21 Followers
25 Following
readingdiva

ReadingDiva's Blog

Captive

Captive - Brighton Walsh Originally posted @ ReadingDiva's Blog

REVIEW: Captive is the story of Madison Frost – a girl whose life isn’t as perfect as it may seem. Behind the doors of her big mansion lies the secret of alcoholism, shame, lies, sadness and love. While her life doesn’t change much Madison goes on just because she needs to make sure her mother stays alive. Madison’s story is one we can identify as poor rich girl has a lot of money, great social status but lives a life of lies and betrayal.

Madison is twenty years old but the responsibility that falls over her shoulders make her feel a lot older, she doesn’t remember the last time she smiled or was happy, her mother has forgotten about her and her father doesn’t seem to care either way. But in a matter of seconds her life changes, when she becomes a captive of a man who would change her life for the worse, while making it sure that the future turns into the best. This is a story of acceptance and second chances.

I enjoyed Madison’s story even though it doesn’t read as a new adult novel. Her maturity at times refreshing and other times questionable, it brings to mind that while life throws difficult situations sometimes all at once is it up to the individual to decide how these tasks are handled. When it comes to romance novels and romance between the captor and the captive I have to say I have seen it all. They don’t always become original work, at times it feels like they have all be executed by the same authors because of their similarities to one another, and as a reader of romance I can’t help but compare them to one another.

Captive isn’t the exception, I read Captive wanting to find originality but I was disappointed to see it was not the case. However, the story itself was nicely executed and it gave me what I expected to find from these characters. Madison falls victim of a vicious and calculating man whose only business is to make sure his victims pay for their deeds. He kidnap them, he makes money. He doesn’t care what happens to them, as long as they pay and the rest is just a consequence of the business. Madison doesn’t fall under the usual MO and Gage (Ghost) find himself wondering why he accepted to take the job in the first place all while knowing there is more to Madison Frost that meets the eye. He falls slowly, but he falls without knowing that he captor will become the captive.

The story develops slowly, not much action happens in the first 50 percent of the book, once Madison is kidnap her interaction with Ghost goes from being the victim to becoming his friend and confidant. Though I thought their relationship developed nicely and its foundation strong, I think it lacked emotion and a sense of belonging that I would’ve liked to see after creating a strong connection. Their attraction lacked intensity, but perhaps that’s exactly what the author intended, both characters were young though their “experiences” were supposed to add drama it didn’t really have the angst one would expect.

The author did a good job exploring Madison’s feelings, giving us a clear picture of her thoughts, her discoveries and her curiosity about the man she was getting so close to. I enjoyed how the author exposes Madison feelings without losing touch of her sensibilities and need for love. However, I think her character lacked the maturity one expect to find in an twenty year old woman whose responsibilities are far greater than many other of her age and social status. Her frailty and innocence gave Madison an air of damsel in distress that I don’t usually enjoy in romance novels. However, I enjoyed how she stood up for what she believed was right and how she let her mind and heart dictate what would work best for her.

I enjoyed Ghost, the criminal who stole Madison’s heart and that of the readers. He is complex, sensitive, intelligent and cunning. His ability to adjust and modify his actions as needed is what made me like him. The author explored and exposed his feelings beautifully without taking away the roughness and masculinity readers enjoy. His sense of connection to Madison was sweet and his ability to accept his attraction puts many other male characters to shame. His background gave the story the needed spark of drama to make their love story sweet. While I didn’t necessarily understand some of his action I came to enjoy his character more than I did Madison’s.

Overall, Captive is a nice romance novel that plays well with the characters feelings and desires. Exploring the dark side of money and the consequences of humans actions. It also explores the sensuality of a woman coming to age and her need to find the love that would fill the void left by her family. If you enjoy damsel in distress stories and criminals with a sense of justice this story is for you.