Captive Love by Joni Martins is a relatively short primer that introduces the reader to some of the characters who make up her Friends, Family and Love Series. Captive Love gives us an insight into the mind and actions of a mentally unbalanced stalker.
Lydia is a 24-year-old medical receptionist who has dreams of one day becoming a nurse. She has left the family farm and now shares a house with her best friend's elder brother. Their friendship is strong, but platonic. One evening when Lydia doesn't come home and does not turn up for work the next day, her housemate Rob becomes concerned about her whereabouts. This is not like Lydia at all - she is usually so considerate of her friends and always reliable.
Sam is a loner. He grew up the subject of abusive parents and even at the age of five was already having to fend for himself. He has long worshiped Lydia from afar and has always dreamed of their perfect life together - the perfect family that he was so cruelly denied. After years of stalking her Sam decides it is time they were together and it is time to act and help nature take its course in their relationship. Although Lydia remembers Sam from school, she'd never had much to do with him and was never aware of his burning obsession for her.
As a primer for the series, Captive Love does a nice job of introducing the characters that will play a role in future books. The character of Sam is both simple and complex. Clearly he has serious mental issues that have caused him to act this way, but even Lydia can find some sympathy for him, given his awful upbringing. I liked that Lydia's abduction has made the older Rob question his own feelings for her. Wonderful platonic friends now for a couple of years, he must now confront and address the feelings that rise up inside of him when he realises Lydia may actually be with someone else.
This is a good, entertaining and enjoyable read, with the writer's style straightforward and conversationalist. If you are looking for a series that will track you through with a familiar cast of characters then Captive Love is definitely the place to start.
Lydia is a 24-year-old medical receptionist who has dreams of one day becoming a nurse. She has left the family farm and now shares a house with her best friend's elder brother. Their friendship is strong, but platonic. One evening when Lydia doesn't come home and does not turn up for work the next day, her housemate Rob becomes concerned about her whereabouts. This is not like Lydia at all - she is usually so considerate of her friends and always reliable.
Sam is a loner. He grew up the subject of abusive parents and even at the age of five was already having to fend for himself. He has long worshiped Lydia from afar and has always dreamed of their perfect life together - the perfect family that he was so cruelly denied. After years of stalking her Sam decides it is time they were together and it is time to act and help nature take its course in their relationship. Although Lydia remembers Sam from school, she'd never had much to do with him and was never aware of his burning obsession for her.
As a primer for the series, Captive Love does a nice job of introducing the characters that will play a role in future books. The character of Sam is both simple and complex. Clearly he has serious mental issues that have caused him to act this way, but even Lydia can find some sympathy for him, given his awful upbringing. I liked that Lydia's abduction has made the older Rob question his own feelings for her. Wonderful platonic friends now for a couple of years, he must now confront and address the feelings that rise up inside of him when he realises Lydia may actually be with someone else.
This is a good, entertaining and enjoyable read, with the writer's style straightforward and conversationalist. If you are looking for a series that will track you through with a familiar cast of characters then Captive Love is definitely the place to start.
You can find Captive Love, plus the rest of this series, here on Joni Martins' Amazon page:
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