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Mortal Enemies to Monster Lovers

Slaying the Shadow Prince

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In a realm on the brink of destruction, evil forces snatch innocents to suffer fates worse than death. Only a monster hunter and her monstrous enemy can stop them.

Drue Emmerson, noblewoman-turned-ranger, wants one vengeance. With her family slain by the vicious shadow wraiths, she’s determined to defend her fallen kingdom. And that means carving out the hearts of every dark creature she can find.

Talemir Starling, celebrated warrior of the realms, has a dangerous he's a half-wraith, kin to the creatures wreaking devastation on the world. He’ll do anything to keep his true nature under control… especially around the woman who’s vowed to destroy him.

When someone Drue cares about disappears, all signs point to Talemir’s kind. But he’s determined to prove he’s no monster, and to seek answers of his own. Begrudgingly, the pair must join forces to uncover the deadly truth.

But in a world of chaos and carnage, where danger lurks at every turn, deadlier still is their attraction to one another – the one thing that might just spell the end of them both.

Will Talemir win Drue’s heart? Or will she carve his out before the end?

Slaying the Shadow Prince is a standalone instalment of the heart-pounding fantasy romance series, Mortal Enemies to Monster Lovers . If you like fiery heroines and tortured heroes, as well as forced proximity, found family and touch-her-and-you-die vibes, you will devour this sexy, addictive fantasy romance.

416 pages, Hardcover

First published July 20, 2023

1,467 people are currently reading
19.4k people want to read

About the author

Helen Scheuerer

37 books3,841 followers
Helen Scheuerer is the fantasy author of the bestselling series, The Oremere Chronicles, the Curse of the Cyren Queen quartet and The Legends of Thezmarr. Her work has been highly praised for its strong, flawed female characters and its action-packed plots.

Helen’s love of writing and books led her to pursue a creative writing degree and a Masters of Publishing. She has been a full-time author since 2018 and now lives amidst the mountains in New Zealand where she is constantly dreaming up new stories.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,318 reviews
Profile Image for astarion's bhaal babe (wingspan matters).
893 reviews4,664 followers
Read
November 20, 2023
So...apparently I'm DNFing this😬
I had really high expectations for this book, especially considering how intrigued I was at the start. ESPECIALLY considering how invested I was up until last night, when it really hit me how clichéd it unfortunately turned out to be.

(Please remember that the following opinions are my own and based on the portion of book I've read before deciding to give up. If there's something I might be getting wrong, please take this into consideration and let me know how I can remediate.)

I really liked the world-building, the overall plot and, at first, really appreciated the dialogues and the banter the two main characters had going on; as the story progressed, though, some phrases and one-liners, started to sound repetitive and unnatural. Sarcasm and innuendos need the perfect timing to be effectful, but some exchanges I've read were exhaustingly long and they felt like being quotable was more important than getting a point across.
Enough is as good as a feast, they say, and in this case, I couldn't agree more.

I initially also was all in when it came to the romance.
Looking at that cover (and that blurb. Perfect for fans of A Court of Silver Flames, that's the phrase you need to use to summon me, just in case you were wondering), I was sort of expecting an ACOSF fanfiction, and I'm glad to say it wasn't, despite some thing being a clear nudge into that direction.
The tension I was waiting to be consumed by and the slow burn I was promised, suddenly turned sour and stabbed me and my hopeful ass in the back. Feelings and love declarations were used way too soon, in my humble opinion, and the spice was, well, pretty spicy, but it lacked flavor.
I've said this before and I'll say it again. Dirty talk doesn't automatically make a scene sexier.

Drue and Talemir were actually pretty alright, but I feel like both could have used more polishing.
Their romance didn't progress the way I'd prefer it did, but their individual backstories were interesting.
Unfortunately, they weren't interesting enough to keep me going.

