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Screaming in the Silence
Running away from a complicated life, Raleigh finds herself plunged into a nightmare. While hitchhiking across the country, she and her companion are struck by a car. Her friend is killed but Raleigh survives and her life is thrown into the hands of the three men involved in the accident. Bruised and in shock, Raleigh is locked in the basement of their remote country house, unsure of her fate. Kaden, one of her captors, is handsome and at times protective, and he convinces his friends to spare Raleigh’s life to ransom her. But the safety he provides is only from his friends, and Raleigh must face his sinister intentions. Agreeing to become his lover in return for continued protection, she begins to see a tender and caring side of Kaden despite their short but violent history. As the ransom payment begins to unravel and Raleigh's life hangs in the balance, she wonders how much she can trust Kaden. Are the feelings she has developed for him genuine or a result of her situation? Does he truly care for her, as he claims, or does he just see her as a ransom payment?
320 pages, ebook
First published October 14, 2010
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August 15, 2017
★★★★! Screaming in the Silence (Stand-alone). The provoking story of Raleigh, who is deaf, on the run from family obligations when kidnapped by three men. Kaden intrigues & frightens her. But the odds are against them!
“But the second I saw you, I didn't see how scared you were, I didn't see how much pain you were in, I just saw something I needed.�
Screaming in the Silence opens up with Raleigh Winters, and recent PhD graduate waking up after been struck by a car. Three men debate her destiny and Kaden convinces his friends that they should ransom her. The fact that Raleigh is deaf puts her at a disadvantage. Add to that she is the daughter of an US Senator.
Soon she develops conflicting feelings for Kaden, on one hand she is intrigued and finds herself falling for him, but he also frightens her. There is violence and rape which only complicates matters. Despite the fact that Kaden and Raleigh have developed feelings for each other they are aware and struggle with the fact that Raleigh is held hostage. There really is no immediate future for them except on the run.
In the end they don’t get to make that decision together instead the story takes a turn� one I did not expect!
Kaden Prideaux: 31 years/Translator/French-Algerian-American/black hair/green eyes.
Six words to describe Kaden Prideaux: Conflicted, intelligent, loyal, selfish, caring and endearing.
“I'm not a bad person, Raleigh. I've just done some fucked up things lately.�
Raleigh Anne Winters: 26 years/recent graduate, PhD Political Science & Economics/US Senator’s daughter/blond hair/gray eyes/deaf.
Six words to describe Raleigh Anne Winters: Captivating, sweet, smart, lovable, strong and evolving.
“I hated this. I hated that I wanted him. I hated that what he was doing was driving me insane.�
Screaming in the Silence was first released on the internet with no epilogue. It’s lucky for me that this later edition does have an epilogue or I might have tossed my Kindle into the ocean. And as for the ending�
Intriguing and thought provoking plot! Bittersweet and emotional story! Captivating characters! Masterfully told!
“He would hear me running, no doubt, for I had no idea how much noise my footsteps would make. And what would he do to me if I ran?�
***
Hero rating: 4.5 stars
Heroine rating: 4.5 stars
Sex scenes rating: 3.5 stars
Sex scenes frequency: 4 stars
Storyline concept rating: 3.5 stars
Storytelling skills rating: 4.5 stars
Story ending rating: 3.5 stars
Book editing rating (5 = no edits spotted): 4.5 stars
***
Overall rating: 4 stars
Would I recommend this book: Yes.
Would I re-read this book: Maybe later.
Would I read future books by this author: Yes.
September 18, 2011
Note: The book blurb is horrible, misleading, and does more harm than good. The story is much more complex than it implies. I think the only reason that I was able to like this book is because the author does not let anyone off the hook, nor does she try to convince us to do so. The rape is rape; that is not forgotten at any point.
I feel very morally conflicted. Honestly, I'm not sure what to write. I stumbled across this book by accident—only one of my GR friends (currently) has this book on her list. I read the summary and I was horrified; from what I briefly saw of other people's reviews, they were as well. How could one not be?
I do think that Screaming in the Silence suffers from having a summary that doesn't really do its story justice, but casts it in the worst possible light. I don't want to give anything away, because this is such a psychological suspense, so I will try to write what I can about the plot and characters without disclosing things I wouldn't have wanted to know beforehand.
As I was reading it—and finding myself unwillingly captivated by the story—I decided that even if I did end up really liking the book, I wouldn't rate it or review it, because I would be far too embarrassed and ashamed (sincerely, no offense meant to the author). I've worked with and have friends who are survivors of sexual assault and rape, so before I even started it the book felt so ... wrong, just completely 100% wrong! It felt wrong that I wanted to read it in the first place.
Not CR and not erotica. In my opinion, this doesn't qualify as romance in the sense that it's not a Contemporary Romance solely for romance-romance readers. It will satisfy them (us), yes, but in my mind it is very much a "mainstream" book. [Since writing the review, I've actually removed the book from all CR-related shelves.] It's also not erotica, which I want to make very clear. I was very relieved by this. Yes there is rape and yes there is sex, but it is not written and detailed in the explicit way one finds in erotica and is not written to perversely titillate.
Brief story summary. Raleigh was hitchhiking with a fellow wanderer when they are accidentally hit by a car. Her friend, Julie, is killed instantly, but to the surprise of the three men who collected their bodies and put them in the trunk, Raleigh is still very much alive. What follows is an unbelievably emotional, psychologically suspenseful, and oddly touching story. What are these men to do with a captive they never wanted? What is Raleigh to do, imprisoned with three men stuck in an impossible situation?
Important clarifications. Again, I don't want to write too much, but I think it's important that I tell you Kaden, Ray, and Marshal are not the career criminals one thinks they are from the book summary; they are not rapists out seeking their next victim. Raleigh ends up their captive kind of by accident. Not that this makes it any better, but I think the summary is also misleading by giving the impression that Raleigh is repeatedly raped, which she is not.
The book blurb also makes it sound like when she's kidnapped she's raped, and then her captivity begins and she falls in love with Kaden. That's not what happens in the sense that that just isn't how it happens, but also in that the story is by no means that simple. Holy crap is it not simple. Anything but! Raleigh, Kaden, and the reader are put through the ringer several times over. I still feel emotionally exhausted from it all.
Raleigh. Also important to tell you is that Raleigh reacts as a woman who has been kidnapped would actually react, so for those who were worried as I was about how Kelly was going to spin this and turn it into a romance, the issue is not treated cavalierly. Raleigh is terrified and angry and devastated. Screaming in the Silence is told in first person through Raleigh's point of view, so we are vividly aware of all the emotions she feels. Both she and Kaden are confused and conflicted. Kaden is definitely an anti-hero, while also being the leading man; no way of getting around it. Magically, the author manages to do right by both of them, while also leaving the reader satisfied. It really is incredible; it's the best possible thing that she could do with the situation she wrote.
My criticisms. One criticism is that there were a lot of typos, which always drives me insane. My big criticism is that the ending was too abrupt. Kaden and Raleigh come into one another's lives under horrific circumstances and for all that this story deals with, we needed more. Issues are explored throughout the story, don't get me wrong, and we very clearly see the internal struggles the characters go through. But while Kelly does such a beautiful job with this during most of the book, she rushes the ending.
In a literary sense, I think her ending is well-crafted and poignant, however as a romance reader, I wanted at least an Epilogue, and as a woman, I needed to be taken farther down the road, to really see the dust settle. I felt betrayed when I realized there was no more, that that was all I was getting. I was tempted to throw something. Even thinking about it now kind of pisses me off.
Bottom line. Writing anything else might ruin that, but to give this book such a high rating without explaining (justifying?) it puts me in a bind. I wouldn't believe it myself unless I'd read it and knew all the details I can't disclose. So I will say this: I was conflicted going in, I was conflicted as I read it, and I feel conflicted now. This book presents us with an impossible question to answer, and I was horrified by myself when I realized I wanted to believe in the love between Kaden and Raleigh.
This story is very raw, but I think also honest. The author doesn't try to convince us to let anyone off the hook; the rape is not shied away from, prettied up, or forgotten. If nothing else, books should make us think and give rise to emotion—any emotion. Screaming in the Silence does that in spades. I feel so fucked up writing this ... but the story is touching—or affecting or something that I equally feel it shouldn't be. *shakes head* So fucked up. But there it is. Do what you will with it.
(Written September 17, 2011)
I feel very morally conflicted. Honestly, I'm not sure what to write. I stumbled across this book by accident—only one of my GR friends (currently) has this book on her list. I read the summary and I was horrified; from what I briefly saw of other people's reviews, they were as well. How could one not be?
I do think that Screaming in the Silence suffers from having a summary that doesn't really do its story justice, but casts it in the worst possible light. I don't want to give anything away, because this is such a psychological suspense, so I will try to write what I can about the plot and characters without disclosing things I wouldn't have wanted to know beforehand.
As I was reading it—and finding myself unwillingly captivated by the story—I decided that even if I did end up really liking the book, I wouldn't rate it or review it, because I would be far too embarrassed and ashamed (sincerely, no offense meant to the author). I've worked with and have friends who are survivors of sexual assault and rape, so before I even started it the book felt so ... wrong, just completely 100% wrong! It felt wrong that I wanted to read it in the first place.
Not CR and not erotica. In my opinion, this doesn't qualify as romance in the sense that it's not a Contemporary Romance solely for romance-romance readers. It will satisfy them (us), yes, but in my mind it is very much a "mainstream" book. [Since writing the review, I've actually removed the book from all CR-related shelves.] It's also not erotica, which I want to make very clear. I was very relieved by this. Yes there is rape and yes there is sex, but it is not written and detailed in the explicit way one finds in erotica and is not written to perversely titillate.
Brief story summary. Raleigh was hitchhiking with a fellow wanderer when they are accidentally hit by a car. Her friend, Julie, is killed instantly, but to the surprise of the three men who collected their bodies and put them in the trunk, Raleigh is still very much alive. What follows is an unbelievably emotional, psychologically suspenseful, and oddly touching story. What are these men to do with a captive they never wanted? What is Raleigh to do, imprisoned with three men stuck in an impossible situation?
Important clarifications. Again, I don't want to write too much, but I think it's important that I tell you Kaden, Ray, and Marshal are not the career criminals one thinks they are from the book summary; they are not rapists out seeking their next victim. Raleigh ends up their captive kind of by accident. Not that this makes it any better, but I think the summary is also misleading by giving the impression that Raleigh is repeatedly raped, which she is not.
