The half-dragon King of Torva needs a queen, but the human bride he has captured may prove to be more trouble than she’s worth.Evelyn is on a mission to find her mom, who left her family soon after Evelyn was born. But things go terribly wrong when crashing a high school graduation party leads to her being mistaken for her sister, kidnapped, taken to another world, and married to the king of the … king of the realm.
As she plots her escape with the assistance of a handsome and mysterious duke, she becomes a pawn in a bigger game, a game of betrayal, murder, and revenge. Someone wants her dead, and the only way to avoid assassination is to escape Torva.
But the King isn’t willing to let her leave easily – and neither are the assassins.
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A king with a shattered past and a girl who just wants to be loved, collide by mistake in Captive and Crowned. Only time will tell if they can unite for Torva, or separate in the name of their own hearts.
Captive and Crowned has been on my TBR since it came out in 2019. The cover is eye-catching and what’s not to love about the plot?! Half-dragon king? Yes, please!
I loved both Alaric and Evelyn so much. Alaric is a beautiful character, in both description and the brokenness that he represents. He carries so much pain and heartache, yet instead of being a bitter king or snobby character, like many other characters in this trope, he’s broken but still strong. He’s still caring, he still wants to be the best king that he can, and he loves his kingdom. Alaric is an easily loveable character! Evelyn is much the same, though I did find her to operate in her hurt a little more selfishly, which is understandable since her pain comes from loneliness. I thought her character was also very well done and loved to watch her grow through her mistakes and triumphs.
As for the story, I was always curious as to what would happen next! It’s exciting, with attempted assassinations, a mystery, and world jumping. The only reason that I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is because in between the exciting scenes, the story did move a little slow for my taste. The ending also felt a little rushed, but it wasn’t bad.
I do want to add that I love how this author introduced the concept of “love” as a choice rather than a feeling. In real life, that’s just what it all boils down to: love is always a choice and the feelings come and go. So I love that this author illustrated that in a very intent and beautiful way.
Overall, I think Captive and Crowned should be added to the shelves of every “clean fantasy” fan!
Trigger Warnings: Parental abuse (physical and verbal). No cursing. Very little gore (by my standards, I would say “no gore”). Sexual topics include: some detailed kisses and conversation topics of consummating marriage. Mildly detailed body kisses.
A savory twist of romance, suspense, and betrayal with a classic fairy-tale feel.
When it comes to reading romance, I’m a sucker for two tropes: arranged marriages and anything similar to Beauty and the Beast. Mix in some dragons, and Captive and Crowned is my favorite flavor.
Enrapturing characters. Beautiful scenery. Addictive plotting. Captive and Crowned is an epic debut you won’t want to miss!
This book surprised me. I didn’t really have any expectations for this story, not because I thought it wouldn’t be good, I just didn’t have an opinion, since I hadn’t heard of the author, it hadn’t been recommended to me by anyone yet, and the description was interesting but not captivating. The cover is gorgeous though
The book had a kind of slow start for me. I had a hard time connecting to Evelyn. She didn’t act rationally and although it made sense given what she had been through most of the time. I felt like she was too quick to trust Draven, and continued to trust him even when he didn’t earn it. What made it more challenging was that I totally loved Alaric almost from the first time he was introduced in the book, definitely by the time I first read from his perspective. So although I think it was realistic for Evelyn to not fall insta in love with Alaric, it still drove me a bit mad that it took her so long.
The storyline was complex in a way that wasn’t confusing. The theme that love is a choice, not a feeling!! Oh my goodness it was wonderful, and well told. Such a good point and different from many of the current fantasy romances out there. Once Evelyn and Alaric started to figure it out, I couldn’t put the book down!
Captive and Crowned hooked me from the moment Evelyn was mistaken for her sister, captured, and brought to Torva to marry their half-dragon king.
There are so many problems beyond being kidnapped and held captive in a foreign world and forced into a loveless marriage.
First, Evelyn is bound and determined to find her mother on earth, not Torva.
Then there’s Draven, the handsome Duke who makes the dreadful task of being married to someone she’s not in love with even more challenging.
And if Evelyn needed any more problems, enter the Scorpio–a rebel group of assassins intent on killing her so the king can marry Evelyn’s sister per the initial plan.
If you enjoy danger and intrigue at every turn of the page, intermingled with romance, this Beauty-and-the-Beast-like story is for you. Captive and Crowned is a fun, unputdownable read.