Hunted by the Fae King's Shadow

by Shaylin Gandhi

Hunt or be hunted…

Immortal Hunters is a collection of dark romantasy standalones—each novel can be read in any order, but once the hunt begins, it won’t stop.
Hunted by the Demon’s Vow by A.N. Caudle
Hunted by the Dragon Shifter by Courtney Whims
Hunted by the Dead King by Mallory Benjamin
Hunted by the Fae Duke by Kris K. Haines
Hunted by the Fae King's Shadow by Shaylin Gandhi

Genres: Romantasy

450 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication June 18, 2026

About the author

Shaylin Gandhi first fell in love with love stories when she started stealing grown-up books off her mother’s bookshelf at the age of ten. By twelve, she’d perfected the art of reading under the covers by flashlight, and in high school, she attempted her first novel. She now writes from the mountains of Golden, Colorado, where she lives with her husband and identical twin daughters. When not finagling words onto paper, Shaylin can be found hiking, scheming up ways to earn another passport stamp, or ingesting enough coffee to power a small city.

Reviews

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very privileged to beta read this book and it lives rent free in my head. Thank you to the author for letting me read early and as always, all opinions are my own.

I left LOTS of comments like "SCREAMING" and "now I'm crying" and "IS IT WARM IN HERE WHY AM I SO WARM."

This is a fast-paced dark romantasy with open door spice and so many surprises! Sariah is a pious princess who is thrust into the world of the fae when she is claimed by the fae king, Amriel, to break his curse. She has to navigate a world designed to mock her religious upbringing, her dedication to being a priestess, and survive a deadly labyrinth where the king's Shadow, his twin, hunts her by day but is her safety by night when he's in his right mind. She is also the only daughter who hasn't received her magical blessing from their goddess, and her family looks down on her for that. Will she cling to her faith and her family's ideals, or learn to stand on her own in a new place with the temptations of a world at her feet?

I ADORED Sariah and watching her journey from an uptight, pious young woman into a stronger person over the course of the book. She has to battle literal and figurative monsters and learn about herself. She has never been allowed to want anything for herself and it was very healing to see her develop.
Amriel, the fae king, is the epitome of "if villain, why hot." Half the fun was getting to unravel the secrets of his past, as well as those of his Shadow, who is cursed to be a mindless hunter during the day but is a yearning king for Sariah by night.

The twists and turns in this had me guessing every step of the way. I was on the edge of my seat and actively begging Shaylin for more chapters every time I reached the end of a section! I loved every single moment and had so many theories as the story progressed. HIGHLY recommend you don't sleep on this one!

[Taylen · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review
4⭐️

The story follows Sariah, an obedient and proper princess who is unexpectedly chosen by the Fae King Amriel during a centuries old ritual known as The Claiming. Desperate to escape marriage, she makes a deal with The Fae King: she must run through the deadly Wildwood, break a curse, and earn her freedom.

Tropes:
👑 enemies to lovers
👑 self discovery
👑 forced proximity
👑 trials and a deadly maze

The final book of the Immortal Hunters Collection! These have been so fun and this one followed suite with all the others!
Hunt or Be Hunted. Sariah goes on a journey of self discovery throughout the story. It was fun to see her grow into herself from a religious, coveted, royal princess to a confident, strong woman who puts her happiness first. The Fae Kings character arc from a dangerous, degenerative fae into a devout, hopeless romantic journey was filled with tension and yearning that had my heart racing quite a few times. I know it can be hard to wrap up a fantasy story in a standalone book, but I really felt like Shaylin did a beautiful job. The pace of the story never slowed and she did not leave you feeling incomplete when the story finished.

If you’re looking for fun, easy reading, standalone books with a darker theme of being hunted with spicy male characters in each book this series is perfect for you.

[Melissa Liming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goddess, this was an incredible book.

I feel extremely privileged to have gotten to read the ARC of this book. It's the fifth story in the Immortal Hunters collection. Every. Single. Book. Is absolutely flawless and a complete standalone journey all their own. If this set of books doesn't take the world by storm I will riot.

I swear on my grave I audibly gasped, squealed, and was emotional so many times during this I needed a nap after I finished it - because I read it in one day. I couldn't put this book down to save my own soul.

Our FMC Sariah is a prudish, pious princess who wants nothing more than to devote herself to her faith and become a priestess. She is the only daughter in her family who has not received her grace (her magic) and she feels her family looking down on her. Her plans take an abrupt halt when she is claimed by the fae king, Amriel, who needs her to return with him to break his curse. She is thrust into a world where (in her eyes) gluttony, greed and debauchery are around every corner mocking her faith. Now she must brave a deadly maze within the Wildwood where the king's Shadow will hunt her by day, but it's not only the shadow she must fear but other creatures and elements that want to see her fail at every turn. Will she be able to hold onto her faith and virtues, or will temptation set in and claim her too?

Amirel is our fae king and he has been living in physical and emotional pain for hundreds of years waiting for his curse to finally be broken. I absolutely love when an author is able to have you feeling one way about a character, and then completely change everything you thought you knew. I absolutely started off loathing this man, but then something shatters and you feel everything. I started to empathize and hurt with him, and each time he would speak of his past I had tears streaming down my face. He went from "if villain - why hot" to "HELP HIM!".

The Shadow is Amirel's twin in goblin form also affected by the curse but suffering a different pain. He is moonlight personified. He wants nothing more than to be a protector for Sariah and ensure her victory, all while needing her to stay with them in their kingdom. He yearns for her with a deep desire - and furiously at that. During the day however, he becomes the very thing trying destroy her as he hunts her in the maze unable to control himself.

My favorite part of this book was watching Sariah's character change each chapter. There were so many times she could have been an obnoxious FMC - but she was written perfectly. She was just aggravating and snotty enough that the moments of character development were extremely gratifying. Not only did we see her change, but so did Amriel and the Shadow. Two strong, hurting men absolutely wanting to devour this girl and yearning for her with an intensity that could set their entire realm on fire was intoxicating.

If you love a slow-burn with spice, you are going to have a good time with this one. The tension goes way beyond anything physical because just the things these men SAY to her!? EXCUSE ME!?!? I felt like I needed to get up and knock my thermostat down a few degrees because it got HOT.

Just go ahead and add this to your TBR now because, trust me, you are not going to want to miss this.

Notable Tropes:
👑 Curses
👑 Enemies to lovers
👑 Forced Proximity
👑 Self Discovery
👑 Deadly maze

[BeeFaith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one so much, which is no surprise because I love everything Shaylin Gandhi writes.

I loved this one so much, which is no surprise because I love everything Shaylin Gandhi writes.

My attention was hooked from the very first page, and when the fae king's Shadow made his first appearance, I found myself fascinated by the dynamics between him and Sariah. I couldn't wait to discover what lay ahead for them and Amirel, the fae king.

Sariah's taught to act and think a certain way, but when she’s taken to the fae lands to fulfill an agreement made 200 years ago, she learns that the way she was raised isn’t the only way to live. Not only do others walk different paths, but she has choices on how to live and what to believe, ones she can embrace or deny.

One of the things that had me racing through this book was Sariah's character growth. She goes from believing in black-and-white choices and living life rigidly to opening her eyes to the gray area between the two and understanding why others live differently from her people. It didn't happen all at once, but slowly over time as she spent time in the fae castle, unexpectedly making friends, and running for her life in the forest, trying to conquer trials and smash the hourglass in the labyrinth, which would break the curse.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚒𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝙷𝙱𝚃𝙵𝙺𝚂 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚂𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚑 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎’𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚢 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜’ 𝚛𝚞𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎:

𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆, 𝑰'𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆. 𝑰'𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒅, 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒅. 𝑻𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉. 𝑭𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒔, 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒚.
𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆 𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓. 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉.
𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒇*𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒔.

