Customer Reviews

Captive Bride

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

I for one loved this book, I loved the way it was written, the characters, everything! Okay I'll admit that the spanking part was indeed degrading to women but I don't think it took anything away from the story. I highly reccomend this book and all others by Johanna Lindsey.

I have read almost all of Johanna Linsdey's books and this one was just as good as all of the rest! I loved this book. I can't believe everyone didn't!! I will admit that the beginning is kind of rushed, but, after the first few chapters, I couldn't put it down. I read it in one evening!! I love Lindsey's work and own almost all of them! This is a keeper and I will more than likely read it again and again!!

This book is TERRIBLE and a big disappointment after reading Ms. Lindsey's terrific Mallory series.

I agree with many others who have reviewed Captive Bride that the rapes and spankings really make this a terrible book!

I first read this book in the early 80's. This was the first romance novel I had ever read, and I enjoyed it very much. I still enjoy re-reading it (and many other Lindsey books). To anyone who might have read other reviews that refer to rapes and spankings within this book and decided not to read it, give it a chance. Remeber, this book was written in the 1970's, when rape fantasies were very common among women. (Apparently the reason for this is that so many women at the time were exploring the sexual revolution and still working through their 'nice girls don't enjoy sex' mind-sets. Rape fantasies (emphasis on the word fantasy - these women didn't want to actually be raped) allowed women to fantasize about sex without having to take responsbility for having sexual urges; as long as they were 'taken against their will' they didn't have to feel dirty or bad for enjoying what they were fantasizing about). Just keep in mind the contex of the times in which this book was written and give it a go. Though Christina does initially fight Phillip, she comes to love him in the end. You can argue Stockholm Syndrome (a victim brainwashed into befriending her captor: think Patty Hearst) or you can say that Lindsey was writing a book that was appropriate to the sexual climate of the day. Isn't there anyone else out there who has ever had a single fantasy about being 'taken' by a dark handsome stranger? If so, I think you'll like this book because that's the core of it. The title is 'Captive Bride' for goodness sake - I wonder what some outraged reviewers were expecting to find here? It doesn't say 'Willing Bride' does it? I loved this book when I first read it - sexy, naughty, escapist fun. I still like it today, though it is now considered a politically incorrect read. That makes it a guilty pleasure for me, but a pleasure nonetheless.

I started reading Johanna Lindsey's books back in highschool...many, many years ago. I actually kind of liked Captive Bride back then. But rereading it (and a Pirates Love) I seriously wanted one heroine to go 'Xena' and kick the so called hero's backside. Thankfully she's improved her characters since then. Her warrior women stories with the sci/fi slant at least have some strength to them. Go with those or the Malory novels. They are far better read.

I love Johanna Lindsey novels and have read them all, but I must admit that "Captive Bride" really sucked. In fact, it is worse than "A Pirate's Love," which is pretty damn terrible, but at least "Pirate" is so terrible it's funny. "Captive" didn't even have a spark of wit, intentional or otherwise.

So what is wrong with "Captive Bride"?

1. For starters, it took me a week to read it. A week! In contrast, I read JL's superb "When Love Awaits" in 3 hours. I even read "A Pirate's Love" in 2 days, and I thought that was pushing it. But a week?!? The first few chapters of "Captive" are VERY boring. Most of it is spent on stupid dialogue like Christina asking the servants for a bath or in dumb topics like brushing her hair or getting dressed. Nothing of interest happens until Philip steals her in the middle of the night and drags her halfway across Egypt to be his love slave.

2. All the characters are wooden, with perhaps the exception of Tommy, who surprised me by screaming like a baby in the end. JL can't even keep her characterization straight. For instance: one second, Philip claims he won't marry, the next he's proposing the moment he meets Christina. Hmmmm. And WHY does Christina weep over the old sheik's death? I didn't notice anything worthy about him. After all, he was all for Christina being kidnapped. And she likes him????

3. "Captive" is a first novel. That's not to say all first novels suck. But I'd hazard a guess that if someone tried getting this published today, they'd be laughed at - if the editor ever made it past reading the first three sentences.

I strongly urge you to NOT read "Captive" unless you are dead set on curing insomnia. If you are new to Lindsey novels, then I would suggest you read "Savage Thunder," "Once A Princess," "Warrior's Woman," or "A Heart So Wild." Or, if you need a good Arab romp, read Lindsey's "Silver Angel," about an Englishwoman sold into a harem. You won't regret it.

this is a romance or a manifestation of stockholm syndrome.Don't waste your time.

Well I wouldn't use it as kindling because I don't believe in burning books but it is a lousy book.

FYI: A a woman getting spanked by her man is degrading anywhere!

I doubt a middle Eastern woman would shout with joy, yippee my man just spanked me!

As my title states, this is difficult. To credit Johanna, for a first novel, it was quite amazing. I have never read a book that invoked such hostile feelings within me towards Philip and pity towards Christina. And I read a review from someone who loved the book and seemed to think that because they were in Arabia, it meant that the spanking scene was not degrading. Let me just point out (if someone already hasn't) that Philip was raised in England as a gentleman and spent most of his life there. His character seems to contradict itself throughout the book. I did enjoy the last half much better than the first. However, I found the character of Philip very difficult to warm to, even at the end. He was written to be a very pushy and arrogant man, probably intentional, but he didn't change even when he realised his love for Christina. I did find this book hard to put down, but I have to say that if this were a real life story, Christina would be in for a tough marriage where her husband would be telling her what to wear, where she may go and what she may do. And she probably wouldn't even realise it. It did seem to me that although Philip may love her, he is a selfish person and would suffocate her personality as he did throughout the book. I am sorry, but I dispise men- and women!- who are all me,me,me. And that discribes Philip's character perfectly. In his own words: "It's what I want that matters" (sorry if I've misquoted) Please, Christina, pick up those scissors again! Seriously, though, it's a love/hate book and I will definately be keeping it on my shelf as much as it annoys me. Sign of a brilliant writer. I gave it four stars because although I didn't really like it, the writing flowed, the dialogue was excellent and her writing voice was strong and unwavering. It made me feel, whether good or bad doesn't actually matter, but the very fact of it makes me believe that it does desever those stars. If the character of Philip improved a little more, at least when they were back in England, I would have given it top marks. A very good bad book.

Johanna Lindsey is one of the better authors in the romance book genre. This is one of her older books but my personal opinion is this is not one of her better books but it wasn't all bad, it did have some good writing and at least it's better then A Pirate's Love which I think is Johanna Lindsey's worst book ever!