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The Dark Duet #1
Captive 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.
This book contains very disturbing situations, dubious consent, strong language, and graphic violence.
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.
This book contains very disturbing situations, dubious consent, strong language, and graphic violence.
276 pages, Nook
First published August 29, 2011
3185 people are currently reading
88434 people want to read
About the author
C.J. Roberts
13 books8,886 followersCJ Roberts is an indie author who favors dark, erotic stories with taboo twists. Her first novel, Captive in the Dark, was independently published in 2011 and is considered one of the pioneer dark romances of the indie author movement. Since then, it has been read and enjoyed by tens of thousands (and scorned by just as many).
CJ was featured in the 2020 documentary film “Naughty Books” by Austen Rachlis, which explores the individual and collective journeys of the indie romance author explosion during its infancy.
She was born and raised in Southern California, is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and will eat tacos until her back hurts.
Stalk her on:
Facebook: AuthorCJRoberts
Instagram| Twitter| TikTok: @AuthorCJRoberts
www.aboutcjroberts.com
CJ was featured in the 2020 documentary film “Naughty Books” by Austen Rachlis, which explores the individual and collective journeys of the indie romance author explosion during its infancy.
She was born and raised in Southern California, is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and will eat tacos until her back hurts.
Stalk her on:
Facebook: AuthorCJRoberts
Instagram| Twitter| TikTok: @AuthorCJRoberts
www.aboutcjroberts.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,574 reviews
May 3, 2024
There are some people who view the line between consent and non-consent, between sex and rape, as blurry. There are some people who would gladly place blame for rape on that drunk girl in the short skirt who was "asking for it". There are some people who would view flirting and dancing suggestively as an invitation that should be followed through no matter what, it's not the other person's fault for holding the suggestive dancer down and raping them, afterall, it's not really rape if they were flirting first. There are some people who think rape is erotic. And there are some people who think serial killers are sexy.
I am not one of those people.
But I am going to tell you a few things about me. For one, I am not a prude. I like reading books about sex. Sometimes I like reading books about kinky sex. I don't mind reading books that push the boundaries with kinky sex into just plain old weird sex. People have their odd kinks and who am I to judge? You want to go home, tie each other up and urinate on one another? You have my full blessing. But there is a line. And that line is drawn, for me, at consent. It isn't a blurry line, it's a straight, permanent marker type line. No non-consensual sex. No sex with those who are not in a position to give consent which, in case you were wondering, includes the mentally unstable, children and animals.
This book isn't a love story.
This book is about a rape victim and a rapist.
This book is not BDSM.
This book is about abuse.
This book is about rape.
Now, people do bad things. No argument there. And I don't mind when authors show that. Even when they show it graphically, sometimes I think you need to be graphic about it to emphasise the seriousness of the bad that people do. And Stockholm Syndrome is a serious thing that many people have suffered from. I'm not disputing any of this. The issue I take is with the portrayal of this bad as maybe not being so bad, as maybe even being erotic and sexy. My problem is not with the idea that abuse begets abuse (as this story tells us). My problem is when said abuse is used as wank material. Because Olivia is a victim of rape and severe abuse. There are no blurred lines of consent here. She is kidnapped, raped, beaten, humiliated and dehumanised and we are supposed to find it sexy. Even Reage's nameless "O" participates of her own free will.
I'm sure there will be readers ready to point out the sexual responsiveness of Olivia in this book. She likes it! It's fine! Except it's been widely-reported that some rape victims have to endure the additional shame of their bodies responding to the stimuli that they are biologically programmed to. Some can even experience orgasm from rape. This doesn't make it any less serious or any more consensual. It does not make me feel better in this book when Olivia's body responds to the sexual abuse. I felt like I was watching a dancing bear being tortured into a humiliating performance. It doesn't dance because it wants to.
Caleb is supposed to gain our pity because of his abusive past. And maybe I could have pitied him on some level, maybe I would have found it in my heart to see him like I see Heathcliff - the abused abuser. Maybe I could offer understanding, if not forgiveness. But I cannot offer acknowledgement of his supposed sexiness. A man who does this-- again, WITHOUT CONSENT is not hot:
- he beats her with a belt
- he washes her and hits her when she won't open her legs so he can clean her genitals.
- he thoroughly enjoys beating her into submission and humiliating her
- he gets aroused by her fear and distress
There is also a disturbing link being made here between gender and roles of dominance and submission. This doesn't exist in BDSM. BDSM relationships can be M/F, F/M, M/M, F/F and anything in between. Captive in the Dark suggests that the dominance and submission between Olivia and Caleb is natural because she's a woman and he's a man.
"He was a man, and I? I was nothing but a girl, not even a woman. I was meant to fall at his feet and worship at the alter of his masculinity, grateful that he'd deigned to acknowledge me."
"Male and female, masculine and feminine, hard and soft, predator and prey."
It made me nauseous.
I'm sure someone will come tell me I didn't get it. That I'm too narrow-minded to appreciate the complexity of some people's sexual tastes. Well, yes, fine. If you think it makes me narrow-minded to find the kidnapping, beating and raping of a girl unacceptable and not remotely erotic... then yes, I am narrow-minded. I'll drink to that.
I am not one of those people.
But I am going to tell you a few things about me. For one, I am not a prude. I like reading books about sex. Sometimes I like reading books about kinky sex. I don't mind reading books that push the boundaries with kinky sex into just plain old weird sex. People have their odd kinks and who am I to judge? You want to go home, tie each other up and urinate on one another? You have my full blessing. But there is a line. And that line is drawn, for me, at consent. It isn't a blurry line, it's a straight, permanent marker type line. No non-consensual sex. No sex with those who are not in a position to give consent which, in case you were wondering, includes the mentally unstable, children and animals.
This book isn't a love story.
This book is about a rape victim and a rapist.
This book is not BDSM.
This book is about abuse.
This book is about rape.
Now, people do bad things. No argument there. And I don't mind when authors show that. Even when they show it graphically, sometimes I think you need to be graphic about it to emphasise the seriousness of the bad that people do. And Stockholm Syndrome is a serious thing that many people have suffered from. I'm not disputing any of this. The issue I take is with the portrayal of this bad as maybe not being so bad, as maybe even being erotic and sexy. My problem is not with the idea that abuse begets abuse (as this story tells us). My problem is when said abuse is used as wank material. Because Olivia is a victim of rape and severe abuse. There are no blurred lines of consent here. She is kidnapped, raped, beaten, humiliated and dehumanised and we are supposed to find it sexy. Even Reage's nameless "O" participates of her own free will.
I'm sure there will be readers ready to point out the sexual responsiveness of Olivia in this book. She likes it! It's fine! Except it's been widely-reported that some rape victims have to endure the additional shame of their bodies responding to the stimuli that they are biologically programmed to. Some can even experience orgasm from rape. This doesn't make it any less serious or any more consensual. It does not make me feel better in this book when Olivia's body responds to the sexual abuse. I felt like I was watching a dancing bear being tortured into a humiliating performance. It doesn't dance because it wants to.
Caleb is supposed to gain our pity because of his abusive past. And maybe I could have pitied him on some level, maybe I would have found it in my heart to see him like I see Heathcliff - the abused abuser. Maybe I could offer understanding, if not forgiveness. But I cannot offer acknowledgement of his supposed sexiness. A man who does this-- again, WITHOUT CONSENT is not hot:
- he beats her with a belt
- he washes her and hits her when she won't open her legs so he can clean her genitals.
- he thoroughly enjoys beating her into submission and humiliating her
- he gets aroused by her fear and distress
There is also a disturbing link being made here between gender and roles of dominance and submission. This doesn't exist in BDSM. BDSM relationships can be M/F, F/M, M/M, F/F and anything in between. Captive in the Dark suggests that the dominance and submission between Olivia and Caleb is natural because she's a woman and he's a man.
"He was a man, and I? I was nothing but a girl, not even a woman. I was meant to fall at his feet and worship at the alter of his masculinity, grateful that he'd deigned to acknowledge me."
"Male and female, masculine and feminine, hard and soft, predator and prey."
It made me nauseous.
I'm sure someone will come tell me I didn't get it. That I'm too narrow-minded to appreciate the complexity of some people's sexual tastes. Well, yes, fine. If you think it makes me narrow-minded to find the kidnapping, beating and raping of a girl unacceptable and not remotely erotic... then yes, I am narrow-minded. I'll drink to that.
June 20, 2016
Captive in the Dark (The Dark Duet, #1) Warning: Frankness Ahead
Be careful of letting your mind open too far, or else it'll fall out......
No. Just.. No. This fuckin' book makes me want to go into serious P90X training and Sarah Connor my pullup bar to stomp the dogshit out of the would-be hero, because truth be told, I only ever felt elated or intensified when Livvie fought back--or gained the upper-hand momentarily. Unfortunately, that was far too short-lived.
No, he's not a hero - in fact, legendary bodice ripper badboys, Sean Culhane and Thomas Eden, are bewinged saints lofted down to the earth on stately, cirrus clouds in comparison to this wretched human toilet. Actually, putting BR heroes in the same realm of existence, as this creature is just doing them an injustice. Your henchman cannot use your heroine like a punching bag; your hero can't starve and physically/mentally abuse your heroine in modern day live time, and you swoon your audience. Well, not me, anyways. You cannot convince to me to enjoy this...just maybe because I haven't lost my fucking mind or my sense of decency or integrity. I haven't became so desensitized in my risque novels, that the sexual violence, serial killer survival course could be romanticized. This is no bad boy with questionable morals, aching to be understood behind his rough exterior. His fault as a human being, (slavery without consent/rape, provocation, or mocking BDSM lifestyle, kidnapping, human trafficking, among other things) are the sort that only those women who marry serial killers whilst they're on death-row, could love. Yeah... Ted Bundy was hot, too. These pseudo writers create these serial killer groupies, disguised as heroines, to be the exception in a deeply demented man's dating pool.
Honestly, the book in itself encourages me to visit Missing Youth of America sites and desperately print out posters, as a means to bring attention to the ungodly amount of children missing; that are simply forgotten because they're either too poor or their families were too dysfunctional to give two shits about what became of them. This is what this book represents, to me. Exploiting violence against women, underground, drug-addicted prostitute rings-- modified to feel and look hot with sexualized wordplay to gloss it all over, as if it'd make it all better. As the wise Sarah said once before, this is about sexual violence, not violence in sexuality/sensuality. This is a rape fantasy book, but it's not the rough sex most are imagining, therein--her actually being RAPED is not safely assumed as rough sex, for me. Not my thing, wish you the best, if it's your thing(I don't have to read them, now do I? No ma'am), but I cannot ever commiserate with such an insufferable creature. Some people shouldn't be allowed to walk the streets -- Caleb's one of them. To even consider, for a fucking moment in eternity, that he's capable of recovering, somehow changing from human trafficker, rapist, mentally/emotional wrecker, stalker ..is unimaginable and so far-fetched, I'm surprised Ted Bundy's image wasn't silhouetted on the cover. IF the second book claims he's working on the HEA with Livvie, it's the author's attempts to humanize him...but in all honesty - that's also what serial rapists/killers do in testimony to their crimes; they masquerade as a human being.
There's no story here. It's a wall of text, and gives me the vision of a LARP(Live Action Roleplay), with someone taking notes/giving driving directions(I feel as if I'm fucking reading a treasure map; walk two steps to the left, go behind the tree and passed the barrel of STFU)...or ironically, it does remind me of being a Captive In the Dark, because it's so one-on-one, the 'story' so barely-there, that to add flare or scene switches would threaten the reader's sensibilities to stop and reflect on what the author has designed to sympathize the most profoundly depraved of humanity. Some reviews on Amazon.com have championed this book, and have questioned themselves, their morals and sanity after this book was read, but I can't help but feel as though that's a conscience easily mutable with lust. Well, this is my bitchy-ass superiority complex kicking in, muting my sexuality.
Be careful of letting your mind open too far, or else it'll fall out......
No. Just.. No. This fuckin' book makes me want to go into serious P90X training and Sarah Connor my pullup bar to stomp the dogshit out of the would-be hero, because truth be told, I only ever felt elated or intensified when Livvie fought back--or gained the upper-hand momentarily. Unfortunately, that was far too short-lived.
No, he's not a hero - in fact, legendary bodice ripper badboys, Sean Culhane and Thomas Eden, are bewinged saints lofted down to the earth on stately, cirrus clouds in comparison to this wretched human toilet. Actually, putting BR heroes in the same realm of existence, as this creature is just doing them an injustice. Your henchman cannot use your heroine like a punching bag; your hero can't starve and physically/mentally abuse your heroine in modern day live time, and you swoon your audience. Well, not me, anyways. You cannot convince to me to enjoy this...just maybe because I haven't lost my fucking mind or my sense of decency or integrity. I haven't became so desensitized in my risque novels, that the sexual violence, serial killer survival course could be romanticized. This is no bad boy with questionable morals, aching to be understood behind his rough exterior. His fault as a human being, (slavery without consent/rape, provocation, or mocking BDSM lifestyle, kidnapping, human trafficking, among other things) are the sort that only those women who marry serial killers whilst they're on death-row, could love. Yeah... Ted Bundy was hot, too. These pseudo writers create these serial killer groupies, disguised as heroines, to be the exception in a deeply demented man's dating pool.
Honestly, the book in itself encourages me to visit Missing Youth of America sites and desperately print out posters, as a means to bring attention to the ungodly amount of children missing; that are simply forgotten because they're either too poor or their families were too dysfunctional to give two shits about what became of them. This is what this book represents, to me. Exploiting violence against women, underground, drug-addicted prostitute rings-- modified to feel and look hot with sexualized wordplay to gloss it all over, as if it'd make it all better. As the wise Sarah said once before, this is about sexual violence, not violence in sexuality/sensuality. This is a rape fantasy book, but it's not the rough sex most are imagining, therein--her actually being RAPED is not safely assumed as rough sex, for me. Not my thing, wish you the best, if it's your thing(I don't have to read them, now do I? No ma'am), but I cannot ever commiserate with such an insufferable creature. Some people shouldn't be allowed to walk the streets -- Caleb's one of them. To even consider, for a fucking moment in eternity, that he's capable of recovering, somehow changing from human trafficker, rapist, mentally/emotional wrecker, stalker ..is unimaginable and so far-fetched, I'm surprised Ted Bundy's image wasn't silhouetted on the cover. IF the second book claims he's working on the HEA with Livvie, it's the author's attempts to humanize him...but in all honesty - that's also what serial rapists/killers do in testimony to their crimes; they masquerade as a human being.
There's no story here. It's a wall of text, and gives me the vision of a LARP(Live Action Roleplay), with someone taking notes/giving driving directions(I feel as if I'm fucking reading a treasure map; walk two steps to the left, go behind the tree and passed the barrel of STFU)...or ironically, it does remind me of being a Captive In the Dark, because it's so one-on-one, the 'story' so barely-there, that to add flare or scene switches would threaten the reader's sensibilities to stop and reflect on what the author has designed to sympathize the most profoundly depraved of humanity. Some reviews on Amazon.com have championed this book, and have questioned themselves, their morals and sanity after this book was read, but I can't help but feel as though that's a conscience easily mutable with lust. Well, this is my bitchy-ass superiority complex kicking in, muting my sexuality.
May 29, 2012
Well, this was dark - very, very dark. I'm almost at a loss for words which is most unlike me!
It has left me with way more questions than answers and also has me questioning myself.
The synopsis is quite simple - Caleb was abducted as a child, used in the worst way anyone can use a child and eventually rescued from his situation. He is hell bent on revenge on the man responsible for his abuse and turns to the practice of training 'pleasure' slaves to eventually get close to and ultimately destroy his nemesis.
Olivia is just the latest in a long line of abductees, chosen as the ultimate 'prize' to ensnare his target - a virgin slave. He chooses her because she is beautiful but poor and he thinks the disappearance of a poor girl in Los Angeles will stir up little interest.
We should despise Caleb - he's nothing short of an sadistic, abusive, f*cked up bastard but the story is told from the their alternating POV (Olivia's first person and Caleb's third person) so we get to hear his thoughts and understand what is going on in his head but does his incredibly, awful past justify his actions in the here and now?
Does abuse beget abuse? Why do we seek shelter in those that have hurt us the most? Did I enjoy this novel - how dare I enjoy this novel? I was almost appalled at myself but I just couldn't put the damn thing down. I was compelled to carry on and horrified to find myself empathising with Caleb.
There's an incredible darkness to him but somewhere in there, there's a hint of light and Olivia, despite what she endures, starts to see this. Does she have Stockholm Syndrome or is she just seeking shelter in someone who can inflict incredible pain and punishment and then comfort her and soothe away her woes?
Olivia is a tour de force - she's been branded a whore nearly her whole life, is hiding beneath shapeless clothes but she has an amazing spirit. Caleb may be able to beat her into physical submission, but he can never break her spirit.
I guess I will properly review this when the second half of the 'duet' is released, when the direction of this story is finally revealed and the few teasers I have read are tantalising.
But, blimey! What an amazingly dark, roller coaster of a ride and what conflicting emotions I have just sat here writing this review right now.
Disturbed doesn't even begin to describe it.
A good number of my Goodreads friends won't enjoy this but I have more than a few who will and will feel the way I do right now. Can't wait to discuss it with you.
Edit:Even now, a few days after finishing this book, it's still with me, pervading my thoughts. I think that shows the strength of the writing that I can find myself empathising with a predator like Caleb. I'm wondering now if I should have dished out 5 stars instead of 4. I can't be sure.
