CAPTIVATED

CAPTIVATED by Megan Hart and Tiffany Reisz

Pages: 240

Date: 20/10/2014

Grade: 4

Details: Received from Harlequin

            Through Love Romances and More

Kindle

The blurb:

“Double the passion and seduction as New York Times bestselling author Megan Hart and international bestselling author Tiffany Reisz weave two provocative tales about power, bad-boy lovers and secret desires!

LETTING GO by Megan Hart 
Colleen goes to the same bar every night and orders the same drink: a whiskey, neat. She doesn't drink it, though. Jesse the bartender notices the beautiful, sad woman who keeps to herself. Until one night when she lets go and lets him in. And after that, Jesse has only one mission--to show her one night is only the beginning.

SEIZE THE NIGHT by Tiffany Reisz 
Four years ago, a night of forbidden passion between Remi and Julien, the heirs of two powerful and competitive horse-racing families, led to a feud that is threatening to ruin both farms. Now Remi must find Julien again, but when she does, her need for Julien is just as strong and just as forbidden.”

My thoughts:

LETTING GO (3):

This story didn’t really work for me. Don’t get me wrong, it is well written and has some really hot and engrossing moments, but overall it was a rather indifferent reading experience for me.

The problem, for me, was that I couldn’t really connect with either of the two characters. While I understand and appreciate that Colleen had  to overcome issues stemming from her failed marriage, I don’t see those as a valid reason to behave like a mixed up teenager or to treat Jesse the way she does. Every little thing Colleen does in this story has one reason, and one reason only; to satisfy Colleen’s needs.

Jesse on the other hand was very easy to like, and for most of the story I did. But, while I liked the scenes during which he submitted to Colleen when they were intimate, I lost patience with him when he didn’t stand up to her when she treated him in what can only be described as a bad and selfish way.

I wanted better for Jesse and honestly didn’t care about Colleen’s happiness at all. And that led to me being completely uninvested in the ending of their story. In fact, part of me is still convinced it would have been much better for them, or at least for Jesse, if they hadn’t reconnected.

The story line reverses the traditional roles in romance stories; rather than the man behaving badly and the woman being silly enough to just forgive and forget we watch Colleen behaving badly and Jesse not only allowing her to get away with it, but also taking her back without a word of apology or explanation. I don’t like it when women are portrayed like that and I don’t like it when men are described that way either.

This is a well written story. Unfortunately the storyline didn’t work for me.

SEIZE THE NIGHT (4+):

I have been a fan of Tiffany Reisz’s books ever since I read ‘The Siren’ and pick up whatever she releases sure in the knowledge I won’t be disappointed. ‘Seize the Night’ was no exception to that rule. This is a fun, sweet and extremely sexy story with nice and relatable characters and a refreshing lack of angst although Julian’s back story certainly tugs on the heartstrings.

As always Tiffany Reisz’s writing drew me straight into the story. She makes it look so easy. Her words flow and her conversations sparkle to the point I could almost hear the character’s voices. And especially Merrick, Remi’s assistant, managed to put a smile on my face every time he opened his mouth.

Having said all that, I should probably add that, for me at least, this story didn’t compare to the Original Sinners’ books. Those really are in a class of their own. The characters in that series are unique while the characters in ‘Seize the Day’ were fun, but recognisable. The same is true for the story line and the way the conflict was resolved. It held my interest but didn’t draw me in to the same extend Reisz’s series does. I did enjoy the one or two references to another horse-racing family; one fans of the Original Sinners series will instantly recognise.

In short, this is a perfect story for those who are eagerly awaiting the next instalment in the original Sinners series. While it may not be up to the exact same – very high – standard, it is certainly an engaging and delightful read and will tie you over very nicely until ‘The King’ becomes available.