Megan Van Dyke

A little Phantom mixed with a little Beauty, and a lot of wonderful gothic vibes with a little mystery woven in. Drystan is a dark character, but he doesn't give off a sinister vibe despite his outward appearance and odd habits. Ceridwen is smart, and easy to like. She's determined to help her family and do her best despite her grief. Of course, it's not long before she's swept up in the oddness that is Drystan. The tension between them grows, and it'll have you dying with the slow burn. But the spice is, admittedly, worth the wait! I would've killed to attend that masquerade ball, but the descriptions are so well done that it was like I was watching it all unfold before me. You just get so drawn in and wrapped up in the story that you lose track of time and where you are. Highly recommend if you enjoy steamy romantasies that make you sweat with a slow burn before bringing on the steam.… (mehr)

Exciting, beguiling, amusing and stunning, “Captive of the Stolen Empire” tells the story of Ilya Valerious, heir to city Sorrena – now conquered by Emperor Ryszard’s army led by his first-in-command captain Lucien, a masked man possessing dark magic.

Being a fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope and of both medieval and fantasy novels, I was immediately drawn to this story. This is the first book I have read by Megan Van Dyke and I am glad I encountered this as it is an incredible introduction to her work. With perfect pacing, an ideal story length, good characterisation and description, I was engrossed in reading this I couldn’t put it down! Megan was able to set the scene, detail fictional locations, provide lore and make it all fairly straightforward to follow. I will need to check her other novels out – posthaste!

This is interestingly told from a dual point of view from both Ilya and Lucien. Ilya and Lucien are very well written, I absolutely adore them! I love the banter they have both witty and deep, and how protective he is of her. The other characters all contribute nicely to the plot and served a purpose – none of them were unnecessary.… (mehr)