Review: Captive Traitor King by Brigid Kemmerer

Captive Traitor King

Brigid Kemmerer

(Braided Fates #2)

Publication Date: November 3, 2026

Hardcover, 400 pages, Avon

Genres: Adult, Romantasy, LGBTQ+/Poly

Goodreads

Brigid Kemmerer returns with the sizzling, high-stakes sequel to the No.1 international bestseller Warrior Princess Assassin—where the betrayals are deeper, the magic burns brighter, and love might be the most dangerous weapon of all.

 

CAPTIVE. Asher has always sworn loyalty to Jory, the princess he’s loved from afar—but now the King of Incendar has claimed a place in his heart too. Someone wants them both dead, and only Asher’s blade can keep them safe. Yet his past won’t let him go, and he must decide if he can break free—or remain prisoner to his old scars. 

 

TRAITOR. Princess Jory of Astranza agreed to marry the King of Incendar to secure peace, but betrayal runs closer than she ever imagined. With her own brother unmasked as her enemy, two kingdoms teeter on the edge. To protect her people, she must take the throne. But there are still dark secrets to unravel that will force Jory to confront where her true allegiance lies.

 

KING. Maddox Kyronan has discovered trust—and something more—with his reluctant bride and her deadly protector, but the fragile alliance between their nations still threatens to unravel. His people are starving. His enemies are circling in. Torn between the crown and his heart, Ky risks losing it all.

 

 As buried truths surface and tensions reach a breaking point, Jory, Asher, and Ky must confront the desires that could save their kingdoms—or shatter them forever.

My Review

Brigid Kemmerer has done it again. Over the past year, I've devoured five of her books, and Captive Traitor King wasn't any different. In fact, I read the entire thing in 24 hours. Her books are like magical, glittery candy and once you start eating it, you can't stop until the box is empty.

The three main characters of Warrior Princess Assassin are back for the second book in the Braided Fates series, and I honestly didn't realize how much I missed them until I started reading. All three are messy in different ways. We have Jory, the princess of a kingdom her evil brother rules, and then there's Asher, the assassin who has a terrible and traumatic past, and finally, there's Maddox, the king of a rival land who also happens to have fire powers. All three characters are navigating their growing feelings for each other while also trying to figure out their own powers, duties to their people, and who is behind the recent attacks on both them and Maddox's soldiers. 

I think my favorite part of the story is whenever the three are together in one scene, whether they're arguing, trying to figure things out, or doing other, more explicit things. They're just so cute and sweet together. And sexy too. Despite knowing this was an adult romantasy with spicy times, I was somehow still surprised with Brigid Kemmerer going there. Maybe that's because I read one of her YA books recently and was still in that mindset. Now, I can't say the trio didn't frustrate me. Jory was impulsive, Maddox was too focused on what his soldiers think of him, and Asher... Well, Asher can do no wrong. He's innocent and my favorite. He deserves a comfy blanket, sweet treats, and a pile of kittens to cuddle with. Stat!

As for the plot of the story, I did find this one a bit more relaxed compared to book one. It took place in one city, mostly in just one castle setting, so there wasn't as much to explore compared to Warrior Princess Assassin when the characters traveled between countries. There were only two major action scenes that happened in this installment. The rest of the story mostly focused around the romantic relationship, which I'm totally fine with, and discussions between characters. There also weren't enough answers, in my opinion, but we'll likely get those in the next book, I just have to be patient. Sigh.

All in all, I really loved this book. Brigid Kemmerer's fantasy stories are so easy to read. They're perfect for getting me out of a slump. For anyone who's putting off reading this series, don't! You won't regret picking it up if you love typical romantasy tropes. I also think fans of books like Jennifer L. Armentrout's From Blood and Ash, Danielle L. Jensen's The Bridge Kingdom, or Melissa K. Roehrich's Rain of Shadows and Endings will enjoy the Braided Fates world.

*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Stacking the Shelves: The Halloween Edition

 "Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

Happy Halloween! It's kind of weird that this post is going live on the holiday itself. I don't know if I've ever had a Stacking the Shelves go up directly on a holiday. How fun! But anyway, I don't have much planned for the day. Though, I did see Dracula, a local play, this past week, and I've been watching some spooky movies, so that's helped get me in the Halloween spirit. I even read a couple of Halloween-themed books. You'll see those in my monthly wrap up next week.

As for the books I received this week, I have a few good ones. First up, is my luxe edition of Beyond the Veil by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti. I think, after this one, there are only five more books left in the giant order I made almost two years ago now. That's crazy. I also received my Blackwell's preorder of the new deluxe UK hardcover edition of The Book of Azrael by Amber V. Nicole as well as my Barnes & Noble preorder of Moon Cursed by Holly Renee. 

 

Up next, I have something I swore I wouldn't get. Not because I don't want it, but because I told myself no more NetGalley requests until I'm caught up on all the others. Well, I lied to myself because here we are. Ashes of the Fallen by Olivia Rose Darling was put up on NetGalley this week, and, sucker that I am, I immediately requested it. I was also approved pretty soon after, so yay! Luckily, I know I enjoy this series, so I don't have to go in with the worry that I'll be forced to read something I don't enjoy. This is likely a guaranteed four stars unless something crazy happens. Book one and two were great, so I doubt that, though.

 

Well, that's all for me. What books have you bought/received lately?

Stacking the Shelves: The DVD Edition

 "Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

Another week in October is over. Boo. It's just going by too fast. I have so much I want to do before the end of the year, and there isn't enough time to get it all done. Like my reading goal. I'm at 85 books read this year. I think... I'm on track for 100 books read, but there are so many I didn't get to. I know I can still get to them in 2027, so it's not a big deal, but a part of me is disappointed I didn't read them in 2026. I'm a mood reader, though, so I can't push myself to read something that's not calling to me unless I'm forcing my way through a review copy. And that's not ideal either.

 

As for the books I received this week, I have a lot of pretty editions. And thankfully, none of these are adding new books to my TBR. Mostly because I own an edition of all of these already. I've also read two of them before. Blood & Steel by Helen Scheuerer is the new UK hardcover edition of the title. I wasn't sure about ordering this one, but I do like it. I also accidentally ordered two copies. I was wondering why Blackwells was charging me $60 for a hardcover. I just thought stupid tariffs had gone crazy again. Now, I'm going to have to try to sell the other copy. I also received three FairyLoot editions. The Shadows That Listen by Louisa Carmody is one of the books I've already read before. I do like this edition, but I'm also eyeing The Locked Library one as well. Not that I need three copies of this book. But I might... The other one is The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley, which I just hauled an Illumicrate copy of last week. And then, my Adult sub book for October was Tempest by Victoria Aveyard, which I have the regular hardback of. And then, last, but not least, I have the new Dark Fae paperback from Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti. I'll talk about that more below. 

 

 

 

Up next, I have a couple of DVDs. I preordered Heated Rivalry season one from Barnes & Noble, but I got Spirit during a random Walmart trip. I was there to return something and so, as one does, I perused the books and the cheap DVDs. I ended up finding the new paperback edition of Dark Fae on the shelves, which prompted me to cancel my B&N preorder, since those kept getting pushed back. I figured it'd be nicer to choose the condition of the book I got from the store anyway. So I got that and saw Spirit for $5 and went for it! I love this movie so much, so I'm glad to finally have a copy of it.

 

Well, that's all for me. What books have you bought/received lately?

The 2026 End of the Year Book Tag

2026 is almost over. Holy cow that went by fast! Like most years, 2026 also involved a lot of working, sleeping, and reading. The only big things I did this year included attending ApollyCon and going to a Simple Plan concert. Otherwise, life was quiet. I think next year might be a bit busier, though. Or at least, I'd like to add a trip or two to it.

We only have a few weeks left, so I thought I’d do the End of the Year Book Tag. I don't remember who created this tag, but I found the questions on Green Tea & Paperbacks blog. So, let’s get this party started!

Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

I started the Kings of Lockdown by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti, which is book two in the Kings of Quarantine series. I'd like to complete the entire series by the end of the year, but I just don't think that's going to happen. The books are huge and contemporary bully romance is tough for me to get through when I'm not in the mood. I'm reading it on and off right now. I also need to finish The Drakon King by Terry J. Benton-Walker as it's a NetGalley ARC with a November release date. I'm about 70% through right now.

Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

It's already autumn, so that's probably a no. However, I do think my reread and completion of Kresley Cole's Arcana Chronicles was a great way to get into the autumnal mood. Those books have a fall, moving into winter, vibe.

Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?

Yes, of course! Crowned by Roses by Elizabeth Helen releases October 20. It's the only reason I've kept my Kindle Unlimited subscription, as, once I've finished that, I need to cancel. (I collect the FairyLoot versions of this series, so that's the only reason I don't have a physical copy at release time.) Also, there's the new ACOTAR book that's coming out, but I've mellowed on those books over the past few years. It's just been too long and better things have come out since then. Maybe I'll get back into the mood for it once I've read the new book. I don't want to be spoiled, so I'm still planning to read it right away.

What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

I'm going to say three different books than the ones I've mentioned in the previous two questions. 

Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance by Melissa K. Roehrich (I finally have my special edition in my hands, but I just haven't picked this thing up yet. Ugh!)
Three Shattered Souls by Mai Corland (It's been almost a full year since I finished book two, so I need to get to this before I forget everything.)
Speak of the Demon by Stacia Stark (I have a special edition and need to decide if I want books 4-6 from the same book box company, so I need to read the first book to decide.)

Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?

Oh, gosh. I haven't had major luck with favorite books this year. There are three that I've really, really enjoyed, but there still isn't something that's knocked my socks off. I'm not sure what could at this point. I've heard good things about The Poison Daughter by Sheila Masterson. If I get to that this year, that can be my guess.

Have you already started making reading plans for 2027?

Not really. I kind of go wherever the mood takes me at this point. I'm hoping to not request as many NetGalley ARCs. I'm behind on a couple of e-ARCs and I feel bad about it, but I just don't have the brainpower to force myself to read them right now. I'd like to get caught up on those before asking for too many others. I'd also like to skip more FairyLoot boxes so my TBR doesn't grow as much. I was doing really well with the skips in the first half of the year, but towards the end, I just decided to keep them all. So, I think my reading plans are going to revolve around reading what I own. I have special editions that have sat unread on my shelves for years. I don't like that. (I'm looking at you, The Atlas Six and Daughter of the Moon Goddess.) I need to get those read or off of my shelves.

***

Alright, there you have it. My End of the Year Book Tag answers. What would your answers to these questions be? Let me know in the comments below!

Stacking the Shelves: The Lost My Mind Edition

 "Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

This week has been crazy. Honestly, I'm surprised by how much non-work stuff has been going on to make life stressful. I'd almost rather the work stress was back than the current drama that's happening in my life now. Yikes. But the good news is, I'm back to working out regularly, though I did decide to make chocolate chip cookies right as I was getting back into that habit. Lol. I also finished a couple of physical books this week, so that makes me excited to get things off my TBR. It's going to happen. I'm going to request fewer NetGalley books and get rid of KU soon so I can actually read the books I own.

 

As for the books I received this week, I have my Illumicrate preorder for The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley and my Barnes & Noble preorder of Bloodbound by J.A. Good. It's very interesting that both covers have the same pose going on. Ha. I haven't read the Brigitte Knightley duet yet, but I will one day. Then, I must decide if it's worth keeping the Illumicrate copies, regular hardcovers, or my FairyLoot editions. Ugh. I wish I had unlimited shelf space to keep everything. As for Bloodbound, I saw something about it on Threads, probably a post from the author, and that had me wanting to purchase, so I preordered during the B&N 25% sale. 

 

 

 

Up next, I have a book that makes me think I'm losing my mind. Megan Scott had a preorder incentive up for her book A Masterpiece in Blood through indie bookstores, one of which was The Ripped Bodice. I decided to preorder from them as I wanted the art print. Well, what arrived is not what I thought the preorder incentive art looked like. I used to have a screenshot of it on my phone, but I think I deleted it a couple of weeks ago and I can't find the art on the author's Instagram. So, I think I've gone crazy. The art just doesn't match what I remember, as I was practically drooling over the artwork I originally saw. And while this art is definitely pretty, it doesn't evoke the same emotions. Well, I guess this one will just remain a mystery.

 

 

 

And finally for the physical items, I have my order of Jemlin's Daggermouth character cards. Jemlin was actually selling these through their website and not as a convention exclusive, so I went ahead and bought the set before I'd even read the book. I'd heard good things, so I figured, "Why not?" Well, while I did think the book was good, it wasn't as great as everyone claimed. Now, I have two special editions on the way and I'll have to decide which to get rid of and which to keep, as I don't need three copies of a "good" book on my shelves. And I definitely don't need to be tempted to buy the sequel editions of each of them, though I may wait for those designs to be revealed before getting rid of any copies, just in case that helps in making my decision.

