REVIEWED by Jen B.
TITLE: Captivating
SERIES: Elite Protection Services #2
AUTHOR: Onley James
PUBLISHER: Onley James
LENGTH: 6511 KB
RELEASE DATE: December 4, 2019
BLURB: Jayne Shepherd has spent his life blending in. He smiles. He laughs. He’s likable. He’s also a sociopath. His emotions are limited. Love, fear, desire don’t exist in his world. Until he meets Elijah.
Elijah Dunne had everything. Third generation Hollywood royalty. Child star. Untouchable. Until one man ruined it all. Elijah fled LA to try to forget, but now, he’s back on top and back on a monster’s radar. Elijah doesn’t think he’ll ever feel safe. Until he meets Shepherd.
Elijah and Shep only have one thing in common. They both wear masks. Shep makes Elijah feel protected. Seen. Elijah makes Shep just feel. Now that he’s had a taste, he’s not about to let him go.
Everybody warns that what they have isn’t real. Shep is obsessed with Elijah, not in love. But Elijah craves Shep’s obsession. He can’t imagine life without him. In Hollywood, being a sociopath is more a life skill than a diagnosis. Could Shep be the monster Elijah needs to finally slay his demons?
REVIEW: I am happy to report that Onley James did it again. Did what, you ask? Produced another bodyguard/client story that was interesting and quite a bit different from the same old, same old. Just as with the first, this installment puts a new twist with character traits I’ve not previously read about. Granted, you have to suspend reality a tiny bit, but the author note explains that and basically tells the readers to just enjoy it for what it is, which I totally did. 🙂
Jayne Shepherd (Shep to most) is a high functioning sociopath with a few other issues as well. His mother became a specialist in the field in order to assure Shep learned how to fit in, act normal and to control his disorder. He simply doesn’t feel emotions like most people, which can easily be misread. As a side effect, he has had little interest in relationships or sex, because why bother if it doesn’t affect him emotionally. But, that changes when he meets his new charge, Elijah. No, he doesn’t magically have feelings and emotions, but he definitely has something more than he ever had previously.
Elijah, on the other hand, wears a different mask. He hides behind his Hollywood persona. He hides the anxiety and other issues he carries from a terrible childhood trauma, one that adults (especially his evil mother and manager, Lucy, whom everyone refers to as Lucifer), have continued to overlook and, in turn, let him down. So, Elijah doesn’t trust in too many things. But he quickly feels a connection with Shep, a commonality if you will. They are both trying to blend in, yet they each see beyond what the other is hiding. Simply put, they just get each other. Shep is very open and honest about his disorder/diagnosis, and he is extremely patient with Elijah waiting for him to trust enough to share his own issues/secrets.
Needless to say, they were just perfect for each other. I loved the twists and turns and watching them navigate a relationship made more difficult by each of their disorders. If you can look past some of the over the top stuff and just enjoy this for the interesting read that it was, you won’t be disappointed. I know I wasn’t and can’t wait to read the next one!
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