Review: Captured

Reviewed by Jen
 

Kenya Wright continues her Vampire Kings series with this second installment that feels just a little dirtier than the last.  It picks up right where the story left off in Escape.  Brie has discovered that her family has moved on and she has left with Samuel, determined that their relationship is only temporary.  But he has other ideas. Her blood is changing him from a Prince into a King and she is the only queen he wants.  He can't imagine letting her leave him.

The decision gets put on hold, however, when the Silent King sends out his guard in force to search for Brie. They almost kill Samuel's adopted mother in the process. From then, Samuel and Brie only grow closer and closer as they work side by side to evade the King's men and figure out why they want her so much.  Of course there is more to it than that, but I don't want to give away any of the big reveals.

I don't know that I enjoyed this installment quite as much as the first. I think my biggest hiccup came with Samuel's uncle Ian and the way he sits on the fringe of the sexual element of Samuel and Brie's relationship.  There is definitely a voyeuristic thing going on there more than once. And while that might wet somebody's whistle, it squicked me out a bit.  It also bothered me some that the story went on to villainize Brie's husband.  I felt like this was done to "make it ok" that she moved on. But I was already ok with it.  This just made it too easy, belittling the struggle she has already faced in letting him go.

I did enjoy learning more of the backstory of the Silent King, Ian, and even Samuel's mother.  Plus, we get a bit of an origin story on Brie and those who share her bloodline.  The book is surprisingly dark in places,  which gives it a little more depth, as well.

The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, which always frustrates me a bit. But I am interested enough to want to keep reading and see where it goes from here.

Rating: B-

*ARC provided by author for review

Click to purchase: Amazon

Captured

by Kenya Wright

Release Date: February 6, 2013