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Captive of a Fairytale Barbarian
Tandrea: How does a nice, normal girl end up getting herself kidnapped by a barbarian? Tandy isn’t exactly sure, but there’s no denying that it’s a lot more exciting than her usual life. As a linguist, it’s her job to bridge cultural barriers, no matter the risks. Especially if those bridges lead straight to the huge, handsome, half-dressed leader of the rebels.Tzadok: Big and angry, he’s barely holding the various clans together. He can’t allow foreigners to invade their lands without brutal punishment. But one look at the stunning, green-skinned woman and he knows that his he would fight the whole world to her beside him.
(M/F, HEA, 160K+ words, kidnapped romance, grumpy/sunshine, adventure romance, no cheating, is part of a series but can be read as a stand-alone.)
(M/F, HEA, 160K+ words, kidnapped romance, grumpy/sunshine, adventure romance, no cheating, is part of a series but can be read as a stand-alone.)
642 pages, ebook
Published July 30, 2017
58 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Gannon
17 books202 followersOvereducated and underemployed, Elizabeth (“Lizzy”) Gannon lives in Florida with her sister Cassandra Gannon (who is also an author) She enjoys romance novels, comic books, and soap operas.
She has always been the type of person who genuinely votes for the bad guys in movies, TV and video games, and usually can’t stand the hero. Even as a child all of her Barbies were always criminals and/or ninja assassins, but their hair still looked perfect.
She has a very spoiled dog, and is lorded over by the world's most evil cat.
She has always been the type of person who genuinely votes for the bad guys in movies, TV and video games, and usually can’t stand the hero. Even as a child all of her Barbies were always criminals and/or ninja assassins, but their hair still looked perfect.
She has a very spoiled dog, and is lorded over by the world's most evil cat.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 3, 2019
2 MEH Stars
The premise sounded promising, a linguist is sent by her people to help communicate with the savages of The Wasteland, it’s her job to bridge cultural barriers, no matter the risk, and the risks are high (it appears she’s unwanted in repressive Galland where knowledge and learning is now shunned, and so no one would weep if she didn’t return). The arrogance of the men she travels with means that many are killed and she along with some others is taken captive. Tandy has gained the attention of Tzadok, and he isn’t planning to let her go. As the Lord of Salt, Tzadok reigns over all the tribes of The Wasteland and to say he is an unpopular ruler with a short temper would be no understatement.
The spark between the main characters: Tzadok (aka The Wasteland Butcher) and Tandy (aka the scholar/translator from Galland), just wasn’t there for me. I couldn’t believe in the relationship/bond, and some of what Tandy said just had me rolling my eyes.
Overall, this was certainly not what I was hoping for, there was a sense of awkwardness, to the scenes and character interactions/dialogue, which meant I really couldn’t sink in to this read, nor could I immerse myself in the world the author had constructed, and I really wanted to like this book. There were some moments of good humour, but not enough to make this memorable, and I didn’t find myself connecting or caring about the characters and what would happen to them. This was an accidental re-read, but it won’t be happening again.
This book does belong to a series, but it can be read as a standalone.
Acquired via KU.
The premise sounded promising, a linguist is sent by her people to help communicate with the savages of The Wasteland, it’s her job to bridge cultural barriers, no matter the risk, and the risks are high (it appears she’s unwanted in repressive Galland where knowledge and learning is now shunned, and so no one would weep if she didn’t return). The arrogance of the men she travels with means that many are killed and she along with some others is taken captive. Tandy has gained the attention of Tzadok, and he isn’t planning to let her go. As the Lord of Salt, Tzadok reigns over all the tribes of The Wasteland and to say he is an unpopular ruler with a short temper would be no understatement.
The spark between the main characters: Tzadok (aka The Wasteland Butcher) and Tandy (aka the scholar/translator from Galland), just wasn’t there for me. I couldn’t believe in the relationship/bond, and some of what Tandy said just had me rolling my eyes.
Overall, this was certainly not what I was hoping for, there was a sense of awkwardness, to the scenes and character interactions/dialogue, which meant I really couldn’t sink in to this read, nor could I immerse myself in the world the author had constructed, and I really wanted to like this book. There were some moments of good humour, but not enough to make this memorable, and I didn’t find myself connecting or caring about the characters and what would happen to them. This was an accidental re-read, but it won’t be happening again.
This book does belong to a series, but it can be read as a standalone.
Acquired via KU.
September 6, 2018
This was FUN. Ridiculous in the best of ways. The characters, the storyline...I was sucked into the world. I had tears from laughing in a couple spots. Yay!
August 11, 2017
Pacing was Off
For me at least, I don't think the third installment lived up to the first two. And that may be because Uriah and Ransom are just too great to follow. And I really want the Prince Charming book. I've been waiting for it since I first discovered Elizabeth Gannon's work.
Overall, I think the biggest struggle was the pacing of the book. While her work tends to contain large chunks of introspective text, I've never had a problem maintaining interest. Normally the banter between the characters keeps things interesting. But that wasn't there for me this time. I feel like the main couple didn't have enough spark to keep me interested the whole way through, and the side couple was...less than desirable for me (explanation later). Things perked up at about 60%, but by 70% I was ready for the book to be finished. I finished it, but more through sheer willpower than a genuine desire to see the story through.
The grammar and spelling has greatly improved, but still needs work. A lot of the difficulty seems to be with homophones, or words that are almost homophones. The most memorable one in this story was "pedals" instead of "petals".
I think the world-building in this one was stronger than it was in the second, and maybe even the first (it's been a while). It was nice to explore more of the Wasteland, and I would like to see even more of the world she's created.
It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't what I expected from Ms. Gannon.
/spoilers/
I think a lot of it came from the main characters and the main two side characters. I liked Tzadok, it's always interesting to have a lead who is considered dumb. It might have been more interesting if he were actually not terribly bright. But I did like how he and Tandy completely reversed the roles you would've expected of them based on Book 2.
But Ms. Gannon did note that originally she didn't plan for there to be anything between these two, and I can see how that persisted into the novel. The chemistry wasn't the level that I expected it to be, and not what I've seen in her previous works.
What made me want to skip parts was Kobb and his captive (Violet?). She also mentioned at the end that she hadn't planned on either of them playing such big roles. I personally would've appreciated seeing them less. Kobb was interesting on his own, but not when he was with Violet, and Violet wasn't an enjoyable character. She wasn't the /witch/ you liked seeing, she was just violent and foul-tempered. I probably would've liked the book more without her in it, honestly. And as for their relationship, as one of the side characters noted, if you have to explain how it's not creepy, it's creepy.
I did enjoy seeing Uriah's brother the Bear, and his sister Bradley. My fingers are crossed that we'll see them again soon.
I think I just have a preference for anyone associated with Uriah.
For me at least, I don't think the third installment lived up to the first two. And that may be because Uriah and Ransom are just too great to follow. And I really want the Prince Charming book. I've been waiting for it since I first discovered Elizabeth Gannon's work.
Overall, I think the biggest struggle was the pacing of the book. While her work tends to contain large chunks of introspective text, I've never had a problem maintaining interest. Normally the banter between the characters keeps things interesting. But that wasn't there for me this time. I feel like the main couple didn't have enough spark to keep me interested the whole way through, and the side couple was...less than desirable for me (explanation later). Things perked up at about 60%, but by 70% I was ready for the book to be finished. I finished it, but more through sheer willpower than a genuine desire to see the story through.
The grammar and spelling has greatly improved, but still needs work. A lot of the difficulty seems to be with homophones, or words that are almost homophones. The most memorable one in this story was "pedals" instead of "petals".
I think the world-building in this one was stronger than it was in the second, and maybe even the first (it's been a while). It was nice to explore more of the Wasteland, and I would like to see even more of the world she's created.
It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't what I expected from Ms. Gannon.
/spoilers/
I think a lot of it came from the main characters and the main two side characters. I liked Tzadok, it's always interesting to have a lead who is considered dumb. It might have been more interesting if he were actually not terribly bright. But I did like how he and Tandy completely reversed the roles you would've expected of them based on Book 2.
But Ms. Gannon did note that originally she didn't plan for there to be anything between these two, and I can see how that persisted into the novel. The chemistry wasn't the level that I expected it to be, and not what I've seen in her previous works.
What made me want to skip parts was Kobb and his captive (Violet?). She also mentioned at the end that she hadn't planned on either of them playing such big roles. I personally would've appreciated seeing them less. Kobb was interesting on his own, but not when he was with Violet, and Violet wasn't an enjoyable character. She wasn't the /witch/ you liked seeing, she was just violent and foul-tempered. I probably would've liked the book more without her in it, honestly. And as for their relationship, as one of the side characters noted, if you have to explain how it's not creepy, it's creepy.
I did enjoy seeing Uriah's brother the Bear, and his sister Bradley. My fingers are crossed that we'll see them again soon.
I think I just have a preference for anyone associated with Uriah.
March 13, 2022
I enjoyed this book. It told the story of two side characters from Nobody Likes Fairytale Pirates, Tzadok The Wasteland Butcher and Tandy the translator from Galland. I really enjoyed reading their story after reading their funny, ridiculous scene in Fairytale Pirates.
Tandy was not my favorite, but she was okay. I didn't love her treatment of Tzadok. I loved Kobb and Tzadok and even Violet. I loved the over the top dramatic language the barbarians used whem threatening their enemies. My one major issue was some editing errors which appeared repeatedly. Petals in the wind. Not pedals.
Tandy was not my favorite, but she was okay. I didn't love her treatment of Tzadok. I loved Kobb and Tzadok and even Violet. I loved the over the top dramatic language the barbarians used whem threatening their enemies. My one major issue was some editing errors which appeared repeatedly. Petals in the wind. Not pedals.
August 2, 2017
Yay!!
I love the Gannon sisters! Two distinct styles, I am not in anyway saying they are interchangeable, but I will always without question buy their books as soon as they are out. Fairytale Barbarian was a great read! My only problem is that I know I will have to wait for more.
I love the Gannon sisters! Two distinct styles, I am not in anyway saying they are interchangeable, but I will always without question buy their books as soon as they are out. Fairytale Barbarian was a great read! My only problem is that I know I will have to wait for more.
August 10, 2017
Laughter, Love and Conan!
We're back in Fairytale land with Elizabeth's latest book. And I'm now "Team Wasteland". I liked Kobb and Violet's secondary plot as much as Tz and Tandy. Tandy had me crossing my eyes with her logic at times, totally sympathizing with Tz. Overall a fun longer read.
We're back in Fairytale land with Elizabeth's latest book. And I'm now "Team Wasteland". I liked Kobb and Violet's secondary plot as much as Tz and Tandy. Tandy had me crossing my eyes with her logic at times, totally sympathizing with Tz. Overall a fun longer read.
May 6, 2023
This book is NOT meant to be taken seriously. Their banter was really nice and funny, but most of the scenes went on for far too long! Packing it too much for each scene made my brain tired, they're arguing over the same topic in circles and yeah yeah they're chaotic and all but it has to end sometime!
September 2, 2017
Loved it!
This book is great. It's nice if you've read the last 2 in the series to know who some of the secondary characters mentioned are, but I don't think it's necessary to enjoy this completely excellent novel.
This book is great. It's nice if you've read the last 2 in the series to know who some of the secondary characters mentioned are, but I don't think it's necessary to enjoy this completely excellent novel.
June 13, 2019
Very entertaining
Really enjoyed the story and actually laughed out loud a number of times, which is rare for me. A little heavy on the dialogue at times but all in all fairly awesome. The banter was good and the characters were well written.
Really enjoyed the story and actually laughed out loud a number of times, which is rare for me. A little heavy on the dialogue at times but all in all fairly awesome. The banter was good and the characters were well written.
July 22, 2025
I have laughed so hard and so much. I am the exact target audience for this book apparently. I read Cassandra gannon's books and I really like the slightly darker books that I've read so far by Elizabeth. I bought this one and Pirates immediately after reading them in KU.
August 11, 2017
Awesome read
Love this authors style of writing! It's a fun read with plenty of fun characters. I did like the cameos from the previous books in the series
Love this authors style of writing! It's a fun read with plenty of fun characters. I did like the cameos from the previous books in the series
September 10, 2017
Very different from what I expected but I enjoyed it all the same.
December 3, 2017
This book was not the story I've expected (I wanted more Ryle!!!) but it is still funny. I really like Tandrea's character, she is absolutely crazy and made me laugh almost all the time. I gave this 3 stars only because I liked it less than the previous two books of the series (Nobody likes fairy-tales pirates is my favourite), but I still recommend it, because like the other books is really entertaining.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2023
This read like a fanfic and not in a good way.
September 16, 2023
Personally, I enjoyed Kobb & Voilet's story more than the main characters story. (shrug) Ryle's story is out there somewhere I hope...?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
dnf
August 6, 2024DNF at 23%
Really tried but this was too confusing
Really tried but this was too confusing
October 19, 2018
Great book, I loved it
October 5, 2023
I really enjoyed this, it's hilarious, all the characters are bonkers, the world they live in is insane and I just kept laughing.
Read
November 21, 2017The writing style wasn't really for me. The book began with a huge, extended info dump, and there were long sections of backstory, exposition, description, etc at every turn. Someone would make a comment during a conversation, and then you'd go off into pages and pages explaining all of this backstory as to why that person said that thing, the implications of what they said, who this person was, their history with the other person they were talking to, their role in society, etc, etc. This happened constantly. It really interrupted the flow of the book, b/c I was constantly pulled away from the conversation at hand or the scene right then to go off on a extended mental or historical or cultural tangent. It was "telling and not showing" in the extreme.
The book has a strong comedic element, which could seem very jarring in light of some of the violent things that happened
The hero was angry all the time. Ridiculously, insanely angry and was barely controlled with it. It was not sexy at all. It made him seem immature and childish and like he was about to freak out and lose it at all times. Or perhaps have some sort of mental breakdown or fit. Sometimes, it seemed he might start hyperventilating from his constant screaming.
The heroine was irritating and seemed obtuse with her obsession with the nuances of language when she was in such life-threatening and violent surroundings. It was over the top.
The book had an interesting premise, but I'm gonna pass.
The book has a strong comedic element, which could seem very jarring in light of some of the violent things that happened
The hero was angry all the time. Ridiculously, insanely angry and was barely controlled with it. It was not sexy at all. It made him seem immature and childish and like he was about to freak out and lose it at all times. Or perhaps have some sort of mental breakdown or fit. Sometimes, it seemed he might start hyperventilating from his constant screaming.
The heroine was irritating and seemed obtuse with her obsession with the nuances of language when she was in such life-threatening and violent surroundings. It was over the top.
The book had an interesting premise, but I'm gonna pass.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews