Review: Captivated (Adam & Ella #1) by Emily Jane Trent

Captivated 
by Emily Jane Trent 
Released Date: Published August 6th 2013 by Camden Lee Press, LLC
Series: Adam & Ella #1
Pages: 215
View/Purchase: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N

Ella Walker, still suffering from issues of mental abuse, turns twenty-one and meets the man of her dreams. Can she break the bonds of her emotional prison and be the woman he desires? As an aspiring romance author, Ella struggles to find passion in her work. When Adam Bianci, the gorgeous Italian billionaire appears in her life, he lights up her drab existence. She’s determined not to let him slip through her grasp. But will his secrets and the tangled web of his own abuse keep them apart?

(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

My Review:

Adam and Ella's story is rather fast and complicated. They both have suffered in their childhood and it's because of their past that makes it complicated for them to move forward. Their was an instant connection when they first met that drives them crazy for one other throughout the book. It all seemed like a fantasy, yet it felt rushed to me. There were times when I felt frustrated getting to know the characters and with zero development in the story, it made the story incomplete. 

Ella Walker has always wanted to be a fictional romance writer, but it's her past troubles that often get in the way. She has a terrible relationship with her mother and she barely talks to her or her sister. One of the things that helps her is writing in her diary, which she does constantly in the book. It's her way of expressing herself. She lives with her friend, Kaiyla, which is the completely opposite of her. She is a lot more outgoing, whereas Ella isn't much. 

Adam Bianci is a software genius. He has had the talent to make new computer software since he was just a kid, but his father abused his talent and made himself rich not caring about Adam at all, but about what he was capable of doing. Adam grew up in a dysfunctional home, but he had his mother and sister when he needed them the most.

Both characters seem to be captivated with one another, it all seemed like a Romeo and Juliet kind of romance (without the ending part), it's just love at first sight for them. I really liked the overall idea of the story, it had potential to be great, but I found it too rushed. It was evident that they liked each other, but they kept going around in circles. Ella is a character that is constantly insecure and without any growth. Adam's past was revealed, but it ended the story with a cliffhanger (which I hate). The writing was all right, (poetic without any emotion at all). Overall, I'm giving this book a 3/5 rating, I will try to read the second one to see if it's any better, but not any time soon. 

*ARC provided by Netgalley*

My Rating: