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Of Fae and Wolf Trilogy #2

Claimed by Shadow and Blood

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Sometimes the truth gets buried, and love digs the grave.

I thought surviving the ruthless fae bridal competition would be my hardest challenge.

I was wrong.

Chosen by Vad—the dark, dangerously possessive Prince of Shadows—to stand at his side, I’ve become the prime target in a kingdom built on lies and blood. Rivals would rather see me buried than crowned.

Then I wake with a dagger in my hands...and the King’s blood on my skin. Framed for his murder, I’m thrown into the dungeons, where pain is currency and every shadow whispers betrayal.

The council demands my execution.

My enemies close in.

And I begin to question everyone... especially myself.

But Vad doesn’t let go of what’s his. Freeing me means defying the very laws that hold his kingdom together. If he fails, I die. If I fail, the crown—and the man who would rather burn the world than have another at his side—will fall into the hands of someone who wants to destroy it.

In a world where every choice bleeds, survival isn’t just about staying alive.

It’s about deciding who’s worth killing for.

Claimed by Shadow and Blood is a royal fae romantasy that includes betrayal, morally gray characters, enemies-to-lovers, a magical pulsing tattoo, a bridal competition, political intrigue, who did this to you, and touch her and unalive. One-click this story today.

403 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 14, 2025

1676 people are currently reading
657 people want to read

About the author

Jen L. Grey

131 books3,784 followers
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.

I am so pleased that you stopped by my page! Please feel free to follow or contact me at the following pages -

email - authorjenlgrey@gmail.com
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5 stars
890 (54%)
4 stars
485 (29%)
3 stars
216 (13%)
2 stars
36 (2%)
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7 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
Profile Image for Shyla.
261 reviews5 followers
August 16, 2025
Holy smokes.
I had so many feelings after I read this one! Brair and Vads story, they can’t catch a break! This one though had me hanging off the edge of the chair.

It picks up right where book one ends and doesn’t stop moving from page one till the very last page. Where I was left going NO!! There has to be one more page, even two.

Briar deserves her HEA dang it. She is hands down one of favorite MFCs. Shes always trying to be as strong as her sister. I feel like she’s stronger. She speaks her mind, she’s always risking her life to help others, and what she is put through 😳 in this one.

Vad gets a lot of book time which I loved for this one. We get a different glimpse of Vad. He has so much going on with the death of his dad, who can he trust, and briar being taken away.

I will warn this one is the darkest book I’ve read of Jen’s, but does take place in fae. That should tell you all you need to know.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I can say with 100% certainty this is a must read. Just set time aside bc you won’t want to be interrupted. Once you start you won’t want to put it down! 🖤
Profile Image for ThatBook Girl.
145 reviews17 followers
August 18, 2025
Wow, I just finished this wild ride and let me tell you my heart is still racing! This book was an absolute adrenaline rush, especially the final quarter. Everything I wanted from book one was delivered in book two, and I adored every second.

Here's what you can expect:
Fated Mates
Court Intrigue
Mysterious Adversaries
Assassins
Dying Magic
Trial/Competition
Hidden Past
Fae & Shifters

Poor Briar and Vad, these two can’t catch a break! Their chemistry is off the charts, but events keep throwing them into the fire. Despite lies, betrayal, prison cells, and torture, Briar just keeps getting tougher, and Vad’s devotion to prove her innocence is swoon-worthy!

Silas is still giving me major question marks, and Thalen remains my favourite side character, bringing levity in a very dark story. I also love how the women are standing by Briar’s side.

Bryn is seriously testing my patience. If he could just be upfront with Briar, maybe that mindf**k of an ending wouldn’t have hit quite so hard. That cliffhanger? I’m screaming. How am I supposed to wait two months for the next book?

I need all the details about Elias, Kaylen, Calla Lily (Hello: “lilies”!) and Briar’s mysterious heritage. Bring on the next book, because I am all in!
Profile Image for Stephanie Compton.
Author 4 books97 followers
August 30, 2025
After reading the first book in this series, I had high hopes for this one but it fell flat. There’s a great story in it but a lot of fluff couldn’t been left out.
1,471 reviews4 followers
August 18, 2025
good

There is definitely a lot of betrayal in this book. Poor briar has been accused of the King’s murder even though she says she did not do it. The prison that they put her in was pretty harsh. I thought the author did pretty well on writing the torture that was going on in this prison. Even though briar was accused of the King’s murder she was still required to finish the bride trials. I do feel that some of the characters were being pretty stupid, especially when it was easy for me to figure out who one of the conspirators was by what the king said to briar before he died. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.
Profile Image for Rachel.
2,352 reviews132 followers
August 30, 2025
Jen has never written a book as dark as Claimed by Shadow and Blood before, and I was there for it!


Briar got the raw end of the deal. She's already been through a lot, and now she's been accused of murder and thrown in prison. Jen did not shy away from the darker moments in this book. Briar was brutalized, but she didn't break. I always saw Briar as a softer character, especially compared to her sister. However, it turns out Briar has some grit. She showed true strength, but her kindness and compassion were still able to shine through.


This book was wild! The king has been killed, the kingdom is in danger, and Fate is pissed. With so much going on, it was hard to know who to trust. It was obvious that someone(s) had their own agenda. What's the bigger picture? With so many mysteries and clues, I need a murder board to keep track of everything. The politics was BS too. It killed me that Vad had to play along and jump through hoops when all he wanted to do was burn the world down for Briar. Cue me swooning. Vad definitely had that dark prince, touch-her-and-die thing going on. He is a goner for Briar; so much for all that talk about not wanting love in the first book. Ha! Vad and Briar make a good pair, and she just may be the shake-up that Nytheria needs.


Claimed by Shadow and Blood was superb! The last few chapters almost gave me a heart attack. Gods, how much more are the MCs supposed to go through? The ending left me in a state of confusion and suspense. I have so many questions, and I can’t wait to get those answers in Forged by Heart and Claws, the final book of Bria's story.
Profile Image for BooksbyFate.
30 reviews1 follower
August 24, 2025
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
13 reviews
December 6, 2025
Drama and avoidable scenarios

I enjoyed the first book very much, the second book was good but too much information is being withheld and it felt rather dumb to me that it wasn't being shared. The "don't do this because I said so" seems like a pretty foolish approach to use rather than explaining why, especially when the fate of the realm is at stake. Adding in the generally distrustful nature of the courts, the lack of explanation on why the female protagonist is being instructed to return home seems even more out of place. If the scenario Fate appears to be pushing is so awful, wouldn't what Fate is doing drive a lot more review and questioning? There also doesn't seem to be enough concern about bucking what Fate is pushing for.

The lack of power/influence, in his own kingdom, that the main male protagonist has was bothersome. With his father ailing, I would have expected him to be able to step more smoothly into controlling his court.

The massive failure in security was also troubling. With the marriage candidates and representatives of other courts present I would have expected security to have more redundancies. The peoples of the courts seem to be very distrustful as a cultural norm, which would lead me to expect very thorough security.

All that said, I do enjoy books by this author and I'm still curious enough to read the third book in the trilogy.
Profile Image for Sabrina.
1,456 reviews119 followers
August 14, 2025
Picking up where the last book left off, Briar is in some trouble. Found with a weapon and the dead king, she is whisked away and accused as being the king’s assassin. Sent to a prison known for their torture, she must survive long enough for Vad to rescue her. If he even believes that she is innocent. Lucky for Briar, Vad isn’t a fool. It’s very clear that Briar was set up and that there is a deeper plot afoot to get rid of her and take control from Vad. He must play the game very carefully to find a way to free Briar without raising suspicions. It’s all about survival with these two as they fight for one another and figure out who the true enemy is. I love that Vad and Briar are getting closer and learning to trust one another. It’s clear how hard they have fallen for one another despite how they came to meet. Really liking this series so far! I still have so many questions left and with that cliffhanger ending, I can’t wait to see what happens next!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Riana.
15 reviews
August 21, 2025
The plot twist in this book has thrown me for a loop. Starting right where we left off with Briar, knife in hand, making it look like she has committed the ultimate sin - Killing the King! The father of the man who she has realized might actually mean so much more to her than she ever thought possible. Taken from the scene of the crime with a screaming Vad for her to be “unhanded” with no avail. This story is full of twists, turns, love, torture, and all the in-betweens. I would even venture to say this might be one of Jen’s more darker series and I. Am. Here. For. It. I cannot believe we have to wait another few months for the next book!!! Run, don’t walk, for your copy of this incredible story.
Profile Image for Rhonda Almodovar.
188 reviews
September 10, 2025
Shadow, Blood, Fur, Fangs & Claws

The story of Vad & Briar’s journey continues. The Fae realm of Shadow is trembling. Briar had one last bridal contest to win to be Vad’s chosen bride by Fate but the Aureline high council has other treacherous plans, assassins & even more monsters to prevent that momentous occasion from ever happening. Will Briar win? Will her & Vad be crowned the new king & Queen of the Shadow realm? Will Briar ever get to see her sister, Ember, & her pack on Earth again? Will Vad find his father’s assassins? Or who’s plotting his realms downfall? IDK. I’m about to find out…BTW, the unicorn foal was a nice touch! I highly recommend this series.

Que "Hysteria" by Def Leppard.
Profile Image for Sasha Butler.
36 reviews
October 21, 2025
I actually preferred this to the first book, but it could’ve been easily about 100 pages shorter. Like the first book, the only trial we see in this one goes on for far too long. The way it’s explained it genuinely made no sense. All I remember is a unicorn. I couldn’t picture at all what anything beyond the circle looked like. That and the prison were painfully dragged out to the point where I wasn’t sure if I wanted to carry on reading. But something had to give and actually, it got really interesting towards the end, but I think it was too rushed. It felt too late throwing in all these twists and turns, but it was definitely needed to keep me interested. Not sure if I will pre-order the third book.
Profile Image for Karen G.
286 reviews1 follower
November 21, 2025
4.5 stars ⭐️

I thought this was well paced. I loved Briar’s friendships with the “weaker ladies” of the group. How they all supported each other. The trials were good and you also questioned why? Nobody could answer how or why they became so brutal.
Thalen was a great addition and kept you lol.
Silas the quiet one. Not sure about his role in the story except for his feelings for the princess.
What or whom is Bryn really ? Why wasn’t more explained about him and the role he was trying to keep Briar away from?
An annoying word for me that Vad said several times. ‘Beloved’. It just didn’t seem to fit his persona. 🤷‍♀️
Although I loved their relationship. 🤌 💋
Cala Lily????? Huh 🤔?????
Profile Image for Jessika DeVore.
12 reviews
August 17, 2025
SPOILERS!!! Noooooo!! Two More Months for book 3!!!

The cliffhanger has me more than ready for book 3! Briar and Vad are endgame! October is so far away!!! I want to know if Kaylen was a pawn and didn’t realize it or if her and Cala Lily were both pawns. And then what happened with Myantha at the end!!!
Vad and Briar are obvious mates but for whatever reason her family doesn’t want her marrying Vad. Are they really making fate angry or is it actually effecting the Shadow magic along with others. Why doesn’t Many Greats explain more to her so she understands what’s going on? I’m also still wondering about Elias and who it was that his life force was helping.
Profile Image for Cynthia Carpenter.
1,674 reviews15 followers
August 20, 2025
WOW!!!!
Vad and Briar are back and they give you the most emotional, action-packed, twisted, dark, intense, most heartbreaking read you will read. Every page give you a new twist, a new threat, and a love so strong you won't want to miss it. From the start thes two and all the others take on a journey you won't be expect. From assassination of the king, to prison, and more, what they have to endure will make you cry, and want to throw things. It's more than book, it will have your pulse pounding, give tingles, the suspenseful moments will have you on the edge of your seat wanting know more. I love their story and can't wait to see what happens next
116 reviews
November 6, 2025
A Must Read!! FANTASTIC!!

This series is phenomenal!!! Not only the story of Blair and Vad trying to accept and recognize their love and protect the kingdom from those who want to harm and destroy it , characters such as Thalen are hilarious!! I find myself quickly laughing out loud at his antics . I waited for this series to be complete and so glad I did as now I’m consumed in reading them back to back as there are cliffhangers!!! Just get the series all together you will not regret it at all !!!
Profile Image for Jenn (loves_a_good_book).
152 reviews10 followers
August 20, 2025
Conspiracy, treachery, angst, longing, love, betrayal - yes please! 🐺Claimed by Shadow and Blood🐺 has all this and more! I really enjoyed this book!

Poor Briar and Vad, when you think it’s bad, it gets worse. They really can’t catch a break.

Just when I thought I knew who the traitorous wench was you get a curveball thrown in. Was it “A” or “B” or is it both together????

That cliffhanger!!! I can’t wait to find out how this story unfolds
Profile Image for Dena.
4,460 reviews12 followers
September 7, 2025
survival of the fittest

This has been an interesting story of survival and chaos. I love Briar and Vad. They are so much in love that everyone against them are just trying to keep them apart to keep magic. I mean how was magic formed in the beginning I think that should have been the biggest question. There have been so many questions throughout this entire book that I can’t wait for the next one for answers.
Profile Image for Cynthia L Peters.
431 reviews
November 2, 2025
Vad and Briar have to deal with lots of challenges and betrayals. Briar is accused of killing the king and is whisked away to the worst prison in the realm. There are traitors in the kingdom, and the kingdom that is supposed to be the one that interprets Fate. The story ends on another cliffhanger.

This story dragged in a few places. I still enjoyed the story and am looking forward to the final book in the series.
Profile Image for Dayzee.
931 reviews14 followers
August 11, 2025
wowzers!

This is not faint for the heart!!

There is torture, longing, sadness, conspiracy, Spice and assassins everywhere!!! I couldn’t put it down!!! Briar is one kick ass heroine and i want vengeance!!! The last 30% of the book had me like 😱🤬🥵😶‍🌫️🤯 and that end!??

Cannot wait for the next book!!! 😭😭
Profile Image for easilyamusedreader.
54 reviews1 follower
August 19, 2025
Angsty fantasy at its finest.

5♥️ - I was excited to read Briar’s story after reading the Rejected Fate Trilogy and getting a glimpse of who Briar is.

Shadow Prince Vad - who’s willing to end the realm to figure out the truth on who’s accusing Briar of murder. A LOT happened in this book even though only a few days passed. I’m so excited to read book 3!

I’m feeling treachery, betrayal, angst, slow burn, fated mates, and more.
55 reviews
August 23, 2025
Unbearable

I loved it. Couldn't put it down. Can't wait to start on the 3 rd book. It was enticing throughout with twist & turns that kept me on edge inhaling deeply to get to the next sentence. Wow! It was intense not knowing when the next blow was coming from. It kept me on edge the whole time.
57 reviews1 follower
August 26, 2025
amazing read!

Warning! This book is captivating and hard to put down. Torn between his kingdom, his family and a love he didn’t choose... the soon to be king struggles to find balance and find the traitors who are throwing obstacles up from the shadows. Lots of twists and turns and you will never guess how it ends...
Profile Image for Amanda.
179 reviews3 followers
September 13, 2025
Intense with a capital “I”!

OMGoddess!! That ending was the definition of intense! I could not stop reading the last 50ish pages, I had to see what was going to happen. I really don’t like Many-Greats… he just seems to want everyone to do as he says with no information as to why. Can’t wait for the next book to learn about some of those whys.
Profile Image for Nicole Simpson.
135 reviews1 follower
September 17, 2025
such a great story; need book 3

I was very impressed with how this book progressed. I’m invested in the main characters and some of the side ones.

I loved how the 2 main characters were like yes I do like you rather than that whole baloney and dance around and demand the other say something first etc. but oh the trials and tribulations!! My girl deserves a dang good ending!
399 reviews1 follower
October 7, 2025
Reviewed by Beth

Oh my GOSH! I hate a cliff hanger! But what a cliff hanger it is!!

Jen Grey, I love, hate you. Your stories are awesome and I hate to wait for the next book or when the series ends .

I really REALLY enjoy your stories and characters! You have a gift thank you for sharing!

Profile Image for Carol Lothery.
10 reviews
October 13, 2025
AWESOME READ

Really hoping that Book 3 can live up to the cliffhanger instigated by Claimed by Shadow and Blood (Book 2). This book started out slow it gradually started getting more intriguing by the end of the book. Really enjoyed it despite the slow start. Would recommend this book.
Profile Image for Susan Clair Holt.
1,363 reviews1 follower
August 17, 2025
Claimed by Shadow and Blood

Brier, who was framed and imprisoned for the murder of the king is rescued. Even with all odds against her she is at the coronation. Cliffhanger, the Fae world is falling apart.
1,394 reviews4 followers
August 20, 2025
Nail-biting all the way through to the end!

Or pity’s sake! Can’t everyone just leave Briar and Vad alone?! Betrayal, backstabbing, plots and the trials, none of it could stop such a great love. And the finale was epic!
11 reviews
August 23, 2025
Series has everything

Strong female character, betrayal, constantly engaging. Never a dull moment. Kept me wanting to see what was going to happen next. Couldn't down.
Have to wait for the next book. In the meantime we'll start another series by this author. My new favorite
126 reviews3 followers
August 25, 2025
Excellent Read!!

The book did not disappoint! I love Briar’s character. If the real world had more like her it’d be a much better place! The books are action-packed and keep you on the edge of your seat! I highly recommend!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews

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