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Boundless: A Dark Fantasy Romance

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I was born without wings in a world built for flight. That made me nothing. A shame. A threat.

Seventeen years of surviving the lowest tiers taught me one stay invisible, or die.

But then he saw me.

Malric—the warlord of the Bloodspine. A man whispered about in death-songs and fear. He should’ve let me bleed out in the snow. Instead, he took me into his mountain stronghold.

He hasn’t touched me. Hasn’t threatened me. He just watches—like he knows what I am.

Like he’s waiting.

Up here, silence is safety. Obedience is survival. But around him, the rules fracture. And if I can’t figure out why he keeps me alive—if I can’t protect the truth I’ve carried since I was six—I’ll lose more than my freedom.

I’ll lose the only safety I’ve ever known.

BOUNDLESS is a dark romantasy about trauma, blood magic, power, and survival.

-emotionally complex characters

-dangerous protectors

-sky kingdoms

-brutal class systems

-slow-burn obsession

-and a heroine learning that fear isn’t weakness—it’s proof she’s still alive.

Author’s Note: This book was revised and updated on Febuary 14, 2026 to address early feedback and improve clarity and continuity.

260 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 21, 2025

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About the author

Leah Ryan

20 books25 followers

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5 stars
151 (40%)
4 stars
85 (22%)
3 stars
93 (25%)
2 stars
31 (8%)
1 star
12 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
Profile Image for Plot Approved.
77 reviews
August 1, 2026
Beautiful and Heartbreaking

Such a good read. Virelle and Malric have a beautiful connection and despite being an unlikely team, it's satisfying to watch them stand together against a ruthless king.
Profile Image for Kimberlee.
47 reviews2 followers
February 25, 2026
don’t read this author!

One minute she’s changing out of the blue tonic and goes to training in the grey and the next comment is “the blue tonic catching the wind” I mean this author does this in every book! It’s like she writes the scene out of order and then just throws it together without proof reading. Did she take the blue off or leave it on?!
So many things like this happen it drives you mad! One second she has never done something before and the next chapter she’s done it so often since she was a kid she could do it blind! You can’t keep writing books if you can’t make up your damn mind !
I love the personality and commentary of the MC but I just can’t deal with the writing style. Sorry not happening again.
Profile Image for Audrey.
135 reviews17 followers
Read
April 11, 2026
If a decent editor put in some real work, it would have been a banger.

If you can tolerate the inconsistencies and insane repetition, it’s solid. That sounds wild, cause those are big issues, but it speaks to the quality of what’s going on here that they didn’t ruin it for me.

So many great details. The stuff about Virelles gardening mom and how she shaped her. The seriously deep and insightful interactions and growth around healing after a lifetime of trauma. The male MC fucking up but owning it? Like come ON we NEED THIS. I can’t let the editing stuff overtake the absolute need for more books with this amount of trauma work. If you are going to put fantasy heroines through the ringer, you have to give them their agency back. You have to have them heal. This book does that, if little else
Profile Image for Lori Anderson.
95 reviews8 followers
June 23, 2026
This book immediately captured me from the very beginning. Due to the length it seemed like a novella, but yet the story did not feel rushed. I adored the main characters. There were plot twists and battles with a lot of character development. There was a definite emotional bond between the MC's. I read a lot of books with a big romantic component which this one did not have, so I would have liked to see more development of that relationship. The MMC definitely did things for though did things for the FMC he did not do for others, showing his protection and caring more that verbally expressing it. But even so, I enjoyed this book it was a fast read and will definitely read more from this author. There was one situation in this book that hit me emotionally which is always a sign I am emotionally invested in the story.
Profile Image for Jess the Romanceaholic.
1,038 reviews493 followers
March 3, 2026
Seventeen

Seventeen. Seventeen years on the run. Seventeen steps. Seventeen years old. This author wrote the word "seventeen" so many times that it became my own personal meme while reading.

Could be my autism *shrugs* but either way it kept taking me out of the story. I joked with my partner that it was either an inside joke or a bet on the part of the author.

That said, decent story. I couldn't decide if this was YA or not -- even though our Heroine is 22, it still felt geared towards a younger audience. Zero steam which surprised me, but wasn't really a downfall.

