long and fraught with uncertainty, but for Caleb and Livvie, it’s all coming to an end. Can he surrender the woman he loves for the sake of vengeance? Or will he make the ultimate sacrifice?
Quote:
It seemed to Caleb, the nature of human beings revolved around one empirical truth: we want what we cannot have. For Eve, it was the fruit of the forbidden tree. For Caleb, it was Livvie.
Synopsis: Epilogue
I’m writing this because you begged. You know how I love the begging. In fact, you probably know too many things and know them far too well.
Who am I?
Well, that’s what I’m trying to figure out. I was a whore in my youth, a killer since my adolescence, and a monster as a man. I am the man who kidnapped Livvie. I am the man who held her in a dark room for weeks. But, most importantly, I am the man she loves.She loves me. It’s quite sick, isn’t it? Of course, there’s more to our story than can be surmised in a few short sentences, but I’m at a loss for justifying my behavior back then. I assume if you’re reading this, I don’t need to make those justifications. You’ve already made your own.
You’re reading this because you want to know about the rest of the story. You want to know what happened that warm summer night in September of 2010, the night I met Livvie at The Paseo. It was the night my life changed all over again.
It didn’t happen exactly as Livvie said. She’s been very kind to me in the retelling of our story. The truth is far more…complicated.
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