[Cin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for allowing me to ARC read this!

For twenty-eight years, Sariah remained devoted to her goddess, never wavering in her faith.

Every quarter century, the Fae King, Amriel, is meant to choose a woman from the royal line according to an ancient treaty. Yet for centuries, he refused every single one.

Until Sariah.

When Amriel claims her as his mate, she is thrust into a world of curses, fate, and a labyrinth she must solve to save him. His soul has been split in two, and breaking the curse means facing both the king and the shadow that lives within him.

What I loved most about this story was the way it explored loving every part of a person. The logical and analytical side. The protective and loving side. The light and the darkness. Sariah didn't just fall for Amriel. She fell for every piece of who he was, including the parts he believed made him unworthy of love.

I also really enjoyed Sariah's journey with faith. She begins the story as a deeply devout woman, but as the story unfolds, she starts questioning why her goddess never seemed to answer when she needed her most.

Amriel, however, showed up for her again and again.

After spending her entire life being overlooked by her sisters, her father, and even the goddess she devoted herself to, Sariah finally understood what it meant to be truly seen.

And honestly? That was what stayed with me long after I turned the last page.

[Sarah J Stebbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 (really great)

First things first: thank you to the author for the privilege of the eARC of this book. This is the 5th and final book in a series of standalone novels where each is written by a different author. I have really enjoyed them all!

This book took me a little bit to get into, but it intrigued me from the start. The rigid, disciplined, and all around cold feel of the human world and how hard Sariah tried to fit in is what intrigued me most. Once the Fae King Claimed her and they went to his kingdom is when the story started to grab me. The more I read the deeper the story went and the more invested I became, to the point I had a hard time putting this down. The journey and the ending were both quite satisfying. It ended up being a truly beautiful love story.

There was one side thread left hanging at the end so Im wondering (hoping) that maybe a connected standalone book telling that story will follow. I would willingly return to this world and read it without question! Yes, read it! Also, there is a tease of a bonus chapter at the end (IYKYK), but I cannot read it yet - I will be checking for when I can though!

[Naty's Naughty Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story so much. It was a solid 4.5 stars. Sariah, the Aethrolian princess, is a pious woman, who at 28 has yet to find her "grace" (magic) and as a result is treated like she's defective by her father, so she decides to become a nun of sorts to Ishanna. Amriel, is the Fae King of Velindra, who as a result of a curse suffers excruciating pain from being split in 2 (his forms). Every 28 years there is a night were the Fae King goes to Aethrolia looking for his mate to conquer the Wildwood labyrinth and break his curse, as per a treaty between the 2 places dictates. He always leave empty handed but this time after 200+ years he finds his mate and has a chance to break the course.

What ensues is a clash of cultures and ideals. It's hilarious and heartbreaking and had me so captivated I finished this book in one sitting. It was so beautiful and moving and watching them find themselves and their individual traumas really touched something deep inside me. I loved this story and highly recommend it.

[Ashley Jurczak · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨📖 ARC Review 📖✨

*Hunted by the Fae King's Shadow* by Shaylin Gandhi is the third book in the *Immortal Hunter* series that I've had the pleasure of ARC reading, and it absolutely did not disappoint!

Every 25 years, a village must endure a claiming. Bound by an ancient treaty, the Fae King has the right to claim any princess of age. Enter our FMC, Sariah—a fierce, determined heroine whose unwavering devotion to her beliefs makes her impossible not to root for. I loved watching her grow throughout the story as she's thrust into the dangerous and enchanting world of the fae.

Sariah's mission is to break the curse that haunts our MMC, Amriel. And let me tell you—Amriel is the shadow daddy of your dreams. As the Fae King, he's powerful, tortured, protective, and surprisingly sensitive beneath his intimidating exterior. His character completely stole my heart.

