Title: Bound to the Shadow PrinceAuthor: Ruby Dixon
Pages: 536
Publication Date: July 2, 2024
Publisher: Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Fantasy / Romantasy
Synopsis:
A steamy new monster romance from the bestselling author of Ice Planet Barbarians!
He is a hulking winged beast, complete with claws and fangs, and she is trapped alone with him in a dark tower. She should be terrified of him, so why does he turn her on?
Princess Candra must remain locked inside a tower for seven long years in order to protect her people from their goddess’s wrath. Seven years without a friend—or a lover—by her side. And locked inside the tower with her? A fearsome winged Fellian warrior, Nemeth.
He’s terrifying, cruel, and disturbingly magnetic . . . and the only other living being in the tower. Candra is torn between wanting to kill him for his supplies or having her way with him. After all, seven years is a long time to be alone.
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I always have a fun time with Ruby Dixon’s stories. Her writing style is immersive and easy, and her romances are always so swoon-worthy. Bound to the Shadow Prince follows Candra and Nemeth, royals from enemy kingdoms who, because of a long-ago curse, are cursed to spend seven years trapped in a tower together.
Candra wasn’t meant to be her kingdom’s sacrifice, and she is wholly unprepared for what awaits her, unlike Nemeth, who has been planning for much of his life. This is just the beginning of their differences. Their story is very much an opposites attract romance. Where she is outgoing, he is reserved. He is quiet and scholarly, she is a socialite. They don’t have a lot in common, but for some reason, they work. They have a super steamy enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine romance, and I loved seeing their relationship turn from frosty animosity to tentative friends to more.
I enjoyed both main characters and became easily invested in their love story as well as the overarching plot that involves a simmering war between Candra and Nemeth’s kingdoms and the wrath of the gods. Used to a life of leisure, Candra doesn’t really know how to do things for herself, and she has a lot to learn about managing her supplies, clothing herself, cooking, and more. She is so vivacious and full of life, and she doesn’t take herself too seriously. A curvy girl with a lot of confidence, Candra is unapologetically herself, and I love that about her. She also has much more liberal views about romance and sex than Nemeth, who is much more reserved in all ways.
Candra also has a chronic illness, and she’s lucky Nemeth is there because he is more prepared, and he helps care for Candra. But when their supplies begin to dwindle and Candra’s medicine is almost gone, the pair has to make a difficult decision. Do they risk the anger of the gods (and their families/kingdoms) and leave the tower, or do they remain in the tower where they will probably die? And since they are from enemy kingdoms who do not mix, how will each react to the romance between this star-crossed pair? Candra and Nemeth go through so much, and their road to happiness is filled with obstacles.
I really enjoyed this story. It’s fun and intriguing, and the romance is absolutely delicious. Special thanks to Wattpad Books for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
In a world without freedoms, those that have are more precious than ever.
- forced proximity
- grumpy/sunshine
- opposites attract
- touch her and die
- enemies to lovers
- virgin MMC
Ruby Dixon is an author of Science Fiction Romance. She likes fated mates, baby-filled epilogues, and cinnamon roll heroes. She also likes to write biographies of herself in the third person, because it feels more important that way.
Ruby also loves coffee and dirty books and will probably be a cat lady at some point. 🙂
