I am not a fan of historical fiction. Having said that, I find myself captivated by Shelley Shephard Gray. Her mixture of romance and historical fiction surrounding the civil war has been a ride. I was enthralled with her last book An Uncommon Protector and was excited to read this one when I got the opportunity.

In this book, Shelley Shephard Gray brings two love stories to life set years after the civil war. Ethan Kelly can't get the woman from the home that he raided during the war out of his mind. Now that he’s found her, he has a chance to protector her, but Lizbeth has secrets of her own and a bone to pick with a person from her past.

Devin’s found the woman of his dreams. But when she tells him everything about her past during the war, Josephine is convinced he would want to have nothing to do to her. Devin has other ideas. He wants to protector her from the man who violated her.

I really did enjoy this easy read and recommend it for people 13 and up for mature content and some violence.

I thought the first two books of this series were fantastic. This book was very good, just not on par with the previous two. I think part of that reason would be that I would have highly appreciated the two main characters, Devin and Ethan, to have their own, separate stories. They both were so good but together, they lost the impact that could have been if they would have been separated.

(Yay! I read a book in one day without skimming or anything!)

I actually really enjoyed this. I was slightly wary at first because the beginning didn't make a lot of sense, but once the actual plot began I was hooked. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters and their varied backstories. Devin and Julianne's relationship was realistic and fun (and fun can be considering the circumstances). While Ethan and Lizbeth's relationship was well-written, I didn't connect as much. (Some their communication issues hit a little too close to home for me, so I tended to shy away from reading their conversations too closely. Eh, such is life.)

Overall this is a wonderful book but I would not recommend it to anyone who dislikes or stays away from topics of abuse, both physical and sexual. That being said, I think the topics were handled well, only they span the entire length of the novel.

*My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.*

Love Held Captive is the third the Lone Star Hero's Love Story series. This one is a little more intense than the other three and deals with topics not frequently addressed by Christian romance writers. Because of the issues addressed this might not be a good read for the younger reader. It deals with such heavy subjects like abuse, hunger during wartime, rape, and women doing degrading stuff just to be able to keep from starving. The author was able to write this novel and at the same time kept it clean.

This book actually covered two love stories and one book but the author was able to pull it off smoothly without the reader getting confused. This story focused on the last two brotherhood of men, Ethan Kelly and Devin Monroe. Ethan was interested in Lizbeth, a woman scarred during the war and Devin was interested in Julianne VanFleet, a beautiful woman with a checkered past.
Ethan and Devin must call on the rest of the brotherhood of men to help take down a man who means harm to the women they love.

Thanks to Netgalley and Zondervan Fiction for providing me a digital copy of this book to read and review. Love Held Captive will be released on October 1, 2017.

What an intense sequel to Uncommon Protector. I didn't read the first book in the series (Loyal Heart) but the author explained the storyline enough in the second book (Uncommon Protector) that I didn't feel lost. In this third book, she does the same thing so that you can read Love Held Captive as a stand alone without having read the other two and still appreciate the stories that were told previously.

This book intertwines Devin and Ethan's stories. I was a bit surprised to read about two stories but the author does a superb job weaving the two best friends' stories and keeping the plot line tight.
Devin is a soldier through and through with much experience on the battlefield but inexperienced in love. Julianne is a broken woman with a shameful past who must forgive herself and others in order to see and accept love.
Ethan is a wealthy, charming rancher turned soldier who has a hard time assimilating back into civilian life. He carries insecurities, nightmares of the past, and doubt about who he is. Lizbeth is a downtrodden woman, broken and beaten down by the atrocities of the war. Yet she attempts to put her life back together with the resources she has and is a winning combination of strength and fragility.
And their stories are tied together by one pretty nasty villain.....

And there are cameo appearances of Robert and Thomas from the previous books, which will make the follower of this book series quite happy.

The elements of faith and prayer are evident and well-written into the story and the characters. The plot is fast-moving, and the characters are lovable. The author broached some delicate topics in the book and she did it well.

I received eARC of the book from Zondervan via NetGalley. I was not required to give a favorable review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.

Love Held Captive captures the emotions and struggles of both the men and the women in the south as they adjusted to life after the Civil War. The characters are complex and interesting. The plot intriguing as it goes back and forth between during and after the war. I am not sure of the title. It makes me think romance novel, but I see this book more as historical fiction.

Love Held Captive is a very well written historical romance. This book has a great plot and well developed characters. I always enjoy Ms. Gray's books.