Still, deeply disturbed and captivated.
Second Edit: On reflection, I've upped my rating to 5 stars because more than a week has passed and this novel is still with me.
For more of my reviews, please visit my Sinfully Sexy Book Blog
It has left me with way more questions than answers and also has me questioning myself.
The synopsis is quite simple - Caleb was abducted as a child, used in the worst way anyone can use a child and eventually rescued from his situation. He is hell bent on revenge on the man responsible for his abuse and turns to the practice of training 'pleasure' slaves to eventually get close to and ultimately destroy his nemesis.
Olivia is just the latest in a long line of abductees, chosen as the ultimate 'prize' to ensnare his target - a virgin slave. He chooses her because she is beautiful but poor and he thinks the disappearance of a poor girl in Los Angeles will stir up little interest.
We should despise Caleb - he's nothing short of an sadistic, abusive, f*cked up bastard but the story is told from the their alternating POV (Olivia's first person and Caleb's third person) so we get to hear his thoughts and understand what is going on in his head but does his incredibly, awful past justify his actions in the here and now?
Does abuse beget abuse? Why do we seek shelter in those that have hurt us the most? Did I enjoy this novel - how dare I enjoy this novel? I was almost appalled at myself but I just couldn't put the damn thing down. I was compelled to carry on and horrified to find myself empathising with Caleb.
There's an incredible darkness to him but somewhere in there, there's a hint of light and Olivia, despite what she endures, starts to see this. Does she have Stockholm Syndrome or is she just seeking shelter in someone who can inflict incredible pain and punishment and then comfort her and soothe away her woes?
Olivia is a tour de force - she's been branded a whore nearly her whole life, is hiding beneath shapeless clothes but she has an amazing spirit. Caleb may be able to beat her into physical submission, but he can never break her spirit.
I guess I will properly review this when the second half of the 'duet' is released, when the direction of this story is finally revealed and the few teasers I have read are tantalising.
But, blimey! What an amazingly dark, roller coaster of a ride and what conflicting emotions I have just sat here writing this review right now.
Disturbed doesn't even begin to describe it.
A good number of my Goodreads friends won't enjoy this but I have more than a few who will and will feel the way I do right now. Can't wait to discuss it with you.
Edit:Even now, a few days after finishing this book, it's still with me, pervading my thoughts. I think that shows the strength of the writing that I can find myself empathising with a predator like Caleb. I'm wondering now if I should have dished out 5 stars instead of 4. I can't be sure.
Still, deeply disturbed and captivated.
Second Edit: On reflection, I've upped my rating to 5 stars because more than a week has passed and this novel is still with me.
For more of my reviews, please visit my Sinfully Sexy Book Blog
January 18, 2013
A very nice email asks a common question: Does Captive in the Dark romanticize human trafficking? My reply:
Thanks for the email. I'm glad you cared enough about the work to contact me. I understand your hesitation and your trepidation in 'enjoying' the work. While I don't necessarily consider myself 'one of the great ones', I'd like to think my work can be compared to other controversial works such as, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. The work is written from the view point of the abuser and therefore entices the reader to sympathize.
I did not set out to 'romanticize' the slave trade. I think you'll find I do not paint it in a flattering light. Instead, I present my readers with characters. What my readers ultimately come to feel for those characters is up to them.
Some discover things about themselves they didn't know were there, things they don't wish to see, and others embrace it whole-heartily.
I think people would be surprised by how many messages I receive from people who have suffered abuse, thanking me for writing this type of work. For some, it helps them explore deep-seeded fantasies they are too scared to admit to and explore. The sexual fantasies of former abuse victims is not something always understood by mainstream society.
Additionally, I think some would also be surprised by how many readers HAD NO IDEA the sexual slave trade exists. It's a different journey for everyone, in much the same way it was a journey for me just to write these two novels. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the sequel when you're finished.
Best,
CJ
Thanks for the email. I'm glad you cared enough about the work to contact me. I understand your hesitation and your trepidation in 'enjoying' the work. While I don't necessarily consider myself 'one of the great ones', I'd like to think my work can be compared to other controversial works such as, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. The work is written from the view point of the abuser and therefore entices the reader to sympathize.
I did not set out to 'romanticize' the slave trade. I think you'll find I do not paint it in a flattering light. Instead, I present my readers with characters. What my readers ultimately come to feel for those characters is up to them.
Some discover things about themselves they didn't know were there, things they don't wish to see, and others embrace it whole-heartily.
I think people would be surprised by how many messages I receive from people who have suffered abuse, thanking me for writing this type of work. For some, it helps them explore deep-seeded fantasies they are too scared to admit to and explore. The sexual fantasies of former abuse victims is not something always understood by mainstream society.
Additionally, I think some would also be surprised by how many readers HAD NO IDEA the sexual slave trade exists. It's a different journey for everyone, in much the same way it was a journey for me just to write these two novels. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the sequel when you're finished.
Best,
CJ
December 5, 2013
I'm very stingy with five stars. I usually only give those to modern classics or books that I am absaloutely cray cray about. Here is why I think CID deserves five:
1. Holy bravery. To take on this subject matter, and then to manipulate your audience into making them like the bad guy takes talent and a steele pair.
2. The writing was very good.
3. I liked Livvie (I rarely like the main protagonist)I also liked Caleb.
4. It was dark, and we all know how I love to feast on darkness.
5. The dialogue was great. Truely, it is not easy to write believable dialogue. I never once rolled my eyes-that is a big deal.
I am disturbed, not over the subject matter but by the fact that none of it bothered me. I am a bad, bad person.
1. Holy bravery. To take on this subject matter, and then to manipulate your audience into making them like the bad guy takes talent and a steele pair.
2. The writing was very good.
3. I liked Livvie (I rarely like the main protagonist)I also liked Caleb.
4. It was dark, and we all know how I love to feast on darkness.
5. The dialogue was great. Truely, it is not easy to write believable dialogue. I never once rolled my eyes-that is a big deal.
I am disturbed, not over the subject matter but by the fact that none of it bothered me. I am a bad, bad person.
December 5, 2013
5 MINDFUCKING STARS!!
WOW. A dark and powerful read.
UTTERLY CAPTIVATING! UTTERLY DISTURBING!
“I wrapped my arms around him and held on as hard as I could. He was my tormentor and my solace: the creator of the dark and the light within. I didn’t care that he would undoubtedly hurt me at any moment, right now; I just needed somebody to hold me… To tell me these exact words. Its going to be okay. It wasn’t of course, I knew that. But I didn’t care, I needed the lie.”
This book blew my mind. I’m seriously disturbed at how much I loved it. And yet, I think it might end up being one of my favs now. Every scene in it led to more questions, made me doubt my feelings even more. In scenarios where right and wrong seemed so incredibly and unquestionably clear cut, it it just threw all my preconceived notions right out the window and just forcibly opened my mind to more and more perspectives, more and more questions.
The writing style is seriously phenomenal and mezmerizing!!! I felt like I just want to highlight the whole book! It was captivating, rich, vivid, descriptive… It put me right into the character’s heads. The story flowed beautifully, the dialogue was effortless and the plot was beyond gripping. CJ Roberts is definitely one of my new favorite authors!
The book centers around Livie’s kidnapping by Caleb. As part of a complex revenge scheme twelve years in the making, he abducts her with the intent of training her as a pleasure slave and selling her into slavery to the man he is trying to take down.
When Livie wakes from a drug-enduced sleep to find herself captive, her worse nightmare is coming true. Tied to a bed, with a strange man who calls her ‘pet’ and demands she call him ‘Master’, Livie is thown into a dark, twisted world, subject to deeply erotic, deeply horrific and disturbing violations against her will. But strangest of all are the feelings she begins to have for her captor. Is there a good heart behind the monster? As the lines between captive and captor are blurred, it leaves you questioning everything you feel…..
“Your entire life is going to change. You should try to accept that, because there is no possible way to avoid it. Like it or not, fight it or don’t, your old life is over. It was over long before you woke up here.” ~Caleb
I don’t view this as a BDSM book. This isn’t BDSM as we usually see it in books, this is real life BDSM. Its not a game, its not a lifestyle, not a choice, this is LIVING in it. Its raw, gritty reality. There is no safe word, no consent, no out. The main purpose isn’t getting off, the purpose is training. End of story.
“What’s going to happen to me?” I asked quietly, almost hoping he hadn’t heard. I wasn’t sure I wanted an answer.
There was no answer – then, “Whatever I wish.”
Its just such an alarming blend of gentle and tender to harsh, brutal and controlling… and yet I was RIVITED. TO. THE. PAGE.
The author is seriously ballsy – she goes ALLLLL out in this. There is NO freaking stone left unturned… Yup, read into that ALL you want!! O_O
There were parts of the book where I was just in shock at what was happening. The purest HOLY SHIT moments you can imagine!
The whole initial concept of how easily someone can just disappear is deeply chilling. And the story starts off from Caleb’s POV. Watching him watch her, contemplate taking her. Wow. So creepy and yet captivating.
“As a slave trainer, he had trained at least a score of girls. Some were willing… Others… Coerced… But this particular slave, the one he eyed from across the busy street – she was different. She was neither willing, nor coerced, not sent to him. She was pure conquest.”
Caleb… *deep breath* what a complex character. I was utterly intrigued by him. There’s a constant counterbalance between his inner thoughts and feelings (that are more purely him) and his outer actions which are clearly the result of his rigorous, brutal and intense training and conditioning. His journey in this book is so interesting because even though he is ‘technically’ the villain of this story, he’s also the victim of his own (utterly horrific) story. I think he had a lot of humanity, but most of it though had been raped or beaten away and his journey is him struggling whether or not he can and/or wants to find it again. We watch him struggle with what he wanted to do versus what he felt compelled to do. And its a complete mindfuck because, yes he is brutal, but not in the way some crazy mindless rapist would be. So I just found myself questioning things over and over and over again…
Did I like him cuz he was the best in this fucked up world or did I like him because of him? Is he the villain? Or is he too a victim of his own story? Should you love him? Should you hate him? I thought I might be able to love him for a while, then I was really fucking sure I hated his guts. But not hate in the sense that I want him to die. I just want him to be less brutal and then I could love him? And then, a few pages later I sympathized with him again and started to like him again. A lot … Maybe? Gosh that sounds fucked up even to me lol. Urrrrgh!!
One minute he was gentle, the next he was a monster – almost as if the inner him, deeeeep down may have been gentle, but he is just so strongly conditioned to be a monster, that it becomes dominant. I kept alternating between almost thinking I was starting to fall for him, then he would do something that just totally fucked with my mind and, just like Livie, I just had NO clue what to feel.
“Why couldn’t he just keep being an evil, soulless bastard so I knew what his role was and I knew mine? Why did he continually have to switch back from cold and unforgiving, to comforting and warm?”
I mean, I know he’s the product of seriously mindfucking so does that excuse his behavior? Prolly not, but it makes me more sympathetic to him… I think? Or not… GAH!!! Moving on… you’ll have to read it for yourself to see what you think about it.
Livie… I loved her character. I totally felt for her. I loved her spunk and her fight. She never gave up, not really. And her inner strength, despite her nightmare-ish scenario made me totally sympathetic to her. She was never stupid, never made me want to throw my Kindle at the wall. Her thoughts and actions were totally understandable and relatable.
“He had tied me – naked – to a bedpost. To suffer. And he was somewhere in the house fucking some whore’s brains out. He wasn’t thinking of me. Of the pain I was in because of him. He simply did. Not. Care. Hot tears streamed down my face.“
I’m alternated between finding what I was reading hot, utterly gross, utterly disturbing and then, disturbingly cute. When Caleb would do something cute or tender, I felt myself melt a little. And that just made me want to slap myself and just go ‘Gah! what’s wrong with me?! He’s a kidnapper!! He did unspeakable things to her! But… He’s really cute. Wrong wrong wrong!! Aaaaaaaaa’
"…he stood me up and pressed my head to his chest, rocking me back and forth gently. I gripped him tightly, both arms holding fast to his waist. It had become natural for me to seek shelter in his arms, even if he had just used then to hold me down and spank me….It wasn’t enough to fuck my body, he wanted to mindfuck me too. It was working."
Both Livie and Caleb were inexplicably and wrongly (in both cases) drawn to each other and yet their feelings were also utterly undeniable. What was there was just SO. FREAKING. WRONG!!! … and yet, I just totally wanted to root for them. What is wrong with me??!!
The book was captivating and riveting from start to finish. It never dragged. It was just one scenario after another. Like Livie, you never knew what to expect. Total mind fuck.
I don't know what else to say except if you can keep an open mind, READ THIS BOOK!!! Its absolutely AMAZING!! The ending is most definitely a cliffhanger with many unanswered questions, but the sequel is out so you can read straight through. I can't wait to get to it in a few days... I've heard its even more amazing!
CASTING: (see above for Caleb and Livie)
I think the image of Livie on the cover is perfect and I wouldn’t try and cast that differently.
Here’s how I see Caleb though:
For more of my reviews, visit Aestas Book Blog
And come join the Aestas Book Blog Facebook Page
WOW. A dark and powerful read.
UTTERLY CAPTIVATING! UTTERLY DISTURBING!
“I wrapped my arms around him and held on as hard as I could. He was my tormentor and my solace: the creator of the dark and the light within. I didn’t care that he would undoubtedly hurt me at any moment, right now; I just needed somebody to hold me… To tell me these exact words. Its going to be okay. It wasn’t of course, I knew that. But I didn’t care, I needed the lie.”
This book blew my mind. I’m seriously disturbed at how much I loved it. And yet, I think it might end up being one of my favs now. Every scene in it led to more questions, made me doubt my feelings even more. In scenarios where right and wrong seemed so incredibly and unquestionably clear cut, it it just threw all my preconceived notions right out the window and just forcibly opened my mind to more and more perspectives, more and more questions.
The writing style is seriously phenomenal and mezmerizing!!! I felt like I just want to highlight the whole book! It was captivating, rich, vivid, descriptive… It put me right into the character’s heads. The story flowed beautifully, the dialogue was effortless and the plot was beyond gripping. CJ Roberts is definitely one of my new favorite authors!
The book centers around Livie’s kidnapping by Caleb. As part of a complex revenge scheme twelve years in the making, he abducts her with the intent of training her as a pleasure slave and selling her into slavery to the man he is trying to take down.
When Livie wakes from a drug-enduced sleep to find herself captive, her worse nightmare is coming true. Tied to a bed, with a strange man who calls her ‘pet’ and demands she call him ‘Master’, Livie is thown into a dark, twisted world, subject to deeply erotic, deeply horrific and disturbing violations against her will. But strangest of all are the feelings she begins to have for her captor. Is there a good heart behind the monster? As the lines between captive and captor are blurred, it leaves you questioning everything you feel…..
“Your entire life is going to change. You should try to accept that, because there is no possible way to avoid it. Like it or not, fight it or don’t, your old life is over. It was over long before you woke up here.” ~Caleb
I don’t view this as a BDSM book. This isn’t BDSM as we usually see it in books, this is real life BDSM. Its not a game, its not a lifestyle, not a choice, this is LIVING in it. Its raw, gritty reality. There is no safe word, no consent, no out. The main purpose isn’t getting off, the purpose is training. End of story.
“What’s going to happen to me?” I asked quietly, almost hoping he hadn’t heard. I wasn’t sure I wanted an answer.
There was no answer – then, “Whatever I wish.”
Its just such an alarming blend of gentle and tender to harsh, brutal and controlling… and yet I was RIVITED. TO. THE. PAGE.
The author is seriously ballsy – she goes ALLLLL out in this. There is NO freaking stone left unturned… Yup, read into that ALL you want!! O_O
There were parts of the book where I was just in shock at what was happening. The purest HOLY SHIT moments you can imagine!
The whole initial concept of how easily someone can just disappear is deeply chilling. And the story starts off from Caleb’s POV. Watching him watch her, contemplate taking her. Wow. So creepy and yet captivating.
“As a slave trainer, he had trained at least a score of girls. Some were willing… Others… Coerced… But this particular slave, the one he eyed from across the busy street – she was different. She was neither willing, nor coerced, not sent to him. She was pure conquest.”
Caleb… *deep breath* what a complex character. I was utterly intrigued by him. There’s a constant counterbalance between his inner thoughts and feelings (that are more purely him) and his outer actions which are clearly the result of his rigorous, brutal and intense training and conditioning. His journey in this book is so interesting because even though he is ‘technically’ the villain of this story, he’s also the victim of his own (utterly horrific) story. I think he had a lot of humanity, but most of it though had been raped or beaten away and his journey is him struggling whether or not he can and/or wants to find it again. We watch him struggle with what he wanted to do versus what he felt compelled to do. And its a complete mindfuck because, yes he is brutal, but not in the way some crazy mindless rapist would be. So I just found myself questioning things over and over and over again…
Did I like him cuz he was the best in this fucked up world or did I like him because of him? Is he the villain? Or is he too a victim of his own story? Should you love him? Should you hate him? I thought I might be able to love him for a while, then I was really fucking sure I hated his guts. But not hate in the sense that I want him to die. I just want him to be less brutal and then I could love him? And then, a few pages later I sympathized with him again and started to like him again. A lot … Maybe? Gosh that sounds fucked up even to me lol. Urrrrgh!!