I have two ebooks this week. The Widow and the Orcs by Finley Fenn was free, so I downloaded it on Kindle. I only read a select few of the Finley Fenn orc books, but I haven't read this one yet, so I thought I might as well download it now so I don't have to rely on Kindle Unlimited. The Heart of the Nhaga by Lee Young-Do was also having an ebook deal, though that was a $2.99 deal and not a free deal. I decided to download it on Nook, as I had $10 in credit at the time. I've heard a lot about this one, so I figured I might as well get it for "free."

 

Well, that's all for me. What books have you bought/received lately?

Stacking the Shelves: The Large and In Charge Edition

 "Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

Wow. This week has been chaotic. And for once, it's not for work reasons, oddly enough. But, I'm excited for this weekend. I need some time to relax. I also need some time to clean, but I've been saying that for a couple of weeks now and it hasn't happened. My place isn't dirty, but it'd be great to get some smaller tasks done that I keep putting off. Like organizing my last bookcase full of older books, dusting, and cleaning windows. Blugh. Sounds like a terrible weekend. Reading on my couch would be so much better.

As for the books I received this week, I have three special editions. Two of them are FairyLoot copies. I got Prince of Swords by Elise Kova, which came with damage, so I've emailed FairyLoot, and I also received my September Romantasy book, The Sweetest Fiend by Raven Kennedy. I've heard that some people are unimpressed with this edition, and, while it could have had better quality paper for the dust jacket, I do actually like the design. The paper is just very thin. I do like it much more than the regular cover, though, even with the thin dust jacket. The final book I received was Sorrow and Starlight by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti. It is ginormous! You could kill someone with how heavy and thick it is. It's the size of the other two stacked on top of each other! Crazy!

 

Well, that's all for me. What books have you bought/received lately?

September Wrap-Up & October TBR

September is over. While it was still hot for about 80% of the month, there was a nice 20% that was livable. I was able to walk outside without sweating my skin off! It was very nice. I'm thankful we're really into autumn now, though. I want some 70-degree consistent weather. Other than that, life has been pretty chill. Just eat, work, gym, repeat. 

In this wrap-up, I’ll list the books I read, the books I reviewed, the books I bought/received, and my TBR for next month. Now, let’s get this bookish party started!

Books Read in September

Poison Princess: 4 stars (reread)

Endless Knight: 4 stars (reread)

Dead of Winter: 3.5 stars (reread)

Arcana Rising: 3.5 stars

The Dark Calling: 3 stars

Monstrous Serpent: 3 stars

From the Grave: 3 stars

Kings of Quarantine: 3.5 stars

Turncloak: 3 stars (my review) 

I read nine books in September. As you can see, a majority of the month was spent reading Kresley Cole's Arcana Chronicles. The series has been on my TBR for so long, and I was surprised that, during the middle of a reading slump, the only thing that sounded even remotely good to read was Poison Princess. I ended up rereading the first three books so I could finally read the last three books in the series. I also read Kings of Quarantine by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti. That's four physical books that are now off my TBR. As for the ebooks, I read two. I finished my NetGalley ARC of Turncloak by L.K. Steven and also snuck in Monstrous Serpent by E.V. Olsen, which I downloaded on Kindle Unlimited.

Books Bought/Received in September

September was as bad price-wise when compared to the previous month's haul. There were so many books that released in September, so I did have a bunch of preorders come in, but those were mostly regular editions that I got using Barnes & Noble's 25% off preorder sale, so it wasn't too bad. In total, I purchased 20 books and received 19 free ebooks/preorders that I'd already paid for in previous months.

The 19 books I received mostly consisted of the preordered books that all decided to arrive in September along with a couple of NetGalley ARCs and a free ebook. The free ebook was Hide the Witches by Miranda Lyn, which I got on Kindle. The two NetGalley ARCs are Deathsworn by Meg Smitherman and Lightning & Thunder by Sara Raasch. The other 16 books consisted of Heartless Sky (Kings Hollow), The Knave and the Moon (B&N), Tempest (event preorder), the final two books in the Legacy series (Aurora Crate), the Flesh & Fire series Arcane editions, the FairyLoot Kindred's Curse 1-3 editions, Light Wielder (FairyLoot), Fury Bound (FairyLoot), and the second and third Blood & Ash books (Inked Pages).

