Reviews - Captive in the Dark

615 reviews for:

Captive in the Dark

CJ Roberts

3.49 AVERAGE

i_ambooked's review against another edition

5.0

“For what it's worth Livvie, I never thought of you as a whore. And you are...the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.”

Will I ever get over this book? I think not.

When I was 17, I came across a review in Portuguese of this book. Trust me when I say it was the beginning of my journey into the world of dark romance. And what a dark beginning it was. I think I have a small number of Dark Romances that are categorized as Darkest than Dark and this book was it.
For such a fresh mind like mine was, I now understand why it is important to prevent young adults from reading certain books. I don't know how I would be now (2024) had I not been introduced to this genre when I was so young and untested. But we will never know.

This isn't a romance. You're not a damsel in distress and I'm not the handsome prince come to save you.
He was my tormentor and my solace; the creator of the dark and the light within.

Caleb is a man on a mission. He wants to get revenge against the man that unraveled his life but in order to do so, he has to become what he abhors the most. He had to do what he despises the most: steal an innocent life, train her to become the perfect sex slave and then sell her in an auction to the man he seeks revenge.

“People often believed they were safer in the light, thinking monsters only came out at night.”

Livvy is a neglected 18 year old that captured the eye of Caleb and that was her downfall.

This book is dark, graphic and depreaved. There are some instances where it was almost too much for me to bear reading but I am just so glad I never gave up.
We might not know what would I be like right now, personality wise, but I sure as hell am glad that I am the way I am.

This was more life philosophy than it was a review.

ihateprozac's review against another edition

3.0

3 stars.

I respect this for being one of the OG captor/captive dark romances back in the day, but by today’s standards it was lacking in flavour. It felt like not a lot happened, their dynamic was all over the place, and there was a lil action thrown in at the end that was over very quickly.

This is part of a duet so I expected it to end on a cliffhanger, but it felt more like it ended mid-thought?

I’ll probably read the second instalment, though I’m not super invested in this relationship.

kaygo2490's review against another edition

4.0

This is not a love story. It's not a feel good book. It's fucked. It's messed up. This is the definition of trigger warning. Yet, I enjoyed it.

The characters were complex and multilayered.

It was really well written.

It was dark and psychological engrossing.

Yeah, I liked it.

4/5 stars

sarahsbookden's review against another edition

5.0

I first want to say the writing in this book is fantastic. I usually am not someone who can read a third person POV but the way CJ moved between Caleb's Third Person POV, Livvie's First person POV and then the flashbacks between childhood memories, I was absolutely addicted.

Secondly I want to say, read the trigger warnings, and RESPECT the trigger warnings. This book is dark and GRAPHIC. Caleb is not a good man, he is not a hero or anti hero.

I absolutely devoured this series. Caleb trains women to sell into the sex slave market and he is on the path of vengeance. Livvie is an 18 year old girl who is kidnapped and to be used as an integral part in Caleb's revenge. Caleb is the bad man you hate to love, and love to hate. If you can handle the triggers and like a great captive/captor book. Read this one. This is the dirty little secret troupe I love.
There is graphic violence, non consensual sex, and abuse. There also are graphic flash backs of child sexual abuse.

"He was my tormentor and my solace; the creator of the dark and the light within."

"Be smart! Fight the battles you can win and accept the ones you can’t. That’s how you survive.”

“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. It’s time for you to go, Kitten. Time for us both to go.”

"I felt Caleb was more damaged than me. Not in some tragic sense, but in a fundamental way that bridged the vast distances between us."

20210609-133241-0000

acorngirl121's review against another edition

5.0

I didn't want to like this...but I did. Wow. The emotions you feel for Livvie and Caleb. It's an intense ride. Pick this up, buckle up, and go with it until the end. It's a bumpy ride, but a great one all the same! :)