Rane Aria

I was very engaged with this book, and enjoyed it greatly, although I did have a few “problems” with the main hero at the start, I felt he redeemed himself nicely. But there were a few loose ends that I could not figure out even as I looked at it from different angles. So this will not be much of a review but an examination of the Duke’s Captive, and a few loose ends and questions it raised for me that I could just not figure out in the end. The leads were the true bread and butter of the book, Ian Wentworth was held captive for five long weeks and remembers little of what happen, but this event has haunted him and scarred him deeply, his last act to finally rid himself of his nightmare past is to finally bring to justice Viola Bennington-Jones, whom he knows was somehow involved with his imprisonment. But as he seeks vengeance, he finds out there’s more behind his capture then even he knew. Both characters have suffered greatly from Ian being a prisoner by Viola’s crazy sisters. Drugged Ian doesn’t remember much of what happen but bits and pieces. The puzzles start to fall into place as he goes on the attack of Viola. Ian doesn’t know Viola has a few hidden cards herself, and a chess match is on between the two. Ian is blinded by what happen to him, and rightly so, but like I always say to people “No one has the right to be an asshole” and Ian had a little more right then others, but not by much. He does get his wake up call (kick in the nuts) when he listens to Viola finally. Viola now a widow in the meantime is trying to protect her son, and make sure when he’s of age he’ll take his lordship seat, with no one bring him down, or a hint of scandal at his heels. Ian and Viola’s past finally needed to come to head so the ghost of their pasts could finally be laid to rest, and the love they’ve felt for one another could finally let bloom. It’s a dark and difficult road, one that was unavoidable and needed to be done to finally heal both their souls and hearts. Unlike another book, there is no rape or forced seduction (maybe but more like lust- gotta jump your bones sex) and was well played in order to move the story ahead. After I finished the book, I was left with a few answered questions, that even when I re-read the book, was left wondering “Why?” ·First were Viola and the part she played in Ian’s capture. Okay, she really didn’t play a “part” in his capture; she nursed and took care of him, and fell in love with him in the process. I really liked Viola the character, she was steady, dogmatic, and protective, everything I respect in a lead character. She was shocked at what her sisters did and at nineteen she didn’t know which way to turn to find help for him, while in the process trying to protect her crazy ass family. Through the story it was explained to me like so. But when it comes to Ian getting saved, the author makes it where Viola was sort of worthless. In five weeks, she couldn’t find help for the man she loved, and try to prevent hell raining down on her family, but in the end this happened anyway. Oh, she leaves a key to make sure Ian chains are taken off, but at the time she’s at a party trying to save her own skin (and her and Ian’s baby) this was sort of going against the grain for me. The author through the story portrays Viola as one stuck between and rock and a hard place, then goes and makes it where she’s saving pretty much her own skin? And in five weeks couldn’t find help? If you loved someone and we know she loved Ian and her family, in the end she “knew” her family was going to get caught, wouldn’t it have been better to get Ian out of there and beg to spare her family, or better yet, get Ian out of there and let her sister’s pay for their crime? There was no real excuse for this, and perhaps the author meant it this way,whom knows, but for me, I would have gone another way. ·The second part I had trouble with is Why Ian was capture in the first place. This is never fully explained to the reader, and the bit where it supposedly is - is lame. So the sister’s wanted jewels? Money? How did they know? Did Ian drunk spill his guts? It never says, and if this was a sequel to another book (which I find is not) maybe? I didn’t understand, and the author had plenty of time to explain to the reader, but it was like an afterthought in the end, which was strange as the whole story is about Ian’s capture in the first place. So even with these questions left unanswered for me, it was still a very good book, and perhaps my questions will be answered by another reader, but overall, very dark, enjoyable read.