Captivated (A Phantom Corps Novel) [Paperback]

Lauren Dane (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 1, 2012 | Series: A Phantom Corps Novel (Book 5)

Vincenz Fardelle, exiled son of the Supreme Leader of the Imperialist Universe, has spent much of the last ten years working to stop the threat his father poses. But he’s not alone in his quest. Julian Marsters has lost his best friend and countless others in the war and has made vengeance his only goal.  In each other, Julian and Vincenz find not only like minds, but kindred spirits.

However unexpected their relationship, everything changes for Vincenz and Julian when Hannah Black comes into their lives. Having been captured and held in near total isolation by imperialist troops, their immediate response is to protect her.

Emotionally shattered but resilient, Hannah rebuilds herself.  Because of the warm safety she finds in the arms of Julian—and Vincenz—she becomes someone harder, stronger and bent on preventing the Imperialists from harming anyone else.

For the two men, wrestling with their passionate feelings for Hannah is only the beginning. War is about to send all three into harm’s way and an equally dangerous secret could tear them apart.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Hot, hot, hot… Don't walk, run to read!"

(Carly Phillips, New York Times Bestselling Author )

From the Back Cover

Vincenz Fardelle, exiled son of the Supreme Leader of the Imperialist Universe, has spent much of the last ten years working to stop the threat his father poses. But he's not alone in his quest. Julian Marsters has lost his best friend and countless others in the war and has made vengeance his only goal. In each other, Julian and Vincenz find not only like minds, but kindred spirits.

However unexpected their relationship, everything changes for Vincenz and Julian when Hannah Black comes into their lives. Having been captured and held in near total isolation by imperialist troops, their immediate response is to protect her.

Emotionally shattered but resilient, Hannah rebuilds herself. Because of the warm safety she finds in the arms of Julian--and Vincenz she becomes someone harder, stronger and bent on preventing the Imperialists from harming anyone else.

For the two men, wrestling with their passionate feelings for Hannah is only the beginning. War is about to send all three into harm's way and an equally dangerous secret could tear them apart.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade; 1 edition (May 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425247368
• ISBN-13: 978-0425247365
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #104,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The story goes like this - While on pregnancy bed rest, Lauren Dane had plenty of down time so her husband took her comments about "giving that writing thing a serious go" to heart and brought home a secondhand laptop. She wrote her first book on it before it gave up the ghost. Even better, she sold that book and never looked back.

Today Lauren is a New York Times bestselling author of over fifty novels and novellas across several genres.

Visit Lauren on the web at www.laurendane.com
E-mail [e-mail]
Blog www.laurendane.com/blog
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurendane
You can write to her at: PO BOX 45175, Seattle, WA 98145

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully emotional erotica with a Sci-Fi setting May 1, 2012

By Pamela (@SpazP)

Format:Paperback

I don't read blurbs, and while I am familiar with Lauren Dane's other series like the Brown Siblings and Bound By Magick, this was a new-to-me series. I jumped at the chance to win an ARC of it, and I did! I knew what I was in for, familiar with her other series, and boy was I not let down. And now that I have that over with, let me tell you about Captivated...

Hot... hot.... Hot... ! Did I mention this read is muy caliente?! Holy hot cheese on a hot cracker, on a hot plate, on a hot day. By the first 20 pages, I was already fanning myself. Not exaggerating, she takes the gloves off and shows you just what a ride you are in for from the very start, and I looved it.

Captivated is a love story where a loving and passionate couple find a third partner and the three become a solid unconditional relationship. And, it is my first m/m/f romance to ever read (I had no idea because as I mentioned above, I like to dive in to a book without reading a blurb about it). Vincenz and Julian are truly dynamic in their ability to nurture one another, so when they find themselves both drawn to wanting to protect Hannah, it fees very organic. I automatically fell in love with these two heroes. The mutual respect and admiration between the two of them, and then with Hannah was beautifully done and why Captivated worked for me.

After a year of torture, the heroine Hannah is scared of her own shadow and feels safest sitting in a corner with the wall behind her back. From the moment of rescue, she immediately clings to Vincenz as her protector, and gradually finds comfort and safety in both Julian and Vincenz together, and they home they open to her. She agrees to undergo treatment that will help speed up the process of healing emotionally and mentally from the ordeal, and they help her find her way back to who she was. Julian and Vincenz both immediately feel as though she fits in to their family and home, and they are very honest and open with her on that.
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"I know you're scared." Julian stood and moved to her. He slid his palms from her shoulders down her arms, holding her hips. "And I can't tell you not to be. I'd be scared too. But you're not broken. And you're brave. So very brave."

Momentarily Vincenz was there hugging her from the side. "We'll be with you. Every step of the way."
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The emotional foundation is laid so well that when the physical aspects are added, it is nothing other than intense and smoldering. The characters are very complex and interesting and I couldn't put the story down. Captivated is the third book in her Phantom Corps series and the fifth book in her The Federation Series, but I did not feel like I missed out by picking up here, as it read beautifully as a standalone novel. It definitely made me want to go back and read the first books in the series and I am looking forward to it!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars hella hot May 1, 2012

By Under The Covers Book Blog

Format:Kindle Edition

Captivated
Reviewed by Ann & posted at Under the Covers Book Blog

Lauren Dane crafts an emotionally-charged story that brings a broken woman named Hannah Black from the confining net that total isolation by the Imperialist troops have casted over her. Eleven months she was held captive, but when Vincenz Fardelle rescues her from them, readers see the spine of steel hidden beneath the abused woman.

It was easy to like Hannah. Despite being emotionally sensitive, she is a strong woman who does what is necessary to survive and return to her previous state. She undergoes treatment that is uncomfortable for her, but with the help of Vincenz and Julian Marsters, the slow steps they take towards recovery have shown her resilience and a core strength that cannot be denied.

Vincenz and Julian are also great characters that show sympathy and kindness towards Hannah. But they are also very passionate people. It was clearly evident that Vincenz and Julian love each other and Dane does a great job of making that known on the first few pages of this book. Dane then adds Hannah into that mix and it was interesting to see how this protectiveness extended towards her too. I must comment on the sex scenes in this book. Dane incorporates a variety of sex scenes - there are M/M scenes, M/F/M, and M/F scenes. There's a lot of goodness in it, but I know some are more hesitant about M/M scenes so this is a fair warning. For me, this was a perfect balance. I loved that Dane did scenes with Hannah and the men separately as well as together because it shows how well they are together as a threesome.

Again, the world building is interesting and engaging, giving the story a natural push as the war approaches and Hannah takes a more active part in the role. I have to say that I was really impressed by this book and hope to read more from Dane because not only was it emotionally gripping, but it was hella hot too!

*ARC provided by author

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Captivated June 23, 2012

By Shari

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Have a book that wrenches so many emotions out of you? This book did it to me. Fear, passion, pain, grief, love, caring, suspense, action, protection...so many more emotions than I can ever list here.

Hannah Black had a beautiful life before being kidnapped and tortured all for the futherment of the Imperial government. She has no idea what they want from her. She counts days by scrapping the back of her neck since they cover up her attempts on the wall. The brush of her hair on her face, her blanket and a corner are the little things that are allowing her to hold on to some semblance of sanity. When a man approaches her in her room saying he is going to save her, she clings to the hope and allows him to help her escape.

Vincenz Fardelle is the exiled son of the leader of the Imperialist Universe. Having barely escaped his father, he helps the Federate in their fight against an oppressive regime. After years of doubt, he has won over the people who matter and now is a full member in the Phantom Corp, a group of special soldiers protecting the Federation.

Julian Marsters has only known a hard life, but the Phantom Corp saved him from himself. When his best friend is murdered in the war, he turns into himself almost destroying himself. But Vincenz sees his pain and the two grow close as lovers and friends, becoming a team for the Phantom Corps.

When Vincenz shows up with Hannah, Julian feels a need to protect her from all the harsh realities the healing process will bring. The two men start off with only Hannah's best interest and a brotherly concern to help her heal that grows into a deeper appreciation for her and eventually into passion and love.

While Hannah has been saved, she has endured a lot of pain and sensory deprivation. The healing process could take months or even years, but with the help of a doctor and his experimental treatment, they speed up parts of the healing process to just a two months. As Hannah starts to heal, her personality starts to show to the men. The small two member family grows to three with little hesitation.

When I read about Hannah, I wanted to go in and destroy everyone that hurt her, just like the men. It broke my heart to see the things she had to do to retain a part of herself. A blanket, hair brushing her face, a corner so no one could come at her from the back. She fought hard to retain some part of herself. It was hard to read about, but you see how the men are extremely protective of her. In now way were they inappropriate to her as she was healing. They did speed the healing process because they needed to debrief her and quickly since they were at war. Eventually they do find out why they had detained her.

The depth of the characters was refreshing. It was not a book based totally on sex. Each character had their own demons to overcome. Hannah her center of being, Vincenz being the son of a homicidal dictator and Julian over the loss of his best friend, Marame. The war is ever present as each character had a vested interest to save lives and end the war. There was no one dimension to them. They were caring and hard at the same time.

One thing that confused me was Hannah's need to be dominated during sex. I don't know if this was a symtom of the captivity or if she was submissive before the event. She just took to be restrained very easily, and even to the BDSM elements that were thrown in. While there were scenes for all three of them together, they never breached her anus, which was a relief because I don't think Hannah could have taken that kind of intimacy. A big turn on for this ménage was that the male characters had a relationship. In most it is just the men loving the woman, but here Vincenz and Julian love each other and add Hannah to that love. There was no exclusion. Everyone was involved in a very loving way.

While I loved this entire series, I felt it came to and end very gracefully. It was kind of a let down some of the events in the end, but it all came out in the end. A great series that I will have to re-read in the future as it is always be on my favorite list.