Captive in the Dark (The Dark Duet #1) by CJ Roberts

WARNING: This book contains very disturbing situations, dubious consent, strong language, and graphic violence.

From goodreads: Caleb is a man with a singular interest in revenge. Kidnapped as a young boy and sold into slavery by a power-hungry mobster, he has thought of nothing but vengeance. For twelve years he has immersed himself in the world of pleasure slaves searching for the one man he holds ultimately responsible. Finally, the architect of his suffering has emerged with a new identity, but not a new nature. If Caleb is to get close enough to strike, he must become the very thing he abhors and kidnap a beautiful girl to train her to be all that he once was.

Eighteen-year-old Olivia Ruiz has just woken up in a strange place. Blindfolded and bound, there is only a calm male voice to welcome her. His name is Caleb, though he demands to be called Master. Olivia is young, beautiful, naïve and willful to a fault. She has a dark sensuality that cannot be hidden or denied, though she tries to accomplish both. Although she is frightened by the strong, sadistic, and arrogant man who holds her prisoner, what keeps Olivia awake in the dark is her unwelcome attraction to him.

This is my first erotica book and I was urged by two friends to read it but I was nervous or perhaps, even scared.  I know that seems a bit ridiculous to feel that way but it’s my truth. This book was gifted to me and I had no other choice but surrender myself to the mercy of what this story was about to do to me.  Captive in the Dark disturbed me, I felt manipulated and teased but just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, a pinch of hope appeared.

I didn’t want to like this book let alone even enjoy it one little bit.  And I was right, I didn’t like this book…I LOVED it!!!  Yes, you read right, I loved it.  This is a dark, twisted and painful journey but there are shreds, little shreds of hope and maybe even beauty.  Captive in the Dark is so much more than the raw, unadulterated scenes of intimacy.  While those scenes made me blush like a school girl, I felt they were done tastefully as graphic and disturbing as they were, I wasn’t offended and your interpretation might be different.  But aside from that, there is a profound story being told, every character was rich and filled with depth, each with their own painful cross to bear.

The tragedy of life is not about the excruciating painful events we’ve experienced but it’s when we let those moments define us instead of moving forward.  This is that story. This is the story about the injustices and the cruelties of life.  Both Caleb and Olivia are survivors and they are the most interesting characters I’ve encountered.  They are emotionally starved individuals who crave to be loved and yet, they don’t even know how to achieve that or where to begin.  That is what I found so heartbreaking about this story, their starvation.

I didn’t want to develop feelings for Caleb but I did.  Much like Olivia (a.k.a. Kitten) I found myself feeling attracted to him and ultimately, I was disgusted.  I was disgusted with myself!  How is that even possible when Caleb does the most unspeakable things to Olivia?  Caleb forces Olivia against her will and there are times when she feels pleasure from it and that in itself is disturbing because you know it’s wrong but your body is telling you something else.  You can’t help but wonder if it’s the Stockholm syndrome that’s happening or not and suddenly you start to doubt everything you’ve ever believed about human nature.

“Caleb was a strange person, cruel and inhuman; a monster, and yet, at other times, he seemed so capable of something like caring. He made me cry and scream and shake with fear and nearly a split second later he could make me almost believe he wasn’t responsible for any of it. He could hold me and make me feel safe. How was that possible?”

Olivia’s reaction to every twist and turn is beyond believable.  I felt her confusion, her anger, her despair, her hatred and above all, I felt the love she starts to develop for Caleb. I admired everything about her, her resolve, her bravery, her desire and her will to survive. CJ Roberts takes someone like Caleb who is twisted, dark and disturbed and she reveals his redeeming qualities.  It’s not revealed all at once but a little at a time, just enough for readers to like him and dare I say, even forgive him.

“I was as real to him as he was to me and it struck me just then that I meant something to him. In whatever capacity he was able, I meant something. The irony of that epiphany made my gut twist.”

CJ Roberts is a brilliant and a flawless writer; she weaves the past and present with the alternating POV and  does it perfectly.  She created characters that are three-dimensional and who are beyond broken and somehow she made me fall in love with them and their story.  I’m entangled in a world that is everything Caleb and Olivia and I’m not sure that I will ever be the same again.

To me, this is a psychological thriller filled with pain but underneath it all, there is a story about love and maybe even hope.  Captive in the Dark will command your full attention and you will root for the person you thought you hated.  I can honestly say that I loved this book a lot and I’m not too sure what that says about me but don’t judge.  I took a walk on the dark side and I loved every minute of it because there were moments when I did see the light.  Will I be reading more erotica books? I’m not too sure but I can promise everyone this…I will be reading book two in the series, Seduced in the Dark.  My world has been rocked off its axis and I’m not sure that I want it centered ever again!

My final two cents: This book isn’t for the faint of heart because it’s extremely disturbing but if I loved it…I can promise you that some part of you will love it too, even if you don’t want to.