Just a Bit Captivated by Alessandra Hazard: My Review
So, you may have noticed that it’s been a hot minute since I’ve shared a book review. And it’s not due to a lack of reading. Honestly, I kind of wish that it was.
Since last posting my review of Risk the Fall by Riley Hart, I have read four entire books that wouldn’t have received a rating higher than two stars, and I DNF’d four others.
To say I have been in a reading slump is putting it quite mildly. The four books that I managed to slog through were such disappoints (two of them shockingly so) that I opted not to share them with you.
Finally with Just a Bit Captivated by Alessandra Hazard I was able to say that I enjoyed reading a book. So, I wanted to share my thoughts with you.
Read on for my review of this enemies-to-lovers, grumpy-sunshine book.
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Just a Bit Captivated – Summary
A toy for a sheikh.
That’s who Aiden Gates a straight guy sold to one of the richest men in the world.
What he isn’t is besotted with the cold-hearted, cynical bastard who bought him like a thing. Aiden hates that man. Utterly abhors him.
But before long, Aiden’s obsessive hatred starts turning into an obsession, pure and simple–and then into something far worse.
Wanting that bastard is bad enough.
Needing him is sickening.
His feelings aren’t real. He’s a pretty bird in a gilded cage. A dirty little secret.
But when the cage is eventually broken, can he learn to live without it? Without him?
Just a Bit Captivated – My Review
Can you believe that this is book fourteen in Alessandra Hazard’s Straight Guys series?! It has been a wild ride, but I am still having a good time!
I will get to how and why this book worked for me, but I do need to throw it out there that I acknowledge this entire series can be problematic and/or frustrating for a lot of people. Your frustrations are all valid. If this series isn’t for you, I get it! I will help find you another that is!
And, to be honest, as I get older reading about people being kidnapped and enslaved has slowly gotten a little less hot and a little more stressful. Just a Bit Captivated still was enjoyable, but I kept having to push down the voice in the back of my mind that was trying get me to imagine how Aiden’s parents felt when he went missing.
I decided to just completely let go of reality and try to enjoy the ride. That’s the best way to truly enjoy Alessandra Hazard’s work. Let’s jump in!
Aiden might ring a bell as he is the younger sibling that Jordan from Just a Bit Heartless mentions. He is gorgeous and happy-go-lucky. Or at least he was until he was kidnapped to be sold.
Aiden soon finds himself purchased by the sheikh. Fortunately, Sheikh Zain ibn Mustafa Al Rahim seems to want nothing to do with Aiden.
"You're not a slave," Rahim said, still not looking at him. His Adam's apple moved. "You were an impulse buy."
Of course Zain’s indifference quickly fades as he spends more time with Aiden.
A defense mechanism that Zain has is to tell Aiden repeatedly how straight he is. Aiden does everything he can to push all of Zain’s buttons and challenge his stance.
Zain finds himself unable to say no to Aiden. No matter how hard he tries and would like to. He even finds himself bending over backwards to cheer up the kidnapped and sold boy around the holiday time. Trying to be nice is a very new experience for the cold and stoic sheikh.
I really liked Aiden’s character after he was able to let go of the fury and frustration that he was dealing with after being kidnapped. However understandable his behavior was, it was still off putting and tough to connect with. Once his actual personality was able to surface, Aiden was incredibly likable and charismatic.
Zain is not easy to connect with, but I think that’s kind of who he is. He doesn’t connect easily with anyone. And, typically, he likes that and has no interest in making meaningful connections. That’s why Aiden is such an anomaly for him.
These two were fire together. They definitely earned their four spicy peppers for the heat. It was a little hard for me to get into at first with Zain still claiming to be a straight man while having sex with Aiden. Internalized homophobia to that extent isn’t hot. It’s sad. Once Zain stops trying to tell Aiden, and himself, that he isn’t attracted to Aiden, things were great. The chemistry was fire.
It isn’t an easy romance between the two. As much as Aiden tries to not acknowledge it, Zain did buy him.
"There was only this horrible man, and this desire thrumming between them, like a living, breathing thing, unstoppable and intoxicating."
But, ultimately theirs is a soulmate story. Aiden tells Zain repeatedly that Zain was made for him. Zain won’t ever say anything like that to Aiden, but that’s fine. They understand each other on a deeper level.
I loved how Alessandra Hazard wrapped this book up. It was sweet and somewhat realistic.
Read this one if you are looking for angst, heat, and a morally grey man who can’t help but fall in love with his ridiculous soulmate. Just make sure to read the trigger warnings on this one first.
Hey, I’m Heather!
I read M/M romance books exclusively, and I help other readers find their next great M/M romance read.
