Customer Reviews

Captives of the Night

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The scalding HOT sexual tension virtually burned a hole thru' the pages. The murder web is relentlessly spun with unexpected twists & turns that at times it felt like reading an Agatha Christie - the longer, romantic version. Unless you're an antecedent of the likes of Poirot & Holmes, you'll be left awestruck by the stunning ending. I confess that of 7 Chase novels that I've devoured so far, this one is the most remarkable. No, my sides didn't hurt quite like when I read her other hysterically funny efforts. The only humor you'll find here is when the mighty Dowager (from THE LION'S DAUGHTER) shows up to wreak havoc on those happen to be in the vicinity. After I read the prequel, I understood more how the dashing, cool Esmond became the man that He was. He's my 1st golden-haired perfection that I fell in love with (dark-haired rogues were more attractive before he came along). I truly wish Ms Chase would be so kind as to write another book that'll give me a glimpse of Esmond & Leila. How beautiful their children must be, having a fiery temptress as a mother & an electrifying knock-out as a father. But then again, I need to get a life =P ; )

Compte d'Esmond has desired Leila Beaumont forever, but has been unable to do anything about his feelings for the beautiful portrait painter because she's already married.

Leila's faithless, drug-addicted husband is murdered and Leila finds herself accused of doing the dirty deed. She turns to the powerful Compte d'Esmond for help and soon finds herself in a passionate affair with the enigmatic aristocrat.

This is book 2 in the 4 book series. Book one (out of print) is The Lion's Daughter. Book three is Lord of Scoundrels. Book four is The Last Hellion.

This novel is well written and very passionate, but having read books 3 and 4 first, I found it lacking in comparison. It doesn't have the humor and wit of three and four. Still, the plot is well developed and the relationship between the hero and heroine is intriguing. This is well worth the purchase.

I started this book one night right before my bedtime, figuring it at least would give me something to do, and wound up reading until four in morning! I found CAPTIVES to be completely engrossing--really one of the best romances I've ever read.

The Comte d'Esmond is one of those dark, dangerous, and romantic types (think Heathcliffe or Rochester from the Bronte novels), looking for redemption for past sins. The heroine is Leila Beaumont, another very fascinating character who is strong, tough, and intelligent--but also very passionate and kind--and Chase does an excellent job of showing us the different facets of her personality.

The plot is also excellent: Leila and Esmond are trying to discover who killed her husband, and since he was a reeeally nasty character, the list of suspects includes just about everyone they know. It's a mystery that is more well-written than those in most mystery novels I've read, and I kept guessing until the end who the killer was, just as Leila and Esmond were.

CAPTIVES OF THE NIGHT is not like LORD OF SCOUNDRELS, with a lot of "cute" scenes--it's not a book that tells its story scene by scene; rather, it unravels, revealing the secrets of the characters line by line, pulling you into their world. By the end of this novel, I felt like I knew Leila and Esmond personally, and I was EXTREMELY happy that I had bought this book. I would even consider buying it in hardcover, it was that good. CAPTIVES OF THE NIGHT is, well... captivating.

The Comte d'Esmond has the face of an angel and a dark past. No simple rake, he was raised beyond the well-known cities of London or Paris. He is very much a foreigner, but has been working as an agent for the British in order to make up for his past sins. He has been ordered to discretely put an end to the blackmailing, secret-stealing operations of an unscrupulous man, which he does. But the man is murdered and his wife is suspected. Leila Beaumont did not love her husband, but neither did she know about the degree of his activity, just about his womanizing, which was bad enough. When he is murdered, no one really is sad about his fate, but Leila still has qualms about an unknown murderer running loose. In order to tie up loose ends, d'Esmond is assigned to find out exactly what happened--and to cover things up if they might cause trouble for the government.

D'Esmond had crossed paths with Leila long ago, although she doesn't know it. He is a man who has no room for past problems or present emotions and wishes to get as far away from the troubling Leila as possible. Leila, strong, but with a troubled past of her own, also doesn't wish for any entanglements with a man, particularly a man as beautiful and dangerous as the mysterious d'Esmond clearly is. But the two are thrown together, and of course, sparks fly.

I loved this book, with the very unconventional hero and heroine. They are both strong, despite their pasts, and intelligent, and their romance is satisfying in every way. The mystery plot is involved enough to form a fascinating framework upon which to hang their tale. One glimpses a complex and detailed back-story for them both, and particularly for d'Esmond, a man who consorts with Emperors and villains and moves assuredly in all worlds, and who truly has a disreputable past and dangerous skills which he now uses for good, even while his actions are ultimately soul-destroying, even for the hardest heart. Neither character wallows in their misfortune. There is little angst in evidence, but plenty of well-controlled feelings and the slim hope that perhaps a better life may be possible for them. It was all wonderfully exciting and romantic. Definitely one of the best romances I have read in a very long time. If there were more books like this, I would probably never get any sleep or get anything else done!

