Captive by Brighton Walsh Series: Captive #1
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on March 24th 2015
Genres: Fiction, New Adult, Romance, Suspense
Pages: 288
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
Goodreads
He's the most dangerous man she's ever met...and she's falling in love with him.Madison Frost is desperate to escape her life. Daughter of a prominent businessman, she has everything a girl could ask for. Except for a family who's present in her life, and anyone to talk to outside the four walls of the prison she calls home. Madison dreams of one day leaving her life behind. She never thought being kidnapped is how it would happen.Now she's being held captive by a man who's as frightening as he is sinfully gorgeous. Enormous, muscular, and filled with secrets, the man they call Ghost is an enigmatic mercenary, and Madison is trapped with him. She doesn't know who hired him or why, but the more time she spends at his mercy, the more she realizes he's not what he seems. Beneath his rough exterior lies an unexpected gentleness and a heart as broken and battered as her own.But as Madison lets down her walls, Ghost holds tight to his, hiding secrets that could destroy everything.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Why Did I Read?
This is a super intriguing set up! Plus all my friends had raved about Brighton and I trust them!
My Thoughts:
This concept had to be written well. Any differently and the story could not have been the romantic story that we get. Why? Well, Madison, our main character, better known as Maddie, is kidnapped. She’s held at an isolated cabin, against her will, by a scary looking dude named Ghost. I was a little nervous going into this because I was just thinking to myself that if this girl gets taken and she’s just swooning over how hot this guy was, I was going to throw a fit. Thankfully I needn’t have worried! Maddie is smart and instead her first instincts and first thoughts are of scanning her surroundings, trying to remember details, trying to escape. High five, girl.
(I once read a book where the girl was being taken against her will but kept thinking about how attractive the guy was — just, no.)
So, already we’re off to a good start because I loved Maddie! She’s smart, she’s independent and she’s strong. Her situation (prior to the kidnapping) was already heartbreaking and she was shouldering a weight way too heavy for her but she keeps going. Major admiration for her. Anyway, another reason the concept had to be written well is I really hoped there wouldn’t be any stockholm syndrome type thing going on… it’s a tricky, fine line! And guess what — Brighton Walsh does it beautifully!
Ghost can be a pretty scary looking guy but he’s not evil. He may do a job that doesn’t fall on the side of “right” but he does have a sense of morality. He’s used to being sent on jobs to capture corrupt businessmen, so a young innocent girl is new. But he does what he has to, he always has so that he and his brother can get by.
Anyway, stuck in a cabin together, Ghost and Maddie’s relationship started off rocky — as can be expected, but gradually they learn things from each other. They see that they’re not all that different. Each of them have been captive in some part of their lives before. They each learn things about themselves from each other and I loved both character arcs.
And hello, hot chemistry. I can’t be sure if centralized heating was ever mentioned in particular at this cabin, but they probably didn’t need it! I have a particular favorite wall scene — that I actually read at work on my break, ha. Maddie and Ghost, burning up kindles everywhere since 2015… on a serious note though, I loved how Ghost exudes all the strength in the world but has such a gentleness in him that IS there, however much he denies it. And on the flip side, I love that while Maddie doesn’t LOOK it, she has so much inner strength. I LOVED both of them together.
The twist… I did see the twist but that’s okay. The underlying plot was still interesting! From what I gather on twitter, I think we’ll be getting Riley’s story (Ghost’s brother) too and I can’t wait for that!
In Short…
A very well written, enrapturing romance between two so very unlikely people. A romance based on a captor and kidnappee can be tricky, but there is nothing to worry about because it’s written perfectly. Fantastic story and even more awesome characters! I need to read Brighton’s other books!
The blurb sets off a lot of alarm bells so I’m glad this was written well and handled correctly. I’m intrigued to see how it all comes together now! Nice review hon
Yay! Great review Wendy! I loved Ghost and Maddie’s chemistry! They were so good for one another- they created a great balance. I liked that Brighton handled the captive/captor scenario so well. I’m not a fan of stockholm syndrome romances. So, this worked great!
I love that you always read the sexy times in the strangest of places LOL.
I just adored this book! The chemistry is amazing, and the characters are so well drawn. I seriously can’t wait for Riley’s story!
Great review, babe!