Captured Love

by Juliana Haygert

It's been four years since twenty-year-old Jessica Hayes has been home, but when she discovers her father is dying, she must return to her hometown in South Carolina and face her past. Jessica thought patching up her relationship with her father would be her biggest challenge, but when she runs into Ryan Dawson--the catalyst of all her problems--she wonders if coming home was a mistake.

Ryan knows he screwed up. Hell, he paid the price...with interest. But when he runs into his best friend's little sister, Jessica, he's reminded that his debt will never truly be paid. He may have turned his life around, but he can't undo the damage. So, he does what he should have done all those years ago. He stays away from Jessica, and all the other personal demons that still haunt him.

Jessica thought she wanted nothing to with Ryan, but something is different about him and she needs to know why. When she discovers the truth behind his change, she puts her troubles aside and tries to help him. But is putting her heart back in the line of fire worth disrupting her stable life back in Ohio, or will the past repeat itself, leaving her brokenhearted once again?

Genre: NA Contemporary Romance. Warning: strong language, sex scene.

Genres: New Adult, Romance, College, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Love, Death

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2014

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author.

While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. She resides in North Carolina and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.

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Reviews

[Juliana]

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:)

[Savannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Coffee, Books and My Kindle




Four years ago Jessica Hayes was heartbroken for the two most important men in her life, her first love Ryan and her papa. Now, she is a college student, living with her grandma, having shallow hook-up with guys and sketching anything but people. She has not talked to her family since she left her town.

The last four years have been a living hell for Ryan Dawson, he lost the girl he loves, had to give up his passion for bikes, is carrying a heavy weight on his shoulders, and fighting with his own demons.

Jessica and Ryan have not forgotten each other but they won’t admit that. When a tragic touches Jessica’s family and she needs get back to her town, she’ll need to affront a past she wants to forget. Will they have a second chance love?

My Impressions

I have been waiting for this book for months. I’ve been looking and enjoying the beautiful teasers and excerpts shared by Juliana. As soon as I received my arc copy I immerse myself in the intense atmosphere of Captured Love.



Something I always enjoy with the NA books of Juliana Haygert is her heroines, she usually writes about impressive young women, they aren’t silly girls who falling in love with a sexy guy and forget everything. Jessica is maybe the youngest, she was sixteen years old when the events happened and her decision was impulsive and almost childish. But when she gets back with her family, she has a sublime development. Maybe, I would have taken other decisions but I understood her story, and that’s the work of an author.

Even hurt, it was hard not to notice he hadn’t changed that much. His face was still of a bad boy, his gaze was still breathtaking, and his body was still ripped.

Ryan, oh sweet life, he’s my new book boyfriend and my second favorite Juliana’s hero. A self-improve bad boy? I want him. He took bad choices when Jessica left him but now he’s in a better place. Trying so hard to be a better person. I respect him for that.



The storyline is interesting, balanced, well development. Juliana has an amazing talent for telling a story and keeping me stuck to my kindle for hours. The chemistry between Jessica and Ryan is awesome, they have strong feelings for each other, but they aren’t easy people . Only Juliana Haygert has the amazing ability for dragging me into an intense, love story using only a sex scene.

She had been the best part of my life, and I had blown it. I lost her, I drove her away from me, and I had suffered for it. Suffered too much.
My fingertips found the scars on my neck and on my chest. I had had so many cuts, but thankfully not all them left marks. These scars were the reminders of my mistakes, of what I had done and couldn’t fix.

So, how many stars deserve Captured Love by Juliana Haygert? Let’s see

Kick ass, impressive female character? Almost check.

Inked, biker, bad boy male character? Oh my God check.

Intense, balanced, and well written storyline about a second romance love and forgiveness? Check

Book boyfriend material? Hell yeah check.

Keep turning factor and light book hangover factor? Check twice.

Bottom line? My rate  is 4.5 fabulous stars because this book is



Fresh, light, lovely Captured Love is pretty good choice in the NA Contemporary Romance world.

For more reviews, interviews, and another bookish things, visit Coffee, Books & My Kindle the journalist side of book blogging.

[Amy Logg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captured Love is a story of misunderstandings, heartache and second chances!

REVIEW:
The story:
Four years ago, Jess's world fell apart. After having her heart broken by her first love Ryan, and a massive fight her father, Jess left her hometown to live with her Grandmother in Ohio. Four years later and she finally has some stability back in life, until she gets the phone call that changes everything. Leaving her safe new life behind she returns home to see her sick father. But confronting her past isn't easy and she struggles to deal with seeing her father and Ryan after all these years.

It was difficult to see Jess in so much pain. She may have believed that she'd moved on after moving to Ohio, but really she was just running away. It's not until she finally deals with the fight she had with her father, and the misunderstandings that happened between her & Ryan that she really started to find peace.

The characters:
Jess is sweet and kind and a very likeable narrator. But she's not without her faults. She has a tendency to jump to conclusions and can be very stubborn. She's also very reluctant to trust anyone, after being hurt by Ryan and her family. But it's these faults that made her character feel very 'real', she's not perfect - but then, nobody is.

Ryan is actually such sweetheart! Yes he's a tatted up bad boy who tends to find himself in trouble a lot. But when it came down to it, it was clear he cared a great deal for Jess. I also loved that he never really gave up on her.

The romance:
It took quite a while for these two to meet up again after all these years. They try to avoid each other, and the inevitable confrontation they had to have. Once they finally to bump into one anther, it's not all fireworks and roses. The hurt and anger is still there, especially for Jess, and it's not easy for her to see past that. I liked that they didn't just jump straight back into a relationship. They had to work through a lot of issues, both together and within themselves. But it just made this romance so real and the ending so much more exciting and epic.

The Writing:
Juliana's books are always packed full of emotion. You feel what the characters are going through. Her characters have relatable flaws and make mistakes. The story flows steadily throughout, and built nicely to the conclusion.

FINAL WORD:
Captured Love is a story of misunderstandings, heartache and second chances. Sexy and romantic, this is a fabulous read for any NA or romance lovers!

CONTENT:
Sexuality: medium / some sex scenes
Violence: mild
Language: medium / some f words
Drugs & alcohol: mild

More reviews at The Reading Realm

[Gabbie (Rampant Readers) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why I Picked It Up

I was approached by Juliana Haygert asking me to review this novel, which I had been eyeing anyways, so I just had to give it a try. I’m glad that I did. Captured Love was a really nice contemporary read.

Plot

Jessica Hayes returns to town after four years to make amends with her dying father. She was expecting that challenge, but what she wasn’t expecting was Ryan Dawson—half the reason she left—to be there too. Ryan is intent on avoiding Jessica this time around, especially with what happened four years prior. But Jessica becomes curious: why is a cop following Ryan around? Why is he working for a charity building houses? And as you know, curiosity killed the cat. The two of them are drawn together once again, but there is major baggage that they need to sort through before they can be together. There was a lot of history-fueled drama that kept me hooked once I started reading.

Leading Lady

I liked Jessica’s character. Sure, I didn’t like the fact that she ran away from her problems, especially once I figured out why, but other than that, she was a nice, relatable character. She was driven and willing to face years of hurt in order to reconcile with her dying father, especially after initially being rejected and dismissed by him the first time she visits. I think that she exhibited some personal growth over the novel as she let go of the past and forgave those who had hurt her.

Leading Male

Initially I was anti-Ryan—it seemed as though everything that ad happened was his fault. But as I saw more of his character, I realized things had been blown out of proportion. His feelings were genuine and that made me like him a lot more than I had at the beginning. He really felt bad about the things that he did; I think that it definitely added a layer that I had previously thought absent to his character when first introduced.

Romance

The romance was definitely filled with tension. They had a history and it was obvious that there were still feelings between them. I personally thought that the reconciliation was a bit drawn out, but I was happy when they started to work things out. I especially loved how they ended up. It was really sweet.

Conclusion

Captured Love was a lot more interesting and drama filled than other contemporary new adult novels that I’ve read lately. I felt like the premise of scorned lovers definitely added a spice that is present in this otherwise almost-bland genre.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Juliana Haygert more and more with each book I read. I read Captured Love in one sitting, front to back, virtual cover to cover, did not want to put it down until I was done. First I had to get to why Jessica and Ryan were avoiding each other, what drove them apart 4 years ago, and what happened between her and her dad that had her running away from home to her grandma’s to live. Why did she turn her back on her entire life and refuse to return until her father was dying?

I loved these characters. Ryan, I fell for him before I knew what had happened. I wanted to know what happened after Jessica left? I won’t go into spoilers, but you’ll be wondering the same thing within the first couple of chapters. It felt like this couple’s life together that just started imploded and then things got worse.