The book blurb also makes it sound like when she's kidnapped she's raped, and then her captivity begins and she falls in love with Kaden. That's not what happens in the sense that that just isn't how it happens, but also in that the story is by no means that simple. Holy crap is it not simple. Anything but! Raleigh, Kaden, and the reader are put through the ringer several times over. I still feel emotionally exhausted from it all.
Raleigh. Also important to tell you is that Raleigh reacts as a woman who has been kidnapped would actually react, so for those who were worried as I was about how Kelly was going to spin this and turn it into a romance, the issue is not treated cavalierly. Raleigh is terrified and angry and devastated. Screaming in the Silence is told in first person through Raleigh's point of view, so we are vividly aware of all the emotions she feels. Both she and Kaden are confused and conflicted. Kaden is definitely an anti-hero, while also being the leading man; no way of getting around it. Magically, the author manages to do right by both of them, while also leaving the reader satisfied. It really is incredible; it's the best possible thing that she could do with the situation she wrote.
My criticisms. One criticism is that there were a lot of typos, which always drives me insane. My big criticism is that the ending was too abrupt. Kaden and Raleigh come into one another's lives under horrific circumstances and for all that this story deals with, we needed more. Issues are explored throughout the story, don't get me wrong, and we very clearly see the internal struggles the characters go through. But while Kelly does such a beautiful job with this during most of the book, she rushes the ending.
In a literary sense, I think her ending is well-crafted and poignant, however as a romance reader, I wanted at least an Epilogue, and as a woman, I needed to be taken farther down the road, to really see the dust settle. I felt betrayed when I realized there was no more, that that was all I was getting. I was tempted to throw something. Even thinking about it now kind of pisses me off.
Bottom line. Writing anything else might ruin that, but to give this book such a high rating without explaining (justifying?) it puts me in a bind. I wouldn't believe it myself unless I'd read it and knew all the details I can't disclose. So I will say this: I was conflicted going in, I was conflicted as I read it, and I feel conflicted now. This book presents us with an impossible question to answer, and I was horrified by myself when I realized I wanted to believe in the love between Kaden and Raleigh.
This story is very raw, but I think also honest. The author doesn't try to convince us to let anyone off the hook; the rape is not shied away from, prettied up, or forgotten. If nothing else, books should make us think and give rise to emotion—any emotion. Screaming in the Silence does that in spades. I feel so fucked up writing this ... but the story is touching—or affecting or something that I equally feel it shouldn't be. *shakes head* So fucked up. But there it is. Do what you will with it.
(Written September 17, 2011)
June 2, 2023
Raleigh accepted Kaden way too fast for my taste. She was kidnapped, dammit, she wasn't supposed to fall into her abductor's bed so easily.
Hate it! Could not bear to finish it.
Hate it! Could not bear to finish it.
September 15, 2013
***4.5 BRUTAL, SADISTIC STARS***
Running away from a complicated life, Raleigh finds herself plunged into a nightmare
Raleigh is kidnapped, and locked in the basement by her three captives in their remote country house, unsure of her fate. Kaden, one of her captors, hw is handsome and at times protective, and he convinces his friends to spare Raleigh’s life to ransom her.
But the safety he provides is only from his friends, and Raleigh must face his sinister intentions. Agreeing to become his lover in return for continued protection, she begins to see a tender and caring side of
Kaden
As the ransom payment begins to unravel and Raleigh's life hangs in the balance, she wonders how much she can trust Kaden. Are the feelings she has developed for him genuine or a result of her situation?
As a result, Kaden is determined to set things right, and find redemption in his attempt to rectify what he has done. Things soon spiral out of control and Kaden must come to decision for the woman he loves.
Running away from a complicated life, Raleigh finds herself plunged into a nightmare
Raleigh is kidnapped, and locked in the basement by her three captives in their remote country house, unsure of her fate. Kaden, one of her captors, hw is handsome and at times protective, and he convinces his friends to spare Raleigh’s life to ransom her.
But the safety he provides is only from his friends, and Raleigh must face his sinister intentions. Agreeing to become his lover in return for continued protection, she begins to see a tender and caring side of
Kaden
As the ransom payment begins to unravel and Raleigh's life hangs in the balance, she wonders how much she can trust Kaden. Are the feelings she has developed for him genuine or a result of her situation?
As a result, Kaden is determined to set things right, and find redemption in his attempt to rectify what he has done. Things soon spiral out of control and Kaden must come to decision for the woman he loves.
August 16, 2012
Caution � what follows might be a tad spoilery.
I think I didn’t move for the last third of this book. I was so engrossed and I was so desperate to know the final outcome that I curled up with the cat and just couldn’t put it down. When I finally finished it, I must have said something out loud sharply because the cat jumped up and looked at me in shock!!
Because, this is a little different from the captive/abduction stories I’ve read in the past. For a start, the abduction is opportunist � it’s not planned, it’s a situation caused by an accident, these are not hardened criminals. Secondly, and here is the biggie, the kidnappers actually do get to feel the full force of the law and pay for their crimes.
I’m thinking of stories like Comfort Food, Captive in the Dark, Obsessed where the kidnapee develops feelings for the kidnapper and they fall in love. I’m used to authors working their magic whereby I actually feel that they should be together � this is a little different.
So Raleigh, our heroine, is hitchhiking with her friend Julie when they are hit by an out of control car. Presuming they are both dead, the 3 men in the car, throw them in the trunk with the intention of disposing of their bodies. But Raleigh is merely unconscious and, when they realise she is alive, Ray, the driver, intends to kill her but Kaden convinces him not to and suggests they hold her for ransom.
Strange decisions � I could never really understand that especially from Kaden who is from a well-educated and decent background. Raleigh is deaf but not mute and Kaden realises this but keeps her ability to speak from Ray and his brother in order to protect her. Kaden is deeply attracted to Raleigh and his decisions are all based upon his feelings for her but he can’t keep a lid on his emotions and his anger at their situation leads him to rape her.
Of course, they develop a relationship. He does plenty to protect her from Ray but he has raped her, taken her freedom and practically starved her and here is the whole centre of the novel � is it right that Raleigh has developed a deep emotional attachment to Kaden after he has raped her? Certainly they become intimate but Kaden’s control is always on a knife-edge. Can a woman ever truly a love a man who has raped her or is she just suffering from a form of Stockholm Syndrome. That’s what you’re left wondering and that’s why this book left me feeling conflicted.
The ending is open for interpretation � you’re left with hope for the future without actually knowing the final outcome. Kaden is a very much the gamma hero � he’s a walking talking mass of contradictions. On one hand, he has a good career, he’s intelligent, well educated, cares deeply for Raleigh, protects her from Ray who tries to rape and kill her but, on the other hand, he has actually raped her and taken her freedom but I still found it hard to hate him. I’m left with mixed emotions � mostly I just want Raleigh to be happy and am unsure about her decisions.
I suppose that’s the hallmark of a good book � that it leaves you thinking about it for hours after you close the final chapter. Good debut from Lydia Kelly.
I think I didn’t move for the last third of this book. I was so engrossed and I was so desperate to know the final outcome that I curled up with the cat and just couldn’t put it down. When I finally finished it, I must have said something out loud sharply because the cat jumped up and looked at me in shock!!
Because, this is a little different from the captive/abduction stories I’ve read in the past. For a start, the abduction is opportunist � it’s not planned, it’s a situation caused by an accident, these are not hardened criminals. Secondly, and here is the biggie, the kidnappers actually do get to feel the full force of the law and pay for their crimes.
I’m thinking of stories like Comfort Food, Captive in the Dark, Obsessed where the kidnapee develops feelings for the kidnapper and they fall in love. I’m used to authors working their magic whereby I actually feel that they should be together � this is a little different.
So Raleigh, our heroine, is hitchhiking with her friend Julie when they are hit by an out of control car. Presuming they are both dead, the 3 men in the car, throw them in the trunk with the intention of disposing of their bodies. But Raleigh is merely unconscious and, when they realise she is alive, Ray, the driver, intends to kill her but Kaden convinces him not to and suggests they hold her for ransom.
Strange decisions � I could never really understand that especially from Kaden who is from a well-educated and decent background. Raleigh is deaf but not mute and Kaden realises this but keeps her ability to speak from Ray and his brother in order to protect her. Kaden is deeply attracted to Raleigh and his decisions are all based upon his feelings for her but he can’t keep a lid on his emotions and his anger at their situation leads him to rape her.
Of course, they develop a relationship. He does plenty to protect her from Ray but he has raped her, taken her freedom and practically starved her and here is the whole centre of the novel � is it right that Raleigh has developed a deep emotional attachment to Kaden after he has raped her? Certainly they become intimate but Kaden’s control is always on a knife-edge. Can a woman ever truly a love a man who has raped her or is she just suffering from a form of Stockholm Syndrome. That’s what you’re left wondering and that’s why this book left me feeling conflicted.
The ending is open for interpretation � you’re left with hope for the future without actually knowing the final outcome. Kaden is a very much the gamma hero � he’s a walking talking mass of contradictions. On one hand, he has a good career, he’s intelligent, well educated, cares deeply for Raleigh, protects her from Ray who tries to rape and kill her but, on the other hand, he has actually raped her and taken her freedom but I still found it hard to hate him. I’m left with mixed emotions � mostly I just want Raleigh to be happy and am unsure about her decisions.
I suppose that’s the hallmark of a good book � that it leaves you thinking about it for hours after you close the final chapter. Good debut from Lydia Kelly.
August 23, 2012
4.5 Stars
I wasn’t thinking about what had just happened, how I had been taken without my consent, how the pleasure I experienced was more humiliating than the act itself. No. I was only feeling abandoned.
When I picked up this book, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Sure, I read the description and a few reviews, but I wanted to form my own conclusions. I’ve always found stories involving captor/captive relationships fascinating. How do you know if what you feel is truly love, or if it was just a survival mechanism? This story really drew a fine line between the two.
Out of the three men that took Raleigh, she connected with Kaden the most. It didn’t help matters when one of her captors, Ray, wanted to initially kill her. Marshall, Ray’s brother, was just a confused young man. Next to Kaden, Marshall captured my heart with his innocence and sweet nature. He was such a conflicted soul. He wanted to do what’s right, but without making his older brother angry. After Ray tried to force himself on Raleigh, Kaden came in and saved her. Kaden vowed to not let anything happen to her. However, Kaden couldn’t save her from himself.