I recently discovered this author. I enjoyed Painted With Shadows, and I l-o-v-e-d LOVED House of Discord... This one, though, just wasn't for me.
4 reviews
April 7, 2026
Great Story

The story telling is fantastic. No spicy scenes, but it didn’t need them. For that, I’d give five stars.

HOWEVER - I don’t know if people are editing with AI or what. But the number of passages that were direct repeats, the time inconsistencies, the inconsistencies as to what was said to what character - all drove me crazy.

One character receives a dispatch the next day, but it takes a week to deliver a letter there. One person flies for six days and the journey back by others in made in two (Wing size could account for some difference, but that amount seems a stretch).

I would love to volunteer editing to people simply because things like this ruin a book for me. The story was good enough to get through this one though.
2 reviews
February 4, 2026
Author forgets what's in her story.

Really terrible. Repeat of sentences 3 pages after the other. Also, in the middle of the book, chapter 13 or 15 i don't know there's this situation "Tahlon crosses his arms. "Does she know?" "She's known her whole life. You can see it in how she carries herself—she knows exactly what secret she's keeping." I turn away from them. "The question is whether she'll ever trust me enough to admit it.""

... she trusts him enough, she admitted "it" to him like, 4 chapters ago. Story doesn't makes sense and situations that happened are changed few chapters after.
2 reviews
June 30, 2026
The power of Choice

The book moved very fast and threw you in from the beginning. It was honestly a little disappointing in terms of the storyline and the buildup compared to her previous books I read. Nonetheless, it was short and sweet. There were definitely a lot of spelling and grammatical errors that I was not expecting. That could definitely be improved upon.

But overall, I love the female main character who will never give up. It definitely follows the author's themes in her other books about the main character getting the choice to choose their destiny and choose how they live their lives, versus being bound by something else.
184 reviews1 follower
November 21, 2025
There were a few sentences that were repeated. not sure if it's meant to be that way or not. Also, names...she never told her name yet everyone knows it.

ok, half way and can't finish it. it's all over the place. she's already told him about her heritage so why does he find confusion when she clearly said so.

I had a hard time following her dream bc it just didn't seem like a dream yet is. some different styles text would help.

I really want to finish it but I think editing/refining the story would good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for TheNorksWife .
515 reviews4 followers
February 1, 2026
Another great one by Ryan, a slow burn dark fantasy of enemies to lovers. I would love to see this one be turned into a series, maybe even more standalones with Thalon and Arrie’s stories 👀

I would have given it five stars, but had to knock one off because the book had some flow issues. There were scenes that were repeats, but just written a bit differently. As if Ryan was trying to decide which direction they were going to take with certain twists. I honestly think that an Editor should go through it and then Ryan re-releases the book.

✨No cheating ✨No cliffhanger ✨Standalone
178 reviews1 follower
June 1, 2026
Nicole

I loved this story but, I needed more from malric! There are no words said that i love you girl from malric. I wish there were more in a romantic way bn these 2 characters. Poor Virelle! The last great scene with her brother i felt that! Okay that ending was terrible home girl! You know we want more! A little tease, a little epilogue something! Just bam! Ended! I've read 3 books by this author and they were all really good and so different! The storytelling is good but everyone kinda sounds alike and repeats phrases.
972 reviews12 followers
November 12, 2025
Surprisingly good..

The author did a great job on showing the emotions of the FMC and MMC with great chemistry development. The storyline flowed and the details background was realistic. The FMC was strong and a fighter. The best part was the storyline did not have any S.A. that other books these days includes. Enjoyed this book. Can't wait to read the next book from this talented author.
13 reviews1 follower
July 30, 2026
Wow!

This book was so different than what I expected it to be. Leah Ryan - thank you for writing, I will be devouring your books as soon as possible.
I liked the slow reveal of characters, I liked that Ms, Ryan didn’t spend multiple chapters cramming every nuance of each character and their thoughts at the reader. I liked that we don’t ever learn how some things came to pass, or why some characters are where they are.
Profile Image for Nicole Simpson.
150 reviews1 follower
August 9, 2025
really good read

There were parts of this I felt that were …repeated? I’m not an author or editor but at least twice I felt like a discovery was made… and then made again like 2 pages later. I also thought there was going to be something else more revealing about the mfc but nope…. Just that 1 info. Overall story was good. Maybe better edits or a rewrite later.
Profile Image for Billie Turknett.
376 reviews5 followers
August 15, 2025
Excellent

