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The Dark Duet #2
Seduced in the Dark
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Romance (2012)BOOK TWO OF THE DARK DUET
The exciting, titillating, and action-filled conclusion to Captive in the Dark.
What is the price of redemption?
Rescued from sexual slavery by a mysterious Pakistani officer, Caleb carries the weight of a debt that must be paid in blood.
The road has been long and fraught with uncertainty, but for Caleb and Livvie, it’s all coming to an end.
Can he surrender the woman he loves for the sake of vengeance?
Or will he make the ultimate sacrifice?
Quote:
It seemed to Caleb, the nature of human beings revolved around one empirical truth: we want what we cannot have. For Eve, it was the fruit of the forbidden tree. For Caleb, it was Livvie.
The exciting, titillating, and action-filled conclusion to Captive in the Dark.
What is the price of redemption?
Rescued from sexual slavery by a mysterious Pakistani officer, Caleb carries the weight of a debt that must be paid in blood.
The road has been long and fraught with uncertainty, but for Caleb and Livvie, it’s all coming to an end.
Can he surrender the woman he loves for the sake of vengeance?
Or will he make the ultimate sacrifice?
Quote:
It seemed to Caleb, the nature of human beings revolved around one empirical truth: we want what we cannot have. For Eve, it was the fruit of the forbidden tree. For Caleb, it was Livvie.
505 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 30, 2012
About the author
C.J. Roberts
12 books8,733 followersCJ Roberts is an independent writer. She favors dark and erotic stories with taboo twists. Her work has been called sexy and disturbing in the same sentence.
Her debut novel, CAPTIVE IN THE DARK, has sold over 150,000 copies and is the first of three books in her bestselling and award winning series DARK DUET.
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.
She writes short stories under the name Jennifer Roberts (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...)
For more information, please visit the following:
Website: http://aboutcjroberts.com/index.php/b...
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCJRoberts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/AuthorCJRoberts
Her debut novel, CAPTIVE IN THE DARK, has sold over 150,000 copies and is the first of three books in her bestselling and award winning series DARK DUET.
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.
She writes short stories under the name Jennifer Roberts (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...)
For more information, please visit the following:
Website: http://aboutcjroberts.com/index.php/b...
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCJRoberts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/AuthorCJRoberts
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August 31, 2012EDIT AUGUST 31, 2012:
Book comes out at 12:01 EST and I just wanted to say, one more time: THANK YOU ALL FOR THE MOST AMAZING YEAR!
To my Kickstarter contributors who funded me while I wrote this book - I won't forget you and you are immortal in your special edition copies. Thank you so much for respecting my wishes and holding off on your reviews until official release. Thank you for not spoiling this story. And thank you...for being the most amazing fans - ever.
------------------------------------------------------------------------A note for those of you waiting for the sequel, Seduced in the Dark, BEFORE you read Captive in the Dark: I meant for you to have a break between these two books. I honestly feel that reading them back to back will detract from the experience. The book begins 4 months after the last one and if you haven't had time in between, I think the new tone of the book will throw you off a bit. I don't know for sure, but that's my 'author' input. I didn't split these books up because I wanted to leave you hanging, I did it, so I could leave you breathless.
Book comes out at 12:01 EST and I just wanted to say, one more time: THANK YOU ALL FOR THE MOST AMAZING YEAR!
To my Kickstarter contributors who funded me while I wrote this book - I won't forget you and you are immortal in your special edition copies. Thank you so much for respecting my wishes and holding off on your reviews until official release. Thank you for not spoiling this story. And thank you...for being the most amazing fans - ever.
------------------------------------------------------------------------A note for those of you waiting for the sequel, Seduced in the Dark, BEFORE you read Captive in the Dark: I meant for you to have a break between these two books. I honestly feel that reading them back to back will detract from the experience. The book begins 4 months after the last one and if you haven't had time in between, I think the new tone of the book will throw you off a bit. I don't know for sure, but that's my 'author' input. I didn't split these books up because I wanted to leave you hanging, I did it, so I could leave you breathless.
April 3, 2013
5 DARK, EMOTIONALLY MINDFUCKING STARS!!!!!!
“Some stories aren’t black and white…”
W.O.W. This series blew me away. I can barely process thought after reading this book.
CJ Roberts has written an outstanding novel with a twisted and yet beautiful love story, multi-layered, complex characters that will test the boundaries of your heart and mind, a plot that will captivate and disturb you but at the same time leave you unable to turn away, and a raw, gritty, brutal world of betrayal, revenge, honor, lust, and love. It seduced me and it sickened me. I felt emotionally drained, utterly mindfucked and yet, ultimately, somehow completely at peace. Definitely one of my top favorite reads of the year.
This book is INTENSE!! It is raw, deeply disturbing and dark, and yet strangely heart warming despite my reading most of it with my heart lodged firmly in my throat. This book stripped my emotions bare. My heart ached to the point of physical pain, and my mind was toyed with to the point where I could barely trust anything I was thinking.
It is a sweeping, epic, emotional rollercoaster full of unexpected twists and turns. This is a book about the world of sex-trafficking – there are instances of abuse, rape, slavery, BDSM (for real though – no safe word, no consent, no way out). There is no way to sugar-coat that and the author never shies away from telling it exactly how it is. In many ways, I found what happened in this book more disturbing than the first one. Sometimes I would just sit there with my hand over my mouth after scenes going ‘Oh. My. God. Did I really just read that?!” …. and yet at the same time this book opened my heart and mind to things I never thought I could possibly accept.
This book starts off four months after the end of book 1, Captive in the Dark. I won’t say anything about the plot because honestly, anything I say would spoil WAY too much. Suffice it to say, that I LOVED the ending. That alone, should tell you all you need to know about it This book has lots of perspectives and lots of timelines but primarily, we have a dual story line told through a mix of memories that fill in the blanks of events in the past 4 months, as well as a present day story line. And, just like with book 1, we have both Livvie and Caleb’s POVs as well as a new one I’ll let you find out about on your own.
The story builds. And I mean, it BUILDS. Towards the final 75% I honestly felt like I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. I just sat there with tears in my eyes watching all the pieces of this intricate, horrific, heart wrenching story come together. By the end, I was pretty much just sobbing uncontrollably. It was the perfect ending. My heart felt battered and bruised but I was just so incredibly happy.
Livvie had grown a lot in this book. I loved her in book 1, but she blew me away in book 2. Her inner strength and the depth of her understanding and compassion was absolutely beautiful. Her uncrushable spirit was what got me through reading some of the darker scenes. She saw Caleb for who he really was. And she knew what she really felt for him. She saw the man behind the monster and was perceptive, forgiving and caring enough to understand why he was the way he was.
“I wanted Caleb. I knew it was stupid. I knew he was a terrible person, who’d done terrible things. I knew he didn’t deserve me or my love. I didn’t care. During the course of our time together, I’d fall in love with my captor. I ‘d fallen in love with his smell and his taste; his smile, kindness, and yes, even his cruelty because I knew it was a part of him.
I wanted him to know. I wanted him to know everything and I wanted it to mean something to him. I wanted him to choose me and accept me. I wanted him to leave everything behind and love me.”
Caleb, Caleb, Caleb… the “monster with a heart of gold” … He is pretty much the epitome of a conflicted, deeply tortured character with possibly one of THE most horrific and heart breaking back stories I’ve ever read. He was cruel, but yet kind; brutal, and yet caring… and his journey was him finding out which side of him was more dominant – the man inside, or the monster he showed the world?
“He had told her he wasn’t her Prince Charming, but what he hasn’t said, was he wished he could be. Once upon a time, he may have been… normal. Before he had been stolen, before the beatings and the rapes and the killing – he could have been something different than what he was.”
“He didn’t like the feelings running through him…. trying to find the exact moment in which he’d lost control and fallen under the spell of the woman who was supposed to be his captive.”
There were many, MANY times when I questioned whether or not anything he could ever do could possibly redeem him in my eyes. There were times I hated him, utterly and completely, with every fiber of my being. But then his tenderness would hit my heart so deep, I knew I just couldn’t stop myself from loving him.
His journey in this book was heart breaking as he struggled between being true to his heart and being true to the intense loyalty he felt for the man that raised him. I got caught up in his struggle – at times I wanted to believe in him and he made me fall in love with his humanity – with the tender, caring, side of him that he couldn't hide from Livvie despite his best efforts, but then the harsh, brutal switch from that to cold hearted trainer would rip my heart out and I’d spiral back into confusion, betrayal and uncertainty.
Its hard because you find yourself genuinely, honestly, full-heartedly sympathizing with someone involved in human trafficking and murder. But at the same time, you have to consider that he too was violated, for years. It was what he grew up with and the only world he knew. Nothing of what he does is out of outright cruelty. But the tricky part is that that isn’t a justification, but it still makes you question everything you are feeling. Its very thought provoking. Can there ever be redemption for violation? There is no black and white answer.
“Every time I think you’re coming around, every time I let myself hope, you crush me. You rip everything out! Sometimes I think I fucking hate you. Sometimes I know I hate you. And Still! Still, Caleb – I love you. I put my faith in you. I believe you when you say its going to be alright.”
“Live for me, Kitten. Be all those things you’d never be with me. Go to school. Meet a normal boy and fall in love. Forget me.” *SOB*
There were times when I’d swoon over how much I wanted them to find a way out of their horrible situation and just end up happily together, and then at other times, the reality of their world, of what was actually happening would just jolt into me and make me sick to my stomach. And yet… against every piece of sane judgement in my mind, I desperately, with all my freaking heart, wanted them to be together.
CJ Roberts is an absolutely BRILLIANT and phenomenally talented author. Her words just seep into your soul dragging you right into the story. They make you question everything you thought you were sure about and leave hungry for more. The writing style is captivating and enthralling, and the flow of the story is perfect. It opened my mind more than any book I’ve ever read and I know this is one of those stories that has left a mark on my heart and will not be forgotten.
If you can maintain an open mind, this is one of THOSE amazing series that will stay with you long after you close the pages of the book.
This is absolutely NOT a stand-alone. YOU MUST READ BOOK 1,Captive in the Dark, FIRST!!!!
CASTING (See above)
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September 4, 2012
BEST.FUCKING.BOOK.EVER !!!!
Firstly , before I get on with this review , CJ love this is for you
Oh my dear lord , I am out of words to describe what an amazing book this has turned out to be . Honestly speaking and no offense to reviewers who have reviewed it words cannot comply or even describe or make you realize how good this book is . I mean , no matter what I write here or what you've already read about it can in no way make you experience the intensity of this story . Its up to you pick it up , strap yourself and be lost in what I call a journey of a lifetime .
Once upon a time, Caleb held me captive in the dark, now he used it to seduce me.
Seduced in the Dark was one of my most anticipated reads of the year . With the kind of cliff hanger we were left with in Captive in the Dark , I was dying to find out what was in store for Caleb and Livvie and boy oh boy was I choking with all sorts of emotions when I finished reading it . 2 hours ago , yep , I finished this book 2 hours ago and couldn't bring myself to write a review and express my thoughts on this book . All I could do was stare at my laptop and find the right kinds of words that would do justice to this story .
Sticking to the idea that most of my friends and reviewers have followed , I will not get into the details of this story . Why ? Because its just impossible to talk about this book and the various feelings that it invokes in you without giving away any spoilers . Like I've mentioned before there is no way a reader is going to understand the evolution , the emotions , the TRUTH of these characters till they've got a taste of it on their own .
CJ has a unique storytelling technique that keeps you involved in the story and the different scenarios as they keep playing out . I like deducing and predicting the next moves of the story or the characters but with CJ and her uniqueness , there was no way in hell that I could guess anything correctly . One minute I found myself smiling and the next I was trying to control the tears that were prickling on the edges of my eyes . I agree , I cried . There was no way I couldn't . It made me think of the twisted world we live in , where humanity has lost its meaning . In a world where power and money are the only language spoken . I also realized Love has many forms and different colors . And that it means different things to different people . Some of it may not seem right to us , but it may be the only thing for those who see it that way .
Caleb's past had me reeling and I wanted to hug him and tell him things would be okay . As for Livvie , that girl never ceases to amaze me . She was just amazing . Even after everything that she was going through her love for Caleb stood strong . There were times I wanted to throttle Caleb for treating her wrong , but I couldn't bring myself to hate him ... Oh god , I'm border lining 'spoilers'ville here so I better shut up .
Seduced in the Dark , a heart wrenching , compelling , erotically beautiful and seducing read will leave you marked forever and Caleb and Livvie's journey will remain in the hearts of the readers for years to come .
5 stars is just soooo not happening for this book . Infinite stars to this one from , its definitely a MUST READ !
CJ Roberts , for such an amazing story :
November 14, 2018
“She kisses my scars and I create new ones for her.”
CJ Roberts has done it again and captivated my senses in her second book of the dark duet series, I just loved this book so much it was such wild ride , I loved the first book but this one damn it’s so much better, i can’t believe what did i just read i’m mind-blown right now the story keeps getting better and better.
The writting was so good i know i'm not giving you what the book is all about but i think i need some time to wrap my mind about what happened.
CJ Roberts has done it again and captivated my senses in her second book of the dark duet series, I just loved this book so much it was such wild ride , I loved the first book but this one damn it’s so much better, i can’t believe what did i just read i’m mind-blown right now the story keeps getting better and better.
The writting was so good i know i'm not giving you what the book is all about but i think i need some time to wrap my mind about what happened.
February 10, 2013
"Once upon a time, Caleb held me captive in the dark, now he used it to seduce me."
And the story of Caleb and Livvie continues...
Again, it's a very intense, dark, powerful and highly captivating story that constantly kept me on the edge of my seat while reading it. To be honest, this book probably wasn't that good for my mental health...the last few chapters got me so worked up and I was so anxious to finish it that I nearly felt like crying if I didn't find out soon how the story ended... but after all, I was soooo happy I stuck through with it because Seduced in the Dark truly is one of the best books I've ever read...
WARNING: this review might contain spoilers for those who haven't read part one of the Dark Duet series yet...
The Story
At the end of Captive in the Dark we learn that Caleb has informed Livvie of his plan to train her and sell her as a pleasure slave to his biggest enemy Demitri Balk (aka Vladek Rostrovich). But we also found out that Caleb and Livvie are starting to have feelings for each other...feelings that they can't simply seem to ignore. The question now is, what will prevail to Caleb? His lifelong quest for revenge and his debt to Rafiq, the man who once saved his life or his newfound happiness in being with Livvie, the girl that has made him see there might be more to life than the sole purpose of revenge...
"He had told her he wasn't her Prince Charming, but what he hadn't said, was he wished he could be."
To tell you much more about the story would be spoiling to much. Therefore I would advice you to just experience it for yourself... Just like in the first part of the series, there are some very twisted, mind-boggling scenes in Seduced in the Dark but in the end, it all makes perfect sense as to why everything happened the way it did...
Caleb
A tortured soul...
A monster with a heart of gold...
Monsters aren't born the way they are, they are made into it by the circumstances they're given...
Caleb, Caleb, Caleb... One moment I hated him, the next I loved him, after that I hated him again, then he did something that me love him again... Seems very messed up, I know... But that was exactly the kind of character he was. Twisted, dark and constantly changing his mind. It was hard, trying to understand why he handled things the way he did... At times he really infuriated the hell out of me; for example .
"I've been doing this a long time - manipulating people to get my way. That's why you think you love me. Because I've broken you down and built you back up to believe it. It wasn't an accident. Once you leave this behind...you'll see that."
Caleb himself thinks he's a monster, incapable of loving or receiving love from anyone. But slowly he begins to realize that maybe underneath it all, he's still a person capable of having the exact same feelings everyone else has. And Livvie is the one who finally makes him see the world he's been living in, in a different perspective.
Livvie
"My name is Kitten and my master is gone. What could possibly be more important?"
