Ugh. Looks like I dipped in the Malory well one too many times. After reading The Magic of You and Say You Love Me, and enjoying both immensely, I was looking forward to more of the same with Captive of My Desires. What a let-down. Not only were the hero and heroine totally mismatched, but I couldn't suspend disbelief enough to accept that any man would want this b*ch for a wife, much less one of Georgina's brothers. First of all, where did the cheeky, fun-loving Drew Anderson from prior Malory novels go? This "new" Drew was sulky and morose...having nothing to contribute to a conversation until he was fortified with "liquid courage". Then all he did was mock and discredit Gabriella repeatedly, scandalizing her to a point where she was no longer suitable marriage material. Was he remorseful in the least? Nah...blame it on love. Or in this case, don't blame it on anything...Drew never had to explain himself. If that wasn't bad enough, Drew ends up taking Gabriella's virginity with one mighty thrust. Oops...thought you were a real female pirate (= slutty?). I'll make it up to you next time. Yeah, whatever dickhead...you can't break it twice.A well-written sex scene might have been able to incorporate the act of manly stupidity but I've come to realize JL doesn't do description where sex is concerned (at least not in the Malory Family). The first time is usually a paragraph or so and then it's just "doing the deed" every time thereafter. Major turnoff for me. It wasn't so noticeable in prior Malory books because the stories were strong enough on their own; this story, however, begged for the sexual assist and got nothing but a big OUCH!Sad to say, but I could just about forgive Drew all of his notable shortcomings simply because the woman he has been teamed up with has to be the Worst. Heroine. Ever. I sensed disaster with Drew & Gabriella's first encounter...she was in the process of being knocked to the ground by an errant cart and he grabbed her arm to keep her from tumbling. Her first response? "Let me go. You are bruising my arm." LOL She only got worse. As a favor to her father, Jack & Georgina sponsor Gabriella for a London season; however, one fateful night Drew drunkenly announces she is a pirate AND she gets word her father is in danger. So to show Jack & George how much she appreciates all the time and money they spent on her, she scribbles a quick "thanks but I'm outta here" note and disappears into the night. To show Drew how pleased she was with his escort, she (and her cohorts) comandeer Drew's ship and crew - shackling the men to the floor - and set sail for St. Kitts Obviously, Drew isn't the happiest of campers and gives Gabriella the serious "evil eye". Thwack! She smashes his head with a pistol, knocks him unconscious, then hopes she didn't kill him. But that's what he deserves for how dare he call her a pirate! Adding insult to injury, she strips naked and climbs into his bed...hoping that he will long for something he can't have. TIME OUT: I must renege here on any unfavorable comments I made about Drew in regards to the "mighty thrust". This is that rare incident where the heroine truly deserved what she got.Sometime during this pleasant cruise, Drew & Gabriella fall madly in love (yes, with each other) and cannot wait a moment longer to be married. Yawn! Who cares? Long before reaching this point, I had turned the sound down and was reading a much better book - "2000+ Essential Italian Verbs" (LMAO for those that understand my strangeness)1.5 stars for good narration
This was so disappointing. Praises to the higher powers that I didn't buy this in hardcover. I think most people who read this book had read previous Malory novels so bought this hoping for a sweeping romance, a la Gentle Rogue. This is not that book. Drew Anderson is a jerk. I can't stand the man who looks down on anyone due to their circumstances and Drew does that from the moment he meets Gabrielle. He hears the word "pirate" and "Gabrielle" in one sentence and condemns her as one of their barbarous, whoring breed and doesn't hide his contempt either. Nor does he feel the need to mince words when in the company of other people, because, well, who cares right? She's a promiscuous pirate who doesn't have feelings. Nevermind the moment he sees her, he decides he must have her. Nevermind the fact that she tells him no, she's looking for a husband and if that's not what he's okay with, then leave her alone. Nope, our hero (and I use that term loosely and with disgust) desires her fiercely and won't take no for an answer and in a moment of drunkenness spills her secrets at a ton party. When Gabrielle confronts Drew about this, he is far from repentant. (This is where Johanna Lindsey lost me. If she had made him contrite, even just a little, I might have forgiven her and Drew) Oh, no, this is where our caustic hero tells his heroine that her husband searching was "too far above her station" and her mother's honor and reputation was not of his concern since her association with her pirate husband should have been avoided at all costs and well, what can you expect when you marry a pirate? I guess he forgot that his beloved sister Georgie married an ex pirate, and he would probably kill anyone who said the same thing to her. Gabrielle and Drew have no chemistry together and their 'romance' comes across as forced and unbelievable. I enjoyed reading more about Drew's righthand man and a few assorted background characters then the man himself. One of the funniest parts of the book doesn't even involve Drew, but James and Gabrielle and Richard, the man who is trying to trespass with James' wife, George. LOL. Run Richard, Run! Up until the moment Gabrielle returned to England, I was really enjoying the book. Her character's introduction in the Caribbean was interesting and her reunion with her father was funny. I shamelessly love these 'captive at sea' type books and for a moment I thought I had found another Johanna Lindsey gem, but she quickly proved me wrong. This book was disappointing to read and I somewhat blame myself. I snatched up this book solely on the fact she smacked 'A Malory Novel' on the cover and all I could think of was, "OOooo, a Malory novel. Drool". I guess I hate acknowledging that I'm a mindless sheep sometimes. LOL Hopefully next time she will realize that while I love the Malorys and love revisiting them from time to time, this shouldn't be about them. This is the Anderson family and she is missing an opportunity to create a whole new quirky bunch of people with a distinctly American flair to it. Oh well, Johanna, a swing and a miss.
What do You think about Captive Of My Desires (2007)?
I don't even know what to say. Well, actually, I have plenty about which to complain... So please be warned if you happen to come accross this ranting section of mine!...This 8th installment is just so very disappointing, considering the three following of a variety of reasons, it pained me for not being able to rate the book higher. Perhaps one of the reasons why I couldn't find the enjoyment in "Captive of My Desires" is the focus's not being put on the Malorys but on the Andersons. I like the latter enough, yet I love the former. Thus, when an Anderson comes into the picture, the other person - the love interest, should be a Malory, or vice versa. That's how an Anderson-mainly-focused book can work for me, namely "The Magic of You" - the 4th installment, as Andersons alone aren't enough to maintain my interest. Odd as it may sound, I am much much more fond of Malorys as leading characters, whether Andersons are present or not.Another reason regarding my disenjoyment is the constant "bitching" of the heroine. The entire book she has this speech in her mind that she needs a husband and therefore must keep away from that scoundrel who would no doubt be the path to her ruination. Habitually, she keeps whining about her inability to catch a husband after that "incident" where her contribution is no less than the other person's, which, to be honest, was annoying as hell. Therefore, Gabrielle Brooks has, not surprisingly, made it to my black list dedicated entirely to unlikable heroines.To continue with the reasoning, everything comes down to the weirdness of Drew Anderson in this book. It seems that he is no longer the Drew Anderson that I have come to like in the previous books, where his presence was rare and fleeting but still somehow had me wanting a good story in which he plays the hero. Then I got "Captive of My Desires". The want has come true yet the expectation is no where nere being met. Drew Anderson's character failed me, big time.Specifically, in his story, lusting after a young and inexperienced to-be debutante, who is, by the way, busy thinking herself to be so pure and worthy of a good husband, Drew Anderson is unable to think straight and finally does that "thing" whose real label would cause extreme reaction from harsh readers such as myself. In fact, that entire "scene" got me to frown hard at it and from then on, whatever little bits of enjoyment I had had with the book were long forgotten. In short, of all 8 books I've read in this series, Drew Anderson has become my least favorite hero. And so, despite loving Johanna Lindsey's writing so very much, regarding the mentioned reasons, I'm now left with great disappointment. This 8th book was just so boring and frown-worthy a read I don't think it deserves a more superior rating.
—Haley Nguyen
After the death of her mother, an upstanding member of the upper class in regency era England, Gabrielle Brooks voyages to the Caribbean to find her father, whom she barely knows as he has been away or many years in his business as a tradesman. Gabrielle discovers that her father is in fact a "gentlemen pirate", though her mother never knew, and decides to stay and live with him on the island of St. Kitts. Three years later, her father decides it is time she find a husband and that she deserves her time in the Season in London, just as her mother had intended and calls on a favor owed to him by Lord James Mallory to sponser her. Her hunt is faltered, however, by the undeniable attraction between her and Drew Anderson, Malory's brother-in-law. Sparks fly both in London and on the High Seas. A good "mindless read", as I like to call them. To over simplify it, it's "Pride and Prejudice" meets "Pirates of the Caribbean". The story-line was pretty solid, although there were a few points that either weren't necessary or could have been clarified. I especially appreciated that although this is obviously one in a sort of series of featured characters (as are popular in the romance genre), all of them were well introduced and I never felt like I needed to read the previous novels to understand anything in this story. Plus, there was not only an ample amount of time spent on ships, but there were actual pirates! Always appreciated after my horrible decision to read "For the Love of a Pirate", which (with a title like that) I presumed featured pirates...I turned out to be wrong and am still peeved about the false advertising on that book, but I digress. This was an okay one. I'd even venture to read the previous novel featuring James Malory and Georgina Anderson as they were almost more delightful to read about as Gabrielle and Drew.
—Kris
Johanna Lindsey’s Captive of My Desires was recommended by a friend. Captive of my Desires was a swashbuckling and adventurous historical novel with a winsome plot, sensual men, and feisty women. Our heroine is a cheeky- take charge heroine- and yes, she does take prisoners. I also enjoyed and what captivated my attention as different from many historical romance novels that take place in England, is that Captive of my Desires showed more than just the usual socially ruled lives of regent England characters. It was neither your Jane Austen romance nor the misunderstood yet awesome wallflower that gets the best man of the season. Rather, Captive of my Desires has us on the high seas meeting pirates, visiting the Caribbean, and falling prey (scandalously) to outspoken Americans, while also being subjected to stogy English society. Captive of my Desires was a spunky historical romance that left me with warm fuzzies when it was over. It was deliciously sensual, wickedly entertaining and a thrilling adventure. I am excited to try more of Johanna Lindsey’s novels and I do recommend her to readers of historical romance or those in need of a spirited love story.
—Annie
