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A review by klindtvedt
Captive in the Dark by CJ Roberts
4.0
Intensely Intriguing...
When I first heard about this story and perused some of the reviews for it I figured I was being sold another glorified master/slave, dom/sub fantasy. Because of my background friends love to forward titles they think will somehow shock me, news flash, they rarely do. So, at first I figured "Captive in the Dark" by CJ Roberts would be yet another of the stereotypical, "guy spanks, binds, isolates, sexually manipulates girl into realizing she likes being submissive" and hence she eventually falls in love with her master. But, that is most definitely NOT this story! And oh how refreshing it was to be wrong.
Despite being fairly short at only 15 chapters overall. As well as, feeling some of the chapters were rushed and nipped a bit tight for the complex content involved. Roberts still managed to create a literary backdrop which immediately immerses you uncomfortably deep within the landscape of sexual predator and prey.
Captive in the Dark is an intensely dark, forboding work that instantly brought to my mind the phrase, "...like a spider to a fly..." after only the first few sentences. Roberts plays dangerously with the line between submission and stockholm. Obliterates the boundaries between arousing an acceptance of one's true nature and breaking down a human's spirit like one would break a horse. So blurry are the lines between reality and sexual trauma you can't help but read on no matter how uncomfortably your stomach churns at the psychological manipulation and violence.
This book is NOT for the easily disturbed, offended, or faint of heart. But if you are brave enough to read it, you will be rewarded with a rich textual tapestry designed to push the limits of your emotional mind and make you think deeply about the subjects within.
This book goes far beyond the concepts of dom/sub, master/slave, or even the realm of dominent submissives. Yes, Caleb is a sadistic predator expertly filling his role as master to Livvie. Yes, Livvie is submissive in her need and longing for emotional shelter from Caleb despite his true intentions for her. But then again, that's the point, neither are truly what they appear at their cores. Both have been born from horrific neglect and sexual violence, and once put together morph and merge into something even they don't recognize, and THAT is where the true beauty of this story lies!
I look forward to seeing how Caleb and Livvie's journey continues in book two.
When I first heard about this story and perused some of the reviews for it I figured I was being sold another glorified master/slave, dom/sub fantasy. Because of my background friends love to forward titles they think will somehow shock me, news flash, they rarely do. So, at first I figured "Captive in the Dark" by CJ Roberts would be yet another of the stereotypical, "guy spanks, binds, isolates, sexually manipulates girl into realizing she likes being submissive" and hence she eventually falls in love with her master. But, that is most definitely NOT this story! And oh how refreshing it was to be wrong.
Despite being fairly short at only 15 chapters overall. As well as, feeling some of the chapters were rushed and nipped a bit tight for the complex content involved. Roberts still managed to create a literary backdrop which immediately immerses you uncomfortably deep within the landscape of sexual predator and prey.
Captive in the Dark is an intensely dark, forboding work that instantly brought to my mind the phrase, "...like a spider to a fly..." after only the first few sentences. Roberts plays dangerously with the line between submission and stockholm. Obliterates the boundaries between arousing an acceptance of one's true nature and breaking down a human's spirit like one would break a horse. So blurry are the lines between reality and sexual trauma you can't help but read on no matter how uncomfortably your stomach churns at the psychological manipulation and violence.
This book is NOT for the easily disturbed, offended, or faint of heart. But if you are brave enough to read it, you will be rewarded with a rich textual tapestry designed to push the limits of your emotional mind and make you think deeply about the subjects within.
This book goes far beyond the concepts of dom/sub, master/slave, or even the realm of dominent submissives. Yes, Caleb is a sadistic predator expertly filling his role as master to Livvie. Yes, Livvie is submissive in her need and longing for emotional shelter from Caleb despite his true intentions for her. But then again, that's the point, neither are truly what they appear at their cores. Both have been born from horrific neglect and sexual violence, and once put together morph and merge into something even they don't recognize, and THAT is where the true beauty of this story lies!
I look forward to seeing how Caleb and Livvie's journey continues in book two.