I honestly don't have much to say about this title because this is barely (see what I did) a narrative. Ok bear shifter is released from magical enslavement to be put into nicer prison (totally not a prison his captors keep telling him). Bear shifter learns to trust his captor who is better than most characters in captive narratives in that when he understands how his actions are being perceived by the bear shifter he stops doing those actions unless actually necessary. Bear shifter eventually earns ability to go home despite nothing about how he is being his fault but having to take responsibility for it anyway in ways that aren't quite fleshed out enough. Home is chill for a while but totally in love with captor dude. The book did a good job with showing the aftermath/PTSD of the bear shifter and like actually showed steps he had to take to work through his trauma while also showing the reader that working through trauma takes time and that love isn't an immediate fix which is a big problem in a lot of similar books.

I so wish this book was longer so that it never ended. This is such a lovely read and just what I needed. There are heavy ptsd themes in this story which is a given after what Veier went through being forced to stay in bear form for 5 grueling years and the abuse he suffered under magic and the hands of men. He rightly does not trust magic and especially when Elrid keeps using so Veier doesnt hurt people who he feels threatened. So it takes a long time for him to trust Elrid but it is so worth the wait.

The bond that the two of them share is so powerful and it is amazing to watch it grow because Veier has every right to never trust again. This is less of a slow burn romance because there isnt a lot of sexual tension but more a friendship to lovers. I truly enjoyed the magic and view of the world we are given in such a short span of time this is a quick read and I hope for more of this world

This book was a little different but I enjoyed it. First you have a bear shifter who has been kidnapped and made to do horrible thing. And a prince who see him not as a monster but as a person and want to help him get back to his family. Along the journey they fall in love with each other.

This is a beautifully plotted and well written fantasy novel with a sweet slow burn romance at the heart of it which drives the narrative.

I loved both main characters, the world building is exceptionally good and I really felt the atmosphere of the world. There's a real lack, imho, of people writing in the Sci-Fi and Fantasy genres in the LGBTQ+ space (when considered against the pure romance field that is) and while there was a bear shifter in this, the focus was on relationships in a fantasy setting with a flavour of the Medieval mixed in with some druidic and and shamanic influences.