I have recently joined an ARC team for Olivia Ryann, Vivian Wood’s pen name for her erotic stories. A few weeks ago, we received what I will call the prologue for this new series entitled Captured. That book reads like a novella providing the background details for the entirety of this series.
Yesterday, I was blessed with the second book in the series, Control, a continuation of the story of Katherine and Arsen. This series is dark erotica/romance. The story follows Katherine and Arsen, as Katherine is Arsen’s captive. From a crime family in New Orleans, Katherine is sold by her father for auction as a sex slave. Arsen, having killed most of Katherine’s family members, seeks to own her as his own sex slave as vengeance for the death of his previous whore, brought about by Katherine’s father and brothers. In order to buy her, he must attend the slave auction. Once he purchases her, he imprisons her on his compound in Columbia and proceeds to do any number of things to her, quite frankly using her as his emotional and sexual punching bag so to speak. This book is left on a cliffhanger to be resumed with the next book, Covet.
In terms of the characters, Arsen is fairly despicable, so much so that Katherine (whose name has been changed by Arsen to Fiore) calls him Monster. Whether they argue or find themselves in the throes of some sexual act, Katherine calls him by this name. He has no scruples. He will kill anyone to meet his own ends. At times, Ryann offers us a glimpse of humanity in him, but overall, those moments are fleeting.
As a female character, Katherine is fairly submissive. She is clearly traumatized by the actions of her own family and the unyielding and volatile presence of Arsen. She shows moments of strength, but, like Arsen’s moments of humanity, they are fleeting. There is a part of me hoping that she will humanize Arsen more, but I am not sure if this is the type of story Ryann is writing.
While a series can excite or frustrate, given its pace, I am curious to see the end of this relationship. With other dark erotica/romance stories, the male protagonist begins evil or vile and slowly develops romantic, loving feelings for his prey. Slowly, he becomes more noble or anti-heroic, humanized in his love for his female counterpart. Thus far, I don’t see the humanity in Arsen or his brothers. It’s unclear if Katherine/Fiore will change him in the end. And there is something quite thrilling in that. Time will only tell Arsen and Katherine’s fate through the rest of the books in this series.
Overall: 4 star read
In love and romance,
Professor A
Professor Romance 