Review: Captivated by Lauren Dane

Captivated 
(Phantom Corps #3)
by Lauren Dane
Paperback, 326 pages
Published May 1st 2012 by Berkley Heat
ISBN 0425247368 
Courtesy of Publisher

Vincenz Fardelle, exiled son of the Supreme Leader of the Imperialist Universe, has spent much of the last ten years working to stop the threat his father poses. But he’s not alone in his quest. Julian Marsters has lost his best friend and countless others in the war and has made vengeance his only goal.  In each other, Julian and Vincenz find not only like minds, but kindred spirits. However unexpected their relationship, everything changes for Vincenz and Julian when Hannah Black comes into their lives. Having been captured and held in near total isolation by imperialist troops, their immediate response is to protect her. Emotionally shattered but resilient, Hannah rebuilds herself.  Because of the warm safety she finds in the arms of Julian—and Vincenz—she becomes someone harder, stronger and bent on preventing the Imperialists from harming anyone else. For the two men, wrestling with their passionate feelings for Hannah is only the beginning. War is about to send all three into harm’s way and an equally dangerous secret could tear them apart.

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Crystal's Thoughts:
Captivated by Lauren Dane is hot, hot, hot! 


Vincenz Fardelle is a Phantom Corps operate and son of the Imperium Universe Leader, who he escaped at a young age to join the Federated Universe and the fight for freedom. Riddled with guilt for the sins of his father, Vincenz works to put a stop to his father’s reign. 
 Julian Marsters was orphaned as a child and a young trouble maker when he joined Phantom Corps, since then he has found his place in the world fighting for a better future. But when his best friend is killed Julian sinks into a pit of despair and surprisingly, the one to pull him out is Vincenz. Together they find an unexpected attraction and an emotional connection. 
When Vincenz rescues Hannah Black from an Imperium lab though, their relationship drastically changes. Instantly protective of the traumatized young women, Vin and Julian bring Hannah into their home and with their support Hannah slowly starts to heal emotionally and physically from her eleven month captivation. 
But as Hannah heals and finds a future with Julian and Vincenz the war takes a deadly turn and Hannah is the only one who can stop this new and dangerous threat. Can this trio overcome the ghosts of their past to save the ones they love and the Federated Universe? 


Captivated is a tale of two incredibly sexy and alpha men who have a committed and loving relationship with each other who then open up their arms to a broken woman and bring her back to life. When Vincenz and Julian first meet Hannah their relationship with her is purely platonic and they work with her to heal and overcome her emotional trauma. This is my first story where two main male characters have had a sexual relationship outside of one with a woman and I surprisingly enjoyed it immensely. The relationship Julian and Vin share was masterfully written and beautiful, they captured my heart right away. As Hannah slowly heals and finds that spark of life within herself the trio’s relationship dynamics change. I loved how they came together slowly and naturally, it never felt rushed. Hannah goes from being a broken shell of a woman to a strong, smart and endearing character with the support of Vin and Julian. And in return she helps them face their demons and feel worthy of love. Even though three may be an odd number the balance between them was perfect.  Not to say there aren’t any snags, when you have two over-protective males and a woman who is determined to be strong on her own you know they are going to butt heads on occasion. But the chemistry between them sizzle, and Captivated has frequent and graphic sex scenes between Julian, Vincenz and Hannah. And let me tell you, they are each panty drenching! M/M, M/F and M/F/M. This one is off- the-charts hot, my friends. 


Being my first read from Lauren Dane and the Phantom Corps series I had no understanding of this futuristic world, the technology or the lingo. There wasn’t an introduction to it or any side characters so I know I was missing out on some important details on the world and the war taking place, but surprisingly that had no affect on my over-all enjoyment of the story. The characters of Julian, Vincenz and Hannah and their relationship ensnarled me so completely it wasn’t an issue for me. I do have the previous two books on my shelf though and plan to read them as soon as I can, and I look forward to more from this series. 


Lauren Dane provides readers with an emotionally packed, sexually explosive and facinating story that is sure to hook you from the start! 


*A recommended Ménage read!

Rating: 4 Wine Glasses