3.75 rounded up

A captive situation is book 3 in the kings of New York series. This book takes us on a journey with both emotions, thrills and laughter.

Our FMC, Sawyer is in New York, having fled Montana, after she got dumped by her fiance for her best friend, who was now having his baby. While in Ny she meets Jake.

Jake, our MMC, is an ex- cop. Jake, was a dirty cop and is still not over his brothers death. His family is Mafia and his whole family want him in charge. Jake runs into sawyer, after first seeing her in subway, but runs into her again at the police station while dealing with his cousin.

I found this book a whole lot of crazy. Mafia, instant lust and every thing in between it was just like this whole chaos. Don't get me wrong it was kinda crazy in a good way, like spicy but just not my favorite by this author

Captive Situation by Tijan is a gripping read that definitely keeps you hooked. From the very start, the tension is palpable, and the author does an excellent job of building suspense throughout the story. It’s an intense, high-stakes romance that explores the dynamics of power, control, and vulnerability, which makes for a compelling (albeit often intense) reading experience.

The characters were well-developed, and the chemistry between the main characters was undeniable. Their relationship evolved in a way that kept me invested in their journey, even when things got complicated or emotional. Tijan doesn't shy away from exploring some darker themes, which adds layers to the story, but it can feel a bit overwhelming at times.

One of the highlights for me was the unpredictability of the plot. Just when I thought I had figured things out, a new twist would be introduced that would make me rethink everything. However, there were moments when the pacing slowed down a little, and I wished for more action or a bit of breathing room between the intense moments.

That said, if you're a fan of dark, emotional romance with complex characters and high drama, Captive Situation will definitely satisfy. It’s a book that pushes boundaries and keeps you engaged from start to finish. It’s definitely a story that sticks with you, even after the last page.

3.5 stars

A Captive Situation starts off in an interesting place, but quickly sucks readers into the story. While it is not necessary to read the prior books in the Kings of New York series, it is certainly helpful for context, and to get a better sense of Jake as a character. That said, I think this is probably the weakest story in the bunch, but was still a good vehicle to push all of the characters from the series as a whole forward.

One of the things I appreciate most about Tijan as a writer is the way that she sometimes infuses neurodivergent-coded characters into her books. While not always labeled (or perhaps intended to be read) as such, heroines like Sawyer definitely operate a little outside of what is considered neurotypical. And I, for one, am here for it!

Though the initial chemistry between Sawyer and Jake felt a little forced, I quickly found myself invested in it and interested to see how their story unfolded. I think I would have benefited from a refresher from the previous books before diving into this one, but it was still a fun ride!

SUCH A FANTASTIC READ!

This is a well paced, witty, and excellent read. I am a huge fan of this author's books, especially their mafia ones. I really enjoyed Jake and Sawyer so very much. These two had quite an interesting adventure, and I was so here for the ride. Very much loved!

3.5 Stars!

A Captive Situation is the third book in the Kings of New York series, but can be read and enjoyed as a standalone novel.

I'll be the first to admit this book started off a bit odd and slow for me. I was intrigued by Sawyer and Jake, and their meet-cute was anything but typical, but Sawyer was an absolute HOT mess. She ran to New York to escape the mess that her life had become. And just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, they did. She finds herself tangled up in quite the mess that will put her heart on the line once again...

A Captive Situation is a chaotic, steamy, wild ride. The characters are odd, yet intriguing. Jake is 100% alpha male and is the definition of trouble. Sawyer...yeah, I wasn't too sure what to think of her in the beginning, but she completely won me over in the end. Jake and Sawyer had chemistry in spades, and the steam oozed off the pages. They were the definition of Insta-Love, but weren't afraid to walk through fire for one another.

Which brings us to Sawyer's family. I had the BIGGEST love/hate relationship with them. Their hearts were in the right place, and they most certainly entertained me with their antics, but their meddling also frustrated me to no end. And let me tell you, Sawyer's family has no shortage of drama.

Overall, I thought this book was an entertaining read. It started off slow, but once the story found its groove, it hit the ground running and never looked back. A Captive Situation is filled with drama, romance, and everything you'd expect from a Mafia Romance. It's got twists and turns to keep you on your toes and steam that will leave you fanning yourself. I will warn you that this story does have a satisfying ending, but it does end with a slight cliffhanger. Will we get another book with Sawyer and Jake OR is this just a tease for the next book??? Only time will tell

If you're a fan of mafia romance and chaos, you'll definitely want to get your hands on this book!

A Captive Situation is the third book in the Kings of New York series, but it works well as a standalone if you haven’t read the first two. If you’re already a fan of this world or of Tijan’s writing style, you’ll likely enjoy this one too.

The story started off a bit slow for me, and it took a little while to get into the pacing. That said, things picked up in the second half and kept my interest more. Jake and Sawyer have a solid dynamic, and Sawyer in particular was a standout curious, layered, and interesting to follow.

This series overall is entertaining and has a strong fan base for a reason. While this wasn’t my favorite of the bunch, it’s still a decent addition. A fun, fast read if you’re in the mood for a darker romance with a touch of suspense.

