Captivated: An Awakened Short Story

by Roseanna M. White

Brenn dreads the day when she’ll become queen of Daryatla, but it seems the time is coming as her father’s health begins to fail. Desperate for advice, she dives down to the mer kingdom, hoping her cousin who sits on the throne of the Sunken Kingdom will be able to guide her. When she finds her cousin fighting off a potential uprising, Brenn must flee back to the surface, with the help of the guard she’s tried for a decade to forget but can’t–Atlas, the man who chose her cousin’s kingdom over hers.

Genres: Short Stories, Christian Fiction, Fantasy

37 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 22, 2025

About the author

Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. Having successfully launched two homeschool grads into the unsuspecting world, she now spends her time writing fiction, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. She and her family make their home in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.
see also Roseanna White

Reviews

[Marylin · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started reading the Awakened series by Roseanna M. White, I didn’t know she had written a short story that was the prequel to the series.
Now here it is, and I loved it!
It was fun to see how things began for the Kingdom of Daryatla and the Sunken Kingdom.
Now, I’m not one to enjoy swimming under the sea, but I loved all of this book. The color and vivid images Roseanna M White uses help to keep me diving in! Well, the romance tension also helps! HEHE!
Roseanna M. White writes with so much skill, and all her stories flow so smoothly. When I hear she has a new book out, I’ll drop everything to pick it up.
Even though this series is a different genre from her historical books, they are still full of magical words that keep a reader spellbound.
I highly recommend you read this book and let it whet your interest in the fantasy world that this new series brings!

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the prequel to Awakened, however, I read it afterwards. I wasn't exactly sure how Brenn and Atlas fitted in with the Awakened characters which took away some of the interest level. However, I appreciated the underwater background which dominates most of the 37 pages.

I was a little confused why Brenn was visiting Nerida, the Queen of the Underwater, and by the end kinda felt it all to be an authorial mechanism to get the two main protagonists together.

It's challenging writing a 'complete' story in such a short amount of space and this one felt a little incomplete to me.

[Margaret Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the prequel novella for Roseanna White’s romantasy (romantic fantasy) series, with the story of the parents whose son is the high king in the first book, Awakened. It’s a quick read, and even though it is a prequel, you might want to read it after reading Awakened. Captivated doesn’t give much introduction for the whole Awakened world geography, culture, people groups, etc.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

[Daisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ebook. Enjoyable story - I liked how Brenn & Atlas worked together from a magic perspective. I rated 3 stars because I thought storyline too similar to Celebrated: attraction had developed over a number of years, the man had to leave his current “world” to marry his queen, etc. I also didn’t know where this story fit into the timeline, but then read that this is about Seiden’s parents.

[Beth Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

so good!!!

I just read Captivated and can’t wait to read the others!!! The setting, plot and characters had me completely “captivated!”

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet!

[Nay Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute romance with a bit of a 2nd chance trope, but I'll be honest, it was too short. I wish there were more to it. I wish I knew specifically how this connected to the character of Seidon. Were these his parents or grandparents?

The action and drama in the short story were great, but I was left just wanting more.

Overall, the writing was great.

[Christian Literature Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Opening lines:

Brenn sent a smirk over her shoulder, ignored the wide-eyed warning of her guard, and put on a burst of speed. A few whips of her tail and a bit of a current she called up with her magic, and she soon outpaced them.

While this book is not explicitly Christian (though I do vaguely remember a reference to a creator), the author herself is a Christy award winner, so I feel comfortable leaving this book on my "read" shelf for others to find.

It's a nice short story about a girl thrust into power and coming to terms with the man she cannot have... (Or can she?) The first, but certainly not the last, book on my romantasy shelf!

[Nay Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute romance with a bit of a 2nd chance trope, but I'll be honest, it was too short. I wish there were more to it. I wish I knew specifically how this connected to the character of Seidon. Were these his parents or grandparents?

The action and drama in the short story were great, but I was left just wanting more.

Overall, the writing was great.