I am hooked on this author. The first book I read of hers was The Crowns Blade and it is outstanding. The banter was awesome. This book was another gem. I loved it. I now have another book boyfriend to add to my short list. This well written, great plot and storyline. I know there will be a book two. I can't wait for it.
Profile Image for katrina.
52 reviews1 follower
March 6, 2026
fantastic story

I read someone’s review and it led to me reading this book. The review led me to believe it was spicy, it wasn’t. But it was a great story which I loved. There were some inconsistencies with her siblings and their relationships. Half brother but share their mother’s eyes and have the same dad? That isn’t a half sibling. Other than that it was a great quick read.
Profile Image for ⚔︎ hotsauce ⚔︎.
88 reviews
March 7, 2026
dnf at like 50%

literally every conversation they repeated themselves.

“same time tomorrow?”
“same time tomorrow”

“every morning?”
“every morning.”

“after training?”
“after training”

“no scars.”
“no scars.”

literally every page and sometimes multiple a page and i couldn’t handle it im sorry 😭
15 reviews
March 17, 2026
romance done right

This book is about gentle love. Moving past trauma and resilience. Being there even when it hurts. It was reviewed as obsessed hero. But I think the MMC gave the FMC exactly what she needed when she needed. Allowed her to grow.
Great story line, paced well and very interesting.
Profile Image for Kayla Xiong.
4 reviews
June 11, 2026
People are extremely pick with editing but editing and updating can ALWAYS come later. I just want to share that this book is so WORTH the read! The only bad thing about the book was that it ended. 260 pages was so short that I literally was upset that it ended. I needed to KNOW more with Malaric and Virelle, and the ending ugh the ending. <3 just read it
112 reviews7 followers
June 25, 2026
Great story!

Second book I've read by this author.

Liked: I find the author's stories completely consuming, can't put them down! There's some humor,great imagry, and they're very creative ideas.

Not so much: there are some holes in continuity, some poor grammar/lack of editing or proofing. Honestly, I've put other books down for less, but the story had me HOOKED!
Profile Image for Meredith Williams.
81 reviews1 follower
July 19, 2026
Why did it have to end?

This is epically beautiful. From start to finish you get so invested that you can’t put it down. The characters and the intense emotions and life of death struggles keep you enthralled, turning pages to see what will happen-pen next. I am truly sad that it had to end.
114 reviews2 followers
February 20, 2026
meh

The premise was intriguing and it was well written, but the connection between the leads was poorly established and supported and the constant back and forth of their relationship honestly just confused me.
Profile Image for Serina.
1,893 reviews29 followers
May 25, 2026
very slow burn. shes running. he offers shelter. she doesn’t trust it but stays. didn't like that the ending was so mild. they could have gone scorched earth and ruined the lives of the ones who ruined her life. instead they got a slap of the wrist. very very bland and not even a punishment
20 reviews
June 19, 2026
Leah Ryan’s books are individual works of art.

The words take root in your heart. The characters jump from the pages into parts of your soul. They ignite your imagination and inspire your moral compass. Incredible and beautiful accomplishments for fictional heroes and heroines!
1 review
July 9, 2026
This is a decent book and had my attention the entire time. However, it’s a bit choppy and inconsistent. I noticed some lines that made absolutely no sense. It is also very repetitive which can be quite annoying. Would love to do a peer review for the book and fix all this mistakes haha.
Profile Image for Emily  Yarbrough.
16 reviews
July 21, 2026
I enjoyed the break from the normal with this one. the way of dialog and book build is different, rawer and barer when you start it and as you read you watch her transform into a woman no longer surviving but thriving! And the fact that I could fall for this book without the typical chase and obsession was incredible! He protected her boundaries and never did the writer ever force it into a category. I loved this! Thank you for giving us something to break away from the mundane! A must read any day!
5 reviews
August 1, 2025
a little light

I really enjoyed this book because it shows you that there is light still in the darkness you just have to look for it.
Profile Image for Helen Vawser.
2 reviews
September 28, 2025
Captivating

Keep me wanting more. Haven't read any book lately that has held my attention. Will be waiting for more from Leah ryan
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews