Shadow Prince (Shadowmen Book 1) by S. Rodman

Adam was always afraid of the creature under his bed. But when Hex returns twenty years later claiming they are bonded Adam isn't quite prepared to allow Hex close.


From the blurb:

What if your childhood bogeyman turned out to be real? And a real pain in the ass?

Apparently, the monster under my bed imprinted on me as a child. Like a baby duck. A six-foot, insufferably hot, made-of-shadows baby duck.

He claims he's a prince from the Shadow Realm. His powers have been bound, and he's been exiled to the human world.

And now the only person he can feed on is me. Because of our childhood bond.

The problem? He used to feed on my fear. Now that we're adults, he needs something... else. Something that involves him being a lot closer. And me wearing a lot less.

So what do you do when the monster that lurked under your bed now wants to be in your bed?

I should send him back to whatever dark realm spat him out.

He's shameless. Smug. Thinks materialising in my bedroom uninvited is foreplay.

Never mind that he's cocky, insufferable, or that he's far too charming for something that used to live under my furniture.

I should sage my entire life and move on.

He's a shadow with a filthy mouth and no boundaries. He’s my worst nightmare, in all sorts of ways.

But he needs my help.

He used to lurk under my bed. Now he's under my skin.

Shadow Prince is an MM Nightmare-To-Lovers Romance. It's Book 1 of the new Shadowmen series. Each book will follow a different human and shadow man couple. Every book has a happy ever after and no cliffhanger. There will be six books in total.


SNik's review:

First in series (Shadowmen). Paranormal. Single POV. Heed content warnings. 

The monster under his childhood bed was always real and now Adam is confronted with Hex twenty years later insisting they are bonded. Adam is a barista and Hex is a shadow prince that we find needs Adam to provide him with the power to reclaim the shadow realm throne. 

An interesting start to this new series, and I enjoyed the premise. I do wish there was more world building as we only get Adam’s POV and there is a lot of information Hex doesn’t share about his life and the realm he comes from. There were some spicy times, and the ticking clock on their time together was heartbreaking. I really liked the idea of a lasting bond (although it isn’t explained thoroughly), and Hex’s caring and protectiveness was sweet and not overbearing. The few supportive secondary characters were intriguing so it leaves a lot of possibilities for future main characters for sure.


Shadow Prince is currently available as an e-book and paperback and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription