Bonded to the Fallen Shadow King

Of Fae and Wolf Trilogy #1

by Jen L. Grey

Stolen from Earth, Fated to be His Ruin.

Taken from Earth and thrust into a ruthless bridal competition in a fae realm, I’m forced to fight for a crown I don’t want in order to survive.

Vad, the dark, sexy, powerful heir of the Shadow Fae Kingdom, is doing the one thing he never wanted—searching for a bride.

But I don't fit in here, and the top contestants want me dead as soon as I arrive.

Bound by Fated magic and trapped in a deadly game, Vad’s every cold glance and harsh words remind me that he doesn’t want me, and I sure as hell don’t want him.

Yet there’s no denying the sparks between us, and the way his touch ignites something in me I can’t control.

As the contest grows more dangerous, all I can focus on is survival which becomes harder and seems to be slipping through my grasps.

But I won't go out without a fight... even if it kills me sooner.

Bonded to the Fallen Shadow King is a royal fae romantasy that includes betrayal, morally gray characters, enemies-to-lovers, a bridal competition, political intrigue, who did this to you, and touch her and unalive. One-click this story today.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Fae, Fantasy Romance, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Paranormal

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 15, 2025

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author

Reading has always been one of my favorite hobbies, even as a little girl. When I was a toddler, my parents would read stories to me over and over. I would hear them so often that I had the books memorized and could recite the story word by word.

My favorite genres are fantasy, paranormal, and contemporary romance. So of course that's what I'm inclined to write.

​I have a husband, two young daughters, and a mini Australian Shepherd. I've lived in Tennessee the majority of my life and love the state.

I'm extremely addicted to caffeine and enjoy drinking coffee and lattes.
​
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Reviews

[2TNWalkers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started of good, but ending plot holes so big you can lose a full size truck in…why have guards every 10 feet in hallway but none responded FMC going into room where Reilly was dying..Where is FMC’s Fae grandfather that apparently can go where every he wants unlike the other fae who no nothing of earth..why do hateful people get to live…wtf is wrong with MMC ‘s bestie I think he is behind the murder and pushing the nasty bitch as a queen..not sure if I will read next…getting to the age of wanting solid stories, less bullshit, waffling and hatefulness being rewarded. As well as doormat behavior which I think the FMC showed a bit of…think she is an alpha who is scared of herself unless she lets her wolf take control….

[jess.manora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Guter Start, ab der Mitte gab es zu viele Plotholes und ich habe mich nur noch gelangweilt. Werde die Reihe nicht weiterlesen. 🙈

[✨Amanda ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ This one had me locked in from the first page. I loved the fmc. She was fierce and sassy. The competitions were intense and had me speed reading thru it. The only thing that kept me from rating this higher is the romance. It was insta love fated mate without the time to actually get to know one another. Hopefully book two they fmc and mmc will get more time together to flesh out their relationship. The ending has some suspicious potential underhanded betrayal going on. I can’t wait to see where this goes.

[Jennifer BlackRoseReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wolves and Fae???? Um color me intrigued! I had no idea what to expect from this book as I went in totally blind. I was sucked in immediately and continued to be glued to the pages! I don’t want to give anything away in the form of spoilers so I have to keep this brief. The trials this poor shifter girl has to go through after being kidnapped to a different freaking planet??? Um it’s unlike anything I have read before with trials! This one was more fascinating than the trials of ACOTAR! And that’s really saying something! Loved the crap out of this and I will definitely be moving on to book 2 because I can’t handle the ending!

[Desirae Sanko · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nothing more annoying than a rushed plot line and instant “love”
Let me guess, they’re both virgins too. I won’t be reading the second book.
The writing is just, juvenile. There’s no substance to the relationships. Nothing is built.
The idea of trials and a winner made fae queen is good…. The trials were even unique … until the author took the war training camp scene straight out of MULAN!
My god, no, no sequel for me.


Briar, wolf shifter, transported to fae kingdom for queen trials to be with Vad (the fact that I had to read Vaddy in this book makes me gag…what are we, 12?) Who cares about her sister…
Thalen could’ve been a funny good character but again…zero depth.

You saw that kingly murder cliff hanger a mile away.
Get me outta here

[Janina s. Asselin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story

This was a good story but the trials were over done. They went on too long and it was ridiculous to have the MFC do everything. Not believable to have the character be the super hero and yet sustain so many injuries. This caused me to skim in frustration as it took me out of the story.

