This is a standalone fun fantasy romance novel, part of a series called "Mortal Enemies to Monsters Lovers", which has been written by various authors. The book features Talemir, a Warsword who was attacked by a shadow wraith and has now become a part shadow wraith. Only Drue and the people she has told know about Talemir's secret. Drue is a skilled ranger and one of the best in their squadron. She agrees to help Talemir if he promises to never leave her side due to trust issues. This will lead to the two of them sharing a tiny tent, we all know where that will lead to.

The book has excellent fantasy elements, including shadow wraiths, world-building, and magical aspects. It also has plenty of action scenes and several spicy scenes. The writing is well done, and the plot is presented in a balanced way. The romance is integrated well into the story and is not overdone. The book has elements that we see quite often in other popular romantasy books such as a dark and handsome man with leathery wings who shadow walks and bends shadows, a male protagonist who reads romance novels, and snarky protagonists. Though the book uses many tropes, it is still entertaining. The side characters are well-written, and their stories are engaging.

The narration is done by two different narrators, who both did an excellent job with their respective parts. Overall, the book is entertaining, with just enough spice and romance to keep the reader engaged, and plenty of fantastic fantasy elements.

3.5 stars
This was a unicorn in fantasy- a complete standalone, not connected to any other books in a series! 😱
It’s an enemies to lovers high fantasy plot that’s easy to follow, chock full of intrigue, and a gang of characters fighting for human survival. The narration was well done for both the female and male main characters. Recommend!

It has been so long since I read a standalone, so this was extremely appreciated. It is somewhat spicy and has some great fantasy elements. It definitely is a series of popular tropes rolled into one yummy, spicy story - but it works here. The character dynamics were fun, it had the right plot/spice pairing, and I love that it relates to other stories but you don't have to have read them to understand and enjoy this one.

I'd consider this junk food, it is fun, a really great time, but it isn't going to leave you dwelling on it for months to come.

I am so sad to rate this so low. I am so grateful to have been gifted this audiobook, but the narrator ruined the experience of the story for me. I didn’t like the tone of the narrator, and it made the main characters extremely unlikeable. I also didn’t like the writing to the point that when the two main characters hooked up, I just fast forwarded it. The slow burn was way too fast, and love declarations happened way too soon. Not a fan of this one.

4.25/5🌟🌟🌟🌟

First let me say that I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook ARC that follows the story of Drue & Talemir, navigating a dangerous world of intrigue, prejuidice, and dynamic plot lines. There was strong world building, great banter and chemistry between the two MCs and it was written in a seamless way that was really enjoyable to read.
Certain things felt a little fast. Like, there was no time at all before these two ended up on one horse and it almost felt like a trope checked off the list rather than a natural progression of the plot line. And that is one of the reasons that this book didn’t quite make the 5 star cut for me. It checked all the boxes for a book in this genre- strong characters, interesting world building, spice, fun banter, dual POV and good pacing. But there wasn’t that sparkle that sent my readers heart soaring. Did I REALLY like this book? Absolutely! Will, I continue with this series? Absolutely. Would I have like a little bit more of that je ne sais quoi (aka that elusive, indefinable extra) ?! Absolutely. I want the cherry on the damn cake.

The narration was fantastic! Dual POV for the win!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Helen Scheuerer for this advanced listener's copy!

I loved this. I was so glad that I took the time to listen to this right after Blood & Steel and before Vows & Ruin! It was so fun. The banter was top notch and I looooooooved both Drue and Talemir as the main leads. I didn’t think I could love an MMC of Helen’s more than Wilder, but ooooo Talemir has my heart as well now 🫠🔥

Even all the side characters were fun! And such a great storyline and I was never bored. I can’t wait to pick up Vows next just in case we get a glimpse of anyone in it. I highly recommend reading in that order as well, as that was what was recommended to me by a friend.

Loved the narrators for this as well! They were perfect!!

Very fast-paced tale of a ranger who teams up with some warriors and others to try to save and protect her people. She finds out the warrior is part wraith, and must decide if she will let her prejudices affect her feelings for him or accept him for the individual he is.

Great audio narration!

A great fantasy story with some pretty good spice, this plot had me intrigued throughout but I wouldn’t suggest that it’s stand out. It falls in line with many other good fantasy books but I can’t quite pin point anything that sets it aside from others.

The characters are well formed and developed but I found the relationship and romance to be rushed with little tension, I’d have loved a little more build up or a bit more resistance and betrayal. When betrayal does come it falls lightly and is easily brushed away and resolved.
I enjoyed the strong female character vibe and most of the characters were easy to invest in making the read a pleasant one.
The action was well paced throughout and although you get a sense of the world I would have loved more atmosphere, the focus here was largely internal thoughts and character interaction leaving the world building short in supply.

The narration of this audio was good, duel POV actors made for a varied and well delivered performance, both narrators captured the nature and tone of their characters well and I would definitely consider a book narrated by them in future.
Overall a pleasant experience, something I would recommend to light fantasy readers with a love of spice scenes and strong female characters but may suggest other options for those looking for detailed world building or political elements.
Thank you for allowing me a copy to review

I truly loved this audio! A very captivating story and I enjoyed from start to finish! I have read Helen Scheuerer in the past and I will continue to because WOW.

