Forbidden Captive

by Ashley Earley

Shapeshifters have been in an ancient rivalry against Vikings for as long as any realm can remember.

Zyra has always felt like an outsider among the other shapeshifters of Waylria. From the time she could shapeshift into a wolf, even her parents have distanced themselves from her, believing her a disgrace. But when her life becomes entangled with the brutal Viking she encounters in the forest outside her people’s borough, Zyra sees an opportunity to prove herself.

Discovering the intruder is Riker—the Viking Prince of Sandire—Zyra is forced to return her sworn enemy home, where his father is waiting to execute him for treason. Refusing the Viking King’s demand to return the runaway prince could bring a reckoning of blood and war upon Waylria. But going to Sandire brings far more danger than Zyra could imagine.

Swept into a staggering world of deceit, betrayal, and unforeseen passion, a forbidden attraction unravels in Forbidden Captive (Legends & Predators #1).

Genres: Fantasy, Romance

310 pages, Hardcover

Published September 25, 2025

About the author

Ashley Earley grew up in Georgia, where she spent most of her time running wild in the woods of her backyard, building forts to create her own fantasy worlds, obsessing over books and experimenting with her writing.

Today, she lives in Kansas with her fiancé and two pups. She still spends her time devouring any book she can get her hands on, writing, and editing for her clients at Earley Editing, LLC. In May of 2021, she graduated with distinction from University of Colorado Boulder, receiving a Bachelor’s in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing. She also enjoys snowboarding, exploring, annoying her dogs, constantly eating chocolate, and sharing her writing adventures on Instagram.

Her Thriller/Suspense short story, Chasing Hair of Gold, won first place in the 2016 Writer’s Digest Popular Fiction Awards.

You can visit her at www.ashleyearley.com or www.earleyediting.com for her editing services.

Ashley has been writing since 2010 and editing since 2016.

Instagram: @ashley_earley
TikTok: @ashley_earley
Author Blog: https://www.ashleyearley.com/blog
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/authorashley...

Reviews

[Ashley Earley]

I'm not all that active on Goodreads, but I figured it was as good a time as any to pop on and write a little note :)

First of all, hello! I'm glad you're here. I've been especially excited to share this book with readers. Not only is it my romantasy debut, but it's a book that is very close to my heart after working on it off and on for nearly a decade. Forbidden Captive is the book of my heart. I poured a lot of it into the pages.

The Inspiration:
The greatest betrayal can come from someone you love, but what if they share your DNA? What if you’ve known them for years or all your life? How does one recover from such a thing? I wanted to write a story that portrays that, despite such a great betrayal, others will reach out a hand and show that they love and care for you.

I felt that I must write this story because of my own life experiences. I felt I must write this story for those who have been betrayed by those closest to them. Many of those relationships never go back to what they once were, or they are left behind altogether. And due to this, many don’t know how to cope and move on from such a harsh disloyalty, deception, heartbreak, and treachery. I must write this particular story to highlight that we can come back from such things.

Additionally, what if the person you thought was your enemy turns out to be the one most loyal to you? How do you come to trust them? Let them in, and allow them to get close? No matter what, try not to judge others or make assumptions about them. You never know what might develop.

I believe in soulmates, but not in the traditional sense. I believe soulmates are people that come into your life for a reason. These soulmates can be friends, romantic interests, partners, acquaintances, etc. These people can either come into your life for a long time or merely pass through, but they leave a long-lasting impact during their time.

With the above in mind, I believe Zyra and Riker are each other’s soulmates in order to survive the betrayal Riker experiences, and then Zyra learning who she is and what she is capable of. Both will learn not only to trust one another, but they will also learn that they do not have to live by fear and put up walls to protect themselves from the harshness of those around them.

But yeah . . . that’s the inspiration behind Forbidden Captive, and I’m pretty proud of it 😚🫶


For those who view trigger warnings as spoilers, I advise you to scroll no further.

Content Warnings:
-Animal death (not pets, but shapeshifters)
-Blood/gore
-Combat
-Death
-Violence
-Torture
-Verbal sexual assault
-Misogyny
-Discrimination between one species and another

The above content warnings might change as we get closer to the release date

[Kailee Howell · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A flame in the center of darkness will spark, lighting the way for what is to come, but it has no wick or oil to fill.”

“I do not want us to be enemies.”

Forbidden Captive by Ashley Earley

I love the vibes of this book, Viking/shifter/romantasy.
Zyra is a shifter outcast because of her wolf form.
Riker is a Viking prince on the run labeled a traitor by his own family.
Their peoples and realms are sworn enemies.
The enemy/captive scenario and swap really took me to that enemies to lovers trope, I was hoping all along these characters would work together.

The cliffhanger for book two left me wanting more, cheering for romance, and getting ready for conflict/battle.

[Kaitlin B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vikings. Shifters. Sworn enemies. Forced proximity. 🔥

This Romantasy dives into a world where Zyra — a wolf shifter — and Riker — a Viking warrior — find themselves on opposite sides of a brewing war. Their realms are enemies, but their connection complicates everything. (Yes, we love a messy, tension-filled dynamic 😮‍💨)

If you’re into enemy/captive setups, forbidden romance, and high-stakes worldbuilding, this might be your next read. And that cliffhanger? Let’s just say book two is definitely set up for drama, battle, and maybe a little longing.

[icantcomeimbooked · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forbidden Captive was such a solid start to this series and really hit if you love enemies-to-lovers with high stakes and forbidden tension.

