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A review by mrsbooknerd
Captive Heart by Sarah McKerrigan, Glynnis Campbell
2.0
I do tend to shy away from Medieval Romances because I have found that they can be too brutal to find romantic. Heroes are often too quick to issue a slap to bend the will of their heroine, or to use rough sex as a control technique. Not my cup of tea.
I found 'Captive Heart' to a be an enjoyable afternoon read. A well-developed romance, witty banter and a lot of passion diluted any of the violent elements that there were. The hero never even considered using his fists to ensure that Helena toed the line, so I approved. My rating dropped because I felt that the plot was too repetitive and, at times, unsubstantiated.
I liked Colin as a hero; equal parts chivalrous and dominating, he was charming and fairly logical. Helena was not logical and I felt that her characterisation let her down. She was supposed to be 'headstrong' at best and 'stubborn' at worst, but she bordered on illogical and immature. Tantrums came too easily to her and the obstacles that were created based on these traits felt undeveloped and often ridiculous.
The romance between Colin and Helena was well-developed and felt realistic. Hate and distrust turned to begrudging friendship and admiration and then gradually into love. There wasn't the notion that insta-attraction was insta-love.
I suppose I felt that the obstacles in their path were self-imposed. Stubbornly adhered to, the mantras and misunderstandings were a key part of the plot, but there was no explanation for them. Why was Helena so against marriage? Had her father dominated their mother? Had she friends who had been beaten by their husbands? There was no evidence to support her book-long hatred of matrimony. Instead, it just felt that she didn't like the idea because it wasn't her idea.
At least when Colin suspected Helena of cuckolding him with Pagan, he had seen them disappear together, other people were influencing his thoughts and Helena herself was telling Colin that she was intent on seducing Pagan.
Aside from the plot, I really enjoyed the overall writing style and I found myself smiling at the banter and the general telling.
Overall, it was a solid afternoon read that kept me entertained but perhaps just lacked some depth and substantial evidence for later obstacles in the plot.
I found 'Captive Heart' to a be an enjoyable afternoon read. A well-developed romance, witty banter and a lot of passion diluted any of the violent elements that there were. The hero never even considered using his fists to ensure that Helena toed the line, so I approved. My rating dropped because I felt that the plot was too repetitive and, at times, unsubstantiated.
I liked Colin as a hero; equal parts chivalrous and dominating, he was charming and fairly logical. Helena was not logical and I felt that her characterisation let her down. She was supposed to be 'headstrong' at best and 'stubborn' at worst, but she bordered on illogical and immature. Tantrums came too easily to her and the obstacles that were created based on these traits felt undeveloped and often ridiculous.
The romance between Colin and Helena was well-developed and felt realistic. Hate and distrust turned to begrudging friendship and admiration and then gradually into love. There wasn't the notion that insta-attraction was insta-love.
I suppose I felt that the obstacles in their path were self-imposed. Stubbornly adhered to, the mantras and misunderstandings were a key part of the plot, but there was no explanation for them. Why was Helena so against marriage? Had her father dominated their mother? Had she friends who had been beaten by their husbands? There was no evidence to support her book-long hatred of matrimony. Instead, it just felt that she didn't like the idea because it wasn't her idea.
At least when Colin suspected Helena of cuckolding him with Pagan, he had seen them disappear together, other people were influencing his thoughts and Helena herself was telling Colin that she was intent on seducing Pagan.
Aside from the plot, I really enjoyed the overall writing style and I found myself smiling at the banter and the general telling.
Overall, it was a solid afternoon read that kept me entertained but perhaps just lacked some depth and substantial evidence for later obstacles in the plot.