This is the second book I have read from this world and it’s a bit of a prequel to “Blood and Steel”. It was good to get to see a bit of Wilders origin story and meet the mentor he talked so much about.

I liked the two main characters and the FMC had plenty of spunk and we love a heroine who loves to stab people… There was plenty of angsty “I shouldn’t want you, but I do” feels as she slowly falls for the “bad guy”.

I would definitely read more from this world ⚔️ 🛡️ 🐴

Thanks to #NetGallery and publisher for a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Genre: Romance/Fantasy
Format: Audio
POV: Dual
Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5 /5
Age suggestion: 18+

I really enjoyed this novel from Helen Scheuerer that takes place before the events in the series “The Legends of Thezmarr.” I was glad I read this book after Blood & Steel and come across some familiar faces and learn a little more about their lives prior to the events of the series. You can read it as a prequel as well though! It is definitely a fast paced, action packed book, which jumps right into the storyline. I loved these characters and was hooked from the start. I loved the chemistry between Drue and Tal. Their relationship does happen pretty quick, which is understandable for a single novel. It is a pretty steamy read. The ending was satisfying, but I would love to explore more about other characters! The narrators were easy to listen to and did a great job!

The beginning captivated me and kept me interested. I feel like their relationship was a bit rushed. I would have liked for them to stay enemies a bit longer. Half way through it lost my attention. Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this audio ARC.

This is the first novel by Helen Scheuerer that I've read, and it's put the author firmly on my radar, as well as several of her titles onto my TBR... Slaying the Shadow Prince is a standalone fantasy romance, set in the same world as her Legends of Thezmarr series, which I'll be picking up after getting a taste for this world. The novel is written as a prequel, and I felt immersed in the world without any prior knowledge of Thezmarr.

I loved both Talemir and Drue, and her pet hawk Terrance also deserves an honourable mention. There were a couple of eye-roll moments, but on the whole I enjoyed the character dynamics and development, as well as the snarky comments

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the review copy of the audiobook. I enjoyed the dual narration and felt both Islay Jacobs and Chase T. Walker really brought the story alive. It sometimes takes me a while to read audiobooks, so the fact that I breezed through this one speaks volumes about the engaging storyline and the strong performance of the narrators.

Slaying the Shadow Prince offered so much to the Legends of Thezmarr series in terms of world-building and character development, which I really enjoyed. This was the perfect cure to my Vows & Ruins book hangover.

All that said, I highly recommend waiting to read this until after finishing Vows and Ruins. I know the author herself says this can be read as a prequel, and honestly who am I to disagree? (Sorry, Helen!) But I started this on audio at the same time as Vows & Ruins and actually paused it because I was starting to piece together elements of the plot in V&R that I wish I hadn't - based purely on the first few chapters of this book and the world building we get here.

However, I do not think that reading this before V&R will drastically impact your enjoyment of the series, it just may change your experience so if you really want to get a taste of this world without committing to the series right away, you are okay to read this first.

Read for: enemies to lovers, found family, characters having their world-views challenged, quests, spicy romance

--- 4.25/5

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

There is so much to like in this book. The characters and their growth though the book develops, The spice was decent was anlways wanting more and the world was well decribed and I could easily picture it. I liked how Talemir treats Drue as an equal and didn’t treat her like a child and doesn’t follow her around like a positive creep. The plot and tensioning was so perfect I lost track of time, and how far I was into the book nothing felt rushed or out of place. Just wished there was more

When I tell you Helen Scheuerer has become an addiction, I absolutely mean it!! This is the prequel book to Blood and Steel and Book 2, Vows and Ruins but I feel like it's better read after you've read these two.
I am obsessed with her writing and I plan on continuing to enjoy them!

This is a classic romantasy by a prolific writer in this genre. While I don't think this is Helen's best, it was still great to listen to. Islay Jacobs and Chase T. Walker does a great job narrating this book, mind you, I would listen to Chase read a shopping list. I found the heroine, Drue, a fantastic feisty girl who is trying to protect her father and the people of her town. She is fun and when Talemir shows up, witty banter ensues. Talemir is obviously battling something and Drue helping him work through his issues was great to listen to. All up a fun listen but not Helen's best.

Big thanks to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media and Helen Scheuerer for this early release copy in exchange for my honest review.

Honestly this was quite fun and a bit emotional. I can't say I found this to be a super original or deep book as far as the romance/setting goes BUT it worked well on the whole and the narrators were great. I just worry that I won't remember anything about this title in a month or two.

I read Blood and Steel just before this one and im so happy that I did. It explained a lot about how Wilder reacted to different things in Blood&Steel that i dont know i would have picked up on had i read it the other way. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

I received an audio ARC from Netgalley.

Overall this was a very good fantasy romance standalone.

The narration is dual narration which can sometimes be great and sometimes be awful. (I really cringe when the male narrator will do voices for the female characters.) However both narrators for this book were great and their narration really helped to keep you immersed in the story.

As for the story itself, what's not to love? Standalone fantasy romances are so highly underrated and just great for when you want a finished story. I enjoyed this world and am slowly making my way through the different standalone books.

Drue was a great FMC. She won me over in the first few pages because her hawk is named Terrance. Talemir was a great MMC who was troubled but overall very caring towards Drue and his friends. I definitely recommend this for anyone needing a fantasy romance read and can't wait to check out more from this author