Seduced In The Dark (Dark Duet #2) Guest Review & Giveaway

Let me introduce y'all to my beautiful friend and now guest reviewer Shelley!  Here is her lovely review of Seduced in the Dark.

Seduced in the Dark by CJ Roberts

Book description...
BOOK TWO OF THE DARK DUET
The exciting, titillating, and action-filled conclusion to Captive in the Dark.
What is the price of redemption?
Rescued from sexual slavery by a mysterious Pakistani officer, Caleb carries the weight of a debt that must be paid in blood.
The road has been long and fraught with uncertainty, but for Caleb and Livvie, it’s all coming to an end.
Can he surrender the woman he loves for the sake of vengeance?
Or will he make the ultimate sacrifice?




Firstly the Author says -  "If you’re reading this and you haven’t read Captive in the Dark, turn back! You’ll be lost."

The long awaited sequel was finally here and I was too nervous to start. Moi...the lover of all things dark and dirty, was too nervous to start?? Yes! Yes I was!
After reading some of the reviews of horror and heart ache, I soon realised I needed more than big girl pants to get me through it, this required the big guns. So I strapped on the leathers and spurs, wrapped my heart in barbed wire and buckled down.

Having read Captive in the Dark about seven months ago, I started off tentatively, going slow, steady, no rush....right? Get back into it?
But oh no, it was fruitless. I was soon absorbed once again. From the very first chapter my heart was in my throat and I could feel the tug on my defences.

I want to keep this a spoiler free review so no plot description but I can tell you that this was not what I expected. To be honest I didn't have a clue how it was going to play out after Captive.
CJ Roberts has crafted a tale so intricately woven, it had me enthralled and in awe of her literary talent. The woman is an artist who's only instrument are her words, but the power and emotion they hold cause a symphony of awareness within my soul. The narration from both Livvie and Caleb is incredibly compelling as we learn their thoughts, motivations and pain. It's not easy, climbing inside their minds, living, breathing and sharing it with them. It is some of the hardest stuff I have read, but oh good lord...it is superb!

Caleb is a tortured damaged man, who's only driving force is the burning fire for revenge. He is a monster who does and says things that will have you loathing him. But I don't care, I love him, I understand him! Even when he does his worst, I get him. It's not easy, but I do. I wanted to hold him close and tight and just breathe him in. Make him believe in the man he truly is. No Caleb, you are not a real monster, you where made a monster, but I love you and want to fix you, you beautiful man!

“He had told her he wasn’t Prince Charming, but what he hadn’t said, was he wished he could be.” 

Oh but you are, you are...well sometimes.  :/

Livvie is just an incredibly strong, breathtaking and powerful heroine. How she manages to cope with her reality astounds me.  Throughout it all, she remains so strong in her faith in herself and her love for Caleb. At times it  is hard to understand how she can still love him, and cling to him like she does.  It was a struggle for me to read what she had to endure, how many times she was broken down to a shell of her former self and still held onto her inner strength and determination and faith in Caleb. It's astounding, personally I would have shot myself at the first opportunity. But then there's Caleb...for him, I would live...if he deemed it!

“The naïve girl in me had been bitch-slapped into womanhood. I’d been razed by pain, grief, loss and suffering, and honed by lust, rage and an acute awareness of my need to survive.” 

Will she or can she convince Caleb that the love she holds for him is so very real? To survive, she has to. There is no other escape for her as she competes against Caleb's  fire for revenge and his loyalty for Rafiq, his mentor and the man who rescued him from his harrowing past.

“I can’t keep you, Livvie. Stop trying to make me.” 

“Once again, I am a fragmented person. I am divided between the soft, sentimental girl who loves Caleb at all costs and the hard, logical version of me determined to survive – even at the cost of pushing Caleb from my heart.” 

Throughout the telling of this raw, gritty and downright dark novel I felt warmed by the love of these two. Through their darkest moments just knowing it's there made it easier for me to deal with.  I wanted to cling to Caleb, scream and pound at him, love and caress him, but I never felt the hate that some others felt.
When I read a dark novel like this, I know what it is going in and I accept that. I expect the shock and horror of what might be revealed in the telling, I know to leave my own personal morals at the door and let the characters tell the tale without interference from my moral conscience.
It's not an easy read, but then you already know that because you've read Captive In The Dark and you know, you just know...well kind of, what to expect.

I implore you to look  beyond the “Oh my God, he did not just do that” moments, and feel the connection of these souls, the beauty within the terror. The light inside this dark dark read shines so brightly it glows! So take off the blind fold and look deeper. It's beautiful!!!

“Softly, he inhales and exhales as we kiss. He never stops kissing me; he simply continues to steal my breath, returning it to me only when he’s infused it with his essence. Pure lust lives inside him. Every breath I take should come from his lungs.” 

“Gaaasp” See, this is why I love this book so much? It's lines like these that steal my breath and leave me reeling. It's a soothing ointment to my battered emotions and that barbed wire around my heart turned to fluffy pink candy floss by the end. I know ...I'm such a  girl!
But hey, what's not to love? I loved this book, loved all of it! Everything!

There is more to Seduced than Caleb and Livvie ya know? Well there is, and just wait till you meet the dynamic duo of FBI agents assigned to the 'situation'. These two held so much interest and intrigue for me in their own right. And I am so excited to hear that CJ is thinking about exploring more of Agent Reed in a possible book of his own....possibly.  Yes, the man needs his own book! But you'll have to read all about him to see what I mean!

5 SINFUL DARK STARS!!  

I love this review that Shelley wrote of Seduced In The Dark!  I can't wait for her to share more reviews of the books she loves with us!  Congratulations Shelley... Thank you so much for writing this review and I ♥ You!  

Make sure you enter below to win an autographed set of Captive in the Dark and Seduced in the Dark! 
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway