Title: Captive in the Dark
Author: CJ Roberts
Series: Dark Duet #1
Publication Date: July 20, 2011
Genre: Adult/ Dark Erotica/ Romance
Source: Bought
Description from Goodreads:
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, naive
and willful to a fault. She has a dark sensuality that cannot be hidden
or denied, though she tries to accomplish both. Although she is
frightened by the strong, sadistic, and arrogant man who holds her
prisoner, what keeps Olivia awake in the dark is her unwelcome
attraction to him.
WARNING: This book contains very disturbing situations, dubious consent, strong language, and graphic violence.
My Thoughts:
It is hard to write a book review for Captive in the Dark by CJ Roberts. I don't think that any book review can give justice on how amazingly dark Captive in the Dark is! I will try my best to give this book justice.
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.
Caleb's job is to find beautiful women with the instinct to survive and be submissive, so he can train them and sell them as sex slaves. He has a dark past, and the things he lived through and experienced is what created the man or "monster" he has become.
Destroying lives was something he was good at, this was no different, of course. Or was it?
Caleb is dark, perverse, controlling, and powerful. But under his powerful demeanor there is a damaged man with deeper emotions-ones that he has never experienced before. That is until he meets Livvie.
I followed all the rules in becoming invisible. I kept my head down, I walked fast, and I dressed sensibly. And still, my nightmare had found me again.
Livvie is an eighteen year old girl that just wants to be invisible to the rest of the world. She just wants to graduate, get a scholarship, and leave her messed up home- her mother is a prostitute, her father abandoned them, and she has too many siblings which she takes care of. Livvie never thought that the man, Caleb, who saved her would end up being her Captor.
I didn't know what to make of Caleb, at times so kind and gentle and at others, I feared him down to my soul.
Caleb was a strange person, cruel and inhuman; a monster, and yet, at other times, he seemed so capable of something like caring.
I tried to hate Caleb, because of the things he represented. He would kidnap women, hold them captive, and break them down (sometimes against there own will). Who can seriously care for a character like Caleb? CJ Roberts made me care for Caleb throughout the story. I just couldn't bring myself to hate him. I ended up loving his twisted dark side, and caring for his broken, damaged side. I loved reading from his POV, because it gives a deeper insight of what he went through in early life.
I never had to be brave. I settled for being invisible, the person behind the camera. How I wished I could be invisible now.
I also loved Livvies character. She might not think she is brave, but throughout the story she illustrates that she can survive all the things Caleb puts her through. She never stops fighting for her freedom.
Whatever the reason, he felt something for the girl, something he'd never felt before and couldn't put into words.
I obviously felt things for Caleb. Some feelings were clear, but others weren't.
Both Caleb and Livvie start developing deeper emotions towards each other. Livvie does not know what she feels for Caleb, because he has been tormenting her all the time she has been with him. But at times Caleb has shown her his "kinder" side.
At first, Caleb does not understand what he feels towards Livvie. He just knows that he wants to posses her, but he knows that this is not possible. Once he realizes that he has developed deep emotions towards Livvie, he knows that he must set a boundary between them.
I was not sure of buying this book, because it was way out of my comfort zone (at the time). But I do not regret buying and reading Captive in the Dark. CJ Roberts presents a disturbing topic (Human Trafficking), but creates an amazing story around it. Some people do not realize what human trafficking is, and that it exists in other parts of the world. But I loved that CJ Roberts was able to create an amazingly dark story, and presenting the reality of human trafficking.
CJ Roberts delivers an amazingly dark story in Captive in the Dark. Both Livvie and Caleb are damaged characters that I personally love and care for. The romance between them is both dark and twisted, and not even acknowledged by both of them.
I stayed up until 3 a.m. to finish Captive in the Dark. I was sucked into Caleb's world from the very first sentence. I was able to pull myself back into reality once I finished reading it at three in the morning. Captive in the Dark is just one of those books that you can finish reading, but not stop thinking about it for weeks.
Final Verdict: 5 Stars
Favorite Quotes:
I was trapped. I was nearly naked. Weak. Scared. I was his.
The intensity with which he stared at me bordered on obscene. What was he doing to me in his mind?
Apparently not. Somehow I'd still managed to go all retarded at the sight of some handsome asshole with a nice smile.
The kiss was violent, possessive, meant to lay waste to that comment right where it lay. There was no tongue; he was to smart for that, just the hard press of his full lips against mine. It was over before I had a chance to react.
I never realized how the inability to account for time could wreak havoc on ones grasp of reality. It was easy to get lost in the endless dark and passing hours.
It had become natural for me to seek shelter in his arms, even if he had just used them to hold me down to spank me.
He was my tormentor and my solace; the creator of the dark and the light within.
About the Author:
CJ Roberts is an independent
writer. She favors dark and erotic stories with taboo twists and her
work has been called both sexy and disturbing in the same sentence.
She
was born and raised in Southern California. Following high school, she
joined the U.S. Air Force in 1998, served ten years and traveled the
world. Her favorite part of traveling is seeking out the seedy
underbelly of the city.
She is married to an amazing and talented man who never stops impressing her; they have one beautiful daughter.
Her
debut novel, Captive in the Dark (The Dark Duet, Book 1), is available
in ebook and paperback. And will be followed up with Seduced in the Dark
(The Dark Duet, Book 2) in September of 2012.
She writes short stories under the name Jennifer Roberts
Where to find CJ Roberts:
Where to Buy Captive in the Dark:
Giveaway!!!
Win 1 of 3 kindle e-copies of Captive in the Dark by CJ Roberts (Internationally)
Win 1 paperback copy of Captive in the Dark by CJ Roberts (US Only)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