If you love fated mates, curse-breaking trials, swoon-worthy romance, and a brooding fae king, this book needs to be on your TBR!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Stars

[Samantha C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an easy to read romantasy with hot fae. What more could you ask for? ✨

The writing style was simple and the story enjoyable even while being quite predictable. The spice was spicing🔥🌶️ 🥵 (need to read that bonus chapter STAT).

Absolutely loved the Shadow - my favourite character in the book. Both him and Amriel were written so well, and I found it so fun when they had dialogue together.

I would have rated this higher, but the FMC, Sariah, annoyed me until at least 60% into the book. Her desperation to get back to her boring life when she had the option of staying in a world with two hot guys that are totally obsessed with her was tiring. Same with her choosing to wear her ugly plain dress instead of the beautiful clothes provided to her, and then acting a complete fool at the beginning of the maze 😤 Thankfully she stopped being so childish and redeemed herself later on, but it was painful until that point. Despite that, this was still a fun and simple read 😊

Thank you so much for the ARC 💛🫶🏼

[Tinsley Ihaksi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got an ARC copy of this book but oh boy is this a good one! I wasn’t sold on it right away because Sariah is kind of a prude to be honest lol but I really enjoyed watching her fall apart/questioning everything for the MMCs and that’s when I really fell in love with the story. I did appreciate that the MMCs really gave Sariah space to come into her own and weren’t too pushy to get her to conform to their fae lifestyle. This was a fun trials style plot that did feel different than other books and the poor Shadow broke my heart with how the curse affected him so much more than Amriel. I was waiting patiently for ~that~ kind of scene and I’m thrilled to find out it is in a bonus chapter 😈

“Enslave yourself?” An angry sound leaves his throat. “No. More like enshrine yourself. Why pray to that goddess of yours when you could become one? Because I’d worship at your feet, Princess. I’d give you whatever you want. I’d tear my own heart out, if you asked. Offer it to you on a silver platter.”

[Gwen Brophy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

Well, I'll just say that there is a sort of/kind of sneaky reverse harem in this, but while I normally avoid those like the plague, there was actually a good reason for it, and I wasn't mad about it.

Sariah (I love the homage to Labyrinth) is a religious zealout and self-righteous prig at the beginning of the book, but she really changes and develops by the end into someone newer and stronger, and there are some really great discussions about the self-delusion of only lifting light things and calling oneself strong.

Amriel and his Shadow also change as the book goes on, and it was a really interesting journey. I could see this book being turned into a duet or even a trilogy, honestly, with all of the side characters that could have been expanded (Ravenna in particular.)

Good spice. Great plot. I have really enjoyed the Immortal Hunters series, and when you're looking for a standalone, these are really great options.

[Hira Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all of the Immortal Hunter books, this was such a fun time. I really liked how unique Sariah was. She’s definitely different from most FMCs. She’s determined to become a priestess, but being claimed puts a bit of a damper on those plans. While being tested in the labyrinth and by Amriel (and his very sexy shadow), she starts to realize that the goddess has never really shown up for her and decides to finally indulge in her own desires (had me giggling whenever she gave in, especially with the dessert). Amriel was also really interesting. I don’t want to spoil too much, but I absolutely loved the moment he finally admitted that he cared about her and was worried for her. Swoon. I will never get tired of an ancient fae man being completely down bad for a human.

The labyrinth was probably my favorite part. I’m a big fan of mazes, and I loved never knowing what Sariah would find next. It kept me just as on edge as she was. Also, I absolutely ugly cried for a chapter or two (you know why 😂), but I’m glad this was a standalone because I don’t think I could have sat with those emotions for much longer.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another 5 star read in the immortal hunter series!! Who knew I could imagine a goblin as sexy 🤣🤪 I started out trying to decide if I liked Amriel, I knew I loved his shadow but as the book went on I absolutely fell in love with this broken man, I loved Sariah she was so strong and brave! Also once again the immortal hunters have some of the best side characters I loved Ravenna and Calen!

This book had an insane amount of character development and there was just so much tension from the start. Just so incredible I’m so happy I got this arc. This series is becoming a god tier series! ❤️❤️❤️

I still have to read hunted by the dragon shifter it’s the only arc I wasn’t able to get but I have the kindle copy and I bought the physical and I will be jumping in right away.

[Tracy Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced, action packed Romantasy.
This one had an alternative twist with regard to the MMC which really kept me intrigued. It was engaging to read both the differences and similarities between Amriel and the shadow equally the way they both interacted with Sariah.
The romance was well balanced with the plot, which made for some super spicy moments! The angst between Sariah and Amriel was 🔥

“We’ve gone way beyond supposed to. We left supposed to up on my desk in the solarium.”

I enjoyed reading how Sariah’s preconceived notions of what she wants out of life, slowly begin to change. She blossoms into a truly liberated flower which was a joy to read.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the author which I thoroughly enjoyed!

[Kristen Barger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shadows take me!
I LOVED this book and was so excited for the ARC opportunity.
The way the writing captured the curse between the shadow and the Fae King. The world building. The banter. The spice. Sariah's battle between her religion/faith and what she's experiencing in the Fae World. The bond. The magic. The hunt. The wildwoods. This was beautiful!
Definitely a 5 star read!
Spice level of 3.5.

Releasing June 18th - add to your TBR's now!
This is part of the Immortal Hunters Series but can be read as a standalone.

[Heather Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this book!

I have been on the search for standalones, and this one did not disappoint. It is a standalone in the series and does not need to be read in any specific order.

Our FMC, Sariah, is forced by the fae king to leave her home and travel through a tricky maze in order to break the curse on the fae kingdom. I loved the growth of our FMC, who starts out as compliant in her own world, and really grows a backbone and discovers her own self worth by the end of the story. This book is fast paced and had me captivated throughout.

[LivingLifeBetweenPages · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a spicy book with a good plot that keeps me emotionally invested. This one ticks all these boxes and includes my favorite tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fated mates, and touch her and die. Sariah, the FMC, is insufferable at the beginning, as she doesn’t listen to anyone's attempts to help or save her and is so infuriatingly stubborn. However, she does redeem herself as the story progresses and she grows as a character becoming the one who is willing to give it all to save others. My favorite character is the goblin, the King's Shadow who is swoon-worthy.

[Claire Johns · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book at the wrong time (too many plans-not enough reading time) because I could have flown through this in one sitting, my god this is so so so good! A Human princess claimed to break a curse on the Fae King with trials? Yup sign me up fully here for it. I will be rereading this ASAP, probably on release day…thank you to Shaylin for the opportunity to enjoy this world and share my own thoughts!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and the standalone series. This book had amazing banter and I was on the edge of my seat told the end. I was actually biting my nails! Beautiful sort of enemies to lovers. The world building was amazing for a standalone. I want to thank the author for choosing me to be an arc reading for this amazing. You definitely should check this book out when it becomes available.

[Jenn Merriman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for the ARC of this book! I loved it! I loved the characters, the world, the story, all of it. Even though this was a stand alone I need to know what happens next! I devoured this book! The yearning, the touch her and die, the FMC finding herself and her strength *chefs kiss!*

[Lynn Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what an amazing book, the enemies to lovers storyline was intense, Fae, Goblin and Trolls and different nightmare creatures what more could you want. The story gripped me from the first chapter to the last one wondering what’s going to happen next. I can’t really explain how to talk about this book without giving too much away, all I can say is definitely put this on your TBR.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Stacey Roach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had an amazing time with this. Gives off some Beauty and the Beast vibes. I have to let it simmer a bit and I might come back to add another star. I read it so fast I just want to soak in it a bit before I make that ultimate 5 star rating. 5 star for vibes though 😍

[Natalie | EdgesandEndpapers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review Pending

[oh no she betty did · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC review: loved it ❤️ all your Jareth fantasies come to life. If you ever watched Labyrinth and wondered how to navigated the Escher hall of stairs, well it’s finally been answered.