I haven’t read anything from this author before, but this was a wonderful surprise! I enjoyed it a lot, especially the tension between the two main characters! Definitely a great setting, as well, and world-building! And the grumpy x sunshine dynamic??? Amazing!

Excellent and consistent showing from the amazing Ruby Dixon. A gorgeous and captivating story, a little darker than some of her other stories. This one leans more into the darkness in a captivating way. The romance is lovely and endearing and the world that Ruby has built is harsh and unforgiving. I would love to get more stories from this setting!!

3.75/5 ⭐️
While this took me awhile to read, once i got to Candra and Nemeth in the tower, it was game over for me. The plot twists were done so well and this was overall a great romance. I enjoyed the enemies to friends to lovers a lot but lowkey wish she wouldn't have forgiven him so fast


Thank you NetGalley, W by Wattpad Books and Ruby Dixon for this ARC opportunity in exchange for my honest opinion!

I think the description of this book reads as a Rapunzel retelling but this book is very much not that. The only similarities is the tower that they're both locked in.
I also feel that this book was entirely too long - the smut took a bit of a front seat to plot around the beginning of the 2/3 mark of the book and just made the book drag on when it didn't need to. I think that my expectations of this being a Rapunzel retelling is really what made me dislike the book because for the most part I usually love Ruby's writing.


Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

Unique, exciting read! I have read about 1 million books at this point in my life and I can genuinely say I have never read anything like this. Yes, there are moments in the book that remind me of some of Ruby Dixon‘s other work, and there are elements of fairytales in the story, but combined this is a completely unique reading experience. I really enjoyed the romance, and the plot, but the ending felt a bit rushed and slightly anticlimactic after all of that build up. Although the twist at the end caught me by complete surprise (at least part of it) and that rarely happens. The only reason this book is not receiving 5 stars is due to the format of the book itself which needs a lot of work. Am I giving this book such a raving review because it was a great masterpiece that will withstand centuries… no. BUT it surprised me, brought me joy, had a cute romance and left me wanting more. In my book that’s a 5 star read. I look forward to reading more by this author and maybe (if she writes them) in this series.

Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC! What an adventure. Just like all of Ruby Dixon’s work, I think this was a very fun read. She always finds a way to make book character interactions captivating and that was consistent with Nemeth and Candra’s relationship. With that being said - I felt this book went on for much longer than it should have. I am usually okay with a lengthy read but the storyline felt a little more dragged out than necessary for what it was about. For that reason alone, I would say this isn’t my favorite book out of the “Bound to” series - though I still think Dixon’s writing keeps you invested until the end!

Thank you for allowing me to read this book. I enjoyed the characters and their arcs, and found the plot interesting. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Not going to lie….this book was a bit of a disappointment. The tower portion of the book drags on and on and on. And then on for a little bit longer. I feel like I read half of the book before anyone else was introduced and even then I don’t know what I learned from all that time. I never really connected with Candra, and I know that this is fantasy, but everything about the windowless / doorless tower is so unbelievable. Nemeth is a typical MC that is angry at girl until he falls in love with her. He just falls flat for me (though I did like that he was inexperienced). And I also can’t quite understand what he is supposed to look like?? And I think the biggest issue for me was WHY was the knife not used more? There were parts that I did like….the tension building up to them becoming intimate was fantastic and I wanted more of that. Unfortunately, this book was just not for me.

Big thanks to NetGalley and W by Wattpad Books for providing me with an e-arc of this book. Rate 3.5

I was hooked on this book during the first half; I found myself engrossed for a solid four hours before reluctantly putting it down to get some sleep.

The protagonist, Candra, was incredibly relatable, and I adored her laid-back attitude. The forced proximity between Candra and Nemeth, trapped together in a tower with nothing to do but bond, was the perfect setup, and I savored every moment of it.

However, my enthusiasm waned a bit in the second half. It felt almost like a different story altogether. While still enjoyable, I found myself less invested than I was initially. As Candra and Nemeth ventured into the outside world together, the spark of their relationship seemed to dim. Additionally, the plot became increasingly complex in the latter half, almost too much to fully explore within the confines of this single book.

Nevertheless, I would still recommend this book to fans of Ruby's writing or anyone seeking a standalone fantasy romance.

There is a plot hole about a third of the way through the book that never gets explained. I finished the book, hoping it would be addressed, but it wasn't so I'm giving a low review. Also, Candra really annoyed me, and there's way too much information revealed at the end without Candra seeming like she's truly questioning anything (think no emotional reaction to it all) so I kind of ended up hating it by the end.

3.5 stars

To keep the Golden Moon Goddess happy, one royal representative from the two warring kingdoms must stay locked in a tower for seven years. No one can enter and neither person can step foot outside of the tower - to do so is to bring the wrath of the goddess upon their heads.

Candra wasn't supposed to be sent to the tower; she has a blood curse that means she needs medicine every day and which causes her to be infertile, so she's always been the family's forgotten child. However, the king gives her a choice: she goes or he sends his wife, the queen, who is pregnant. Obviously Candra goes, but she's woefully unprepared for life taking care of herself and she's stuck in a bricked-up tower with her enemy. But the more time she spends around Nemeth, the more she realizes that he's just a man and it's awfully lonely in the tower without a friend.

I've read a couple of the books in Ruby Nixon's Planet Barbarian series and I forgot how dark the author can get. The first 80% of the book wasn't terribly deep, but boy, did that change; I don't want to give any spoilers, but definitely check any CWs available if you need any.

Candra was an interesting character, and the day-to-day realities of living locked in a tower was interesting. This is a very long book, but it was engaging, so I didn't have trouble reading it quickly. This book was certainly entertaining, so I will definitely be recommending it for fans of Ruby Dixon, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, or spicy romances.

This was a good slow burn enemies to lovers story. The story did move kinda slow but the attraction between the two characters made it worth the read. The characters are pretty unique and so is their situation. I did enjoy this.

Ruby went DARK! And, I'm okay with that.

Throw-away princess gets stuck in a tower, to appease an angry goddess, for seven years, and SURPRISE, she has to rough it with the enemy prince. Oh no! What could possibly go wrong? Everything, apparently.

Why I love Ruby Dixon's writing: Her FMCs are relatable, her MMCs blow all of the conventional book boyfriends out of the water, her plots are straightforward and adventurous, and without fail, I'm going to cry at least once. I got everything I expected in Bound to the Shadow Prince, and then some.

I believe this may be the first time I'm actually encouraging readers to check TWs before diving into this one because there are several moments when the subject matter is borderline shocking, but within an appropriate context.

🌟Enemies to Lovers
🌟Forced Proximity
🌟Virgin MMC
🌟Touch Her and Die
🌟Magic
🌟Knotting
🌟Secrets
🌟Banter
🌟Peril
🌟HEA
🌟🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️


Bound to the Shadow Prince was my introduction to Ruby Dixon’s work and it did not disappoint. There is so much to love about this story.

Candromeda is feisty, funny, and flirty AF. This Princess of Lios knows how to work a room. And though she lives with a chronic illness that requires daily medicine, she is out to live her best life. She is all about having fun and playing games. And when she suddenly becomes the sacrifice that must live in the tower for seven years to appease the goddess, she sees no reason not to continue being herself.

Nemeth is a Prince of Darkfall. He is a shy, scholarly warrior and could not be more opposite of Candromeda. He is the sacrifice from Darkfall to live in the tower for the next seven years.

It was so much fun to watch these two interact once they were locked in the tower. His attempts to avoid her for the next seven years was futile. The way this woman baited and tempted him…so good!

It didn’t take long for things to get incredibly hot between them. And once Nemeth began to give into desire, 😮‍💨 game over. As their connection grew, the outside world was crumbling. And when things became dire for them, it was incredibly tender to watch how they took care of each other. They were committed and devoted, and completely saw each other as ride or die.

The story has some great twist and turns that I didn’t see coming and I was captivated by the story. Bound to The Shadow Prince is a fantastic spicy romantasy with an HEA 💖 Highly recommend.

Ruby Dixon did it again; this was so much fun! I really loved the characters, and seeing Candra's development was a delight. So spicy, but also lots of tension between the two main characters. Also, when the twist hit, it TWISTED. I genuinely did not see that coming! I had a hard time putting this down, and read it in a weekend. I will continue to devour anything she writes! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Big thanks to Netgalley and Ruby Dixon for the eARC in exchange for a review.

This has a bit of a beauty and beast feeling, with the make main character being winged, grey, and backward being knees.
It was extra spicy with a side of knots (iykyk)

It dragged a bit in a few different scenes; locked in the tower, walking through the rain.
I liked the histories each side had, with some of their storylines being connected, some contradicting showing that neither side was sharing their sides honestly.
Overall, not a bad read.
4 stars

You just know you’re going to be in for a good time when picking up one of Ruby Dixon’s books. And that is exactly what this read was an extremely good time!!! I absolutely enjoyed myself while reading this one, the characters the story line, the spice all was a great time!!! I will forever be a fan of Dixon!!!

Thank you to publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this side of Ruby Dixon’s writing. It had similar themes to IPB, but was her take on fantasy.
This story follows Candra and Nemeth.
Candra is a flirty, life each day like it’s your last kind of girlie. She unexpectedly gets told she is going to be locked in a tower for 7 years with her kingdom’s enemy.
Nemeth, on the other hand, is a prince who keeps to himself and gives German shepherd energy.

I loved this book. And I loved it for a couple of reasons. It felt like enough fantasy that it was easy to read, but also had Ruby’s typical spin on monster romance. (Knotting, shadow daddy, you can run but I’m going to catch you, who did this to you?)

I loved it. But I also LOVE monster romance and smutty fantasy.
5/5 for me 🖤

Getting through this book was so hard! The plot started out great but then went into a completely different direction. Much of the book was drawn out so much more than necessary. Why was this book SO LONG?!
In theory the story could’ve been really good. I didn’t find the characters likable. The MFC was whiny, selfish and annoying. The MMC seemed a little needy in my opinion. And he didn’t have much personality which made it really hard to read.
I love fantasy romance but this one just really fell short for me. I wish the MFC had a little more bravery and a lot less of not being able to take care of herself AT ALL. I would’ve liked it to be shorter instead of dragging on unnecessarily. It was overall a struggle to finish.

As someone who has read Ice planet barbarians and quite enjoyed not only the premise but the banter as well, I was excited to read something new from this author. While this story was quite entertaining, the premise seemed pretty stupid to me. Due to x, y and z in the past, two opposing houses must each send a member of their ruling family to live together in a dark, isolated tower for seven years or else the gods will become angry and basically trash the land. So forced proximity meets enemies to lovers plus a couple more tropes thrown in for good measure. Generally an excellent book in the making. I loved the idea of a magical truth telling weapon, but sadly, it was hardly used. The banter was there and of course, the smut, but the rest of the story kinda fell flat to me. I loved Nemeth, our mmc, but Candela, the fmc was a kind of a jerk. After learning about her family, it makes sense. Her family is a bunch of jerks too. Without giving too much away, I enjoyed the book, and will continue to be a Ruby Dixon fan.