I haven't read the other books in the series, so this works as a standalone. Tijan is always the queen of drama in her stories - there's plenty of quickly paced plot in this story to keep readers intrigued, though the lead characters veer on unlikable at times (it's CRAZY to me that Sawyer is meant to be 34 as she seems very immature at times!). The plot does get a bit too crazy at the end, but that said, the chemistry was great, and Tijan's prose is perfectly Tijan as usual

Obsessed as usual. Jake’s descent from cop to mafia was fun to watch, and the family dynamics are always complicated whether it’s mafia or a regular family. Didn’t know I needed this book in my life until I read it

“You’re not a woman a guy leaves. I know that much.”

This book was so entertaining. I cannot even begin to describe how many times I laughed at the utter ridiculousness of Sawyer and her family and Jake took it in stride.

Sawyer literally just got out of an 18 year relationship when she finds out her fiancé was with her best friend and got her pregnant. The first time we meet her, she’s on the subway in New York trying to meet her cousin for the first time. On said subway, she sees Jake for the first time. Jake is an ex-cop with family times to the mafia, in which he does not want to be in either worlds anymore. He finds out that there’s a hit on him, and the rest just snowballs from there.

When I tell you Sawyer was a hoot, I mean. This woman just made me want to keep reading. That crazy family of hers too. That real love what they have. I love how she tried to tell Jake what to do, that was highly entertaining. The chemistry these two had, though, chefs kiss. Sawyer also does not know how to get a story straight to tell to save her life, literally.

Jake, though, was everything a trained cop/mafia man should be: crazy, possessive, very good at unaliving people and taking care of what’s his. He deems pretty early on that Sawyer is his lol. Loved his nicknames for her and the fact that she loved my little lunatic the most should tell you the dynamic in this relationship.

I loved this book, simple put. It’s a dark romcom with suspense and a great plot.

Well that was a bit more bonkers than what goes for “usual” in this series hmm?

I was so hyped for another installment in the Kings of New York series, it has become a favorite of mine. But this one was bit too crazy even for me.

Jake was awesome, I thought he fit perfectly alongside Trace and Ashton. Jake is a bit more “normal” but definitely has the dark side as well. He also has that always choose his woman thing no matter what. Loved that. Sawyer, oof she was just all over the place for me. It was hard for me to believe she was a woman who threw away 18 years of her life in some ho hum hollow relationship but she’s also a crazy lunatic who doesn’t bat an eye at people being killed in front of her and having screaming matches with known murderers. Just didn’t make sense to me so it was really hard to grasp her as a character and actually like her. Now her family was entertaining as hell but that whole side plot could’ve been edited down a bit too.

Overall I was really pleased to see Trace and Ashton again even though things are sideways now but I’d have to say this wasn’t my favorite book in the series. I’m hopeful Tijan will bless us with more, we can’t have the series end just like that! Thank you so much to Montlake for gifting me this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars on this one

This is the third book in the Kings of New York interconnected world. but it can easily be a standalone. If you've enjoyed the other two books then I definitely think that you'll enjoy this one. This one started out a bit slower for me, but then the pace picked up quickly. Jake and Sawyer were great. Sawyer is a curious and interesting character. This is a fun series for sure. If you're a fan of Tijan then you'll enjoy this one.

A big thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This had quite a different feel to the previous books in the series and was more of a caper at times than the gritty mafia feel we had before. I enjoyed it and loved returning to the Kings of New York, especially as some of the previous characters appeared. However, I now have concerns as to where the series will be heading next! I need to know what happens in Trace and Ashton's world after the chaos of this!!!

You could probably read this as a standalone but I think knowing the background from meeting Jake in the other books, and having an understanding of the world he's part of, makes this easier to fall into and get absorbed in it fully. Sawyer's family were absolutely bonkers though and definitely made me laugh at times. But there was a lot of suspension of disbelief required. Overall this is probably a 3.5 to 4 star read. Enjoyable but not my favourite in the series.

4 Stars for this mafia romance

I really liked Jake and Sawyer. Even though Sawyer was an odd duck, I couldn't help but like her ... although she did seem a little immature for her age. Then there's Jake ... he was having a hard time straddling the line between good and bad. And bad was winning except when it came to
Sawyer. There was an attraction to her that he just didn't understand. Jake and Sawyer were hot between the sheets, against the door ... you get my drift. I just found Sawyer's family ridiculous and I thought they took away from the story ... I found myself skimming the parts they were in. I sure hope there is going to be a story about Lane and Blake.

Jake is an ex-cop who was dirty. He is the only one in his family not in the mafia, but his uncles want him to become the new head of the family. When he sees a woman on the subway who looks like she's on the verge of a breakdown, he asks her if she needs help but she refuses. Days later when he's in the police station bailing out his cousin, he sees her again and the crazy woman ends up leaving with Jake and his cousin.