One minute he was gentle, the next he was a monster – almost as if the inner him, deeeeep down may have been gentle, but he is just so strongly conditioned to be a monster, that it becomes dominant. I kept alternating between almost thinking I was starting to fall for him, then he would do something that just totally fucked with my mind and, just like Livie, I just had NO clue what to feel.
“Why couldn’t he just keep being an evil, soulless bastard so I knew what his role was and I knew mine? Why did he continually have to switch back from cold and unforgiving, to comforting and warm?”
I mean, I know he’s the product of seriously mindfucking so does that excuse his behavior? Prolly not, but it makes me more sympathetic to him… I think? Or not… GAH!!! Moving on… you’ll have to read it for yourself to see what you think about it.
Livie… I loved her character. I totally felt for her. I loved her spunk and her fight. She never gave up, not really. And her inner strength, despite her nightmare-ish scenario made me totally sympathetic to her. She was never stupid, never made me want to throw my Kindle at the wall. Her thoughts and actions were totally understandable and relatable.
“He had tied me – naked – to a bedpost. To suffer. And he was somewhere in the house fucking some whore’s brains out. He wasn’t thinking of me. Of the pain I was in because of him. He simply did. Not. Care. Hot tears streamed down my face.“
I’m alternated between finding what I was reading hot, utterly gross, utterly disturbing and then, disturbingly cute. When Caleb would do something cute or tender, I felt myself melt a little. And that just made me want to slap myself and just go ‘Gah! what’s wrong with me?! He’s a kidnapper!! He did unspeakable things to her! But… He’s really cute. Wrong wrong wrong!! Aaaaaaaaa’
"…he stood me up and pressed my head to his chest, rocking me back and forth gently. I gripped him tightly, both arms holding fast to his waist. It had become natural for me to seek shelter in his arms, even if he had just used then to hold me down and spank me….It wasn’t enough to fuck my body, he wanted to mindfuck me too. It was working."
Both Livie and Caleb were inexplicably and wrongly (in both cases) drawn to each other and yet their feelings were also utterly undeniable. What was there was just SO. FREAKING. WRONG!!! … and yet, I just totally wanted to root for them. What is wrong with me??!!
The book was captivating and riveting from start to finish. It never dragged. It was just one scenario after another. Like Livie, you never knew what to expect. Total mind fuck.
I don't know what else to say except if you can keep an open mind, READ THIS BOOK!!! Its absolutely AMAZING!! The ending is most definitely a cliffhanger with many unanswered questions, but the sequel is out so you can read straight through. I can't wait to get to it in a few days... I've heard its even more amazing!
CASTING: (see above for Caleb and Livie)
I think the image of Livie on the cover is perfect and I wouldn’t try and cast that differently.
Here’s how I see Caleb though:
For more of my reviews, visit Aestas Book Blog
And come join the Aestas Book Blog Facebook Page
February 24, 2013
Warning: Unpopular opinion time!
In the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit that I didn't exactly finish thisabomination book. I made it halfway through before my numerous rage blackouts signaled that it was time to DNF. However, because I'm a curious idiot, I paged through to the end to see if the book ended as abysmally as I expected it would. (It did.) If I had finished Captive in the Dark, this review would probably contain 100% more swears. So in all honesty, I did this crapfest a favor.
Because this book makes me think in sentence fragments, I'll make a list of reasons that readers like me may want to skip over this book and read something, ANYTHING instead.
1. Rape and sexual assault
2. Physical assault
3. Kidnapping
4. Belt beatings that leave welts FOR DAYS
5. Chaining a woman up IN THE DARK in a manner that we wouldn't treat animals
6. A deep misunderstanding of proper punctuation
7. Trite, overwrought descriptions and dialogue
8. SLAVERY
9. The most inexplicable case of Stockholm's ever
10. Sexism
11. SEX TRAFFICKING
12. Poor characterization and story development
13. Victim who still attends high school (18-years-old, but I still got some pedo vibes.)
I'll leave the list at 13. Hell relics deserve unlucky numbers.
A Brief Summary
Fucking evil fucking douchebag Caleb kidnaps high school student Livvie and locks her up so he can mentally break her, torture her, rape her, and eventually SELL HER AS A SEX SLAVE to some undeveloped, shadowy villain. Caleb's the "romantic" hero, ladies and gentleman. Fuck this guy. In the process, Livvie falls for her captor because he's TOTES HAWT and forces multiple orgasms on her. Livvie is not Caleb's first victim. He's done this to plenty of women. Oh, and the charmer's also a murderer. And why has he unleashed this reign of terror on the human populace?
Seriously, brace yourself. The reason won't give you any comfort.
Caleb wants to have revenge on ONE FUCKING GUY. I mean, even if he was taking on a whole country, there still wouldn't be an excuse for his actions. But ONE GUY? How lame can one man's motivations be? He didn't have a fair go at it as a kid, and my heart breaks for that child. However, as an adult, he has a personal responsibility to be better than that. Caleb fails and becomes a fucking monster. He belongs in prison or in an eternal headlock from Liam Neeson.
I'd insert a kickass picture of Liam Neeson here, but CitD doesn't deserve awesome images in its reviews.
I don't know what to write about Livvie's character. Caleb dehumanizes her to such an extreme extent that she loses all perspective on right and wrong. She ends up falling for him, which made very little sense to me with the short timeline. Livvie's narration is coherent and rational, for the most post. She doesn't read as insane, but her actions suggest that she is. At one point, she mentions that she might be developing Stockholm Syndrome, but do people suffering from SS KNOW they're suffering from it? Livvie describes Caleb as the physical ideal for a man. She doesn't want to be attracted to him but can't help it because he's pretty.
That's the problem with so many of these self-pubbed, innocent young thing falls in love with gorgeous dickbag stories. IF CALEB LOOKED LIKE THE MONSTER HE IS ON THE INSIDE, NO ONE WOULD WANT TO FUCK HIM. NO ONE WOULD FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM. NO ONE WOULD MAKE EXCUSES FOR HIS FUCKING INHUMANITY. Why did I have to type that in all caps, you wonder? BECAUSE IT FUCKING PISSES ME OFF.
Now, it pains me that I have to type this, but WORDS SEND MESSAGES. This is not just a story. It's a reflection of our times, a reflection of our pre-occupation with romanticizing the stories of victims so we won't have to think about the reality. The reality is scary as shit. I get it. No one wants to end up a sex slave like Livvie. So it seems the only way we can deal with that fear is by making the situation not SO bad. Sure, Caleb commits unspeakable crimes, but he's a HAWT anti-hero. What he does to Livvie isn't right, but he had a rough childhood. Love will REDEEM him. A virginal little flower like Livvie will make him a better man. That's all these rapists and sex traffickers need, you see. The love of an abused, dehumanized woman. Forget personal responsibility. Forget the sacrifices of Livvie's freedom and personal agency. Let's instead be aroused by Caleb beating Livvie to break her will and anally raping her.
This is not just fiction. Sure, the story is totally made up. Caleb and Livvie are not real people. This comes entirely from the imagination of C.J. Roberts. However, even the most fantastical fiction reflects snippets of our culture, of our worldviews. That's why the written word is so powerful. Indeed, that's why people have tried to cut off access to books in the past. By no means do I think that Captive in the Dark should be censored. I think it's irresponsible as all hell, but anyone should be and is permitted to read and make up their own minds.
I refuse to let this story slide just because it's "supposed" to be dark and "taboo". Our culture has enough issues with sex crimes already. Sex slavery and trafficking is too real for me to think this book is erotic in the slightest. Google the statistics. It's a huge problem in the US and abroad, and it's tragically under-reported. Women, men, and children are brainwashed and abused like Livvie every day. They are made to believe that their captors are the only people they can trust. They're so afraid of their abusers that they won't speak to the police. REAL PEOPLE. Does Captive in the Dark do anything to fight this culture? Not really. It's pages full of wankery about poor 'ol Caleb and his feelz and overly sexualized descriptions of Livvie experiencing mind-blowing, oh-so-wrong-but-it-feels-so-right orgasms. The knowledge of these very real victims in the back of my mind made it impossible for me to even appreciate this book on an artistic level. My Goodreads friend Willowfaerie directed me to the story of Coleen Stan, whose 7 year captivity as a sex slave included many of the inhumanities suffered by Livvie. In the real world, after a grueling court trial, the bad guy went to prison for the rest of his life.
Something tells me the same won't happen to Caleb. IDK, maybe he'll die in the next book. I'll never know because I won't be reading it. The abrupt ending of this book indicated that Livvie wants to stay with Caleb and is willing to put herself in mortal danger for his stupid revenge mission, so I doubt the second book will spin the story on its head and consist entirely of a court trial featuring Caleb's past victims helping to send his sadistic ass to jail for the rest of his life.
To add insult to injury, this isn't even well-written. I know a lot of people say it is, and when compared to some other self-pubs, I suppose it comes across better than others. I'm a picky bitch, though, and the trite, purple prose is eyeroll inducing. At one point, Caleb enjoys the most dramatic beer ever while filling pages with info dumps of his tragic past. I chronicled that in my status updates. The purple prose is likely this book's worst enemy. The flowery descriptions of the sexual assault and Caleb's appearance and demeanor perhaps unintentionally romanticized the story. In addition to the clichéd "darkness" of the writing style, a lot of the basics are off. Punctuation is misused, words are misspelled, you're instead of your (it seems they'll never learn), and there's plenty of telling in place of showing. The dialogue tags really bothered me. Authors, please note that actions like "he took a drink" should not be used as dialogue tags. My GR friend Karla made a good point when she noted that a lot of new authors write dialogue like they're watching it on TV.
Bah. I'm going to attempt to forget about this book now. The only good thing that came from this experience is that I found some amazing organizations that are fighting human trafficking in my research. I'll lend my time and resources to positive forces like that instead.
*Note: After changing my mind several times, I've decided to leave a rating. I'm confident that I read enough of this tripe to know how many stars I should give it.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit that I didn't exactly finish this
Because this book makes me think in sentence fragments, I'll make a list of reasons that readers like me may want to skip over this book and read something, ANYTHING instead.
1. Rape and sexual assault
2. Physical assault
3. Kidnapping
4. Belt beatings that leave welts FOR DAYS
5. Chaining a woman up IN THE DARK in a manner that we wouldn't treat animals
6. A deep misunderstanding of proper punctuation
7. Trite, overwrought descriptions and dialogue
8. SLAVERY
9. The most inexplicable case of Stockholm's ever
10. Sexism
11. SEX TRAFFICKING
12. Poor characterization and story development
13. Victim who still attends high school (18-years-old, but I still got some pedo vibes.)
I'll leave the list at 13. Hell relics deserve unlucky numbers.
A Brief Summary
Fucking evil fucking douchebag Caleb kidnaps high school student Livvie and locks her up so he can mentally break her, torture her, rape her, and eventually SELL HER AS A SEX SLAVE to some undeveloped, shadowy villain. Caleb's the "romantic" hero, ladies and gentleman. Fuck this guy. In the process, Livvie falls for her captor because he's TOTES HAWT and forces multiple orgasms on her. Livvie is not Caleb's first victim. He's done this to plenty of women. Oh, and the charmer's also a murderer. And why has he unleashed this reign of terror on the human populace?
Seriously, brace yourself. The reason won't give you any comfort.
Caleb wants to have revenge on ONE FUCKING GUY. I mean, even if he was taking on a whole country, there still wouldn't be an excuse for his actions. But ONE GUY? How lame can one man's motivations be? He didn't have a fair go at it as a kid, and my heart breaks for that child. However, as an adult, he has a personal responsibility to be better than that. Caleb fails and becomes a fucking monster. He belongs in prison or in an eternal headlock from Liam Neeson.
I'd insert a kickass picture of Liam Neeson here, but CitD doesn't deserve awesome images in its reviews.
I don't know what to write about Livvie's character. Caleb dehumanizes her to such an extreme extent that she loses all perspective on right and wrong. She ends up falling for him, which made very little sense to me with the short timeline. Livvie's narration is coherent and rational, for the most post. She doesn't read as insane, but her actions suggest that she is. At one point, she mentions that she might be developing Stockholm Syndrome, but do people suffering from SS KNOW they're suffering from it? Livvie describes Caleb as the physical ideal for a man. She doesn't want to be attracted to him but can't help it because he's pretty.
That's the problem with so many of these self-pubbed, innocent young thing falls in love with gorgeous dickbag stories. IF CALEB LOOKED LIKE THE MONSTER HE IS ON THE INSIDE, NO ONE WOULD WANT TO FUCK HIM. NO ONE WOULD FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM. NO ONE WOULD MAKE EXCUSES FOR HIS FUCKING INHUMANITY. Why did I have to type that in all caps, you wonder? BECAUSE IT FUCKING PISSES ME OFF.
Now, it pains me that I have to type this, but WORDS SEND MESSAGES. This is not just a story. It's a reflection of our times, a reflection of our pre-occupation with romanticizing the stories of victims so we won't have to think about the reality. The reality is scary as shit. I get it. No one wants to end up a sex slave like Livvie. So it seems the only way we can deal with that fear is by making the situation not SO bad. Sure, Caleb commits unspeakable crimes, but he's a HAWT anti-hero. What he does to Livvie isn't right, but he had a rough childhood. Love will REDEEM him. A virginal little flower like Livvie will make him a better man. That's all these rapists and sex traffickers need, you see. The love of an abused, dehumanized woman. Forget personal responsibility. Forget the sacrifices of Livvie's freedom and personal agency. Let's instead be aroused by Caleb beating Livvie to break her will and anally raping her.
This is not just fiction. Sure, the story is totally made up. Caleb and Livvie are not real people. This comes entirely from the imagination of C.J. Roberts. However, even the most fantastical fiction reflects snippets of our culture, of our worldviews. That's why the written word is so powerful. Indeed, that's why people have tried to cut off access to books in the past. By no means do I think that Captive in the Dark should be censored. I think it's irresponsible as all hell, but anyone should be and is permitted to read and make up their own minds.
I refuse to let this story slide just because it's "supposed" to be dark and "taboo". Our culture has enough issues with sex crimes already. Sex slavery and trafficking is too real for me to think this book is erotic in the slightest. Google the statistics. It's a huge problem in the US and abroad, and it's tragically under-reported. Women, men, and children are brainwashed and abused like Livvie every day. They are made to believe that their captors are the only people they can trust. They're so afraid of their abusers that they won't speak to the police. REAL PEOPLE. Does Captive in the Dark do anything to fight this culture? Not really. It's pages full of wankery about poor 'ol Caleb and his feelz and overly sexualized descriptions of Livvie experiencing mind-blowing, oh-so-wrong-but-it-feels-so-right orgasms. The knowledge of these very real victims in the back of my mind made it impossible for me to even appreciate this book on an artistic level. My Goodreads friend Willowfaerie directed me to the story of Coleen Stan, whose 7 year captivity as a sex slave included many of the inhumanities suffered by Livvie. In the real world, after a grueling court trial, the bad guy went to prison for the rest of his life.
Something tells me the same won't happen to Caleb. IDK, maybe he'll die in the next book. I'll never know because I won't be reading it. The abrupt ending of this book indicated that Livvie wants to stay with Caleb and is willing to put herself in mortal danger for his stupid revenge mission, so I doubt the second book will spin the story on its head and consist entirely of a court trial featuring Caleb's past victims helping to send his sadistic ass to jail for the rest of his life.
To add insult to injury, this isn't even well-written. I know a lot of people say it is, and when compared to some other self-pubs, I suppose it comes across better than others. I'm a picky bitch, though, and the trite, purple prose is eyeroll inducing. At one point, Caleb enjoys the most dramatic beer ever while filling pages with info dumps of his tragic past. I chronicled that in my status updates. The purple prose is likely this book's worst enemy. The flowery descriptions of the sexual assault and Caleb's appearance and demeanor perhaps unintentionally romanticized the story. In addition to the clichéd "darkness" of the writing style, a lot of the basics are off. Punctuation is misused, words are misspelled, you're instead of your (it seems they'll never learn), and there's plenty of telling in place of showing. The dialogue tags really bothered me. Authors, please note that actions like "he took a drink" should not be used as dialogue tags. My GR friend Karla made a good point when she noted that a lot of new authors write dialogue like they're watching it on TV.
Bah. I'm going to attempt to forget about this book now. The only good thing that came from this experience is that I found some amazing organizations that are fighting human trafficking in my research. I'll lend my time and resources to positive forces like that instead.
*Note: After changing my mind several times, I've decided to leave a rating. I'm confident that I read enough of this tripe to know how many stars I should give it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2013
This book was just........
What I mean is that in some moments I was like
and then like this
Livvie/Olivia/Kitten
Olivia is an other fucked-up book character with a very bad luck.
She grew up without love but with her mother's hate.
Livvie was the girl that would never cause any trouble and would never provoke the opposite sex.She was strong and destroyed.
She needed someone to love her .She was just seeking comfort.
Caleb
[image error]
Fucked-up as well but he never showed weakness
His only purpose : REVENGE
But is this enough when you are about to destroy everything?
I wont lie that ,in the beginning of the story I HATED Caleb.
Not my fault ! He was acting horribly.
I was trying to find a single reason to understand why everyone loves him and then it hit me.
“If I survive this, I can't go back. I'll have to move forward and I don't know what that means.”
The truth is that I was beginning to wonder if something was wrong with me.
Damnit , reading the book I didnt care if what was happening was wrong
I found it interesting and hot.
Is it possible for the victim to fall for the kidnapper?
What I mean is that in some moments I was like
and then like this
Livvie/Olivia/Kitten
Olivia is an other fucked-up book character with a very bad luck.
She grew up without love but with her mother's hate.
Livvie was the girl that would never cause any trouble and would never provoke the opposite sex.She was strong and destroyed.
She needed someone to love her .She was just seeking comfort.
Caleb
[image error]
Fucked-up as well but he never showed weakness
His only purpose : REVENGE
But is this enough when you are about to destroy everything?
I wont lie that ,in the beginning of the story I HATED Caleb.
Not my fault ! He was acting horribly.
I was trying to find a single reason to understand why everyone loves him and then it hit me.
“If I survive this, I can't go back. I'll have to move forward and I don't know what that means.”
The truth is that I was beginning to wonder if something was wrong with me.
Damnit , reading the book I didnt care if what was happening was wrong
I found it interesting and hot.
Is it possible for the victim to fall for the kidnapper?
February 21, 2025
Captive in the Dark -by C.J. Roberts
⚠COLLEEN HOOVER STAMP OF APPROVAL ⚠
🚫 Why didn't I notice it first that—COLLEEN HOOVER RATED IT 5 STARS??? -with the tag:authors I've kissed 🤡 OFF COURSE 😭 IYKYK!!!
FIRST OF ALL-🔊‼️ REMEMBER: ABUSE/SA ≠ Dark Romance. !!!
You know that feeling when you step on something disgusting and can’t quite scrape it off your shoe? That’s exactly how I felt reading Captive in the Dark—except the stench of this one lingers in your brain and makes you question humanity.
Where do I even start? Oh right, with the fact that this is marketed as dark romance but is actually just SA, abuse, and glorified sex trafficking repackaged as a love story. Even a 12-year-old Wattpad author with an alpha billionaire bad boy obsession could write better than this.
I thought I was picking up a dark romance—you know, something spicy, forbidden, maybe a little dangerous but still sexy? Instead, I got SA fanfiction disguised as a book where the plot is just one long criminal offence.
Let’s set the scene: Livvie, our brainless doormat of a heroine, gets kidnapped by Caleb, a walking red flagmanwhore factory, whose main goal is to sell her into sex slavery because... he has daddy issues and wants revenge. Logical? Nope. But this book doesn’t care about logic—it’s too busy drooling over Caleb’s H-A-W-T abs and tragic backstory to bother making sense.Because, let’s be real, Captive in the Dark is NOT a book about survival or overcoming trauma. It’s SA and human trafficking repackaged as a BDSM starter kit, and I refuse to let it slide.
You know that feeling when you step on something disgusting and can’t quite scrape it off your shoe? That’s exactly how I felt reading Captive in the Dark—except the stench of this one lingers in your brain and makes you question humanity.
~👑 PRESENTING: HIS MAJESTY,THE EVIL, SELF-OBSESSED, DOUCHEBAG CELEB—A MAN SO TOXIC EVEN SATAN WOULD FILE A RESTRAINING ORDER 🚩
Our “hero” (gags) is a sex trafficker who kidnaps who is merely an 18-year-old girl, beats her, grooms her, and spends most of the book monologuing about how hard his life was! He was abused as a child, so obviously, the only logical response is to continue the cycle and enslave a teenage girl. Makes total sense.
✔ A kidnapper
✔ A rapist
✔ A human trafficker
✔ A manipulative abuser
✔ A walking red flag factory akamanwhore in denial
And what’s his plan? Oh, just turn her into a sex slave to sell to his own abuser. But don’t worry, guys, he totally has a moral compass! Sometimes he feels bad about hurting her, and that totally redeemhim, right?Wrong.
🚨Here's why this book is absolutely revolting:
~Here’s a typical Caleb and Livvie interaction:
Livvie: “Please, don't hit me master.”
Caleb: smirks like an Abercrombie model with a God complex “You don’t have a choice, pet.”
Livvie: cries No master plz master no no no!!!!!!!!
Caleb: “I like hurting u kitten , it's what get me off” PS:he beats her with belts -Belt beatings that leave welts FOR DAYS 🤡 🤡
No, her body responding to trauma is NOT a sign of consent. That’s not BDSM. That’s biology.
🔴 The Writing? My Grocery List Has More Emotion.
^“Her body betrayed her” = every single chapter. Sis, your body needs to file a lawsuit.
^Scenes so repetitive I thought I was in a time loop.
^The dialogue? I’ve read fanfiction smut written at 2 AM by sleep-deprived teenagers that was better structured than this.
^Every “spicy” scene is just SA. That’s it. No build-up, no chemistry, just violence and humiliation.
^ “You’ll take what I give you.” Oh, you mean a restraining order?
~Livvie: The Stockholm Syndrome Poster Children:
🔴Livvie, on Page 5: “I will never forgive him for what he’s done to me!”
🔴Livvie, on Page 30: “His eyes are the color of the ocean.”
🔴Livvie, on Page 100:"has multiple orgasms while being kidnapped!! "👀👀
Ma’am. Please. Blink twice if you need help.
🔴 The “Master/Pet” Dynamic? More Like a Fetish Gone Too FarShe’s not even ALLOWED TO SPEAK unless he gives permission??? Babe, even Alexa gets more respect than this.Imagine being forced to kneel like a dog while your beloved “Master” eats at the table. Oh wait, you don’t have to imagine. That’s literally a scene in this book. 🤢this isn’t a mafia romance, it’s a human rights violation.
He’s chaining her up and making her crawl to him like an actual dog.Slapping the girl, beating her with the belts !!
Caleb: “Come to me.”
Livvie: on her hands and knees “Yes, Master.”she is minor
Me: 📢 CALL 📢 THE 📢 POLICE 📢
he picked up a piece of cubed beef. I swallowed hard. With an almost unabashed relief I opened my mouth, but he snatched it away. He offered again. And again. He moved quickly, his fingers found my tongue and pinched viciously WTF!!
*The "Tears Make Me Hard" Linewhile beating her with belts : What Even Is This?
Caleb’s admission that tears "make him hard" is not dark or edgy—it’s disgusting. The fact that the author tries to frame this as some kind of twisted vulnerability is baffling.
This is not romance. This is not even dark romance. This is just gross.
And let’s not forget the beating scene. Because, of course, we needed pages of Caleb beating her with the belt while she cries. But it’s okay, guys, because he has a sad backstory! 🤡
Now, let’s talk about the gross factor because, oh boy, this book took "dark romance" and twisted it into straight-up degradation. The "hero"—if you can even call a man who treats his so-called love interest like a literal pet a hero—actually made her sit on the floor while he ate at the table. Like. A. Dog. If that wasn’t humiliating enough, he would pat her head and call her his "good girl" like she was some obedient animal. Romantic, right? 😐
And oh, the dialogue. I cringed so hard I nearly dislocated my jaw. No one talks like this. Ever. I felt like I was being force-fed outdated Wattpad rejects, and I still have emotional scars from the experience.
~The “Plot” (If You Can Call It That)
The entire book is just Caleb gaslighting Livvie, abusing her, and justifying it with paragraphs of backstory no one asked for.
We get so much forced angst about how Caleb was once a victim too, as if that makes any of this excusable. Oh, your childhood sucked? Cool. So did many others. But you don’t see me out here kidnapping high schoolers and forcing them into sex slavery.
And the worst part? The writing is BAD. The dialogue is cringey, the pacing is atrocious, and the amount of overwritten, purple prose nonsense made me want to launch my Kindle across the room.
⚠ PS: Why Didn’t I See Earlier That Colleen Hoover Rated It 5 Stars? 😭Should’ve been my first red flag
-The fact that Colleen Hoover, the queen of problematic romance, gave this book 5 stars is both hilarious and telling. If you know, you know. This book is just another example of romanticizing abuse and calling it "dark romance." --If your book is problematic, traumatic, and borderline criminal, it’s basically guaranteed a CoHo stamp of approval.
~Final Thoughts:
*Would I recommend this? No. I’d rather recommend a root canal without anesthesia.
*Did I finish it? I skimmed the last half while questioning my life choices.
*Should this be classified as romance? If this is romance, then Ted Bundy was just a passionate lover.
*Will I read the sequel? not anytime soon!!
This book is a dumpster fire of toxic tropes, lazy writing, and exploitative storytelling. It tries to pass off abuse and coercion as romance, but it’s just gross. Stop using SA as a plot device for "dark romance." It’s not romantic—it’s reprehensible.
Oh, boy. This book really said, “Let’s take SA, abuse, and grooming, slap a ‘dark romance’ label on it, and call it a day.” No, really, I’ve read Wattpad toxic men, and even THEY are better than whatever this mess is. This isn’t a dark romance—it’s a PSA on why women need pepper spray. 💀
⚠COLLEEN HOOVER STAMP OF APPROVAL ⚠
🚫 Why didn't I notice it first that—COLLEEN HOOVER RATED IT 5 STARS??? -with the tag:
FIRST OF ALL-🔊‼️ REMEMBER: ABUSE/SA ≠ Dark Romance. !!!
You know that feeling when you step on something disgusting and can’t quite scrape it off your shoe? That’s exactly how I felt reading Captive in the Dark—except the stench of this one lingers in your brain and makes you question humanity.
Where do I even start? Oh right, with the fact that this is marketed as dark romance but is actually just SA, abuse, and glorified sex trafficking repackaged as a love story. Even a 12-year-old Wattpad author with an alpha billionaire bad boy obsession could write better than this.
I thought I was picking up a dark romance—you know, something spicy, forbidden, maybe a little dangerous but still sexy? Instead, I got SA fanfiction disguised as a book where the plot is just one long criminal offence.
Let’s set the scene: Livvie, our brainless doormat of a heroine, gets kidnapped by Caleb, a walking red flag
You know that feeling when you step on something disgusting and can’t quite scrape it off your shoe? That’s exactly how I felt reading Captive in the Dark—except the stench of this one lingers in your brain and makes you question humanity.
~👑 PRESENTING: HIS MAJESTY,THE EVIL, SELF-OBSESSED, DOUCHEBAG CELEB—A MAN SO TOXIC EVEN SATAN WOULD FILE A RESTRAINING ORDER 🚩
Our “hero” (gags) is a sex trafficker who kidnaps who is merely an 18-year-old girl, beats her, grooms her, and spends most of the book monologuing about how hard his life was! He was abused as a child, so obviously, the only logical response is to continue the cycle and enslave a teenage girl. Makes total sense.
✔ A kidnapper
✔ A rapist
✔ A human trafficker
✔ A manipulative abuser
✔ A walking red flag factory aka
And what’s his plan? Oh, just turn her into a sex slave to sell to his own abuser. But don’t worry, guys, he totally has a moral compass! Sometimes he feels bad about hurting her, and that totally redeemhim, right?Wrong.
🚨Here's why this book is absolutely revolting:
~Here’s a typical Caleb and Livvie interaction:
Livvie: “Please, don't hit me master.”
Caleb: smirks like an Abercrombie model with a God complex “You don’t have a choice, pet.”
Livvie: cries No master plz master no no no!!!!!!!!
Caleb: “I like hurting u kitten , it's what get me off” PS:
No, her body responding to trauma is NOT a sign of consent. That’s not BDSM. That’s biology.
🔴 The Writing? My Grocery List Has More Emotion.
^“Her body betrayed her” = every single chapter. Sis, your body needs to file a lawsuit.
^Scenes so repetitive I thought I was in a time loop.
^The dialogue? I’ve read fanfiction smut written at 2 AM by sleep-deprived teenagers that was better structured than this.
^Every “spicy” scene is just SA. That’s it. No build-up, no chemistry, just violence and humiliation.
^ “You’ll take what I give you.” Oh, you mean a restraining order?
~Livvie: The Stockholm Syndrome Poster Children:
🔴Livvie, on Page 5: “I will never forgive him for what he’s done to me!”
🔴Livvie, on Page 30: “His eyes are the color of the ocean.”
🔴Livvie, on Page 100:"has multiple orgasms while being kidnapped!! "👀👀
Ma’am. Please. Blink twice if you need help.
🔴 The “Master/Pet” Dynamic? More Like a Fetish Gone Too FarShe’s not even ALLOWED TO SPEAK unless he gives permission??? Babe, even Alexa gets more respect than this.Imagine being forced to kneel like a dog while your beloved “Master” eats at the table. Oh wait, you don’t have to imagine. That’s literally a scene in this book. 🤢this isn’t a mafia romance, it’s a human rights violation.
He’s chaining her up and making her crawl to him like an actual dog.Slapping the girl, beating her with the belts !!
Caleb: “Come to me.”
Livvie: on her hands and knees “Yes, Master.”
Me: 📢 CALL 📢 THE 📢 POLICE 📢
he picked up a piece of cubed beef. I swallowed hard. With an almost unabashed relief I opened my mouth, but he snatched it away. He offered again. And again. He moved quickly, his fingers found my tongue and pinched viciously WTF!!
*The "Tears Make Me Hard" Line
Caleb’s admission that tears "make him hard" is not dark or edgy—it’s disgusting. The fact that the author tries to frame this as some kind of twisted vulnerability is baffling.
This is not romance. This is not even dark romance. This is just gross.
And let’s not forget the beating scene. Because, of course, we needed pages of Caleb beating her with the belt while she cries. But it’s okay, guys, because he has a sad backstory! 🤡
Now, let’s talk about the gross factor because, oh boy, this book took "dark romance" and twisted it into straight-up degradation. The "hero"—if you can even call a man who treats his so-called love interest like a literal pet a hero—actually made her sit on the floor while he ate at the table. Like. A. Dog. If that wasn’t humiliating enough, he would pat her head and call her his "good girl" like she was some obedient animal. Romantic, right? 😐
And oh, the dialogue. I cringed so hard I nearly dislocated my jaw. No one talks like this. Ever. I felt like I was being force-fed outdated Wattpad rejects, and I still have emotional scars from the experience.
~The “Plot” (If You Can Call It That)
The entire book is just Caleb gaslighting Livvie, abusing her, and justifying it with paragraphs of backstory no one asked for.
We get so much forced angst about how Caleb was once a victim too, as if that makes any of this excusable. Oh, your childhood sucked? Cool. So did many others. But you don’t see me out here kidnapping high schoolers and forcing them into sex slavery.
And the worst part? The writing is BAD. The dialogue is cringey, the pacing is atrocious, and the amount of overwritten, purple prose nonsense made me want to launch my Kindle across the room.
⚠ PS: Why Didn’t I See Earlier That Colleen Hoover Rated It 5 Stars? 😭
-The fact that Colleen Hoover, the queen of problematic romance, gave this book 5 stars is both hilarious and telling. If you know, you know. This book is just another example of romanticizing abuse and calling it "dark romance." --If your book is problematic, traumatic, and borderline criminal, it’s basically guaranteed a CoHo stamp of approval.
~Final Thoughts:
*Would I recommend this? No. I’d rather recommend a root canal without anesthesia.
*Did I finish it? I skimmed the last half while questioning my life choices.
*Should this be classified as romance? If this is romance, then Ted Bundy was just a passionate lover.
*Will I read the sequel? not anytime soon!!
This book is a dumpster fire of toxic tropes, lazy writing, and exploitative storytelling. It tries to pass off abuse and coercion as romance, but it’s just gross. Stop using SA as a plot device for "dark romance." It’s not romantic—it’s reprehensible.
Oh, boy. This book really said, “Let’s take SA, abuse, and grooming, slap a ‘dark romance’ label on it, and call it a day.” No, really, I’ve read Wattpad toxic men, and even THEY are better than whatever this mess is. This isn’t a dark romance—it’s a PSA on why women need pepper spray. 💀
May 27, 2020
Review.
July 21, 2017
Absolutely captivating. It's a very dark, rich story, and the character development is outstanding. Caleb is NOT a "good guy," but the way Roberts moves between Caleb's third person POV, Livvie's first person POV, and flashback POVs of both characters is brilliant and makes you understand how they (especially Caleb) have gotten to be who they are and why they act the way they do. I was enthralled by the characters and the story in a way I haven't been in a long while and I devoured it in three hours. I cannot WAIT for part two to be released.
Just a disclaimer for some: be aware this book contains a great deal of violence, a lot of which is sexual in nature. If you don't think you can or want to handle that, don't read it.
Just a disclaimer for some: be aware this book contains a great deal of violence, a lot of which is sexual in nature. If you don't think you can or want to handle that, don't read it.
February 26, 2025
CJ Roberts is doing a relaunch and I'm so mf excited! This is one of my all time favorite dark romance series. I think a re-read is in order!
“This isn't a romance. You're not a damsel in distress and I'm not the handsome prince come to save you.”
“People often believed they were safer in the light, thinking monsters only came out at night.”
⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ Connect with me on Instagram ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹
“This isn't a romance. You're not a damsel in distress and I'm not the handsome prince come to save you.”
“People often believed they were safer in the light, thinking monsters only came out at night.”
⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ Connect with me on Instagram ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹
Read
July 10, 2015
Review posted February 10, 2013.
Buddy read with Jo and Lisa. Thanks, ladies. I never thought I'd be reading CitD in the first place, and I'm very sorry that I read it. It's safe to say the experiment failed big time. And I feel kinda glad and relieved that I didn't like it. For what's it worth, I've had an interesting discussion on my update threads even though I hated Caleb & the book.
Since it's entirely my bad that I considered giving this book a try I will refrain from rating it. Anyway, it's not relevant anymore but my rating would have been zero stars because one star is simply too much.
