A MMC with shadow powers?? Yes please! But more importantly I ended up only being here for Terrance the Hawk.

The world-building and story setup that occurred at the beginning of this book was done so beautifully. Immersing myself into the world Helen Scheuerer created felt so natural. The initial attraction between the main characters and the whole set up of this book had me hooked from page one. Unfortunately, the romantic subplot ended up feeling kind of forced, as if it was part of the story for the sake of adding spice instead of adding to the plot. For me, a first person POV would have helped sell the romantic elements; By hearing how the characters were pining for each other directly from their respective points of view, the romance would have been a lot more believable than hearing about it from a narrator. That being said I would still consider this to be an enjoyable book for when you're craving a romantasy read.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book is great for acotar fans, cause who doesn’t love enemies to lovers winged men. Drue who is set on revenge due to her family getting killed, unexpectedly teams up with Talemir to get rid of the shadow wraiths that killed her entire family. Except he has a secret, he is part shadow wraith, but not wanting to turn into a wraith in attempts to try and hide that side of him he takes a tonic and ends up over dosing.

Tropes:
He falls first
Winged men
Enemies to lovers
He falls first

This turned out to be a delightful surprise! I was expecting just another spicy romantasy, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it not only delivered on the spice but also incorporated all the right tropes, making for an unexpectedly interesting story.

The book is peppered with many enjoyable moments, and we all love a hero whose penchant to reading romance. While it doesn't reinvent the wheel, it skillfully utilises the familiar elements of the genre to craft a fast and spicy story, hitting all the right notes.

It's an excellent choice when craving something steamy, complete with the familiar components of a fantasy romance, a straightforward world, and a conclusion that doesn't leave you hanging on a cliff. If you're seeking a satisfying standalone without delving into an entire series, this one fits the bill perfectly, offering a happy-for-now ending.

.Enemies to lovers
.Secrets
.He reads romance books
.Sharing a tent

Rating: 4.5/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

Ok, so who doesn’t love a good enemies to lovers book? I know I do love them so much and this book is just another one that has found a place in my heart. This was my first Scheuerer book and it will not be my last one! I am excited to do some back reading on her books.

The plot was well developed and easy to read. It had the perfect pace and the right amount of anger/justice/romance all wrapped up into one. I thought the author did a great job with attention to details and bringing the world to life. However, it was the characters for me that really made me love it.

Drue, what can I say other than she is a badass character. She can dance, and carry along at any noble party, but there is another side to her that you wouldn’t have known until the world came to an end with the horrible creatures that are hunting the humans of the world and doing horrible things to the ones that survive the whole ordeal. I can’t say more because I will just spoil that. Drue is thrown into this new world and learns to defend her fallen kingdom along with other rangers that have taken it upon themselves to protect all the humans left in their village. She can kick butt, she can word spar with the best, she isn’t afraid to tell it like it is and she is sure of herself but not cocky. She wants vengeance for the family members that were taken from her too soon. She is the best MFC!

Talemir is a great warrior who had a horrible thing happen to him and now he will do anything to kill the ones that made him this way. He is also praying that the only person that really knows what happened to him will come through with a mixer for him and he will be cured. I enjoyed getting to watch his character and coming to accept what has happened to him and seeing him go through that alone at first was sad but then to watch Drue being there for him was awe.

I received the audio for this book, and I have to say that the narrators did an amazing job. I love being able to be taken away into a book by a narrator and they both did that for me. Their voices flowed well together and I was not confused at all. I enjoyed the emotions that the narrators did, it helped to bring the book to life for me.

I want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to review this audio.

Unlike the silly sexy book I read earlier today - this one is a little serious. Which is nice. We need to read about contraceptives and stuff too.
I actually liked the characters too. This was not at all what I expected.
Wonderful.
Love the narration!

