Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Captured

SERIES: Star Marked Warriors Book 1

AUTHOR: Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH: 3423Kb

RELEASE DATE: July 29, 2021

BLURB: 

An alien prince, a threatened throne, and the human mate who can help him save it…

Lucas: Sure, my life isn’t going exactly according to plan—I have a degree that led nowhere, a crappy job as a closing-shift barista, and an ex who has everything I want and got it . . . by dumping my sorry ass—but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to give up on living yet! And holy crap, when I’m plucked off the sidewalk of my rural Colorado town on the very night of my ex’s wedding, I’m pretty damn sure I’m about to lose my life and a whole lot more.

If you’ve never tried flying, I do not recommend the first time be when you’re drunk and alone at two in the morning. But there I was, dumped in a cage on a spacecraft, surrounded by barbarous, giant blue aliens. And the only thing that might keep me safe is there’s one huge, intimidating warrior who can’t keep his eyes off me.

Kaelum: I am the true-born son of the King Xyren the Imperator, but as a Thorzi-human hybrid, my path to the throne of Thorzan is far from clear. My father’s people are enormous and foreboding, their skin is the deep dark of twilight when our planet’s twin stars set. I am not. My enemies think I am small, soft, incapable, and they dog my every step.

If I am to take my rightful place, I must focus on saving my people. But my mother was born on a far-away blue planet called Earth. In my bones, I know the answer to my problems hides out there beyond the stars.

By popular cowriting duo Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes, Captured is an M/M SciFi alien romance with a warrior prince, a resourceful human at the end of his rope, an intergalactic war that could keep them apart forever, and true love that’s entirely out of this world! This book is first in the Star Marked Warriors series, but each book can be read as standalone.

REVIEW: 

Hot earthlings.  Gorgeous aliens in leather pants and no shirts.  Tattoos.  What more could you want?  The power writing duo of Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes is at it again with a new series, Star Marked Warriors.  The first installment is Captured and boy is it a good one. 

I’m not usually a fan of SciFi and will admit, I had some trepidation about whether I would like this series.  But the blurb for Captured is captivating and I had no doubt whatsoever that I’d get high-quality writing.  So really, there was no question I’d read it.  After all, I never pass up a Burns and Fawkes book.  They’re that creative.  They’re that good. 

Captured almost immediately earns its place in that upper echelon of books.  Super creative plot, exceptionally crafted and delivered.  Snarky monologues, snappy dialogue, romance, and steam too – all rolled into one addictive package.  But let’s not give the characters short shrift.  As per usual, Ms. Burns and Ms. Fawkes create multi-dimensional, complex, completely endearing characters in their male leads, Lukas and Kaelum.  The ancillary characters come to life as well.  The interplay between all of them, particularly the dynamic between Lukas and Kaelum, is fluid and seamless.

In terms of romance, Lukas and Kaelum stand as the poster couple for opposites attract.  Lukas, a down-on-his-luck, cat-loving, freshly dumped coffee barista, and Kaelum, a lonely, blue-colored alien-human hybrid royal prince and heir to the throne of faraway planet Thorzan, are about as opposite as you can get.  Yet Ms. Burns and Ms. Fawkes make it easy for us to see how much Lukas and Kaelum have in common despite their very obvious differences.

Captured contains a mix of romance, SciFi adventure, drama and suspense, sex, and swoon.  The science fiction aspect of the story really derives from the setting, planet Thorzan.  It’s not the pervasive theme.  Sure, the story on its surface revolves around aliens who abduct humans from Earth in order to help propagate their dying species.  But really, Captured tells a universal story about two people coming into themselves.  They learn to respect and like themselves, accepting not only their faults but also all of the positive attributes about them.  Lukas and Kaelum both struggle to believe in their own self-worth, especially with naysayers constantly disparaging them.  The story shows how they help each other believe in and advocate for themselves while unexpectedly falling in love at the same time.  There’s also a bit of a Harry Potter-esque unique/latent powers aspect to the story which I found utterly charming.

Overall, I adored every aspect of this book.  Captured captured my attention and held it from start to finish.  It hits all the right notes in the right balance, written in the inimitable, excellent writing of Ms. Burns and Ms. Fawkes.  I cannot wait for the next book in this series, Declared.  I got a little frowny-faced over the September 9, 2021 release date but that’s just because I have zero patience.  The hallmark of a thoroughly enjoyable, immersive book is the desire for it to never end.  Hence, I want the next installment now, now, now.  I highly encourage you to take a trip to Thorzan and then join me in the waiting game.  I am sure it will be worth it.

RATING:

BUY LINK: 

Amazon