3.5

The book is better than I expected. Definitely better than book 1 in Ice Planet Barbarian. I was a little skeptical but happy I kept going. Love that it's equal part plot and equal part spicy romance. I had fun guessing the plot twist.

Ruby Dixon never fails. Like the new cover better than all the others. Hot and entertaining. I don't love it as much as IPB, but i can never pass on a good enemies to lovers. Especially when there is forced proximity. loved the character interaction and the entire premise of the book. Pacing was a little off, probably could have skipped the last 100 pages or so, but good. very good.

I’ve read Ice Planet Barbarians and so I was excited to see her newest book. The formatting that NetGalley provided was a bit odd but it was doable. The story itself is lovely, a great mix of plot and spice. It’s a larger book but didn’t feel it as I read through it! Overall a great read!

4.5 Stars

Well after Ice Planet Barbarians, I didn't know where Ruby could take me, but it was a slow-burn fantasy romance full of adventure and GREY GARGOYLE LIKE MEN.

What starts out as a book of HOW AM I GOING TO ENDURE BEING IN PRINCESS CANDRA'S HEAD THIS WHOLE BOOK BECAUSE SHE IS SPOILED turned into OMG I LOVE HER AND NEMETH AND WILL PROTECT THEM AT ALL COSTS. Because......Ruby Dixon.

Set in a (impeccably built) fantasy world, Bound to the Shadow Prince tells the story of two warring kingdoms forced to each send a member of their royal family to live out seven years in a tower together, cut off from the outside world, for if they leave the tower before the seven years are up, they curse their homelands to plague and ruin. NO BIG DEAL.

We start before Princess Candra is even chosen to enter the tower, and then we experience what that tower life is like for her. It is transformative or many reasons, least of which is learning to rely on herself and her enemy for survival. Nemeth is set up to better endure the seven years, but finds himself drawn to the princess that is so full of life and selfless abandon. They make a great team and of course, that close proximity allows for them to get....physical. Knot and all (iykyk).

But one year, their supplies don't show u0p and WAIT ARE WE ONLY HALF WAY THROUGH THIS BOOK? Yes, ye we are, because the whole second half is about the aftermath of their love, their kingdoms' poor decisions and how they re find a way to survive in a very different world.

It was fantastic and absolutely unique. I loved every second and found myself slowing down as I read so I could savor the story. I highly recommend and cannot wait to see if we ever get more stories in this world!

This is my first time of reading a book by Ruby Dixon and I've to say that I was shunned. I get why readers and my friends love her books because OH MY GODS!!! IT WAS SOO GOOD AND ADDICTING. I love the story, the characters, secrets, lies, deception, hate to love romance, and the scorching smut!! I melted, swooned, laughed, raged! I definitely will recommend this incredible book to my friends and shout out in my socials!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for letting me to read this amazing book!

“Bound to the Shadow Prince” is a thrilling and steamy romance that captivates from start to finish. Princess Candra, locked in a tower to protect her kingdom, finds unexpected company in Nemeth, a fearsome warrior from a rival race. Despite his terrifying appearance, Nemeth’s magnetic presence becomes irresistible. As they spend time together, Candra discovers the man behind the warrior’s facade. When they face an unexpected challenge, they must navigate a changed world that tests their newfound love. Fans of “Ice Planet Barbarians,” “Bride,” and “The Fake Mate” will love this one. Ruby Dixon weaves a compelling tale of love, danger, and resilience that will keep readers hooked until the very last page.

Read if you like:
❤️‍🔥 Romantasy
❤️‍🔥 Forced Proximity
❤️‍🔥 Enemies to Lovers
❤️‍🔥 Slow Burn

I, too, fell for the charms of Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarians, and I've dabbled in some of her other worlds.

This was a surprise in many ways, a longer book, a meatier story, and a plot hole or two.

Candra is locked in a tower for seven years with Nemeth, her family's enemy. The journey from enemies to lovers is fraught with distrust and discovery as these two surprisingly don't go insane (there are no windows AT ALL), and don't get sick from food that gets delivered once a year. Scurvy, anyone?

Also, why have an all-knowing knife if you're not going to use it?

I love Ruby Dixon's series and the smut is on point as always, but this just fell flat for me.

I have tried repeatedly to get through this book but unfortunately, I just can’t. I’m not sure if it was the storyline itself or the style of writing, but overall it just wasn’t for me. I would definitely be willing to try something else by the author but for me this one is a no go.

Giving this book a solid 4 the formatting was a little off so it was challenging to read on my kindle. Overall the story flowed well in some areas, and a little off in others. The spice scenes were done in true Ruby fashion and were perfect!

Ruby Dixon sure knows how to craft an intricate spicy romantasy featuring star-crossed lovers (a broody Gargoyle Prince x spare to a royal sacrificial offering), forced proximity (7 years locked in a castle in the dark), and a highly immersive wold full of secrets, court politics, royal intrigue, stunning plot twists, and morally grey characters. Loved the chronic illness rep that took the form of a magical blood curse. I do think the avalanche that was the ending was a bit rushed considering just how high the stakes were and the gravity of the moral dilemmas the characters faced. While I feel like the book did redeem itself at the end, I wished there was far *more* rumination at the ending than what I got. Nonetheless, I had so much fun reading this and really enjoyed reading this.

DNF'd at 11% (~60 pages)

I really tried to get into this book, I normally absolutely devour every Ruby Dixon book I read, but it just couldn't hold my attention for more than a few pages at a time. It has a really slow start and I just couldn't find myself caring about either of the main characters, and I just couldn't get myself to keep going knowing they are going to be trapped in this tower for potentially years on end and if its really going to end up as a character driven storyline I just knew I would struggle to keep going.

I will absolutely pick up more by Ruby Dixon, but this one just wasn't for me.

I really, really enjoyed this book! It's a nice mash-up of monster romance and epic romantasy. The plot was absolutely captivating throughout, and I was completely unable to guess what would happen next or how the story would unfold. It felt very unique and intriguing.

The writing was very good, and the spice was amazing without being overdone. This book was quite long, but it held my attention with the interesting world-building and setting. I think this is a great read if you are looking for a standalone romantasy with a non-human MMC and lots of spice!

If you are a fan of Dixons work you will definitely enjoy this book. This had fun tropes like forbidden romance, forced proximity and enemies to friends to lovers. I really enjoyed the friendship that Candra and Nemeth formed before starting a romantic relationship. Nemeth is definitely a cinnamon roll male who loves taking care of Candra. However, there were times he did frustrate me. I think the story itself was really good and easy to get through. The romance/spice was great but that’s to be expected with any of Dixon’s books. It was an overall good experience.

Looking at other reviews, it is clear to see that not all books will be appreciated by all readers and goes to show that there is truly something out there for every reader.

Bound to the Shadow Prince comes from the active mind of the author that brought us the delightful Ice Planet Barbarians and I can flat out claim that I LOVED this read. I am newish to the Romantasy genre and felt this truly was a great example of the genre.

Candra and Nemeth are two tributes from their respective royal/noble families that are bound by duty to be imprisoned in a tower for 7 years in order to keep the Goddess appeased. They instantly dislike each other and go out of their way to stay away from each other. Until, Candra falls ill. A friendship forms that quickly becomes more.

When they are forced to leave the tower together, they must face the ravages and heart ache of war between their people. They worry the Goddess is very displeased that they have left the tower, but soon find out the real cause of the Goddess's wrath. Together they must face everything that can break them apart.

The only reason this was not a 5 star for me was because of the pace. Some sections in the book were a bit slower with not much to really keep me pulled in. This was really more of 4.5 star read for me.

This enemies-to-lovers with forced proximity was enjoyably spicy, and I would expect nothing less from the Queen Ruby Dixon.

Not for me. I love Dixon's IPB series so I picked this up.
Bound to the Shadow Prince is a world of it's own and the world building felt clumsy: instead of info falling into place I felt like I had to piece it together, and perhaps that was simply me not being in a state toi do so.
The writing and dialogue reminded me of mafia romance, once again a me thing as I do not like that genre.

There are people who will like these elements and I hope they enjoy it! Simply, not my taste.

I haven't read the IPB series yet even though I've heard them raved about all over so this was my first foray with the author. Not going to lie, chose the book because of the cover. I'm a sucker for the title too.

This was different than I expected but not in a bad way. It took me awhile to read, because it was a bit slow in places but then also the length. But I liked it and I know I'll jump into IPB eventually to see the hype on that.

I’ve been a big fan of Ruby Dixon since finding her Ice planet barbarian series!!!
Son of course I had to show my shot at this one🖤

An adult fairytale with a mix of beauty and the beast snd rapunzel, this is one of Ruby Dixons best works!

This is an amazing story of how two enemies, locked in a tower by their families to appease the Goddess, become best friends, lovers, and more. Is there more? Oh yes, so much more.

I seriously hope there is more where this came from!
When i want adult fantasy ruby is the woman!!!

I thought the premise was original, 2 characters from different "creation" per say, stuck in a tower with no windows for 7. years. Forced proximity of a human FMC and an other worldy MMC-gray monster of sorts with horns, a tail, and wings. I also enjoyed how the FMC had a chronic medical condition requiring daily infusions to sustain life, you don't see this often. The length was a little long (536 pages) for being trapped in the same environment, it felt like there was only so much the main characters could do. Unfortunately, I chose to DNF this read about 30% in as I found myself skimming at that point. The spice was a little crass, and I couldn't move through how immature the FMC was. Super appreciative for the ARC, NetGalley, but unfortunately this book was not for me. Unable to truly rate this read as I did not finish.

"Candra is the broken princess, so she has always just enjoyed herself around court and loves all of the attention. Her sister dies unexpectedly and now Candra must go to the goddess' tower for seven years with her enemy. She only catches glimpses of Nemeth at first but then circumstances push them together.

Candra and Nemeth figure out how to live and work together in the tower but everything on the outside is not as expected.
I did not figure out everything that was going on and the twist kept the story interesting. If you like the Aspect and Anchor series, you will like this one too."

I liked it. The FMC is a spoiled princess sent as sacrifice to the gods. She has to live in a secluded tower for 7 years, during which time her kingdom will flourish. MMC, Nemeth, is a monstrous male from the rival kingdom. He is sent to the tower for the same reason.

The story tells their time in the tower. Their struggles to survive and overcome their hatred for each other as rivals. I enjoyed the writing. I thought the character development was good. I was invested in the simple journey of these 2. The little unexpected twists. The “savoring” of the slow burn. Sooo good. The monster smut did not disappoint for me 🌶️🌶️🌶️🔥🔥🔥.

It’s a bit long and drawn out. It’s only 2 characters locked in a dark tower after all. Could have been trimmed down a lot.

Overall really enjoyed it! Would recommend for a slow, lazy, smutty reading mood.