The overarching world and plot of this story was significantly darker and more complex than in other Ruby Dixon books I've read, even the Aspect and Anchor series. At the same time, the relationship development between Candra and Nemeth was incredibly sweet (and steamy). Candra and Nemeth are locked together in a tower, with no knowledge of what is happening in the outside world, and this made for an engaging, mysterious external plot. I couldn't stop reading the last half of the book. While the ending was mostly satisfying, there were a couple of plot points that were either dropped or weren't fully resolved. Ultimately, it was still a great story, and I'm excited about the direction Ruby Dixon's high fantasy romance writing has taken.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My hopes for this novel were average. The plot seemed interesting like a rewriting of Sleeping Beauty if the tale was fractured and the prince was also forced into the tower to squander seven years of their lives away to appease a vengeful God all while the prince had ulterior motives and the princess was a whiny debutant who only cared for her own needs.
Okay, there is A LOT more happening in this story and beyond the tower and having to remain within there isn’t many parallels to the traditional fairy tale. I liked that Prince Nemeth wasn’t necessarily handsome by today’s standards (or human exactly — think more gargoyle meets sater) and neither was Candra for that matter. While she was a raven haired beauty she was also described as round and big breasted. That was refreshing!!! Needless to say this lazy princess with cursed blood and a penchant for horizontal athletics was not prepared to spend seven years in a dark (no windows) tower with a male complete stranger.
I will say there were more than a few plot holes that the author tried her best to work around and fill, but the finer points of this scenario just create far too many side questions. That said take the story for what it is as you read and don’t jump down that rabbit hole. Just enjoy the building relationship between Nemeth and Candra.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Wattpad Books for the eARC! My thoughts are my own and this review is in return for an amazing adventure.

No regrets!!!!
3.5 out of 5 stars

“𝐇𝐞’𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐜𝐤.”

Bound to the Shadow Prince is a monster fantasy romance. I was expecting to really enjoy this one, especially since having read this authors Ice Planet Barbarians series, but I have some really mixed feelings. The premise of this was so promising, 2 enemies locked together in a tower for 7 years to appease the Gods, but I struggled throughout the book.

Let’s start with the things I really liked: The fact that the FMC was curvy and sex positive. Princess Candra and Prince Nemeth were the very definition of opposites attract and balanced each other nicely. The spice was hotter than I was expecting and there was plenty of it. The twist at the end was one I never coming and surprised me in the best way.

What I disliked: The pacing. The characters spend majority of the book in the tower and while there were plenty of steamy scenes, not much else happens. Once they leave the tower, the pacing was still a bit off and the ending felt rushed, although by that point, I was just ready for the end.

As a fan of Ruby Dixon's other popular series, I was really excited to receive this arc copy. I went into it without any knowledge of the what to expect, and while in most cases that tends to prevent any unfair expectations, it may have helped me.

I really loved so many parts of this story. At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about Candra but she really quickly grew on me through her inner monologue. As with all of Ruby Dixon's male characters, I fell in love with how sweet and protective Nemeth was. They provided a great balance of opposites-attract, a fiercely protective mate and ample steamy scenes. I was also really invested in finding out more about the blood curse, and the plot twist/reveal at the end really surprised me. I loved the history, legends etc and wish they had been more prominent int he plot rather than just as information given to use through the narrative.

I did also find myself struggling with the pacing at times. A large portion of this story takes place within the tower, and there was (as expected) very little that happened. This was filled with a lot of information about the kingdoms and their histories, the gods etc, but since we receive this from a first-person point of view, it did become monotonous at times. I would have been far more invested had there been dual pov to follow Nemeth's balance of information and make the tower-section not feel as long and draw out (I do appreciate why first-person was necessary for the plot twists, though.)

Once the MCs reach Darkfell, this plot became far more exciting, but I feel that too much had already taken place at a really slow pace. I think this book could have been a much stronger read if the (reading) time spent in the tour was shorter, and we learned more about the histories and lores while the MCs are travelling through Lios and Darkfell. Also, if this book had been about 150 pages shorter, those amazing moments would have had a longer lasting impact on the overall experience.

As a fan of Ruby Dixon's other popular series, I was really excited to receive this arc copy. I went into it without any knowledge of the what to expect, and while in most cases that tends to prevent any unfair expectations, it may have helped me.

I really loved so many parts of this story. At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about Candra but she really quickly grew on me through her inner monologue. As with all of Ruby Dixon's male characters, I fell in love with how sweet and protective Nemeth was. They provided a great balance of opposites-attract, a fiercely protective mate and ample steamy scenes. I was also really invested in finding out more about the blood curse, and the plot twist/reveal at the end really surprised me. I loved the history, legends etc and wish they had been more prominent int he plot rather than just as information given to use through the narrative.

I did also find myself struggling with the pacing at times. A large portion of this story takes place within the tower, and there was (as expected) very little that happened. This was filled with a lot of information about the kingdoms and their histories, the gods etc, but since we receive this from a first-person point of view, it did become monotonous at times. I would have been far more invested had there been dual pov to follow Nemeth's balance of information and make the tower-section not feel as long and draw out (I do appreciate why first-person was necessary for the plot twists, though.)

Once the MCs reach Darkfell, this plot became far more exciting, but I feel that too much had already taken place at a really slow pace. I think this book could have been a much stronger read if the (reading) time spent in the tour was shorter, and we learned more about the histories and lores while the MCs are travelling through Lios and Darkfell. Also, if this book had been about 150 pages shorter, those amazing moments would have had a longer lasting impact on the overall experience.

3 stars!
This was you usual fun Ruby Dixon romp, if you like her books you know exactly what you are in for with this one. The story follows Candra as she struggles with being locked away in a tower with a stranger to prevent a curse from ravaging the land.
Candra has a rare sickness that runs in her family line, and has spent her whole life partying and generally not worrying about much until her sister who was always supposed to be locked away for several years to prevent a curse dies suddenly and she ends up being sent to the tower instead. While trapped in the tower she finds herself drawn to and eventually befriending Nemeth, a prince from the enemy kingdom and her fellow sacrifice.

I enjoyed the beginning of this book a lot it was fun and I had a good time watching Candra and Nemeths relationship grow, it lost me in the second half of the book sadly which is why I can’t personally rate it any higher.

Thank you NetGalley!

Although I enjoyed the first half, the book is so slow. If it was cut down or divided into two books I would of enjoyed this book more.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this arc!

Bound to the Shadow Prince was inspired by the Trojan War. Two rival armies send one of their own to a tower to be locked up for the next seven years. Candra and Nemeth should hate each other as they’re enemies, but their forced proximity brings them together. Candra has a blood curse who can’t get pregnant (or so she thought). And Nemeth cannot weird magick as well as the rest of their family. As their yearly supplies disappears, the two decide to do the forbidden and leave the tower. From there, they figured out just how corrupt both sides are.

This is a thrilling ride of fantasy filled with spice, forbidden love and plot twists!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f fantasy romance
-chronic illness rep
-opposites attract
-forced proximity
-roommance
-virgin MMC
-forbidden romance
-plus size rep

This book had fairtyale vibes in the best way, and add in a plus size FMC and I was sucked right in. Candra has been treated differently her entire life, and it was so lovely to watch her fall for Nemeth, her opposite in a lot of ways. I loved how they both took care of each other as they world put so much on their shoulders. Steamy and with twists and turns that have you wondering until the end how this will all work out.

Out of all the plot twists I've read in books, that was one I didn't see coming.

The book had a slow start for me, but as soon as Candra and Nemeth started communicating better, then it got my attention. Candra is forced to stay in a tower for seven years with her enemy all to appease a God and help win the war. Nemeth, a prince and an enemy, is in the same situation, however he was basically raised and taught to become this sacrifice for his people.

Candra is a stubborn, entitled, and sick princess. She needs to take medicine every day otherwise she'll get worse and die. Nemeth, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. He's smart, caring and strong. Candra is human and Nemeth is not. As soon as they are in the tower and locked in, they are basically cut off from everyone except for the people that resupply them once a year. While the war is going on, they face challenges in the tower but the hardest one will test their trust on each other.

This book not only delves into sensitive topics like insecurities, mental health issues and family relationships, but it also shows you how someone can overcome them. In this case of course, Candra and Nemeth. Just because they grew up privileged doesn't mean they didn't grow up without trauma.

Candra and Nemeths story spans over a few years but to be honest, they weren't exactly my favorite. Yes, there was great development for Candra, but Nemeth went from good to sorta bad. The romance was definitely slow burn, the plot took place in a tower and only so much can happen before you start feeling bored., and the action didn't action until the last few chapters of the book. There was family drama, toxic and tragic happenings, but it had a good ending.

The dynamics around trust, betrayal, and family dynamics in this book were strong and well constructed.
The choice to choose loyalty to one’s birth family versus one’s chosen family was well written.
The explicit sex scenes make the book not appropriate for the classroom.

Absolutely loved the enemies to lovers story. It was a fantastic read with great spice. I couldn’t wait to curl up & read when I had the chance. Ruby Dixon always hits it out of the park for me. I loved the two kingdoms and the backstories
She really knows how get me immersed in a world with sexy mates & great characters.
Will definitely be watching for publication day & to see if I can add this to my ruby dixon bookshelf

OMGoodness!!! This book checked all my boxes! Grumpy-Sunshine, Forced Proximity, Touch her and die, Spicy, Enemies to lovers, just all of it! Candra and Nemeth have my heart in a vice! The character development and rich world-building kept me reading, I couldn't put it down!

Wow, just woooooowwwww, this was such an epic read, there really are no words that could remotely do this book justice. I guess we can go with “obsessed”, as in I am obsessed…and addicted. So maybe there are 2 words, obsessively addicted. It was fantastic, I lost so much sleep reading it, and I regret absolutely nothing. I mean seriously, just wow. I am a huge Ruby Dixon super fan, and this may be one of my favorite books of hers. It was just fantastic, there aren’t enough stars for this book, it was just that good. She really outdid herself, which I think is telling because she is a fantastic writer. And now…I’m completely obsessively addicted.

Princess Candromeda aka Candra from Lios and Prince Nemeth from Darkfell are both Royal Offerings of their opposing bloodlines that have to stay in the Tower of Balance for 7 years with only each other, they can’t leave, and are bricked in to appease the goddess. And this is how their epic love story starts. These two had so much chemistry, and they fell madly in love with each other. She was charmingly over-the-top blunt, flirty, she was who she was without apology, with a whole side of ornery extra. What you saw is what you got, and I loved it. He was a sweet scholar that absolutely adored her, pampered his precious princess, with an admiring ability to handle her, and believe me she needed to be handled. Their heat was scorching, and they were insatiable for each other. And…she was insatiable for his knot….yup it’s exactly what you think…and yup, she was a lucky girl indeed. Normally in a book, I always favor one of the couple, either the guy or the girl, but in this one I loved them both. They just went together like salt and pepper, peanut butter and jelly, me and Dean Winchester…just checking to see if you’re still reading *winks*, but you get the idea. Basically they were insatiably smitten with each other.

Safe read, with a hot af couple that are madly in love, and insatiably smitten with each other. They are together with each other no matter what. Fantastic storyline with more twists, turns and wtaf moments than you can possibly think up. It was like quick sand, you just got sucked in, next thing you know it’s wee hours in the morning, but you could care less as long as you can read one more chapter(s). All the emotions, like every single one, they are all there. A sweet epilogue and a hea. Ok, I’ve waited long enough, 3 whole paragraphs, will there be more in this world? No, not asking for a friend, because I’m just too obsessed…yup, I’m still as subtle as a Mack truck, but will there be more, because I really am that obsessed. When you read this book crack, you’ll be obsessed too, we can start a support club for our addictions, it will be a whole thing…you’re welcome. And Ruby Dixon, thank you so much for writing this epic and addicting book with a couple that I am equally obsessed with, I’ve never been so happy to lose sleep. #TotallyWorthIt

sheeeeesh the steam in this one 🥵 was off the charts! I wanted to read an addictive fantasy story and this one was exactly that! Ruby Dixon just writes the best soul mate stories and I loved it! my only complaint was the attitude the princess had at the beginning- she was a little annoying - but I can see how she needed to be like that in order for you to fully love her character at the end.

4 stars!

This was an...interesting story. On the surface I loved the premise, the characters, and the settings. BUT some of the construction felt messy, overwhelming, and rushed. The beginning was gripping, and the ending was awesome, but that middle section was just plain rough. It even got to a point where the sex felt gratuitous. I'll be interested to read more in the series, because I love Ruby and this had some fun worldbuilding, but this one just wasn't it.

Also....it might not be the best idea to refer to wanting to write a "sexy" chronic disease.

This was an excellent story with really interesting and unique characters. There was so much to the story that really drew me in, and although I was looking forward to the spicy level of this book, I was blown away by how enraptured I was with the whole story overall! I will say that the spicy scenes were great, but there wasn't a ton of variety after the first few scenes. I really enjoyed the character progression, and I felt like it was realistic how they interacted and grew to know each other more. Definitely a book I'm glad to have read and will be recommending!

2.75 ⭐️

I love Ruby Dixon’s books. Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me. I’m a sucker for an enemies to lovers, but I think this was unnecessarily long. While the first few turns of the book was enjoyable, at around the 65% mark I wondered why the book wasn’t wrapping up yet. We had a realistic FMC with chronic illness representation and a realistic body type (which was great), and the most exciting premise of the book was the tower (which they end up leaving and that’s where the story went haywire.)

I will still continue reading her other series, but I’m not sure this is one to rave about. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

A spoiled princess and a Fellian prince are forced to spend 7 years in a tower and given little supplies to survive. Fail and be prepared to face the wrath. Bound to the Shadow Prince is a fantasy that transports you to this bookish realm with its fantastic world-building and magnetic characters.

As soon as I read the synopsis, I thought "Wow, this is going to be unique". And it sure was. I have never read a book by Ruby Dixon and yet her writing pulled me in. This book is lengthy, but it never felt like it. The sassy Candra and the scholarly Nehmeth kept my eyes glued to the pages. I didn't want to stop reading until I reached the last page. I do love a fantasy book and add in romance and I love it. And yet this book is unlike anything I've read before. I was introduced to a Fellian, a gray-winged creature with animal features like claws and fangs but is also intelligent and expresses human emotions. Add in forced proximity with high stakes as in life or death, and the last thing you expect is romance. However, romance might be the only inevitable thing to keep these two people from enemy races to survive.

Candra is a princess who has always felt like the spare. Her blood curse prevents her from bearing children and producing an heir so her kingdom's expectations of her are nonexistent. She doesn't want a pity party and embraces her curse. Yes, she needs medicine daily to survive so she might as well have fun and live her life without boundaries. That's what her plan is until she receives news of the death of her sister. Now, she is left with the burden of sacrificing 7 years in a tower to protect her kingdom. She very well can't let her other sister who is with her child live a life of sadness and stress so she accepts.

On the other side of the world, Nehmeth has known his whole life that he would be the Fellian to sacrifice and spend 7 years in a tower with a human. He has always liked books more than people and knows it shouldn't be too hard for him. But when he is trapped with Candra, the sassy and flirtatious princess it is going to be tougher than he thought.

The first days and weeks are tough, but as months go by and supplies become low that's when the worry begins. And Candra is facing even more stress to make her medicinal potion to keep her alive. With supplies dwindling her mind can play tricks on her and start thinking the worst. It's either death or talk to the Fellian who shares the tower. Or should she steal from him? That plan doesn't work and that's when their bond begins. Nemeth and Candra are anomalies to one another. For Candra, she can't imagine this creature being so caring, kind, and intelligent. For Nehmeth, he isn't used to all the sexual innuendos and Candra's boldness. To say they are total opposites would be an understatement, but they put it all aside to survive. It's at this time that they talk and have meaningful conversations. Once, they get to know each other, the sexual tension follows. Let me just say that when they decide to move their newfound friendship into a sexual relationship, it's freaking SPICY! I am just letting you know now that things get HOT so make sure your fans are on!

As their romance blooms, fate has a plan. It feels like everything is working against them and their happiness, but they will do whatever it takes to not only survive but they will do everything it takes to live a life together. The unexpected twists and turns and enemies from afar and within force them to make daring choices. By the last 10 or so chapters, I gasped too many times to count because of all the unforeseen obstacles.

As I mentioned before, this fantasy romance was unlike anything I've read before so, be prepared to feel enamored by this world and its characters. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fantasy novel with fantastic world-building, charming yet fierce characters, and steamy scenes hot enough to make you sweat.

I absolutely loved this book. This was my first book to ready by Ruby Dixon and I was not disappointed at all. I was so enthralled in the story and what was going to happen next. The world building was astounding. She made the tower feel claustrophobic and then it gradually starts feeling more and more like a home. The slow burn romance was great giving the characters time to adjust and warm up to each other rather than diving headfirst into a love story. I can’t wait to read more of her books. This is definitely a shelf worthy book!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”