Review - "Captive Lover" by Patricia Logan
Well written, tough subject matter
Recommended
Dylan Yates is a good guy. He works hard, is raising his little brother Jared after their parents' deaths, and tries to save a little time for himself amidst all the pressures of his life.
Connor Black is a handsome young man, son of a wealthy family. He is out for a little fun.
When Dylan meets Marcus Tucker, his initial attraction turns sour when he sees the sexy mask slip and the ugliness underneath surface. What starts as a quick one night stand goes south, Dylan bails, and thinks, that's that.
Or so he thinks.
When Marcus kidnaps Dylan's younger brother and forces him to help kidnap Connor, their nightmare is just starting. Will the budding attraction between Dylan and Connor survive what they are forced to do to survive and keep Jared safe when they discover Marcus is a pedophile? And how will Demetri, the young man Marcus snatched years before, fit into the picture?
Ms. Logan has bitten off a lot here with sensitive subject matter. Child abduction, pedophilia, kidnapping, abuse - all heavy subject. But that is the beauty of this book I think - not every book should be light and fluffy. There are plenty of them around, and I like reading them as well as the next guy. But sometimes, I like to see an author take a chance and go to the "dark side". This story moves along at a good clip, with Marcus (and maybe Connor) maybe the only morally certain characters. I like that Dylan and Demetri are shades of gray and victims of circumstances at best, cowards at worst.
This is not a fun read. The sex is hot, and the bond that forms between Connor and Dylan - is it Stockholm Syndrome or real love? Can Demetri be redeemed, or have the years of abuse killed his spirit? But again, not every read is meant to be fun.
I applaud the risks Ms. Logan took here. I found myself squirming as often as not as I thought about what I would do if faced with the choices Dylan is forced to make. And that is the sign of a good book - when you are forced to think beyond the obvious.
Good job, Ms. Logan. Keep taking these risks. Top ratings for the risks involved.
Tom
Growllll. Thank you Bear. No one gave it as much thought. No fluffy read for sure. I had two publishers turn it down because of the pedophile angle. HELLO? ANYONE? ANYONE? BEULER? BEULER? The pedophile was the skuzy villian. Sheesh! Maybe I have to stick with bigots, the drug cartels or serial killers. Thank you again, Tom for the thoughtful well written review :) Oh, and BTW, Dmitri gets his happy ending in "A Very Good Year" due out later this year :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Patricia. I appreciate how you don't take the easy road. May not win you the battle sometimes, but it's the war that is important. I enjoy your works.
ReplyDeleteTom