Tethered by Shadows

by Gwendoline Rose

I didn’t run to the carnival for freedom. I ran because I had nowhere else left to go.

Daniel made sure I remembered what I was—fragile, broken, easy to hurt. But he never expected the carnies to look back. To see me. To protect me.
Now I’m hiding in a traveling wonderland of magic and monsters, tucked into the shadows of three extraordinary
A vampire with time in his hands and fury in his blood.
A tiger shifter who growls like sin and guards like a sentinel.
And a mind-bending demon who holds me together with silk and whispered promises.
I’m not like the women who twirl through their acts with grace. I’ve got a bendy body that betrays me and a heart that forgets to pump when I need it most. But they never treat me like I’m weak. They never treat me like I’m less.
They call me their princess.
They treat me like I matter.
And if Daniel ever comes close again… they’ll show him what happens when a man tries to steal what belongs to the dark.

Found family. Fierce love. A girl with EDS and POTS finding her fire in the most unexpected place—center ring.
#OwnVoices Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS)POTS representationDisabled main characterAuthentic chronic illnessDisability prideInvisible disability

Genres: Magic

235 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 5, 2025

About the author

Gwendoline Rose admits she’s not quite right. But who the hell wants to be? Maybe it was the steady diet of fairy tales spiked with horror. Maybe it was the cream cookies and undiagnosed autism.

Either way, she’s always rooted for the villain, questioned the happy endings, and wondered why the hell the princess would ever settle for Prince Beige.

Now she writes emotionally raw, hilariously unhinged romance for the beautifully broken, the chronically overstimulated, the neurodivergents, the survivors, the ones who feel too much and love even harder.

Diagnosed late with autism, cPTSD, and enough rare disorders to fill a bingo card, she now channels the chaos into characters who crave connection but have absolutely no idea how to do it “right.”

Her heroines are feral. Her men are emotionally constipated. And her stories don’t fade to black, they set it on fire.

If you’ve ever been told you’re too intense, too sensitive, too much… welcome home.

Reviews

[Sara Opel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel seen

I have EDS and we think MCAS and this book made me talk to my doctor about POTS. It seems I have the trifecta and it was nice to feel represented and even in fiction to see someone turn the daily pain and struggles into something beautiful.

[Julianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's short, sweet, and to the point.

An fmc in need of some TLC, and mmc's that are fully devoted to her and kind to her from the beginning.

My only real complaint is there was no real resolution? As a reader we are led to believe that Sarah running away won't be the last she hears from her husband but... it is? There is no real confrontation or anything? We are just left hanging. It definitely made the ending feel rushed.

The aerial scenes were super confusing. And maybe that was just me but ESPECIALLY the spicey scene. I could not imagine it no matter how hard I tried.

And the silver coin? Random and never came up again? pg 133.

As someone with EDS, I do appreciate the inclusion, but her doing acrobatics was kind of wild all things considered.

I would definitely read another book from this author because overall I liked the reading style, unless there are more open ended endings... That's what would stop me personally.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this

I first found mention of this in a request for romance novels with real disabilities and authentic portrayals. This is a dark (not midnight, more dusk) paranormal reverse harem novel where the female protagonist has POTS and EDS!! Now if you’ve never heard of either I’m very happy for you, but for us slip joint, chronic pain, pass out queens, this is absolutely amazeballs. Not only does our protagonist find her inner strength, love, and forged family, she also learns the function and needs are not necessarily negative. It’s a wonderful read, truly I adored it

[Alicia Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

I loved the dive into chronic illness and finding her place in the world. It was full of life, humor, tenderness, steam, and enough delightfully weird to keep you guessing. I loved everything about this book.