“You’re here because I want you with me. You’re here because I needed to find a way to make you see that you wanted to be with me as well.� ~ Kaden
I felt for Raleigh and her ever conflicting feelings for Kaden. My feelings for him were ever changing. I loved Kaden. I disliked Kaden. Then back to swooning over him. I never hated him though. He was thrust into this situation and, to me, wasn’t in his right mind when he first tried to connect with Raleigh. He and his friends did not want this. They were not meant to be kidnappers. They all panicked and made the wrong choices. His initial treatment of Kaden was made by a man who was desperate. Somewhere along the lines, the relationship between Raleigh and Kaden began to move from captor/captive to one with longing and desire. They both know their relationship can’t go very far. The situation is getting out of control and the little world that they lived in will eventually come crashing. Will their relationship survive the aftermath?
All the pain he caused me, all the terror I lived with, was nothing compared to the anxiety of not knowing what would happen if I were to find myself without him.
So I found myself conflicted with the ending. I read the Author’s Note at the end and apparently the epilogue that came with my version was recently added. She initially left it “open� to interpretation, but felt that the reader needed some closure. Though I appreciated the epilogue, I think I would’ve liked it just as much without it. Wait. What? No. Nevermind. Now that I think about it, I liked having the closure. That’s just the type of girl I am. Anyway, if you like being emotionally conflicted, read this. I thought it was well worth it.
I wasn’t thinking about what had just happened, how I had been taken without my consent, how the pleasure I experienced was more humiliating than the act itself. No. I was only feeling abandoned.
When I picked up this book, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Sure, I read the description and a few reviews, but I wanted to form my own conclusions. I’ve always found stories involving captor/captive relationships fascinating. How do you know if what you feel is truly love, or if it was just a survival mechanism? This story really drew a fine line between the two.
Out of the three men that took Raleigh, she connected with Kaden the most. It didn’t help matters when one of her captors, Ray, wanted to initially kill her. Marshall, Ray’s brother, was just a confused young man. Next to Kaden, Marshall captured my heart with his innocence and sweet nature. He was such a conflicted soul. He wanted to do what’s right, but without making his older brother angry. After Ray tried to force himself on Raleigh, Kaden came in and saved her. Kaden vowed to not let anything happen to her. However, Kaden couldn’t save her from himself.
“You’re here because I want you with me. You’re here because I needed to find a way to make you see that you wanted to be with me as well.� ~ Kaden
I felt for Raleigh and her ever conflicting feelings for Kaden. My feelings for him were ever changing. I loved Kaden. I disliked Kaden. Then back to swooning over him. I never hated him though. He was thrust into this situation and, to me, wasn’t in his right mind when he first tried to connect with Raleigh. He and his friends did not want this. They were not meant to be kidnappers. They all panicked and made the wrong choices. His initial treatment of Kaden was made by a man who was desperate. Somewhere along the lines, the relationship between Raleigh and Kaden began to move from captor/captive to one with longing and desire. They both know their relationship can’t go very far. The situation is getting out of control and the little world that they lived in will eventually come crashing. Will their relationship survive the aftermath?
All the pain he caused me, all the terror I lived with, was nothing compared to the anxiety of not knowing what would happen if I were to find myself without him.
So I found myself conflicted with the ending. I read the Author’s Note at the end and apparently the epilogue that came with my version was recently added. She initially left it “open� to interpretation, but felt that the reader needed some closure. Though I appreciated the epilogue, I think I would’ve liked it just as much without it. Wait. What? No. Nevermind. Now that I think about it, I liked having the closure. That’s just the type of girl I am. Anyway, if you like being emotionally conflicted, read this. I thought it was well worth it.
December 28, 2012
Wow- what a book. Were it not for readers' clarification, I would not have read it, and would have missed out on a great book. The story is suspense-filled and compelling. GREAT PLOT!
It is intense and far more of a drama/crime/suspense than a romance. That being said, it is a complex, compelling story which kept my attention.
Some parts of this book step away from my usual favorite genres, but it's good to mix it up every now and again. There is violence and rape, but they are not gratuitous and add to the complexity of the story.
I'm in the same boat as many other readers, when it comes to the end of this book. I'm not going to say more, except that you should READ THIS BOOK!
It is intense and far more of a drama/crime/suspense than a romance. That being said, it is a complex, compelling story which kept my attention.
Some parts of this book step away from my usual favorite genres, but it's good to mix it up every now and again. There is violence and rape, but they are not gratuitous and add to the complexity of the story.
I'm in the same boat as many other readers, when it comes to the end of this book. I'm not going to say more, except that you should READ THIS BOOK!
August 26, 2012
(
NOTE
: The book blurb is horrible, misleading, and does more harm than good. The story is much more complex than it implies. )
What I wanted: - I would have preferred the story to focus mainly on her desperate need to survive and therefore doing anything and everything necessary to keep Kaden happy. Having her fall in love with him, and more to the point STAYING in love with him even after she knows the truth about everything, pushing the story into fairy tale land for me.
Reality/The Book: - He doesn't talk to her for weeks, lets her practically starve to death, and rapes her. The society we live in, this matter can be horrific, the 'attacker' goes to jail and the 'victim' usually has some sort of psychological distress.
No matter how Kaden may of felt for Raleigh, she is still stripped of what little trust she had in him. She will always be left with the question "Would he ever become angry enough to do it again?" Etc.
Kaden might not be a hardened criminal but he is NOT a good guy trapped in an impossible situation, by any means. He is very much a bad guy at all levels and it's to the author's credit that she can even make him likable. I do give him props for one thing - He was selfish in the beginning but made a great selfless-sacrifice towards the end. Having the opportunity to run away with Raleigh but deciding to stay and to take responsibility for his actions. Hoping in his atonement she would be able to forgive him.
Two SMALL complaints/Questions:
While I understand that the people caught in this situation might not want to look too hard at themselves and each other WHILE it's going on, I felt there wasn't nearly enough time spent on these characters AFTER the ordeal is over. Who was Kaden? I wish I had known more of his background and what he did for the first 32 years of his life. I just could not understand his actions. The author only gave us Ray's life story.
Why did the so called 'psychologist' that came to testify not bring up Stockholm Syndrome? He pointed out Ray was suffering from post-partum-depression, but he is not going to bring up that their relationship was consensual near the end of her captivation?
What I wanted: - I would have preferred the story to focus mainly on her desperate need to survive and therefore doing anything and everything necessary to keep Kaden happy. Having her fall in love with him, and more to the point STAYING in love with him even after she knows the truth about everything, pushing the story into fairy tale land for me.
Reality/The Book: - He doesn't talk to her for weeks, lets her practically starve to death, and rapes her. The society we live in, this matter can be horrific, the 'attacker' goes to jail and the 'victim' usually has some sort of psychological distress.
No matter how Kaden may of felt for Raleigh, she is still stripped of what little trust she had in him. She will always be left with the question "Would he ever become angry enough to do it again?" Etc.
Kaden might not be a hardened criminal but he is NOT a good guy trapped in an impossible situation, by any means. He is very much a bad guy at all levels and it's to the author's credit that she can even make him likable. I do give him props for one thing - He was selfish in the beginning but made a great selfless-sacrifice towards the end. Having the opportunity to run away with Raleigh but deciding to stay and to take responsibility for his actions. Hoping in his atonement she would be able to forgive him.
Two SMALL complaints/Questions:
While I understand that the people caught in this situation might not want to look too hard at themselves and each other WHILE it's going on, I felt there wasn't nearly enough time spent on these characters AFTER the ordeal is over. Who was Kaden? I wish I had known more of his background and what he did for the first 32 years of his life. I just could not understand his actions. The author only gave us Ray's life story.
Why did the so called 'psychologist' that came to testify not bring up Stockholm Syndrome? He pointed out Ray was suffering from post-partum-depression, but he is not going to bring up that their relationship was consensual near the end of her captivation?
October 12, 2011
3.5 to 4 stars...(but mostly 4 stars)
This is one of those books that leave me confused and with conflicting emotions. In a good way? Yes and no.
The topics are very difficult to diggest. Murder, kidnapping and rape are difficult things to write about and the book is not sugar coating them.The boo is very upfront and easy to read. The thing is, I've read a couple "non-consentual" books and this one felt a little different, why? Because the other books where "non-con" and this one was NON-CON. Raleigh REALLY didn't want the sexual act to take place and from there, maybe it was the Stockholm Syndrome taking over, she develops feelings towards Kaden.
I remember when I read and , I kept thinking, How could I have ended up sympathizing with these sittuations?? While reading I didn't think I would sympathize again with such a sittuation, until Kaden did the right thing. The moment I thought 'Oh I hope he comes out of this ok.', that's when I realized I had once again been tricked by the writter. And damn if I wasn't rooting for them until the end!(I know, I'm very moraly tormented by this.)
I do think what Kaden did was wrong. It was rape for Godness sake!
It boggles my mind when a writer can, maybe not change our mind, but blurr the line between what's right and wrong. I will definetly be checking out more works by this writter.
This is one of those books that leave me confused and with conflicting emotions. In a good way? Yes and no.
The topics are very difficult to diggest. Murder, kidnapping and rape are difficult things to write about and the book is not sugar coating them.The boo is very upfront and easy to read. The thing is, I've read a couple "non-consentual" books and this one felt a little different, why? Because the other books where "non-con" and this one was NON-CON. Raleigh REALLY didn't want the sexual act to take place and from there, maybe it was the Stockholm Syndrome taking over, she develops feelings towards Kaden.
I remember when I read and , I kept thinking, How could I have ended up sympathizing with these sittuations?? While reading I didn't think I would sympathize again with such a sittuation, until Kaden did the right thing. The moment I thought 'Oh I hope he comes out of this ok.', that's when I realized I had once again been tricked by the writter. And damn if I wasn't rooting for them until the end!(I know, I'm very moraly tormented by this.)
I do think what Kaden did was wrong. It was rape for Godness sake!
It boggles my mind when a writer can, maybe not change our mind, but blurr the line between what's right and wrong. I will definetly be checking out more works by this writter.
October 25, 2012
4.5 stars
Some may hate, some may love the story. I was the one who loved.
A story about a girl who runs away from her life to be kidnapped and other things(read to find out for yourself) and to finally forgive for the things she endured with her kidnappers.
Raleigh is a rich girl whose Daddy is a Senator and wants to escape from that life. While hitchiking with a friend she made along the way, she is struck by a car. Her friend instantly dies and she is taken by three men. One of the men(Ray) wants her dead. The second one(Marshal)wants to protect her but is scared. The third man(Kaden), well, he's probably the worse one. He does things(read for yourself)to her. After he does what he does, he feels remorse but yet he still doesn't "protect" her. She has been held captive for about two months. During this time she slowly starts falling for Kaden and Kaden starts falling for her.
They have a beautiful yet twisted romance due to the circumstances on how they met. Kaden makes the sacrifice and he deals with his decision.
The last half of the book really grabbed me. I felt sadness, hope and the love between them. I'm happy that the author wrote an epilogue cause if she would have left off like she did the original, I would have been upset. Love love love the epilogue.
Some may hate, some may love the story. I was the one who loved.
A story about a girl who runs away from her life to be kidnapped and other things(read to find out for yourself) and to finally forgive for the things she endured with her kidnappers.
Raleigh is a rich girl whose Daddy is a Senator and wants to escape from that life. While hitchiking with a friend she made along the way, she is struck by a car. Her friend instantly dies and she is taken by three men. One of the men(Ray) wants her dead. The second one(Marshal)wants to protect her but is scared. The third man(Kaden), well, he's probably the worse one. He does things(read for yourself)to her. After he does what he does, he feels remorse but yet he still doesn't "protect" her. She has been held captive for about two months. During this time she slowly starts falling for Kaden and Kaden starts falling for her.
They have a beautiful yet twisted romance due to the circumstances on how they met. Kaden makes the sacrifice and he deals with his decision.
The last half of the book really grabbed me. I felt sadness, hope and the love between them. I'm happy that the author wrote an epilogue cause if she would have left off like she did the original, I would have been upset. Love love love the epilogue.
November 22, 2011
Dear God, this is one f**ked up book! Too bad that I'm sucker for all kinds of kinkyness... ;) First, I thought I'd be disgusted - well, I still think it's wierd and twisted, but I kinda like it.
March 4, 2020
Is it crazy and twisted that I rooted for an HEA to this story? I know there is a number of you out there that did as well - a tell that Lydia Kelly hit on something with Screaming in the Silence. Kelly delivers a study in captivity, Stockholm Syndrome, moral ambiguity and atonement in this - not quite a romance, kidnapping tale.
Weary of a dark story of a captive, I was relieved to find that Kelly added interest to this unsavory theme with a couple of unexpected devices. First and foremost, Raleigh is deaf. Capable of reading lips and speaking clearly she can communicate with her captors - when they want to communicate with her. No eaves dropping on conversations, no tell tale sound to indicate if someone is behind her or even in a dark room with her, no ability to know if she should discern fear when she witnesses a fight between her captors. And to add insult to injury, her kidnappers rob her of the sense she relies on most by placing her in a dark basement. Left with touch, smell and taste, Raleigh relays a new side of fear that this reviewer had never considered. Raleigh isn’t in the dark the whole time and when faced with her captors she demonstrates her intelligence, with not only how and what she communicates to them, but in how she discerns and analyzes every detail of their reactions - from body language to facial expressions to eye contact.
The second unexpected device that sets this dark captive tale apart, is that Raleigh was a victim of an “accidental� kidnapping, meaning that kidnapping her was not premeditated by her three assailants. Her captivity was seen as a problem to them instead of the goal to a nefarious plan. This drove the plot and gave more flexibility to (some) of her captors� moral compasses.
Now let’s discuss the most uncomfortably enjoyable part of the book: Kaden. Kaden is despicably likeable. Intelligent, cunning, conniving, violent just beneath the surface, criminal -but what stands out most? He’s charming. But he is also deranged. Or “conflicted� as Raleigh sees him.
“I was terrified of him, but at the same time wanted him to desire me."
Uh, what's that you say, Raleigh? It seems Raleigh might be a bit “conflicted� herself. Together their relationship is not right.
“Being raped wasn’t something I liked to think about, but being raped by Ray was almost an unbearable thought. What made Kaden a more agreeable rapist was what confused me."
Confused? Not me. Kaden plus Raleigh equals all kinds of examples of a sick, unhealthy, very wrong relationship that pulls you in. Don’t let any impressionable young ladies read this one. I was as cautiously charmed by Kaden as Raleigh. I knew he could say all the right things and do all the wrong things. But of course I was a comfortable voyeur to this story, safe in my logical, intelligent thought process that would never fall for Kaden’s allure - in real life.
What is Kaden’s attraction?
“I’m not a bad person, Raleigh. I’ve just done some fucked up things lately.�
I can even hear the drawl in his voice as he delivers that line so matter-of-factly. Kaden truly believes this, he makes Raleigh believe it, too. And, maybe, since this is just a book, and he is handsome and charming and so frigging likeable, just maybe, you believe it, too.
Kaden is one of those people, who came to a fork roads in life and took the wrong path. And he knows it. And he is frustrated about it. He is smarter than where he has ended up. His moral compass wants to point to north, but his actions have him headed south. He knows that had he made better choices, gone right instead of left at the fork in the road, things could have been so different for he and Raleigh. And in my humble estimation, it is due to this frustration and anger - while trying to reconcile himself with who he could have been and who he actually is, that he commit’s a vile crime against Raleigh. Does his underlying charm make up for the crime he commits against her? No. And he knows that to.
In fact, his trespass against her is so vile that he can’t even see past it - despite his best efforts. He knows he can’t redeem himself for what he did, but he knows he can atone for it. And when standing at another fork in the road of life, where if he veers left he could probably sprint to an HEA with Raleigh, he veers right and jogs to it instead.
Complaints about this book? Minor ones: the other two captors were shallowly written, slivers rather than gaps in the story - would have liked more of a background on Kaden or more about him in the last 10-15% of the book, maybe more on the search for Raleigh. Writing was certainly passable.
If you like your heroes psychologically dark and complex, and so much gray to a person’s motives that you don’t even know black and white exist, then I recommend you this book. I liked the fact that I didn’t like liking this book. It feels like a dirty little secret - making it one of the smarter captivity stories I have read.
Weary of a dark story of a captive, I was relieved to find that Kelly added interest to this unsavory theme with a couple of unexpected devices. First and foremost, Raleigh is deaf. Capable of reading lips and speaking clearly she can communicate with her captors - when they want to communicate with her. No eaves dropping on conversations, no tell tale sound to indicate if someone is behind her or even in a dark room with her, no ability to know if she should discern fear when she witnesses a fight between her captors. And to add insult to injury, her kidnappers rob her of the sense she relies on most by placing her in a dark basement. Left with touch, smell and taste, Raleigh relays a new side of fear that this reviewer had never considered. Raleigh isn’t in the dark the whole time and when faced with her captors she demonstrates her intelligence, with not only how and what she communicates to them, but in how she discerns and analyzes every detail of their reactions - from body language to facial expressions to eye contact.
The second unexpected device that sets this dark captive tale apart, is that Raleigh was a victim of an “accidental� kidnapping, meaning that kidnapping her was not premeditated by her three assailants. Her captivity was seen as a problem to them instead of the goal to a nefarious plan. This drove the plot and gave more flexibility to (some) of her captors� moral compasses.
Now let’s discuss the most uncomfortably enjoyable part of the book: Kaden. Kaden is despicably likeable. Intelligent, cunning, conniving, violent just beneath the surface, criminal -but what stands out most? He’s charming. But he is also deranged. Or “conflicted� as Raleigh sees him.
“I was terrified of him, but at the same time wanted him to desire me."
Uh, what's that you say, Raleigh? It seems Raleigh might be a bit “conflicted� herself. Together their relationship is not right.
“Being raped wasn’t something I liked to think about, but being raped by Ray was almost an unbearable thought. What made Kaden a more agreeable rapist was what confused me."
Confused? Not me. Kaden plus Raleigh equals all kinds of examples of a sick, unhealthy, very wrong relationship that pulls you in. Don’t let any impressionable young ladies read this one. I was as cautiously charmed by Kaden as Raleigh. I knew he could say all the right things and do all the wrong things. But of course I was a comfortable voyeur to this story, safe in my logical, intelligent thought process that would never fall for Kaden’s allure - in real life.
What is Kaden’s attraction?
“I’m not a bad person, Raleigh. I’ve just done some fucked up things lately.�
I can even hear the drawl in his voice as he delivers that line so matter-of-factly. Kaden truly believes this, he makes Raleigh believe it, too. And, maybe, since this is just a book, and he is handsome and charming and so frigging likeable, just maybe, you believe it, too.
Kaden is one of those people, who came to a fork roads in life and took the wrong path. And he knows it. And he is frustrated about it. He is smarter than where he has ended up. His moral compass wants to point to north, but his actions have him headed south. He knows that had he made better choices, gone right instead of left at the fork in the road, things could have been so different for he and Raleigh. And in my humble estimation, it is due to this frustration and anger - while trying to reconcile himself with who he could have been and who he actually is, that he commit’s a vile crime against Raleigh. Does his underlying charm make up for the crime he commits against her? No. And he knows that to.
In fact, his trespass against her is so vile that he can’t even see past it - despite his best efforts. He knows he can’t redeem himself for what he did, but he knows he can atone for it. And when standing at another fork in the road of life, where if he veers left he could probably sprint to an HEA with Raleigh, he veers right and jogs to it instead.
Complaints about this book? Minor ones: the other two captors were shallowly written, slivers rather than gaps in the story - would have liked more of a background on Kaden or more about him in the last 10-15% of the book, maybe more on the search for Raleigh. Writing was certainly passable.
If you like your heroes psychologically dark and complex, and so much gray to a person’s motives that you don’t even know black and white exist, then I recommend you this book. I liked the fact that I didn’t like liking this book. It feels like a dirty little secret - making it one of the smarter captivity stories I have read.
February 8, 2015
I get the appeal of kidnap/captivity romances. I really do. But so few manage to meet my expectations. There's a right way to do those kind of romances, and this one wasn't it, IMO.
Some quotes that contributed to me not finishing this book:
The love interest raped her. That's what happened that morning. And I guess she's supposed to be grateful for that?
His "spare" hand? So he keeps one tucked away for special occasions?
Why is that needless to say? I would never have guessed that if you hadn't said it.
The writing was also not great, and the MC started feeling soft toward the best-looking, nicest of her kidnappers so quickly. Of course, the other main kidnappers had sour breath and was soft (of course if a guy doesn't smell like cinnamon or have rock hard abs, he's basically a derelict). I don't need my main characters to be good or likeable, but this romance wasn't handled to my liking. DNF at page 79.
Some quotes that contributed to me not finishing this book:
"I can't change what happened this morning. You got everything you deserved, but Ray won't stop where I did. He'll kill you."
The love interest raped her. That's what happened that morning. And I guess she's supposed to be grateful for that?
His spare hand flew through the air and hit me across the cheek, knocking me to the ground with one blow.
His "spare" hand? So he keeps one tucked away for special occasions?
Needless to say, I had grown accustomed to wearing stiff undergarments and t-shirts.
Why is that needless to say? I would never have guessed that if you hadn't said it.
The writing was also not great, and the MC started feeling soft toward the best-looking, nicest of her kidnappers so quickly. Of course, the other main kidnappers had sour breath and was soft (of course if a guy doesn't smell like cinnamon or have rock hard abs, he's basically a derelict). I don't need my main characters to be good or likeable, but this romance wasn't handled to my liking. DNF at page 79.
February 14, 2013
4 strong Stars!
Ok, so I've just finished reading this .. and first thing I did was to take a deep breath.
My anxiety was through the roof nearing the end of this book, so I peeked to see how will it end, not much, just took a glanced at few words.. And what I saw disappointed me. I was expecting the ending would be totally different. Cause at one point, reading this book I thought, shit.. another fairytale with the happy ending. Where no matter what goes down, in the end everyone will be happy. But not so much in this book.
So back to my expectations and how it was all ruined when I peeked at the ending.
So I got back to reading it from were I left, and you know what? Now I think It's the perfect ending!
It gave totally different meaning for this book. And now I don't see it as another cheap love-fairytale ( just with no faeries, don't get confused on that). It's actually a sad, conflicted love story. Which I didn't expect.
But it was beautiful (in some twisted kind of way). So I strongly recommend on reading it.
September 11, 2011
I have to be honest when I stumbled upon this book in Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ I was more than a little put off by its synopsis. It's tagline is "Could you fall in love with the man who kidnapped and raped you?" My automatic first reaction was heck no! And my second was to question how a reader could be left understanding how this happens at the end of the book. My curiosity won and i had to buy it. From page one I was hooked and didnt put this book down until I finished it. Kelly is a gifted writer and she wove a story of obsession turned love that had me feeling angry, sad and most of all conflicted the whole time I was reading it. You know you aren't supposed to root for certain characters and when I did I thought, wth is wrong with me??? It's easy to get swept up in the confusion our MC is feeling because things aren't necessarily as they seem with her kidnappers. I have to give it to Kelly, she proved me wrong. She wrote a story that though it may not be likely, had me understanding the MC and each of her captors motivations. Some sinister and some if anything way obsessive. Lydia Kelly is def an author to keep my eyes on for future books!
November 6, 2011
Screaming in the Silence is a tricky book. It does have some awful things like kidnapping,murder and rape but at the same time Lydia Kelly makes us like the 'bad guy' Kaden,who falls in love with 'deaf girl' Raleigh,his victim.
This book is not erotica,more like contemporary romance. So please if you are looking for some kinky stuff move on to Selena Kitt. She is the author for you.
Now is the part where you get this stunned expression on your face-I like it. Very much. Not the rape,just the story itself. Kelly wraps you in this world and you can not wait to fins out what happens next. The ending was refreshing. Realistic but not what I expected. I did shed some big fat tears. Overall,I am really glad I got the chance to read this book.
This book is not erotica,more like contemporary romance. So please if you are looking for some kinky stuff move on to Selena Kitt. She is the author for you.
Now is the part where you get this stunned expression on your face-I like it. Very much. Not the rape,just the story itself. Kelly wraps you in this world and you can not wait to fins out what happens next. The ending was refreshing. Realistic but not what I expected. I did shed some big fat tears. Overall,I am really glad I got the chance to read this book.
July 17, 2013
ok... i let this story settle in my head for a few days... i needed some time to digest it...
NOT because it isn't a really good story... but because i couldn't wrap my head around all the negative reviews...
i am the first to respect everyones opinions... what everyone feels is valid...
for me... this story was about some very dark disturbing subject matter... hit and run... disposing of a body... kidnapping... and yes... abuse and rape... but for me it was not presented in such a horribly dark manner...
from the very get go Raleigh receives some kindness, although twisted kindness from Kaden... and yes... he does abuse of her.. but he also cares and protects her..
this story was of survival... of love... real love however twisted it started.
oh and the ending... it was perfect for them... i couldn't imagine a different one...
NOT because it isn't a really good story... but because i couldn't wrap my head around all the negative reviews...
i am the first to respect everyones opinions... what everyone feels is valid...
for me... this story was about some very dark disturbing subject matter... hit and run... disposing of a body... kidnapping... and yes... abuse and rape... but for me it was not presented in such a horribly dark manner...
from the very get go Raleigh receives some kindness, although twisted kindness from Kaden... and yes... he does abuse of her.. but he also cares and protects her..
this story was of survival... of love... real love however twisted it started.
oh and the ending... it was perfect for them... i couldn't imagine a different one...
March 12, 2013
4.5 stars!!
wow i really do not for the life of me understand how to explain exactly how i feel right now...
i've read books like this before, dark, intense , angsty, stokholm syndrome.. and every one of them left me in the exact same state as i am now. but this one has left more so confused and undecided..but i still loved the book.
can you seriously control who you fall for?
can you forgive a person who hurt you so bad (physically and emotionally) and still love them with all your heart?
can you move on and make better memories, take a chance, risk it all?
these are such tough questions to answer and these and many such other troubling questions is what raleigh( what an amazing name is that?!) has to figure out by herself. raleigh is so strong willed and resilient it's truly moving to read about her ordeals, struggles to come to terms with her feelings and finally moving on. she is a survivor.
kaden's "blondie"/"everything" aka raleigh
this book is intense from the first page, i loved how there were snippets of the past interwined with raleigh's nightmare of a present.
my heart twisted in knots for julie(her baby girl) and carla, and of course for marshal he was barely an adult after all.
ray well he got what he deserved1
kaden, wow, this character simply confuses me so much, he was twisted and angry and loving and caring and protective and so many other different things.. i just couldn't get why he would chose such a path for himself despite having had such a promising future otherwise. to protect one friend he just put his life in such dangerous tracks.
but i did, albeit reluctantly fall for him too just as raleigh does.
yes he fucked up!!! he fucked up in epic proportions but dammit i dont know why but i still fell for him.
my kaden,
of course without the stubble but with those blazing green eyes :)
the ending well, is an open ending left for us readers to make up our own ending about raleigh-kaden's future.
but i did read the epilogue on a diff site too.(which a GR friend of mine, soraya, had posted on her review of this book)
and i dont understand which one i prefer, the open ending where i can conjure my own ending as per my wish or the one the author comes up with!
its difficult, very difficult to understand the choices we make, maybe what raleigh choses to do (in the autors epilogue) is good for her but what would we do if god forbid we were to ever find ourselves in such a situation??? this is what holds me back from not getting a clear cut ending for this book!!!
but still ppl, get this book and read it, it will shake you up. leave you feeling mushy, and smiling and leave you so damn befuddled too (well atleast i am)but then you also learn that love is love something so not in your hands and the best of us succumb to it, it may be falling for the wrong person, or the right person, or the wrong person who as it happens turns out to be the right/good person (well go figure that one out!) and all its dangers.
get this book and read it!!!
toodles:)
PS
here's the link to the epilogue,
wow i really do not for the life of me understand how to explain exactly how i feel right now...
i've read books like this before, dark, intense , angsty, stokholm syndrome.. and every one of them left me in the exact same state as i am now. but this one has left more so confused and undecided..but i still loved the book.
can you seriously control who you fall for?
can you forgive a person who hurt you so bad (physically and emotionally) and still love them with all your heart?
can you move on and make better memories, take a chance, risk it all?
these are such tough questions to answer and these and many such other troubling questions is what raleigh( what an amazing name is that?!) has to figure out by herself. raleigh is so strong willed and resilient it's truly moving to read about her ordeals, struggles to come to terms with her feelings and finally moving on. she is a survivor.
kaden's "blondie"/"everything" aka raleigh
this book is intense from the first page, i loved how there were snippets of the past interwined with raleigh's nightmare of a present.
my heart twisted in knots for julie(her baby girl) and carla, and of course for marshal he was barely an adult after all.
ray well he got what he deserved1
kaden, wow, this character simply confuses me so much, he was twisted and angry and loving and caring and protective and so many other different things.. i just couldn't get why he would chose such a path for himself despite having had such a promising future otherwise. to protect one friend he just put his life in such dangerous tracks.
but i did, albeit reluctantly fall for him too just as raleigh does.
yes he fucked up!!! he fucked up in epic proportions but dammit i dont know why but i still fell for him.
my kaden,
of course without the stubble but with those blazing green eyes :)
the ending well, is an open ending left for us readers to make up our own ending about raleigh-kaden's future.
but i did read the epilogue on a diff site too.(which a GR friend of mine, soraya, had posted on her review of this book)
and i dont understand which one i prefer, the open ending where i can conjure my own ending as per my wish or the one the author comes up with!
its difficult, very difficult to understand the choices we make, maybe what raleigh choses to do (in the autors epilogue) is good for her but what would we do if god forbid we were to ever find ourselves in such a situation??? this is what holds me back from not getting a clear cut ending for this book!!!
but still ppl, get this book and read it, it will shake you up. leave you feeling mushy, and smiling and leave you so damn befuddled too (well atleast i am)but then you also learn that love is love something so not in your hands and the best of us succumb to it, it may be falling for the wrong person, or the right person, or the wrong person who as it happens turns out to be the right/good person (well go figure that one out!) and all its dangers.
get this book and read it!!!
toodles:)
PS
here's the link to the epilogue,
December 25, 2014
This review can also be found on my blog:
"All you care about is the control and power..."
At the very beginning of this story, Raleigh wakes up in the trunk of a car next to her friend's body. They were hit by a drunk driver who, along with two others, put them in the trunk of their car to dispose of the bodies, not realizing she was still alive. Once they realize she is still alive they lock her in their basement while they try to figure out what to do with her. Kaden, one of her kidnappers, stands up for her against the ringleader, Ray. He keeps some of her secrets, prevents the others from raping her, gives her food, and he eventually makes it clear that he wants more from her. She agrees in exchange for his continued protection. But things get complicated when feelings get involved and they both begin to want so much more than their situation can allow.
"You protected me and gave me reason to hope..."
Kaden is certainly not free of guilt in this. He has done some terrible things to Raleigh, worse than Ray in a way. And at first I assumed any feelings he had for her were the result of delusion and instability, and any feeling she may have had for him were the result of Stockholm and fear. But as time went on I could not believe that I was beginning to see Kaden in a new light, and by the end of the book I felt like they really did love each other, which has me really surprised. I really, really enjoyed seeing the incredibly unique way I was brought to this point. I have never read anything like this before; it was a memorable experience and it had me crying in a few places. The constant inner battle I had with myself, warring over whether or not what they were doing was healthy, whether or not I should be wanting it to happen at all. It was a wonderful experience and I definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of unconventional romances.
"Against my better judgement and sense, I love you..."
Just FYI, this is not a BDSM as it is currently labeled. There is violence and abuse as a result of the kidnapping, but nothing else. Although there is some semi-graphic sex. Maybe about the same level as an NA novel. Although this is not NA. Both leads are grown adults.
"All you care about is the control and power..."
At the very beginning of this story, Raleigh wakes up in the trunk of a car next to her friend's body. They were hit by a drunk driver who, along with two others, put them in the trunk of their car to dispose of the bodies, not realizing she was still alive. Once they realize she is still alive they lock her in their basement while they try to figure out what to do with her. Kaden, one of her kidnappers, stands up for her against the ringleader, Ray. He keeps some of her secrets, prevents the others from raping her, gives her food, and he eventually makes it clear that he wants more from her. She agrees in exchange for his continued protection. But things get complicated when feelings get involved and they both begin to want so much more than their situation can allow.
"You protected me and gave me reason to hope..."
Kaden is certainly not free of guilt in this. He has done some terrible things to Raleigh, worse than Ray in a way. And at first I assumed any feelings he had for her were the result of delusion and instability, and any feeling she may have had for him were the result of Stockholm and fear. But as time went on I could not believe that I was beginning to see Kaden in a new light, and by the end of the book I felt like they really did love each other, which has me really surprised. I really, really enjoyed seeing the incredibly unique way I was brought to this point. I have never read anything like this before; it was a memorable experience and it had me crying in a few places. The constant inner battle I had with myself, warring over whether or not what they were doing was healthy, whether or not I should be wanting it to happen at all. It was a wonderful experience and I definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of unconventional romances.
"Against my better judgement and sense, I love you..."
Just FYI, this is not a BDSM as it is currently labeled. There is violence and abuse as a result of the kidnapping, but nothing else. Although there is some semi-graphic sex. Maybe about the same level as an NA novel. Although this is not NA. Both leads are grown adults.
July 12, 2014
This book is
Not about erotic romance
Not about true love
Not really about Stockholm Syndrome
It is about
Making decision and taking responsibility
Making the wrong choices and having courage to live with the consequences of deadly actions.
Raleigh was deaf. She was strong-willed. She was kidnapped and
Kaden was not a career criminal and he didn't have dark past. The well-crafted storyline held my interest all the way. I have to say the epilogue is not needed
#a good read# #no whiney heroine# #well-paced#
Not about erotic romance
Not about true love
Not really about Stockholm Syndrome
It is about
Making decision and taking responsibility
Making the wrong choices and having courage to live with the consequences of deadly actions.
Raleigh was deaf. She was strong-willed. She was kidnapped and
Kaden was not a career criminal and he didn't have dark past. The well-crafted storyline held my interest all the way. I have to say the epilogue is not needed
#a good read# #no whiney heroine# #well-paced#
December 31, 2012
It’s been some hours, and yet I still feel like I need more time to digest what I just read. I’m gobsmacked…that’s the only word I could think to use to even come close to the real emotion. Overall, the book was well written and kept my attention. But settle down folks, this rant is going to be a long one.
I had an extremely hard time feeling any sympathy for Raleigh in the beginning, and though I eventually softened towards her, I was back to being barely able to tolerate her by the end of it. Though she was supposedly a woman in her late twenties, I felt like I was reading a dark YA novel about a sixteen year old girl. Her character always came across a bit shallow to me. The first day after they dragged her out of the trunk, and locked her in the basement, her only complaint was that they fed her tuna which she hates. She was locked up nine whole days before it even occurred to her that maybe she should come up with a plan to escape, and then dismissed the idea two seconds later despite knowing that it would be many weeks before anyone would even realize she was missing.
"But you don't know me, Kaden. You see me as this scared girl who gives in too easily. You see me as a stuck-up…who ran away from the luxuries of home because she was bored. But that's not me. How do you know you'll want the real me? All of me?"
She’s a twenty six year old with a doctorate degree in political science and economics and 25,000 dollars in her checking account, who doesn’t want to accept the job offer from her father. So she cashes in her tickets to Rome (a graduation gift), and decides she wants to run away from it all by going hitchhiking around America to get some excitement in her life and because her daddy never loved her the same way once she went deaf as a kid. Really, Raleigh? If that’s not you, then who is? This declaration was made at the 60% mark in the book, and I spent the rest of the 40% waiting for her to prove it wrong, but it never came.
As for the “gives in easily part�, no matter what Kaden did to her she would reassure him it wasn’t his fault not because she was scared, but because “it was easier than going through the emotional process of forgiving him again�. The giving in part I let go. It was classic battered women syndrome, and I get that. I understood it. After all, Kaden did not make it easy for her.
But the other part? Maybe it’s just me, but when things happen in my life, I stop and think “what, if anything, did I do that could have possibly led me to this point and what could I change to prevent it from happening again in the future�. You know, some self-reflection. But there was none of that from Raleigh either. She learned nothing from that entire experience except that she loved Kaden.
As for their love, I got that also to some extent after everything, but even that was ruined for me. I’m not confused feelings wise about the ending like half the reviews mentioned. I’m annoyed by it. I understand that love is not rational, that it makes you insane, and do things you normally wouldn’t think you would do. Things are not all bad with Kaden. When he is sweet, you see why she falls for him. But its his inconsistency that’s the problem. From one minute to the next, she’s never sure if he’s going to stay sweet or become vicious. Kaden’s love was psychopathic, and I guess he drove her to it, because by the end of the book, so was her’s.
Now I’m all for dysfunctional romances (as my GR library would attest to) and maybe I just overly love my hair, but I think that’s just nucking futs.
Raleigh’s response to all this?
Despite all of this, I was really ready to give this book four stars, because as I said, it’s well written, interesting, and keeps you questioning your own conventions. If only the author would have added some self-reflection on Raleigh’s part, and some hint of acknowledgement that Kaden’s kind of love requires some special kind of therapy, it might have not gone down to three stars.
I had an extremely hard time feeling any sympathy for Raleigh in the beginning, and though I eventually softened towards her, I was back to being barely able to tolerate her by the end of it. Though she was supposedly a woman in her late twenties, I felt like I was reading a dark YA novel about a sixteen year old girl. Her character always came across a bit shallow to me. The first day after they dragged her out of the trunk, and locked her in the basement, her only complaint was that they fed her tuna which she hates. She was locked up nine whole days before it even occurred to her that maybe she should come up with a plan to escape, and then dismissed the idea two seconds later despite knowing that it would be many weeks before anyone would even realize she was missing.
"But you don't know me, Kaden. You see me as this scared girl who gives in too easily. You see me as a stuck-up…who ran away from the luxuries of home because she was bored. But that's not me. How do you know you'll want the real me? All of me?"
She’s a twenty six year old with a doctorate degree in political science and economics and 25,000 dollars in her checking account, who doesn’t want to accept the job offer from her father. So she cashes in her tickets to Rome (a graduation gift), and decides she wants to run away from it all by going hitchhiking around America to get some excitement in her life and because her daddy never loved her the same way once she went deaf as a kid. Really, Raleigh? If that’s not you, then who is? This declaration was made at the 60% mark in the book, and I spent the rest of the 40% waiting for her to prove it wrong, but it never came.
As for the “gives in easily part�, no matter what Kaden did to her she would reassure him it wasn’t his fault not because she was scared, but because “it was easier than going through the emotional process of forgiving him again�. The giving in part I let go. It was classic battered women syndrome, and I get that. I understood it. After all, Kaden did not make it easy for her.
But the other part? Maybe it’s just me, but when things happen in my life, I stop and think “what, if anything, did I do that could have possibly led me to this point and what could I change to prevent it from happening again in the future�. You know, some self-reflection. But there was none of that from Raleigh either. She learned nothing from that entire experience except that she loved Kaden.
As for their love, I got that also to some extent after everything, but even that was ruined for me. I’m not confused feelings wise about the ending like half the reviews mentioned. I’m annoyed by it. I understand that love is not rational, that it makes you insane, and do things you normally wouldn’t think you would do. Things are not all bad with Kaden. When he is sweet, you see why she falls for him. But its his inconsistency that’s the problem. From one minute to the next, she’s never sure if he’s going to stay sweet or become vicious. Kaden’s love was psychopathic, and I guess he drove her to it, because by the end of the book, so was her’s.
Now I’m all for dysfunctional romances (as my GR library would attest to) and maybe I just overly love my hair, but I think that’s just nucking futs.
Raleigh’s response to all this?
Despite all of this, I was really ready to give this book four stars, because as I said, it’s well written, interesting, and keeps you questioning your own conventions. If only the author would have added some self-reflection on Raleigh’s part, and some hint of acknowledgement that Kaden’s kind of love requires some special kind of therapy, it might have not gone down to three stars.
September 22, 2011
I want to give this book 4.5 stars because I really do like this book, but there were things that kept me from giving it the full 5, like the end (see last paragraph).
I actually finished this book a few hours ago and wasn't exactly sure what I thought about it, so I decided to step away from it and let it sink in before I decided to review it. Overall, I really liked the book, but I guess because of the nature it was written, I kind of feel guilty for liking it. Strangely, I would almost classify this as a romance with a unique darker spin. It wasn't really a mystery or suspense or general fiction really. And even though there were sex scenes, they weren't really explicit, especially when you compare them to some of the YA novels written these days.
Anyway, this was an emotional book because not only are you sympathizing with Raleigh because of the traumatic experience she is going through, but you also sympathize with Kaden because you can see the struggle he is dealing with getting what he wants and in protecting himself and his friends and doing what is best for Raleigh. You can tell he's not your typical bad boy who's always a trouble maker, and as you read about the battle he's fighting within himself, it's kind of hard not to fall in love with him. And Raleigh is such a strong character, not only in dealing with her deafness and her feisty personality, but you just connect to her because she's not your pathetic damsel in distress wallowing in pity.
I first saw this book on a GR ad, and the summary immediately caught my attention. I thought it would be intriguing in a twisted type of way, and it was unique spin to the whole romance concept. I will say though that the summary was a little misleading. I thought this book was going to take a more emotional toll on me. To be kidnapped, locked in a basement and raped is pretty traumatic. But it turns out her conditions weren't that horrible at all. Now before you start jumping on me, I admit those conditions were not good. I can't even begin to imagine what it must have felt to be Raleigh and the terror that she felt, and by no means are the conditions even acceptable. But I guess I was expecting a darker plot.
***SPOILER ALERT***
While Ray might have been a menacing character, but the other two did not strike me as so, even from the beginning. After Ray attempted to rape Raleigh, Kaden stepped in to stop it. And because the summary said Kaden had raped Raleigh, I kept expecting him to do so. And when he actually did rape her, it wasn't exactly what I had been picturing. Yes, he started without her consent, which is the definition of rape and by no means is it right. But it still wasn't what I was expecting, and it sure didn't ended without her consent. She even admits that she shouldn't be wanting it, but she does.
And the whole time, you can see that Kaden has always wanted to protect her, from hiding her secrets early on to actually stepping in to help her and taking care of her. Considering the traumatic circumstance, I probably wouldn't have been able to help falling in love with Kaden if I were in her shoes either.
But I wasn't crazy about the end. Even though I guess you can say it's a powerful way to end, it doesn't give us closure. It just leaves us HOPE that they're going to work it out. With any other book, I'm fine with leaving the hope unknown. But with a book that was so emotional, you were just left dangling and you almost needed closure to make sure everything will end up all right and to make sure that the traumatic experience you went through made the love worth it at the end.
I actually finished this book a few hours ago and wasn't exactly sure what I thought about it, so I decided to step away from it and let it sink in before I decided to review it. Overall, I really liked the book, but I guess because of the nature it was written, I kind of feel guilty for liking it. Strangely, I would almost classify this as a romance with a unique darker spin. It wasn't really a mystery or suspense or general fiction really. And even though there were sex scenes, they weren't really explicit, especially when you compare them to some of the YA novels written these days.
Anyway, this was an emotional book because not only are you sympathizing with Raleigh because of the traumatic experience she is going through, but you also sympathize with Kaden because you can see the struggle he is dealing with getting what he wants and in protecting himself and his friends and doing what is best for Raleigh. You can tell he's not your typical bad boy who's always a trouble maker, and as you read about the battle he's fighting within himself, it's kind of hard not to fall in love with him. And Raleigh is such a strong character, not only in dealing with her deafness and her feisty personality, but you just connect to her because she's not your pathetic damsel in distress wallowing in pity.
I first saw this book on a GR ad, and the summary immediately caught my attention. I thought it would be intriguing in a twisted type of way, and it was unique spin to the whole romance concept. I will say though that the summary was a little misleading. I thought this book was going to take a more emotional toll on me. To be kidnapped, locked in a basement and raped is pretty traumatic. But it turns out her conditions weren't that horrible at all. Now before you start jumping on me, I admit those conditions were not good. I can't even begin to imagine what it must have felt to be Raleigh and the terror that she felt, and by no means are the conditions even acceptable. But I guess I was expecting a darker plot.
***SPOILER ALERT***
While Ray might have been a menacing character, but the other two did not strike me as so, even from the beginning. After Ray attempted to rape Raleigh, Kaden stepped in to stop it. And because the summary said Kaden had raped Raleigh, I kept expecting him to do so. And when he actually did rape her, it wasn't exactly what I had been picturing. Yes, he started without her consent, which is the definition of rape and by no means is it right. But it still wasn't what I was expecting, and it sure didn't ended without her consent. She even admits that she shouldn't be wanting it, but she does.
And the whole time, you can see that Kaden has always wanted to protect her, from hiding her secrets early on to actually stepping in to help her and taking care of her. Considering the traumatic circumstance, I probably wouldn't have been able to help falling in love with Kaden if I were in her shoes either.
But I wasn't crazy about the end. Even though I guess you can say it's a powerful way to end, it doesn't give us closure. It just leaves us HOPE that they're going to work it out. With any other book, I'm fine with leaving the hope unknown. But with a book that was so emotional, you were just left dangling and you almost needed closure to make sure everything will end up all right and to make sure that the traumatic experience you went through made the love worth it at the end.
January 11, 2013
this is one of Those Books -- the ones you read but are sheepish to acknowledge, outside of your e-reader library, certainly on a forum as public as Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ. as is always the case, Those Books take on seriously controversial subjects (maybe domestic violence or rape or REALLY hardcore BDSM), but the reviews are good, some maybe even REALLY good, and trusted sources urge you to not let the premise scare you away.
soooo, you buy it. maybe, you tell yourself, it'll be akin to a Lolita experience -- where the artistry and message balance the ick factor. nervous, optimistic, you read it; you get swept up in it; and at the end . . . it really wasn't good enough. and you're embarrassed to have read it. and you sort of wish you could unread it.
i've said it before, and i'll say it again: if a book is going to tackle a gravely controversial topic, especially one as serious as rape and stockholm syndrome, then the author OWES the readers excellence: the literary quality must be redeeming; or the message must be instructive; or the questions raised must be raised so artfully as to invite deep introspection. and with These Books there's almost no room for error -- they must never indulge in winks ("it's not THAT bad, really") or kinks ("but isn't it hot? i know it's wrong, but it's hot, right?").
this book does both: the protagonist is hot and kind and not as bad as the other abductors and is cleaner and smarter and has life goals and appreciates nature and . . . is a RAPIST. and he cares for his victim both before the attack and after, and he stands between her and other violent acts, and before the final page he acknowledges what he did wrong and attempts to atone for it. but we're still left with a story where the hot sex IS rape or born of stockholm syndrome after rape and where the hot hero IS a rapist and where the violent act he's protecting her from is gross because it's rape, sure, but by a guy who's less charming and a lot uglier than *he* is.
i bump my review from one star up to two because i DO really feel like the author was trying to grapple with the messiness of the psychology -- a long afterword-feeling segment of the book is devoted to the former victim agonizing over her feelings, the positive and the negative, for her abductor/rapist/lover/rescuer/friend. the author tried to carefully work through the moral morass, but in the end i didn't feel she succeeded, and the ending was still puzzling and, hence, disappointing. insufficient artistry to redeem, i guess.
so, unlike Lolita, i don't come away from this book slow-clapping, wondering how the author did it -- convinced me to join him so fully in his seedy and dark and evil world and come out the other side amazed and respectful. reading this, i was not uplifted or stunned by the artistry or forced to sufficiently grapple with difficult questions. instead, i was titillated for a moment and then left feeling dirty. and it takes more than "pretty good prose" to expiate something like this.
i do think this author was about more than mere titillation, but her bag o' tricks wasn't padded enough to get her where she thought she was going.
soooo, you buy it. maybe, you tell yourself, it'll be akin to a Lolita experience -- where the artistry and message balance the ick factor. nervous, optimistic, you read it; you get swept up in it; and at the end . . . it really wasn't good enough. and you're embarrassed to have read it. and you sort of wish you could unread it.
i've said it before, and i'll say it again: if a book is going to tackle a gravely controversial topic, especially one as serious as rape and stockholm syndrome, then the author OWES the readers excellence: the literary quality must be redeeming; or the message must be instructive; or the questions raised must be raised so artfully as to invite deep introspection. and with These Books there's almost no room for error -- they must never indulge in winks ("it's not THAT bad, really") or kinks ("but isn't it hot? i know it's wrong, but it's hot, right?").
this book does both: the protagonist is hot and kind and not as bad as the other abductors and is cleaner and smarter and has life goals and appreciates nature and . . . is a RAPIST. and he cares for his victim both before the attack and after, and he stands between her and other violent acts, and before the final page he acknowledges what he did wrong and attempts to atone for it. but we're still left with a story where the hot sex IS rape or born of stockholm syndrome after rape and where the hot hero IS a rapist and where the violent act he's protecting her from is gross because it's rape, sure, but by a guy who's less charming and a lot uglier than *he* is.
i bump my review from one star up to two because i DO really feel like the author was trying to grapple with the messiness of the psychology -- a long afterword-feeling segment of the book is devoted to the former victim agonizing over her feelings, the positive and the negative, for her abductor/rapist/lover/rescuer/friend. the author tried to carefully work through the moral morass, but in the end i didn't feel she succeeded, and the ending was still puzzling and, hence, disappointing. insufficient artistry to redeem, i guess.
so, unlike Lolita, i don't come away from this book slow-clapping, wondering how the author did it -- convinced me to join him so fully in his seedy and dark and evil world and come out the other side amazed and respectful. reading this, i was not uplifted or stunned by the artistry or forced to sufficiently grapple with difficult questions. instead, i was titillated for a moment and then left feeling dirty. and it takes more than "pretty good prose" to expiate something like this.
i do think this author was about more than mere titillation, but her bag o' tricks wasn't padded enough to get her where she thought she was going.
June 29, 2014
Maybe I didn't see what everyone else saw in the book. I wasn't quite as drawn into the characters as everyone else seemed to be. I thought it was odd that a 27 year old felt such a need to escape from her dad. I guess I think that by that point you should be living your own life. Maybe it would have worked better for me if she'd been 23 or something.
He just seemed weak or maybe poorly drawn. What the devil could have convinced a man who had had the upbringing he did, who seemed to have always lived on the up and up, who was very well educated and who was not insane or a sociopath to have hidden the first accident and then decided to ransom the girl they ended up with? The author totally did not convince me that these were the actions that the man she eventually revealed would have taken. The characterization didn't match up.
Then there was the whole rape thing. The author lacked the courage of her convictions there. He starts out to rape her then half way through he stops and treats her more gently. That's not particularly a bad thing just that is he raping her or not? The author didn't write the scene as emotionally as they could have so I felt that the heroine's getting over it was not that problematic. Again this all just adds up to inconsistent characterization.
It was ultimately not very compelling for me although I was interested in the story line, the execution didn't work for me.
The best part of the book was the letters at the end.
He just seemed weak or maybe poorly drawn. What the devil could have convinced a man who had had the upbringing he did, who seemed to have always lived on the up and up, who was very well educated and who was not insane or a sociopath to have hidden the first accident and then decided to ransom the girl they ended up with? The author totally did not convince me that these were the actions that the man she eventually revealed would have taken. The characterization didn't match up.
