Book Description
I’m caught in the shadows…
…and the shadows want to play.
I thought I’d dreamed up the shadow realm and the place I called Dark Castle.
But it’s very real. And he’s still here.
My prince, my savior, my captor…
The monster in my bed.
But this time, he’s not alone.
I must escape, but first, my prince and his shadow men want me to fulfill their demands.
All of them.
The longer I stay, the harder it is to resist their dark promises, their insatiable hunger. Because, while these monsters’ smiles are cruel, their touches are the most delicious torture.
But they aren’t the only threat in this world. The darkness that wanted me before has found me again, and like my Shadow Prince, it’s ready to claim me as its own…forever.
Cruel Shadows is book 1 in the Kingdom of Monsters series. It's a full length fantasy monster romance with some darker themes, lots of steam, and is a story where the heroine will end up with more than one love interest.
My Review
Stella used to have a very vivid imagination when she was a kid, so much so that she thought she was traveling to another world where she met Airic and since they were both kids at the time, they end up best friends. They go on like this for a very long time until when they are a little older he tells her to leave and never come back. She's not sure why he's so mean but she leaves and ends up in therapy because no one in her world believes that Airic exists. Years later, her life isn't great and she dreams that she's back in her dream world where Airic lives. She travels to the castle she knows he lives but things are different and now he's a cruel adult. He's not the same boy she remembers and the longer she stays there, the more she wants to go home but Airic shows her a small amount of compassion and love and she wants to stay there with him forever. But he locks her in her room and doesn't tell her what's really going on. She tries to escape and runs into Airic's cousin who she also seems to feel something for. Then there's the Knight that Airic sends to her to keep her safe, and she ends up sleeping with him. Stella ends up being this woman who wants Airic but sleeps with any man who flirts with her a little.
Things are not the way she thinks they are and she finds herself in danger but not from the men in her life. Airic should have told her the truth about what was going on but he leaves her alone with other men and lies to her over and over. I didn't like him but this story had promise so I kept reading, only to get to the end and be disappointed by a huge cliffhanger ending. So disappointing. I won't be reading any more books in this series.
I give this book 2 out of 5 stars.
