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Captive
Faced with an insurmountable enemy and betrayed by those he once trusted, Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia and Duke of Amlas and Fagaras, will stop at nothing to defend his throne and his country against the superior Ottoman might.
Determined to destroy Sultan Mehmed, the man who was once his closest friend and who now threatens to destroy his people, the Prince willingly descends into the realms of hell, giving up his very soul in return for victory and revenge.
Tempted by power and blinded by his burning need for vengeance, the Prince devices a diabolical plan which will have devastating consequences for both the innocent and the guilty.
But when this terrible, merciless tyrant sets eyes on the innocent girl he has chosen as the unwitting instrument of his vengeance, he will finally learn what it means to love. Torn between power, vengeance and love, he will drag her into his world, driven to possess her heart and soul.
Determined to destroy Sultan Mehmed, the man who was once his closest friend and who now threatens to destroy his people, the Prince willingly descends into the realms of hell, giving up his very soul in return for victory and revenge.
Tempted by power and blinded by his burning need for vengeance, the Prince devices a diabolical plan which will have devastating consequences for both the innocent and the guilty.
But when this terrible, merciless tyrant sets eyes on the innocent girl he has chosen as the unwitting instrument of his vengeance, he will finally learn what it means to love. Torn between power, vengeance and love, he will drag her into his world, driven to possess her heart and soul.
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First published January 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 27, 2019
Update: I finally finished! This will remain a 4 star read for me. This book will not please everyone. There are problems that detract from this book. Price is the #1 issue. I added my final thoughts at the end of my review. To people who are dissatisfied with this book: I get it. I encourage you to detail exactly why you are dissatisfied, so other readers can gauge for themselves if this book would be up their alley or if they should pass.
Original Review:
This was a rich, lush, and atmospheric read. This is a book to be read late on a cold and rainy night. The prose is expressive and descriptive...I ate it up, it's like it was written just for me. There were times the writing dangled on the line between beautifully descriptive and purple prose, but I can't complain because the majority of it, like 99.5%, was so damn good. It hit all the right spots, exactly what I want to read in a book with a historical setting, vampires and romance. Unlike many PNR books the word 'vampire' doesn't even appear until the middle of the book, there's more of a demonic vibe going on, with hints to the male MC's true nature. There's no insta-love either.
This story is inspired by Dracula and Beauty and the Beast, which immediately made me both intrigued and wary. I first thought the premise could be good, but could potentially go awry, all depending on the writer. Well, the author pulled it off. The author also managed to create a unique story, which is impressive considering stories inspired by Dracula aren't in short supply.
The writing was amazing. There were many times I felt goosebumps and chills. I found myself rereading paragraphs just to feel that tingling sensation again. I was terrified of the male protagonist, Vlad, but also extremely interested in him. The vampire mythology was pulled off well. I like a vampire book that subtly hints at the vampire's abilities, without spelling it out. There are no info dumps here. There's a sense of darkness, evil, and magic that pervades the world. There's an intense sensuality between the heroine and 'hero' without explicit sexual scenes.
The 'hero' is described as satanic, and possessing powers only someone who has been gifted by the devil or dark magic could possess. He's the kind of evil that looks appealing, and is capable of seduction to achieve his aims. The heroine becomes aware early on that he is giving her illusions of kindness, luxury, and control in order to manipulate her.
While reading I couldn't help but think Katherine was acting recklessly at times. To talk back to a king with such disrespect would typically result in a death sentence. This behavior is explained by the author. Katherine has lost everything: her father, title, lands and home. The only thing she has left is her pride, so if standing up for herself results in her death, then so be it. That's her attitude. While the king, the sovereign, typically wouldn't put up with such insolence he has a good reason to do so. There is a backstory to Katherine, which only he and a select few are aware of...so he has motivation to tolerate Katherine's behavior. She's a pawn for his benefit, and it takes her awhile to realize this. This is a common trope in romance novels, but imo it's pulled off really well here.
The reader is made aware of Vlad's plans to use Katherine, but the exact details of his plans for her remain a mystery. We're fed breadcrumbs like this:
How I imagine the castle
Monastery Sfantul Georghe
Several of the movie stills from the french movie, La Belle et la Bête (2014), really do capture many of the scenes in this book.
I initially criticized the book for ending early on Radish (it stopped on chapter 38 when I originally finished). I wasn't aware chapters were still going to be uploaded....and I was pretty frustrated. I saw last night that chapter 39 had been uploaded, so I'm hopeful there will be a satisfying ending to this book. I'm still deducting a star for the story being incomplete so far, and if I'm happy with the ending I'll change it to five stars. So far, at chapter 39, there are still many unanswered questions. If the author can answer some of them, give some more substance to the amazing atmosphere, mystery, and suspense she's provided, then I'll definitely up the rating to five stars.
Final Thoughts (no spoilers, this is just long):
Original Review:
This was a rich, lush, and atmospheric read. This is a book to be read late on a cold and rainy night. The prose is expressive and descriptive...I ate it up, it's like it was written just for me. There were times the writing dangled on the line between beautifully descriptive and purple prose, but I can't complain because the majority of it, like 99.5%, was so damn good. It hit all the right spots, exactly what I want to read in a book with a historical setting, vampires and romance. Unlike many PNR books the word 'vampire' doesn't even appear until the middle of the book, there's more of a demonic vibe going on, with hints to the male MC's true nature. There's no insta-love either.
This story is inspired by Dracula and Beauty and the Beast, which immediately made me both intrigued and wary. I first thought the premise could be good, but could potentially go awry, all depending on the writer. Well, the author pulled it off. The author also managed to create a unique story, which is impressive considering stories inspired by Dracula aren't in short supply.
The writing was amazing. There were many times I felt goosebumps and chills. I found myself rereading paragraphs just to feel that tingling sensation again. I was terrified of the male protagonist, Vlad, but also extremely interested in him. The vampire mythology was pulled off well. I like a vampire book that subtly hints at the vampire's abilities, without spelling it out. There are no info dumps here. There's a sense of darkness, evil, and magic that pervades the world. There's an intense sensuality between the heroine and 'hero' without explicit sexual scenes.
The 'hero' is described as satanic, and possessing powers only someone who has been gifted by the devil or dark magic could possess. He's the kind of evil that looks appealing, and is capable of seduction to achieve his aims. The heroine becomes aware early on that he is giving her illusions of kindness, luxury, and control in order to manipulate her.
...she became painfully aware that with every passing moment, she was falling ever further under his spell, becoming more and more like those around her, blind to the truth. And this was what he wanted. He meant to ensnare her, entrap her in this fairy tale, he wanted her to believe that the illusion was real.
And what if I refuse to lose myself in the illusion, what if I refuse to play this game?
She closed her eyes, leaning into his passionate kiss, oblivious that her spectral twin was slowly dying in the arms of her lover, clinging to him as the life slowly seeped out of her.
While reading I couldn't help but think Katherine was acting recklessly at times. To talk back to a king with such disrespect would typically result in a death sentence. This behavior is explained by the author. Katherine has lost everything: her father, title, lands and home. The only thing she has left is her pride, so if standing up for herself results in her death, then so be it. That's her attitude. While the king, the sovereign, typically wouldn't put up with such insolence he has a good reason to do so. There is a backstory to Katherine, which only he and a select few are aware of...so he has motivation to tolerate Katherine's behavior. She's a pawn for his benefit, and it takes her awhile to realize this. This is a common trope in romance novels, but imo it's pulled off really well here.
The reader is made aware of Vlad's plans to use Katherine, but the exact details of his plans for her remain a mystery. We're fed breadcrumbs like this:
...far beneath those murky layers of fear and pain and lust, the light in her soul still shone - small and faint, yet unfailing in its tenacity to keep the darkness at bay. He knew, that if he followed this path to the bitter end, he would break her and extinguish this light forever.
How I imagine the castle
Monastery Sfantul Georghe
Several of the movie stills from the french movie, La Belle et la Bête (2014), really do capture many of the scenes in this book.
I initially criticized the book for ending early on Radish (it stopped on chapter 38 when I originally finished). I wasn't aware chapters were still going to be uploaded....and I was pretty frustrated. I saw last night that chapter 39 had been uploaded, so I'm hopeful there will be a satisfying ending to this book. I'm still deducting a star for the story being incomplete so far, and if I'm happy with the ending I'll change it to five stars. So far, at chapter 39, there are still many unanswered questions. If the author can answer some of them, give some more substance to the amazing atmosphere, mystery, and suspense she's provided, then I'll definitely up the rating to five stars.
Final Thoughts (no spoilers, this is just long):
March 4, 2019
I haven’t finished it yet but man what a let down. The reviews I’ve seen are either lying or really have no taste. Don’t be fooled by the awesome cover and the premise or the high star rating, this is not a good book. I purchased the eBook from Smashswords. If this book ever does get formally published I hope it’ll be substantially rewritten.
Have I missed something, folks? Why is this so highly rated?
Captive badly needed an editor. The typos aren’t too bad, but the lengthy repetition makes for a slogging, pointless read. Do I really need to hear about the thrill of fear Katherine feels for the tenth time? Or how the Prince moves like a predator? Why does Vlad always chuckle with faint amusement? Every little gesture is told, never shown, to the audience over and over again making for a static story.
The writing is full of such cliche descriptions and characterizations. Katherine is annoying and does things that make no sense. She also thinks that Vlad wants her, but he really doesn’t and it unintentionally makes her look needy and desperate. Vlad is a walking stereotype that we need reminding every page how malevolent and graceful he is. A single interaction takes chapters to unfold. We're pummeled with descriptions and interludes we don’t need, that ironaically just make it more confusing to understand. The escape attempts are unrealistic and so is the book’s lack of time lapsing.
I’ll be skimming through the rest.
Edit: Ok the supernatural element makes. No. God. Damn. Sense. Neither does Katherine's (non) reaction to it. It also is left totally unclear, despite spewing out wordy words upon words why Katherine begins to act the way she does toward Vlad (who still shows no actual desire for her even in the act of seducing her) when they get to his castle. Everything is so unclear and unrealistic.
Have I missed something, folks? Why is this so highly rated?
Captive badly needed an editor. The typos aren’t too bad, but the lengthy repetition makes for a slogging, pointless read. Do I really need to hear about the thrill of fear Katherine feels for the tenth time? Or how the Prince moves like a predator? Why does Vlad always chuckle with faint amusement? Every little gesture is told, never shown, to the audience over and over again making for a static story.
The writing is full of such cliche descriptions and characterizations. Katherine is annoying and does things that make no sense. She also thinks that Vlad wants her, but he really doesn’t and it unintentionally makes her look needy and desperate. Vlad is a walking stereotype that we need reminding every page how malevolent and graceful he is. A single interaction takes chapters to unfold. We're pummeled with descriptions and interludes we don’t need, that ironaically just make it more confusing to understand. The escape attempts are unrealistic and so is the book’s lack of time lapsing.
I’ll be skimming through the rest.
Edit: Ok the supernatural element makes. No. God. Damn. Sense. Neither does Katherine's (non) reaction to it. It also is left totally unclear, despite spewing out wordy words upon words why Katherine begins to act the way she does toward Vlad (who still shows no actual desire for her even in the act of seducing her) when they get to his castle. Everything is so unclear and unrealistic.
January 13, 2019
Sure the book is good but $25 for an ebook by a unknown, self published author? You're dreaming.
March 21, 2020
What a shame. The “pay to read each chapter” thing on Radish fiction just SUCKS. It’s incredibly disruptive to wait several minutes for each chapter to load, and it is so expensive. Why not just charge me $9.00 upfront? Such a bummer. It took me forever to figure out how to get access to this book- I got a notice from goodreads several months ago saying it was available on Amazon, but that never happened. Then I went to Wattpad, which gave me three poorly edited chapters, then her website, which lead me to radish.
To the author - I REALLY WANTED TO READ THIS BOOK!!! Why did you make it so difficult?? I’m giving up. I really liked what I read but Radish is a pain in the ass and it’s just too expensive. Truly the most frustrating reading experience I have ever had. I am so disappointed.
To the author - I REALLY WANTED TO READ THIS BOOK!!! Why did you make it so difficult?? I’m giving up. I really liked what I read but Radish is a pain in the ass and it’s just too expensive. Truly the most frustrating reading experience I have ever had. I am so disappointed.
