Captivated by You by Sylvia Day

It’s been a while since I read the last book in this series. Honestly, I probably should have taken a moment to do a refresher of the previous novels because, as it turns out, I forgot a LOT of details.

What’s it About? 

Gideon calls me his angel, but he’s the miracle in my life. My gorgeous, wounded warrior, so determined to slay my demons while refusing to face his own. The vows we’d exchanged should have bound us tighter than blood and flesh. Instead they opened old wounds, exposed pain and insecurities, and lured bitter enemies out of the shadows. I felt him slipping from my grasp, my greatest fears becoming my reality, my love tested in ways I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to bear. At the brightest time in our lives, the darkness of his past encroached and threatened everything we’d worked so hard for. We faced a terrible choice: the familiar safety of the lives we’d had before each other or the fight for a future that suddenly seemed an impossible and hopeless dream…

First Impressions

There is a lot of build-up in this book, but not necessarily in a good way. There are a lot of different forces coming together to try and rip Eva and Gideon apart. The problem is that nothing is really resolved at the end of this book. It’s not like everything builds towards one dramatic and exciting climax. Instead, it all just leads you to having to read the next book to find out what happens. Although you are left wondering what will happen next in Eva and Gideon’s story (which is normally a good thing) I couldn’t help but feel disappointed that nothing really changes from the start of the book to the end. There may be drama and arguments in between, but when you get down to it, they are basically in the same position as they were before.

Some Additional Room for Improvement

The author really did an amazing job at describing the inner thoughts and emotions behind the characters. This helps you connect to them, and understand their struggles on a deeper level. However, I felt like the commentary between the characters could have used an added layer of depth. For example, “I f*cking love you”, doesn’t exactly evoke the sense of true passion and feeling which the character was aiming for.

Another area that could have been improved upon sort of ties back into my main complaint with this book in how nothing really changes from start to finish. There’s a repetition which is also evident in the arguments between Eva and Gideon. They are basically rehashing the same fight over and over again throughout the entire novel. He doesn’t share things with her the minute they happen, and when he does tell her she gets pissed that he didn’t tell her sooner. They argue, she makes as if to leave, and then they engage in some rough make-up sex. That…doesn’t seem like the healthiest of relationships, but to each his own.

Series: Crossfire, book 4. I’m already listening to book 5.

Should you read it? I mean, if you’ve already read the first three books you pretty much have to. Although, in my opinion, the plot is pretty stagnant, and doesn’t really move forward all that much.

Smut Level: There is nothing quite more romantic than introducing your girlfriend to a sex swing for the first time. Forget chocolates, roses, or mixed tapes, it’s all in the swing.

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $9.99 Kindle Price. Berkley Publishing. 369 Pages.