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The Shadow Realms #1

Destinée au Spectre (Le Royaume des Ombres)

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Va-t-il la sauver ou la damner ?

Traquée par un nécromancien déterminé à s’approprier ses terres ancestrales, Ronika doit récupérer une ancienne relique dans un manoir maudit afin de contrer son ennemi. Pour ce faire, elle a besoin d’une escorte. Convaincre un spectre enragé de l’aider semble être une tâche impossible. Mais elle découvre que l’être qui se cache derrière ses ombres vaporeuses est un protecteur honorable qui la touche d’une manière inattendue.

Après des siècles passés à terroriser la contrée alors qu’il était en proie à la folie, Asheron n’arrive pas à croire que cette fragile humaine, avec sa faible magie verte, a réussi à lui faire retrouver la raison. La force incroyable de Ronika, sa détermination sans faille et la douceur avec laquelle elle le touche apaisent le monstre qu’il est devenu et réveillent en lui un puissant désir et une grande possessivité. Mais elle ne se rend pas compte du caractère mortel du marché qu’elle a conclu pour défendre sa terre.

Il ne reculera devant rien pour protéger la femme qui a réclamé son cœur. Mais les efforts d’Asheron mèneront-ils au salut de Ronika, ou les condamneront-ils tous les deux ?

292 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 8, 2024

301 people are currently reading
437 people want to read

About the author

Regine Abel

78 books2,661 followers
USA Today bestselling author Regine Abel is a fantasy, paranormal, and sci-fi junkie. Anything with a bit of magic, a touch of the unusual, and a lot of romance will have her jumping for joy. She loves writing hot alien warriors meeting no-nonsense, kick-ass heroines. Her novels are steamy, action-packed, and with the twists and turns you never saw coming.

​Before devoting herself as a full-time writer, Regine had surrendered to her other passions: music and video games! After a decade working as a Sound Engineer in movie dubbing and live concerts, Regine became a professional Game Designer and Creative Director, a career that has led her from her home in Canada to the US and various countries in Europe and Asia.

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5 stars
404 (42%)
4 stars
312 (32%)
3 stars
201 (21%)
2 stars
29 (3%)
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10 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
Profile Image for Cat H.
1,972 reviews220 followers
February 15, 2024
4.5 stars.
This was a fun read. But also felt a little off in some places..?
Like, Asheron has these thoughts of possession from the beginning, but then it very suddenly switches to reluctance some where in the middle?
I don’t know, that just made him seem completely different to me, but maybe that was just his madness receding?

Still.
I really liked it.
Hopefully we’ll be exploring more creatures in this universe in the next books. I liked the world that was built up in this book, with all the demons and paranormal creatures that seem to be set somewhere in the early 20th, maybe late 19th century, Earth. Very fun.
Profile Image for Kimbot the Destroyer.
760 reviews17 followers
February 10, 2024
A complete story in a fully fleshed setting. A romance, an adventure, and a mystery to ponder in one sitting. Regine Abel is an instant TBR wrecker and sleep-depriver.

I almost forgot the art included with these books. There's pictures and they are gorgeous!
Profile Image for Mila.
212 reviews21 followers
March 22, 2025
3.5/ 4
Ummm, si estuvo bien pero no me terminó por convencer. En unos momentos se me hacía súper lento ( por las descripciones,etc) y otras veces eran muy rápidas.
Profile Image for Kellyythoralabatalla.
1,014 reviews35 followers
March 15, 2024
Yo la verdad no le tenía fe pero me gustó. Es que todo lo que he leído de Regine es muy dulce, no tengo queja. Se me hizo una historia muy simple y rápida de leer pero está bien.

-------------
Clichés:
-Espectro/humana
-Magia
-Destinados
-Posesivo
Profile Image for Malia.
377 reviews
February 10, 2024
I truly enjoyed it! It definitely in the top 5 of my favorites written by Abel. This had to be one of the more plot driven romances that I’ve read by this author. Yes, her Xian Warrior series had plots but for the most part, the romance was front and center. This book felt more balanced, especially once they arrived at Hemdell. Abel could definitely dip their toe in the horror genre. I was guinely creeped out.