[Hannah Garrett]

I’m in a slump so I need some silly goofy shenanigans like this hehe. So if you see me reading other silly goofy books no you did not

[Jenn Ely · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing in this book is if you took 2014 Wattpad and threw in with every romantasy trope possible.

[Nash Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a straight forward good time. There was not a lot of world building in this book, but there is enough to keep to invested and wanting more. I really did liked the characters and the overall plot. I thought the trials were different and pretty detailed. Overall I had a good time and will be continuing the series.

[Cassandra Berman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vaddy? Enough said.

[Brandy Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Mind the cliff though

Demolished this story in less than 24 hours. Absolutely loved it! The story and world building was so perfect. Jen L. Gray knows what she’s doing for sure! I knew there would be a cliffhanger but dang I wasn’t ready! I was so caught up I didn’t realize I’d reached the end. I’m normally a high spice person and this had some but not a lot, but was so good without it! Waiting on pins and needles for the next book!

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Briar has only recently learned the Fae exists but she never would have imagined a Fae mark appearing on her hand then her being kidnapped in the middle of the night to compete for the prince’s hand. She is just about ready to wake up from this nightmare! The women in this competition vary from ruthless who are determined to win the title as queen to those who never wanted to be there in the first place. It’s clear Briar is the only one from Earth and very much not fully fae. And though she is determined to survive and make it back home to her sister, she can’t also help but be drawn to the Fae prince, Vad. Vad never wanted this competition. He is against having a bride for many reasons, but Fate has given them no choice. The magic connected to this is one that can’t be stopped or undone. Then he sees Briar and this tug to her is undeniable. But he can’t react, he can’t fall for her. But every trial she faces, she surprises everyone around her. Maybe Fate knows what she is doing after all… I really loved this story! Briar is fierce and protective and though she is in a foreign land, she won’t sit back and let those weaker get hurt. The trials we see are deadly and action packed. And then beginning attraction between Briar and Vad have me wanting more! And that cliffhanger of an end! Looks like something more than the competition is going on. And I can’t wait to find out!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Dayzee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast pace and action pack! I LOVED IT!!! It has Fae Trials Competition, Nasty MEAN girls vibes, kick @ss girl fights and a drooling prince with a quiet yet horny personality. And his squad is hilarious so all is fine in FAE-REALM!!!. #TeamThallen

Our main girl, Briar is dragged and transported to fae, where she HAS to compete for the prince love/ marriage... HE has no choice and neither does she. Is one of those where IT IS THE LAW in FAIRY land. Also these trials are no walk in the park. From monsters, to nasty contestants, Briar needs to figure out how to get back home however this prince has set his eyes on her and he is not hard to look at either if you know what im saying.

If you like Insta LOVE, fated mates, gory trials, funny sidekicks (BACK OFF THALLEN IS MINE I SAID) then this is your book!! Briar is no damsel in distress so get ready, FAIRY LAND just got a wolf who bites.. HARD. Cant wait for book two!!!

*instaLove/Fated Mates
*strongFemale character
*He is fae, she is a wolf shifter
*FOOD fight scene
*sidekick is yummy *thallen*
*monsters that make your skin crawl. eeww

[Shauntee Thomason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faevy Wolf

Oh my goodness I loved this first book of this series. Sad I had to wait until August for the second. It was so good.

[123_Romantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ (rounded up)
.5 🌶️

Let me start by saying this: I love reading Jen L Grey’s books and WILL continue reading this series as it comes out. However, this just fell a little flat for me.

Overall, love the concept and story. I did not read Ember and Ryker’s story before this fyi. I’m sure it’d help give me some background on Briar but stories of fae lure me in more than just wolf shifters. I wasn’t lost by any means for this book.

We have bridal trials and both Briar and our MMC Vad are not exactly keen on them. Vad is set to pretty much ignore every woman competing and lets them know right away he will never care for who wins. But then Briar enters the room and immediately, he is drawn to her like a moth to a flame 🔥

For a shorter book, you get a lot of detailed scenes of the trials themselves. And they happen quickly, back to back days so you don’t have a lot of fluff in between, which I’m ok with somewhat. I think we could have had more time of Vad and Briar having some time to get to know one another vs JUST having the instant pull to each other. They basically declare love for one another without spending more than a handful of minutes alone at a time.

You didn’t really get any spice here 🌶️ which made me sad 😞 bc other books of her’s aren’t afraid of spice in book 1. They kept getting interrupted which was infuriating! Even just a liiiiitle bit more would have been nice. Again, just to help with their relationship development.

One minor detail that got to me was using the word “feck” instead of f***. At first, I thought it was a typo but then it kept happening, and then suddenly, f*** would be in there. It was very confusing.

Can I just say that I loved Vad’s dad in this? For once, it’s not just some heartless mad king who hated or abused his wife. Even though Vad’s mom is passed, you feel his dad’s longing and love for her and how he never regrets picking her. Just kind of refreshing for once.

Thalen, my main sidekick man ❤️ need more of him in the future. Silus is interesting. Feel like he could either be the villain or a distraction to the reader, kind of a bait and switch. I’ll be interested to see where it goes.

Book ends on a cliffhanger, as usual lol. I’m also kind of sad how far apart the next book release is. Normally, I feel like they are consecutive months release but the next one for this doesn’t come out until August 😢 considering these are shorter length books, I don’t feel there should be that big of gap.

[Cheyyleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright. Spoilers.





FMC:
She was the shining light in this book for me, she was strong even if in the inside she was anxious and falling apart and I liked that we didn't just dwell in her anxiety and moved forward. She was also a decent person and I liked reading her story.

MMC:
Sooo. this is where the book drops for me. He doesn't really have a progression or development. He goes from I don't care I don't want a wife etc to all in and we really don't get the depth behind that change. We get some smaller insights into that conflict but when we get his big declaration of love I was like "okay I guess, sure".

plot:
So I have actually stopped picking up trial books because I honestly believe you can only read so many fantasy books with deathly trials and still find joy in them. This book was no exception. We spend an extreme amount of time and details on the trials and the rest of the plot doesn't really shine through or develop. Why are the council members against our FMC? Why can't people figure out what type of Fae she is? what about any world building at all outside the castle walls? We have no clue about the dynamics of the court, why these trials are so brutal this time, or really anything outside of the knowledge of our FMC, which is annoying because we have the MMC pov. your telling me he never once thinks about the political ramifications of his bride choice? no one will be upset if you don't pick someone? I just can't imagine this detail coming up in book two and it's a major reason I gave the book a three. If you sacrifice world building and depth you have to make up for it in romance, and that didn't happen.


overall, I think it's pretty middle of the road and I think it's a good read but I won't be moving on in the story!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not necessary, but I highly suggest reading the Wicked Fate Trilogy before this one. Ember's little sister, Briar, has gotten her own series, starting with Bonded to the Fallen Shadow King. I liked Briar in the previous series, but I like her even more now. Briar is brave, unbelievably caring, and stronger than even she knows. She's also slightly dark. Who knew? I know I didn't, but I like her new, darker edge; it fits her.


I liked Vad from the start, which is saying something considering the last MMC in one of Jen's fantasy series had to grow on me. Vad loves his sister, is best friends with Thalian (I loved the playful fae), and wants what’s best for his kingdom. He has a bit of that damaged bad boy going for him that could have caused me frustration, but didn't. I loved that he couldn't stay away from Briar no matter how much he wished he could.


What fresh hell has Briar fallen into? This is unlike any bridal contest I've ever read. This one was absolutely deadly, and I'm not just talking about the other contestants. Between the dangerous trials, deadly monsters, and rigged politics, it's hard to trust anyone. Something really hinky is going on. I have a feeling that maybe the past is starting to repeat itself. Jen kept my adrenaline pumping. I was hooked the entire time, and then that ending happened. Talk about a bundle of dread. I can tell you one thing, things are going to get worse before they get better. Bonded to the Fallen Shadow King was incredible. A must-read for fantasy lovers who enjoy sassy MFCs with big hearts and broody fae princes who give off the THaD vibes really well.

[Sophia Cristiani · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting with this book but I really did enjoy it! I feel like her personality was legit hilarious and this book is pretty fast paced right out the rip. I loved the duel povs it made the book so much more entertaining!!! (also good side characters *cough* thallen *cough*) At first I wasn’t sure if I’d like Vad that much buttttt #teamvaddy

… I’m not sure if this was an enemies to lovers or love at first sight (if that even is a trope) trope, either way I ate this shit up

Only thing was the world building was slackin but idc Im here for vibes b

vibes ~ trials, ballrooms, strong fmc

[Jenn (loves_a_good_book) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fab start to the series. I really liked how the storyline wasn’t like anything I’ve read before, wolf shifter kidnapped and transported to the fae world and thrust into brutal bridal trials, has ultimate mean girls (that I wanted throttle) and a hot shadow fae I want to get to know better. There’s so much action, tension, banter and laughter, I devoured this quickly. Love Briar, she’s smart, strong and her big heart is already creating her own pack/found family amidst the chaos. It’s duo POV which is my favourite. The ending!!!! Jen L Grey drops a 💣 and runs!

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty fast-paced story. I thought I was hallucinating when I saw it was less than 300 pages. I am impatiently waiting for book 2 to come out. What a cliffhanger.

I'm still unsure how I feel about the characters, specifically the FMC. She feels like a contradiction, and I'm not too sure about it. But I am holding out judgment for her until the second book.

[Amy Lambton (Neill) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending knocked this from a 5 stars to almost 2 stars for me. Super frustrated. I liked the premise and the characters but it felt so unbelievably rushed at the end and the way everyone just accepted everything felt very shallow to me. A shame because I couldn't put this down at first. I really wanted to like it but from the 80% mark it just totally lost me.

[Mandamoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Bonded to the Fallen Shadow King in one day and couldn’t put it down. It’s such an easy, addictive romantasy with fae, deadly trials, and a shadow prince that had me hooked instantly. The pacing is fast, the romance pulls you in, and it’s perfect if you want something you can binge quickly. If you love fae romance and shadow daddies, you need to read this

[Jessika DeVore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t want to put it down!

I’m dying for book two! It was a very quick read but very enjoyable! I’m loving all of the different fae and wolf series!

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am between a 3.5-4 stars. I felt like it was a fun, quick story. I read it in a day. Not a lot of depth.

[Ashley Canino · Rating 1 out of 5]

Umm? What is this.
The writing was very childish and disorganized, the FMC subconsciously nicknamed the MMC "Vaddy" (name is Vad) within 10 seconds of meeting him with internal thoughts like "why can't I stop thinking about Vaddy?"🤮, the trials lasted forever and were so chaotic I couldn't keep track of what was actually happening and the amount of contestants she was competing with were poorly introduced & so rushed that I couldn't even keep track of who was who??
Oh and the use of "Feck" instead of the word fuck?? Why?
This hurt my brain.
DNF @ 70%

[Elena Cording · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast read. But not enough interaction between the two main characters to make their relationship feel real.

[Abelireviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the Rejected Fate trilogy, I was excited to continue on with Briar in this one! Jen L. Grey does a nice job with her world building and characters. I am excited for more of Briar. We start off with her being taken into the Fae realm and come to find out she has been chosen by Fate to compete in the Bridal Competition for the Shadow Prince, Vad. Always love a good shadow daddy :) There seems to be more going on than meets the eye between these two as well as the competition itself. After how this one ends, I can’t wait to start book 2!

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

[Charlotte Walbran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loving this book, I just can't put it down!

[ShadowMommyReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review ✨️
4⭐️ 2🌶

I just finished reading 'Bonded to the Fallen Shadow King' and 'Claimed by Shadow and Blood' by @authorjenlgrey, and I was immediately sucked into this beautiful creative book series!

Briar is a wolf shifter from Earth who is part of a newly bonded pack with her sister. She is suddenly dragged away to a new realm that she knows nothing about and has to survive using her wit, humor, smarts, and her shifter abilities.

Vad is a Shadow Fae, Prince of the Shadow Kingdom. He is to take the crown, but first, he must oversee the Bridal Games and choose a bride. Vad is only looking for a strong bride, not love.

I love how the magic system works! It is so creative and different from the other books, and it blends perfectly with the storyline.
Briar has shifter magic from Earth, but it works differently than magic in the fae realm. Which makes complete sense because they are different realms, but I feel like some authors overlook small details like this!

Briar is loyal, strong-willed, funny, and honestly a complete badass. I enjoyed watching her character develop and find herself and her strength! She is definitely one of my top 10 FMCs 💋

I also enjoyed Thalen... he kind of gives Ridoc vibes and had me giggling at his inappropriately timed comments 😂

I would recommend this book to anyone 18+ who enjoys:
✨️ A Broody Protective MMC
✨️ A strong-willed, badass FMC
✨️ Deadly Bridal Competition
✨️ Romantasy Lovers
✨️ Forbidden Love
✨️ Touch her and ☠️
✨️ Political Intrigue