Loved the tough heroine who helps peel the layers from the hero in an atmosphere of sexual/sensual tension while solving a mystery. Very different and more cerebral than most regencies. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I bought all the romances in this loosely woven series before I read one of them. The include The Lion's Daughter, set primarily in Albania, Captives of the Night, Lord of Scoundrels, and the Last Hellion. The last two are not so related as the first two. I found the writing to be inconsistent in these books and the stories vary considerably, some more interesting than others. Set in Paris and London, Captives is the story of Leila Beaumont who, through a series of events, is forced by circumstances to marry a degenerate, who actually loves her but is incapable by his own bad choices of being a good husband. She is a brilliant artist and decides to shut him out of her bedroom when she is only 20 though she remains celibate and faithful. Her husband basically lives his separate debauched lifestyle. Meanwhile, now in her mid 20's, Leila comes to the attention of the handsome and sophisticated Comte d'Esmond (who is the attractive villain Ismal from the Lion's Daughter but with a new identity). They first meet in Paris and later, in London, Leila and he are thrown together to solve a murder where they are put in close quarters. The sexual tension is well done and runs high throughout. Both are interesting and attractive people and have much to bring to a relationship. There are secrets lingering from the Lion's Daughter so you'll want to plow through that before reading this one. And the secrets are interesting and worth discovering. I recommend this book.

Loretta Chase is an incredible writer and with Captives of the Night, she writes a near perfect book. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical romance with mystery, suspense and passion from a hero for a woman who becomes his soul, or so he believes- this book is for you.
Captives is the sequel to The Lion's Daughter where Comte d' Esmond (Ismal is his real name) was the villain of that story and now he is the hero and after ten years he is back with a vengeance but on the right side of the law. He is undercover trying to stop a man who was even more devious than he was. Francis Beaumont is the true villain of the piece but soon is murdered. He leaves behind a widow- Leila who is an artist and becomes the new obsession of Esmond.
Leila is an interesting woman and one that has been though so much heartache. Her husband treated her horribly, even though he saved her after the murder of her own father and allowed her talents to shown through. But Francis had demons and horrible secrets that Leila comes to find out with the help of Esmond who may have been responsible for her father's death over 10 years ago. They become partners and investigate nasty dead hubby's murder and soon their passions for each other collide.
Leila and Esmond were written in such a way that was mind boggling. Chase's creative skills are top notch here and when they these two characters finally come together to show their love for each other, well it is everything any romance fan would want between their hero and heroine.
This honestly is one of Chase's best works and her hero Esmond is so unique and overall seductive in his talk and actions that Leila had no chance. When she finally surrenders, she does so willingly and those scenes are beyond hot!
A definite winner and a keeper for anyone's bookshelf.

Katiebabs

The Lion's Daughter (Berkley Sensation) (Berkley Sensation)

This is my favorite Loretta Chase book yet. And I love them all.

It is a sequel to "The Lion's Daughter", set ten years later. Those who remember "Ismal" from that book will be startled at first by this story of him and how he falls in love. You do not have to have read "Lion's Daughter" to read this, (I read this one first) but it helps.

Superbly written, this story is at once a romance and a mystery and is completely spell binding. I could not put it down, and I have worn out my one copy and need to buy another!

Loretta Chase continues to amaze me with her intense but marvelously drawn characters, her unique "voices" and "faces" for each of them from book to book, and her depth of knowledge of the worlds she visits.

This book was originally published by Avon is 1994. Her newest books are not as "deep" in characters and setting, and yet are enjoyable. But my favorite of all of her books so far is this one, and because it is deeply written.

Neither as wryly funny as "The Last Hellion" nor as seriously scary as "The Lion's Daughter", 'Captives of the Night" certainly captivated ME!

...a lot of things going on and a lot of characters to keep track of. Having loved Lord of Scoundrels and The Last Hellion, I read this novel because I was, as others were, intrigued by the very brief appearance of Monsieur le Compte D'Esmond/Ismal in the aforementioned tales, and had to explore the wicked love triangle he is described as being a part of. Since the plot of "Captives" has been done by other reviewers, I'll get right to the meat.
This is not a rollicking, romantic romp where the reader will find themselves chuckling every few paragraphs (as the other two novels are). This is a complicated murder mystery with a romance woven into the suspense. And trust me---it is complicated. At times annoyingly so, unless, perhaps, you plan to read it from cover to cover in one day. I was tempted, more than once, to draw up a flow-chart so I could keep track of heroes, villains, servants, tarts (not of the pastry variety) and waifs and solicitors and...whew! I also found myself having to review previous paragraphs to refresh my memory, if I had put the book down for a day or so and come back to it. Add to this the fact that Ms. Chase habitually creates characters of great depth and intelligence, and well...you'll need a lot of cerebral acuity and perception to keep up! Not a "light" read by any means.
All that being said---this is still a splendid piece of historical romance. COTN is complex and even convoluted at times, (although I knew "who-dunnit" by the time the lovers finally consummated their affair---this portion of the plot actually followed the stereotype, the villain turning out to be the least expected character of the bunch), but it is entertaining and well done nonetheless, and most readers of the genre will enjoy it as a good mystery finally solved, with a fine romance thrown in. For myself---I'm going to have to read it again in order to "get" it all---much as you would want to see a masterpiece film more than once, because you know you have inevitably missed something critical that first time around.

This is the second book I have read from Loretta Chase, after reading Lord of the Scoundrels. Without fail Chase has done another wonderful job. I didn't find the romance lacking at all, and was blissfully happy with the mystery aspect of the book. I won't describe the book too much, because other reviewers have done a better job than I could myself.
Comparing the two books I've read, there are less cutesy scenes in Captives of the Night but I believe this pushes the book into its own light and gives it indiviuality within the "series". This is heaven-send to me, because many romance authors write repetitively within a series: different characters, change of scene, new villian, but the overall gist is the same. Chase as an author has shown me to expect more intellectually from books when I read, because she does it so damn well. Romance novels are for the emotional and entertaining uplift, but this book surpasses that limit.