 

Now, for what I bought in September. Of the 20 books I bought, 13 arrived in September. Those included a bunch of books from Barnes & Noble: Threshing Day, Harbinger, White Raven, Daughter of the Dark, When Lightning Strikes, Eldritch, Bodies of Magic, Dead Beat, The Emperor's Enemy, and Sorrow and Strangers. I also had one order from Blackwells, The Wretched Divine by Adalyn Grace, and one Waterstones order, The Ascended by Bree Grenwhich and Parker Lennox. I also ordered the Target edition of The Emperor's Enemy by Jasmine Mas.

 As for the remaining seven books, those were preorders and my FairyLoot Romantasy sub box. The preorders include the Dance of Death FairyLoot edition, the Kings Hollow Never Keep edition, the Renegade Romance Monstrous 5-7 editions, and the Locked Library Runebreaker edition.

Currently Obsessed With

September, surprisingly, actually had some non-bookish entertainment. I'm still working my way through The Middle show, but I also started rewatching the Look Who's Talking movies. I'm currently on the third one at the moment. I went and saw Avengers: Endgame: Encore in theaters. There are only two additional scenes added to the original film, so I don't recommend it for anybody. Just watch the clips online before Doomsday. And then, the big entertainment piece was Taylor Swift's release of The Encore from her previous album, The Life of a Showgirl. Her "Patient Zero" music video was so good that it made me want to read thrillers! That's crazy for me. But yeah, three of the four songs have been on repeat in my house. Those include "Patient Zero," "Pink Clouding," and "Cleveland!". 

October TBR

This month's TBR is fairly easy compared to the previous few months. I'm still behind on two of NetGalley ARCs: A Viper Among Kings by Sydney Olivia and To Cage a Wild Bird by Brooke Fast. I'm also about halfway through my NetGalley ARC of The Drakon King by Terry J. Benton-Walker. I'm hoping to finish it as soon as I complete the two other ebooks I'm reading: Roguefinder by Amy Pennza and The Reckoning of Starlight by Samantha Amstutz, which are both Kindle Unlimited reads. Other than those, I need to read Daggermouth by H.M. Wolfe for book club. I do want to finish Kings of Lockdown by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti as well, but I'm not pressuring myself to get that done anytime soon. It'll happen when it happens.

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Okay, well, that's the month of September, plus some October sneak peeks, all wrapped up into one post. Do you have a wrap-up post for last month? If so, share in the comments!

Stacking the Shelves: The Threshing Day Edition

 "Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

This week was crazy for a variety of reasons, but it's finally the weekend, and I'm so excited to relax. I'm hoping to get some cleaning done, but I doubt much happens. I'm feeling like I need a cuddle-up-and-read weekend. I have so many good books on my shelves and I'm in the mood to read sooooo many of them, but work and life keep getting in the way. Grr...

As for the books I received this week, I have a very large stack. September has been a crazy release month, and FairyLoot preorders haven't been helping my packed bookcases. Those FairyLoot editions include edition of Light Wielder by Rachel Schneider and Fury Bound by Sable Sorensen. I also ordered the UK edition of The Wretched Divine by Adalyn Grace from Blackwells and The Ascended by Bree Grenwich and Parker Lennox from Waterstones. And, of course, my preorder of Threshing Day by Rebecca Yarros arrived as well. It's so skinny compared to the other massive books in the stack.

 

 

 As for the ebooks, I have one, though I did download a couple of anticipated titles on Kindle Unlimited as well. I just don't share those on my haul posts anymore because I download books there so frequently. But anyway, the one ebook I have for the week is a NetGalley ARC of Deathsworn by Meg Smitherman. I requested this a few months ago, so I'm surprised I was approved now. Luckily, it doesn't have to be reviewed until 2027, so I have some breathing room. While I'm caught up on all but two of my more recent NetGalley ARCs, I am taking a major break from requests right now. I got pretty overwhelmed in August/September. I am excited for this one, though. It sounds really good.

 

Well, that's all for me. What books have you bought/received lately?