I was aware of the fact that I was not reading a romance. As it was, I was not even reading an erotica book. CitD is one seriously twisted and sick story.
Furthermore, I was aware of the fact that the heroine developed some kind of Stockholm's. Regardless, it doesn't make the book any less disturbing and I have every right to express a low opinion of a book. Also, I am very aware of the fact that this series has a huge fan community. To each their own and all that. It was definitely not my cuppa.
My review contains spoilers.
First let me say that I have read Special Forces: Soldiers Part I -Director's Cut and I am surprised to admit that SF was a walk in the park compared to CitD. Maybe I feel this way because I'm a mother and I think that violence among men is bad enough, however, when it comes to society's weakest--women and children--then I give no quarter. Whatever the motives are, violence against women and children is completely and utterly inexcusable.
I don't understand why these kinds of books are receiving such great praise. Caleb is a sick, sadistic motherf@@@er and a killer. He is kidnapping girls and young women, he trains them and is selling them as pleasure slaves. The filthy swine beats the hell out of Olivia and does unspeakable things to her. Let's face it, we are not talking about a mild flogging. In fact, she was covered from neck to ankles in angry, red welts for days…days! She almost fainted because it hurt so much. Whew. What an "anti-hero". It's beyond me why these kinds of books are labeled as dark erotica. Dark, yes. But what's erotic or sensual about CitD? Is rape erotic? I found the sex a total turn-off.
I find it quite disturbing that the main character is portrayed physically as every woman's dream man. He's written not as just as a main character or a protagonist, but as a hero. Intentionally it seems by the author, to garner a connection, sympathy and even attraction to this anti-hero by readers. If the hero in CitD was in every way the same as Caleb, except he was fat, ugly, smelly, hairy-aped bodily, bald with bad breath and toothless, would readers forgive him? It was very obvious that Livvie felt attracted to Caleb due to his physical attributes and it helped to develop Stockholm's.
There's no getting round it to wonder how real victims of slavery/human trafficking would feel after reading this series. What's their future prospect after being kidnapped? Their pathetic lives won't turn into something "romantic", they won't fall in love. If anything, they can expect severe abuse etc. and more than a few will die from AIDS.
Olivia felt lust, she craved his touch. Yeah, good Livvie has never had sex before and then he rapes her (even though she said "no", you'd almost think it's "not rape" when she "needs it to feel good" and she "can't prevent" it anyway), she takes him up her ass and comes several fu@@ing times! WTF? It's mind-boggling.
Atonement and redemption
Rescuing his former kidnap victims is one step in the right direction (it will obviously happen in book 2). But. That's only the beginning and not the end and definitely not good enough. I am a mother for Pete's sake! How would I react if my boys would have been kidnapped and raped? Do you honestly believe that I wouldn't want to bring the sick f@@@er to justice? I would want to see him suffer. I would want him to do prison time for a very, very long time. Seeking redemption is a positive start and then you go on a journey that will take years. It's a long and difficult process and not something to take on lightly. Also, I am convinced there are criminals who can never find redemption in my eyes because some deeds are so vile and atrocious that can never be just forgiven. Without doubt Caleb belongs behind bars, he needs to be convicted for his evil deeds. Unfortunately, though, it's not going to happen.
Granted, there is Caleb's awful background. You don't have to be psychic to know why the author wrote such a background story. Hence, it's bound to happen that readers will feel sorry for him. This being said, where would we end up if we would excuse all those filthy crimes because the culprits suffered through something horrible in their childhood?
Anyway, back then I would have felt pity for the tormented boy but now he is an adult. I loathe him, I hate him. He is aware of the fact that he is hurting women. He knows he is a killer. And therefore he is accountable for his wrongdoing and I want him to assume responsibility. Regardless of his personal experiences he inflicts pain and does despicable things. More often than not I just wanted to wipe his sick smile off his face. Also, I can't hear the Kitten & Pet endearments anymore. Ugh. Besides, I didn't buy his being two-faced either. He beats the hell outta her and then he offers a gentle touch? WTF? Well, no wonder since he is so choleric, has a warped mind and has a serious case of anger management issues. The guy is a psycho and he needs to see a shrink subito.
The age of the heroine (she is 18) is very interesting. I suppose the age of consent in the States is 18. Hence, it would have been even more shocking if Caleb raped a heroine who was a minor. I don't want to say too much about her though (the repetitiveness of her being a "whore" got on my nerves after a while). Let's just say the more I read the less I actually liked her.
Here are some interesting "quotes". I spoiler tagged them to shorten my review. Please read them.
I'm not sure if I missed anything substantial but I don't get what Livvie's training involved. All I know is that Caleb forced her to address him as Master. She had to crawl on the floor and he fed her. That's all I remember (of course there was the severe beating with the belt to break her mentally) but I know that's certainly not an "appropriate" training. Sheesh, I feel bad for writing "appropriate". Maybe the "training" happened off page? Anyway, I found the plot poor, the character development nonexistent and overall…I guess I have to stop now.
I know this is fiction but if the story loses touch with reality then let's just call it a fantasy novel because in real life the sicko would have been prosecuted. And last but not least I think books like CitD are a symptom of our times. Taboo sells. Sad.
Buddy read with Jo and Lisa. Thanks, ladies. I never thought I'd be reading CitD in the first place, and I'm very sorry that I read it. It's safe to say the experiment failed big time. And I feel kinda glad and relieved that I didn't like it. For what's it worth, I've had an interesting discussion on my update threads even though I hated Caleb & the book.
Since it's entirely my bad that I considered giving this book a try I will refrain from rating it. Anyway, it's not relevant anymore but my rating would have been zero stars because one star is simply too much.
I was aware of the fact that I was not reading a romance. As it was, I was not even reading an erotica book. CitD is one seriously twisted and sick story.
Furthermore, I was aware of the fact that the heroine developed some kind of Stockholm's. Regardless, it doesn't make the book any less disturbing and I have every right to express a low opinion of a book. Also, I am very aware of the fact that this series has a huge fan community. To each their own and all that. It was definitely not my cuppa.
My review contains spoilers.
First let me say that I have read Special Forces: Soldiers Part I -Director's Cut and I am surprised to admit that SF was a walk in the park compared to CitD. Maybe I feel this way because I'm a mother and I think that violence among men is bad enough, however, when it comes to society's weakest--women and children--then I give no quarter. Whatever the motives are, violence against women and children is completely and utterly inexcusable.
I don't understand why these kinds of books are receiving such great praise. Caleb is a sick, sadistic motherf@@@er and a killer. He is kidnapping girls and young women, he trains them and is selling them as pleasure slaves. The filthy swine beats the hell out of Olivia and does unspeakable things to her. Let's face it, we are not talking about a mild flogging. In fact, she was covered from neck to ankles in angry, red welts for days…days! She almost fainted because it hurt so much. Whew. What an "anti-hero". It's beyond me why these kinds of books are labeled as dark erotica. Dark, yes. But what's erotic or sensual about CitD? Is rape erotic? I found the sex a total turn-off.
I find it quite disturbing that the main character is portrayed physically as every woman's dream man. He's written not as just as a main character or a protagonist, but as a hero. Intentionally it seems by the author, to garner a connection, sympathy and even attraction to this anti-hero by readers. If the hero in CitD was in every way the same as Caleb, except he was fat, ugly, smelly, hairy-aped bodily, bald with bad breath and toothless, would readers forgive him? It was very obvious that Livvie felt attracted to Caleb due to his physical attributes and it helped to develop Stockholm's.
There's no getting round it to wonder how real victims of slavery/human trafficking would feel after reading this series. What's their future prospect after being kidnapped? Their pathetic lives won't turn into something "romantic", they won't fall in love. If anything, they can expect severe abuse etc. and more than a few will die from AIDS.
Olivia felt lust, she craved his touch. Yeah, good Livvie has never had sex before and then he rapes her (even though she said "no", you'd almost think it's "not rape" when she "needs it to feel good" and she "can't prevent" it anyway), she takes him up her ass and comes several fu@@ing times! WTF? It's mind-boggling.
Atonement and redemption
Rescuing his former kidnap victims is one step in the right direction (it will obviously happen in book 2). But. That's only the beginning and not the end and definitely not good enough. I am a mother for Pete's sake! How would I react if my boys would have been kidnapped and raped? Do you honestly believe that I wouldn't want to bring the sick f@@@er to justice? I would want to see him suffer. I would want him to do prison time for a very, very long time. Seeking redemption is a positive start and then you go on a journey that will take years. It's a long and difficult process and not something to take on lightly. Also, I am convinced there are criminals who can never find redemption in my eyes because some deeds are so vile and atrocious that can never be just forgiven. Without doubt Caleb belongs behind bars, he needs to be convicted for his evil deeds. Unfortunately, though, it's not going to happen.
Granted, there is Caleb's awful background. You don't have to be psychic to know why the author wrote such a background story. Hence, it's bound to happen that readers will feel sorry for him. This being said, where would we end up if we would excuse all those filthy crimes because the culprits suffered through something horrible in their childhood?
Anyway, back then I would have felt pity for the tormented boy but now he is an adult. I loathe him, I hate him. He is aware of the fact that he is hurting women. He knows he is a killer. And therefore he is accountable for his wrongdoing and I want him to assume responsibility. Regardless of his personal experiences he inflicts pain and does despicable things. More often than not I just wanted to wipe his sick smile off his face. Also, I can't hear the Kitten & Pet endearments anymore. Ugh. Besides, I didn't buy his being two-faced either. He beats the hell outta her and then he offers a gentle touch? WTF? Well, no wonder since he is so choleric, has a warped mind and has a serious case of anger management issues. The guy is a psycho and he needs to see a shrink subito.
The age of the heroine (she is 18) is very interesting. I suppose the age of consent in the States is 18. Hence, it would have been even more shocking if Caleb raped a heroine who was a minor. I don't want to say too much about her though (the repetitiveness of her being a "whore" got on my nerves after a while). Let's just say the more I read the less I actually liked her.
Here are some interesting "quotes". I spoiler tagged them to shorten my review. Please read them.
I'm not sure if I missed anything substantial but I don't get what Livvie's training involved. All I know is that Caleb forced her to address him as Master. She had to crawl on the floor and he fed her. That's all I remember (of course there was the severe beating with the belt to break her mentally) but I know that's certainly not an "appropriate" training. Sheesh, I feel bad for writing "appropriate". Maybe the "training" happened off page? Anyway, I found the plot poor, the character development nonexistent and overall…I guess I have to stop now.
I know this is fiction but if the story loses touch with reality then let's just call it a fantasy novel because in real life the sicko would have been prosecuted. And last but not least I think books like CitD are a symptom of our times. Taboo sells. Sad.
Read
August 15, 2017
FREE on Amazon US today (8/31/2015)
OMG! This is a book on my re-read shelf. I read it in 2012 before GR and my reading has since evolved.
Very dark, but right up my alley these days…..
Book 1 of 2.5. Series complete.
BLURB:
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.
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February 7, 2017
4.5 Beautifully disturbing stars...
This book, if nothing else, makes you honestly and completely 'FEEL'-- horror, disgust, pity, anger, lust, shame, hatred, love--whichever emotion it ignites in you, I promise, you'll feel it to the millionth degree! There is nothing romantic about this story; at least not in the traditional sense, anyway. It's gritty and crude and created not to please, but to ignite raw, uninhibited emotions that will leave you feeling exhausted... But the fact is, no other book has ever evoked such an array of gut-wrenching emotions or left me feeling almost violated just for having read it quite like this one has.
He was my tormentor and my solace; the creator of the dark and the light within.
Caleb is not about love. He's about power and is living his life for a revenge that he will go to any extent to obtain. The sweet, broken, and innocent Livvie unluckily becomes his tool for this intricate, sinister plan of revenge. He captures her and sets forth towards his goal of turning her into a pleasure slave. It all seems simple and by the book; break her down and build her back up into the perfect submissive that no captor will be able to resist. But Caleb didn't plan on feeling things for Livvie he never thought he was capable of feeling.
Don't let me confuse you. Caleb does NOT go from frog to prince and live happily ever after. Not by a long shot. He is an abusive, callous monster. His behavior towards Livvie was vomit-inducing and I spent the majority of the book detesting him. But then there were conflicting, tender moments where he displayed a true conscience. Moments where I was able to sympathize with his torturous childhood, and somehow understand him. Granted, these moments were fleeting and quickly swallowed up by more insanity, but they were there. Which consequently left me all the more frustrated and confused.
Once I diffused the mental war I was having of bad Caleb VS. slightly less bad Caleb... I felt much more at ease with the story. Livvie was a lovable character whose ferocious strength surprised me. Her backstory was heartbreaking and she was very broken because of it. Caleb's childhood was even more heartbreaking and to say that he was damaged from it would be a severe understatement. I know that some readers ended up adoring Caleb, but it just hasn't happened yet for me. However, I saw the story for what it was and did not need to fall in love with Caleb to appreciate it.
This book was gripping and flawlessly written. It immediately ripped me out of my comfort zone, made me feel awkwardly amazed, and caused me to question my beliefs and morals. It made me search for kindness in places I'd least expect to find it. It has opened my eyes to a horrible world that I fortunately know little about and I fully believe that this was the story's true intent.
Book Stats:
▪ Genre/Category: Dark Erotica
▪ Steam Caliber: Maximum/graphic
▪ Romance: Scarce to none. Twisted and unconventional.
▪ Characters: Cold, detached, disturbed hero. Abused, secluded, withdrawn heroine.
▪ Plot: Focused intensely on sex slavery and psychological manipulation. Will bulldoze your emotions.
▪ Writing: Phenomenal. Gripping. Raw.
▪ POV: First person: Heroine
▪ Cliffhanger: Yes. Next installment available.
▪ Next Installment: Follow up
This book, if nothing else, makes you honestly and completely 'FEEL'-- horror, disgust, pity, anger, lust, shame, hatred, love--whichever emotion it ignites in you, I promise, you'll feel it to the millionth degree! There is nothing romantic about this story; at least not in the traditional sense, anyway. It's gritty and crude and created not to please, but to ignite raw, uninhibited emotions that will leave you feeling exhausted... But the fact is, no other book has ever evoked such an array of gut-wrenching emotions or left me feeling almost violated just for having read it quite like this one has.
He was my tormentor and my solace; the creator of the dark and the light within.
Caleb is not about love. He's about power and is living his life for a revenge that he will go to any extent to obtain. The sweet, broken, and innocent Livvie unluckily becomes his tool for this intricate, sinister plan of revenge. He captures her and sets forth towards his goal of turning her into a pleasure slave. It all seems simple and by the book; break her down and build her back up into the perfect submissive that no captor will be able to resist. But Caleb didn't plan on feeling things for Livvie he never thought he was capable of feeling.
Don't let me confuse you. Caleb does NOT go from frog to prince and live happily ever after. Not by a long shot. He is an abusive, callous monster. His behavior towards Livvie was vomit-inducing and I spent the majority of the book detesting him. But then there were conflicting, tender moments where he displayed a true conscience. Moments where I was able to sympathize with his torturous childhood, and somehow understand him. Granted, these moments were fleeting and quickly swallowed up by more insanity, but they were there. Which consequently left me all the more frustrated and confused.
Once I diffused the mental war I was having of bad Caleb VS. slightly less bad Caleb... I felt much more at ease with the story. Livvie was a lovable character whose ferocious strength surprised me. Her backstory was heartbreaking and she was very broken because of it. Caleb's childhood was even more heartbreaking and to say that he was damaged from it would be a severe understatement. I know that some readers ended up adoring Caleb, but it just hasn't happened yet for me. However, I saw the story for what it was and did not need to fall in love with Caleb to appreciate it.
This book was gripping and flawlessly written. It immediately ripped me out of my comfort zone, made me feel awkwardly amazed, and caused me to question my beliefs and morals. It made me search for kindness in places I'd least expect to find it. It has opened my eyes to a horrible world that I fortunately know little about and I fully believe that this was the story's true intent.
Book Stats:
▪ Genre/Category: Dark Erotica
▪ Steam Caliber: Maximum/graphic
▪ Romance: Scarce to none. Twisted and unconventional.
▪ Characters: Cold, detached, disturbed hero. Abused, secluded, withdrawn heroine.
▪ Plot: Focused intensely on sex slavery and psychological manipulation. Will bulldoze your emotions.
▪ Writing: Phenomenal. Gripping. Raw.
▪ POV: First person: Heroine
▪ Cliffhanger: Yes. Next installment available.
▪ Next Installment: Follow up
Read
October 28, 2020was reading this for a project... couldn't stomach it. dnf at like 5%
January 16, 2013
WOW WOW WOW WOW...just, WOW.
Speechless... that's how I felt after reading this story...
It's dark, twisted and disturbing on so many levels but still I could NOT stop reading it!!! At times I really hated reading some of the things that happened, but the story was so addictive and intense that I couldn't help but love, love, love it!!!
"He was the monster no one thought to look for in the light of day. It was a common mistake. People often believed they were safer in the light, thinking monsters only came out at night."
When we first meet Caleb, that's exactly what he is; a monster who has set his eyes on the young, poor girl named Olivia Ruiz. As a little boy, Caleb was forced into the world of pleasure slaves by the corrupt Russian business man Demitri Balk. The young boy has to suffer through a lot of horrible experiences because of this man and that is why Caleb decides to take revenge on the person who ruined his life. To succeed in his plan of revenge he wants to use Olivia, train her as a pleasure slave and sell her to Demitri to get as close as possible to his biggest enemy. "Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer." is what they say, right?...
"I am going to sell you as a pleasure slave to a man I despise."
"You're entire life is going to change. You should try to accept that, because there's no possible way to avoid it. Like it or not, fight it or don't, your old life is over."
So, as I started reading this, I thought to myself: "How could I possibly "enjoy" reading a story like this? This is just too messed up for words...".And how shocking as it may seem, I did enjoy reading it in the end. The story kept me on the edge of my seet the entire time. It managed to grasp my attention from the very first page till the very last one...
It was tough to read a lot of the things that Olivia/Livvie had to go through, but the author really managed to add a very human, relatable side to it all. It also helped that the book was written in a dual POV (Livvie's side in first person; Caleb's in third person), so we get a good idea of what was going in both Caleb and Livvie's head and how their feelings were constantly developing throughout the story. To me, that made it a lot easier to relate to Caleb; it showed that he wasn't just a monster after all. His past is what made him the man he's become today, but it's his present that keeps defining what kind of a person he is behind the dark facade...
"He was my tormentor and my solace; the creator of the dark and the light within."
And Livvie, I really admired her strength throughout the entire story. She was a survivor, who tried to stand up for herself as much as possible. And after a while she started to develop feelings towards her captor, but given the circumstances I think her feelings were perfectly understandable...Caleb was a master manipulator.
"Caleb was a strange person, cruel and inhuman; a monster, but at other times, he seemed so capable of something like caring. He made me cry and scream and shake with fear, and nearly a split second later he could make me almost believe he wasn't responsible for any of it."
The ending was both comforting and frustrating as hell, because it left me with a lot of questions and it made me want to read the second book right away!!! And after reading the first chapter of Seduced In The Dark, I already have even more questions...
4.5 DARKLY CAPTIVATING STARS!!!
(I'm giving this one 4.5 stars instead of 5 because I've heard that the second one is even better so there's still a little room for improvement...)
July 20, 2016
He was the monster that no one thought to look for in the light of day.....
And she....
She was the instrument of his revenge,
His way of reaching his mark.
His Kitten,
His captive in the dark.
Like a falcon,she needed the dark to understand who her master was.
----------------------------------------------------------
Caleb --
He was kidnapped very young and sold to slavery.He had to face things which will make hardened men shudder.
But he was a survivor.Somehow he survived till he was rescued.
And after that,he dedicated his life to vengeance.
Now,to be completely fair.....
I was not expecting a Prince Charming.And neither did I get one.
"You're not a damsel in distress and I'm not the handsome prince come to save you."
I was not expecting kindness or any other soft feelings in Caleb.They had long been beaten and raped out of him.
But that does not mean that I condone what he did.
Blind in his lust for vengeance,he was doing exactly what was done to him years ago......
There was only one obstacle remaining between him and vengeance.The last true test of his soullessness--
willfully stripping someone of their freedom.
But,what I liked was that somehow,by passing the last test of soullessness,he got something resembling his soul back.
Livvie --
There were many reasons for her being chosen.
Poor,beautiful,submissive,...and a survivor.
So she became Kitten.But this Kitten had claws.
"I hate you!" I roared. "I hate you, you horrible son of a bitch."
She tried to hate him.But we are strange creatures.Bereft of warmth and kindness,we seek it from any source we can.So did she.And she soaked it up when Caleb showered her with kindness.
Most of the story was written from her point of view.And the turmoil inside her was quite apparent.
He was my tormentor and my solace; the creator of the dark and the light within.
Yes.That he was.He was cruel and ruthless....a monster.And she feared him the most when he showed that there was some spark of humanity left inside the monster.
I abruptly feared his kindness more than his cruelty.
----------------------------------------------------------
Well,well,well,...now we reach the controversial part!!!
As we all know,this book is highly controversial.Most of my friends were enthralled by this book and a few were disgusted.
I was neither.
The reason I gave it 4 stars is because I appreciate the great execution and unique concept of this story.
I liked it.
Though I am feeling a bit peeved that it failed to evoke in me the strong feelings it did in others.
Anyway,here goes...
Warning- Minor spoilers ahead!!!
Caleb is cold,unfeeling,cruel,....monster? Will I call him a monster?
I do not know.Maybe.
Were the things he did justified because of his past?
No.Absolutely not.
Is he evil though?
I do not think so.Any evil person would have enjoyed the plight of Livvie.Would have enjoyed hurting Livvie.
Did he enjoy hurting her?
No.
She awakens in him a bit of humanity.She becomes to him more than an instrument.Still,he is willing to let her face a fate worse than death.Does that make it better or worse?
Again,I do not know.And I won't know till I read the next part of the duet.
Because I have to see what he decides.I have to see what he chooses.
That's all for now,Readers.
Ta-Ta!!
June 11, 2017
Whatever your little school-girl brain told you about men is absurdly wrong. This isn’t a romance. You’re not a damsel in distress and I’m not the handsome prince come to save you. You ran. I went to collect my property. End of story.
Caleb
Wow!! This was a Very Wicked Tasty Treat!! Sexy, Dark, and Erotic!!
He didn’t feel guilt very often and she seemed to have an uncanny ability to bring it out of him. The feeling was…alien, unpleasant, and aggravating as hell.
Unfortunately, Caleb is the bad guy in this love story. He's on a mission of revenge and an innocent love slave is to be his tool. She is beautiful and shy and he intends to abduct her.
This book isn't all black and white. There are a lot of grey areas. It will make you curse and wanna throw things!! This author does a wonderful job of making you dislike Caleb, but not so much that you can't pull for him to find redemption. I loved the alternating points of view from Caleb and from his Pet, Kitten.
He guessed she no longer thought he was cute. Good. Cute was for pussies...
He is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, that includes puppies, babies, rainbows, sunsets, and sunrises. I can’t even call him a man – men don’t look this good. His skin is beautifully tanned, as if the sun itself took the time to kiss his skin to perfection. His muscled forearms are dusted with the same golden hair of his head. And his eyes mimic the blue-green of the Caribbean Sea I’ve only seen on movie posters.
Kitten has been abducted by the most beautiful thing she has ever seen. How can something so perfect on the outside be so fucked up and dark on the inside. How can someone so wrong make her feel such intense lust!!! The chemistry between these two is INSANE!! Unfortunately, Caleb comes across a little insane, as he struggles with an internal battle. He begins to want something that he can never have!! What happens when a man becomes obsessed with his captive?
Only women were capable of being so fucking sexy you wanted to lick them clean when they considered themselves dirty.
I don't tend to like heroines that cry and or blush a lot. But I was able to tolerate Kitten because she was truly innocent. She was also beautiful enough to tempt men, but young and shy enough that she tried to hide it in order to avoid unwanted attention.
I can only recommend this book to lovers of Dark Erotica. This book involves violence, abduction, and rape. The subject matter revolves around human trafficking and the author represents it in a realistic manner. Caleb is no saint, but he definitely isn't the devil. The character development is believable and well thought out. I immensely enjoyed this book and could not wait to dive into the sequel!!
My Dark Duet Reviews:
Seduced in the Dark
Caleb
Wow!! This was a Very Wicked Tasty Treat!! Sexy, Dark, and Erotic!!
He didn’t feel guilt very often and she seemed to have an uncanny ability to bring it out of him. The feeling was…alien, unpleasant, and aggravating as hell.
Unfortunately, Caleb is the bad guy in this love story. He's on a mission of revenge and an innocent love slave is to be his tool. She is beautiful and shy and he intends to abduct her.
This book isn't all black and white. There are a lot of grey areas. It will make you curse and wanna throw things!! This author does a wonderful job of making you dislike Caleb, but not so much that you can't pull for him to find redemption. I loved the alternating points of view from Caleb and from his Pet, Kitten.
He guessed she no longer thought he was cute. Good. Cute was for pussies...
He is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, that includes puppies, babies, rainbows, sunsets, and sunrises. I can’t even call him a man – men don’t look this good. His skin is beautifully tanned, as if the sun itself took the time to kiss his skin to perfection. His muscled forearms are dusted with the same golden hair of his head. And his eyes mimic the blue-green of the Caribbean Sea I’ve only seen on movie posters.
Kitten has been abducted by the most beautiful thing she has ever seen. How can something so perfect on the outside be so fucked up and dark on the inside. How can someone so wrong make her feel such intense lust!!! The chemistry between these two is INSANE!! Unfortunately, Caleb comes across a little insane, as he struggles with an internal battle. He begins to want something that he can never have!! What happens when a man becomes obsessed with his captive?
Only women were capable of being so fucking sexy you wanted to lick them clean when they considered themselves dirty.
I don't tend to like heroines that cry and or blush a lot. But I was able to tolerate Kitten because she was truly innocent. She was also beautiful enough to tempt men, but young and shy enough that she tried to hide it in order to avoid unwanted attention.
I can only recommend this book to lovers of Dark Erotica. This book involves violence, abduction, and rape. The subject matter revolves around human trafficking and the author represents it in a realistic manner. Caleb is no saint, but he definitely isn't the devil. The character development is believable and well thought out. I immensely enjoyed this book and could not wait to dive into the sequel!!
My Dark Duet Reviews:
Seduced in the Dark
July 10, 2020
I think this story was amazing. Stockholm syndrome, love, seduction, whatever. Kitten and Caleb have a truly unique relationship. He is an anti-hero. Or an anti-villain? Something. I have read this series many times, and my thoughts change on it each time. This is totally cheesy, but I think fate brings people together, and hey, maybe this was fate's way of bringing them together. A horrific, traumatizing way of doing so - but we can't all have a The Notebook kind of relationship.
I don't think this "glorifies" the sex slave trade - if you've read it, it makes it look absolutely terrifying. It's a BOOK. It's FANTASY. Getting upset over what this book is about is like those people who are against Harry Potter because it glorifies the occult and Satanism. AKA, STUPID. Because YOU don't like it, it shouldn't be written? And therefore deserves to be bullied and censored? Who are these people, who feel they have the right to tell us all what we should, or shouldn't, be reading and writing? I didn't realize there were rules.
I think leaving a bad review because you didn't understand something, or because it's not your preferred genre, is completely unfair. If you don't like to read horror, would you go out and read Stephen King and then give him a one star and scathingly horrible review? What a silly waste of time.
Now, if you like Dark Taboo Erotica, and you just didn't care for the story or voice or writing style, then that is understandable. Except with this story, because all those things were perfect.
Read this book. Unless you don't like dark, twisted, mind-fuckery. Then don't read it. But you are missing out, because it's amazing. There were parts that made me cry. Parts that made my heart race. Parts that made it break completely. Parts that I read over and over again. Definitely a fave.
I don't think this "glorifies" the sex slave trade - if you've read it, it makes it look absolutely terrifying. It's a BOOK. It's FANTASY. Getting upset over what this book is about is like those people who are against Harry Potter because it glorifies the occult and Satanism. AKA, STUPID. Because YOU don't like it, it shouldn't be written? And therefore deserves to be bullied and censored? Who are these people, who feel they have the right to tell us all what we should, or shouldn't, be reading and writing? I didn't realize there were rules.
I think leaving a bad review because you didn't understand something, or because it's not your preferred genre, is completely unfair. If you don't like to read horror, would you go out and read Stephen King and then give him a one star and scathingly horrible review? What a silly waste of time.
Now, if you like Dark Taboo Erotica, and you just didn't care for the story or voice or writing style, then that is understandable. Except with this story, because all those things were perfect.
Read this book. Unless you don't like dark, twisted, mind-fuckery. Then don't read it. But you are missing out, because it's amazing. There were parts that made me cry. Parts that made my heart race. Parts that made it break completely. Parts that I read over and over again. Definitely a fave.
June 15, 2013
This book is darker than you believe...It is more emotional than any book I have read and made me feel things I didn't even know I could feel...
It made me look at things differently..
Caleb spent half his life in the pursuit of revenge.Revenge against what others have done to him..
He is a beautiful,broken man who has survived by the only way he knows..Putting up walls,following orders and shutting off the emotions. He sees in Livvie a part of him...
Looking for someone to love and belong to..
I feel for him when he realizes that Livvie and him are captive with no way out....
Olivia finds herself in the sexual chemistry between her and Caleb.. Locked up in her dark room he soon becomes not only her torturer but her savior!
As she is beaten into submission in order to play a role in someone else's harsh game of revenge...
I felt so horrible for Livvie at the moment she realizes there is no escape... :((
July 19, 2012
Adult review for dark/taboo erotic content
Livvie has been taken for reasons she doesn't understand. She is held and tortured in a dark room, given little to no information other than being told to obey if she wants to avoid further punishment. She is stripped bare to her very soul, left with nothing to cling to except for the shred of mercy that her abusive captor seems to display in very brief flashes.
How long does it take for one person to crack? How long does it take for an already exhausted human being to give in to the idea of staying a captive forever, rather than continuing to fight for their freedom? How long would it take for a person to find comfort in the arms of the one person who might be the end of them?
This is not a romance. This story is meant to make you think. Make NO mistake with the interpretation. Just because you may or may not find yourself feeling compassion for Caleb the broken anti-hero, this does not make the story a romance. This is dark & taboo erotica.
This book is MEANT to be a psychological mind-fuck. Period. If you pick up Captive in the Dark and find yourself disgusted enough to want to write a ranty review about how wrong everything is, you are probably missing the point of the book. I will write it again : This NOT a romance. Here, I'll even let the book text even spell it out for you...
What this book is :
Scary
Disturbing
Thought-provoking
Sensual in parts (whether or not you want to comply with where it goes)
What this book made me feel :
Sadness
Frustration
Confusion
Worry that I might want something I shouldn't
Are we allowed to root for Caleb and Livvie as a couple if this situation is completely wrong?
That's the beauty of books. Everyone gets to want what they want. Maybe you want to see Caleb get a bullet in his head for what he's done. Maybe you want to see Caleb and Livvie find understanding in each other. I think even the people who might be pulling for C&L to come together will be the first to admit that the situation is warped in every way. There is no way to romanticize what has happened.
Am I rooting for these two people to become a couple?
I'm not ready to figure out what I want to happen. Yet.
He was my tormentor and my solace, the creator of the dark and the light within.
Livvie has been taken for reasons she doesn't understand. She is held and tortured in a dark room, given little to no information other than being told to obey if she wants to avoid further punishment. She is stripped bare to her very soul, left with nothing to cling to except for the shred of mercy that her abusive captor seems to display in very brief flashes.
I needed to get out of here before I lost my mind.
How long does it take for one person to crack? How long does it take for an already exhausted human being to give in to the idea of staying a captive forever, rather than continuing to fight for their freedom? How long would it take for a person to find comfort in the arms of the one person who might be the end of them?
I let him. I was always seeking shelter in the people who hurt me the most. My mother. My father. Caleb. Like a battered dog begging for love from a malicious master. It was all I knew.
This is not a romance. This story is meant to make you think. Make NO mistake with the interpretation. Just because you may or may not find yourself feeling compassion for Caleb the broken anti-hero, this does not make the story a romance. This is dark & taboo erotica.
This book is MEANT to be a psychological mind-fuck. Period. If you pick up Captive in the Dark and find yourself disgusted enough to want to write a ranty review about how wrong everything is, you are probably missing the point of the book. I will write it again : This NOT a romance. Here, I'll even let the book text even spell it out for you...
"Whatever your little school-girl brain told you about men is absurdly wrong. This isn't a romance. You're not a damsel in distress and I'm not the handsome prince come to rescue you."
What this book is :
Scary
Disturbing
Thought-provoking
Sensual in parts (whether or not you want to comply with where it goes)
What this book made me feel :
Sadness
Frustration
Confusion
Worry that I might want something I shouldn't
Are we allowed to root for Caleb and Livvie as a couple if this situation is completely wrong?
That's the beauty of books. Everyone gets to want what they want. Maybe you want to see Caleb get a bullet in his head for what he's done. Maybe you want to see Caleb and Livvie find understanding in each other. I think even the people who might be pulling for C&L to come together will be the first to admit that the situation is warped in every way. There is no way to romanticize what has happened.
Am I rooting for these two people to become a couple?
I'm not ready to figure out what I want to happen. Yet.
June 12, 2016
"While I slept, he had made himself the master of my fate, and I could do nothing but allow it."
Holy smokes! What have I just read?
My reactions throughout the book:
Captive in the Dark surprised me to no end! It's one of those books that can make me pause for a while, contemplate and question myself if I'm still normal? Because it's the kind of book that I shouldn't love, but I did. It's dark, twisted, and full of fuckeries, and yet... I love it!
This book is not your typical romance book. It's not even about kidnap books that happen in some mushy, romantic movies. Nope. It's abduction with cruelty-- a book where a captor inflicts pain to his captive for the sake of escaping his traumatic past and sort of relieving his inner torment.
The story opens with an introduction of the main character Caleb who had a very complicated and painful past. He grew up with an absolute desire for revenge to someone whose influence and wealth are infinite. By operating a sex slave business, his mission to find connection to that someone and give revenge is already too close. Until he met the innocent and fragile Olivia, the perfect prospect for a sex slave, and things began to take place.
This book is quite disturbing but there's something powerful about it that captivated me from the first page up to the last. It might be because of Caleb. Because no matter how much I try to hate him for his twisted personality, I still found myself drawn to him. The empathy I felt for him is indescribable I thought I might be having Stockholm Syndrome. All throughout the book I basically wanted to read more and find out what made him do things like what he did to Olivia and what made him become a monster.
When it comes to Olivia, she is a perfectly imperfect character. I found her too soft in the beginning. I did not like the way she always react by crying and sobbing. She could do better than that. Thankfully, her character improved in the middle portion of the book and she became tough, unyielding, and admirable.
Despite how this book appeared to be disturbing, it was well-done. The way it was written by the author is impressive. The storyline and the plot were greatly executed. It's also fast-paced and totally compelling and there were also action and thrilling scenes that are bone-chilling. I also love the romance in this book. It's deep and stirring.
My emotions all throughout the book can't be explained. This novel is absolutely a masterpiece! I can't wait to find out what happens in the next book!
Rating: 5 Captivating Stars
Holy smokes! What have I just read?
My reactions throughout the book:
Captive in the Dark surprised me to no end! It's one of those books that can make me pause for a while, contemplate and question myself if I'm still normal? Because it's the kind of book that I shouldn't love, but I did. It's dark, twisted, and full of fuckeries, and yet... I love it!
This book is not your typical romance book. It's not even about kidnap books that happen in some mushy, romantic movies. Nope. It's abduction with cruelty-- a book where a captor inflicts pain to his captive for the sake of escaping his traumatic past and sort of relieving his inner torment.
The story opens with an introduction of the main character Caleb who had a very complicated and painful past. He grew up with an absolute desire for revenge to someone whose influence and wealth are infinite. By operating a sex slave business, his mission to find connection to that someone and give revenge is already too close. Until he met the innocent and fragile Olivia, the perfect prospect for a sex slave, and things began to take place.
This book is quite disturbing but there's something powerful about it that captivated me from the first page up to the last. It might be because of Caleb. Because no matter how much I try to hate him for his twisted personality, I still found myself drawn to him. The empathy I felt for him is indescribable I thought I might be having Stockholm Syndrome. All throughout the book I basically wanted to read more and find out what made him do things like what he did to Olivia and what made him become a monster.
When it comes to Olivia, she is a perfectly imperfect character. I found her too soft in the beginning. I did not like the way she always react by crying and sobbing. She could do better than that. Thankfully, her character improved in the middle portion of the book and she became tough, unyielding, and admirable.
Despite how this book appeared to be disturbing, it was well-done. The way it was written by the author is impressive. The storyline and the plot were greatly executed. It's also fast-paced and totally compelling and there were also action and thrilling scenes that are bone-chilling. I also love the romance in this book. It's deep and stirring.
My emotions all throughout the book can't be explained. This novel is absolutely a masterpiece! I can't wait to find out what happens in the next book!
Rating: 5 Captivating Stars
August 9, 2016
“This isn't a romance.
You're not a damsel in distress,
and I'm not the handsome prince come to save you.”
If you are looking for a good girl/ bad boy romance, this book is not for you; you've been warned. So please don't try to pin this on me if you ended up not enjoying it. I am not recommending this to anyone, read at your own risk. Here, i'm admitting it, this book is downright fucked up.
First of all, you need to decide if you want to look at it as Olivia's story or Caleb's story. It's written in first person, Olivia's POV, but we get to see Caleb's thoughts as well.
"There was only one obstacle
remaining between him and vengeance.
The last true test of his soullessness—willfully
stripping someone of their freedom."
Caleb was abducted from his home and sold into slavery when he was a child by a mobster. Later a man named Rafiq rescued him, now they are both hell bend on revenge on the same man. If Caleb is to get close enough to strike, he must become the very thing he abhors. His plan is to kidnap a beautiful poor girl, who no one will miss, and train her as a "pleasure" slave to get close to his target.
"The girl scrambled into his lap and buried her face in his shirt.
Against his chest, her frantic,
pleading sobs vibrated his entire body.
Was she using him as protection?"
As you may have guessed, Olivia starts to get Stockholm Syndrome. Keep in mind, this is the girl who's family doesn't even love her, she never had many friends, her life hadn't even started before she got sucked into Caleb's lala land. She starts feeling a connection with Caleb, and that was the saddest part of the story! I wanted her to run away, but at the same time i wanted her to stay. You are going through everything with her, at this point the book starts to mess with your mind. You can't even make up your mind about what's right, or what you are feeling. It's such a dark read!!
“Dealing with Caleb was all about perspective.
You couldn’t appreciate his kindness until you’d felt his cruelty.”
Do I love Caleb? Yasss!!! God, I know I shouldn't, but I do!! But that does not mean I didn't want to stab him in the face sometimes. I'm speechless.
You're not a damsel in distress,
and I'm not the handsome prince come to save you.”
If you are looking for a good girl/ bad boy romance, this book is not for you; you've been warned. So please don't try to pin this on me if you ended up not enjoying it. I am not recommending this to anyone, read at your own risk. Here, i'm admitting it, this book is downright fucked up.
First of all, you need to decide if you want to look at it as Olivia's story or Caleb's story. It's written in first person, Olivia's POV, but we get to see Caleb's thoughts as well.
"There was only one obstacle
remaining between him and vengeance.
The last true test of his soullessness—willfully
stripping someone of their freedom."
Caleb was abducted from his home and sold into slavery when he was a child by a mobster. Later a man named Rafiq rescued him, now they are both hell bend on revenge on the same man. If Caleb is to get close enough to strike, he must become the very thing he abhors. His plan is to kidnap a beautiful poor girl, who no one will miss, and train her as a "pleasure" slave to get close to his target.
"The girl scrambled into his lap and buried her face in his shirt.
Against his chest, her frantic,
pleading sobs vibrated his entire body.
Was she using him as protection?"
As you may have guessed, Olivia starts to get Stockholm Syndrome. Keep in mind, this is the girl who's family doesn't even love her, she never had many friends, her life hadn't even started before she got sucked into Caleb's lala land. She starts feeling a connection with Caleb, and that was the saddest part of the story! I wanted her to run away, but at the same time i wanted her to stay. You are going through everything with her, at this point the book starts to mess with your mind. You can't even make up your mind about what's right, or what you are feeling. It's such a dark read!!
“Dealing with Caleb was all about perspective.
You couldn’t appreciate his kindness until you’d felt his cruelty.”
Do I love Caleb? Yasss!!! God, I know I shouldn't, but I do!! But that does not mean I didn't want to stab him in the face sometimes. I'm speechless.
September 9, 2020
Okay so it is the longest review in the history😑
Contains in between 6,000-7,000 characters
IDK who will be interested to read the whole damn thing 😂
In my defense I was overwhelmed and needed to get it out of my system.So I wrote an essay yayy 🤐😑
( My teachers would be damn proud ,you bet huh 😂)
Part 1- September 07, 2020- THE REVIEW (the big guy)
Part 2- September 06, 2020- Little rant about finally starting the book
Part 3- September 03, 2020- The bigger rant -My History with the book
Update 7 September ,2020
Finally done with the book and I've a lot to say ❤
So here it goes-
"Just do me one favor and don’t...I don’t want to die slow.”
An hour have been passed I am like still shaking from reading chapter 12.
First I want to ask myself
"Girl !!! what took you so dang long?"
I don't understand why the book's Genre is Dark Romance I would say It's a Psychological Thriller and it is not even my genre but I loveeeeed it.
I'll categorise my review in four parts
1. Caleb
2. Olivia
3. Plot
4. Why do I want to read the rest of the series
**********I'll putting my whole perspective on Caleb out there so it might get little spoilerish , so you may want to ignore his part************
Caleb
Lets talk about my insecurity before stating my thoughts on Caleb
Before starting the book I thought I would symphatise or justify Caleb. That I would catch some sort of stockholm syndrome
But that wasn’t my case thankfully it was quite the opposite.
I should have know better.
Sugar coating crime doesn’t agree with me.
SUGAR COATING ABUSE IN THE NAME OF PLEASURE WITHOUT CONSENT OF THE OPPOSITE PARTY DOESN'T AGREE WITH ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No matter what the reason is Crime is Crime.
Just because someone had a horrible past that doesn’t justify he would give the same treatment to others.
Sorry I can't sympathise a psychopath.
Caleb ,He needs urgent treatment. He doesn’t even qualify as a mobster.
He is sick and in need of medication. The wires in his head had been broken long ago.
He had lost his consince. He is beyond repair.
But here is the twist and the page turner
Caleb has never been touched with loving hands.
My heart ached so bad because he was "Master Caleb" not a random "normal Caleb".
I wanted to love him
My heart wanted to love a man who probably never been touched other than from misters or mistresses or criminal out of lust or hatred .
To me Caleb is a Virgin in this way
And that's the mind fuckery of the book. There is a really thin silver lining between Master Caleb and the Lover Caleb. From the beginning till the very last of the book it is a constant battle of mind
that-
Do u want to HOLD his hand
or
Do u want to CUT his hand
Olivia
Unpopular opinion
to me She is the show stopper of the book.
I couldn't put down the book. I was just digging deep and deep because of her.
I momentarily forgot who am I. Suddenly I was seeing myself in Olivia's position .
I was Olivia.
IDK how to say it ; it felt like I was living the life of Olivia.
I was going through the torments with her. Her bravery, courage , calm amazed me .
She is soft yet strong
She is Kitten yet the Lioness
Plot
Straight out
It is about Human Trafficking and pleasure slavery
Triggers I found
●Rape and Attempt to rape
●All sort of Abuse
●Physical violation
P.S-If you have seen enough crime shows in your life I believe you will be able to endure it because all of my triggers and nightmares were there still I couldn't stop reading.
4.Why I'll be reading rest of the series
a) I am dying to know if there will be a Character development phase for Caleb ( is it even possible for someone like him)
For all I know Man could have been a serial killer 😑
b)Olivia ,What will happen to her ?Will she be rescued ? Will her family accept her?
c)Most importantly what happens to "them"
Is there even a them
or it is Just Master and His pet
So yeah without any doubt I am proceeding forward
Totally on board.
Note: Is it just me or the cover of the book is hideous 😂 and scary as **** not even exaggerating I even had a nightmare about the cover. I think first impression is the last impression and the cover really made me apprehensive about the book at the first place 😂
Update- 6 September, 2020 -Currently Reading
It is official!!!
It is happening!!!!
Finally I have stopped acting like a Chicken
And I have started the book already 30 Pages in 🤐
I'll keep y'all posted hopefully
03 September, 2020
"A brief history of Yeasmin Alo and Captivate in the Dark ft My Shenanigans"
(my advance apologizes to whoever going to endure my childish Rambling. I am sorry 😑 I am ashamed trust me )
So here it goes-
From Last 2 or 3 months I have been looking for Dark Romance.
From My research and from my friends recommendations I got to know about this book. So I added it to my TBR.
I also got to know It was one of the most intense Dark romance book out there and at that time I've not read any Dark books so I thought of taking a Rain check and start with another "Semi Dark " book before jumping into any "Intense Dark" stuffs.
That said Semi Dark book I hated it so much 😑😑
You may ask which book you are talking about ?
It is Three, Two, One 321
Lots of my friends liked it too. and I totally respect that and understood it might not be my "cup of tea"
It takes a lot for me to actually hate a book. So afterwards I thought If I couldn't digest Three, Two, One how am I going to read
this one . So I removed it from my TBR
Then L.J Shen happened. After reading all the taboo stuffs , heart breaks from L.J's books and Loving it soooooo much ,now I actually want to give this book a fair chance.
Not right now but
Soon ❤
I think it will be worth to take a risk. I also have never DNF any book 😅 so I would just do that if it gets too much that's what I am telling myself.
"DNF if you don't like it"
P.S- If I want to run for the hills after reading this then it is even better ☺ And I am Game . I could use some Cardio 😏.
Contains in between 6,000-7,000 characters
IDK who will be interested to read the whole damn thing 😂
In my defense I was overwhelmed and needed to get it out of my system.So I wrote an essay yayy 🤐😑
( My teachers would be damn proud ,you bet huh 😂)
Part 1- September 07, 2020- THE REVIEW (the big guy)
Part 2- September 06, 2020- Little rant about finally starting the book
Part 3- September 03, 2020- The bigger rant -My History with the book
Update 7 September ,2020
Finally done with the book and I've a lot to say ❤
So here it goes-
"Just do me one favor and don’t...I don’t want to die slow.”
An hour have been passed I am like still shaking from reading chapter 12.
First I want to ask myself
"Girl !!! what took you so dang long?"
I don't understand why the book's Genre is Dark Romance I would say It's a Psychological Thriller and it is not even my genre but I loveeeeed it.
I'll categorise my review in four parts
1. Caleb
2. Olivia
3. Plot
4. Why do I want to read the rest of the series
**********I'll putting my whole perspective on Caleb out there so it might get little spoilerish , so you may want to ignore his part************
Caleb
Lets talk about my insecurity before stating my thoughts on Caleb
Before starting the book I thought I would symphatise or justify Caleb. That I would catch some sort of stockholm syndrome
But that wasn’t my case thankfully it was quite the opposite.
I should have know better.
Sugar coating crime doesn’t agree with me.
SUGAR COATING ABUSE IN THE NAME OF PLEASURE WITHOUT CONSENT OF THE OPPOSITE PARTY DOESN'T AGREE WITH ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No matter what the reason is Crime is Crime.
Just because someone had a horrible past that doesn’t justify he would give the same treatment to others.
Sorry I can't sympathise a psychopath.
Caleb ,He needs urgent treatment. He doesn’t even qualify as a mobster.
He is sick and in need of medication. The wires in his head had been broken long ago.
He had lost his consince. He is beyond repair.
But here is the twist and the page turner
Caleb has never been touched with loving hands.
My heart ached so bad because he was "Master Caleb" not a random "normal Caleb".
I wanted to love him
My heart wanted to love a man who probably never been touched other than from misters or mistresses or criminal out of lust or hatred .
To me Caleb is a Virgin in this way
And that's the mind fuckery of the book. There is a really thin silver lining between Master Caleb and the Lover Caleb. From the beginning till the very last of the book it is a constant battle of mind
that-
Do u want to HOLD his hand
or
Do u want to CUT his hand
Olivia
Unpopular opinion
to me She is the show stopper of the book.
I couldn't put down the book. I was just digging deep and deep because of her.
I momentarily forgot who am I. Suddenly I was seeing myself in Olivia's position .
I was Olivia.
IDK how to say it ; it felt like I was living the life of Olivia.
I was going through the torments with her. Her bravery, courage , calm amazed me .
She is soft yet strong
She is Kitten yet the Lioness
Plot
Straight out
It is about Human Trafficking and pleasure slavery
Triggers I found
●Rape and Attempt to rape
●All sort of Abuse
●Physical violation
P.S-If you have seen enough crime shows in your life I believe you will be able to endure it because all of my triggers and nightmares were there still I couldn't stop reading.
4.Why I'll be reading rest of the series
a) I am dying to know if there will be a Character development phase for Caleb ( is it even possible for someone like him)
For all I know Man could have been a serial killer 😑
b)Olivia ,What will happen to her ?Will she be rescued ? Will her family accept her?
c)Most importantly what happens to "them"
Is there even a them
or it is Just Master and His pet
So yeah without any doubt I am proceeding forward
Totally on board.
Note: Is it just me or the cover of the book is hideous 😂 and scary as **** not even exaggerating I even had a nightmare about the cover. I think first impression is the last impression and the cover really made me apprehensive about the book at the first place 😂
Update- 6 September, 2020 -Currently Reading
It is official!!!
It is happening!!!!
Finally I have stopped acting like a Chicken
And I have started the book already 30 Pages in 🤐
I'll keep y'all posted hopefully
03 September, 2020
"A brief history of Yeasmin Alo and Captivate in the Dark ft My Shenanigans"
(my advance apologizes to whoever going to endure my childish Rambling. I am sorry 😑 I am ashamed trust me )
So here it goes-
From Last 2 or 3 months I have been looking for Dark Romance.
From My research and from my friends recommendations I got to know about this book. So I added it to my TBR.
I also got to know It was one of the most intense Dark romance book out there and at that time I've not read any Dark books so I thought of taking a Rain check and start with another "Semi Dark " book before jumping into any "Intense Dark" stuffs.
That said Semi Dark book I hated it so much 😑😑
You may ask which book you are talking about ?
It is Three, Two, One 321
Lots of my friends liked it too. and I totally respect that and understood it might not be my "cup of tea"
It takes a lot for me to actually hate a book. So afterwards I thought If I couldn't digest Three, Two, One how am I going to read
this one . So I removed it from my TBR
Then L.J Shen happened. After reading all the taboo stuffs , heart breaks from L.J's books and Loving it soooooo much ,now I actually want to give this book a fair chance.
Not right now but
Soon ❤
I think it will be worth to take a risk. I also have never DNF any book 😅 so I would just do that if it gets too much that's what I am telling myself.
"DNF if you don't like it"
P.S- If I want to run for the hills after reading this then it is even better ☺ And I am Game . I could use some Cardio 😏.
February 19, 2015
So because I was such a chicken shit and really only skim read this book before (first dark book) I've pulled my big girls granny undies up and am re reading this and the rest of this series since I'm all so grown up now!! lol
If you are after a book with romance, flowers and puppy dogs and rainbows move along!! This book isn't for you!! (Just saying)!!
Anyone who hasn't read this my first warning is: "Get ready for a huge mind fuck!" "Second warning run while you can, you don't have to read this!!"
This book is darker than dark it's pure evil but like those stupid females who walk towards danger in movies you just can't stop reading this book..Believe me I tried!!
Then here's where the mind fucking comes into play, "Kidnapping, rape, abuse" you name it this book has it, then I'm thinking well shit if I'm liking this book am I condoning all of the above..Holey crap!! See what I mean!!
BUT any ways I must be sick because I ended up really enjoying this book!! LOL
If you are after a book with romance, flowers and puppy dogs and rainbows move along!! This book isn't for you!! (Just saying)!!
Anyone who hasn't read this my first warning is: "Get ready for a huge mind fuck!" "Second warning run while you can, you don't have to read this!!"
This book is darker than dark it's pure evil but like those stupid females who walk towards danger in movies you just can't stop reading this book..Believe me I tried!!
Then here's where the mind fucking comes into play, "Kidnapping, rape, abuse" you name it this book has it, then I'm thinking well shit if I'm liking this book am I condoning all of the above..Holey crap!! See what I mean!!
BUT any ways I must be sick because I ended up really enjoying this book!! LOL
January 11, 2013
Okay. I need to breathe for a second. Sort out my thoughts. Try and figure out what to make of this jumble of emotions I am feeling right now...
5 Stars. It was sadistic.... it was traumatizing.... it was down right painful to read... But god, I loved it. Damn it all, I freakin loved this book.
My first thought after finishing up this gripping story: Is there something seriously wrong with me? Why would I actually enjoy reading this book? Why do I think this is now going straight to my "favorites" book shelf? Is my brain not working correctly? How could I possibly give this book 5 stars after seriously wanting to chuck my kindle across the room?.
Well, I don't know if there is something seriously wrong with me... All I know is that this book captivated me from the very beginning to very end.
He was the monster that no one thought to look for in the light of day. It was a common mistake. People often believed they were safer in the light, thinking monsters only came out at night. But safety - like light - is a facade. Underneath, the whole world is drenched in darkness.
Meet the gorgeous daylight monster, Caleb (Keleb, "Dog"). He didn't look like the type of man a girl should fear. In fact, to Livvie- he was salvation. He was the man she ran to when another was seeking to cause her harm. That's how she met Caleb. Running away from a stalking man and throwing herself into the arms of another. Throwing herself into what she didn't know at the time- was simply another predator.
Caleb new he needed a pretty American girl. They were were the most desirable and he needed the best if he was going to get to the man he was destined to kill- the man he had been waiting and trained to kill since he was just a young boy. He knew that this girl, Livvie, or as he likes to call her "Kitten" would be perfect for his needs.
He had chosen a beautiful submissive. And what was a submissive if not adaptable - if not a survivor?
Meet Livvie. Livvie has had a rough life. A mother that doesn't love her and insists that Livvie is a whore. A father that is no longer around and the memories that she does have are all hurtful. She has a number of brothers and sisters- she is seemingly not close to any of them. All she can do is try to survive, try to make her mother love her- try to prove to herself that she is not a whore.
That's when she's captured by the very man she has been fantasizing about since she ran into him. Believing that he was one of the good guys- only to find out he's from her very worst nightmare.
Yet is he?
Livvie seems to be two different people. She's strong and feisty yet at times she's shy and submissive. When she just can't take any more- she lashes out becoming more like a lion than the "kitten" name her captive has given her.
It would seem as if Livvie can't be broken- yet that's exactly what Caleb needs from her. He needs to break her down. He needs her to give into his every command. He needs her to do without question, to stop fighting him. But it's against her nature to allow herself to become this for him... Will she? Will she be what Caleb needs her to be?
Kitten and the Dog... How fitting are those names? They seem to go together dont they? But do they really? Are those two animals not opposites? Or do those two things belong together? They are both animals. Not humans. No no, not humans.
A dog can be trained to attack. A dog can be trained to kill under command. A dog can be viscous if not loved and cared for. Is this was Caleb has become? Has he become the name that his capture had given him?
Kittens... Small dainty little things.. Mewing when upset or hurt, purring when happy and content. Kittens are sweet, docile creatures. When faced against a dog- would they ever stand a chance? Sure they have nails- they can lash out. They can cause some harm, do a bit of damage- stand up for it's tiny self. But when it comes down to it... It's still just a small, innocent animal. In the end the kitten would lose the fight against the dog. Is this Livvie. Is she now exactly what her capture has named her... a Kitten.
That's Caleb and Livvie's relationship. Cat vs Dog.
The relationship between the two is obviously confusing. At the beginning Livvie runs to him for safety! Even after she's been captured by him- she still seeks his arms when other men threaten her. She wants Calebs arms wrapped around her.
There are times where Caleb does things to her that just make you want to jump into this book and strangle is psychotic ass... He does things that are humiliating, painful, and all around frightening.
There were times I felt like I was Livvie... I felt trapped, i couldnt move, I couldnt breathe, couldnt speak... Because if she did she would be punished and there was absolutely nothing she nor I could do about it... So, I did the only thing I could possibly do in this situation- I continued to read.
*******************************
My final thoughts
This book made me uncomfortable. It was dark, horrific, challenging, and dangerous. It was disgusting and disturbing. It pissed me off.
I don't like Caleb.
His past now dictates who he is- and that bothers me. He knows what he is doing to Livvie is going to break her soul. He knows this because he has experiences it. He knows what it's like to be humiliated time after time... To have your choices chosen FOR you. He knows what it's like to be beaten. He knows what it's like to be sold to man after man for sex. He knows all of this- has feelings for Livvie, yet he still plans on going through with selling her to the worst of them all?
I hate him.
I may go back and edit this review in a few days when I've had more time to process
5 Stars. It was sadistic.... it was traumatizing.... it was down right painful to read... But god, I loved it. Damn it all, I freakin loved this book.
My first thought after finishing up this gripping story: Is there something seriously wrong with me? Why would I actually enjoy reading this book? Why do I think this is now going straight to my "favorites" book shelf? Is my brain not working correctly? How could I possibly give this book 5 stars after seriously wanting to chuck my kindle across the room?.
Well, I don't know if there is something seriously wrong with me... All I know is that this book captivated me from the very beginning to very end.
He was the monster that no one thought to look for in the light of day. It was a common mistake. People often believed they were safer in the light, thinking monsters only came out at night. But safety - like light - is a facade. Underneath, the whole world is drenched in darkness.
Meet the gorgeous daylight monster, Caleb (Keleb, "Dog"). He didn't look like the type of man a girl should fear. In fact, to Livvie- he was salvation. He was the man she ran to when another was seeking to cause her harm. That's how she met Caleb. Running away from a stalking man and throwing herself into the arms of another. Throwing herself into what she didn't know at the time- was simply another predator.
Caleb new he needed a pretty American girl. They were were the most desirable and he needed the best if he was going to get to the man he was destined to kill- the man he had been waiting and trained to kill since he was just a young boy. He knew that this girl, Livvie, or as he likes to call her "Kitten" would be perfect for his needs.
He had chosen a beautiful submissive. And what was a submissive if not adaptable - if not a survivor?
Meet Livvie. Livvie has had a rough life. A mother that doesn't love her and insists that Livvie is a whore. A father that is no longer around and the memories that she does have are all hurtful. She has a number of brothers and sisters- she is seemingly not close to any of them. All she can do is try to survive, try to make her mother love her- try to prove to herself that she is not a whore.
That's when she's captured by the very man she has been fantasizing about since she ran into him. Believing that he was one of the good guys- only to find out he's from her very worst nightmare.
Yet is he?
Livvie seems to be two different people. She's strong and feisty yet at times she's shy and submissive. When she just can't take any more- she lashes out becoming more like a lion than the "kitten" name her captive has given her.
It would seem as if Livvie can't be broken- yet that's exactly what Caleb needs from her. He needs to break her down. He needs her to give into his every command. He needs her to do without question, to stop fighting him. But it's against her nature to allow herself to become this for him... Will she? Will she be what Caleb needs her to be?
Kitten and the Dog... How fitting are those names? They seem to go together dont they? But do they really? Are those two animals not opposites? Or do those two things belong together? They are both animals. Not humans. No no, not humans.
A dog can be trained to attack. A dog can be trained to kill under command. A dog can be viscous if not loved and cared for. Is this was Caleb has become? Has he become the name that his capture had given him?
Kittens... Small dainty little things.. Mewing when upset or hurt, purring when happy and content. Kittens are sweet, docile creatures. When faced against a dog- would they ever stand a chance? Sure they have nails- they can lash out. They can cause some harm, do a bit of damage- stand up for it's tiny self. But when it comes down to it... It's still just a small, innocent animal. In the end the kitten would lose the fight against the dog. Is this Livvie. Is she now exactly what her capture has named her... a Kitten.
That's Caleb and Livvie's relationship. Cat vs Dog.
The relationship between the two is obviously confusing. At the beginning Livvie runs to him for safety! Even after she's been captured by him- she still seeks his arms when other men threaten her. She wants Calebs arms wrapped around her.
There are times where Caleb does things to her that just make you want to jump into this book and strangle is psychotic ass... He does things that are humiliating, painful, and all around frightening.
There were times I felt like I was Livvie... I felt trapped, i couldnt move, I couldnt breathe, couldnt speak... Because if she did she would be punished and there was absolutely nothing she nor I could do about it... So, I did the only thing I could possibly do in this situation- I continued to read.
*******************************
My final thoughts
This book made me uncomfortable. It was dark, horrific, challenging, and dangerous. It was disgusting and disturbing. It pissed me off.
I don't like Caleb.
His past now dictates who he is- and that bothers me. He knows what he is doing to Livvie is going to break her soul. He knows this because he has experiences it. He knows what it's like to be humiliated time after time... To have your choices chosen FOR you. He knows what it's like to be beaten. He knows what it's like to be sold to man after man for sex. He knows all of this- has feelings for Livvie, yet he still plans on going through with selling her to the worst of them all?
I hate him.
I may go back and edit this review in a few days when I've had more time to process
January 31, 2022
Captive in the Dark (The Dark Duet #1)
By C.J. Roberts
My interview with C.J. Roberts
http://samsawesomness.blogspot.com/20...
Original Review 12-25-2011
I found this book while I was book shopping, and I was first attracted to the cover. I then read the blurb for the book, and while normally this is not a book I would ever choose to read, the subject matter being something I would run away screaming from, I found myself curious. I was curious how the author would pull this off. Could she make me like the hero? Could I really read this book?
I knew this would be a dark story. What I wasn’t prepared for is just how dark of a place this book would take me. This is the most raw, and gritty book I have ever read. C.J. Roberts absolutely put me to the test with this one. By the time I finished this book I was too mentally exhausted to react to the ending. There were a couple of times I wasn’t sure I could continue, but I just couldn’t bring myself to put it down. The author’s writing was fantastic! The story alternates from Olivia’s 1st person POV, which puts you directly in her mind, and what is physically happening to her. Then it switches to 3rd person when Caleb’s story is being told. I had no difficulty in following the story being written this way, and in fact I loved it. It was so emotionally draining being inside Olivia’s head, but it made me understand her thought process better and relate to her. Caleb’s side of things being told in the 3rd person was perfect, because he is not the kind of guy that’s going to bear his soul for me, and I got to learn all about his heartbreaking past.
I didn’t start out liking the hero at all, I wasn’t suppose to giving the circumstances. About halfway through, I still wasn’t so sure about him. So, did the author make me like the hero? YES she did! By the time Mrs. Roberts was finished with me, I wanted to hold Caleb and assure him everything would be okay. (Maybe I have a case of Stockholm syndrome, LOL!) Olivia and Caleb are damaged beyond repair, but I want to see them find happiness, and find a way out of the huge mess that surrounds them. Did I like this book? ABSOLUTELY!!
I didn’t touch on the plot because the blurb tells the reader what they need to know. The story / plot was excellent, there were times I was holding my breath and didn’t realize it until I exhaled. These are my thoughts and feelings, take from it what you will. If you are thinking of reading this book, open your mind, and prepare yourself to go on a very dark journey. I was disturbed by some of the things I read, and some of the events made my heart pound, but I don’t regret a single page. C.J. Roberts has a new fan, and I can hardly wait for book 2.
By C.J. Roberts
My interview with C.J. Roberts
http://samsawesomness.blogspot.com/20...
Original Review 12-25-2011
I found this book while I was book shopping, and I was first attracted to the cover. I then read the blurb for the book, and while normally this is not a book I would ever choose to read, the subject matter being something I would run away screaming from, I found myself curious. I was curious how the author would pull this off. Could she make me like the hero? Could I really read this book?
I knew this would be a dark story. What I wasn’t prepared for is just how dark of a place this book would take me. This is the most raw, and gritty book I have ever read. C.J. Roberts absolutely put me to the test with this one. By the time I finished this book I was too mentally exhausted to react to the ending. There were a couple of times I wasn’t sure I could continue, but I just couldn’t bring myself to put it down. The author’s writing was fantastic! The story alternates from Olivia’s 1st person POV, which puts you directly in her mind, and what is physically happening to her. Then it switches to 3rd person when Caleb’s story is being told. I had no difficulty in following the story being written this way, and in fact I loved it. It was so emotionally draining being inside Olivia’s head, but it made me understand her thought process better and relate to her. Caleb’s side of things being told in the 3rd person was perfect, because he is not the kind of guy that’s going to bear his soul for me, and I got to learn all about his heartbreaking past.
I didn’t start out liking the hero at all, I wasn’t suppose to giving the circumstances. About halfway through, I still wasn’t so sure about him. So, did the author make me like the hero? YES she did! By the time Mrs. Roberts was finished with me, I wanted to hold Caleb and assure him everything would be okay. (Maybe I have a case of Stockholm syndrome, LOL!) Olivia and Caleb are damaged beyond repair, but I want to see them find happiness, and find a way out of the huge mess that surrounds them. Did I like this book? ABSOLUTELY!!
I didn’t touch on the plot because the blurb tells the reader what they need to know. The story / plot was excellent, there were times I was holding my breath and didn’t realize it until I exhaled. These are my thoughts and feelings, take from it what you will. If you are thinking of reading this book, open your mind, and prepare yourself to go on a very dark journey. I was disturbed by some of the things I read, and some of the events made my heart pound, but I don’t regret a single page. C.J. Roberts has a new fan, and I can hardly wait for book 2.
August 21, 2020
4.5 Stars
He was my tormentor and my solace; the creator of dark and the light within. I didn’t care that he would undoubtedly hurt me at any moment…
Told in dual POV, both in 1st & 3rd person, it’s the first installment in "The Dark Duet" and it’s cliffy. At first, I couldn’t connect with Livvie’s character, I didn’t like her much but further in the story I saw her thoroughly. She was funny and shy but also fierce and brave. Oh, Caleb! What can I say about you! There were moments that I really hated him but it couldn’t take long more than a few seconds. I wanted to hate him but I couldn’t! Yes, he was an @sshole but he also was protective of her, so attentive toward her. Loved seeing him being at war with himself, there were moments of doubting himself, of not knowing his feelings, him being confused… This was my first read by this author and I really enjoyed it! The emotion this author made me feel… Overall, loved it and hope you enjoy it as well!
P.s I'd like to thank my dear friend, Sahar, for recommending this, you know how much I enjoyed it!
He was my tormentor and my solace; the creator of dark and the light within. I didn’t care that he would undoubtedly hurt me at any moment…
Told in dual POV, both in 1st & 3rd person, it’s the first installment in "The Dark Duet" and it’s cliffy. At first, I couldn’t connect with Livvie’s character, I didn’t like her much but further in the story I saw her thoroughly. She was funny and shy but also fierce and brave. Oh, Caleb! What can I say about you! There were moments that I really hated him but it couldn’t take long more than a few seconds. I wanted to hate him but I couldn’t! Yes, he was an @sshole but he also was protective of her, so attentive toward her. Loved seeing him being at war with himself, there were moments of doubting himself, of not knowing his feelings, him being confused… This was my first read by this author and I really enjoyed it! The emotion this author made me feel… Overall, loved it and hope you enjoy it as well!
P.s I'd like to thank my dear friend, Sahar, for recommending this, you know how much I enjoyed it!
February 9, 2013
Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.
You know what this book is about? Lemme tell you, so you can decide whether you want to read it or not.
What the fuck, guys, were your brains under artificially induced coma while reading this? That is a perfectly 5 star book for you? This is so sick and disturbing, I cannot even begin to comprehend how any rationally thinking human being could like this piece of shit and rate it 5 stars (and believe me, I can very well handle shitty writing and disgusting attempts of 'producing' a fairly selling book). And don't get started with the whole two-tormented-souls-trying-to-fight-their-pasts-and-reach-out-into-darkness-to-find-light nonsense because you just can't pull it off. There is no real story, no development, nobody gets wiser or a better person .
You know what? I intend to buy a paperback copy of this book, just so that I can immediately recycle it and make this world a better place.
You know what this book is about? Lemme tell you, so you can decide whether you want to read it or not.
What the fuck, guys, were your brains under artificially induced coma while reading this? That is a perfectly 5 star book for you? This is so sick and disturbing, I cannot even begin to comprehend how any rationally thinking human being could like this piece of shit and rate it 5 stars (and believe me, I can very well handle shitty writing and disgusting attempts of 'producing' a fairly selling book). And don't get started with the whole two-tormented-souls-trying-to-fight-their-pasts-and-reach-out-into-darkness-to-find-light nonsense because you just can't pull it off. There is no real story, no development, nobody gets wiser or a better person .
You know what? I intend to buy a paperback copy of this book, just so that I can immediately recycle it and make this world a better place.
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