Then there was the whole rape thing. The author lacked the courage of her convictions there. He starts out to rape her then half way through he stops and treats her more gently. That's not particularly a bad thing just that is he raping her or not? The author didn't write the scene as emotionally as they could have so I felt that the heroine's getting over it was not that problematic. Again this all just adds up to inconsistent characterization.
It was ultimately not very compelling for me although I was interested in the story line, the execution didn't work for me.
The best part of the book was the letters at the end.
March 13, 2013
I will start by saying I was extremely nervous to read this book. From the synopsis, I figured it was going to be a very dark read like the Dark Duet. I was pleasantly surprised that I was wrong. Don't get me wrong this is a dark read on a disturbing subject and there are some scenes that are difficult to read about, but I have to say I handled this book much better then I did the Dark Duet. I think the synopsis really doesn't do this book justice and might scare people out of reading it. I will say that I connected with Kaden much better then I did with Caleb. I love both of these guys but Kaden showed his better side sooner then Caleb did. I'm not going to say that I am not conflicted about my feelings about this book. The subject matter is still one of those that I really should hate Kaden but in the end I don't. I truly felt he redeemed himself. I also liked Raleigh, I thought she was a strong person. I'm not sure I could've gotten through some of the things she did. I was glad Ray got what he deserved in the end and I am also glad that Marshal will be able to get on with his life. I am really glad that I read the second edition of this book, the version with the epilogue, because I would've been upset with the other ending otherwise. I felt the epilogue really finished their story and answered some open questions that I had. I felt that this book was very well written. I would recommend this to anyone who liked the Dark Duet.
August 13, 2012
Ugh...I really struggled with this book. I'm gonna "spoiler" hide my main review/problems because I'm afraid I'll give too much away.
That being said, I'm not sorry that I read the book. The story flowed well and I felt so bad for Raleigh...so the author did make me invest myself in her, but Kaden never grew on me.
That being said, I'm not sorry that I read the book. The story flowed well and I felt so bad for Raleigh...so the author did make me invest myself in her, but Kaden never grew on me.
October 23, 2014
Spoiler alert
left for dead in a trunk, she is kept in the basement.
Screaming in the Silence..
Raliegh is deaf, reads lips and she does speak and use sign language.
Raleigh comes from wealth and influence..her kidnappers do not know this
in the beginning.
twists and turns..
ending..HEA
left for dead in a trunk, she is kept in the basement.
Screaming in the Silence..
Raliegh is deaf, reads lips and she does speak and use sign language.
Raleigh comes from wealth and influence..her kidnappers do not know this
in the beginning.
twists and turns..
ending..HEA
September 22, 2011
Very thought provoking, fast-paced book that was hard to put down.
March 14, 2013
I Strongly Advise You To: Read the edition with the epilogue. You will thank yourself for doing so. If you don't, you will be left with questions to an open ended ending. You will be left to draw your own conclusions.
Scared? Nervous? Freaking Out? Don't be. This book's synopsis does NOT do this book justice. I was scared to read this and had a knot in my stomach, but so glad I picked this book up and read it anyways. Yes, it fits the dark genre. Yes, the subject matter wasn't one of hearts and flowers. Yes, it has a few sexual scenes that I wished hadn't happened. And yes, the book has a gloomy cloud over the story line the whole way through with a bit of sunshine at the end. Thankfully the sexual scenes are limited on details. There is violence as well however, its very minimal.
Raleigh is a 26-year-old deaf female "running away" from life, her father, and her home. She decides to hitch hike across the country where fate does not take her on a kind journey. She reluctantly develops an attraction and feelings towards Kaden.
Kaden is a 31-year-old male who looks after his best friend Ray and his brother, Marshal. He makes some very poor choices the night he runs in to Raleigh. He becomes selfish and does some dishonorable things. Eventually he starts to develop feelings for Raleigh. He really does mean well, when he's not acting "bipolar". He had me torn with his feelings and emotions as they were all over the place. Basically, Kaden was a complicated man who was conflicted over his feelings and the choices he made that led them to the predicament they ended up in. He was also conflicted with himself over how he chose to go about certain situations.
Ray has some serious issues that go back to a tragedy he has never properly over come. He really wasn't a nice guy who made some horrific choices after the night he literally runs in to Raleigh.
Marshal is unfortunately along for the ride and at the mercy of mainly Ray and some what Kaden. He's forced to make some choices he would never have made. He's young, scared and has good intentions. That is if he's allowed to use them.
The reader is thrown right in to the story from page one where Kaden, Ray and Marshal find themselves with an unwanted captive, Raleigh. The thoughts and plan plotting of what happens next are purely based off of one man's selfish desires. You go through most of this fast paced story through the eyes of Raleigh and her days in captivity with these three men. Until one of these men betrays the others and changes the game. However, the final outcome is based off of that same man's hopes and dreams for things to come. The story mainly focuses on Raleigh's captivity, her feelings she develops towards Kaden and finally how it all plays out in the end.
Marshal is a character that your heart will go out to. Kaden will leave you with all kinds of conflicting feelings and thoughts. Ray will leave you with bad feelings and disgust. Raleigh will leave you feeling conflicted with emotions of what she should choose to do. You will also learn the fates for all four of these characters by the end of the story. I honestly felt like what happens with all of them worked out the way it should have.
At the end of this story you, the reader, will also be left feeling a bit conflicted on how you should feel. Like Kaden says: "...what I did to her and what I wanted from her didn't add up."
This is very true. You know what he did in the story was wrong beyond a shadow of a doubt yet at the same time you will want him to be redeemable and to have his HEA. Basically, you know what he did, and what you want, shouldn't add up either.
Scared? Nervous? Freaking Out? Don't be. This book's synopsis does NOT do this book justice. I was scared to read this and had a knot in my stomach, but so glad I picked this book up and read it anyways. Yes, it fits the dark genre. Yes, the subject matter wasn't one of hearts and flowers. Yes, it has a few sexual scenes that I wished hadn't happened. And yes, the book has a gloomy cloud over the story line the whole way through with a bit of sunshine at the end. Thankfully the sexual scenes are limited on details. There is violence as well however, its very minimal.
Raleigh is a 26-year-old deaf female "running away" from life, her father, and her home. She decides to hitch hike across the country where fate does not take her on a kind journey. She reluctantly develops an attraction and feelings towards Kaden.
Kaden is a 31-year-old male who looks after his best friend Ray and his brother, Marshal. He makes some very poor choices the night he runs in to Raleigh. He becomes selfish and does some dishonorable things. Eventually he starts to develop feelings for Raleigh. He really does mean well, when he's not acting "bipolar". He had me torn with his feelings and emotions as they were all over the place. Basically, Kaden was a complicated man who was conflicted over his feelings and the choices he made that led them to the predicament they ended up in. He was also conflicted with himself over how he chose to go about certain situations.
Ray has some serious issues that go back to a tragedy he has never properly over come. He really wasn't a nice guy who made some horrific choices after the night he literally runs in to Raleigh.
Marshal is unfortunately along for the ride and at the mercy of mainly Ray and some what Kaden. He's forced to make some choices he would never have made. He's young, scared and has good intentions. That is if he's allowed to use them.
The reader is thrown right in to the story from page one where Kaden, Ray and Marshal find themselves with an unwanted captive, Raleigh. The thoughts and plan plotting of what happens next are purely based off of one man's selfish desires. You go through most of this fast paced story through the eyes of Raleigh and her days in captivity with these three men. Until one of these men betrays the others and changes the game. However, the final outcome is based off of that same man's hopes and dreams for things to come. The story mainly focuses on Raleigh's captivity, her feelings she develops towards Kaden and finally how it all plays out in the end.
Marshal is a character that your heart will go out to. Kaden will leave you with all kinds of conflicting feelings and thoughts. Ray will leave you with bad feelings and disgust. Raleigh will leave you feeling conflicted with emotions of what she should choose to do. You will also learn the fates for all four of these characters by the end of the story. I honestly felt like what happens with all of them worked out the way it should have.
At the end of this story you, the reader, will also be left feeling a bit conflicted on how you should feel. Like Kaden says: "...what I did to her and what I wanted from her didn't add up."
This is very true. You know what he did in the story was wrong beyond a shadow of a doubt yet at the same time you will want him to be redeemable and to have his HEA. Basically, you know what he did, and what you want, shouldn't add up either.
January 10, 2014
This surprised me. I... I liked it. I'm a sicko when it comes to abduction stories, especially if it involves love in its aftermath. I love that shit. I'd lick that shit up with a spoon if I could.
I walked into this very sceptical. To be honest, I didn't enjoy the first 22%. Raleigh's feelings for Kaden seemed much too abrupt for my liking. The writing flowed easily, but didn't have the edge I wanted. I like gritty books, and I can't say this was gritty enough.
However, after the midway point, I was very immersed in the story. Being the sicko that I am, I didn't have that moral dilemma others did. I saw what Kaden did as wrong, but I didn't see it as part of his nature. The most I was conflicted with was his strange need to protect his loser friend, Ray. The friendship there just didn't make much sense to me. I took it at the very end that things had been going okay until they'd hit the girls with the car and then shit hit the fan? And who made Ray the leader anyway? Why was this fucker allowed to make the decisions? And why on earth was Kaden all terrified of him? Not very alpha, not very intelligent - if you're around a toxic piece of shit like Ray, surely you'd distance yourself because of his obviously unstable behaviour.
I also felt like I was being preached by Raleigh at times. She repetitively kept going on about how wrong it was to feel for Kaden after what he did to her - like, I get it, okay? Yeah, it's wrong, but please, for the love of everything, just talk about something else! It's like she wanted the reader to be reminded over and over again that she knew what he did was wrong but that she couldn't help the way she felt. Again, I get it.
I was impressed with Raleigh's impairment. I liked very much that she was deaf. I just wish the writer could have used that as a way to inject some bit of mystery. The girl can't hear - you could work with so much around that!
I definitely swooned over Kaden, especially at his letters in the end. That was written beautifully. His love for Raleigh was intense and I felt that and, once again being the sicko that I am, loved how possessive he'd been of her - though possessiveness has never attracted me in a man at all, so that was new.
I would definitely recommend the book. It's not raw like Captive in the Dark, or poetically written like Wanderlust, but it's unique in its own right and I enjoyed it.
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