Sawyer is from Montana and her long-time fiancé just broke up with her because he got her best friend pregnant. She decides she needs to leave her small town and go to New York City and live a little. Sawyer has always wanted to live in a musical and she would like the hunky guy on the subway to break out into song, but she's shocked when he asks her if she's okay. She might be going through a little breakdown. But when she ends up going with him and his cousin, the last thing she expected was to be shot at and then kidnapped by Jake.

I received an ARC courtesy of Montlake through NetGalley.

2.75/5 stars! This is the 3rd book in the Kings of New York series by author Tijan. This was a miss for me. I have enjoyed other books by this author, but the plot didn't really shake out and the instalove wasn't even slightly believable. Their chemistry didn't work because they never stayed on one topic long enough for it to feel like a real conversation where they could get to know each other. Disappointing but hopefully just a one off by this author.

A solid mafia romance! This is the third book in the Kings of New York series by Tijan and it did not disappoint! Highly recommend for dark romance fans. I look forward to reading the future installments!

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC of A Captive Situation, the third book in Tijan’s Kings of New York series.

Family and Mafia and Drama, Oh My! When I requested this book it was honestly on the author alone. I have read a few books by Tijan and have always liked her books. When I realized it was the third book in the series, I was disappointed I didn’t have time to read the first two before I read this one (too many ARCs to read, not enough time!). I didn’t feel like it took too much away from this story, although I now definitely want to go back and read the first two books.

I found this book to be missing in some areas but overall, I really enjoyed it. I couldn’t wait to pick it back up and see what would happen next. I loved the ridiculous relationship between Jake and Sawyer. The book started strangely and I was unsure of if I would get into the book but did pretty quickly. The love/hate relationship between Jake and Sawyer kept me entertained. Sawyer’s family was also insane but, as they say, everyone has at least one crazy person in their family. The drama that followed them everywhere was certainly entertaining and held my attention. I also loved how both characters grew for themselves and the other.

#Tijan #ACaptiveSituation #KingsOfNewYorkSeries #Fiction #ContemporaryFiction #Romance #Mafia #Family #CloseFamily #FamilyDynamic #DysfunctionalFamily #StrangersToLovers #InstantLovers #April #2025

Sawyer travels to New York escaping from her broken heart. Her plan is to be the best tourist and solve old family problems, but when she meets Jake, she gets caught up in a web of danger and crime between the police and the mafia. It seems that being kidnapped is the only way to stay safe.

I liked this book more than I expected. I usually love Tijan's stories, and this one was no exception. It started off a bit slow, but it quickly picked up and became a captivating read. So many things happened, and it was full of tension and adrenaline, with some action-packed scenes.

We follow the protagonists along a fine line between good and evil, right and wrong, between the world of the mafia and the world of the law. Sawyer drove me crazy a few times because she had very strange and naive reactions. On the other hand, Jake was quite possessive and had no problem shooting anyone who posed a danger.

I didn't like that it was an insta-love, but the romance was also so intense with a lot of spicy. It was a mafia romance with lots of kidnapping, true to the book's title. And I won't deny it, some scenes were a bit shady and questionable, but it was a tremendous soap opera. It was full of drama and risky situations, moments full of danger that had me desperate to know what was going to happen.

It also had some absurd scenes that were so funny, I had a lot of fun reading this. There were several hilarious parts; I thought the aunts were very funny. There were some weird things happening in this book that gave it an original touch. It was a different kind of read, and it ended up captivating me.

It had some great and unexpected twists and turns, very dark secrets that were slowly revealed. And the ending was a big WHAT!?? So many things happened, and it left me eager to know more about other characters in this story.

I have always enjoyed reading this author's books and this one wasn't bad but I just felt so annoyed with how Sawyer behaved and most of her decisions were so stupid. I could not understand how Jake & Sawyer fell in love because all I felt and saw between them was lust. Their conversations felt repetitive and everything felt so dull in the story. The ending also felt abrupt and incomplete. I was really excited to read this book but unfortunately, it just fell flat for me tbh.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

3.5 Stars
Let me start off by saying I loved the previous two books in this series. In fact, I rated them both at 5 stars. This one was hard to finish. Sawyer, to me, was a bit immature from the very beginning. I never warmed up to her. Jake, I liked.
I don’t know; maybe you’ll like this story.
It simply wasn’t for me.

Big thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of #acaptivesituation.

I was so excited for this one, but it just wasn’t for me. I love Tijan. I’ve read just about everything she’s written. Some on a near annual schedule. But this one just didn’t live up.

I don’t enjoy the insta-love/lust trope, and the fact that a 36 year old woman got in the car with strangers multiple in NYC was a level of suspension of belief I just couldn’t handle. There were also too many instances of what I’m going to call forced quirkiness for shock value? It took me out of the story completely.

It was very repetitive, and the little plot that existed was so chaotic it was hard to keep up. I didn’t feel anything towards any of the characters, and I somehow even managed to be annoyed by the amount of spice. The conversations were choppy and all over the place making it hard to follow along and get inside anyone’s head. There would be the beginning of a deep and needed conversation only for us to suddenly be feeding the dogs. There was just no flow, and it killed the story for me unfortunately.