Ethan Fletcher’s a rising star in the modeling industry, and after landing an ad on a billboard, things were looking up for him. From the outside looking in, he was living his best possible life. No one knows the struggles Ethan faced, or that every night he removed the carefully constructed mask he had to slip on just to face the outside world. However, the camera wasn’t the only thing in love … love with Ethan’s face.
When the gifts started to arrive, they seemed innocent enough. But, the attention from the fan who called himself The Suitor had Ethan on edge, and when someone important in Ethan’s life goes missing, he knows it’s no coincidence. Receiving no help from the local police, Ethan seeks comfort from a very unlikely source. Together, they find themselves in a race against time to catch The Suitor before Ethan becomes his next victim.
Captivated is book 1 in the Out of Darkness series. It talks about stalking, kidnapping, murder, and mental illness. Captivated ends with a happy for now and is a continuing series. This book is an extremely slow burn with a romance that progresses throughout the series.
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The Suitor is an obsessive and dangerous man who has set his sights on Ethan, a gorgeous model. The Suitor is obviously a narcissistic psychopath who believes Ethan belongs to him. In his quest to charm and possess Ethan, The Suitor instead traumatizes him. Ethan finds comfort from his budding relationship with X another fellow model.
Overall Rating: 3 Stars. The suspense and tension were well done and the writhing was solid. I hope the series continues.
I alternatively listened and read chapters of Captivated. It is one of those stories that took me a couple of chapters to get into but once I did, I couldn’t stop until I finished the whole book. Ethan and poor Bea are both beautifully drawn and sympathetic characters. The attention to detail is superb and this is carried through into a believable plot. X is very intriguing and I can’t wait to find out more about him. The Suitor is an amazing creation, and I actually had a (very) little empathy for him on occasions!
The narration by Kenneth Obi is excellent. Always clearly spoken, the different voices suit the characters perfectly. The fear is Bea’s voice felt real and the many facets of The Suitor’s personality are eerily portrayed.
I admit I had heard a lot about this and was so excited to listen.
The suitor is creepy as hell. I loved how the author calls him the suitor instead of giving us a name. I also loved how he was a main character and we got his POV too. the story is well written and suspenseful.
Ethan has his own issue as he hates crowds and getting out in public. The suitor sending him gifts makes it worse. He finally lets X a model he has worked with in the past close since he needs food and would like more puzzels, but the disappearance of his agent has him out of work and money.
I loved the slow development between X and Ethan and that in this book it is mostly friends only.
I can’t wait to see what the next book brings.
Kenneth Obi gave the suitor just enough creepiness but also made him seem like a real person as well. I love how he adds excitement and character to a story and I think he really adds something to this book so if you can get the audio, do!
There are emotional triggers: obsession, stalking, abductions, beating, murder. But this is mostly off-page and handled well but if these things bother you tis isnt for you it is a very dark story)
I I could give more than 5 stars I would! It is THAT good!
Captivated by Brittany Cournoyer is the first book in the new series, Out of Darkness. This brilliant book is filled with mystery and suspense, a very slow burn romance, and deep topics such as obsession and mental illness. This book whets our appetite for what I believe will be an amazing ongoing series, so dont expect a happily ever after in book one, but you wont be left unsatisfied.
Ethan is a model who’s star is rising. Unfortunately his image on a billboard captures the attention and obsession of “the suitor”. We get to see through Ethan’s eyes the fear, the anxiety… all the emotions of the prey. I also like the evolution of the relationship between Ethan and X.
I love how the story is told through different perspectives to include “the suitor”/stalker. It definitely amped up a creep factor to the reading experience. To see the dark thoughts and actions.
The story draws you right in and keeps your interest. Well written, well plotted and just overall outstanding. Had some twists and turns in there. I can not wait to read more.
I received an advanced reader’s copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.
Who would have thought one bulletin board would have started the whole thing? Once The Suitors spies Ethan on a bulletin board ad, he knows that he had to have him, no matter what the cost. When Ethan starts getting gifts delivered to his apartment, he wants nothing to do with any of it. Ethan turns to the one person he cannot stand, X, bringing them together. I love me a good murder/mystery/thriller and this one hits the spot. Ethan’s character definitely has his own demons that prevent him from living his life to the fullness, which actually turns out to be a good thing to a certain point. The Suitor, stalker and just downright creepy. I wasn’t sure how he kept one step ahead of everyone and that made for some good reading. Brittany Cournoyer did an excellent job of keeping me in the dark with how The Suitor knew what he knew or how he could control the situation to effortlessly. I wasn’t able to figure things out easily and that’s a plus in my book. I also would like to state that this is not your typical romance. It’s a very, very slow burn between these characters that will continue on to the other books in this series, which might be a turn off for some, but I myself definitely will be reading on to see what happens between these two characters.