Book Review: Captive in the Dark by CJ Roberts

Captive in the Dark (The Dark Duet #1)

by CJ Roberts

Release Date: July 20, 2011

Source: Amazon

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, 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.

I have been on such a dark romance kick lately and so many people have recommended this book to me. I was so intrigued by the idea of a woman falling for her captor, so I didn't hesitate to pick this book up! 

Caleb has one goal and one goal only: Revenge. Thanks to his past, he knows he has to find the perfect woman to achieve his goal. When he sees Olivia, he knows she's the one. When Olivia wakes up blindfolded and bound, she's terrified. But the more time she spends in the dark, the more she finds comfort in the voice and touch of the very man who put her there. How much of her will can she hold onto when it's her captor's only goal to break her? 

After finishing this book, it was really hard to put a finger on how I really felt about it. A majority of the book took place in the room Olivia was being kept in. While a lot happened, the fact that they were trapped in one place made it seem like not a lot was really even happening. I felt like I was waiting for something crazy and for Caleb's end goal to be reached when I was suddenly at the end of this book. I felt like I had spent the whole book waiting for something that I figured out wasn't even going to happen in this book. I was a little let down and annoyed because I wanted much more action and excitement to happen. 

Don't get me wrong, this was a super dark romance where Olivia was completely and utterly broken. A lot of the story was this mental struggle Olivia was facing and how she was trying to fight this strange attraction to Caleb. He was breaking her, but he was also the only one she felt like she could depend on. I loved that aspect of this story and felt so weird rooting for their relationship. I think the more we got to know Caleb, the more I understood him and actually liked his character. 

While I loved the premise and character evolution in this book, I was not a fan of that cliffhanger that promised the action I was waiting for in a second novel. If you are brave enough to dive into this dark romance with really complex characters, you should definitely get yourself a copy of Captive in the Dark.