Asheron and Ronika were great together. The miscommunication trope was minimal. The chemistry and spice was 🌶️🌶️🌶️
I adored how much The Weaver cared.

Now, some dislikes. Mostly it’s some repetitive phrases across all her novels: “naughty bits”, “singing arias”
Some characters lacked proper development, like our “villain”. He was more an archetype. Some background world building could’ve used more work and due to the length of the novel, there was a hint of instalove.
But overall, I truly enjoyed this new addition of Regine Abel
Profile Image for Paula Valadez.
130 reviews8 followers
March 10, 2025
¿Dónde o como consigo un Asheron que me consiga un monedero infinito?
Muchas ventajas tiene tener a un espectro 😏

Aunque me faltó conocer un poco más a los personajes, me gustó🤭
Profile Image for Cossette's Books.
249 reviews1 follower
February 15, 2024
This was an okay start not a top tier as the other books but I really did enjoy it. I wished she would have dived into the characters more but in the end it seemed more like a novella compared to PMA series or any of the other books. I am just wondering if it is a new series.
Profile Image for Hayat.
575 reviews197 followers
March 9, 2024
4.5 stars!

Ronika is desperate to keep her lands, her ancestors and her body out of the clutches of a repulsive necromancer. She’s willing to risk her life to get an ancient relic in order to keep all she holds dear safe by freely giving her body to Asheron, an enraged wraith who is more than he appears to be.

Both Asheron and Ronika are just perfect for each other but they were both clueless and occasionally naive in different ways. This is especially true for the heroine, Ronika. She strikes a bargain with the Hag and makes a promise without understanding what it means and what it might cost her and she ignores even her knowledge as a witch and occasionally puts herself in danger. But this didn’t put me off too much because the chemistry between the Ronika and Asheron was well done. I even enjoyed the plot and side characters, especially the hag’s character and what it alluded to.

I can’t wait to read the rest of this series.
Profile Image for Shae.
3,221 reviews354 followers
June 16, 2024
There was truly so much to love about this one! I'm really excited to read more in this series. It had the perfect amount of high stakes and cozy vibes for me. The sexual scenes were great as always with this author. Asheron was a great balance of naive but mature, while also being a beautiful specimen of a male. Ronika had a great balance of vulnerability and strength. The way the overall plot developed had a few surprises hiding within it, and it made me want more!!!
1,553 reviews12 followers
March 26, 2024
Different🤔🤔🤔

After reading The Prime Mating Agency series I am not sure how I feel about the beginning of this new series. I am a fan of Regine Abel so I will probably read the next book from The Shadow Realms. Love the illustrations.💞💞
Profile Image for Lissa J.
642 reviews11 followers
March 14, 2024
Sweet low angst fantasy romance. Magic and monsters in a low stakes romance. Similar feel to the Prime Mating Agency series but with a fantasy instead of sci-fi world. Sweet characters, steamy sex scenes, species clash, misunderstangings and adventure, fast romance.
Profile Image for ♡Dalmtastic♡.
674 reviews1 follower
December 29, 2024
Ronika & Asheron

Eine Wandler Geschichte der etwas anderen Art.
Ich war wirklich skeptisch von dieser Idee da ich mir unter Geister-Wandler nichts vorstellen konnte und mich auch nicht viel mit Geister Arten beschäftigt habe. (Das meiste wissen stammt aus den Harry Potter Filmen).

Doch die Storyline hat mich von der ersten Seite an überzeugen können. Mit dem leichten und flüssigen Schreibstil, kommt man schnell in die Geschichte rein und die wechselnde Erzählperspektive beider Protagonisten gibt uns viele Einblicke in deren Gedanken und Gefühle.
Außerdem wird uns hier viel an Spannung, spicy, darknes und unterhaltsamen Szenen geboten, die einen zum mitfiebern und mitfühlen einladen. Auch an Gefühlen und Emotionen wurde nicht gespart und man kommt beim lesen auf seine Kosten.

Auch die Protagonisten waren sehr schön ausgearbeitet.

Ronika war eine mutige Hexe die für sich selbst und ihre Träume und Vorhaben bereit ist bis zum bitteren Ende zu kämpfen und alles zu opfern. Das dazu auch Asheron gehören würde für den sie alles aufgeben würde war für beide eine Überraschung.
Asheron hingegen machte es mir etwas schwerer, da ich ihn anfangs nicht einschätzen konnte als "Weight". Zuerst nahm ich an er sein grausam und bösartig mit einem weichen Kern. Tatsächlich musste ich ein wenig nachforschen was ein Weight darstellen soll und wurde dennoch nicht ganz schlau.
Doch so wie die Autorin in uns dargestellt hat, hat er perfekt zur Storyline gepasst, ein Geist der bösartig, Grausam, spielerisch und düster ist, doch auch eine Emphatische Seite hat die beschüzerisch und liebevoll aussieht.

Perfekter Einstieg in eine neue Reihe und bin vorallem auf Band 2 gespannt.
Profile Image for JML.
1,300 reviews24 followers
February 21, 2024
4&1\2 fabulous stars for destined to the Wraith

I love Regine Abel she is one of the best storytellers out there. Her world building is detailed and draws the reader into a whole new world very quickly. Characters have depth and so much personality when you hate them you hate the a DJ when you love them you really love them. This new world is no exception. It has an otherworldly feel, where magic is used and demi gods and monsters walk among us. It feels like the 1800's just before surge of technology, but where magic is common place. Ronika is a loss level green witch who wants to protect herself and her family home from and evil necromancer. She make a deal with someone vastly more powerful than her self and ends up with a scary gorgeous Wraith. Asheron, is a Wraith lost to madness and Despair until he hears Ronika 's voice . she calls to him and them make a deal to help her save her family home. As they face all kinds of danger Asheron, realizes she is more to him then he could have saved imagined both parts of him want her as a mate. Ronika was scared and then intrigued and now she is consumed by Asheron, and how much he has come to mean to her. While he helps her save her family's legacy , her love for him grows and now she can't bare to live her life without him even if that means great risk to herself. She'll do what ever it takes to save the one being who makes her life worth living. Its a great start to a new series and I came wait to see where it goes. Highly recommend🌟🔥🌟🔥💖🔥🌟💖🌟🔥💖🔥
Profile Image for Kelly.
5,699 reviews228 followers
September 16, 2025
Ronika's in a rough spot. She can either roll over and let a truly terrible necromancer take her home and probably enslave her deceased family with his power or she can attempt to gain the help of a wraith who can drain her life with a touch. Both seem equally impossible, but Ronika would rather go down fighting than hand over her home to the necromancer.

So she sets out to bargain with a wraith.

As it turns out, Asheron as the wraith is...not quite in his right mind. Fortunately, Ronika has an ace or two up her sleeve and manages to intrigue him enough to bring out his more mortal side and convince him to help her. Also fortunately, Asheron's mortal form (and his wraith form, come to think) doesn't disgust Ronika and she's able to fulfill her end of the bargain. (Something she doesn't mind IN THE LEAST doing.)

On Asheron's end, helping Ronika is a no-brainer. She gives him the sort of peace he hasn't experienced since he became a wraith and he's determined to work on making their partnership something more permanent. They just have a mansion crawling with foul things to survive and a necromancer to thwart before they can do that happily ever after thing.

A truly awful necromancer, a whole lot of danger, the mysterious Weaver who very much wants Ronika to succeed, a wraith with a powerful protective streak, and a green witch who will go to any lengths to protect her home. *thumbs up*

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
Profile Image for The Tunita .
153 reviews10 followers
March 14, 2024
3.5 Magical Stars~

I almost stopped reading because some paragraphs and dialogue threw me off. Let's just say it read a little too contemporary, and it clashed with the world setting that was being described. However, I just decided to go for it and I'm glad I did 🎉

It's a short story with simple main characters but not so simple arcs that kept me engaged and entertained. There's some repetition here and there, and the main characters aren't the most fleshed out of the lot but, once again, it was entertaining.

Continuity error:

On Chapter 5, page 16 Cornelius is described as having blue eyes:

"Tall and lithe, with pale skin, black hair, and deep blue eyes, Cornelius Cromwell..."

Chapter 12, page 163:

"...Cornelius then waved at it while staring at me with a taunting glimmer in his deep blue eyes."

But then on chapter 14, page 192 they're described as green:

"A smug smile settled on his lips while a malicious glimmer sparked in his green eyes."

I wasn't really sure if to point this out because there's a bunch of magical creatures and maybe the color change is part of a major plot point later in the series, but just in case there we go.
Profile Image for Serena Buffaloe.
659 reviews11 followers
February 12, 2024
Loved this story about Love !!! ❤❤❤❤

This is a very touching story of Ronika Ortega and Asheron , who happens to be more then just a wraith.
In this story, humans and a lot of paranormal beings coexist in the same place. Ronika herself is a low level witch. A terrible situation sends her to the Hag for help.
The Hag, is supernatural being that will help people, for a price. Ronika is desperate, and is anxious for any help that she can get .
Asheron, is a wraith that has been wandering for a very long time. He feeds on high emotions like fear and despair, and when he encounters Ronika, she exudes only calm , and confidence.
Totally not what he is used to !!!
At her request, he helps her in her time of need.
But will that ever be enough ????
This story is full of sad, terrible things. But mostly, it is filled with love. And That is the basis of everything !!! I am very much looking forward to reading more about this town , and its Hag !!!
20 reviews
January 21, 2025
that was excellent!

I truly enjoyed that story!
I haven’t read a more satisfying story in a very long time. It had all the elements that turns a story into an epic read, it had world building, excellent character development, superior storyline and development, unique, passionate & thrilling lovemaking!
I kept expecting it to go into the typical romance/fantasy story, but I was totally wrong. It stayed unique, interesting & so very well written.
This story by Regine Abel is so worth your time and money, I was able to read with kindle Unlimited which makes my insatiable reading habit much more affordable!
I truly look forward to the next story, Regine Abel’s writing you so compelling, I’m definitely going to look into her other stories as well, I think that others discovering her amazing writing will be thanking me.
Take Care & Be Safe
Profile Image for Laqua.
352 reviews2 followers
January 23, 2025
La historia me gustó. Presenta un universo distinto a sus otras historias.
Me gustó Ronika, y me gustó Asheron. Hay algunas cuestiones que no entendí bien (Lost in translation, maybe? I don't know) o que quedan medio en el aire, pero en general, es una historia de aventuras muy entretenida.
Todos los seres malvados y demoníacos que presenta la autora en este libro hielan la sangre. Están muy bien pensados. Las ilustraciones del final ayudan mucho, y son una de mis partes favoritas de sus libros.
Me dejó pensando la inusitada coincidencia con las obras de Opal Reyne 🤔 ¿Será a propósito?
Leeré las próximas entregas de la serie que consiga, porque este enfoque nuevo, más orientado a las aventuras y este mundo lleno de aberraciones me parece súperentretenido (y confieso, la serie de Agencia Primaria ya no es lo que era ☹ Las últimas entregas son de aburrido, lo siguiente)
Profile Image for Alicia.
2,605 reviews82 followers
February 14, 2024
This was kinda just... meh.
It’s along the lines of a gothic fantasy, in a world where paranormal creatures aren’t as hidden as they used to be.
For me, the world building I love from this author just wasn’t there. It’s pretty much bad guy wants your house and ties you up in the courts until your funds run dry, and a witch tells you to seduce a wraith for protection so you do. Because desperate times and all. Nothing really stuck out in the story to me, and I think it was the voice of the narration, but it just never reached a point of appeal.
I like the illustrations at the back to show you all the monsters, those are always fun. There is a lot of imagination to the creatures in here, and the pictures are wild.
Profile Image for Nancy Warr.
103 reviews2 followers
June 9, 2025
A quick read that I enjoyed although there were parts that felt like it was just added for filling to make the story a little longer. It was nevertheless a cute quick read. At first I was a little taken aback at our lead female being so willing to sleep with a being she didn't even know but as the story progressed I understood why she did it. The love blossoming between the female/male leads was sweet, unlike other stories of this type it was not a insta love a fact that made me like this story even more. I was also glad that our female lead didn't end up with child as that's a trope I'm also getting a little tired of. The only reason I'm giving three instead of five stars is because of the unnecessary fillings that made the story a little longer but added nothing to it.
Profile Image for Jannie Cv.
1,082 reviews29 followers
February 9, 2024
Yikes! An awesome read!
A hot romance, cloaked in gothic horror. Beware the Shadow Flayers, the bile spawns, and so much more! Ronika is so incredibly brave, her determination to prevail over the necromancer leads her into more danger than I could imagine. I love Asheron! He is continually going above and beyond his obligations to Ronika. Their’s is a most unusual romance; I love the way it plays out. I liked the twists and turns along the way. It’s a splendid love story that I’m sure you’ll enjoy, especially if you like it mixed with a bit of a scare!
Profile Image for Liz.
692 reviews15 followers
February 11, 2024
I know this author is most well-known for her Prime Mating Agency series but they're my least favourite books by her personally. I prefer her "The Mist" series, which I would say is more in line with this book in the Shadow Realms series as they're both more of a horror/dark romance series imo.

