The Captive's Curse (Twilight Mages Book 2) by Eliot Grayson

The Captive's Curse is the second book in the Twilight Mage's series. We have a captive/captee romance with a total opposites attract theme going on, lots of snark, and some steam to round out this fun romance!


From the blurb:

Unwanted. Unloved. Unransomed. And unable to control his dawn magic by any other means…. 

At odds with his family and on the run, Lord Cyril is taken prisoner and held in a gloomy mountain fortress—which he brightens up quite a bit, thank you. His captor wants him to be quiet and not cause any trouble, but who cares? Cyril may need the mysterious highwayman to quell his dawn magic and keep him sane, but he’s overbearing, sardonic, and unpleasant.

Mostly. Except when Cyril can’t live without his touch, or his voice, or his rare smile…

Ser Enzo, a robber and (not quite) a gentleman, desperately wants his obnoxious, adorable, irritating, irresistible captive off his hands…and other parts. Lord Cyril’s wanton, irrepressible, and worst of all—his family won’t take him back. Enzo can’t release him without being paid. It’s against his principles.

Jacqueleen The Reading Queen's Review:

"It's not a joke. I wish it were a fucking joke, because loving anyone as much as I love you is enough to give me an aneurysm, with the trouble you get into!"

What wizardry is this!!? I swear to the goddess that one of the MCs was basically a high maintenance whiney complainer the ENTIRE book and yet I still absolutely loved him! How!?

Cyril is accustomed to a certain type of lifestyle. The kind with a big house that includes many servants. So you can imagine how he may feel being kidnapped by a "ruffian" and kept prisoner in a room with less than adequate accommodations. And also quite a large amount of onions. Not impressed would be an understatement.

Enzo, said aforementioned ruffian, has the patience of a saint. Well, maybe not a saint. He did so love to rile Cyril when the man got all worked up over being a prisoner. I really don't think Cyril understood the concept. It was a lot of fun when Enzo was giving him shit and pointing out again and again that Cyril was indeed his captive and therefore shouldn't be expecting to be treated like a prince.

"When had the man who'd so rudely knocked me off Agnethe and dragged me here to hold me hostage become the most important thing in the world to me?"

I enjoyed the progression of Enzo and Cyril's relationship, especially how it seemed everyone else in the compound seemed to get what was going on except them. Gotta love oblivious MCs. I also have to say that despite his near constant complaints, Cyril really proved himself to be a good one by the end. He may never be content without certain necessities like a private bathing chamber, but he most definitely felt content with Enzo as his man.

SNik's Review:

Second in series (Twilight Mages), but can be read as a standalone. Paranormal fantasy. Forced proximity. Single POV.

Cyril is a dawn mage that manages his curse by finding a new lover every week, but now he has been kidnapped and no ransom is coming, so his options are limited. The highwayman Enzo may not be Cyril’s first choice, but his magic yearns for Enzo and one time doesn’t seem to be enough, or two times, or three times… you get the idea. 

This story is sort of instalove, sort of fated mates, with a ton of high steam and two main characters that can’t help but annoy and banter with each other. Enzo accepts Cyril as he is making no judgments on his curse, and Cyril is a feisty captive given that there is a power imbalance, he still tries to assert himself where he can. A highly entertaining read, only missing the “getting to know you” aspect which I would have loved to read. I’m still enjoying the have to get sexed up factor of this series, and the main characters have all been interesting and fun.

The Captive's Curse is currently available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription