Scan barcode
queen21's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault and Slavery
Minor: Toxic relationship, Violence, Islamophobia, and Vomit
_isabel_'s review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I devoured "Just a Bit Captivated": it was a fun, fairly light-hearted book (despite its premise and dub-con vibes), an absolute OTT ride of a book from start to finish.
Alessandra Hazard, and her books are firmly part of my guilty pleasure reading list: all of the books in this series are bonkers and wild and absolutely unhinged, unrealistic and stereotypical, a trope fest at its best (and worst), and this 14th installment is no exception. There's something truly addictive about her writing (it must be a magic power or something), because her books are so damned OTT I end up accepting even the most wild concept and unhinged stuff I usually wouldn't be fond of.
Aiden and Zain's story was wild from the start, packed with all the usual AH tropes (from toe-curling possessiveness to extreme co-dependancy and neediness, and absolutely delicious, naughty steam), and I fell for both of them hard. Aiden's pretty different from Hazard's usual protagonists, in the sense that's he surprisingly accepting of his bi-awakening and he's so sweet and sunny; and Zain, although a quitessential Hazard man (broody, grumpy, possessive, deliciously sexy), stands out among them too: seeing him slowly thaw, or maybe surrender to Aiden's charm, was a treat, and also, unlike many of AH's most ruthless protagonists who are prone to kidnapping (pun intended *cough* Roman), he actually feels guilty about what he's done (kinda of? he definitely doesn't understand how Aiden can love him despite all of it, and that was so sweet to see, in a messed-up Alessandra Hazard kind of way).
Also, I was SO happy we got a proper epilogue; this author has the unfortunate tendency to end her books on a very abrupt HEA, and the fact that we got to see Zain and Aiden properly happy, still desperately in love, was priceless.
All in all, I'm very, very curious to read the next book in this series: we've already met its protagonist, and I'm damned excited to be in his head and to discover more about him. He's definitely going to a messy one *jumps excitedly*
Side note: unfortunately Alessandra Hazard's not immune to the West's historical Orientalistic approach to the Middle East, and to Islam in particular; on the one hand, all of her books are packed with stereotypes, so I wasn't actually expecting an accurate depiction (not that I'm an expert, mind; my studies are on Islam and the Arab world, but I'm still a white woman in the Western world; so if you end up reading this review, I'd tell you to go and read Muslim, Arab and Middle Eastern reviewers who have reaised questions about this), on the other, it was still disappoiting, especially in this day and age; I sincerely hope she does a better job in the next book.
Alessandra Hazard, and her books are firmly part of my guilty pleasure reading list: all of the books in this series are bonkers and wild and absolutely unhinged, unrealistic and stereotypical, a trope fest at its best (and worst), and this 14th installment is no exception. There's something truly addictive about her writing (it must be a magic power or something), because her books are so damned OTT I end up accepting even the most wild concept and unhinged stuff I usually wouldn't be fond of.
Aiden and Zain's story was wild from the start, packed with all the usual AH tropes (from toe-curling possessiveness to extreme co-dependancy and neediness, and absolutely delicious, naughty steam), and I fell for both of them hard. Aiden's pretty different from Hazard's usual protagonists, in the sense that's he surprisingly accepting of his bi-awakening and he's so sweet and sunny; and Zain, although a quitessential Hazard man (broody, grumpy, possessive, deliciously sexy), stands out among them too: seeing him slowly thaw, or maybe surrender to Aiden's charm, was a treat, and also, unlike many of AH's most ruthless protagonists who are prone to kidnapping (pun intended *cough* Roman), he actually feels guilty about what he's done (kinda of? he definitely doesn't understand how Aiden can love him despite all of it, and that was so sweet to see, in a messed-up Alessandra Hazard kind of way).
Also, I was SO happy we got a proper epilogue; this author has the unfortunate tendency to end her books on a very abrupt HEA, and the fact that we got to see Zain and Aiden properly happy, still desperately in love, was priceless.
All in all, I'm very, very curious to read the next book in this series: we've already met its protagonist, and I'm damned excited to be in his head and to discover more about him. He's definitely going to a messy one *jumps excitedly*
Side note: unfortunately Alessandra Hazard's not immune to the West's historical Orientalistic approach to the Middle East, and to Islam in particular; on the one hand, all of her books are packed with stereotypes, so I wasn't actually expecting an accurate depiction (not that I'm an expert, mind; my studies are on Islam and the Arab world, but I'm still a white woman in the Western world; so if you end up reading this review, I'd tell you to go and read Muslim, Arab and Middle Eastern reviewers who have reaised questions about this), on the other, it was still disappoiting, especially in this day and age; I sincerely hope she does a better job in the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking
Moderate: Racism, Islamophobia, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Violence
More...