I'll still give this author a chance, in the future, if I ever decide one of her works sounds like my cup of tea, because I can tell she'd be my kind of author given the right story.
Slaying the Shadow Prince wasn't that bad, overall, and I think I wouldn't have given it less than 3 stars had I finished it.
And that cover is 🔥🤌
Profile Image for 1000_books_1000_lives.
413 reviews37 followers
July 25, 2023
5 Stars is NOT ENOUGH!! I absolutely loved every minute reading this- Drue is totally kick ass! She fights and loves fiercely and I just adore her! The world Helen has created is rich in detail- her writing is beautiful and it’s so easy to fall in love with the characters and story. This is a masterclass in how to do Romantasy! Epic battles, epic adventures and epic romance (with super hot spice)! I cannot recommend it enough! Read this and Blood and Steel too!
Profile Image for Samantha.
199 reviews685 followers
July 13, 2023
4.5 ⭐️
2.5 / 3 🌶

Spicy fantasy romance stand alone = Trifecta 🤌🏽
I find Helen’s writing to be really easy to consume, but it’s not simple in any way. She is really good at her craft & I just inhale her books.

Overall the story had a heartwarming romance with a feisty FMC & an arrogant but ultimately cinnamon roll mmc. I really loved the two MC’s dynamic & it had the perfect amount of spice.

The plot was interesting & kept the momentum going, while also giving us more information into the world of the Legends of Thezmarr series.

There were lots of fun tropes like, one tent, reluctant allies to lovers, acts of service, shadow play & lots more ✨

I also LOVED seeing the MMC from Blood & Steel; Wilder Hawthorne ~ as this can be read as a prequel to that book ~ it’s made me so excited to continue that series!

This is her first romance forward story & in some moments I felt like I could tell ~ mainly towards the end there were some big impact moments that felt a little rushed, & one scene I wished was from the other characters pov so we understood the motivation behind their choices (especially as it was the conflict moment)
But these were the only moments I noticed in an otherwise throughly enjoyable fantasy romance.

Thank you Helen for the opportunity to arc read.
This review was provided voluntarily

Profile Image for ♥︎ Heather ⚔(Semi-Hiatus).
910 reviews3,146 followers
Shelved as 'dnf'
December 4, 2023
I've been interested in reading some more books from this author. Excited to see what this one has to offer.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Helen Scheuerer for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for ✩ Yaz ✩.
653 reviews3,387 followers
February 8, 2025
4 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘You are a spectrum of colour in the shadows. You pull me back towards the light…’

Slaying the Shadow Prince is a spicy fantasy romance standalone featuring a scorching romance between a fiesty Noblewoman-turned-Ranger and a celebrated Warsword with a dark secret.

Drue Emmerson is on a quest to avenge the death of her mother and brothers who were killed by vicious creatures called Shadow Wraiths.

As soon as Drue meets Talemir Starling, the famed Warsword of Thezmarr, she could tell something about him is not right, something that is shrouded in darkness.

Drue and Talemir strike a partnership and embark on a deadly mission with their friends and allies—but even as the Ranger and the Warsword begin to fall in love, can Drue accept Talemir's secret and darkness?

First, this standalone is connected to the Legends of Thezmarr series and it's a prequel, if you're reading the series I highly suggest reading this after Vows & Ruins (book 2) as per the emotional reading order by the author. I think it can still read it before starting the series even.

Second, Drue and Talemir were such a fiery couple!! Despite being a warrior, Talemir has such a soft side to him and Drue was his perfect match with her fierceness. They're not exactly enemies but the tension between them was *chef's kiss*.

There is a generous amount of humor and angst drizzled all over the story. The found family dynamics were served well, especially Talemir and Wilder's bond.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Content warning: violence, blood, death, tortured captives.
Profile Image for ✨⚡  Kelcey (felinebooktrovert) ✨.
543 reviews339 followers
January 16, 2025
Love didn't happen once, she realised. It happened every day, in little moments, in the quiet gaps between grand words, in the lingering touches, in the hope it promised in the dark. Love was something that breathed and expanded, that was made and remade, again and again, reforged only to become stronger.

