MoodReads - Romance Book Discovery

Beta soft launchEvery book’s tags are being checked by hand ✨ some categories are fuller than others while I work through them all ✨

Cover of The King's Captive (Gate of Myth and Power, #1)

The King's Captive (Gate of Myth and Power, #1)

by Joely Sue Burkhart

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️steamy·spoiler·Gate of Myth and Power #1

Why Read This?

You'll get a sweet, slow-burn romance and a fun adventure that leaves you eager for the next book.

Synopsis

I can turn into a housecat. It’s a fun magic, except in a world filled with vampires and werewolves, it doesn’t exactly make me a powerhouse. Instead, the supernatural community has classified me as an outcast, which means one thing: Picking on me is open season all day, every day. The local fae are the worst of all, and it’s during one of their regular “capture the cat-girl” sessions that I shift into my cat form and meet HIM for the first time. Noctus is so powerful his magic radiates off him like a sun, and my fae captors can barely look in his general direction. And then my life gets even more terrifying when Noctus decides to take me with him. As a pet. Why did he pick today to “adopt don’t shop” a cat? It gets worse when I realize he’s an elf, a ruling race of supernaturals that was supposedly killed off centuries ago. But he’s not just any elf, no. He’s an elven king, with heaps of secrets to protect. Secrets that I am quickly learning since he includes his new pet in everything from breaking into buildings to inspect classified paperwork to tracking down sketchy supernaturals. All this means if he gets even a hint that I’m not a real cat, I’m going to find out firsthand how elves treat their prisoners. So, escaping Noctus is priority #1. How hard can it be? (Answer: very.) King’s Captive is the first book in the Gate of Myth and Power urban fantasy trilogy, and is part of the Magiford Supernatural City world. It features elves, fae, werewolves, and vampires, and contains an adventure-filled and hilarious take on the Hades and Persephone myth. It’s packed with humor, battles, and a sweet, slow burn romance between an outcast magic user and the deadly king of the elves.

At a Glance

4.28 ★ Goodreads
Spice Level🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️steamy
Endingspoiler
PairingM/F
Romance Pacingslow burn
Energymedium

Top Tropes

captive romancefairytale retellingforced proximityhidden identityadventure romance

Mood

mysterioushumorouswhimsicalromanticadventurous

Book Details

Goodreads Rating

4.28 ★

Page Count

340 pages

Published

2022

Primary Genre

Romantasy

Pairing

M/F

POV

First Person

Romance Pacing

Slow Burn

Audiobook

Available

Yes

Format

Standard

Narrator

Unknown Narrator

Narrator Count

Single

Tropes

RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

Mood & Vibe

Mood

Writing Style

conversationalhumorouswhimsical

Story Pacing

medium

Emotional Weight

moderate

Energy Required

medium

Vibes

Whimsical Hades and Persephone retelling with humor and adventure that feels like a playful romp through a magical court.

Characters

FMC Archetype

outcast / misfitsecret identityreluctant hero

MMC Archetype

hidden royaltytortured soulmorally gray

Relationship Dynamics

mutual piningslow burn

Spice Details 🌶️

🌶️
🌶️
🌶️
🌶️
🌶️
🌶️
🌶️
🌶️
🌶️
Spice Level 4

Spice Style

intense / passionatefilthy / dirty

Getting Steamy

None

Bringing the Heat

None
Browse more books by spice level →
kidnappingviolencecaptivity
Browse books by content warning →

World & Setting

World Type

fae realm / faerie courtshigh fantasy

Primary Setting

royal court / palace

Fantasy Creatures

Reading Context

Emotional Payoff

Best Time of Year

autumn

When & Where to Read

Short Takes

quick 280-character reactions for this book. drop a thought, rate the vibe, keep scrolling.

Sign in to share your take.

Loading...

Book Chat

Talk about The King's Captive (Gate of Myth and Power, #1) with other readers

this page is just the start

  • import your Goodreads or StoryGraph TBR—we tag every book with spice, tropes, CWs, mood, all of it
  • tell us a vibe (“enemies to lovers fae, high spice”) and BookMatch finds the book
  • 3,800+ romantasy books searchable by 40+ fields
  • covens, pacts, book chat—readers who get it
free account, 30 seconds