One thing I loved about Jessica was that she wasn’t some flighty little girl playing immature head games. Yes, she made a very impulsive decision when she ran, but she grew so much during this story. She healed and started growing into who she was going to be. Though she wanted to avoid Ryan, they live in a small town, and were bound to run into each other. Though she was angry and hurt, she wasn’t cruel.

When I say I loved the characters, I even mean Caryn. She’s one that you love to hate. Even though she is the antagonist in this book and I loved how Jessica dealt with her, I would love to see a book about her, or someone like her. Even while I was hating her, I was wondering what was going on in her life, why was she the way she was, why was she obsessed with Ryan like she was? That wasn’t actually part of the story line, it was just where my mind wandered while reading.

Overall, great book, another immensely enjoyable read by Juliana Haygert! I can’t wait to see what comes next from her!

5 stars!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK so I have to say that when I first saw the synopsis I was completely terrified that this was going to feature one of my reading limits – CHEATING – however, I have to say that the story is so compelling you can put aside any preconceived notions you have. The dual narrative obviously aids the understanding and empathy towards the characters.

I adored Jessica from the beginning, my hear hurt for her, the impact the events four years ago has taken it’s toll on her ability to open herself up to people. As the reasons for her barriers are revealed you can’t help but feel her decision were necessary and in fact support the way she conducts her life. Unfortunately, she hasn’t been able to move on, something she really needs to do – achieve closure in order to move forward with her life.

While it is easy to lay all blame at Ryan’s feet; as we get to know him better by seeing things from his perspective we can achieve a level of understanding and compassion for the impact the events had on him. Little by little it is possible to move past the events that lead to where he is today.

Jessica’s ability to look past her own hurt in order to be able to help others, specifically Ryan, absolutely blew me away. She is inspirational. Putting aside her own feelings in order to help Ryan repair the damage in his life was such an unselfish act – she is a role model on how to be a compassionate human being, restoring faith in human nature :)

The narrative mixes the past and present together providing a roundness to the story as a whole.

Captured Love is a compelling story, so compelling in fact I read it in one sitting late into the night. the characters are so engaging you won’t be able to let the story go until the last page. The plot is fast paced and emotional on a number of levels. Captured Love encompasses first love, second chance, misunderstandings, mis-communication and most importantly forgiveness and compassion.

[Whispering Chapters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had seen a lot of hype for CAPTURED LOVE before it was released and I kept pushing it back and not pre-ordering until a friend of mine who runs the blog COFFEE, BOOKS & MY KINDLE posted her review.

Jessica was a fun-loving person until her heart got broken by two people she loved the most: Ryan and her father. She packs up and leaves to start over only to return 4 years later because her father is ill. While being in Columbia brings unwanted memories, she endures her pain to be there for her mom. She tries to stay hidden, to not go out to avoid certain people but of course, she runs into Ryan.

I love the rocky relationship Ryan and Jessica have throughout the story. They start by barely being able to talk to each other to helping one another. It’s true that it isn’t until Ryan tells Jessica about the past four years of his life that it is when Jessica wants to help him out. She feels it is her fault he got into the mess he had.

This is wrong but I love how broken Ryan really is. I love that even through everything he went through, even when he is not allowed to, he tries to stay by Jessica’s side. At first he pushes her away but he realizes he still loves this girl and he tries to fight for her.

I am one that loves stories where the couple is together from the start on some stories. With CAPTURED LOVE, I totally adore that it is not the case with this story. They barely even talk through half of the book but the reader can slowly and eagerly read about Ryan and Jessica’s relationship and anticipate it with so much fervor.

[Alex Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this is a New Adult book, the first one I have ever read. At the beginning of this book I was enjoying it, but that was about it. I was happy to read it but I wouldn’t have minded if I had been told I wasn’t allowed to finish it. Then, at about chapter 10 I suddenly became really invested in the story and the characters. Jessica, one of the main characters, annoyed me at times. She occasionally seemed a bit over dramatic to me. Otherwise I didn’t really have anything wrong with her or any of the other characters.

I enjoyed the story. It was cute, although it was a little bit cheesy at times. The actual writing annoyed me sometimes, information would sometimes be revealed in odd ways, like the author didn’t know how else to do it, so it felt a bit unrealistic. She would also repeat things that didn’t need repeating, which annoyed me because I hate that in books. But overall the annoyances weren’t enough to make me stop reading. I didn’t have any other problems with the book or the writing.

This book can now be added to the other books I own that have absolutely freaking ADORABLE endings! I loved the ending of Captured Love. I would probably have started cheering if my dad wasn’t asleep in the next room when I finished it. I will definitely check out some of her other books one day. When I have the time… And money… Yeah.

[Marochka · Rating 1 out of 5]

Дурацкая книга. Такой бред, если честно. Я с самого начала поняла, что психи у героини ни из-за чего. И точно. Сама «тайная» история, что у нее, что у парня... ну такая фигня, что аж смешно. Из-за ерунды и недопонимания 4 года не видеться с семьей, в 16 сбежать из дома. Истерить и не пускать братьев к ним же домой… За что только «плохие мальчики» таких дур любят… ну, у героини ноги от ушей, блондинистые длинные волосы, большие буфера и глаза… все понятно.
Идиотизм, конечно, все бросить и сбежать… но, с другой стороны, какой бы отвратительной эгоисткой не была героиня, я немного восхищаюсь способностью людей все бросать и полностью менять свою жизнь. Но нет, эту героиню ничего не сделает лучше. Ужас.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warning: strong language, sex scene I mean the book not my review. I adored Jessica from the beginning, my hear hurt for her, the impact the events four years ago has taken it’s toll on her ability to open herself up to people. As the reasons for her barriers are revealed you can’t help but feel her decision were necessary and in fact support the way she conducts her life. Unfortunately, she hasn’t been able to move on, something she really needs to do – achieve closure in order to move forward with her life.

[Anjie Kendall · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning was very slow. For a love story, I felt they spent far too much time apart. The secret should have been revealed much sooner, and then the two should have been shown building their relationship more. I loved the scene with Brody, but felt the phone call should have been shown rather than just happen behind the scenes.

[Noelle carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the entire book in one day, I really liked it, the book flowed really well and kept me interested in reading (whats going on?! What happened in the past, I gotta know!) so it was a real page turner for me, I enjoyed it until the end. Really recommend this book and books from this author!

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I really, really wanted to love this book as much as I did Playing Pretend, but I just didn't and it sucks! I had trouble connecting with Jess as a heroine--she was so hot-and-cold sometimes it was annoying and frustrating and hard to stand behind her as a heroine. Ryan I was also frustrated with (which is rare for heroes) because he remained standoffish for too much of the novel [in my opinion]. I understand he wanted to keep his distance because of what he thought was best for her, but damn get your head out of your ass and realize your feelings already!! [Same applies to Jess.]

Another thing that bothered me: it took WAY too long to get the story of what happened FOUR-YEARS-AGO between Ryan, Jess, and Jess' father. Way too long. The writing could have also used some polishing. There were MULTIPLE grammatical and spelling errors that sometimes made it hard to understand what the author was trying to say. Also, some of the wording/phrases the characters would use was awkward and did not sound like something a 20-something would say nowadays (considering I am one). Overall, I was very disappointed with this novel. I really loved Playing Pretend and expected to love this one just as much. I would read another book by Ms. Haygert, but I would be more cautious when starting it.

[Gabby (What's Beyond Forks?) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full Review at: What's Beyond Forks?

Captured Love by Juliana Hagert is a story where you can feel the heartbreak and betrayal right along with the main character. After being away for four years, Jessica is forced to come home, because her father is deathly ill. Jessica has a lot of hurt that she's carrying from both her father and her first love, Ryan. It takes a while before you're finally given the whole story of what went wrong between Ryan and Jessica, and I'll be honest.. I thought it was going to be a lot worse than it really was. All in all, I enjoyed this story. It's never too late for forgiveness.

The ARC of Captured Love by Juliana Haygert was kindly provided to me by the author for review. The opinions are my own.

[Annmarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75. I liked it, I hated Caryn but who doesn't? So much time wasted but the end was worth it. The weird photo phobia was a bit much but other than that it was good. A love that lasts over time is always a good read.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily my most reread standalone!

I don't know what it is about these characters and the story, but I'm addicted! I reread Captured Love at least once every year. Sometimes more! I highly recommend! (If you can find it because it's no longer easily available.)

[Anatea Oroz]

Review to come....

[Layla · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-3.5 Stars!!

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5-- It would have received 4 stars if it hadn't started off so slow but nonetheless It was a really good book. I loved Ryan and Jessica. A very good HEA read!

[k · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angsty

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good romance, worth the read, but nothing new or really exciting.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is so awful that it should be called toilet

[Nina Camarillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book

[Kasandra Setrakova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the story, great couple.