This is a re-release and I hadn't read it before but liked it a lot and it had characters that I read in other series of hers so it was nice to see them again (before I met them in their own books)

I read this book a number of years ago and really enjoyed it. I accidentally downloaded it from NetGalley recently, not realizing it was a reissue, so I won’t be reading it again. However, if you like Regency romances featuring aristocrats who served in the Peninsular Wars and came back wounded in body and/or spirit, I recommend you read this one. Grace Burrowes is a fabulous writer of historical fiction.

Good mix of characters from previous books. Things are not what they seem. The Duke was betrayed by more tha one resin. So waste Countess who rescued him when he did not care. Has tension and romance with a good plot.

Christian Severn, Duke of Mercia survived grueling punishment while a prisoner in France. He returns to England scarred physically and emotionally. Gillian, Countess of Greendale arrives on at his home in London to plead for him to return to his manor house out of concern for his young daughter Gillian is a cousin of his wife who died while he was away. She is recently widowed and is also scarred emotionally from an arranged marriage to a brutal older man.

Gillian is a delight as she talks and takes charge of the Duke helping him recover and return to the man he once was. Daughter Lucy is a concern because she is selectively not speaking since her mothers death. Gillian helps with her as well. Christian invites her stay on as mistress of the house while they are both in mourning. Their passion is slow and built on trusting each other with details from their past.

Burrowes writes more complex historical romances than some. There is a lot more history thrown into the story and I love that she allows her MCs to have long and honest conversations. There isn't miscommunications and assumptions and her characters have clear motivations and reasons for them. She also sticks to the rules of the time period, like marriages are more arrangements than love matches etc. As an extra threat there is an active plot someone is trying to kill the Duke or Gillian.

I enjoyed the story which is the first in the Captive Hearts series. Evidently this is a re-release of the novel first published in July 2014. I look forward to the other books in the series. Thank you to NetGalley and Soucebooks Casablanca for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

Christian had been captive of the French for a year when Napoleon was defeated for the first time. The war was over and he was freed from the château where he was being held captive and tortured. “The lost Duke” on proving his identity wants nothing to do with society, broken and full of trauma as he is. He hides in his London Town house but before long his wife’s cousin comes to him and tells him that his young daughter is alone in his country estate, having lost her mother and her brother, the little girl needs the love and confort of her father. But Christian feels incapable of being of use to a little girl, and Gillian, his wife’s cousin, agrees to go with him and help him.

Gillian has her own nightmarish past to forget. After 8 years of cruelty and humiliation, her husband died leaving her impoverished but free. They had lived close enough to Christian’s home to be pf help to little Lucy, and now Gilly is offered to live with them for as long as she would like to.

This is a story that was first published in 2014 and that is now being published on kindle. It is a rollercoaster about three people broken by their life experiences who build up a family out of their ashes. A duke who needs to sleep with his door locked, a woman who never lets anyone see her real true self and a little girl who won’t speak. Through love, patience and understanding, as well as uncovering family secrets and fighting the demons that still haunt them, they with find the strength to start anew and forgive themselves for the sins that were, in fact, committed to them. Grace Burrowes is a writer that I like very much and I knew she was going to write a compelling story even if I would have liked that the little girl’s story had a little more weight. Sometimes she focuses so much in the couple’s dealings with their pasts that one forgets that the little child’s problem isn’t being addressed properly.

They were prisoners, in war, marriage and blackmail. But they found love, strength, courage and protection in each other. It is enjoyable to read about their growing affection and passion for each other and incredibly admirable for a child to have the will to protect those she loves. Excellent read about overcoming one’s traumatic past and find optimism for the future. Very satisfying to read about the end of the source of all their tribulations as well.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and leaving my review voluntarily.

Note: this is a re-release of a book that apparently came out in 2014. I didn't read it when it was first published, so I can't speak to whether it has been edited for content.

Tropes: Wounded warrior/abused widow, mute child, MMC out for vengeance.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4, because it's hard for me to dislike anything by this author, but this took me a while to get through. The problem is, I'm not exactly sure whether Burrowes meant this to be plot-driven or character-driven, and it's not fully successful on either count.

Things start off promisingly. Christian, the captive duke of the title, has been mercilessly tortured by the French for months, both physically and mentally--illustrated to frightening effect in the opening chapter. In the next chapter, Gilly, a countess who has just lost her hateful husband, is having an uneasy conversation with his physician, who implies that she is about to be accused of his murder. It turns out that Gilly is the cousin of Christian's late wife, Helene, and she has been caring for their daughter, who has fallen mute. Meanwhile, Christian manages to claw his way out of the wilderness in a perfectly wry, darkly droll scene.

Then the MC's come together. And somehow everything grinds to a halt.

Burrowes does a great job showing the ravages of PTSD, avoiding the "raging monster" stereotype. Christian is a man who speaks and moves as if he's half-ghost, not truly inhabiting his body. His flare ups of anger frustrate him in their randomness and he no longer has control over his sleep habits or digestive system. He has been violated in ways few could conceive. But he hasn't lost his humanity, and has a dry sense of humor underneath it all. His attempts to achieve a sense of mental as well as physical balance are expertly written.

The problem? Gilly. She barges into Christian's house and proceeds to have an oddly stilted conversation with him that hints at their interactions for the next many chapters. (There's much more chemistry between Christian and his war buddy St. Just, to be clear.) Gilly lectures Christian like a wizened governess, as if she's either emotionally tone deaf or has no clue what he's been through. It seems as if she really doesn't know at first, so I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt. But the scenes from her perspective don't give me enough to like or even understand her. She accuses the duke of being ill-tempered when he puts up with her waspishness and lack of patience as much as he's able. I know that the message here is that "tough love solves psychological trauma", but she's no sunshine heroine.

I began to suspect that Gilly was emotionally unstable. She's scandalized when Christian straightens a lock of her hair outside the day after she’s already impulsively kissed him on the mouth, in a scene that comes out of nowhere. When she wants to sleep with him and he’s not ready, she gives him the cold shoulder until he gifts her and his daughter puppies (just an aside, there's a lot of weirdly deep-seated cat hate in this book--I don't know if that was some inside joke by the author or?). Gilly accuses Christian of being unfeeling at his late wife and son’s gravesite, then when he explains that he’s had to separate himself from his emotions to survive, she breaks down in tears and he has to comfort her. She considers him paranoid when there’s evidence of tampering with her saddle and he has to assuage her when he says he, or footmen, should be with her when she leaves the house. She's supposed to be strong, but he keeps coddling her and not the other way around.

Anyway, these scenes drag. Once revelations are made about Gilly around the 75% mark, it's made clear that Christian's not the only one dealing with a long mental recovery, but it doesn't make the previous 60% of the book any better, because the author tossed very few breadcrumbs earlier about her marriage in the reader's direction.

My biggest irritant: Christian starts downplaying what he went through compared to Gilly. I hate when books turn the main characters' trauma into a contest, victimizing them further. Uh, Duke, your private bits were sliced up for fun, so let's call it a draw, OK?

At this point, we get back to plot machinations, but nothing quite gels. In case you didn't suspect who the villain was, the author reveals the culprit behind attacks on the MC's early. I found myself irritated with Christian for the first time in the book, as he has sex with Gilly to shut her up instead of listening to her intuition. He suddenly becomes oddly overconfident, more of the arrogant duke that apparently he’d been years before.

Then the mute daughter comes back into play. This trope is handled so awkwardly, seemingly to throw out red herrings, but why, when the main baddie isn't a plot twist? Early in the book, Gilly muses that the daughter somehow “inherited” Christian's muteness. Uh, he wasn't mute before he was captured, and she's only become mute after the deaths of her mother and brother, so how could this possibly make sense? Toward the climax, St. Just ponders the tot's muteness by telling the duke, "You didn’t speak. Perhaps she knows this", and Christian wonders why he didn’t think of that. But how would she have known about him being taciturn before he had returned from France? Again, nonsensical

The conclusion of this book isn't going to be considered satisfying by everyone. Personally, it would have seemed like less of a cop-out if the object of Christian's hatred had been better fleshed out in the opening chapters. He's not a character I'd want to see redeemed in upcoming books.

Overall, I'm giving 5 stars for the recovering hero Christian was in the first 80% of the book and 2 1/2-3 stars for the rest. I wish more of the book had been as thoughtfully written as his early scenes.

I read an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my voluntary review. Opinions are my own.

I had almost forgotten I’d first read the captive Duke in 2011
One feels the sense of betrayal, their world turned upside down that both lead characters had to endure, each in their own way
Christian Severn, Duke of Mercia, tortured by the French, Giilly tortured by a despicable husband
Both have scars. Then maybe Girard, Christian’s torturer has them too.
I’d forgotten the reason why Christian’s daughter Lucille’s refused to talk. When that reason came who could blame her.
I’ve reread this as eagerly as the first time.
The almost Burrowes trademark inclusion of feet and stockings are lovingly mentioned. A glimpse of which bring a heightened heartbeat and treasured feeling to our hero.
Personally I love these inclusions and always look for them.
Devlin St. Just is present, solid and true. I may just have to wander off and reread his story.
Who can resist true Burrowes heros—Gilly and Christian both!

A Sourcebooks Casablanca ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.

There's so much great historical romance out in the world that i have so many new favourites and it's hard to keep track of them all. But Grace Burrowes has always been, and will always be, one my top 5.

When I review books, I try not to reveal too much of the plot. When I read books like this, it's the unveiling of the characters and their true selves, the falling in love and the acknowledgement of that love that draws me in. So, I won't go into too much detail except to say that Christian and Gillian have gone through a lot in their respective pasts and are in the midst of trying to heal from terrible things that have been done to them by the time they meet.

There are some very heavy moments in this book, but they are balanced by the often amusing and wonderfully written dialogue between the two characters and the uplifting and exciting conclusion.

If all historical romance was written like this, it's all I would read every day.

This is an older book that is being republished so you might have already seen or even read it.

It follows the story of Christian, a duke who while he was in the army he was captured, held and tortured for months. With no end in sight he keeps hoping that he will survive and get back to his family, only that when he is saved he learns that his wife and son died while he was away.

When Gilly his late wife cousin, who has taken it upon herself to help his daughter comes to him, it's time for Christian to start thinking ahead.

If you enjoy a torture hero, you won't get anyone better than Christian, he has been through so much but he survived. As for Gilly, she didn't have an easier life, her late husband was an older and cruel man, she has now earned her freedom and she plans to keep it that way.

I liked the book, in the beginning it was a bit difficult to follow the characters since it's the first book in the series I have read.

I also think that the romance took a bit to warm up, it felt stalled in the middle but I continue reading it and it got much better the more I read.


* I received an ARC and this is my honest opinion

The Duke of Mercia, Christian, is taken prisoner by the French while he was bathing in a river. Since he was out of uniform, they assumed he was a spy. After being horribly tortured and not giving up any secrets, he is released. He finds his way back to an English camp, where even his cousin Marcus doesn't recognize him. His horse, which Marcus has been caring for does. He learns that his wife and son have died while he was captive, but his daughter is still alive.
Countess, Lady Gilly Greenvale, who was a cousin to his late wife pays him a visit after he returns to London to urge him to go back to his estate to care for his daughter who hasn't spoken since her mother passed away. Gilly is a widow who was married to an extremely abusive older man. She is scarred both mentally and physically and vows never to marry again.
This is a beautiful, emotional, complex love story between two tortured souls.
There are interesting side characters and a bit of mystery throughout the story.
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and these are my opinions.