Zyra immediately pulled me in. She’s an outcast among her own people, constantly made to feel like she doesn’t belong, and that desperation to prove herself drives so many of her choices. I really liked that her wolf-shifting ability, which should be a strength, is treated as something that sets her apart — it added emotional depth to her character.

The dynamic between Zyra and Riker is where this book shines. The shapeshifter vs Viking rivalry feels deeply ingrained, so their attraction feels dangerous, wrong, and impossible in the best way. Riker is a great MMC — conflicted, loyal, and caught between duty and survival — and the tension between them builds naturally rather than feeling rushed.

I also really enjoyed the worldbuilding. The Viking politics, ancient rivalries, and constant threat of war gave the story weight beyond just the romance. There’s betrayal, deceit, and a sense that every decision has consequences, which kept me invested the whole way through.

This book sets up a bigger story beautifully and leaves you wanting to know what’s coming next — both for the world and for Zyra and Riker.

If you love forbidden romance, enemies-to-lovers, wolf shifters, and romantasy with bite, this one is definitely worth picking up.

[Carrie O’Leary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not exactly sure how I feel about this book. Parts of the story just didn’t feel right, not so much plot holes, but discrepancies that are difficult to state without spoilers.

The writing is variable. At times it is very strong and the story was very engrossing, but then you turn the page and the writing doesn’t gel and I had to read some of the sentences several times to get them to make sense.

I had high hopes for this book, loving both Vikings and shifters. But the Vikings in the book felt more like barbarians, and I really disliked the shifters—why go directly to torturing a prisoner who has already professed his intention of telling them everything? The main female character did grow on me as the story progressed though. There was just too much hate and the progression from there to the hint of romance didn’t feel genuine. I don’t usually mind a cliffhanger, but this left too much unsaid and I don’t know if I care about the characters enough to read any more.

All in all the story did have potential, but I think it needs a very good edit to get all the writing to the same standard.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing style of this one wasn’t for me. There wasn’t anything wrong with it, but it just wasn’t a style I favored, so it made reading a bit of a challenge for me. This dropped my rating by one star from 4 to 3.

I initially picked this one up because I kept seeing it on my feed, and while I had a difficult time with the writing style, I’m glad I gave it a chance. The story is interesting, full of tension, action, and a great romance plot. The mix of shifter x captor x Norse mythology was unlike anything I’ve encountered before, and it left me engaged and intrigued to know what was coming.

I think I would’ve enjoyed this more as an audiobook.

Thank you very much to the author, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op, and NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Katarra C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start this review off by saying, I typically do not read fantasy or romantasy. I usually find it hard to get into due to all of the world building, names I can’t pronounce, and complicated magic systems. Enter: Forbidden Captive. This is the FIRST fantasy book I have made it through and my goodness, I think it was an excellent first choice. Ashley Earley makes the world easy to understand, has a map and translation guide available, and doesn’t leave the reader guessing. I was truly captivated (ha, see what I did there?) by this book. Ashley Earley proved that romantasy books don’t have to be 700+ pages to be interesting, either. This was a quick, easy read and I fear that I may be foaming at the mouth for more.

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley. The views are all my own. I really loved Forbidden Captive. The map and Norse Translations in the beginning were quite helpful and really made the story come alive.

I loved Riker and Zyra. Both characters had such depth and I loved how their characters evolved over the course of the book. This truly was an enemies to lovers story. The plot was really enjoyable and I loved learning the origins of the hatred between the Vikings and the shapeshifters. I liked how you never knew exactly what characters you were supposed to trust, and the story took many twists that I never saw coming. It did leave on a cliff hanger, so I’m excited to see what is in store for these characters.

[Chelsea Drumm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have the biggest weakness for books about Vikings. I'm also pretty weak for books about shifters. This is a combination of both and sounded like an unhinged dream. Reading this feels like I'm watching the movie Pocahontas?! IDK why but that's just what I kept imagining as I was reading this. The animosity and hatred between Zyra and Riker is palpable in the beginning, and while I was left wishing there was a bit deeper of a connection between them, it was so fun watching them go from enemies/captive to more. The ending has me hooked and excited to continue the series! Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

[Michelle_reads13 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars Forbidden captive is a shapeshifter/ Viking, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, slow burn, romantasy.

Zyra is a shapeshifter, Riker is a Viking and their realms are sworn enemies.

The character development and world building is fantastic and keeps you on wondering what happens next, the twists and turns keep you guessing and the plot twist!!! OMG I never would have guessed
The slow burn is very slow and will have you screaming for them to just kiss already but that’s part of the appeal, the relationship isn’t rushed and has good passing for the plot.

If you are a fan of ACOTAR, shield of sparrows ect you will love this book.

[The Book Ssirren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zyra is cast out because she’s a shifter that trashes a wolf form. Labeling her a disgrace in her family. Riker is a Viking warrior prince who is on the run because they think he’s a traitor. Both realms are sworn enemies. But these two encounter one another.
This book is filled with chaos and betrayal. The two of them not wanting to be enemies. The world building in this was phenomenal . And the character descriptions were beautiful. I was really drawn in with this one. It was intense. And the connection of these two made this read worthwhile. I can’t wait for the second book to come about.

[Bookish_Nurse23 · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Review
4⭐️
A dark and captivating romance. Suspenseful twists kept me hooked. Some parts could use a bit more depth, but it’s still an addictive, thrilling read for fans of forbidden love.

[Chelsy Sandel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did an ARC read for this and I can’t wait for more from this series!! It was my first shapeshifter book too and it definitely opened the door for more! Ashley wrote this so well. I really enjoyed it and I’m still thinking about it! 😍