Monday, July 7, 2014

Aloha to Grace Burrowes and THE CAPTIVE - Guest Review

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Grace Burrowes kicks off a new series, Captive Hearts, with THE CAPTIVE:

He'll never be free...

Captured and tortured by the French, Christian Severn, Duke of Mercia, survives by vowing to take revenge on his tormentors. Before the duke can pursue his version of justice, Gillian, Countess of Greendale, reminds him that his small daughter has suffered much in his absence, and needs her papa desperately.

Until he surrenders his heart...

Gilly endured her difficult marriage by avoiding confrontation and keeping peace at any cost. Christian's devotion to his daughter and his kindness toward Gilly give her hope that she could enjoy a future with him, for surely he of all men shares her loathing for violence in any form. Little does Gilly know, the battle for Christian's heart is only beginning.


The Captive by Grace Burrowes
Review by LSUReader

I can always count on Grace Burrowes to deliver a beautifully written book with compelling characters. In The Captive, she adds a lovely, evocative story of lost souls finding their way.

When Christian Severn left a wife and two children to join the English cavalry fighting Napoleon, he was a large, arrogant, self-possessed man--the powerful and successful Duke of Mercia. He returns broken-- an emaciated widower, a victim of French capture and torture. His body, mind, family and estate all need attention. But what drives him is the idea of vengeance against his captors.

Christian's young daughter Lucy has withdrawn in grief at losing her brother and mother to death and her father to the war. She doesn't speak. She barely eats. She fears life. Lucy chooses seclusion in her schoolroom.

Their savior is Severn's cousin by marriage Gillian, Lady Greendale. When the duke was at war, Gilly frequently visited her cousin Helene, Christian's duchess. Now, she continues to spend a lot of time with Lucy. As the book opens, she travels to London to coax Christian home, for Lucy. He agrees to go, but only if she will help with his transition.

So Gillian becomes the post they all lean on. She is devoted to Lucy. She functions as hostess at the ducal estate. She helps Christian regain his appetite and strength. She shields him from the overly inquisitive and helps him return to the normalcy of daily life. Most importantly, Gillian teaches Christian to trust again.

She is so used to seeing to the needs of others, Gillian doesn't admit that she herself is a captive, to the memories of an abusive marriage and the legal problems it left her. When she gradually allows Christian to help her, they both begin to heal. It is a lovely process.

The Captive features one of my favorite characters from the Burrowes' Windham series, oldest son Devlin St. Just. He is here first as a soldier, and later as a visitor to Christian. He becomes a valued friend to both the duke and countess. (His HEA is in 2011's The Soldier.)

I do have a couple of minor issues with The Captive. First, I wish Burrowes would include a specific timeframe in her books. My brain twists trying to figure out how previous books interact with the current one. The second objection is the cover, which features a lovely, healthy couple. Perhaps depicting a thinner, scarred and maimed Christian would have been a no-no. But it would have been accurate. I find the glossed-over treatment a tad insulting to my intelligence as a reader of historical romance. Each time I picked up the book, I thought, "That's not Christian."

Those personal complaints didn't diminish my overall appreciation of The Captive. I really enjoyed this book and rate it a 4.5. I am looking forward to reading the others in the Captive Hearts trilogy--The Traitor (Aug.) and The Laird (Sept.)


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Mahalo, LSU, for your review!  I am giving away a book choice from convention stash, including several other titles from Grace Burrowes, to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about historical romances - why do you love 'em?

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, July 12, 10 pm in Baltimore.  

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, July 13.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore 
Aloha Spirit in Charm City 

29 comments:

  1. Ahh my favorite type of read and my favorite author. Why - they call to me for some reason. The older the time period the more I seem to enjoy it - honor, bravery, chivalry have a lot to do with it.

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  2. I love historical romance because I love reading about another time when customs and manners were so different than what we know today. It's nice to see that even though so much is different, people still find love and happiness.

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  3. I love EVERYTHING about historical romances. It's the rules of society & the etiquette of courting, the clothes, the lot.

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  4. I like the dresses and reading about other times gives me answers for trivia that others might not know.

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  5. I've always loved history and mix a little romance and you have a buyer :)
    Lori

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  6. I like hearing about past times once in awhile. I read mostly contemps but do like to pick up a historical for a change of pace. And I have not read this author but a lot of people I know like her very much. And yes the dresses are simply gorgeous.
    Pat L.

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  7. History was always my favorite school subject, guess that I studied it later on. It is one of my big passions

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  8. I love them because they take us back into time....when I can only imagine what life was like back then

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  9. I love the escape! It is so much fun to read about lovely gowns....

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  10. I love historical romance b/c it's a complete escape to a different, time, mindset and culture. It's nice to be able to lose myself in a more simpler time and the romances are sweeter! Thanks for sharing!

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  11. Love to immerse myself in a different time every once in awhile.

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  12. Thanks for posting, Kim. Please don't enter me in the giveaway.

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  13. I love historical romances, because I get to travel in time without the hassle of leaving my own home. Plus, I have all my modern conveniences.

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  14. I like books that take me away from every day life & have a great romance.

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  15. I absolutely adore historical romances. I'm a history buff, even have a history degree. So, it's fun to see an author's take on historical events and people.

    ~Jen

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  16. I love historical romance! Reading about another time and imagining myself there and I also like all the rules of that time and how the characters get around them. ;)

    Marcy Shuler

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  17. I read historicals because they take me back to a different place and time (obviously) and love to see how times were different way back when.
    Karen T.

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  18. I'm amazed how prolific grace is. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  19. I've always loved history, and I want to read about romance, so the combinations is perfect for me - it's a way to experience a past that is long gone.

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  20. Such a different life style even today for those who live in the southern states of these great United States!!!! Mickey mac

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  21. I enjoy visiting another place and time where things seem simpler.

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  22. I enjoy "visiting" those times and seeing what it was like way back when.
    Patty B 43

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  23. I love historical romances because I enjoy reading about times and places I can only dream about. I love history as well.

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  24. I love historical romances for the larger-than-life heroes, the clothes, and the manners.

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  25. Fabulous review LSUReader! I love historical romances because I love the traveling back to another time, especially the Regency era with all the tea parties, balls and musicales the ladies get to attend!

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  26. I love reading about what happened in previous times.
    Natalie's Mama

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  27. I love getting to go back in time!

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  28. I love reading about the heroes of historical romances, the dukes, earls, viscounts, marquis,barons and of course, the rogues and gentlemen. Also love the fact there's dancing at the balls with beautiful ballgowns and other attire.

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