I had read this book some years ago and enjoyed it. This reprint gave me the opportunity to read it again and it was every bit as good as the first time. Grace Burrowes has a talent for creating twisted complex plots. Her character development is very strong. The hero, Christian had been tortured as a prisoner of war. The heroine, Gilly had been abused by her husband. The two, understand each other as only someone who has lived through abuse can. Both have PTSD but work together to move through their pasts to a better future. The villian, Girard was a very interesting and layered character. Strongly recommended.

This book was such a conundrum to me. On one hand, I really wanted to see Christian escape his French prison, but on the other hand, the prose was so drawn out and very confusing at times. There were so many unsaid words that would have helped me to understand Christian and Gilly better.

This book took me days to finish because I had a hard time connecting with Christian and Gilly and their instant connection. Both of them had suffered unimaginable torture--Christian as a French captive and Gilly as the wife to Lord Greendale. Both used silence as their weapon of choice, but all those silences made it difficult to route for them.

Poor little Lucy. I felt so bad for the child as she suffered as well, losing her mother and brother and not knowing if her father would ever come home. I had guessed the villain right away, and it seemed so naive that Christian did not see it.

I did like the ending, even though it took me days to reach it. While I have enjoyed other books by Ms. Burrows, sadly, this was not one of them.

Every time I read another Grace Burrowes novel I think “Oh! This is the best one”. I can say that because each time she raises the bar and envelopes the reader in her wonderful dialogue and impeccable characterization. The emotion in this novel is so strong with each of the protagonists that we are taken back to the era and we are witnesses to the terrors, the troubles and the overwhelming success of their redemptive love. This is true romance with all its ups and downs. Ms. Burrowes weaves a plot that is so believable that you will think it is true history. I highly recommend this book. (this is the review I wrote when this book was published in 2014)

This is a reissue of an older book and part of a series that I have not read. Grace Burrowes is also a new to me author. I really enjoyed her handling of this story of two very damaged people and how they come together to heal and fall in love.

When the mentally and physically tortured prisoner of war Christian returns home to England he must learn to readjust being around people and comforts he was used to as a duke. His deceased wife’s cousin, a recent widow, comes to live with him to help him cope with his nonverbal daughter. Reeling from her own period of abuse from her deceased husband, Gillian is also a tortured soul. Together they help each other to heal. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for my honest review.

I very much enjoyed this story under the title "Captive" Any Grace Burrowes book is captivating and engaging.

This was actually my second time reading this book - I read it for the first time 4 years ago (I believe it was just called The Captive at that time) and really enjoyed it then! So, when I saw it as an option to read, I decided to read it again! I enjoyed this read just as much as the first time I read it!

This book does have some heavier topics than many of the other historical romances that I read, but I think that adds more depth to the story.

I give it 4 stars!

Thank you #NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.

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Right from the start, I found it off-putting and slightly confusing. There were several POVS and I found it hard to follow. I tried to give it my full attention but it never captured me and at times I felt bored. I thought the characters had such potential but I never really warmed up to them. I would skim for their dialogue in the hopes it would pull me in but it just never did. There were heavy subjects touched upon but there was more telling than showing and I never felt the emotion from it. I’m sorry to say this did not work for me.

This book started off quite promisingly, introducing us to Gillian, the newly widowed Countess of Windmere, who was not particularly grieving the passing of her elderly husband - a most unpleasant person whose only act of benevolence was to die of an apoplexy after eight years of marriage. The Lost Duke of Mercia, Christian survived months of French torture and imprisonment returning back to England a ghost of the man he once was. His infant son and wife perished in his absence and instead of being allowed time to process all the traumas, a little whirlwind in the shape of the feisty Gillian comes sweeping in to forcefully remind him of his duties to his country estate and his surviving daughter.

Much that I enjoyed the introduction, I did not quite understand the instant connection they had with one another, not quite prurient but inappropriately close nevertheless and way too comfortable and free with their touches. The book lost me in the second half with the slowed down pacing and the ending was frustrating because it was obvious to all who the villain was - all except Christian.