They say that everything old is new again, and that’s certainly true in publishing, as trends come and go and then return to entertain a new generation. One of my all-time favorite romance tropes from the 1980s and 90s is gaining new popularity among today’s readers: captive-captor romance.
New books from major publishers and edgy tales from indie stars have been appearing on the bestseller lists this year, along with classic titles from some of the genre’s most beloved authors. Disney recently announced plans to film a new live-action version of one of the most popular captive romances of all time, Beauty and the Beast.
To celebrate, I’ve bundled two of my bestselling captive-captor romances in a new limited edition Captive Romance Boxed Set.
Captive romance is a classic theme beloved by romance readers around the world: a woman is stolen away from her safe, ordinary life by a potentially dangerous man. He’s handsome, powerful, maybe an enemy, often a stranger… but soon passion ignites and the captor becomes captive when he loses his heart to his stolen lady.
What’s the appeal of the captive-captor trope? Power reversal. The hero may be all-powerful in the beginning, but gradually beauty tames the beast. Using her wits and her courage, the heroine faces extraordinary odds, discovers strength she never knew she had–and civilizes this most uncivilized male. By the end of the story, she not only gains her freedom, she achieves a new sense of her own power. As a bonus, she also gets the lifelong love and devotion of the powerful man she has tamed.
In a captive-captor romance novel, the captive always wins.
A captive romance can be an intense journey, both emotionally and sexually. It’s not politically correct, and it’s not for everyone. The power imbalance at the beginning of the story makes some readers deeply uncomfortable. There will inevitably be complaints about “Stockholm Syndrome.”
But a captive-captor romance isn’t a work of non-fiction. It’s not intended to be a realistic depiction of actual events; it’s a fantasy. Like all fictional fantasies, it gives us the opportunity to vicariously experience an impossible situation–one we would never want to live out in real life–and share in the heroine’s triumph over it. We enjoy seeing the hero transformed by the love he comes to feel for the heroine, and we love watching both of them earn their happily-ever-after.
That’s what makes the captive theme one of the most enduring in our genre. Love. Sex. Emotion. Conflict. Power. This trope has it all.
Some readers don’t enjoy the captive fantasy and that’s okay. With so many books published today, every reader can easily seek and find the stories that most appeal to her, whether that’s a sweet mail-order bride romance, a billionaire stepbrother, a romantic comedy, or a werewolf ménage. There’s truly something for everyone these days.
For the thousands of readers who love the primal, emotionally-charged reading experience that is captive-captor romance, 2015 is a year to celebrate. If you’re one of them, I hope you’ll try my Captive Romance boxed set, available now at Amazon | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | GooglePlay. Enjoy!