An enjoyable addition to the world of Thezmarr.

As a whole, I Iiked these characters more than Wilder and Thea. These guys just seemed more mature to me and a little more grounded. Honestly not hard to do because I had a hard time with Thea.

But Talemir (can't get behind the name) was a great MMC. Dangerous, cocky, emotional, WINGS. Everything one needs really.

And Drue was a badass who was always trying to do the right thing, even if it meant fucking Talemir up a bit.

There were just a couple things I didn't like. No groveling for one. Dude fucked off at one point, came back, said he loved her, and everyone moved on. Whaaaaat? One has nothing to do with the other. He loved her before he fucked off, so why is that an acceptable apology?

And later, dude flies for the first time with 0 issues. He says a couple times he'd never tried it for reasons and then in the middle of a very important battle he just wips 'em out and immediately is an Olympic flyer. Small in the grand scheme, but those kind of details annoy me.

But I would absolutely recommend this one for anyone who has read the original series ❤️
997 reviews92 followers
December 23, 2023
3.75 Stars
A great companion book for the Blood & Steel series!


Drue Emmerson was driven by a singular purpose - to avenge her family's death by slaying as many shadow wraiths as she could. Her quest for vengeance brought her to the edge of her limits, until one day, she found herself in the clutches of the very creatures she had sworn to destroy.

Just when all seemed lost, Talemir Starling, a renowned warrior, and his companions came to her aid. He fought with the ferocity of a lion. But as she stood in awe of the warrior's prowess, she sensed something was off about him. It was then that Drue discovered the truth - Talemir was part wraith. Now faced with a dilemma, she must choose between seeking revenge or sparing the life of the warrior who had just saved her life.

Talemir's story was great - I was hooked from the first page! The only thing that left me wanting more was the romance, which felt a bit rushed. Nonetheless, the captivating plot made it a truly unforgettable read.

Even though this is a standalone novel, I highly recommend reading this with the Blood and Steel series. This book provides more depth and insight into Hawthorne and Malik's history.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Helen Scheuerer, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
Profile Image for Nina Quill.
150 reviews2,006 followers
July 1, 2024
Parfait à lire entre le tome 1 et 2 des Légendes de Thezmarr ! Ça distrait un peu du slow burn de la série principale et ça explique plein de choses sur ce qui se passe dans le tome 2 avec Wilder et Thea !
Profile Image for Clace .
783 reviews1,653 followers
November 17, 2023
3.70!

For azriel fans who have been waiting for his book. Yes I know this character is nothing like him but he wields shadows, has wings and is freaky in bed so yes.

This was nothing special tbh but it was enjoyable I may give more of this authors books a chance because I really enjoyed the story despite it being another case of smut>plot and character>plot the latter was a good thing imo.

Idk what else to say tbh. This wasnt a bad book. Things I would complain about are the characters names, pacing, less plot and it couldn't grip me enough to be very invested but that aside I liked all the things there are to be and I mean we got a man with wings and a man bun who has shadow powers and is super hot what else do you want.

Do give it a try!
Profile Image for Jena.
876 reviews195 followers
December 21, 2023
3.5 stars
While Slaying the Shadow Prince contains many popular tropes and story beats, I really enjoyed the author's voice, so the overall story felt fresh. I found the enemies-to-lovers romance felt a little bit rushed, however I liked both Drue and Talemir individually, so even when their romance was a bit forced, I still had a fun time with it. I was a little confused by the world building at first, but once I got into it, I really liked it and the magic system/monsters. Overall, I'm excited to continue this series!
Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Profile Image for nikki ༗.
694 reviews229 followers
June 21, 2024
an adequately enjoyable fantasy romance standalone. there was a good blend of action, romance, and plot, and i really liked all the characters (even side ones). it wasn't one of my favorite reads, but i could potentially read the next book in this world.

plus: shadow daddy
Profile Image for Morgan.
544 reviews151 followers
September 28, 2023
Star rating: ★★☆☆☆
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5

The only thing I like about this book is it’s cover…. I read this because I was told there was needed information for the second book of Blood & Steel. I truly don’t think there was really anything that was super needed; however, for those wanting to know the little bits of information that was new to the blood & steel world BUT doesn’t want to torture themselves with having to read this book, I will list the information below ⬇️

————————————————————————————————

*There are shadow-touched people that can have physical attributes of wraiths (like the wings) or wraith like powers (shadows), but are still themselves. These people are now hiding in a community in Naarva at the old university.
*there are flowers called Sun Orchid that when put onto Warsword steel, it can sense Wraiths (by becoming warm or humming) and burn them when coming in contact with a wraith or shadow-touched.
*Talemir did not abandon Malik and Wilder like previously believed in Blood & Steel. He left because he couldn’t go back to hiding his wraith side after accepting it as apart of him & he wanted to help other shadow-touched people, knowing Thezmarr would killed these types of people on sight without really understanding them.
*Thea was not the first woman since the prophecy to wield Naarvairn steel. Drue has a Warsword sword.
*introduced to Dratos (shadow-touched) who is mentioned in Blood & steel as sending messages back and forth to Wilder using Terrence (Drue’s Hawke)
Profile Image for Nunu.
135 reviews27 followers
January 12, 2024
Barely 3☆,

Well the cover is absolutely dashing but I sadly never got into the story. I'm bummed honestly, I was so hyped to read this and it was just eh meh, nah. The smut in it is good, 2/5 spice.
It had so much potential. Shadow daddy, strong fmc, dual pov.. But it just didn't do it for me. I felt like I missed pages cuz they went from 'omg I need to kill u' to ' I want you' too fast. The romance didn't happen the way I wished and characters were lacking of...something idk..color?
My expectations were sadly too high.

Ps. If u make a shadow daddy character, USE SHADOW PLAY MOREEEEE! don't just dismiss the opportunity!!

-respectfully , a horny Azriel fan
Profile Image for Pia.
281 reviews119 followers
July 15, 2023
Rating: 4.5✨
Spice: 2.5🌶

I would first like to thank the author for the eARC opportunity. Like always, this review is voluntary & honest.

Okay, WOW! This book was one I knew I needed & it delivered everything it needed to & MORE. We saw mentions of Talemir in Blood & Steel (Wilder's book), but reading his story as the prequel to the events in Blood & Steel connected so many dots and it was PERFECT. Also, I haven't seen many couples that are as wholly entranced by one another like Talemir & Drue and the perfect way to describe them would be passionate. A love so deep, so fierce & raw. It was beautiful to see unfold.

AND, this is Helen's spiciest book to date & it was chef's kiss. And how could it not be when we have mortal enemies to delicious lovers? The type of delicious that has you salivating & drooling in all of their moments together.

Drue is a badass heroine, a fearless warrior and a definite force to be reckoned with. The darkness took so much from her, dared to try & break her, so she vowed to destroy it. To get her vengeance. And boy does she bring the fight to the darkness that seemed determined to swallow her realm's light. I could not think of a better match, a better equal, the other half to our Prince of Hearts & Shadow Prince.

Talemir, yes he is now one of the top members of the book husbands list. And how could he not be? He is a fearsome Warsword of Thezmarr, a man who is one with his double swords. A force that annihilates the evil he has sworn to protect his realm against. A man so wholly loyal, who cares deeply, and also has his own inner darkness he battles with daily. Also, you can just tell his love language is acts of service. I mean, he fully devotes himself to those he loves & does all he can to show his love by taking care of them which had me MELTING. He is also a perfect mixture of being humble & smug at once. He is just EVERYTHING. I loved his story & I cannot wait to potentially see more of him & Drue in the future.

This book also showed us some characters who had already found their ways into our hearts previously & it made my heart burst from the happiness. The ending was bittersweet & beautiful all at once. I fully recommend this book! 🖤
Profile Image for Brianna.
155 reviews11 followers
July 17, 2023
This was the PERFECT introduction to Helen Scheurer. She wrote a stunning romantasy that can also act as a prequel to her book Blood & Steel (which you ALREADY KNOW I’ll be reading next).

Talemir & Drue are enemies to lovers, reluctant allies, forced proximity, touch her and you d*e, MAGIC.

Drue, a ranger, hates Talemir on sight because she suspects a dangerous fact about him. Talemir is a strong & brave warsword (realm protector against the shadow wraiths) who looks at Drue and sees a strong-willed, albeit fiery, woman who will stop at nothing to protect what she loves. They have one common thing tying them together: missions that require moving in the same direction 🫣

On their journey, Drue keeps Talemir close (like forces him to share her tent 👀) because she does not trust him around her people. They run into an unexpected obstacle that requires Drue’s general, Adrienne (who I CANNOT get enough of), and the rest of their men to retreat to regain their strength. Thus, Talemir & Drue continue on their journey… alone. 🫣 These two run into so many obstacles & this requires them to learn more about the other so they have better odds of making it out alive, or knowing the others’ weak spots.

I could not get enough of their banter. The whole cast of characters is amazing & I need more of Adri in my life. I cannot wait to read on in this series and see what takes place in Wilder’s (Talemir’s apprentice) story in Blood & Steel.

This story has:
•powerful cast of characters
•amazing banter & witty comments
•found family
•characters with secrets 🤐
•strong AF women characters
•shadow daddy winged men
•SPICEEEEE 🌶️🌶️🌶️
•the list goes on besties

Please if you like romantasy or fantasy, give this book a try 🫶🏻

Thank you Helen & team for letting me be a member of your street team for this book. This was my first ARC & I am forever grateful for the opportunity 🫶🏻
Profile Image for Books_and_Crafts.
430 reviews2,232 followers
February 18, 2024
This stand alone can be read as a prequel to The Legends of Thezmarr series. I’ve been told it’s best read after book 2 in the series so that’s what I did.

It gives background for a couple characters that are talked about a lot in the series.

It’s a little insta-love and very spicy. Again about an even plot to spice ratio that for some is a bonus, and others not so much.

Overall I enjoyed it for what it was.
Profile Image for Maryna Huz.
92 reviews6 followers
December 21, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌶️🌶️🌶️.5

Я розчарована, якщо чесно, при тому не тільки книгою, а й самою авторкою. В Blood & Steel я відмічала, що стосунки були побудовані чисто на фізичній привабливості , я не бачила там глибини. Тут те ж саме, я не повірила в жодне «я люблю тебе». Ну таке: гарячий романчик з гучними фразами та бездарною фентезі частиною🤷🏻‍♀️

Сподобалась загальна атмосфера книги, а також гумор та сарказм. З персонажів в принципі нормально розкрили внутрішні переживання Талеміра, він мені сподобався. Але сама історія була «галопом по Європі», де не приділили достатньо уваги ні персонажам, ні сюжету (його тут в принципі можна сказати, що немає). Книга хоч наче має 400 сторінок, але там такі відступи, інтервали і розмір шрифту, що, мабуть, в звичайному форматі ледь 250 назбирається.

Якщо читаєте The Legends of Thezmarr серію, то в принципі раджу прочитати цю книгу, вона дає трохи більше розуміння ситуації в світі та герої цієї книги будуть приймати участь в подіях основної серії. Як однотомник мені здається дуже слабкою і вирваною з контексту.

Думаю, що книга може сподобатися тим, хто до цього читав лише романи і незнайомий з “High Fantasy” або як мінімум хорошими «Fantasy romance» серіями, які мають добре прописаний світ та персонажів. Тому як знайомство з жанром можу радити.

Можливо, ця книга мені здалась ще такою слабкою через те, що я її паралельно читала зі своєю тепер улюбленою серією і на її фоні було так собі🤷🏻‍♀️ Хоча я і влітку закинула її на середині і більше не поверталася до середини грудня, а це вирішила дочитати, щоб не «висіла»😅
Profile Image for Jordan .
88 reviews14 followers
December 25, 2024
I am in love with this whole universe, and I am not ready for it to end (until her next book is published)

The themes of female empowerment throughout this book give me so much joy because despite the laws of men telling them to throw down their swords because of a prophecy and women doing the exact opposite and being the front point of the war makes me so happy.

It's so fun to see a backstory and the little tidbits throughout the main series.

Definitely recommend!!
Profile Image for Ahappyhermit.
156 reviews721 followers
August 31, 2023
Slaying the Shadow Prince


✨A HOLY GRAIL ROMANTASY ✨
HUZZAH

⭐️- 5 - this teeters right on the edge of a five star read so I’m just rounding up for the sake of clarity
🌶️- HES A SHADOW DADDY.

Helen knows how to write a woman. I’m so in love with Drue. I almost didn’t want to finish the book because I didn’t want to let her go. I love nothing more than a competent woman with a sword. There are no damsels in distress here.

Talemir, our tortured hero has a secret that’s slowly eating him away into nothing but misery until he meets Drue… and Tal and I we BOTH fell head over heels (it was so funny to me, because I would be thinking things and annotating things in the margins about how much I loved some thing about Drue and then Tal would literally say what I was thinking in the book.) we were so down bad for our murder mommy 💕💕

I am in awe of Helen’s writing, and how she writes battles, swords and training without making it at all boring. In fact, it is quite the opposite. It makes my blood boil with want to just stomp out with them onto the battlefields and join in with the war efforts.

Without spoiling too much- the climax & the solution to the story was actually self love and wasn’t cheesy… it was really beautiful… we need more of this.

Tropes
- dual POV
- “you could never hate me more then I hate myself.” Vibes
- Shadow powers/winged males
- Reluctant allies to lovers
- Spicccccyyyy
- Female POOOOWWWERRRRRR
- They flirt… by talking about the most entertaining ways they have killed people 😍

This is best read after from blood and steel as it’s kind of a prequel, but I think the world building will not translate well unless you’ve already read from blood and steel, but it can be read as a standalone. Though I hope with every fiber of my being that we see them again and they come into the connecting plot later on.


Tiny small con

I did feel like some of the magic was a wee smidge yada yadad imo but it’s so so so small of a con that I literally don’t care.




I’m so honored Helen sent this to me as a gift, seeing as she is becoming one of my favorite authors. (she did not ask for a review all thoughts and feelings are my own)
Profile Image for Danny_reads.
462 reviews270 followers
September 4, 2024
If I had to describe this book in a single word, it would be "exasperating". I don't think I've ever rolled my eyes this much.

This wasn't bad, per se, and I can definitely see why this book worked for other people; but there were just too many moments in this where I physically cringed for me to give this a higher rating. I don't know why, but I get more and more irritated by these "badass" Romantasy heroines these days.

Not a fan...
Profile Image for Tempest Reign.
Author 2 books25 followers
December 29, 2023
Edit (Dec 29th 2023): My original review was for the book, but I have now also listened to the audiobook, which I absolutely loved! The dual narration (F/ M) was perfect, and captured the character voices so well! Y'all will want headphones for this one 🥵😏🤤.

~◇~◇~◇~◇~◇~

Star rating for the book: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Star rating for the audiobook: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice rating: 🌶🌶🌶🌶

This was the first time I'd read a book from the author, but I absolutely loved her writing style and how vivid, yet easy to imagine, the world-building was.

This story sucked me straight in, I couldn't put it down, and instantly loved Drue, the smart, strong and sassy FMC.

Talemir, the MMC, was such a pleasant suprise -- an honoured warrior, shadow-touched to have wings and darkness within him, but also a total simp for her. I also heartily approve of his choice of novel!

The banter and tension between Drue and Talemir was perfect, and everytime they spoke or fought I had a wicked little grin on my face knowing how amazing it would be when they finally found themselves in a steamy scene...I was not dissapointed! This book was deliciously slow burn to steamy.

I loved everything about this book, and the ending was absolutely perfect!


💢 TWs: experienced trauma, brief moment of suicide ideation, implied sexual harassment, death, violence, consensual sexual scenes


☆I recieved an ARC of this book from the author. All thoughts are my own honest opinions.☆

☆ I recieved an ALC of the book from the author, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own honest opinions. ☆
Profile Image for Rachelle.
485 reviews39 followers
July 3, 2023
《4.5☆》

I love Thezmarr, and this was an absolutely perfect addition to the world. If you've read Blood & Steel, you'll recognize a few characters, and I found that so fun. Helen is amazing with the world building and it sucks you right in!

Talemir was an amazing MMC, and I really loved the journey he goes through to aceepting his true self. The dynamic between Drue and Talemir was intense and endearing with lots of spice!

I enjoyed the pacing and the action was nonstop! This was the perfect story to hold me over until the sequel to Blood & Steel is released.
Profile Image for Madeline.
221 reviews9 followers
July 21, 2023
If you read Blood & Steel read this!!!!

You get Talemir Starling’s backstory (vaguely mentioned in Blood & Steel by his old apprentice Wilder) and why he is no longer a Warsword!!

Also Wilder Hawthorne is in this book so also duh you have to read this???

Loved this book and this backstory :)
Profile Image for Elise Meyer.
81 reviews4 followers
June 25, 2023
I love it when the main couple’s, “Meet Cute,” is the FMC trying to carve out the heart of the MMC! What more can you ask for in an enemies-to-lovers story? 😆

Drue is a noblewoman turned wraith-hunting ranger in a land that has fallen to darkness. She’s also the only surviving child of the famed forge master who makes wraith-killing Naarvian steel weapons for the elite Wardwords of Thezmarr.

When the famed Warsword, Talemir, travels to Naarva on a mission to eliminate the forge master’s son, “Drue,” for meddling with the source of Naarvian steel, everything he thought he knew about his guild and himself is turned on its head.

This was an action-packed story full of romantic tension and harrowing ordeals. I liked that the progression of the plot wasn’t only centered around the romance.

I’ve read Blood and Steel, which is the first in the Legends of Thezmarr series, so it was enlightening to see this piece of Talemir’s apprentice’s backstory. Since he’s one of the main characters in B&S.

This story got me in the feels a few times, and kept me turning pages!

I love Helen Sheuerer’s world-building and can’t wait to read more in this series!

Great for fans of stand-alone romantic fantasy with:
⚔️ Lots of action
🖤 Shadow-magic
⚔️ Males with wings
🖤Happily-Ever-After
⚔️ Girls with swords

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Profile Image for Caroline.
76 reviews1 follower
August 15, 2023
‘𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭, 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬: 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐨 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭.’

From the first chapter, this book had me in a chokehold. To say it starts with a bang is an understatement. Drue is everything I love about a strong FMC; resilient, determined, witty, and “stab first, ask questions later”. After the death of her mother and siblings, she makes it her mission to help her people by taking up arms and defending what’s left of them from the shadow wraiths. That is, until, she comes face to face with a warrior hiding a… shadowy… secret. This truly was one of the best standalone’s in the fantasy-romance world that I’ve read. It was fast paced while not feeling rushed, and even though it’s obviously interconnected to Blood & Steel, I still got giddy when finding little hints and easter eggs linking them in more subtle, but impactful, ways. This was a beautiful story that I couldn’t put down. I absolutely cannot wait to see how it continues to play into the rest of the series, and to hopefully see Drue and Talemir again in The Legends of Thezmarr series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5
🌶️🌶️/5

Thank you @helenscheuerer for the ARC!
Profile Image for Mel Lenore.
774 reviews1,271 followers
February 28, 2024
I had so much fun with this one. It is a super high 4, almost 5 star read for me. I just loved our characters and their banter. I thought the world was super cool and it even had a compelling plot. I cannot wait to pick up Blood and Steel
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