What do you think?
Rate this book
Chronicles of the Twelve Realms #2
Captive Hope
~They say love conquers all, but Idra knows hope is what sets the captive free~
The Twelve Realms seems an idyllic nation, but behind locked doors there are sinister powers at work. Not even the royal family of High Castle is outside their reach, and Lady Idra has unwittingly placed herself in the crosshairs of a shrewd mercenary.
Idra is noble by birth and lady-in-waiting to the future High Queen of the Twelve Realms. Yet she’s unaware of her true value and strength. From her youth she has been pledged in service to the crown, and though accepting of her duty, she inwardly longs for more. But in her wildest dreams Idra never imagined the terrible future devised for her by forces unknown.
Sir Ahmad, a knight of the realms, admires Lady Idra from afar. But when he finally has the courage to tell her, it may be too late. He could lose Idra forever because of one man’s devious ploy to gain revenge and riches by her ruin. If an ocean stands between them, will all hope be lost?
The Twelve Realms seems an idyllic nation, but behind locked doors there are sinister powers at work. Not even the royal family of High Castle is outside their reach, and Lady Idra has unwittingly placed herself in the crosshairs of a shrewd mercenary.
Idra is noble by birth and lady-in-waiting to the future High Queen of the Twelve Realms. Yet she’s unaware of her true value and strength. From her youth she has been pledged in service to the crown, and though accepting of her duty, she inwardly longs for more. But in her wildest dreams Idra never imagined the terrible future devised for her by forces unknown.
Sir Ahmad, a knight of the realms, admires Lady Idra from afar. But when he finally has the courage to tell her, it may be too late. He could lose Idra forever because of one man’s devious ploy to gain revenge and riches by her ruin. If an ocean stands between them, will all hope be lost?
- GenresFantasy
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 17, 2016
5 people are currently reading
638 people want to read
About the author
Rachael Ritchey
13 books128 followersA Christian, wife, mom, writer, and book designer, Rachael focuses most of her energy on YA fantasy fiction (Check out Chronicles of the Twelve Realms), but you can find her dabbling in science fiction and contemporary genres too.
She has a passion for beautiful books, so book cover and interior design are high on her list of enjoyable hobbies.
She's boring and would rather talk about you and what you're up to any day of the week, but if she had to talk about her own life it would probably include her four kids and husband, homeschooling, graphic design, books, why it's important to live every day with gratitude, and whatever other topic has been on her mind ... usually to do with the topic-du-jour she's researching for her next fiction project!
What to talk? Get in touch! :)
She has a passion for beautiful books, so book cover and interior design are high on her list of enjoyable hobbies.
She's boring and would rather talk about you and what you're up to any day of the week, but if she had to talk about her own life it would probably include her four kids and husband, homeschooling, graphic design, books, why it's important to live every day with gratitude, and whatever other topic has been on her mind ... usually to do with the topic-du-jour she's researching for her next fiction project!
What to talk? Get in touch! :)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 2, 2016
After the events of The Beauty Thief (book 1 in the Chronicles of The Twelve Realms series), Captive Hope follows the journey of Idra, the Lady-in-waiting to the princess, as she is kidnapped and taken far from her country by a powerful man with a grudge. I also wrote a review for The Beauty Thief, which you can read HERE.
Idra is an interesting character. She has a lot of doubts about herself and those around her, and inner struggles. It becomes such a problem that she doesn’t even realize Ahmad has feelings for her until it’s too late and she’s kidnapped. I liked her inner conflict, and how it reflected real life struggles that you and I can easily fall into. She’s relatable, and throughout her ordeal she must come to terms with these flaws in herself.
There was a bit of a love triangle, though not in the way you’d expect. It felt more realistic than triangles in other stories I’ve read, and it made sense. Another good thing is that it’s resolved by the end of the book!
Although Captive Hope has a classic fairytale feel to it, there are events that take you be surprise, tragedy, and perhaps best of all: the knight in shining armor is not the main hero. That role goes to a mysterious pirate Idra comes across—but I won’t say more or risk spoiling the story for you.
Idra is an interesting character. She has a lot of doubts about herself and those around her, and inner struggles. It becomes such a problem that she doesn’t even realize Ahmad has feelings for her until it’s too late and she’s kidnapped. I liked her inner conflict, and how it reflected real life struggles that you and I can easily fall into. She’s relatable, and throughout her ordeal she must come to terms with these flaws in herself.
There was a bit of a love triangle, though not in the way you’d expect. It felt more realistic than triangles in other stories I’ve read, and it made sense. Another good thing is that it’s resolved by the end of the book!
Although Captive Hope has a classic fairytale feel to it, there are events that take you be surprise, tragedy, and perhaps best of all: the knight in shining armor is not the main hero. That role goes to a mysterious pirate Idra comes across—but I won’t say more or risk spoiling the story for you.
September 16, 2016
When lady-in-waiting Idra begins a long overdue journey to visit her parents, little does she know that an enemy is lurking in the shadows, intent on capturing her. Idra escaped once from the ruthless pirate Zaide, and he's determined to make her pay for it by selling her as a slave to King Tabor. His plan for revenge is threatened, however, when Simon, the man chosen to guard Idra on the overseas voyage, falls in love with her. As their admiration for each other grows, Simon is determined to help Idra escape from Zaide. Meanwhile, a search party is dispatched to find Idra and bring her back home to The Twelve Realms. Co-led by Sir Ahmad, who has declared his love for Idra and will stop at nothing to save her, the men travel the high seas and into hostile lands to find her. Will Sir Ahmad and the search party rescue Idra in time, will Simon save her first, or will Zaide finally get his revenge?
Captive Hope draws readers into the fantasy world of The Twelve Realms, where honor and duty are as highly valued as love. Juxtaposed to this are the degenerate worlds of the pirates and King Tabor's land. A classic tale of good versus evil, and true love surmounting danger and even death, Captive Hope reminds us that no matter how bad our circumstances, hope and love prevail.
Captive Hope draws readers into the fantasy world of The Twelve Realms, where honor and duty are as highly valued as love. Juxtaposed to this are the degenerate worlds of the pirates and King Tabor's land. A classic tale of good versus evil, and true love surmounting danger and even death, Captive Hope reminds us that no matter how bad our circumstances, hope and love prevail.
January 15, 2019
The title of this fantasy romance is very apt because it is all about finding hope in dark places. Lady Ira is kidnapped by her avowed enemy and trapped on a pirate ship. There she meets a troubled pirate with a terrible secret in need of redemption. Meanwhile a gallant knight, a declared suitor for her hand, does all he can to rescue her. He is so determined to find her, he struggles with anger towards those he perceives as less focused.
Lady Ira exhibits some feisty, courageous behavior towards her vile enemies but is kind enough to reach out to the pirate charged with her care. This pirate quickly became my favorite character.
The most intriguing part of the plot for me was whether Lady Ira would pick the pirate or the knight to marry and - without spoilers - I must say I didn’t exactly guess how this would end.
This is the second book in a faith-based fantasy series set in a detailed world.
Lady Ira exhibits some feisty, courageous behavior towards her vile enemies but is kind enough to reach out to the pirate charged with her care. This pirate quickly became my favorite character.
The most intriguing part of the plot for me was whether Lady Ira would pick the pirate or the knight to marry and - without spoilers - I must say I didn’t exactly guess how this would end.
This is the second book in a faith-based fantasy series set in a detailed world.
August 30, 2016
Betrayed by a servant, Idra is kidnapped by a revengeful Zaide. His plans...for Idra to pay for a past humiliation she inflicted upon him.
Ahmad is in love with her and is bent on being her rescuer, all the while Idra becomes close to a pirate, Simon, in charge of keeping her locked in a cabin on Zaide's ship. Simon is a man feeling guilty for past deeds and needing to make up for it. He atones by helping the prisoner. Therein lies a love triangle, as Simon and Idra draw close during her imprisonment and Ahmad is moving earth to find her.
My only negative experience with the read is that I would have liked for Idra to have a fighting spirit, rather than be kind and even cower to her captor.
Overall, CAPTIVE HOPE is an adventurous yarn filled with mysterious, dubious and likable characters who carry a romantic tale of love, intrigue and heroism.
I was provided a copy for my honest review.
Ahmad is in love with her and is bent on being her rescuer, all the while Idra becomes close to a pirate, Simon, in charge of keeping her locked in a cabin on Zaide's ship. Simon is a man feeling guilty for past deeds and needing to make up for it. He atones by helping the prisoner. Therein lies a love triangle, as Simon and Idra draw close during her imprisonment and Ahmad is moving earth to find her.
My only negative experience with the read is that I would have liked for Idra to have a fighting spirit, rather than be kind and even cower to her captor.
Overall, CAPTIVE HOPE is an adventurous yarn filled with mysterious, dubious and likable characters who carry a romantic tale of love, intrigue and heroism.
I was provided a copy for my honest review.
March 3, 2016
Good fantasy romance. The Lady in Waiting is our heroine and of course her hero is a knight. This is a fairly typical romance. Some may like the fantasy part. Was a so-so read for me.
December 11, 2023
Okay, I’m going to be honest. I’m a simple gal who loves books about heroic dudes, particularly heroic dudes who are kings, princes, knights, or royalty. So this book is sort of an epic-awesome win for me.
I’m not typically a reader who enjoys romance (at all), but a few well-written romantic tales have managed to keep my interest, and this is one of those series. I loved the first one, what with the heroic prince going to great lengths and facing great dangers to save the woman he loves. There’s a whole lot more of that in this book. But now we have PIRATES! And epic sea adventures! There’s enough action, adventure, and fantasy (low fantasy, mind you) to thoroughly keep my interest in the story, and tons of conflict and tension. The tension was high enough that I kept turning pages and didn’t want to put the book down. Someone is almost always about to die. Intense!! And I will fully admit that the romance was written so well that I actually loved it. And I’m SUPER picky about my romance, trust me. If you can get me to enjoy a romance, you’ve done a really good job.
The emotional beats of the characters are a huge win in this story. I thought the first book was fantastic because Caityn’s story sort of felt like an expression of someone going through depression. It felt very real, even though it was magical. This story has more of that, with characters feeling extreme guilt and insecurity due to things that happen in the story… Everything is very realistic, very believable, and easy to FEEL as a reader.
It's honestly perfectly written, with so much depth and feeling. I loved it, and I can’t wait to dive into the next one.
On a totally side note, I have to give a special shout-out to my man, Gavin, who somehow ended up being one of my favorite characters, simply because he was a dork. I actually laughed out loud at one scenario with him (something about ridiculous clothes), and I constantly wanted him to show up more after that. So you have heroic princely and knightly characters over here doing awesome heroic stuff, and I’m over here like, “I want that one,” while pointing at the doofus prancing around in ridiculous clothes. Yes.
Seriously, though, this story was a delight from start to finish. Clearly it had me engaged and kept my attention all the way through. I HIGHLY recommend this series to readers of Christian (low) fantasy, particularly those who love romance and heroic men with swords!
I’m not typically a reader who enjoys romance (at all), but a few well-written romantic tales have managed to keep my interest, and this is one of those series. I loved the first one, what with the heroic prince going to great lengths and facing great dangers to save the woman he loves. There’s a whole lot more of that in this book. But now we have PIRATES! And epic sea adventures! There’s enough action, adventure, and fantasy (low fantasy, mind you) to thoroughly keep my interest in the story, and tons of conflict and tension. The tension was high enough that I kept turning pages and didn’t want to put the book down. Someone is almost always about to die. Intense!! And I will fully admit that the romance was written so well that I actually loved it. And I’m SUPER picky about my romance, trust me. If you can get me to enjoy a romance, you’ve done a really good job.
The emotional beats of the characters are a huge win in this story. I thought the first book was fantastic because Caityn’s story sort of felt like an expression of someone going through depression. It felt very real, even though it was magical. This story has more of that, with characters feeling extreme guilt and insecurity due to things that happen in the story… Everything is very realistic, very believable, and easy to FEEL as a reader.
It's honestly perfectly written, with so much depth and feeling. I loved it, and I can’t wait to dive into the next one.
On a totally side note, I have to give a special shout-out to my man, Gavin, who somehow ended up being one of my favorite characters, simply because he was a dork. I actually laughed out loud at one scenario with him (something about ridiculous clothes), and I constantly wanted him to show up more after that. So you have heroic princely and knightly characters over here doing awesome heroic stuff, and I’m over here like, “I want that one,” while pointing at the doofus prancing around in ridiculous clothes. Yes.
Seriously, though, this story was a delight from start to finish. Clearly it had me engaged and kept my attention all the way through. I HIGHLY recommend this series to readers of Christian (low) fantasy, particularly those who love romance and heroic men with swords!
June 24, 2017
NO! Cruel world. Mrs. Ritchey, how could you end it this way? Who knows how long the next book will take me, as I won't have hardly any reading time the next five days! Oh the agony!
Note: there is a bad word in the book. I was disappointed, but the rest was so good, that I could not knock off a star. But you have been warned.
Idra is missing home, so she sets off to visit her family. Along the way, her small party is ambushed and all the others are killed. Zaide has been planning her abduction for a long time and has finally succeeded. He takes off with her to take her and sell her to a foreign king.
Ahmad was away with Theiander when this all took place. Upon their return, they learn of Idra's abduction and plans are underway for pursuit. Ahmad is just about out of his mind with worry and concern. At times, it got a little old, and I was a bit put out with him. Theiander didn't act like that when Caityn was missing. Get a grip!
The majority of the book is the Relmsmen's pursuit of Zaide and Idra. Along the way, the characters learn about love, forgiveness, self-sacrifice, and letting go of guilt. Idra, Simon, and Ahmad all blame themselves for different things.
The book could maybe have been a little shorter, but it did give time to explore Simon's character arch, give time to the themes of forgiveness and love.
Note: there is a bad word in the book. I was disappointed, but the rest was so good, that I could not knock off a star. But you have been warned.
Idra is missing home, so she sets off to visit her family. Along the way, her small party is ambushed and all the others are killed. Zaide has been planning her abduction for a long time and has finally succeeded. He takes off with her to take her and sell her to a foreign king.
Ahmad was away with Theiander when this all took place. Upon their return, they learn of Idra's abduction and plans are underway for pursuit. Ahmad is just about out of his mind with worry and concern. At times, it got a little old, and I was a bit put out with him. Theiander didn't act like that when Caityn was missing. Get a grip!
The majority of the book is the Relmsmen's pursuit of Zaide and Idra. Along the way, the characters learn about love, forgiveness, self-sacrifice, and letting go of guilt. Idra, Simon, and Ahmad all blame themselves for different things.
The book could maybe have been a little shorter, but it did give time to explore Simon's character arch, give time to the themes of forgiveness and love.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2020
Captive Hope is the second book in the Christian YA fantasy series called Chronicles of the Twelve Realms by Rachael Ritchey. The main character is Lady Idra, lady-in-waiting to Princess Caitin from book one. Just as her romance with Ahmad begins, an enemy from Idra’s past kidnaps her and takes her aboard a pirate ship.
Captive Hope was a very enjoyable novel. I loved it! It was engaging and thought-provoking. I loved the characters and how real their struggles were. Ugh — some of the characters broke my poor heart! The settings were interesting, and I really liked the plot. Overall, it was a really good book, and the author’s writing grew compared to the first one, which was also good already.
I recommend this book to YA fantasy readers who like fairytale retellings because it had a fairytale feeling to it.
I received a complementary copy of this book. All opinions are my own, and I am not obligated to provide a positive review.
Captive Hope was a very enjoyable novel. I loved it! It was engaging and thought-provoking. I loved the characters and how real their struggles were. Ugh — some of the characters broke my poor heart! The settings were interesting, and I really liked the plot. Overall, it was a really good book, and the author’s writing grew compared to the first one, which was also good already.
I recommend this book to YA fantasy readers who like fairytale retellings because it had a fairytale feeling to it.
I received a complementary copy of this book. All opinions are my own, and I am not obligated to provide a positive review.
June 24, 2025
Having read the first book in this series, I thought I knew what to expect in this one, But I was wrong. There is so much more in Captive Hope.
More suspense, more emotion, and more feelings.
The writing is incredible, with so much detail. In truth, it was like watching a brilliant pirate film, one I never wanted to end.
Of course, this story never really ends, as it continues in Book Three, so there will be a lot more fun and excitement to come.
The best part of this story for me was the relationship between Idra and the people she meets. The triangle between Idra - Simon - and Ahmed was beautifully portrayed and incredibly moving.
(much better than The Pirates of the Caribbean)
More suspense, more emotion, and more feelings.
The writing is incredible, with so much detail. In truth, it was like watching a brilliant pirate film, one I never wanted to end.
Of course, this story never really ends, as it continues in Book Three, so there will be a lot more fun and excitement to come.
The best part of this story for me was the relationship between Idra and the people she meets. The triangle between Idra - Simon - and Ahmed was beautifully portrayed and incredibly moving.
(much better than The Pirates of the Caribbean)
February 22, 2025
Where to begin? This book is so good!
From the worldbuilding to the characters, theme, and action everything is well-written. I connected with Idra, the main character, from chapter one, and was held captive (pun intended) until the very end of the book.
It can be difficult to find a book about pirates that is clean, but this one is both clean and exciting. My only “complaint” is a heartbreak when the character I was rooting for died (a well-handled death, but still… I’m sad now).
If you want a clean adventure with pirates, great Christian themes, and all the feelings, you can’t go wrong with Captive Hope!
From the worldbuilding to the characters, theme, and action everything is well-written. I connected with Idra, the main character, from chapter one, and was held captive (pun intended) until the very end of the book.
It can be difficult to find a book about pirates that is clean, but this one is both clean and exciting. My only “complaint” is a heartbreak when the character I was rooting for died (a well-handled death, but still… I’m sad now).
If you want a clean adventure with pirates, great Christian themes, and all the feelings, you can’t go wrong with Captive Hope!
January 30, 2025
Captive Hope by Rachael Ritchey continues the Chronicles of the Twelve Realms series with a tale of adventure, high stakes, danger and love. The book's pacing sweeps readers along with a narrative that's hard to set down. The story delicately presents the challenge of opposite pulls on one's heart while showcasing the beauty of actions done out of genuine love without the expectation of an emotional return.
October 18, 2020
Chronicles of the Twelve Realms series - This well-written, medieval era, captured my attention and did not let go! Great, likable characters, excellent plot, fast paced. Very enjoyable read
January 27, 2017
Captive Hope by Rachael Ritchey is a phenomenal read. It's full of adventure, action, an emotional journey that not only baits readers in but hooks them. I enjoyed following the main character, Idra. She is definitely a likeable character. Everything about her pulled me closer. I felt a rollercoaster of emotions as the story unfolded. There was never a dull moment. Another character I fell in love with was Sir Ahmad. He's amazing. A gentleman and a man that would make any woman swoon. Rachael Ritchey knew what she was doing when she created this spectacular novel. Readers will have turned the pages in a quick fashion to find out everything. The ending...oh my gosh...let's just say that I am and have died of a suspenseful dosage that won't end...until I get that next adventure into my hands. Addictive, well-written, and an easy-to-read story. I highly recommend this tale to readers everywhere. I promise readers won't be disappointed...
July 29, 2019
Ok I might be a bit biased but this story is spectacular! I did NOT want to put this book down :)
A kind lady's maid kidnapped by pirates only to encounter a figure from the not-too- distant past. Love - agape - blooms from within Idra and she is faced with many difficult situations and choices.
First book is not a must to enjoy Captive Hope but I recommend that as well
A kind lady's maid kidnapped by pirates only to encounter a figure from the not-too- distant past. Love - agape - blooms from within Idra and she is faced with many difficult situations and choices.
First book is not a must to enjoy Captive Hope but I recommend that as well
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews