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A review by readingwithjessica_w
The Captive Duke by Grace Burrowes
4.0
The easiest way to hook me as a reader is to give me a plot line I’ve never read before in one of my favorite genres. Enter: The Captive Duke by Grace Burrowes. Christian Severn, Duke of Mercia was taken prisoner by the French where he was tortured until his release during peacetime. A shell of his former self, he is only able to come alive in the presence of Gillian, the Dowager Countess of Greendale. It is Gilly’s no-nonsense mannerisms and lack of sympathy that has Christian slowly opening up.
I loved that at first, Christian finds Gilly overly talkative, average-looking, and unaffected by his rogue state. But Gilly is so easily able to peel his layers back and bring him back to his old self without making Christian feel like less than a man or like something he’s not. Gilly and Christian have some of the best interactions, and much like a sick bed scene would endear readers to the servicing character, Gilly carefully tending to the Duke in every way he least expects, softening his heart to her. Christian’s mind and body have been through tortured hell, he’s returned to a deceased wife and child, and he can not even stomach tea, and yet Gilly is the salve that feeds his soul. Likewise, as Gillian is in mourning herself, Christian slowly begins to show her that she is worth more than how she was treated for the past eight years by her husband. And under these pretenses, a romance begins to bloom. I loved seeing both Gilly and Christian revitalized by each other and even though this was a lengthy book, I was always interested as the plot continued to develop and Christian seeks revenge for his enslavement. This is not the spiciest historical romance, but the feelings between these two are so real and I felt the longing and need they had for each other. As this is a re-release, hopefully more readers will come to read Grace Burrowes’ series (this book was previously titled The Captive). I know I will definitely be picking up the next book in The Captive Hearts series. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this advanced copy. I read and chose to review this book. All opinions are my own.
CW: Circumcision, descriptions of torture, assault
I loved that at first, Christian finds Gilly overly talkative, average-looking, and unaffected by his rogue state. But Gilly is so easily able to peel his layers back and bring him back to his old self without making Christian feel like less than a man or like something he’s not. Gilly and Christian have some of the best interactions, and much like a sick bed scene would endear readers to the servicing character, Gilly carefully tending to the Duke in every way he least expects, softening his heart to her. Christian’s mind and body have been through tortured hell, he’s returned to a deceased wife and child, and he can not even stomach tea, and yet Gilly is the salve that feeds his soul. Likewise, as Gillian is in mourning herself, Christian slowly begins to show her that she is worth more than how she was treated for the past eight years by her husband. And under these pretenses, a romance begins to bloom. I loved seeing both Gilly and Christian revitalized by each other and even though this was a lengthy book, I was always interested as the plot continued to develop and Christian seeks revenge for his enslavement. This is not the spiciest historical romance, but the feelings between these two are so real and I felt the longing and need they had for each other. As this is a re-release, hopefully more readers will come to read Grace Burrowes’ series (this book was previously titled The Captive). I know I will definitely be picking up the next book in The Captive Hearts series. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this advanced copy. I read and chose to review this book. All opinions are my own.
CW: Circumcision, descriptions of torture, assault