The Captive

Christian Severn, Duke of Mercia, is captured out of uniform by the French, and is thus subject to torture. Christian does not break, not once, and is released when Toulouse falls. Back in England, Christian has great difficulty taking up the reins of his life until Gillian, Countess of Windmere, a relation of his late wife, pointedly reminds him that he has a daughter who still needs him very much—a daughter who no longer speaks. Gilly pushes, pulls, and drags Christian back to life, and slowly, she and he admit an attraction to each other.

Christian offers Gilly marriage, but Gilly is a widow, and has fared badly at the hands of her first husband. Gillian will not pledge her heart to a man bent on violence, for Christian cannot give up his determination to extract revenge from his torturer. What will it take for them to give up their stubborn convictions and choose each other over the bonds of the past?

Book one in the Captive Hearts series gets off to a great start. Grace's writing has renewed my love of historical fiction. It was easy to fall in love with these characters. Both are held captive for many reasons, the actions of others, revenge, fear, bitterness, and the need to be in control. Christian's wounds and motives are easily seen. Gilly's are hidden and Christian has to work at finding them out. Their friendship is mutually beneficial as they both need time to heal and plot their life. There is a danger lurking that unknowingly binds them together further. This danger provides a bit of suspense. 

Author:  Grace Burrowes
Published: July 2014
Pages: 448
Genre: Historical Romance
Source: Sourcebooks
Finished: 6/26/14


This complimentary review copy was received thankfully from Danielle and Sourcebooks and in no way influenced my review of this book. These are my personal thoughts and reactions to the reading of the book.