March 5, 2019
Well, i made myself finish this book. First off, there were over 15 grammatical errors/wrong words/ a few spelling errors. Some sentences didn’t even make sense. A lot of the paragraphs didn’t make sense. And I have to say, sometimes I was confused because THINGS just didn’t make sense.
I did not like the MC’s AT ALL. He was evil, and hardly ever did anything good! Wth. Katherine was just bitchy through the whole book. There was no chemistry whatsoever.
And lastly, it ended abruptly. I forced myself to finish it so I could see a HEA and it just ended. Ughhhhhh.
I love vampire stories, and Dracula movies and shows, so for me.... maybe I just had too high of expectations.
Overall I give it 3 stars, and I am being lenient bc I know the hard work put into writing books I paid seven dollars for this book when it is very doubtfully published by a real publishing house... considering all the errors. I pay less for best sellers.
I did not like the MC’s AT ALL. He was evil, and hardly ever did anything good! Wth. Katherine was just bitchy through the whole book. There was no chemistry whatsoever.
And lastly, it ended abruptly. I forced myself to finish it so I could see a HEA and it just ended. Ughhhhhh.
I love vampire stories, and Dracula movies and shows, so for me.... maybe I just had too high of expectations.
Overall I give it 3 stars, and I am being lenient bc I know the hard work put into writing books I paid seven dollars for this book when it is very doubtfully published by a real publishing house... considering all the errors. I pay less for best sellers.
March 6, 2019
This is really not a romance but more of a book about vengeance and the woman at the center of it all. The means to an end. The book ends abruptly with no real conclusion. I assume the author will write a second book. I liked it. No, it’s not warm and fuzzy. There is no “hero” just a quest for power and an elaborate scheme to win at any cost. Does he love her, probably not. He respects her strength and wishes her no great harm. That is probably as good as it gets. I think I would have been disappointed if he had “changed” his course and fell in love. Sometimes the HEA gets old. Nice change. The writing was just ok. This book has not been edited. It’s gets repetitive at times and it doesn’t flow smoothly. I would get lost. I liked the premise of the story and it has real promise. A rewrite and final conclusion and definitely an editor with a “real” publisher would make this a winner.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2019
This story seems to be ok, however it was through radish fiction, so after the first few chapters you are paying coins to continue. Obviously if the chapters don’t cover much or are overly wordy then pretty soon your coins dwindle.
I stopped about half-way through for this exact reason. There was so much more that could have been happening in these chapters and a lot that could have been cut to make this better for the reader and also make the author look better. It had a lot of promise though.
I stopped about half-way through for this exact reason. There was so much more that could have been happening in these chapters and a lot that could have been cut to make this better for the reader and also make the author look better. It had a lot of promise though.
February 26, 2020
DNF, 26th Feb 2020
I really don’t know what to say! I mean the synopsis really was intriguing especially since it’s a Dracula Story. But my god the writing style and some of the repeated word and not being able to find the full book on all of her websites! Yikes...
I don’t think I’m DNFing this book because I’m also reading Dracula by Bram Stoker but honestly I feel like the idea there but the execution of it was not great.
I really don’t know what to say! I mean the synopsis really was intriguing especially since it’s a Dracula Story. But my god the writing style and some of the repeated word and not being able to find the full book on all of her websites! Yikes...
I don’t think I’m DNFing this book because I’m also reading Dracula by Bram Stoker but honestly I feel like the idea there but the execution of it was not great.
May 13, 2019
I'm so disappointed thought it would be better, my expectation were crushed. It was not what I expect and I thoroughly disliked it.
January 27, 2018
Best book I have read, I am looking forward to more of this author's updates.
January 24, 2019
well am reading this most remarkable story on wattpad Gabrielle Estres is a phenomenal story teller hope this turns into a series
July 3, 2019
One of the best novels ever. Greatly written, perfect description of every thing, and very catchy. Most recommended to people who like historical fantasy fiction.
January 20, 2019
Koko
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August 18, 2020I thought it was good. Bought it on Radish..still waiting for the second one to come out.
June 5, 2024
Ended so abruptly I had to double check it was over.
It was also filled with typos and words that weren’t even words. Even the name Katherine was spelled wrong in one spot.
Disappointing read.
It was also filled with typos and words that weren’t even words. Even the name Katherine was spelled wrong in one spot.
Disappointing read.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews