Ruby Dixon has done it again!!! I loved this book!

Tropes I loved!
Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity
Hero saves her

Tropes I didn't love!
Pregnancy

Ruby really took her time with the slow-burn romance but the enemies-to-lovers arc was so well done! Quite a bit more violence and death than she normally does but I enjoyed reading a darker side to her work. The world-building was fantastic!

absolutely obsessed with Ruby, Dixon, and this enemies to lovers romance was fun and action packed! I thought the main characters were extremely relatable and had amazing chemistry

Thank you NetGalley and Wattpad books for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I soft DNFd this book, I would like to revisit at a later date! I’m giving 4 stars, rounded up from my 3.5, just because I know I’ll like it more when I revisit.

This is a SLOW BURN, especially since I’m used to Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarian’s series, where we usually don’t have to wait too long for the spice! Bound to the Shadow Prince is also quite long, and I’ve been having a hard time getting through longer, slower paced novels.

I loved Candra, our party princess forced into dedicating seven years of her life to being unexpectedly trapped in a tower. I also loved Nemeth, a Fellian and supposed-to-be enemy to Candra. Definitely lovable characters, and if you love political intrigue and a slow burn that will most certainly have payoff, this is for you!

I was obsessed from start to finish. I love the Ice Planet Barbarians series by this author and this book was no exception. I give it a solid four stars. The reason is isn't higher is because I do think it could be a little bit shorter. This book has so many gothic elements and at times was giving the hunch back of notre dam. I usually an not a huge slow burn girly, but WOW the slow burn in this book ate, and the spice, let's just say was so good. I mean, I am not surprised considering Ruby is known for her spice.

Ruby Dixon’s Bound to the Shadow Prince is a mesmerizing blend of dark fantasy and romance, weaving together elements of forbidden love, sacrifice, and the haunting allure of the unknown. This novel takes readers on a journey into a world where love blooms in the most unlikely of places—inside a tower meant to be both a prison and a sanctuary.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. I usually really like fantasy romance books where romance is the plot but I just found this one to be too much. I also felt that it was unnecessarily long winded. It was ok but not something I would search out.

To protect her kingdom, Princess Candra must remain locked in a tower for seven years with her kingdom's enemy - a Fellian. Nemeth is enormous with his wings, claws, and fangs. But, could he be more than an enemy? Princess Candra soon finds it hard to be isolated after having such a no-strings attached lifestlye of drama and romance before the tower.

This book was easy to consume in a very short amount of time; great for a quick weekend read to distract yourself in a fantasy world with a questionable romance. Is this hybrow, intrecate fantasy, no. Did I have fun reading it and did I wonder if there would be more titles to make it a series, yes. Did I also read a few other of the author's titles after this, also yes. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a quick, soft erotica fantasy.

Great book! New concept with original ideas and still keeping true to the romantsy genre. I had no idea who to trust or what was going on the entire time! I will definitely keep reading this series.

One star removed because it started to drag a little in the middle.

Pros: I love this cover art. Honestly, if I didn’t already know Ruby Dixon, the cover art alone would draw me to pick up this book. I love the monster romance genre and forced proximity trope. I love how we get a strong MMC that loves our FMC unconditionally.

Cons: the beginning of the book didn’t initially hook me. I would have liked for the FMC’s curse to be explained in more depth. This book is so long, it really felt like 3 stories pushed into one. And the biggest con for me was the use of modern language for people that don’t even have plumbing. Why would we be referencing a school dance for someone that probably never even left her castle for lessons. And the amount of times she said dragon shite made me want to throw the book across the room.

I lovedddd Ice Planet Barbarians. This book just didn’t hit it. It was a dnf for me. It seemed so long winded and like nothing was happening. I enjoy fantasy romance but nothinnggggg was happening. I didn’t care for the heroine, she was annoying. Maybe she got better as the story went along but it was too long for me to care to finish.

Could not stand the FMC from beginning to end. Plus it was just weird pacing and felt like it went on for way too long. Still love me some Ruby Dixon though. This just wasn’t for me.

Enemies to lovers, she’s beauty he’s beast (literally) Forced proximity? Check. Spice? Check. Adventure? Check.

I love Ruby Dixon and originally became a fan during the Ice Planet Barbarians TikTok era IYKYK. In Bound to the Shadow Prince we have our spoiled seemingly ill princess and our gruff nerdy prince from two different warring kingdoms. The character development was probably my favorite aspect of this story. Seeing both MC’s come into their own, overcome the obstacles thrown at them, and stand up against those they love for each other was *chefs kiss*

I have mixed emotions because I really enjoyed this story and I know that so much was necessary to the world building…. I just felt at times that there was a little too much filler. It felt drug out and then the end felt rushed.

I really hope that this is going to be a series as I just feel like there is so much more to this story. I need to know what happens *after* even if it’s from a different characters POV.

Why.

That's what I need to know - Why. Why on EARTH was this book as long as it was? There is no conceivable reason this book needed to take as long as it did. I literally almost starting skipping lines and whole chapters because it felt so redundant. At least...the first 75% of the book felt redundant. The last 25% was fantastic, and much more of what I expect from a Ruby Dixon book. I was the entire book had been that way, but here we are.

If you've got time, it wouldn't hurt to read it. But if you're looking for something quick? Keep looking.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Ruby Dixon for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Bound to the Shadow Prince by Ruby Dixon promises a steamy monster romance between two members of enemy lands. Steamy it was, however, the plot fell short for me. For most of the story the romance drags on and on and not much is happening but in the end it is filled with too much action and too many twists that could’ve been better dispersed throughout the novel. Overall, this book was definitely not for me.

I enjoyed this! I think it's very well written for the audience that it is intended for, and wouldn't be surprised to find it making the rounds on TikTok before too long (if it's not already!). It's Ruby Dixon, so there's a certain level of "plot sacrificed in favor of witty/flirting" banter that I expected from having read some of her other books, so I was prepared and didn't find it as off putting as other readers unfamiliar with Dixon's books might. I mean, it's all about that love story, right! Plot isn't 100% the reason that people read Ruby Dixon's books. But that doesn't mean that there wasn't any kind of plot to follow along with, and I really enjoyed the worldbuilding that we did get for this fantasy setting! (Even the parts that were clearly dedicated to fanservice. I see and respect what you do for your readers, Dixon.)


Yes it got a bit repetitive in the middle, it maybe could have been better served by dropping a 100 pages or so. But on the whole, Bound to the Shadow Prince was a great way to spend an afternoon! Romantasy fans flock hence, because this book is definitely for you

Bound to the Shadow Prince follows Princess Candra and Nemeth, a monstrous creature and an enemy to her people. Both are stuck together in a tower for seven years. This book is a slow-burn, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, and is uncharacteristically long for a Ruby Dixon book, probably because it was a serial first.

I absolutely loved Ice Planet Barbarians, so I thought I would enjoy Bound to the Shadow Prince, but the story just didn't land for me. I think the pacing is off in general. I did enjoy the romance and the characters, and I will continue to read Ruby's books.

A consuming read with quite the world building - the concept of human versus Fellian (non-human) and their strife over the years. Complete with gods and creation tales, this is an easy read. Good for fans of Sarah J Maas.


Thank you to Netgalley and the published for providing me with an ARC of this title.

I was not a fan of the main character which really just stopped me from enjoying most of this book. This was very slow in the beginning as the first several chapters are just two characters who do not speak to each other but are locked in a tower together. I was intrigued by the dynamic of the princess and the prince from an enemy race, but it just lacked. Between how slow everything played out and the FMC I just was not a fan.

I received Bound to the Shadow Prince in return for an honest review from the publisher W by Wattpad Books.

For the next seven years Candra will be locked away in a dark tower to protect her people with a stranger who is also the enemy of her people. They deliver her to the tower with everything they think she will need to survive for a year. She ventures into the unknown determined to survive these seven years. Nemeth is everything she's been led to believe about the monsterous race of Felians. Or she thinks he is till she start to discover the cracks and they start to spend time together.

I loved Candra and Nemeth they are so perfect for each other when they finally accept the fact that they can't just avoid each other for the next 7 years. I love the sweet romance as they slowly formed a friendship that eventually blossomed into love. I love that they had to make a break from the tower as the world outside was forced to change. I felt I was really able to connect with them both and just loved them.

This isn't my first book by the author as I've been working my way through them all and had some high expectations and she nailed it. Bound to the Shadow Prince is a fast paced steamy monster romance that captures the heart as well as the imagination. I couldn't put it down and ended up devouring it over 2 long reading sessions because it's chunky. You wouldn't know it because you get sucked into the story and it just flows along.

The author has done a beautiful job creating a captivating story with engaging characters. I loved every moment of Candra and Nemeth's story and hated to see it end. I could use a few more from this world as it's very different from her typical alien romance. I highly recommend because every book by the author has been amazing but this is my favorite hands down.

I’ve never read anything by this author until now. This book was great and if you like smut I would definitely check this out because it’s super spicy. In this world the FMC is bound to a tower for 7 years and can’t leave to the outside world within this time. During this time she’s with the shadow prince in the same tower. This is a monster romance, fantasy. It was really good, I enjoyed it.