It’s always the books you least expect to that end up being legit not bad. I mean, I saw the cover and I expected yet another ACOTAR fanfic but surprisingly, it wasn’t. It does have some similarities but the world is interesting, we are giving just enough to keep the plot going but not too much that it would have become impossible to follow on audio. The romance wasn’t bad and the guy wasn’t too much of an alpha male type of love interest which is a pet peeves of mine. It’s another occurence of the ‘enemies-to-lovers’ but they stop being enemies at the 30% mark (I’ve stopped trusting those catch phrases because it’s never a TRUE enemies to lovers, especially when it comes to a standalone). At least, they get to hate each other a bit before lusting after one another. It’s not too long, entertaining while still offering a somehow solid story and characters and I think it’s meant to be a prequel of the author’s Blood and Steel series? The ending is very much open to more in that world and since I have the audiobook for the first book, I plan on listening to it as well. 4 stars

I loved this standalone so much. I was excited to learn there is a series following Wilder, "the apprentice". The Audiobook is well done.

I received an audiobook copy of this book from Netgalley. I voluntarily listened to this and voluntarily am leaving a review.

(4.5) What is it about an enemies to lovers fantasy story that is so addictive? I loved this book a heck of a lot. I’ve been craving a standalone fantasy book lately and this one filled in exactly what I wanted. I actually didn’t realize it connects to another of Scheurer’s books and now I can’t wait to read that one too (but just to be clear this can be read as a standalone). The world felt detailed and established without being over the top with more details and elements added in in such a natural organic way. I really enjoyed Scheurer’s writing style and hope there are lots of fantasy books in the future from her. I know I said I wanted a standalone, but now that I know Drue and Talemir I would gladly read a whole series with them. They’re different, vastly, but fit together so well. We get the stand off, the banter, and the eventual sweet sweet steam. And let me tell you… the steam was HOT. Listen, I’m weak at the knees for a mmc that gives the fmc a special nickname, it gets me every dang time. The side characters were all fantastic too. Okay, I’ll shush now but fantasy lovers, check this one out for sure!

Tropes/themes:
-enemies to lovers
-touch her and you ☠️
-special nickname
-forced proximity
-found family

Audible review. This was such an exciting listen. Set in the same world as the authors first book, this is meant as an add on to Blood and Steel, but could totally be listened to as a stand-alone fantasy read.
I loved the main characters. The ferocity of the MF was so refreshing. She came out the gate strong. The MMC, just swoon.
The tension between the two came out thru the audible. The narrators did a phenomenal jobs transporting me into the world and keep me engaged the entire listen. A million stars for this one!

Slaying the Shadow Prince is a great spicy romantasy! I loved the fact it takes part in the Blood & Steel universe and that I got to see Wilders backstory. I also now have a new shadow prince to occupy my mind, which is always acceptable. As always this author writes fluidly and beautifully, there’s a great plot and plenty of action amongst the romance to keep things interesting. I read this book as an audio, definitely one for headphones! The narrators did a great job with the different POVs and this really added to the experience. Thank you to the NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an Audio-ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

4.5 ✰ “If you need words of comfort, perhaps remember this: there are all kinds of darkness in this world. Some good, some bad, and some with no agenda at all. It’s what that darkness means to you and what you do with it yourself that matters most.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishing team for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.


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It’s not every day that I find a real enemies to lovers book, and I honestly wasn’t expecting it from this one; but oh boy was I wrong.

𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐬: 𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧, 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐭, 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐭𝐮𝐛 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞, 𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐞.

𝐎𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛: In a realm on the brink of destruction, evil forces snatch innocents to suffer fates worse than death. Only a monster hunter and her monstrous enemy can stop them.

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: Drue Emmerson, noblewoman-turned-ranger, wants one thing: vengeance. With her family slain by the vicious shadow wraiths, she's determined to defend her fallen kingdom. And that means carving out the hearts of every dark creature she can find. Talemir Starling, celebrated warrior of the realms, has a dangerous secret: he's a half-wraith, kin to the creatures wreaking devastation on the world. He'll do anything to keep his true nature under control... especially around the woman who's vowed to destroy him. When someone Drue cares about disappears, all signs point to Talemir's kind. But he's determined to prove he's no monster, and to seek answers of his own. Begrudgingly, the pair must join forces to uncover the deadly truth. But in a world of chaos and carnage, where danger lurks at every turn, deadlier still is their attraction to one another - the one thing that might just spell the end of them both. Will Talemir win Drue's heart? Or will she carve his out before the end?

“𝐖𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.”

𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟗/𝟏𝟎: This is my first time reading Helen Scheuerer, and certainly not the last. I loved everything, the introduction of every character, and their dynamics; the way she describes scenery, and the crumbs of world-building we’re slowly being giving. Also, if you’re looking for smut that won’t make you cringe, THIS IS IT!

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝-𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟏𝟎/𝟏𝟎: It always delights me to encounter a standalone which a well-constructed world and magic system, this one is definitely one of them. The landscapes and the shadow magic were so good, I honestly can believe there isn’t a sequel, but oh well.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝟗/𝟏𝟎: Real knife to throat enemies to lovers, you have no idea how much I missed this. Because of the popularity of the trope, there’s a lot of books that are being promoted as such, and of course, most of them are not. The way Talemir and Drue’s relationship developed was everything I look for when reading a romantasy book. I wish I could talk spoilers because there’s so many scenes that had me screaming, but I invite you to pick up the book and discover everything on your own, you won’t regret it.


“𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”

I’ve been told that Slaying the Shadow Prince can be read as a prequel to The Legends Of Thezmarr duology by the same author, and you can be 100% sure that soon I’ll be reading and obsessing over those books aswell.

𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑.

Drue Emerson lost her mother and brothers to the shadow wraiths that have taken over their land. She now lives her life as a ranger, determined to take her revenge by seeking out and killing the shadow wraiths in their lair. During an outing, she encounters Talemir Starling, a war sword sent to her land on a mission to kill the blacksmith’s youngest son. Drue immediately discovers his secret-he is a half-wraith, keeping his dark side under control except for the darkest night of the month. Can Drue get past Talemir’s secret and work with him to find the shadow wraith lair and rescue the people taken from her kingdom? Will Talemir continue to be able to keep his dark nature under control?

This story swept me away. I went into it totally blind, not know what to expect-I thought the title and cover were interesting and decided not to read the synopsis. I was blown away! The story had great high fantasy elements, intriguing characters, and the author created emotional connections to each of the characters-I found myself terrified Scheuerer would “kill her darlings” in each battle they encountered and couldn’t pick a single one I would be okay with being killed (well….maybe Coltan….). Talemir’s struggle with his new identity would hit home with anyone having a crisis of self, and Drue’s heartbreak over the loss of her family and attempts to appear strong had my crying for her. She is a feisty, kicka** FMC, not a simpering wallflower-I love that she can hold her own in a battle, not needing a man to have her back to rescue her. After finishing this audiobook, I searched out a physical copy of this book to have for my shelf. I look forward to reading more of this series and more from this author in general.

The narration of this audiobook was incredible. Islay Jacobs and Chase T. Walker are a great narration team. Their voices flow together well, and they match each other’s pacing and range so their sections flow seamlessly. As a matter of fact, they flowed so incredibly well that I even had to go back and double check that there were two narrators not just one! They both portray emotion so well for the characters and draw you into the story. I listened to this almost straight through in one session (I was home sick all day, no judgement okay?!), and was both dying to hear the ending and hoping it would never end.

Omg! This audiobook was insanely incredible and I’m so thankful for my copy from Dreamscape Media and Helen Scheuerer!!

I loved the narrators for the FMC and the MMC and their inflections for other characters in the story. The narrators were a perfect choice for this story and really did it justice.

As for the story, I was so happy to be back in the world of Thezmarr that I was kicking my feet and screaming through most of it. Though a standalone, I highly recommend reading this book either first or before Vows & Ruins so you can have context for a lot of Vows & Ruins.

I knew I was going to love Tal and Drew, and now I’m even more excited to see what comes next in Fate & Furies.

Oh man, I had heard amazing things about this one, and I was STILL blown away by how much I adoreddddd this!

I hadn't taken the plunge into Helen Scheuerer's Legend's of Thezmarr series yet, but after reading this stand-alone set in the same world, I absolutely will be as soon as possible. The danger, the lore, the politics and action, all of it completely sucked me in so completely. The threat Drue and Talemir face in this story felt so terrifying and all encompassing to me, especially as it was from both within (in Talemir) and without. These two have the classic, stabby and angst filled introduction that we love from a good enemies-to-lovers story, and how they progress from there is so organic, fun and full of tension. I loved these characters both together and on their own, from Drue and her headstrong defiance of the expectations that had been put on her by society, to Talemir and his playful smirks combined with his deeply seeded darkness. Their tension was off the charts, and I was rooting for them SO quickly.

I also loved the side characters, and am so incredibly excited to read the main series to get to know the world at large even better. I love running into familiar faces when a series has spinoffs or other interconnected stories within, and the potential of meeting or hearing about these characters again makes me so happy. The end of this story feels complete, but leaves the door wide open in the knowledge that this world hasn't seen the last of the shadow wraith's and the threat they bring. Helen Scheuerer is the exact style of romantasy writer I most love, with danger and action that feels real and threatening combined with swoon and squirm worthy romance. A lot of authors know how to do one or the other well, but not often both, and this balance was PERFECT for my tastes.

I also overall adored the voice actors for both Drue and Talemir in this audio. They felt very natural and always kept my attention, and further characterized the two of them so well. I could go on and on about how much I loved this, but at the end of the day, I think this is the perfect stand-alone for a high-stakes romantasy lover!

Thank you to Dreamscape media and NetGalley for the audiobook copy of this!

Thank you Dreamscape audio for a copy of Slaying the Shadow Prince.
This book was a wonderful adventure. I love when fantasy style books wrap up well and truly, and this did. It’s clear it’s a novel set within the world the author could expand on, yet it comes to a nice conclusion for the two characters.
Drue’s character was wonderful, strong and graceful, both a dancer and a fighter. Talemir was a flawed hero, trying so hard to live with this new side of him. It’s a wonderful adventure into change and growth, while also still fulfilling the enemies to lover trope I love so much!

I loved this!

This book had everything that I love in a fantasy enemies to lovers book: tension, touch her and die, only one bed, a tortured hero, a badass heroine who doesn't need saving, and a wonderful cast of side characters that I am dying to know more about (Which I guess it's my lucky day since my favorite side character has his own series that I can dive into).

This is also a standalone, which I feel like this genre needs more of!

This is a very fast paced plot driven novel that kept me on the edge of my seat through the whole thing. The romance felt very natural and the spice was absolutely wonderfully done. There wasn't anything super new or unique about this book, but it felt very warm and welcoming and just what I needed to read at this moment.

I received an ALC of this audiobook so I did a combo of listening to the audiobook and reading my physical copy of this book. The narration was done really well. It is a dual narration and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook of Slaying the Shadow Prince!

This has been on my list for a long time and I am so glad I finally got to it! It did not disappoint.

Drue is a ranger who has been hunting shadow wraiths to defend her crumbling kingdom. She falls upon Talemir, who may or may not have shadow powers, and has secrets of his own.

This was an enemies to lovers, slow burn, stand alone fantasy and the audio version was SO GOOD! I ate it up! Now I want to read all of Helen’s other books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 STARS

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Drue is a female ranger trained to kill dark beasts to avenge her family. Telamir is a warrior who secretly is half wraith. When their paths cross, he tries to prove he isn’t a monster.

This is a stand alone in the Mortal Enemies to Monster Lovers series which is 5 books by different romantasy authors. I have read Slaying the Naga King in this series so far. I listened to this one on audio. I enjoyed the narration and thought it was well done. It was easy to listen to and I would listen to the narrator again. This is a true enemies to lovers romantasy with witty banter and touch her and die vibes. The world building was great and it was action packed! I will be reading more from Helen!

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook!

More people should be talking about this book because it was amazing! I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this swoon worthy romantasy. This is the first book I've read by the author but it won't be the last. I need more. While the story did start off a little slow, it quickly picked up pace and had plenty of action. The plot twists were a little easy to see coming but still great! I loved the relationship between Drue and Talemir. The slow burn was absolutely worth it once the spice hit! Talemir was definitely my favorite character. I loved his journey of learning to accept himself. His character development was amazing. This is a must read for romantasy lovers and anyone who loves a winged shadow wielder!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.