Livvie has really changed over the past few months... After being held captive for so long and after going through so many horrible events "the naïve girl in her had been bitch-slapped into womanhood". When we first meet her in Seduced in the Dark, Caleb and Livvie have been separated from each other and Livvie is being held under custody by the FBI. There, Agent Reed and Dr. Sloan (two new interesting side characters) are trying to put the pieces back to together of what happened to Livvie while was being held by Caleb.
Agent Reed and Dr. Sloan are constantly questioning her about every little detail she remembers from her time with Caleb and for that she has to live through all her memories. Memories of Caleb that remind her of the fact she may never see him again... Since the first time we've gotten to know Livvie, she has also gotten a much more snarky attitude and I really loved that about her.
"For the love of Christ, shut - up! Let a bitch enjoy her mental breakdown in peace."
Livvie has been through so much, she's been broken down into a million pieces, but still she manages to stay strong through it all... Just like in Captive in the Dark I highly admired her strength and her power to resist and stand up for herself in so many ways. I found myself constantly hoping she would finally get the happy ending she was so desperately hoping for...
"I love you, Caleb. I love you! If you care for me at all...please, don't do this! Please don't leave me. I don't know how to live without you. Don't make me go back to trying to be someone I don't know how to be anymore."
**
"Live for me, Kitten. Be all those things you'd never be with me. Go to school. Meet a normal boy and fall in love. Forget me."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The author, CJ Roberts, has really done a magnificent job at creating this unique and powerful series with a very thought provoking content. She makes you go through all the emotions Caleb and Livvie go through and I really became a fan of her captivating writing style. I already know I'm looking forward to reading much more of her work in the future!!!!
"It was ironic, because at first, I hated the dark. I had spent so much time those first few weeks of my captivity, craving the sun and the light on my face. Suddenly, it seemed the opposite. In the dark, my master let down his guard and he was Caleb again. He didn't correct me. He didn't punish me. He didn't push me away emotionally. Caleb was there to hold me until the nightmares passed. He was there to tell me I was beautiful. He was there to tell me I was going to be okay. In the dark, he seduced me. I didn't want the seduction to end."
*****
To everyone who hasn't read the Dark Duet series yet, I would say: give it a try!!!
You might feel like the story is getting too much and you might want to stop reading it altogether, but thrust me: It'll be worth it...
And to truly understand why everyone keeps raving about this book so much, you have to read it till the very last page...
ENJOY!!!
September 1, 2012
‘If it be thus to dream, still let me sleep’ – William Shakespeare
At long last, the much anticipated second instalment of the Dark Duet and if you thought Captive in the Dark took your breath away, then Seduced in the Dark will stop your heart.
It’s such an incredible story with so many unexpected, unforeseen twists that even up until the last few pages, I couldn’t see how it would end. There’s such great depth to the story that you just don’t find very often in a lot of sex-slavery style novels – it’s intricately woven and shocking and stopped me in my tracks. Everything got dropped – the need to finish this novel, to find out how it could possibly end was just all consuming.
I’d read CJ Roberts saying somewhere that these 2 books were designed to be read with a break in between so, with that in mind, I didn’t reread Captive and went straight into this one. The story is told in 2 different timelines and alternating POV’s. It’s a little confusing to begin with but the story is so dynamic, you’re soon sucked in and it may start out slowly but it gathers pace like a runaway train.
We start with Olivia incarcerated in the present in a mental institution being interrogated by the FBI, by an agent with his own dark sexual proclivities, sometime after the events of the book and also the story is told in retrospect as we pick up Olivia and Caleb where we left them at the end of Captive.
At the start of this book, Olivia is a lifetime away from the person she was at the beginning of Captive – she’s been bitchslapped into womanhood by her experiences. Caleb, despite his feelings for Olivia, is still consumed by his burning desire for revenge. He’s extremely conflicted, giving Olivia constantly mixed messages – sometimes he is just her Master but, in the dark, he is Caleb and he cares deeply for her. Caleb is a man who has been razed by pain, grief and suffering and honed into what he is by lust, rage and the need to survive. He may be a monster but monsters are made not born and he is the sum total of his lifetime of awful experiences but does the cruelty done to him justify the cruelty he deals out?
Despite her injuries, Caleb continues with Olivia’s sex-slave training but he’s inconsistent despite his burning need for vengeance and he’s also training Olivia to pick and choose her battles – to accept the ones she can’t win and to fight the ones she can. She has grown up so fast, has a backbone of steel and an undeniable spirit and she knows she loves Caleb with her heart of hearts – she doesn’t believe for a second that Caleb has broken her down and built her back up to believe she loves him. Caleb denies this – for a long time, vengeance seems to be the only thing he can understand and he tries to convince Olivia that she doesn’t really love him.
To go further into this would just spoil the plot and it’s such an amazing story, you just have to experience it and run the gamut of emotions for yourself. It’s such a rush of anguish, despair, hope and love. Of course, as this is a sex-slavery story, there’s scenes of abuse and non-consensual sexual acts so be aware of this before you embark on this and this book absolutely does not stand alone. You MUST read Captive in the Dark first.
This is going to be a very hard act to follow both for me as a reader and for CJ Roberts as an author and I feel a book hangover coming on already but I do look forward to whatever her deviant, twisted, brilliant mind can come up with next.
5 stars exemplary dark erotica
For more of my reviews, please visit my Sinfully Sexy Book Blog
At long last, the much anticipated second instalment of the Dark Duet and if you thought Captive in the Dark took your breath away, then Seduced in the Dark will stop your heart.
It’s such an incredible story with so many unexpected, unforeseen twists that even up until the last few pages, I couldn’t see how it would end. There’s such great depth to the story that you just don’t find very often in a lot of sex-slavery style novels – it’s intricately woven and shocking and stopped me in my tracks. Everything got dropped – the need to finish this novel, to find out how it could possibly end was just all consuming.
I’d read CJ Roberts saying somewhere that these 2 books were designed to be read with a break in between so, with that in mind, I didn’t reread Captive and went straight into this one. The story is told in 2 different timelines and alternating POV’s. It’s a little confusing to begin with but the story is so dynamic, you’re soon sucked in and it may start out slowly but it gathers pace like a runaway train.
We start with Olivia incarcerated in the present in a mental institution being interrogated by the FBI, by an agent with his own dark sexual proclivities, sometime after the events of the book and also the story is told in retrospect as we pick up Olivia and Caleb where we left them at the end of Captive.
At the start of this book, Olivia is a lifetime away from the person she was at the beginning of Captive – she’s been bitchslapped into womanhood by her experiences. Caleb, despite his feelings for Olivia, is still consumed by his burning desire for revenge. He’s extremely conflicted, giving Olivia constantly mixed messages – sometimes he is just her Master but, in the dark, he is Caleb and he cares deeply for her. Caleb is a man who has been razed by pain, grief and suffering and honed into what he is by lust, rage and the need to survive. He may be a monster but monsters are made not born and he is the sum total of his lifetime of awful experiences but does the cruelty done to him justify the cruelty he deals out?
Despite her injuries, Caleb continues with Olivia’s sex-slave training but he’s inconsistent despite his burning need for vengeance and he’s also training Olivia to pick and choose her battles – to accept the ones she can’t win and to fight the ones she can. She has grown up so fast, has a backbone of steel and an undeniable spirit and she knows she loves Caleb with her heart of hearts – she doesn’t believe for a second that Caleb has broken her down and built her back up to believe she loves him. Caleb denies this – for a long time, vengeance seems to be the only thing he can understand and he tries to convince Olivia that she doesn’t really love him.
To go further into this would just spoil the plot and it’s such an amazing story, you just have to experience it and run the gamut of emotions for yourself. It’s such a rush of anguish, despair, hope and love. Of course, as this is a sex-slavery story, there’s scenes of abuse and non-consensual sexual acts so be aware of this before you embark on this and this book absolutely does not stand alone. You MUST read Captive in the Dark first.
This is going to be a very hard act to follow both for me as a reader and for CJ Roberts as an author and I feel a book hangover coming on already but I do look forward to whatever her deviant, twisted, brilliant mind can come up with next.
5 stars exemplary dark erotica
For more of my reviews, please visit my Sinfully Sexy Book Blog
February 7, 2017
He told her he wasn't her prince charming, but what he hadn't said, was he wished he could be...
Many readers struggle to decide whether or not this series is one they'd recommend due to its explicit, no-holds-barred topics and darkly disturbing scenarios--and rightfully so. Upon completion of this emotionally conflicting series, I can safely say that I in fact WOULD recommend these books; although not without fair warning.
As you have probably already discovered, these books are not easy reads. Captive in The Dark took every notion I've held regarding 'dark literature' and rendered them naive. I became emotionally defeated and undone. Seduced in The Dark took this emotions miles further...
Seduced kicks off with a heartbreaking visual of Livvie in her declining and destructive mental state. She has been captured yet again, this time by the law. The story begins in present time, and it methodically flows in and out of horrific flashbacks that command the majority of this story.
Never before have I been so emotionally conflicted while reading a book. The author presents a hundred and one legit reasons to hate Caleb, and then, while you're least expecting it, sneaks in surprising shimmers of Caleb's 'human' side causing you to question your stance entirely. You can actually FEEL Caleb's internal frustration as he struggles to push away the unfamiliar feelings of love creeping in; willing himself to focus on his original plan of revenge.
At first, it felt wrong rooting for the twisted, demented underdog. But as I slowly began to realize that Caleb was not evil trying to overcome, but goodness—wrapped securely within a self-preserving blanket of misery, which he fought hard to maintain—I was able to see him in a whole new light.
As far as torment is concerned, Livvie faces more brutal, degrading encounters within this installment...as does Caleb. We are presented with details of Caleb's past and it is actually more heartbreaking than I could have imagined. I vowed to never love Caleb. But in the end, with my emotions running rapid, I can honestly say that my dutiful vow had long been forgotten.
The Dark Duet has given me a solid pair of reading wings; I truly feel freer and more courageous in stepping outside of my comfort zone without feeling overwhelmed...and I have this series to thank for that!
Book Stats:
▪ Genre/Category: Dark Erotica
▪ Steam Caliber: Maximum/disturbing
▪ Romance: Unconventional, but slowly evolves.
▪ Characters: Greater, in-depth perception into the heart of their pain.
▪ Plot: Continues. Deals with the residual tragedy, and offers numerous, heartbreaking flashbacks.
▪ Writing: Raw, fearless, and profound.
▪ POV: First person: Heroine.
▪ Cliffhanger: None
▪ Next Installment: An epilogue from Caleb's perspective.
▪ HEA?
Many readers struggle to decide whether or not this series is one they'd recommend due to its explicit, no-holds-barred topics and darkly disturbing scenarios--and rightfully so. Upon completion of this emotionally conflicting series, I can safely say that I in fact WOULD recommend these books; although not without fair warning.
As you have probably already discovered, these books are not easy reads. Captive in The Dark took every notion I've held regarding 'dark literature' and rendered them naive. I became emotionally defeated and undone. Seduced in The Dark took this emotions miles further...
Seduced kicks off with a heartbreaking visual of Livvie in her declining and destructive mental state. She has been captured yet again, this time by the law. The story begins in present time, and it methodically flows in and out of horrific flashbacks that command the majority of this story.
Never before have I been so emotionally conflicted while reading a book. The author presents a hundred and one legit reasons to hate Caleb, and then, while you're least expecting it, sneaks in surprising shimmers of Caleb's 'human' side causing you to question your stance entirely. You can actually FEEL Caleb's internal frustration as he struggles to push away the unfamiliar feelings of love creeping in; willing himself to focus on his original plan of revenge.
At first, it felt wrong rooting for the twisted, demented underdog. But as I slowly began to realize that Caleb was not evil trying to overcome, but goodness—wrapped securely within a self-preserving blanket of misery, which he fought hard to maintain—I was able to see him in a whole new light.
As far as torment is concerned, Livvie faces more brutal, degrading encounters within this installment...as does Caleb. We are presented with details of Caleb's past and it is actually more heartbreaking than I could have imagined. I vowed to never love Caleb. But in the end, with my emotions running rapid, I can honestly say that my dutiful vow had long been forgotten.
The Dark Duet has given me a solid pair of reading wings; I truly feel freer and more courageous in stepping outside of my comfort zone without feeling overwhelmed...and I have this series to thank for that!
Book Stats:
▪ Genre/Category: Dark Erotica
▪ Steam Caliber: Maximum/disturbing
▪ Romance: Unconventional, but slowly evolves.
▪ Characters: Greater, in-depth perception into the heart of their pain.
▪ Plot: Continues. Deals with the residual tragedy, and offers numerous, heartbreaking flashbacks.
▪ Writing: Raw, fearless, and profound.
▪ POV: First person: Heroine.
▪ Cliffhanger: None
▪ Next Installment: An epilogue from Caleb's perspective.
▪ HEA?
July 14, 2017
"Kitten," he said, "monsters can't love."
By the time I reached the halfway point of this book, I was ready to slap a big fat 1 star rating on this review and write a vengeful spiel. Yes, that's right. 1 star. I was seeing red. I was RAGING with fury.
So, you ask, "why now the 4 star rating?" Well, let's see...
It felt wrong to fantasize about such things - but Caleb didn't care. Fantasies were all he could have and no one could take them from him.
This book would have been complete shit without Caleb's point of view. If we had only seen Caleb through Livvie's eyes, we would have never fully understood him.
Caleb could feel Livvie's tears as they slid down her face. It was as close to crying as Caleb could get and for a moment he imagined they were his tears. They were his confessions. They said all the things he couldn't...because he was a coward.
The only way this book was going to work meant that Caleb's bad side had to continue to show on the outside while he was struggling internally with the idea of how to let down his guard. If he had gone soft too soon, or if he had gone completely soft, every single part of this book would have become a farce. I am thankful that neither of the former things happened. Caleb was never romanticized. This is a crucial element of a taboo read. The second the story becomes romanticized, the credibility is gone. We as the reader can feel emotion, sympathy, even fondness for these characters, but we need to be kept in the cold, hard truth that THIS situation is NOT good. That THESE people are SCREWED up. As long as we continue to see things for what they are, then we can allow ourselves to be swept away in the lives and emotions of our characters.
This story was just as much of a thrill ride as it was a mind screw. I was entertained. I was angered. I was scared. I was hesitant. I even found some grain of contentment when it was all said and done.
Yes, there was a scene before the halfway point which had me angrier at any book scene (and I can easily recall at least 3 books which have had a similar sort of betrayal scene that did not anger me even half as much as this one did) than I'd ever been. So much so, that I was this close to quitting out on the read. Even now, I'm still pissy when I think about what went down.
But at least I got some satisfaction in this:
"I guess you do want revenge," Ruthless me whispered.
You bet your sweet ass, I do.
I'm grateful that this author was able to turn things around for me. I didn't have much faith, to be honest. In the end, the story was quite the entertaining journey. The Dark Duet may not be an easy read, but it's definitely an interesting one. I hope to read more from C.J. Roberts in the future.
Not to be too much of a fly in the ointment but...
There were a few minor complaints :
1. This book needed more editing. Aside from the obvious swapping of you're and your, as well as a few typos, there were several instances where sentences probably should have been rearranged for easier readability. Given that I'm a huge comma abuser (I stick them everywhere in a haphazard fashion), I won't try to argue where the commas should go, but even I had a few moments of wondering if there was a better way to get a point across other than slapping in a bunch of commas to break up sentences :
"So, according to Caleb and Muhammad Rafiq, Demitri Balk, also referred to as, Vladek Rostrovich, is supposed to be there?
or another example...
"Will, Rafiq, be there?"
2. There were too many "styles" of writing going on : There were past scenes and there were present scenes - sometimes switching when you didn't know it was going to happen. The first couple of chapters took some getting used to. Aside from the regular past and present scenes, there were also memories, dreams and flashbacks in italics. As well, there were also first person points of view mixed with third person points of view. If just a couple of methods had been used instead of all of the above, the read would have felt more cohesive than it did.
End note... This part's my fault. Even though I warn against romanticizing this story, I can't help but imagine Paul Walker as Caleb ever since someone else brought him up as a casting choice. And hot damn, it's a strange war in my head not to drool over the rapist, slave-holding asshole when he's this hot. Apparently, I'm warped...
March 31, 2013
“I've been doing this a long time- manipulating people to get my way. That's why you think you love me. Because I've broken you down and built you back up to believe it. It wasn't an accident. Once you leave this behind..... you'll see that. -Caleb”
After all these is it possible for her to move on?
Is he a monster?
“Once upon a time, Caleb held me captive in the dark, now he used it to seduce me.”
Olivia
“She kisses my scars and I create new ones for her.”
Caleb
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In this book Livvie has managed to escape from Caleb and she is safe at a hospital.She has to tell Reed what happened , in order to find the auction and stop these awful people . She also has to tell Dr Sloan ,so she can help her recover and the story starts.
Then
Caleb took her at Felipe's estate and there he showed Rafiq their slave's progress . Rafiq was not satisfied with Livvie but Caleb tried to reassure him that she would be improved .
From the moment that he saved her from the bikers Caleb was treating her more gently than he should and they came closer to each other.
I was relieved that Caleb didnt hurt her anymore but the book started becoming darker at Felipe's party.
Felipe's slave , Celia , entertained them a lot by torturing Kid.
Caleb's emotions were changing all the time.
During the day he liked to be called Master, he liked to treat her like a slave but only when the others were around.
During the night he was comforting and kind .
This whole situation led them to develop what they had.
Mine.
Mine.
Mine.
And then that bastard ,Felipe , ruined everything.
Caleb was being manipulated so he did things that frustrated me a lot.
“Dealing with Caleb was all about perspective. You couldn’t appreciate his kindness until you’d felt his cruelty.”
However Livvie didnt give up on him.Her plan to seduce him worked but she fell for him as well.Caleb admited only that he cared for her because monsters cant love.
They would sell her but Felipe (thanks god!) talked to Caleb about his past and what really happened to him.
I couldnt believe what I was reading.
Present
Livvie is free now but she cant forget what happened to her but mostly Caleb.He is haunting her thoughts and that's driving her crazy.
She needs help because according to everyone that isnt healthy.
She is still in love with Caleb but that's not happening because she is suffering from Stockholm sydrom.
Caleb was the only one who cared about her in his unique and twisted way.Livvie grew up without love and yet she managed to be loved by him.
Livvie:I really admire her.Maybe she is crying all the time but try to put yourself in her shoes.What she'd been through wasnt easy.The way that he loved her wasnt fair.Despite all the difficulties she managed to stay on her feet and move on.
Caleb:He is not prince charming , he never was but he wished he could be for her.He wished he could be her hero.He saved her life once but he keeps putting her in danger again and he hates himself for doing it.According to him monsters cant love and Livvie gave him a present he didnt deserve.
“Tell me you love me, Caleb," I whispered.
He kissed me, refusing. "I wish I could, Kitten”
I never thought that I would like a book character like Caleb.He is awful and sometimes I wanted to kill him but he was fucked up. Still that doesnt justify his awful actions but reading the epilogue I understood many things about him.
The last chapter and the epilogue.
I never thought that I would cry so much with this book.I was a sobbing mess and hate it when it's happening.
All started when Caleb said:
"I love you Livvie."
He put the key in the ignitation and drove away.
“Live for me, Kitten. Be all those things you'd never be with me. Go to school. Meet a normal boy and fall in love. Forgive me. It's time for you to go, Kitten. Time for us both, to go.”
And then I think that I read the most beautiful epilogue all time.
Many people are judging this book and I totally understand them.
On the other hand I love this book because it delievers with its own way a few messages.
All of us should be gratefull that we have our freedom and no matter what happens we should stay strong and never break.
June 22, 2013
I was totally blown away by Seduced in the Dark!!
It's a dark read and I felt irritation,disgust and shock..
But in the same time it hooked me completely!It was intense in a total mind fuck!!It was disturbing and hot to the same time..
I never thought I would like it,but I loved it!It makes me feel things I had never felt!!
Caleb and Livvie's journey was one of the most painful things I've ever read..Their story is beyond disturbing,scary and sad..
“In the dark, he seduced me.I didn't want the seduction to end.”
Livvie is safe and she's in the custody of the FBI.Livvie begins to tell Agent Reed and Dr.Sloan her story...
We go back and forth between the time period and the present time with Livvie at the FBI and then way in the past when Caleb was young.This genius way of telling the story will keep you completely hooked!!
Livie was brave,witty,strong,patient,fighter,loyal and most of all she truly was a survivor!!
OMG!!Caleb...I fell in love for the boy he once was..My heart broke when I read his story and I hated the man he became while trying to be what Rafic expected of him...There are times when you will absolutely hate him and wonder why Olivia would even fall in love with him.But then in the end for me he is worthy of her love...
What I enjoyed most about this book was reading about Caleb and Livvie falling in love.The sweet moments he would let her call him by his name and he would call her Livvie and not Pet.They were so tender and real, giving the book such emotion..
Loved every emotion this book gave me
“Kiss me,” she whispered. It was an offer of distraction.He took it."
"Please Caleb!"I sobbed loudly."Don't do this.Take me and let's go.Let's leave."
"There.Now you're part of me forever.You're mine Livie.I hope you understand."
I was wondering how is this all going to end??
This is the most important thing about this book!!
It gives you a happy ending and you remember happy things about it at the end...
September 9, 2020
Isn't it shameful that a bad person can create so many MONSTERS just by his deeds?
Wow this book is my biggest Taboo read so far and it was unpleasantly close to my boundaries.
So do I recommend this book?
-NO!
If previous book's brutality was 10 then it is 100
But if you actually consciously take the decision to read the book then Pls DON’T DNF it,that will create a massive misunderstanding and misjudgment in your head
The book is so well written
It again felt like I am Olivia or I am sitting right beside her listening to her story.
You will get three POVS
√Livvie
√Caleb (as usual Narrated in thrid person)
√Agent Reed aka Matthew (I am super glad for Reed's perspective it was much needed)
And Yes Finally I am calling it
Dark Romance
I'll tell you why-
1.
2.Now I am understanding how romanticized, Fantasized Fifty shades of Grey has made BDSM.
The real thing is actually cruel and brutal.
Also now I've a clear idea why Christian used to call himself Sadist because it is nothing but Sadistic.
It was a pure Neon sign and Red flag for me. It'll haunt me for a while.
3. Caleb, that b***h has multiple personality disorder 😑 as I said in my previous review. He needs medication and spending two books with him now I also feel like I need medication 😂 He is a pure manipulator.
4.Again I felt so pained that he is not a random Caleb. Why he has to be the abnormal, the lifeless Master Caleb. You will be hating him and you will be loving him
Caleb will make you question YOUR morals.
It’s utterly frustrating situation.
5. With Caleb you will always be on square one. You wouldn’t be progressing or deflating.You will be still.
He is the savior, he is the villain. He is everything.
6.Chapter 18 and 19 I couldn’t take it. I was hard to digest that much I can say.
7.Untill the first half of the book it was between 3 to 3.5 for me. I was so annoyed and angry that why the author is romanticizing that sadistic sociopath .
But HOLD your horses there is a lot to tell beyond your imagination 🤐 Mr. James Bond 2.0
I am kinda feeling philosophical
So don't mind me but here is my philosophy 😂
⬇️⬇️⬇️
Hero imprints on you
But Villain leaves scratch on your soul
Wow this book is my biggest Taboo read so far and it was unpleasantly close to my boundaries.
So do I recommend this book?
-NO!
If previous book's brutality was 10 then it is 100
But if you actually consciously take the decision to read the book then Pls DON’T DNF it,that will create a massive misunderstanding and misjudgment in your head
The book is so well written
It again felt like I am Olivia or I am sitting right beside her listening to her story.
You will get three POVS
√Livvie
√Caleb (as usual Narrated in thrid person)
√Agent Reed aka Matthew (I am super glad for Reed's perspective it was much needed)
And Yes Finally I am calling it
Dark Romance
I'll tell you why-
1.
2.Now I am understanding how romanticized, Fantasized Fifty shades of Grey has made BDSM.
The real thing is actually cruel and brutal.
Also now I've a clear idea why Christian used to call himself Sadist because it is nothing but Sadistic.
It was a pure Neon sign and Red flag for me. It'll haunt me for a while.
3. Caleb, that b***h has multiple personality disorder 😑 as I said in my previous review. He needs medication and spending two books with him now I also feel like I need medication 😂 He is a pure manipulator.
4.Again I felt so pained that he is not a random Caleb. Why he has to be the abnormal, the lifeless Master Caleb. You will be hating him and you will be loving him
Caleb will make you question YOUR morals.
It’s utterly frustrating situation.
5. With Caleb you will always be on square one. You wouldn’t be progressing or deflating.You will be still.
He is the savior, he is the villain. He is everything.
6.Chapter 18 and 19 I couldn’t take it. I was hard to digest that much I can say.
7.Untill the first half of the book it was between 3 to 3.5 for me. I was so annoyed and angry that why the author is romanticizing that sadistic sociopath .
But HOLD your horses there is a lot to tell beyond your imagination 🤐 Mr. James Bond 2.0
I am kinda feeling philosophical
So don't mind me but here is my philosophy 😂
⬇️⬇️⬇️
Hero imprints on you
But Villain leaves scratch on your soul
November 27, 2014
Dealing with Caleb was all about perspective. You couldn’t appreciate his kindness until you’d felt his cruelty.
What a Wicked Erotic Feast!! Holy Hell, I am a sick fuck!! How can my heart belong to murdering, human trafficking, rapist!?!? And not only did I fall for him, I wanted him to have a HEA befitting a true hero. But Caleb is no prince charming. He is the monster that nightmares are made of.
Caleb
Olivia has been through hell. She's been beaten, abducted, raped, and told that she will become a sex slave. Livvie is a survivor that has managed to stay strong. But even she is afraid that all of Caleb's mind fuckery has affected her. Because, how can a sane person love their captor?
During the course of our time together, I’d fallen in love with my captor. I’d fallen in love with his smell and his taste; his smile, kindness, and yes, even his cruelty because I knew it was a part of him.
Caleb has wanted Livvie from the moment he laid eyes on her. But she was never meant to be his. She was just a tool. A weapon to be used for revenge.
He didn’t like the feelings running through him. He replayed the incident in his mind, trying to find the exact moment in which he’d lost control and fallen under the spell of the woman who was supposed to be his captive.
Damn these two were beyond intense! Their passion was off the charts. Caleb's jealousy over his Kitten was palpable and almost violent. Livvie was a pawn to be used sexually, but Caleb couldn't stand the thought of another man touching her.
“I don’t want revenge, Caleb. I don’t want to end up like you, letting some fucking vendetta run my life. I just want my freedom. I want to be free, Caleb. Not someone’s whore…not even yours.”
Be prepared for an emotional roller coaster. You will experience a vast range of emotions while reading this book. Sympathy, Hope, Disgust, Lust, Hate, Love, Despair, and Doubt.
This book had it all. It was a Wicked Erotic feast! Fast paced but very thorough. CJ Roberts weaves a violent tale of lust, love, trust, and the ultimate betrayal. There is blackmail, murder, rape, and violence.There were jaw dropping moments that I would have never predicted. The secondary characters are so vivid and have depth. I loved Felipe and Celia's characters. And Agents Sloan and Reed were perfect. I craved more of them also
There is no black or white. The lines get blurred and everything is gray. You will hate a character one moment, then feel sympathy or love for them two chapters later. I have to admire any author that can play my emotions with such ease. I look forward to more from C.J. Roberts because she really brought her A game with this series!!
What a Wicked Erotic Feast!! Holy Hell, I am a sick fuck!! How can my heart belong to murdering, human trafficking, rapist!?!? And not only did I fall for him, I wanted him to have a HEA befitting a true hero. But Caleb is no prince charming. He is the monster that nightmares are made of.
Caleb
Olivia has been through hell. She's been beaten, abducted, raped, and told that she will become a sex slave. Livvie is a survivor that has managed to stay strong. But even she is afraid that all of Caleb's mind fuckery has affected her. Because, how can a sane person love their captor?
During the course of our time together, I’d fallen in love with my captor. I’d fallen in love with his smell and his taste; his smile, kindness, and yes, even his cruelty because I knew it was a part of him.
Caleb has wanted Livvie from the moment he laid eyes on her. But she was never meant to be his. She was just a tool. A weapon to be used for revenge.
He didn’t like the feelings running through him. He replayed the incident in his mind, trying to find the exact moment in which he’d lost control and fallen under the spell of the woman who was supposed to be his captive.
Damn these two were beyond intense! Their passion was off the charts. Caleb's jealousy over his Kitten was palpable and almost violent. Livvie was a pawn to be used sexually, but Caleb couldn't stand the thought of another man touching her.
“I don’t want revenge, Caleb. I don’t want to end up like you, letting some fucking vendetta run my life. I just want my freedom. I want to be free, Caleb. Not someone’s whore…not even yours.”
Be prepared for an emotional roller coaster. You will experience a vast range of emotions while reading this book. Sympathy, Hope, Disgust, Lust, Hate, Love, Despair, and Doubt.
This book had it all. It was a Wicked Erotic feast! Fast paced but very thorough. CJ Roberts weaves a violent tale of lust, love, trust, and the ultimate betrayal. There is blackmail, murder, rape, and violence.There were jaw dropping moments that I would have never predicted. The secondary characters are so vivid and have depth. I loved Felipe and Celia's characters. And Agents Sloan and Reed were perfect. I craved more of them also
There is no black or white. The lines get blurred and everything is gray. You will hate a character one moment, then feel sympathy or love for them two chapters later. I have to admire any author that can play my emotions with such ease. I look forward to more from C.J. Roberts because she really brought her A game with this series!!
December 9, 2014
5 KITTEN STARS ★★★★★
“He was there to tell me I was beautiful. He was there to tell me I was going to be okay. In the dark, he seduced me. I didn’t want the seduction to end.”
WOW. This book just catapulted the series from a 3.5 stars to a 5 stars one for me. So to say that I am completely blown away by this read is mildly putting it. Honestly after seeing all the buzz on this series and not entirely loving the first one, I thought I was going to be in the minority but damn. I love being proved wrong.
The first book definitely laid down the right amount of groundwork for Caleb & Livvie aka 'Kitten', setting the tone of the series and later propelled Seduced in the Dark onto a whole new level of darkness. CJ Roberts spun such a profoundly emotional read that holds back no barriers when dealing with such a disturbing topic that would leave her readers appalled yet compelled by it.
Disturbing, intense and gritty; I devoured this book up in no time.
One thing that made this book an absolute winner for me is how the characterization on Caleb and Livvie was amazingly done. This book left me feeling strongly for both MCs equally as you witnessed the transformation. Caleb; the amount of love and hatred for him that I struggled internally with but ultimately capturing my heart. Livvie; her resilience, her strong belief and her love for her captor, my heart and mind was at war just as Livvie was when it comes to loving Caleb.
Put them both together, you'll feel the turmoil of emotions they put you through because in the most unimaginable ways, they found love in the darkness.
CJ Roberts' method of storytelling was flawless and flowed effortlessly with the way she weaved in the present time with flashbacks of events leading up to the present. The more it unfolds, the more the story intensifies. It's the kind of read that captivates you from the start, grips you throughout and leaves you overwhelmed by the end of it.
I've read a good amount of dark reads and to be amazed and left stumped by one like this, it really does take some mad skills (and a whole lot of messed-up stuff that give me the cringes & shudders). After being spoilt by authors like Lily White and Pepper Winters to deliver me the dark gems, I'm going to need add CJ Roberts to that list.
This is a read that many will find it hard to stomach, leave you shaken to its core but you'll walk out of it feeling like you've just witnessed something epic and lastly, a sense of loss to see it end.
It was brilliant, it was helluva dark and it was pretty darn phenomenal if I must say. This is an ABSOLUTE must-read by all dark romance junkies and why has it taken me over a year to read it? I frankly don't know; just like I don't have the answer to life but I'm gonna have to kick myself for that.
♥ Buddy Read with Sandy & Kirsten! ♥
Seduced in the Dark is the second part of the Dark Duet series and cannot be read as a standalone.
“He was there to tell me I was beautiful. He was there to tell me I was going to be okay. In the dark, he seduced me. I didn’t want the seduction to end.”
WOW. This book just catapulted the series from a 3.5 stars to a 5 stars one for me. So to say that I am completely blown away by this read is mildly putting it. Honestly after seeing all the buzz on this series and not entirely loving the first one, I thought I was going to be in the minority but damn. I love being proved wrong.
The first book definitely laid down the right amount of groundwork for Caleb & Livvie aka 'Kitten', setting the tone of the series and later propelled Seduced in the Dark onto a whole new level of darkness. CJ Roberts spun such a profoundly emotional read that holds back no barriers when dealing with such a disturbing topic that would leave her readers appalled yet compelled by it.
Disturbing, intense and gritty; I devoured this book up in no time.
“The naïve girl in me had been bitch-slapped into womanhood. I’d been razed by pain, grief, loss and suffering, and honed by lust, rage and an acute awareness of my need to survive.”
One thing that made this book an absolute winner for me is how the characterization on Caleb and Livvie was amazingly done. This book left me feeling strongly for both MCs equally as you witnessed the transformation. Caleb; the amount of love and hatred for him that I struggled internally with but ultimately capturing my heart. Livvie; her resilience, her strong belief and her love for her captor, my heart and mind was at war just as Livvie was when it comes to loving Caleb.
Put them both together, you'll feel the turmoil of emotions they put you through because in the most unimaginable ways, they found love in the darkness.
“Once upon a time, Caleb held me captive in the dark, now he used it to seduce me.”
CJ Roberts' method of storytelling was flawless and flowed effortlessly with the way she weaved in the present time with flashbacks of events leading up to the present. The more it unfolds, the more the story intensifies. It's the kind of read that captivates you from the start, grips you throughout and leaves you overwhelmed by the end of it.
““I've been doing this a long time- manipulating people to get my way. That's why you think you love me. Because I've broken you down and built you back up to believe it. It wasn't an accident. Once you leave this behind...you'll see that.”
I've read a good amount of dark reads and to be amazed and left stumped by one like this, it really does take some mad skills (and a whole lot of messed-up stuff that give me the cringes & shudders). After being spoilt by authors like Lily White and Pepper Winters to deliver me the dark gems, I'm going to need add CJ Roberts to that list.
This is a read that many will find it hard to stomach, leave you shaken to its core but you'll walk out of it feeling like you've just witnessed something epic and lastly, a sense of loss to see it end.
It was brilliant, it was helluva dark and it was pretty darn phenomenal if I must say. This is an ABSOLUTE must-read by all dark romance junkies and why has it taken me over a year to read it? I frankly don't know; just like I don't have the answer to life but I'm gonna have to kick myself for that.
♥ Buddy Read with Sandy & Kirsten! ♥
Seduced in the Dark is the second part of the Dark Duet series and cannot be read as a standalone.
September 11, 2012
**This review contains swearing! be warned..
*Opens mouth*
*… that was…
*… it was…*
*… he was…*
*… she was…*
*… it was like… *
*… ummmm*
*closes mouth*
*Opens mouth*
THAT WAS FAN-FUCKIN-TASTIC!
SERIOUSLY DISTURBING BUT FUCKING PHENOMENAL
I feel like.. It was… ARRGGH I can’t even form a proper sentence! I’m still stuck with Kitten and Caleb.
I shouldn’t love it.
I mean he is a sick fuck, a child stolen from his parents, sold as a whore and then trained to a cold hearted killer who kidnaps girls and trains them to be sex slaves all for his quest for revenge.
”I’ve been doing this a long time- manipulating people to get my way. That’s why you think you love me! Because I’ve broken you down and built you back up to believe it. It wasn’t an accident! Once you leave this behind… you’ll see that.” – Caleb
And she has been kidnapped, broken, used for sexual pleasure, tortured, and is fully aware that Caleb intends to sell her at the sex slave auction for his revenge purposes.
During the course of our time together, I’d fallen in love with my captor. I’d fallen in love with his smell and his taste; his smile, kindness, and yes even his cruelty because I knew it was a part of him. - - Livvie
But WOW I fucking love them.
I loved this book. I’m not going to write a review about this as I don’t know how to talk about it without ruining it with spoilers. BUT the way this book made me feel?! THIS BOOK IS WHY I LOVE READING. The feelings I had throughout was just AMAZING *sigh*!
I LOVE IT!
I cried, well actually sobbed in parts! Had a smirk like the cat that got the cream, smiled, sighed, and squirmed. Just ugh. JUST AMAZING
Standing Ovation for CJ ROBERTS!
To be able to take such a seriously disturbing taboo subject and make it into a seriously amazing novel, it had me on the edge of my seat the whole team while feeling so much for two people that I shouldn’t! shakes head FUCKING BRILLIANT!! BRAVO!!
5 MILLION STARS!
- There is also an amazing Video on CJ Roberts wall that a fan has made. I'm not sure if I can put it on here so I didnt but go and check it out!
*Opens mouth*
*… that was…
*… it was…*
*… he was…*
*… she was…*
*… it was like… *
*… ummmm*
*closes mouth*
*Opens mouth*
THAT WAS FAN-FUCKIN-TASTIC!
SERIOUSLY DISTURBING BUT FUCKING PHENOMENAL
I feel like.. It was… ARRGGH I can’t even form a proper sentence! I’m still stuck with Kitten and Caleb.
I shouldn’t love it.
I mean he is a sick fuck, a child stolen from his parents, sold as a whore and then trained to a cold hearted killer who kidnaps girls and trains them to be sex slaves all for his quest for revenge.
”I’ve been doing this a long time- manipulating people to get my way. That’s why you think you love me! Because I’ve broken you down and built you back up to believe it. It wasn’t an accident! Once you leave this behind… you’ll see that.” – Caleb
And she has been kidnapped, broken, used for sexual pleasure, tortured, and is fully aware that Caleb intends to sell her at the sex slave auction for his revenge purposes.
During the course of our time together, I’d fallen in love with my captor. I’d fallen in love with his smell and his taste; his smile, kindness, and yes even his cruelty because I knew it was a part of him. - - Livvie
But WOW I fucking love them.
I loved this book. I’m not going to write a review about this as I don’t know how to talk about it without ruining it with spoilers. BUT the way this book made me feel?! THIS BOOK IS WHY I LOVE READING. The feelings I had throughout was just AMAZING *sigh*!
I LOVE IT!
I cried, well actually sobbed in parts! Had a smirk like the cat that got the cream, smiled, sighed, and squirmed. Just ugh. JUST AMAZING
Standing Ovation for CJ ROBERTS!
To be able to take such a seriously disturbing taboo subject and make it into a seriously amazing novel, it had me on the edge of my seat the whole team while feeling so much for two people that I shouldn’t! shakes head FUCKING BRILLIANT!! BRAVO!!
5 MILLION STARS!
- There is also an amazing Video on CJ Roberts wall that a fan has made. I'm not sure if I can put it on here so I didnt but go and check it out!
July 9, 2017
http://samsawesomness.blogspot.com/20... *Spoiler Free*
"His touch was simple, but specific, meant to show me he could be like a lover, gentle, intimate, but also that he was a man unaccustomed to hearing the word no. Yes. I understood. 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 altar of his masculinity, grateful that he’d deigned to acknowledge me. All this, from a simple touch." - C.J. Roberts (Captive in the Dark)
In 2011 I ran across a book called Captive in the Dark by C.J. Roberts. I'll admit, it was cover love that first got my attention but, it seemed from the moment I read the blurb I was compelled to read this book. Even though this was not a book I would have normally read, I began my journey into The Dark Duet. Mrs. Roberts challenged me in so many ways as a reader, she took me completely out of my comfort zone, she gave me an anti-hero that I should have hated and made me love him! No matter how dark Captive in the Dark was, I continued to turn the pages. By the time I finished, I was a hot mess of emotions, and that little masochist in me wanted more of this story desperately! I fully credit Mrs. Roberts for seducing me to the dark side.
"Once upon a time, Caleb held me captive in the dark, now he used it to seduce me."
I had exactly three books on my "Most Wanted" list for 2012, and Seduced in the Dark was one of them. I was fortunate enough to be a beta reader for this book, and thus begins my journey into The Dark Duet #2.
This will not be a plot review, as I don't want to spoil anything for the reader. Mrs. Roberts has an incredible literary talent that goes beyond just the words on the page. She has the ability to reach inside you and provoke a wide array of feelings and emotions. They may not always be pleasant, but for an author to be able to do what she does is incredible. This story washed trough me in waves of love, anger, pleasure, sorrow, heartbreak, and at times even humor. I can't even begin to tell you how devastatingly beautiful this book is written. I can see the growth Roberts has made as a writer, and she has a wonderful voice, keep your eye on this author she is a talent on the rise, I truly believe that!
"During the course of our time together I’d fallen in love with my captor. I’d fallen in love with his smell and his taste; his smile, kindness, and yes, even his cruelty because I knew it was a part of him."
Livvy is such a strong character even in her circumstances. She's willful, stubborn and challenges Caleb on so any levels. Olivia and Caleb were scorchingly hot in this book! The dubious consent isn't as prevalent in this story. Olivia is even funny at times even when the current situation is messed up, she'll have something funny fly out of her mouth. Livvy also wears her heart on her sleeve, and there are times it's almost costly for herself and Caleb.
Caleb.... Oh how much I adore him! I started loving him in the first book, but after this book I fell completely in love! There were a couple of times I wanted to throttle him. But some of his actions would later come back to haunt him. He's so complex, and damaged. The man that started this journey for retribution, ended up on a path of self-discovery and intense heartbreak. His story absolutely tore me up, it ripped my heart to shreds!!
Rafiq... There has always been something unsettling to me about him. Caleb's savior, his mentor, and his teacher of sorts. It has bothered me to no end that Caleb feels he owes Rafiq unconditionally, and is constantly browbeaten with it.
We also meet a couple of interesting new characters, Dr. Sloan and Agent Reed. It's actually the banter between these two characters and Olivia that provide some of the laughs in this story. The dynamics between Sloan and Reed could make for it's own story in the future...maybe?
To the returning readers of this series, I can say this... You absolutely won't be disappointed. This story is one helluva ride you won't want to miss. As I approached the last quarter of the story, I felt like I stepped into a Quentin Tarantino film, it was fabulous! There were so many twists and turns to the plot, things that took me by surprise! The writing is crisp, the plot is tight, and I wasn't able to find any holes. This book is not mainstream erotica, there's a brilliant story being told, and it ended up being one of my favorite books ever!
5 ++ Breathtakingly Brilliant Stars!!!
"His touch was simple, but specific, meant to show me he could be like a lover, gentle, intimate, but also that he was a man unaccustomed to hearing the word no. Yes. I understood. 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 altar of his masculinity, grateful that he’d deigned to acknowledge me. All this, from a simple touch." - C.J. Roberts (Captive in the Dark)
In 2011 I ran across a book called Captive in the Dark by C.J. Roberts. I'll admit, it was cover love that first got my attention but, it seemed from the moment I read the blurb I was compelled to read this book. Even though this was not a book I would have normally read, I began my journey into The Dark Duet. Mrs. Roberts challenged me in so many ways as a reader, she took me completely out of my comfort zone, she gave me an anti-hero that I should have hated and made me love him! No matter how dark Captive in the Dark was, I continued to turn the pages. By the time I finished, I was a hot mess of emotions, and that little masochist in me wanted more of this story desperately! I fully credit Mrs. Roberts for seducing me to the dark side.
"Once upon a time, Caleb held me captive in the dark, now he used it to seduce me."
I had exactly three books on my "Most Wanted" list for 2012, and Seduced in the Dark was one of them. I was fortunate enough to be a beta reader for this book, and thus begins my journey into The Dark Duet #2.
This will not be a plot review, as I don't want to spoil anything for the reader. Mrs. Roberts has an incredible literary talent that goes beyond just the words on the page. She has the ability to reach inside you and provoke a wide array of feelings and emotions. They may not always be pleasant, but for an author to be able to do what she does is incredible. This story washed trough me in waves of love, anger, pleasure, sorrow, heartbreak, and at times even humor. I can't even begin to tell you how devastatingly beautiful this book is written. I can see the growth Roberts has made as a writer, and she has a wonderful voice, keep your eye on this author she is a talent on the rise, I truly believe that!
"During the course of our time together I’d fallen in love with my captor. I’d fallen in love with his smell and his taste; his smile, kindness, and yes, even his cruelty because I knew it was a part of him."
Livvy is such a strong character even in her circumstances. She's willful, stubborn and challenges Caleb on so any levels. Olivia and Caleb were scorchingly hot in this book! The dubious consent isn't as prevalent in this story. Olivia is even funny at times even when the current situation is messed up, she'll have something funny fly out of her mouth. Livvy also wears her heart on her sleeve, and there are times it's almost costly for herself and Caleb.
Caleb.... Oh how much I adore him! I started loving him in the first book, but after this book I fell completely in love! There were a couple of times I wanted to throttle him. But some of his actions would later come back to haunt him. He's so complex, and damaged. The man that started this journey for retribution, ended up on a path of self-discovery and intense heartbreak. His story absolutely tore me up, it ripped my heart to shreds!!
Rafiq... There has always been something unsettling to me about him. Caleb's savior, his mentor, and his teacher of sorts. It has bothered me to no end that Caleb feels he owes Rafiq unconditionally, and is constantly browbeaten with it.
We also meet a couple of interesting new characters, Dr. Sloan and Agent Reed. It's actually the banter between these two characters and Olivia that provide some of the laughs in this story. The dynamics between Sloan and Reed could make for it's own story in the future...maybe?
To the returning readers of this series, I can say this... You absolutely won't be disappointed. This story is one helluva ride you won't want to miss. As I approached the last quarter of the story, I felt like I stepped into a Quentin Tarantino film, it was fabulous! There were so many twists and turns to the plot, things that took me by surprise! The writing is crisp, the plot is tight, and I wasn't able to find any holes. This book is not mainstream erotica, there's a brilliant story being told, and it ended up being one of my favorite books ever!
5 ++ Breathtakingly Brilliant Stars!!!
August 25, 2021
**3.5 stars**
For me, Captive in the Dark was an okay read and Seduced in the Dark is just marginally more enjoyable but mainly because Livvie/Kitten got her freedom and Caleb's backstory was clearer. I did love Livvie though; she was such a strong person and for one who was barely 20 yrs old I thought her character was very muti-dimensional. CJ wrote a great female MC so thank you CJ.
Again I ask, will I remember this story in a month? Perhaps, but only in abstract.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely, yes
How about reading other books by CJ? Yes, definitely.
September 1, 2012
FIVE++ EMOTIONALLY RAW & EROTIC STARS
“Live for me, Kitten. Be all those things you’d never be with me. Go to school. Meet a normal boy and fall in love. Forget me.”
**Sob, sob, sob, sob** Oh God, just typing those words makes me cry. I fucking loved this book. I love it so much. I can’t believe it’s over. I felt nothing but hollow inside after it was done. Whatever words that I spew out for this review will never do it justice.
Never had I wanted to laugh, and weep, and fuck, and devour another human being until there was nothing left of him – until we were one person and I could feel peace. ~ Livvie
First thing I want to mention is that C.J. Roberts is one hell of a writer. The woman has got some mad skills when it comes to story telling. Holy Fuck was this story brilliantly crafted. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Bravo!
This was not an easy read. Far from it. C.J. Roberts did not hold back the punches and I thank God, and C.J., for that. It would not have been the same if she had. This story will strip you bare, leaving you raw, traumatized and vulnerable. I literally hurt. My heart ached and my mind thoroughly fucked. This is not a pretty story. The journey is dark and filled with unimaginable things. You will not be the same when the journey is done.
It seemed to Caleb, the nature of human being revolved around one empirical truth: we want what we cannot have. For Eve, it was the fruit of the forbidden tree. For Caleb, it was Livvie.
Caleb is one tortured soul. I literally cried when we find out more about his past. It is tremendously heartbreaking. He is damaged, but I don’t care. I love him. I will repeat. I love Caleb. Yes, he can be one rough son of a bitch, but underneath his cruel and tough façade, lies the true him. That despite his violent, brutal and painful past, he is just a man wanting to be accepted and loved. At least that is my theory. He seeks acceptance from Rafiq, the man who freed Caleb from his hell. He owes him everything and will do anything in his power to please him. He has remained loyal to him through everything. Ever since Livvie came into this life, he’s been rethinking this whole revenge thing, but he doesn’t want to disappoint Rafiq. And then of course, there’s Livvie. Caleb has his doubts about her. Livvie acts like she wants to run away with him; to only love him. But isn’t her ultimate goal survival? Because there is no way that a woman like Livvie would ever desire to be with a monster like him…right?
My heart, independent of my logic, had reserved a place for my tormentor and my solace.
Even after all the mind games, the torment, the heartaches that Caleb dishes out, there is no doubt Livvie is in love with him. Her strong will is the main reason why I love her. She is one of the bravest heroines I’ve ever come across. She constantly pushes Caleb’s buttons, knowing the possible consequences because she believes wholeheartedly that he will do the right thing. Caleb constantly tests her will, trying to push her away, but she is one tough and stubborn woman. Her relationship with Caleb is complex to say the least, but Holy Mother, it is scorching. I want their relationship to work, but after all that’s happened and what’s going to happen, do they have a future?
“The truth is… I wonder if I’m not fucked up, too. I should hate you, Caleb. Now I’ve decided what my fate will be. I should want to kill you. I don’t. I can’t imagine never having known you.”
This series has completely blown me away. Like Livvie, my emotions were everywhere. I was so conflicted. Did I enjoy my mind being fucked and toyed with? Yes. Absolutely 100%, YES. If that makes me fucked up, so be it. I’m proud of it. Because of this series, I’ve learned that my tolerance to unique tales is limitless. My mind is free and open to explore new things. I feel liberated and I feel phenomenal. Thank you, C.J. You are one amazing writer and I look forward to all of your future works.
-----
FOLLOW ME
Blog: www.sweetspotbookblog.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SweetSpotBookBlog
Twitter:@thessamari
“Live for me, Kitten. Be all those things you’d never be with me. Go to school. Meet a normal boy and fall in love. Forget me.”
**Sob, sob, sob, sob** Oh God, just typing those words makes me cry. I fucking loved this book. I love it so much. I can’t believe it’s over. I felt nothing but hollow inside after it was done. Whatever words that I spew out for this review will never do it justice.
Never had I wanted to laugh, and weep, and fuck, and devour another human being until there was nothing left of him – until we were one person and I could feel peace. ~ Livvie
First thing I want to mention is that C.J. Roberts is one hell of a writer. The woman has got some mad skills when it comes to story telling. Holy Fuck was this story brilliantly crafted. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Bravo!
This was not an easy read. Far from it. C.J. Roberts did not hold back the punches and I thank God, and C.J., for that. It would not have been the same if she had. This story will strip you bare, leaving you raw, traumatized and vulnerable. I literally hurt. My heart ached and my mind thoroughly fucked. This is not a pretty story. The journey is dark and filled with unimaginable things. You will not be the same when the journey is done.
It seemed to Caleb, the nature of human being revolved around one empirical truth: we want what we cannot have. For Eve, it was the fruit of the forbidden tree. For Caleb, it was Livvie.
Caleb is one tortured soul. I literally cried when we find out more about his past. It is tremendously heartbreaking. He is damaged, but I don’t care. I love him. I will repeat. I love Caleb. Yes, he can be one rough son of a bitch, but underneath his cruel and tough façade, lies the true him. That despite his violent, brutal and painful past, he is just a man wanting to be accepted and loved. At least that is my theory. He seeks acceptance from Rafiq, the man who freed Caleb from his hell. He owes him everything and will do anything in his power to please him. He has remained loyal to him through everything. Ever since Livvie came into this life, he’s been rethinking this whole revenge thing, but he doesn’t want to disappoint Rafiq. And then of course, there’s Livvie. Caleb has his doubts about her. Livvie acts like she wants to run away with him; to only love him. But isn’t her ultimate goal survival? Because there is no way that a woman like Livvie would ever desire to be with a monster like him…right?
My heart, independent of my logic, had reserved a place for my tormentor and my solace.
Even after all the mind games, the torment, the heartaches that Caleb dishes out, there is no doubt Livvie is in love with him. Her strong will is the main reason why I love her. She is one of the bravest heroines I’ve ever come across. She constantly pushes Caleb’s buttons, knowing the possible consequences because she believes wholeheartedly that he will do the right thing. Caleb constantly tests her will, trying to push her away, but she is one tough and stubborn woman. Her relationship with Caleb is complex to say the least, but Holy Mother, it is scorching. I want their relationship to work, but after all that’s happened and what’s going to happen, do they have a future?
“The truth is… I wonder if I’m not fucked up, too. I should hate you, Caleb. Now I’ve decided what my fate will be. I should want to kill you. I don’t. I can’t imagine never having known you.”
This series has completely blown me away. Like Livvie, my emotions were everywhere. I was so conflicted. Did I enjoy my mind being fucked and toyed with? Yes. Absolutely 100%, YES. If that makes me fucked up, so be it. I’m proud of it. Because of this series, I’ve learned that my tolerance to unique tales is limitless. My mind is free and open to explore new things. I feel liberated and I feel phenomenal. Thank you, C.J. You are one amazing writer and I look forward to all of your future works.
-----
FOLLOW ME
Blog: www.sweetspotbookblog.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SweetSpotBookBlog
Twitter:@thessamari
October 9, 2012
Jesus H...I am gutted. I can't even function right now. There will never be another story I will love as much. Holy hell CJ. Just...wow. I have no words that would do this story justice. No words.
September 11, 2012
Spoiler Free Review
5 STARS out of 5
Genre: Adult Romance-Erotica/BDSM
Series: Book #2 in The Dark Duet series
"Answer my question, what could I do with you?"
"Anything! Fucking Anything!" she sobbed wetly.
"Yes I could do anything to you. I could throw you face down and fuck you until you can't stand and there would be nothing you could do about it. You're beaten, bruised and damn near broken. I could kill you...." -Caleb and Livvie in Seduced in the Dark
Dare I say PERFECT
Yes i believe I can. This book, NO this series was perfect. It was brought full circle with the ultimate betrayal in a gut-wrenching, jaw dropping heartbreaking way. And all points lead to Caleb.
Thanks for making me a fighter
Fueled by his desire to seek vengence Caleb continues forward with his plan to sell Livvie in order to kill his enemy Vladek Rostrovich. Now in route to meet with Rafiq, Caleb knows his time with Livve is limited. He has to stay on the course he started even when his heart begins to rebel against it. He knows she is just playing with him the same way he has played with her. She is smart her survival depends on him she is also strong willed and determined. He is very aware of the fact that someday she may seek revenge against him.
Tug of War
As revenge powered Caleb to do some unthinkable things.**Shivers** His loyalty to Rafiq seemed to only increase the onslaught of pain he inflicted on Livve most of which was done emotionally. It seemed like every time his love for her would surface he would beat it back down by taking his cruelty to another level.
Just when I think things couldn't get worse. They did. And Livvie.... Well, when she cried I cried. But through her tears she became the epitome of resilience.
Beg me...Choose me...
Every. Damn. Time he made her beg it bit him in the ass. Because soon after her love would reach out for him to choose...
Her love said
Choose me
Want me
Love me
more than revenge and over loyalty. *whispers* Choose me.
Oh Livvie my heart broke for her a thousand times over.
Fave lines and internal monologues
'I'm crying again and I hate myself for it. Why won't my face stop leaking!'
-Livvie's inner monologue
"Steady Kitten I won't let him inside you. I won't let anyone inside you."
-Caleb
'I'm Dessert? Nice of Caleb to make me part of dinner. Bastard!
-Livvie's inner monologue
'The naive girl in me had been bitch-slapped into womandhood. I'd been razed by pain, grief, loss and suffering, and honed by lust, rage, and an acute awareness of my need to survive.' -Livvie's inner monologue
Read this book!
Why should you read it? I'll tell you why! Because it is story telling at it's greatest!
Beautifully crafted. C.J. Roberts sculpted, shaped, carved and molded this series to perfection. It brought forth highs and lows for me. At one point I saw the PEARLY GATES and at other times i dropped to the depths of HELL. I felt like i had been sucked into a black hole from the soul churning story unfolding before my eyes. When i started the book I was in an uproar saying to myself
-What is going on?
-How did she get there?
-The FEDS awwwww SHIT!
-Where is Caleb?
-What the fuck happened?
My Ratings
Characters- Strong Willed and Lovable
Writing Style- Excellent! My preferred cup of tea!
Plot/Storyline- Solid
Overall- I LOVED IT!!!!!! A MUST READ!!!
Now go forth and read. And then tell us about it on Goodreads!
Warning: This book contains strong BDSM and Master/slave content. Strong language and graphic Violence
5 STARS out of 5
Genre: Adult Romance-Erotica/BDSM
Series: Book #2 in The Dark Duet series
"Answer my question, what could I do with you?"
"Anything! Fucking Anything!" she sobbed wetly.
"Yes I could do anything to you. I could throw you face down and fuck you until you can't stand and there would be nothing you could do about it. You're beaten, bruised and damn near broken. I could kill you...." -Caleb and Livvie in Seduced in the Dark
Dare I say PERFECT
Yes i believe I can. This book, NO this series was perfect. It was brought full circle with the ultimate betrayal in a gut-wrenching, jaw dropping heartbreaking way. And all points lead to Caleb.
Thanks for making me a fighter
Fueled by his desire to seek vengence Caleb continues forward with his plan to sell Livvie in order to kill his enemy Vladek Rostrovich. Now in route to meet with Rafiq, Caleb knows his time with Livve is limited. He has to stay on the course he started even when his heart begins to rebel against it. He knows she is just playing with him the same way he has played with her. She is smart her survival depends on him she is also strong willed and determined. He is very aware of the fact that someday she may seek revenge against him.
Tug of War
As revenge powered Caleb to do some unthinkable things.**Shivers** His loyalty to Rafiq seemed to only increase the onslaught of pain he inflicted on Livve most of which was done emotionally. It seemed like every time his love for her would surface he would beat it back down by taking his cruelty to another level.
Just when I think things couldn't get worse. They did. And Livvie.... Well, when she cried I cried. But through her tears she became the epitome of resilience.
Beg me...Choose me...
Every. Damn. Time he made her beg it bit him in the ass. Because soon after her love would reach out for him to choose...
Her love said
Choose me
Want me
Love me
more than revenge and over loyalty. *whispers* Choose me.
Oh Livvie my heart broke for her a thousand times over.
Fave lines and internal monologues
'I'm crying again and I hate myself for it. Why won't my face stop leaking!'
-Livvie's inner monologue
"Steady Kitten I won't let him inside you. I won't let anyone inside you."
-Caleb
'I'm Dessert? Nice of Caleb to make me part of dinner. Bastard!
-Livvie's inner monologue
'The naive girl in me had been bitch-slapped into womandhood. I'd been razed by pain, grief, loss and suffering, and honed by lust, rage, and an acute awareness of my need to survive.' -Livvie's inner monologue
Read this book!
Why should you read it? I'll tell you why! Because it is story telling at it's greatest!
Beautifully crafted. C.J. Roberts sculpted, shaped, carved and molded this series to perfection. It brought forth highs and lows for me. At one point I saw the PEARLY GATES and at other times i dropped to the depths of HELL. I felt like i had been sucked into a black hole from the soul churning story unfolding before my eyes. When i started the book I was in an uproar saying to myself
-What is going on?
-How did she get there?
-The FEDS awwwww SHIT!
-Where is Caleb?
-What the fuck happened?
My Ratings
Characters- Strong Willed and Lovable
Writing Style- Excellent! My preferred cup of tea!
Plot/Storyline- Solid
Overall- I LOVED IT!!!!!! A MUST READ!!!
Now go forth and read. And then tell us about it on Goodreads!
Warning: This book contains strong BDSM and Master/slave content. Strong language and graphic Violence
May 16, 2015
"5 Mine! stars"
“Mine.This is one of those times where I struggle to write a review to express my mountain size feelings in words. Until a few months back I was terrified of reading anything DARK even if it had HEA and now I can gladly say reading “Tears of Tess” is the best decision I’ve made. There is something about the way our emotions get all tangled up while reading Dark romance, all the emotions are heightened clouding our judgement, being furious at one time and terrified the next, it’s the only time we lose the sense of thinking and pull us into whirlwind of manipulation, fear, hatred, compassion, betrayal, honesty, cruelty, desire, vengeance, passion and unconditional LOVE-that’s what Seduced in the Dark was for me.
The word was a declaration. It rocked him to his very foundation. It was a truth he’d kept hidden for far too long. Caleb didn’t know anything about love, or loving anyone, but he knew… Livvie was his.”
I’ve said it before and I don’t mind it saying it again, Caleb and Livvie’s story is ♥EPIC♥! I know that Caleb is far from being the knight in a shining armour, I hated Caleb for better part of this story, he’s a monster in disguise who kidnapped, abused and tormented Livvie in ways nobody would wish it on their worst enemy, he’s a monster a seducer your worst nightmare but knowing him, seeing the world from his eyes and feeling his emotions will tear you apart, he has come to love and care in her company, she became his strength, his light in darkness, his salvation. Being inside Caleb mind was a torture in itself, I couldn’t fathom the situation where you have to choose between the one who saved you from the long life of misery and the one who loves you irrespective of your darkness. I finally understood why he had to do the things he did, I think I could finally forgive him, “...monsters aren't born, they're made...”. Yes! I love him, I’m in love with this monster.
Livvie *sighs* Words fall short to describe this epitome of forgiveness, courage, love and HOPE. Her struggle to survive and to have faith in only one person to save her is the one who happens to be her abuser. When all things are said and done she can’t hate him and can never deny the fact she’s in love with her captor. And that’s the beauty of their story they grew and transformed into different individual changing each other’s life for good and their love and passion is desirable enough to make you cuddle with your kindle and read Chapter 19 over and over again *winks*
“I'm yours," she said, but then added,C.J Roberts is fucking genius for delivering this spellbinding tale said from Livvie’s POV entwined between past and present totally capturing your undivided attention. It was dark, gritty and in so many levels disturbing yet a story so beautiful leaving you overwhelmed with emotional. Her writing is powerful and compelling that I love her for breaking my heart, fueling my rage, questioning my sense of judgement and making me fall in love with a monster.
"only yours. And you're mine, only mine.”
Buddy read with Jasmine & Kirsten♥♥
Photo courtesy: http://monal.booklikes.com/post/54362...
November 21, 2012
5 EROTICALLY DARK AND DEMENTED STARS.
There are the kinds of books that come along once in awhile that leave you feeling like you've just had a mind, body and soul experience! The second book in the Dark Duet Series, Seduced in the Dark is that kind of book. As I was reading the book I felt so many intense emotions. It was brilliantly mind numbing, gripping and dark.
"Tears ran down my face unabashed, but I didn't move to wipe them away. I had earned those tears, and I would wear them as a symbol of everything I had been through. They represented all the pain I had suffered, the love I felt, and the ocean of loss sweeping through my soul. I had finally learned to obey and never looked back." ~ Livvie.
In this book Caleb and Livvie’s journey continues. We start out with Livvie in a hospital talking about her time with Caleb and are taken through the months of her captivity and slavery. You will go through an extremely hard and intense journey learning all that Livvie has been through and all that she has seen. The book unfolds brilliantly. There are so many facets to Caleb and the monster he is and while reading you become more aware of the depth of emotional and physical trauma he has been through, and why he’s turned into that monster! It’s really heartbreaking and I felt devastated at times for him. He’s extremely hot and cold as far as his moods towards Livvie go and that causes you to feel a wide array of emotions toward him. You go from hopeful to crazy angry to devastatingly sad in a very short amount of time. Its a pull and tug at your heart and soul, he is so gripped by revenge that Caleb can’t see anything but the vengeance he insists he needs and even though his feelings for Livvie are present he struggle’s with them because his loyalty to Rafiq runs deep. It’s truly a roller coaster ride with him and most of the time you are in a free fall state and are hanging on for your life.
"I've been doing this a long time - Manipulating people to get my way. That's why you think you love me. Because I've broken you down and built you back up to believe it. It wasn't an accident. Once you leave this behind...you'll see that." ~ Caleb
Livvie is such a beautiful character! She’s a fighter and is brave and strong. She does what she needs to; to survive after the torture and abuse she has gone through in the hands of Caleb and the other monsters in this book. She’s been sexually assaulted, beaten and emotionally abused but still manages to not let them break her down completely. While Livvie recounts her abuse you feel extremely violated and sick. It’s really hard to put into words just how damaged she is after what’s she’s been through but as she reflects on all of it, her sadness and grief are palpable...it’s hard to read. Her love and hope in Caleb is so complex and sometimes really hard to stomach. It’s a real mind f*ck at times, you struggle internally with the monster Caleb is and the way Livvie see’s him.
"You don't know what you want, Livvie, and what you think you want, you've been brainwashed into wanting." ~ Caleb
Honestly this is probably the best series I’ve ever read. Seduced in the dark took me on a journey that no other book has ever taken me on. It’s one of the best books I have EVER read. It’s a book that will live with me forever. It changed the way I look at life and other books, and has probably f*cked up my reading future because nothing will ever compare to the pure brilliance that this book is! CJ Roberts is amazing and I stand in Awe of her. Reading it was a full body experience. If you are looking for a crazy mind f*ck book, then you have found a treasure. This series will leave you stunned, fuzzy headed and in withdrawal for more of Caleb and Livvie.
There are the kinds of books that come along once in awhile that leave you feeling like you've just had a mind, body and soul experience! The second book in the Dark Duet Series, Seduced in the Dark is that kind of book. As I was reading the book I felt so many intense emotions. It was brilliantly mind numbing, gripping and dark.
"Tears ran down my face unabashed, but I didn't move to wipe them away. I had earned those tears, and I would wear them as a symbol of everything I had been through. They represented all the pain I had suffered, the love I felt, and the ocean of loss sweeping through my soul. I had finally learned to obey and never looked back." ~ Livvie.
In this book Caleb and Livvie’s journey continues. We start out with Livvie in a hospital talking about her time with Caleb and are taken through the months of her captivity and slavery. You will go through an extremely hard and intense journey learning all that Livvie has been through and all that she has seen. The book unfolds brilliantly. There are so many facets to Caleb and the monster he is and while reading you become more aware of the depth of emotional and physical trauma he has been through, and why he’s turned into that monster! It’s really heartbreaking and I felt devastated at times for him. He’s extremely hot and cold as far as his moods towards Livvie go and that causes you to feel a wide array of emotions toward him. You go from hopeful to crazy angry to devastatingly sad in a very short amount of time. Its a pull and tug at your heart and soul, he is so gripped by revenge that Caleb can’t see anything but the vengeance he insists he needs and even though his feelings for Livvie are present he struggle’s with them because his loyalty to Rafiq runs deep. It’s truly a roller coaster ride with him and most of the time you are in a free fall state and are hanging on for your life.
"I've been doing this a long time - Manipulating people to get my way. That's why you think you love me. Because I've broken you down and built you back up to believe it. It wasn't an accident. Once you leave this behind...you'll see that." ~ Caleb
Livvie is such a beautiful character! She’s a fighter and is brave and strong. She does what she needs to; to survive after the torture and abuse she has gone through in the hands of Caleb and the other monsters in this book. She’s been sexually assaulted, beaten and emotionally abused but still manages to not let them break her down completely. While Livvie recounts her abuse you feel extremely violated and sick. It’s really hard to put into words just how damaged she is after what’s she’s been through but as she reflects on all of it, her sadness and grief are palpable...it’s hard to read. Her love and hope in Caleb is so complex and sometimes really hard to stomach. It’s a real mind f*ck at times, you struggle internally with the monster Caleb is and the way Livvie see’s him.
"You don't know what you want, Livvie, and what you think you want, you've been brainwashed into wanting." ~ Caleb
Honestly this is probably the best series I’ve ever read. Seduced in the dark took me on a journey that no other book has ever taken me on. It’s one of the best books I have EVER read. It’s a book that will live with me forever. It changed the way I look at life and other books, and has probably f*cked up my reading future because nothing will ever compare to the pure brilliance that this book is! CJ Roberts is amazing and I stand in Awe of her. Reading it was a full body experience. If you are looking for a crazy mind f*ck book, then you have found a treasure. This series will leave you stunned, fuzzy headed and in withdrawal for more of Caleb and Livvie.
August 26, 2020
3.75 Stars
Told in multiple POV, both in 1st & 3rd person, it’s the second installment in "The Dark duet" and has to be read in order. This was still an enjoyable read but not as much as book 1. In this one, I disliked Caleb most of the book. His confusion was exhausting and it drained me! Another thing that I hated here was Livvie’s crying! Don’t get me wrong, I was aware of her plight, believe me, but she was crying so much almost on every page her eyes were puffy and red… There was a twist towards the end that I didn't see coming and it surprised me. There were interesting side characters that I'd like to know about their stories! What happened to Felipe & Celia?! I’m really curious about them! And I’d like to know more about Agent Reed & Dr. Sloan! Overall, despite the issues, I still had a good time reading this and hope you enjoy it as well!
Told in multiple POV, both in 1st & 3rd person, it’s the second installment in "The Dark duet" and has to be read in order. This was still an enjoyable read but not as much as book 1. In this one, I disliked Caleb most of the book. His confusion was exhausting and it drained me! Another thing that I hated here was Livvie’s crying! Don’t get me wrong, I was aware of her plight, believe me, but she was crying so much almost on every page her eyes were puffy and red… There was a twist towards the end that I didn't see coming and it surprised me. There were interesting side characters that I'd like to know about their stories! What happened to Felipe & Celia?! I’m really curious about them! And I’d like to know more about Agent Reed & Dr. Sloan! Overall, despite the issues, I still had a good time reading this and hope you enjoy it as well!
March 29, 2013
WOW WOW WOW I can't stop crying. This was....it was....I just. Gah, my emotions are everywhere right now. I seriously need time to process what I just read. Maybe tomorrow I can write a proper review. But holy shit. I love Caleb. LOVE him!!!! A-Fucking-Mazing!!!!!!
“Once upon a time, Caleb held me captive in the dark, now he used it to seduce me.”
Well, I just realized I never did my review for Captive in the Dark. So I will have to rectify the situation-what an absurd ordeal. Though out of the two, I would have to say this book is my favorite. And yes, it's MUCH more intense, darker, more hair pulling, eye gauging, wanna slap a bitch up fucked up book and I wouldn't have it any other way!!!! I seriously wanted to scream, punch holes in the wall, throw my laptop and phone down on the ground in surrender and ram my car into a tree. That is how disturbing and dark this book is. My thoughts became so volatile and wretched, I had to force myself to stop reading sometimes. It consumed me-my every thought. I was a wreck. I couldn't sleep well and I didn't eat much while reading this for fear of retching. Some parts were so appalling I didn't know why I was reading it. I kept saying, "What the fuck am I still enamored by this damn book? It's making me sick."
But then my answer, the only answer it could be....CALEB. CALEB. CALEB. CALEB. CALEB.
Yeah, I was in love with Caleb. I'm guilty!
“So, that's it? You think I'm just some idiot that fell for your bullshit! Well you're wrong! I fell in love with you, Caleb. I fell in love with your sick sense of humor. I fell in love with the way you protected me. You saved my life!" - Livvie”
Ahhh, didn't he save us all??? God, how I love him! He's mine Livvie!
"Mine!"
I knew this book would be an emotional rollercoaster as was Captive in the Dark. But daaaaaaamn, I hadn't anticipated all the sharp turns and hills, going up and down, side to side then plummeting to my death. Woaaaaah, let's put on the breaks please. This ride was a lot of things. All the things we discover about these characters made me say "WHAT????" But through most of it, I just sat there numb and cried.
Livvie. Oh how I loved this stupid awesome girl. We both had something in common in falling for the psycho sicko. She was such a stronger more fearless girl in this book. Everything she went through made her so brave. You felt her pain, literally. You wanted to hold her while she cried and tell her it would be okay-or just take her and run the fuck out of there. You wanted to protect her and keep her safe from those sick fucks! You just wanted to be there to support her. I admire Olivia's character very much. Oh my gosh, the pain, agony, despair she suffered through most of it was enough to send you to the mental house. I really loved her. I found myself though, wishing I was in her place. (Yes, I'm a total whack job, I know.) But it's true. I'll take her place.
You hear that Caleb??? Pick ME ME ME!!!!! I'll be your prisoner!
Livvie Quotes:
“I love you, Caleb. I love you! If you care for me at all... please, don't do this! Please, don't leave me. I don't know how to live without you. Don't make me go back to trying to be someone I don't know how to be anymore. - Livvie”
“Softly, he inhales and exhales as we kiss. He never stops kissing me; he simply continues to steal my breath, returning it to me only when he’s infused it with his essence. Pure lust lives inside him. Every breath I take should come from his lungs.”
“In the dark, my master let down his guard and he was Caleb again. He didn’t correct me. He didn’t punish me. He didn’t push me away emotionally. Caleb was there to hold me until the nightmares passed. He was there to tell me I was beautiful. He was there to tell me I was going to be okay. In the dark, he seduced me. I didn’t want the seduction to end.”
“I'm fucked in the head, too. Even before I met you.”
“I don’t want revenge, Caleb. I don’t want to end up like you, letting some fucking vendetta run my life. I just want my freedom. I want to be free, Caleb. Not someone’s whore…not even yours.”
“The naïve girl in me had been bitch-slapped into womanhood. I’d been razed by pain, grief, loss and suffering, and honed by lust, rage and an acute awareness of my need to survive.”
Caleb. Oh my, what to really say about Caleb?? I loved him in Captive. Though he was fucked up in that one too-but worse in this book. I came to love him more. In Seduced, we really see another side to him that we're not used to. It's a wonderful side but still very unfamiliar. One minute he shows a smidge of kindness then the next he's whipping her like a dog. It was disturbing yet I couldn't stop reading. I wanted to hate him and a part of me did, but when I got glimpses of the Caleb that could love another person or the Caleb that felt remorse for the things he'd done-or even the Caleb that would let himself feel...something other than the lust for revenge, I knew that deep within his rage and anger, he was just one fucked up lost soul that needed to be saved. THAT Caleb I loved with all my heart because once he knew that it was okay to be human and make mistakes, he was everything Livvie needed-and me too. Ha! Honestly, as effed up as loving him sounds, I would be stupid not to. He was mislead, betrayed, lied to, raped, beaten to a bloody pulp, deceived and transformed into a monster. But it wasn't his fault. Yes, he did bad, very bad unspeakable things. Very disturbing and unforgiveable things. And I guess there are no excuses for that. BUT because of his fucked up childhood, he didn't know any better. Maybe he did as an adult, but he was already in so deep, how can one recover from that? My heart broke for him. I cried for him. I felt his pain, anguish, longing, loneliness, betrayal, hatred...I felt all of that too! It was horrible!!! My poor Caleb!! Oh how I would fix you poor, tortured boy!
Caleb Quotes:
“I've been doing this a long time- manipulating people to get my way. That's why you think you love me. Because I've broken you down and built you back up to believe it. It wasn't an accident. Once you leave this behind..... you'll see that. -Caleb”
“That you could fix me? What's more, that I could fix you? Well, Sorry, pet, I don't want to be fixed. - Caleb”
“Mine.
The word was a declaration. It rocked him to his very foundation. It was a truth he’d kept hidden for far too long. Caleb didn’t know anything about love, or loving anyone, but he knew… Livvie was his.”
“She kisses my scars and I create new ones for her.”
“What are you doing ?" She said and laughed.
"I was curious," he whispered.
"About what ?"
"If happy tears taste the same as the sad ones," he said.”
“Live for me, Kitten. Be all those things you'd never be with me. Go to school. Meet a normal boy and fall in love. Forgive me. It's time for you to go, Kitten. Time for us both, to go.”
All in al, this book was definitely a tossing-turning kind of ride. I recommend these books to those that can handle the Fifty Shades books. Though these are darker and more fucked up, I say they are BETTER!!! If you love Fifty-you'll love Caleb MORE!!! Seriously, these were incredible. What a joy ride! But be prepared for the shock and clusterfuck of shit that happens! You'll be mentally and emotionally drained by the end. God, one minute I was screaming in rage-the next I was weeping for Caleb-then sobbing for Livvie and all she had to endure-then I was in shock-turned disgust-to hatred filled madness. Oh what a bloody mess! The end. Oh God, I can't say much but I will say the last 35% of this book had me on pins and needles. I couldn't sit still. I couldn't be disturbed. I ignored my kids to find out what happened to our beloved Olivia and Caleb. All I will say is.....
READ IT!!!! You won't regret it-maybe but if so...then that is your fault. I am saying now, it's dark and so effed up. But it is worth every bit!!
“Once upon a time, Caleb held me captive in the dark, now he used it to seduce me.”
Well, I just realized I never did my review for Captive in the Dark. So I will have to rectify the situation-what an absurd ordeal. Though out of the two, I would have to say this book is my favorite. And yes, it's MUCH more intense, darker, more hair pulling, eye gauging, wanna slap a bitch up fucked up book and I wouldn't have it any other way!!!! I seriously wanted to scream, punch holes in the wall, throw my laptop and phone down on the ground in surrender and ram my car into a tree. That is how disturbing and dark this book is. My thoughts became so volatile and wretched, I had to force myself to stop reading sometimes. It consumed me-my every thought. I was a wreck. I couldn't sleep well and I didn't eat much while reading this for fear of retching. Some parts were so appalling I didn't know why I was reading it. I kept saying, "What the fuck am I still enamored by this damn book? It's making me sick."
But then my answer, the only answer it could be....CALEB. CALEB. CALEB. CALEB. CALEB.
Yeah, I was in love with Caleb. I'm guilty!
“So, that's it? You think I'm just some idiot that fell for your bullshit! Well you're wrong! I fell in love with you, Caleb. I fell in love with your sick sense of humor. I fell in love with the way you protected me. You saved my life!" - Livvie”
Ahhh, didn't he save us all??? God, how I love him! He's mine Livvie!
"Mine!"
I knew this book would be an emotional rollercoaster as was Captive in the Dark. But daaaaaaamn, I hadn't anticipated all the sharp turns and hills, going up and down, side to side then plummeting to my death. Woaaaaah, let's put on the breaks please. This ride was a lot of things. All the things we discover about these characters made me say "WHAT????" But through most of it, I just sat there numb and cried.
Livvie. Oh how I loved this stupid awesome girl. We both had something in common in falling for the psycho sicko. She was such a stronger more fearless girl in this book. Everything she went through made her so brave. You felt her pain, literally. You wanted to hold her while she cried and tell her it would be okay-or just take her and run the fuck out of there. You wanted to protect her and keep her safe from those sick fucks! You just wanted to be there to support her. I admire Olivia's character very much. Oh my gosh, the pain, agony, despair she suffered through most of it was enough to send you to the mental house. I really loved her. I found myself though, wishing I was in her place. (Yes, I'm a total whack job, I know.) But it's true. I'll take her place.
You hear that Caleb??? Pick ME ME ME!!!!! I'll be your prisoner!
Livvie Quotes:
“I love you, Caleb. I love you! If you care for me at all... please, don't do this! Please, don't leave me. I don't know how to live without you. Don't make me go back to trying to be someone I don't know how to be anymore. - Livvie”
“Softly, he inhales and exhales as we kiss. He never stops kissing me; he simply continues to steal my breath, returning it to me only when he’s infused it with his essence. Pure lust lives inside him. Every breath I take should come from his lungs.”
“In the dark, my master let down his guard and he was Caleb again. He didn’t correct me. He didn’t punish me. He didn’t push me away emotionally. Caleb was there to hold me until the nightmares passed. He was there to tell me I was beautiful. He was there to tell me I was going to be okay. In the dark, he seduced me. I didn’t want the seduction to end.”
“I'm fucked in the head, too. Even before I met you.”
“I don’t want revenge, Caleb. I don’t want to end up like you, letting some fucking vendetta run my life. I just want my freedom. I want to be free, Caleb. Not someone’s whore…not even yours.”
“The naïve girl in me had been bitch-slapped into womanhood. I’d been razed by pain, grief, loss and suffering, and honed by lust, rage and an acute awareness of my need to survive.”
Caleb. Oh my, what to really say about Caleb?? I loved him in Captive. Though he was fucked up in that one too-but worse in this book. I came to love him more. In Seduced, we really see another side to him that we're not used to. It's a wonderful side but still very unfamiliar. One minute he shows a smidge of kindness then the next he's whipping her like a dog. It was disturbing yet I couldn't stop reading. I wanted to hate him and a part of me did, but when I got glimpses of the Caleb that could love another person or the Caleb that felt remorse for the things he'd done-or even the Caleb that would let himself feel...something other than the lust for revenge, I knew that deep within his rage and anger, he was just one fucked up lost soul that needed to be saved. THAT Caleb I loved with all my heart because once he knew that it was okay to be human and make mistakes, he was everything Livvie needed-and me too. Ha! Honestly, as effed up as loving him sounds, I would be stupid not to. He was mislead, betrayed, lied to, raped, beaten to a bloody pulp, deceived and transformed into a monster. But it wasn't his fault. Yes, he did bad, very bad unspeakable things. Very disturbing and unforgiveable things. And I guess there are no excuses for that. BUT because of his fucked up childhood, he didn't know any better. Maybe he did as an adult, but he was already in so deep, how can one recover from that? My heart broke for him. I cried for him. I felt his pain, anguish, longing, loneliness, betrayal, hatred...I felt all of that too! It was horrible!!! My poor Caleb!! Oh how I would fix you poor, tortured boy!
Caleb Quotes:
“I've been doing this a long time- manipulating people to get my way. That's why you think you love me. Because I've broken you down and built you back up to believe it. It wasn't an accident. Once you leave this behind..... you'll see that. -Caleb”
“That you could fix me? What's more, that I could fix you? Well, Sorry, pet, I don't want to be fixed. - Caleb”
“Mine.
The word was a declaration. It rocked him to his very foundation. It was a truth he’d kept hidden for far too long. Caleb didn’t know anything about love, or loving anyone, but he knew… Livvie was his.”
“She kisses my scars and I create new ones for her.”
“What are you doing ?" She said and laughed.
"I was curious," he whispered.
"About what ?"
"If happy tears taste the same as the sad ones," he said.”
“Live for me, Kitten. Be all those things you'd never be with me. Go to school. Meet a normal boy and fall in love. Forgive me. It's time for you to go, Kitten. Time for us both, to go.”
All in al, this book was definitely a tossing-turning kind of ride. I recommend these books to those that can handle the Fifty Shades books. Though these are darker and more fucked up, I say they are BETTER!!! If you love Fifty-you'll love Caleb MORE!!! Seriously, these were incredible. What a joy ride! But be prepared for the shock and clusterfuck of shit that happens! You'll be mentally and emotionally drained by the end. God, one minute I was screaming in rage-the next I was weeping for Caleb-then sobbing for Livvie and all she had to endure-then I was in shock-turned disgust-to hatred filled madness. Oh what a bloody mess! The end. Oh God, I can't say much but I will say the last 35% of this book had me on pins and needles. I couldn't sit still. I couldn't be disturbed. I ignored my kids to find out what happened to our beloved Olivia and Caleb. All I will say is.....
READ IT!!!! You won't regret it-maybe but if so...then that is your fault. I am saying now, it's dark and so effed up. But it is worth every bit!!
October 1, 2012
WOW! Just WOW! PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY CJ ROBERTS. BOW DOWN TO HER!!! ;)
Never in my life have I felt so consumed in a story. I felt it all. The guilt, the jealousy, the sorrow, and at the end of it all I felt the desperation and need to run away from it.
Ms. Roberts has an amazing way of weaving a story to keep the reader guessing at which way the story will go. There are so many twists and turns that you almost get whiplash from the force of the revelations. And boy are there some doozies!!! There were moments I had to do a double take at what I had just read.
Don’t miss out, get this book Sept 1, 2012. From the first word to the last, you wont be disappointed!!!
Okay, I’m not gonna lie, I was kinda upset cuz the beginning of the story was just like a book I’d already read so the epicness of my anticipation for the book went down a peg. It was the same set up, went from present to past with the police questioning the victim. Now that’s where the similarities ended and where the story took off. It had me holding my breath as I eagerly waited for the next blow.
Livvi was a victim in Captive in the Dark. Not in this one. Yes there are moments where Caleb treats her as his slave but behind closed doors something has blossomed into unfamiliar territory, for both of them.
Livvi never felt love from anyone, not even from her own mother and Caleb oh my poor poor Caleb. Taken at such a young age he doesn’t know any better.
Felipe, an associate of Rafiq’s, has housed Caleb and Livvi aka Kitten so he can train her to be a proper slave for the unsuspecting Vladek. As their pawn, Kitten is to be Vladek’s for 2 years. During this training Caleb feels things he’s never felt and is falling for Kitten. Unbeknownst to both Caleb and Kitten, Felipe has watched their relationship unfold and is willing to use it against them to gain better footing with Rafiq’s role in his own life.
To prove to Felipe and mainly to himself that he isn’t falling for Kitten he has her attend a party where she would be used as entertainment for all to see and enjoy. A side of him he’s never seen comes to light, jealous, hot and biting consumes him. He whisks her away and takes all his anger and lust out of her. From there on Kitten’s virginity can no longer be used as a bargaining tool. Caleb takes what is his and wont let go of Kitten. Deep down he knows that Rafiq will not like the turn of events but he is hopeful that things will work out in his favor.
Rafiq, what a sick and twisted man. He’s not the man Caleb thought he was. He more evil and very calculating in his game. He will stop at nothing to get his revenge. In the end the student exceeds his teacher.
Present: Agent Reed has been questioning Livvi for days and at first she reveals nothing. She only wants the one man she’s ever loved, Caleb. Slowly with the assistance of Dr. Sloan agent Reed is able to get Livvi’s story. Its full of tragic loss and Reed cant help but relate. Everyone has a past that’s unforgettable.
I am so happy to say with all the shit that went down there is a HEA! I promise! Don’t give up on hope, keep reading. There is light at the end of the of the dark tunnel!
for this review along with my others please visit my blog
www.upallnightreviews.blogspot.com
Never in my life have I felt so consumed in a story. I felt it all. The guilt, the jealousy, the sorrow, and at the end of it all I felt the desperation and need to run away from it.
Ms. Roberts has an amazing way of weaving a story to keep the reader guessing at which way the story will go. There are so many twists and turns that you almost get whiplash from the force of the revelations. And boy are there some doozies!!! There were moments I had to do a double take at what I had just read.
Don’t miss out, get this book Sept 1, 2012. From the first word to the last, you wont be disappointed!!!
Okay, I’m not gonna lie, I was kinda upset cuz the beginning of the story was just like a book I’d already read so the epicness of my anticipation for the book went down a peg. It was the same set up, went from present to past with the police questioning the victim. Now that’s where the similarities ended and where the story took off. It had me holding my breath as I eagerly waited for the next blow.
Livvi was a victim in Captive in the Dark. Not in this one. Yes there are moments where Caleb treats her as his slave but behind closed doors something has blossomed into unfamiliar territory, for both of them.
Livvi never felt love from anyone, not even from her own mother and Caleb oh my poor poor Caleb. Taken at such a young age he doesn’t know any better.
Felipe, an associate of Rafiq’s, has housed Caleb and Livvi aka Kitten so he can train her to be a proper slave for the unsuspecting Vladek. As their pawn, Kitten is to be Vladek’s for 2 years. During this training Caleb feels things he’s never felt and is falling for Kitten. Unbeknownst to both Caleb and Kitten, Felipe has watched their relationship unfold and is willing to use it against them to gain better footing with Rafiq’s role in his own life.
To prove to Felipe and mainly to himself that he isn’t falling for Kitten he has her attend a party where she would be used as entertainment for all to see and enjoy. A side of him he’s never seen comes to light, jealous, hot and biting consumes him. He whisks her away and takes all his anger and lust out of her. From there on Kitten’s virginity can no longer be used as a bargaining tool. Caleb takes what is his and wont let go of Kitten. Deep down he knows that Rafiq will not like the turn of events but he is hopeful that things will work out in his favor.
Rafiq, what a sick and twisted man. He’s not the man Caleb thought he was. He more evil and very calculating in his game. He will stop at nothing to get his revenge. In the end the student exceeds his teacher.
Present: Agent Reed has been questioning Livvi for days and at first she reveals nothing. She only wants the one man she’s ever loved, Caleb. Slowly with the assistance of Dr. Sloan agent Reed is able to get Livvi’s story. Its full of tragic loss and Reed cant help but relate. Everyone has a past that’s unforgettable.
I am so happy to say with all the shit that went down there is a HEA! I promise! Don’t give up on hope, keep reading. There is light at the end of the of the dark tunnel!
for this review along with my others please visit my blog
www.upallnightreviews.blogspot.com
November 26, 2012
Absolutely amazing! I have not been this captivated by a book, by a series, in years! Thank you to everyone who told me to read these. The bad news...I've neglected so many other things, like sleep, for the past few days! I needed to get lost in a book like I did this one, actually two.
Caleb is one sick mother... so how can I be so smitten with him? The way this book starts broke my heart! No spoilers but one review I read helped me "compartmentalize" my grief and move on. Let's just say it worked.
I plan to read something light and funny... maybe with puppies or kitties... now. But I know, no matter what, the Dark Duet will be difficult to forget. Hell, I don't want to! Thanks for a great read!!!
Caleb is one sick mother... so how can I be so smitten with him? The way this book starts broke my heart! No spoilers but one review I read helped me "compartmentalize" my grief and move on. Let's just say it worked.
I plan to read something light and funny... maybe with puppies or kitties... now. But I know, no matter what, the Dark Duet will be difficult to forget. Hell, I don't want to! Thanks for a great read!!!
February 22, 2013
“Once upon a time, Caleb held me captive in the dark, now he used it to seduce me.”
This book is DARK and very captivating, crazy good, deep and it will probably make your therapist rich!
“He had told her he wasn't her Prince Charming, but what he hadn't said, was he wished he could be
Yupp, Thats Caleb! A dark knight... A zombie with a heart beat, A monster just like 'Beast' from Beauty and the Beast. A monster with a heart of gold.
We want what we cannot have. For Eve, it was the fruit of the forbidden tree. For Caleb, it was Livvie.
Livvie.. Sweet strong girl! I really want to give her a round of applause and a bow, along with the author!
Kitten is so strong, beautiful and amazing smart!! She fought till the end and got what she wanted the most.
‘If it be thus to dream, still let me sleep’
– William Shakespeare
I feel so giggy happy and so glad that I read this book at last! I admit I was shit scared but then I just had to because, hell.. dark works for me!
So where do I start this review?
Let me say, I LOVED THIS BOOK! Probabily more than the first book if not the same amount! It was Insane Mindfuckingly Good. I felt like I read 'Inception' or something! :P
If that book left you in a daze, god help you with this one!
This book was impeccably good, the story, the whole plot, the way its written and brought up and in a way the author's shed light on something so important that we turn a blind eye too! About slavery, human trafficking, about the illegal things rich powerful people do! How innocents suffer each and everyday! Gosh! x_x
This book unravels so much! So many twists and turns and bumps along the way! So much gets enfolded! We learn so much about Caleb's past, about things which lead to him being where he is today.
The book hurts, its like a punch in the gut! Its sad, it makes you feel too much! Anger, pain, sorrow, pity and so much more!! It makes you want to kill.
I really liked the book, I loved all the side characters and I am glad they will be getting a spinoff!
Agent Reed!! Hell, his book is going to be something!!
[5% into the book]
I wanted to tear it, and probably stom on it, but yes.. I kept yelling 'ITS A LIE, ITS A LIE' at it like a wack job!
[15-20%]
My brain hurts!! This is effing brilliant!
[30% onwards]
So going to need major therapy after I finish this..
[79% onwards]
I don't know if my reaction should be this...
OR this...
I sure as hell feel royally mind fucked.
[85% in]
My heart is aching!! So BADLY!! :(
[90% to 100%]
YUPP!! That was my poor hearts condition! It was pounding so hard in my chest!!
This book is DARK and very captivating, crazy good, deep and it will probably make your therapist rich!
“He had told her he wasn't her Prince Charming, but what he hadn't said, was he wished he could be
Yupp, Thats Caleb! A dark knight... A zombie with a heart beat, A monster just like 'Beast' from Beauty and the Beast. A monster with a heart of gold.
We want what we cannot have. For Eve, it was the fruit of the forbidden tree. For Caleb, it was Livvie.
Livvie.. Sweet strong girl! I really want to give her a round of applause and a bow, along with the author!
Kitten is so strong, beautiful and amazing smart!! She fought till the end and got what she wanted the most.
‘If it be thus to dream, still let me sleep’
– William Shakespeare
I feel so giggy happy and so glad that I read this book at last! I admit I was shit scared but then I just had to because, hell.. dark works for me!
So where do I start this review?
Let me say, I LOVED THIS BOOK! Probabily more than the first book if not the same amount! It was Insane Mindfuckingly Good. I felt like I read 'Inception' or something! :P
If that book left you in a daze, god help you with this one!
This book was impeccably good, the story, the whole plot, the way its written and brought up and in a way the author's shed light on something so important that we turn a blind eye too! About slavery, human trafficking, about the illegal things rich powerful people do! How innocents suffer each and everyday! Gosh! x_x
This book unravels so much! So many twists and turns and bumps along the way! So much gets enfolded! We learn so much about Caleb's past, about things which lead to him being where he is today.
The book hurts, its like a punch in the gut! Its sad, it makes you feel too much! Anger, pain, sorrow, pity and so much more!! It makes you want to kill.
I really liked the book, I loved all the side characters and I am glad they will be getting a spinoff!
Agent Reed!! Hell, his book is going to be something!!
Thoughts as I proceeded during this book..
[5% into the book]
I wanted to tear it, and probably stom on it, but yes.. I kept yelling 'ITS A LIE, ITS A LIE' at it like a wack job!
[15-20%]
My brain hurts!! This is effing brilliant!
[30% onwards]
So going to need major therapy after I finish this..
[79% onwards]
I don't know if my reaction should be this...
OR this...
I sure as hell feel royally mind fucked.
[85% in]
My heart is aching!! So BADLY!! :(
[90% to 100%]
YUPP!! That was my poor hearts condition! It was pounding so hard in my chest!!
October 13, 2020
Monsters aren’t born – they’re made.
This is not romance.
This is not BDSM.
"BDSM is a consensual, agreed and often erotic interaction that involves elements of bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, or sadism and masochism."
The book is dark and it's erotic, yes, but for something to be labeled romance I feel the "relationship" has to be consensual. It's still very gritty and most of the book is on the verge of uncomfortable, but the storyline and characters kept me interested throughout the book.
It seemed to Caleb that the nature of human beings revolved around one empirical truth: we want what we cannot have. For Eve, it was the fruit of the forbidden tree. For Caleb, it was Livvie.
Most of us read fantasy and fiction so we can go on adventures we otherwise would never get to experience, and this book definitely let's you "experience" something I hope I'll never ever get even close to experiencing in real life.
I still enjoyed the authors writing, but I got a little hung up on some of the repetitive wording, like
"My heart is beating a frantic tattoo"
"My heart pounded a sharp tattoo"
"His heart beat a frantic tattoo"
"His heart pounded a sharp tattoo"
*Sort of spoilers below this point*
Before starting this book I read some spoiler free reviews to prepare myself, because I thought this book would be much much worse than the first, but after having built up suspense for half the book I can honestly say the breaking point was a big let down. It's probably because I still don't like Caleb, and therefore I felt no emotions when reading from his POV..
I still like Livvie and feel her character is portrayed really well.
For the love of Christ, shut – up! Let a bitch enjoy her mental breakdown in peace.
I do feel ready to part with this story and its characters, but how often do you get a 200 paged epilogue? Imma buy the third book.
“Be smart! Fight the battles you can win and accept the ones you can’t. That’s how you survive.”
August 21, 2012
**DOES NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS**
Check out our blog for our video interview with CJ Roberts: http://totallybookedblog.com/2012/08/...
This was definitely one of the most gut-wrenchingly difficult, raw, brutal, thought provoking and emotional reads I have ever sat through. There were times I thought I couldn’t go on and my resolve was sorely tested
My chest ached, my stomach was in knots and more than once I felt physically sick with the anticipation of what was about to happen.
Reading this book I felt that CJ must be one of the most talented writers I’ve ever read. How she crafted this story and brought it all together left me in total awe. She is a storyteller who certainly doesn’t shy away from what she feels needs to be told, even if, at times, this makes the reader uncomfortable and takes them to a place they thought they could never go.
The reader is taken from the time Livvie is captured and from there she recounts how her predicament evolved and how Caleb and the others played a part in her story. It was nothing short of brilliant how this story was pieced together.
Caleb is still the broken “monster” we met in Captive in the Dark. He is hell-bent on his revenge and willing to sacrifice Livvie (Kitten) into slavery just to ensure his task is carried out.
I have to admit to having strong feelings for Caleb when reading Captive in the Dark (The Dark Duet #1). I hated him because I loved him, when really I should have despised him. Nothing changes in this book. I was still questioning my sanity over my feelings for this man. How could I, after what he had done and was still prepared to do, feel so much love and compassion for him? What was it about this man that drew me to him? Oh trust me, there were times when I wanted to knife him through the heart. This man will test you, and he will test you BIG time, but his tender times with Livvie will hit you deep in your heart and it is at these times when you feel, when you hope, that there is goodness and perhaps love somewhere in this man.
Livvie has grown in this book. She has feelings for Caleb that have her questioning if she is of sound mind. How could she feel the way she does for Caleb after what he has done to her? After what he was still intending to do to her? He never sugar coated her fate. You will be clenching your heart for Livvie. You can’t put yourself in her shoes because you couldn’t withstand the heartbreak of being there.
I will tell you now that I cried reading this book more than I have ever cried reading a book before. Whilst this story is at times shocking, it was also so emotional throughout, and catching glimpses of Caleb’s past will have you clutching your chest. I defy anyone to read the last chapter of this book without crying.
After finishing this book I sobbed for an hour afterwards and just stared into space. I had to absorb everything I had read and marvel at what an amazing and emotional journey this author had just taken me on.
As I’ve said, this is by no means an easy read, let’s face it, a book about human trafficking and sex slavery was never written with the intention of being an easy read.
However, when you pick this book up (be sure to read Captive in the Dark first!) you will experience, what I can promise you will be an emotional rollercoaster the likes of which you will be hard pressed to beat.
This book will make you angry. It will make you sick. It will make you sad. It will test your resolve. It will make you question your thoughts and your feelings, but I promise you, you will not forget this book. It will stay with you long after the last page, because not only will this book touch your heart, it will touch your soul.
Side note:
Whilst reading this book I was listening Jack White’s new album and the lyrics to Love Interruption reminded me of Caleb so much it sort of became my theme song for this book.
I was blown away when one of my fellow Beta readers Rhonda had chosen the same song, and posted it on her FB page, so I wanted to share it with you here.
So….Rhonda, Yajaira (our other Beta reader) & CJ – this one’s for you girls and our beautiful Caleb (oh, and Paul Walker xo) xxxx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iErNRB...
(Please note: I was a Beta reader for this book)
Check out our blog for our video interview with CJ Roberts: http://totallybookedblog.com/2012/08/...
This was definitely one of the most gut-wrenchingly difficult, raw, brutal, thought provoking and emotional reads I have ever sat through. There were times I thought I couldn’t go on and my resolve was sorely tested
My chest ached, my stomach was in knots and more than once I felt physically sick with the anticipation of what was about to happen.
Reading this book I felt that CJ must be one of the most talented writers I’ve ever read. How she crafted this story and brought it all together left me in total awe. She is a storyteller who certainly doesn’t shy away from what she feels needs to be told, even if, at times, this makes the reader uncomfortable and takes them to a place they thought they could never go.
The reader is taken from the time Livvie is captured and from there she recounts how her predicament evolved and how Caleb and the others played a part in her story. It was nothing short of brilliant how this story was pieced together.
Caleb is still the broken “monster” we met in Captive in the Dark. He is hell-bent on his revenge and willing to sacrifice Livvie (Kitten) into slavery just to ensure his task is carried out.
I have to admit to having strong feelings for Caleb when reading Captive in the Dark (The Dark Duet #1). I hated him because I loved him, when really I should have despised him. Nothing changes in this book. I was still questioning my sanity over my feelings for this man. How could I, after what he had done and was still prepared to do, feel so much love and compassion for him? What was it about this man that drew me to him? Oh trust me, there were times when I wanted to knife him through the heart. This man will test you, and he will test you BIG time, but his tender times with Livvie will hit you deep in your heart and it is at these times when you feel, when you hope, that there is goodness and perhaps love somewhere in this man.
Livvie has grown in this book. She has feelings for Caleb that have her questioning if she is of sound mind. How could she feel the way she does for Caleb after what he has done to her? After what he was still intending to do to her? He never sugar coated her fate. You will be clenching your heart for Livvie. You can’t put yourself in her shoes because you couldn’t withstand the heartbreak of being there.
I will tell you now that I cried reading this book more than I have ever cried reading a book before. Whilst this story is at times shocking, it was also so emotional throughout, and catching glimpses of Caleb’s past will have you clutching your chest. I defy anyone to read the last chapter of this book without crying.
After finishing this book I sobbed for an hour afterwards and just stared into space. I had to absorb everything I had read and marvel at what an amazing and emotional journey this author had just taken me on.
As I’ve said, this is by no means an easy read, let’s face it, a book about human trafficking and sex slavery was never written with the intention of being an easy read.
However, when you pick this book up (be sure to read Captive in the Dark first!) you will experience, what I can promise you will be an emotional rollercoaster the likes of which you will be hard pressed to beat.
This book will make you angry. It will make you sick. It will make you sad. It will test your resolve. It will make you question your thoughts and your feelings, but I promise you, you will not forget this book. It will stay with you long after the last page, because not only will this book touch your heart, it will touch your soul.
Side note:
Whilst reading this book I was listening Jack White’s new album and the lyrics to Love Interruption reminded me of Caleb so much it sort of became my theme song for this book.
I was blown away when one of my fellow Beta readers Rhonda had chosen the same song, and posted it on her FB page, so I wanted to share it with you here.
So….Rhonda, Yajaira (our other Beta reader) & CJ – this one’s for you girls and our beautiful Caleb (oh, and Paul Walker xo) xxxx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iErNRB...
(Please note: I was a Beta reader for this book)
September 30, 2013
"You could not sell me...I could stay with you...be with you?"
Vivisected. On-off-buzz-buzz-on-off. Caleb I miss you.
I didn't expect this story to begin the way it did. Maybe if I had known, I wouldn't have hesitated for so long before starting this. I expected to start where I left off in Captive in the Dark, scared of Rafiq's arrival, but to my surprise I was pushed into the present and all my questions on how Livvie and Caleb's story unfolded were left in the past, to be revealed later on in the book.
I got a clear insight on Livvie's thoughts and feeling for Caleb through this book. I truly felt as though I was there as she retell the story from her perspective. I understood how someone can fall in love with a person like Caleb. Her kidnapper and abuser. Someone with the intentions of selling her for revenge. I felt her love, sorrow and need for Caleb.
Its amazing how talented this author is. I was captivated to the point of believing I was apart of this story. I could feel their pain, as though it was mine. My heart ached for the circumstances they were in. For their impossible love. I felt anxiety, my heart racing in fear for their fate at the hands of sick monster like Rafiq. And then came their love, although dark and raw, took my breath away.
There were times throughout this book were, I'll admit, I hated Caleb. Even when I understood his reasons and motives for treating Livvie the way he did, I still couldn't stop from cringing and wishing he would change. And then I would understand how Livvie felt. To love someone even when you hate them. That's what Caleb does. He makes you dependent on him, craving him however you can get him, wanting him happy and loving him no matter what.
My heart broke for this beautiful, yet damaged man. Some of his faults, though unforgivable, can be forgotten when looking at Caleb as a whole. From his devastating past, to the betrayals he learns about, from the people who led him to become the man, looked on as a monster. He thought himself undeserving of happiness, when in truth he deserved it most. For me, Caleb couldn't have been more perfect. I loved how vulnerable he became when doubting Livvie's feelings for him and the hardship he went through when making choices against his better beliefs.
Seduced in the dark literally blew my mind away. Even though I started off thinking I might not like this...I can say, with all my heart, that I couldn't have asked for a better story. Its beautiful but dark, raw and intense. Its filled with love, but no rainbows and sunshine. You'll be sucked into a world where Masters with slaves are the norm and punishment is a pleasure for the disobedient.
A very tragic love story, but a love story all the same.
Vivisected. On-off-buzz-buzz-on-off. Caleb I miss you.
I didn't expect this story to begin the way it did. Maybe if I had known, I wouldn't have hesitated for so long before starting this. I expected to start where I left off in Captive in the Dark, scared of Rafiq's arrival, but to my surprise I was pushed into the present and all my questions on how Livvie and Caleb's story unfolded were left in the past, to be revealed later on in the book.
I got a clear insight on Livvie's thoughts and feeling for Caleb through this book. I truly felt as though I was there as she retell the story from her perspective. I understood how someone can fall in love with a person like Caleb. Her kidnapper and abuser. Someone with the intentions of selling her for revenge. I felt her love, sorrow and need for Caleb.
Its amazing how talented this author is. I was captivated to the point of believing I was apart of this story. I could feel their pain, as though it was mine. My heart ached for the circumstances they were in. For their impossible love. I felt anxiety, my heart racing in fear for their fate at the hands of sick monster like Rafiq. And then came their love, although dark and raw, took my breath away.
There were times throughout this book were, I'll admit, I hated Caleb. Even when I understood his reasons and motives for treating Livvie the way he did, I still couldn't stop from cringing and wishing he would change. And then I would understand how Livvie felt. To love someone even when you hate them. That's what Caleb does. He makes you dependent on him, craving him however you can get him, wanting him happy and loving him no matter what.
My heart broke for this beautiful, yet damaged man. Some of his faults, though unforgivable, can be forgotten when looking at Caleb as a whole. From his devastating past, to the betrayals he learns about, from the people who led him to become the man, looked on as a monster. He thought himself undeserving of happiness, when in truth he deserved it most. For me, Caleb couldn't have been more perfect. I loved how vulnerable he became when doubting Livvie's feelings for him and the hardship he went through when making choices against his better beliefs.
Seduced in the dark literally blew my mind away. Even though I started off thinking I might not like this...I can say, with all my heart, that I couldn't have asked for a better story. Its beautiful but dark, raw and intense. Its filled with love, but no rainbows and sunshine. You'll be sucked into a world where Masters with slaves are the norm and punishment is a pleasure for the disobedient.
A very tragic love story, but a love story all the same.
September 27, 2016
Me gustó la forma en que está estructurado el libro, ya que inicia con Livvie en un hospital, recuperándose de una serie de heridas y siendo interrogada por dos agentes del FBI acerca de su secuestro. Por lo mismo, conocemos los acontecimientos tanto por las historias que Livvie va narrando a los agentes como por sus recuerdos. La única pega, al menos de la primera mitad, es que la novela se alarga mucho con las reflexiones de la protagonista y además, se introduce una relación entre dos personajes secundarios, que no tiene ni ton ni son en el argumento y que no llega a ninguna parte, absolutamente innecesaria.
Por supuesto, seguí odiando a Caleb la mayor parte del libro, a pesar de su conflicto interno entre la lealtad hacia su “mentor” y sus sentimientos hacia Livvie. Afortunadamente, ganan estos últimos que, junto a unos muy buenos giros argumentales, desencadenan un final impactante y emotivo, en que Caleb es capaz de redimirse incluso más allá de la situación puntual de Livvie.
Lo que genera un poco de repelús es que ella se haya enamorado de su captor. No digo que no sea posible considerando el pasado bastante desamparado de Livvie y el hecho de que en una situación tan condicionada, Caleb era el único punto de consuelo, cuando dejaba que su interés por ella traspasara sus “obligaciones”. Sin embargo, faltó profundizar en este aspecto para que realmente fuera creíble.
Pero en resumen, a pesar de ser una novela muy dura, me ha gustado mucho. En particular me gustó el final, que por supuesto quiero profundizar con la última entrega de esta serie Epílogo.
Por supuesto, seguí odiando a Caleb la mayor parte del libro, a pesar de su conflicto interno entre la lealtad hacia su “mentor” y sus sentimientos hacia Livvie. Afortunadamente, ganan estos últimos que, junto a unos muy buenos giros argumentales, desencadenan un final impactante y emotivo, en que Caleb es capaz de redimirse incluso más allá de la situación puntual de Livvie.
Lo que genera un poco de repelús es que ella se haya enamorado de su captor. No digo que no sea posible considerando el pasado bastante desamparado de Livvie y el hecho de que en una situación tan condicionada, Caleb era el único punto de consuelo, cuando dejaba que su interés por ella traspasara sus “obligaciones”. Sin embargo, faltó profundizar en este aspecto para que realmente fuera creíble.
Pero en resumen, a pesar de ser una novela muy dura, me ha gustado mucho. En particular me gustó el final, que por supuesto quiero profundizar con la última entrega de esta serie Epílogo.
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