The MCs here have sex pretty early, on, earlier than I tend to like personally, but it serves a purpose in this instance. I like that the MMC
Profile Image for Tiffany H.
70 reviews1 follower
May 26, 2024
Excellent!!! This is a paranormal romance but so much more. First off, books about falling in love with a demon are a dime a dozen. But a great in depth story about a wraith is rare. I've only encountered one other book series that even comes close. This deals with wraiths out of control madness and hunger. He's not a friendly house ghost that the witch falls in love with.

Next, the world building was phenomenal. I loved the haunted history of the mansion and the descriptions of the inhabitants.

I loved this book. I hope the author continues the series because I'm hooked.
Profile Image for Ellie F.
464 reviews53 followers
March 3, 2024
Entertaining, but babe, that relationship progression was not great.
Where’s the progression? The building of them getting to know each other before they immediately are like “you’re mine!”??

Not to mention how their relationship started was a bit…that was a choice.

Too fast, and not enough of a stable relationship foundation for me to give it any higher than a 3.

But that wraith spice, tho?! 👀
Profile Image for Kay.
914 reviews3 followers
March 16, 2024
3.5 stars

It started really well and strongly, very interesting especially when they went through Hemdell. However, when the issue of the tail happened and the solution thereafter… really? I’m pretty open minded about fantasy stories, but this felt like a cop out. It felt too convenient for everyone to be the final solution to everything.

I loved the graphics though. Other than that a bit of a let down.
365 reviews2 followers
July 28, 2024
3.5

I honestly really enjoyed the first half of this book.

But from there everything felt so, rushed. I know it’s a short book but the insta love/feelings was a lot. They knew NOTHING about one another and yet they were all in essentially.

The extra side stories were actually pleasant and were relevant.

World building was done okay.

I liked both the main characters even though our female lead annoyed me sometimes.

Smutty scenes were hot 🔥

Overall, not a bad book.
Profile Image for Jean Sanderson.
136 reviews1 follower
January 17, 2025
Excellent read! It’s a home run!

Regine Abel has such a magnificent imagination. This one is another hit among many. If you’ve never discovered her books, you are seriously missing out in this story Ronica Falls for her wrath savior and it is a story of supernatural creatures and going on an adventure that is full of surprises. I would definitely read this one again! it’s a five star hit.
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