The Duke’s Captive by Adele Ashworth
Avon
Historical Romance
ISBN: 9780062002853
Reviewed by Talia Ricci

Five years ago Ian Wentworth, the Duke of Chatwin, was kidnapped and held hostage in a dungeon.  Almost starved to death, the terror at the hands of his kidnappers hasn’t left him and he still wakes in the night.  All of the kidnappers have been punished except for one.  And she is finally out of mourning.  It is now time for Ian’s revenge. 

Viola, the widowed Lady Cheshire, received the surprise of her life when she comes face to face with the Duke of Chatwin.  The revulsion at what he suffered at the hands of his kidnappers, her sisters, haunts her still.  But most importantly, Viola has something else to remind her of his stay in her sister’s dungeon.  She has the memory of his touch. 

The emotions and passion of the two main characters held me riveted.  Ian most assuredly had plans for Viola and they did not include falling in love with her.  He wanted her to pay for what her family did – he knows she was in that dungeon with him and he wants her to suffer.  At least, that is what he at first wants.  The longer he and Viola are together the more he begins to understand exactly what happened in that dungeon and Viola’s part in it.  Voila.  What a wondrous character she turned out to be.  She has so much to lose the more Ian remembers, except she can’t help her feelings.  She has loved Ian for years and not only that, but she has been keeping safe a small part of Ian all this time.  And that is what keeps her love alive.

From ballrooms to bedrooms, The Duke’s Captive is not your everyday historical romance – it is so much more! It held me spellbound by the dazzling storyline and the mutual passion of the characters.  The entire plot, setting, and characterizations are exactly what I wanted.  I laughed, cried, and then blushed over the love scenes and the passion between Ian and Viola.  There was nothing that I didn’t like or that I would change about The Duke’s Captive except for one thing.  It ended.  Don’t miss this latest Adele Ashworth release – I joyfully recommend it!