Sadly not quite for me, my apologies - many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Dark romantasy with LOTS of very intense spice?? I'm in love there's a second book and I'm incredibly excited to read it

A dramatic, emotionally charged beginning to Kira & Nathaniel's Duet, wherein power, survival, and a very thin line come to play between hatred and desire. The book lays the groundwork for deeper conflicts in the next installment.

Collared by the Vampire Prince introduces readers to a dark world of power struggles, forbidden desires, and fragile rebellion simmering in the background. Enter the story of Kira-one feisty, resilient wolf shifter who gets captured by Nathaniel, an aristocratic vampire prince-to take her to Volmasque Academy, a school that trains shifters to be tame pets for their vampire masters.

It was not an accident, and she had a plan. Beneath the defiance was an articulated mission, and she was prepared to swallow each humiliation and dominance from Nathaniel in order for her final goal of rebellion against the oppressive vampire rule to come true.

Nathaniel is morally ambiguous, commanding, and drawn by the fire and resistance of Kira. Their relationship, from there on, becomes some kind of an intense dance between power, control, and undeniable attraction. They would head toward the Volmasque Academy, where even more lines blur between captor and captive, showing them both vulnerabilities and desires neither really could control.

Kira:
Kira is a mighty-willed, unusually powered protagonist in whose strength even the humiliation at the hands of another human being gets through. Most of her struggle between survival and rebellion drives the plot of this story onward. Kira becomes a victim but at the same time a strategist, too; her willingness to bear with the dominance of Nathaniel is born out of a bigger purpose. But then, in those unguarded totally human relatable moments, she is multidimensional in that vulnerability.

That interesting dynamic of her internal struggle between the wolf and the submissiveness-the real intriguing character. The psychological wear from her situation in life was apparent, though her fire never fully diminished.

Nathaniel:
Nathaniel is the brooding dark vampire archetype, yet he brings layers to it like nobody else. He veers wildly from predator to protector, tormentor to admirer. His fascination with Kira goes beyond a physical attraction; there's something in her spirit-a defiance, unwillingness to submit-that draws him.

Nathaniel's struggle is far more internal and isn't always as apparent on the surface as Kira's. However, several moments of hesitation, quickly extinguished flashes of kindness, and vulnerability that he wasn't always able to hide insinuated there might be much more beneath this mean surface. He's such a mysterious character, but the contradiction in him makes him interestingly an anti-hero.

Side Characters:

Susie: A wolf shifter, Resident Advisor at Volmasque Academy; heartbreaking and enraging in her compliance to the vampire hierarchy-the cost of survival within this world.

Headmaster Arken: Chilling, bereft of morals, who sets a disturbing tone whenever he interacts with Susie at the academy.

Mary and Byron: Kira's foster parents, their sacrifices and love for her raise the emotional stakes of rebellion.

The relationship Kira and Nathaniel have, well, it's balanced on an unsafe, rather precarious imbalance of power. He may have bodily and social dominance, yet his inner strength and intelligence keep her from being submerged wholly. It's always a tugging dynamic-tender moments that are very quickly overpowered by Nathaniel's domination and Kira's fierce defiance.

The side characters, though not deeply fleshed out, are mirrors for the central power struggles, each with aspects of submission, survival, and rebellion.

This novel sets the stage for a bigger conflict, with secrets, betrayals, and shifting allegiances promising high stakes in its sequel.

It shows how power is yielded, misused, and sometimes subverted. The interaction between the vampire world and that of the wolf shifters reflects deeper metaphors for systemic oppression and the costs of rebellion.

Many of Kira's decisions come down to a question of survive or be free. Is it better to live under oppression or to die fighting for liberty? This theme permeates many things within the story, including driving Kira into most of her actions.

Kira struggles to hold onto her identity amidst being treated as property, which seems to be the main conflict within her character arc. Nathaniel, in his way, struggles for identity: balancing the role of the vampire prince with his fascination for Kira.

It doesn't hold back from the complications of desire, especially when mixed with fear, control, and power imbalance. Kira and Nathaniel are vulnerable in their own ways, and it is through these moments of vulnerability that emotional depth comes into their interactions.

Darcy Fayton is bold, evocative, and unapologetically intense in her writing. The story shuttles between Kira and Nathaniel's point of view, which lets the reader glimpse their inner struggle and desires.

The pacing is steady, but there is simmering tension between every word of communication. The snappy, witted dialogue that often times drips in sarcasm and raw honesty, mostly between Kira and Nathaniel, really crackles.

The world-building is immersive as well, with the setting of Volmasque Academy and the surrounding political structure fleshing out the plot.

Dark and sensual in turns, the tone effortlessly weaves the two together. Explicit content and heavy dominance themes may be an issue for more sensitive readers.

TBP Overall Rating: ★★★★☆
Writing Style: ★★★★☆
Characters: ★★★★★
World-Building: ★★★★☆

The next in line for those readers whose taste in romance runs along the dark side, just like the fans' Black Dagger Brotherhood series of J.R. Ward, or Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout, who enjoy dark fantasy romance with anti-heroes possessing gray morality, heavy-handed power dynamics, and all varieties of tension, passion, and rebellion thrown into one pot.

This book is really good.....took me a little bit to get into it but was happy with how this duology is going so far. It is definitely spicy and you should check your trigger warnings as it gets dark. But overall I enjoyed this book and look forward to the sequel. Think adult Vampire Diaries with lots more steam and darker themes.

4-Star Review: A Dark, Spicy Journey with Surprising Depth

Darcy Fayton‘s Collared by the Vampire Prince is an engrossing dark romance novel that kept me turning pages late into the night. The plot, an enemies-to-lovers story involving a powerful vampire prince and a fiercely determined wolf shifter, quickly drew me in. While I am no stranger to the darker side of romance, I found this book to be both exhilarating and sometimes overpowering.

Collared by the Vampire Prince ♦ Darcy Fayton — A Review

Opinion

The story opens with Kira, a nineteen-year-old wolf shifter who enrolls in Volmasque Academy with a hazardous mission: to unite the wolf packs and fight their vampire overlords. She’s fierce, courageous, and refuses to be controlled, which makes her a compelling protagonist. Enter Nathaniel, a formidable vampire prince who commands every scene he is in. From their initial charged meeting, it is evident that their relationship is both volatile and magnetic.

Darcy Fayton‘s writing style is fast-paced and captivating, with short chapters that easily draw you in. The tension between Kira and Nathaniel is tangible, and the gradual development of their connection ensures that every moment seems earned. Meanwhile, the plot is deceptively multi-layered. Aside from the sensual sequences (which are plenty and not for the faint of heart), the plot explores themes of vengeance, power battles, and self-discovery.

However, I must say that some of the steamy sequences were too much for me. While they’re unquestionably well-written and consistent with the tone of the novel, some scenes pushed my comfort zone. Readers should notice the content warnings, as the examination of praise and degradation kink, along with explicit BDSM components, may not be suitable for everyone. However, even when I needed a break, the quality of the overall plot kept me interested.

One of the book’s most notable features is its unpredictability. Just when I thought I had the plot figured out, Fayton tossed in a twist that entirely changed my perspective. The finale, in especially, is a well-executed cliffhanger that left me dissatisfied in the best way possible, anxious to read the next episode to learn what happens to Kira and Nathaniel.

While the book is largely focused on grim subjects, it never loses sight of its protagonists’ humanity. Despite his frigid attitude, Nathaniel exposes levels of vulnerability that elevate him above the stereotype of the gloomy antihero. Meanwhile, Kira is a formidable force, her resilience coming through even in her darkest moments.

Conclusion

Overall, Collared by the Vampire Prince is a compelling dark romance that strikes a balance between spice and substance. It’s ideal for fans of ethically ambiguous characters, illicit romance, and tense power tensions. While the explicit content may not appeal to many readers, those who prefer pushing the boundaries will be completely intrigued. I can’t wait to see how the narrative continues in Book 2!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

this is DARK in the best way possible.
if you like smut and paranormal romance this right up your alley

I didn’t really like this in the first half, but then really got into the second half!! The smut put me off in the beginning admittedly as it was so jarring but it gets better!

Collared by the vampire Prince is a dark, spicy, fantasy romance and I can honestly say I enjoyed every minute of it!

Set in a world where vampires are the superior species, shifters are forced to attend Volmasque academy where they are trained to be obedient to their masters, and are treated as second hand citizens in an ongoing race war between their kinds.

Kira has been hiding to avoid being sent there, but when Nathaniel finds her and she is forced to accept her fate things get rather steamy to say the least!

The spice is A LOT, but it is well written. Be warned there are lots of trigger warnings associated with this book so check those out before reading.

And thanks to that cliff hanger of an ending, I've just had to get the sequel!

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this book via Netgalley.

Kira has spent years in hiding, 19 to be exact. Now she seeks to get herself caught and begin the revolution she was told only she can inspire. Thus she finds herself captured and escorted by the arrogant and infuriating Nathaniel the Crown Prince, to Volmasque Academy Estate. There, as a wolf shifter, and unknown to her she will need to figure out her standing within the student body and prepare herself to be trained and collared for a vampire master. With her life moving faster than she was prepared for she find herself questioning why she keeps seeking out Nathaniel's strong hand to teach her.
This novel gave me Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice vibes. That strong but naive heroine who does her best to roll with the punches but also finds herself interested and even enjoying the darker pleasures of life. The power dynamics I'm coming to recognize in Darcy's writing is still present here and done very well. I felt this novel had a pretty fast pace but the emotional push and pull between the two main characters was still great. This novel does end on a cliff hanger and I liked it so much I picked up the next in the series right away.
Once again, pay attention to the Content Warnings if you as a reader have reservations or questions and know that Darcy will give plenty of warning for any scenes involving sexual assault, prior to the chapter that its included in. **There is no SA in this part 1**
I look forward to other novels by Darcy. It's been a wild ride trying a darker fantasy than my usual read. Well done!

Big thanks to Darcy Fayton and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for a review.

Wheww, this was not for the faint of heart.
Kira is a new student with very little understanding of how the world works between shifters and vampires and humans.
She meets Nathaniel, who is much more than he seems. But maybe she knows that...

Very steamy, trigger warnings should be heeded, dub con and little cheezie in parts.

4 stars

Thank you @Netgalley for an copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Warning: very spicy and the FMC stays a virgin (technically) in Book 1 so I hope you get my drift on the scenes in this book. The kinks are not for everyone so have an open mind.

The plot flow isn't the greatest, however, the book managed to hold my attention. Don't know how. I suppose it was partly the spice, but that did get a little repetitive. There was a lot of internal back and forth with both the MMC and FMC, which frustrated me slightly. But then some action would happen to get my attention. The world was interesting. Like Harry Potter but for promiscuous vamps, werewolves, humans. Now THAT was interesting. I wanted to read more about the school and the students. That got my attention more than FMC and MMC.

Overall, it was OK. I want to read more of the author's works because the world is interesting (and it's very spicy).

Thank you @Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC. I read the first book in this series and enjoyed it. I really liked Nathaniel and Kira story better. The enemies to lovers trope is a favorite. As Kira learns more about Nathaniel, she realizes he might not be as bad as he seems. Very Spicy, but check trigger warnings.

3.75 stars / 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Read the trigger warnings first

I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would.
Kira is a wolf shifter who’s been in hiding, but when she’s caught by Nathanial, the Vampire Prince, and taken to Volamsque Academy where the werewolves outnumber the vampires yet they still adhere to the vampire hierarchy, things get dark. Very dark.
Tropes included, age-gap, academia settings, enemies to lovers (kind of). The TWs had pet-play mentioned so I immediately said sign me up and wow did it deliver! This was so spicy and although the logistics of how some of the said spicy things play out were a little more than unrealistic, I ate this up regardless. Kira is strong willed, determined, and selfless when it comes to saving her kin. I really enjoyed her as a fierce fmc. She’s clearly dealt a shitty hand but she makes the most of her circumstances when she can. And as much as I wanted to like Nathanial, I just can’t get behind his actions in this book, and the disconnect isn’t growing on me. His personality fell flat for me, but a big part of that also seems to stem from the parts about keeping his secrets/motives hidden. Hopefully he has a redemption arc in the next book and some more details are given. This book leaves off on a cliffhanger and I’m immediately stressed going into the next book. I started with Punished by the Vampire King so I already know things for Kira are going to get worse before it could possibly get any better in what I’m assuming is going to be a rollercoaster of an ending.

Let me start by saying that Collared by the Vampire Prince by Darcy Fayton was not for me. I went in expecting something spicy and engaging, but unfortunately, I was left underwhelmed. Huge thanks to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley for the ARC. I’ll always give honest feedback, so here it goes.

The main characters? Kira and Nathaniel were more frustrating than intriguing. Kira is supposed to be this fierce wolf shifter with a rebellious streak, but she felt flat and inconsistent. Nathaniel, our supposed dark and brooding vampire prince, came off more as a walking cliché than a compelling love interest. I get it—enemies-to-lovers with an intense power dynamic can work—but only if the characters are likable.

The plot? It had potential, I’ll give it that. The idea of wolf shifters trying to overthrow their vampire oppressors? Sounds epic on paper. But in execution, it was just… okay. Nothing stood out as particularly memorable, and the pacing didn’t do it any favors.

Now, the spice. I love a good steamy read, and that’s really the only reason I kept going. But even that wasn’t enough to carry the book for me. There was heat, sure, but it felt like the story leaned too heavily on it, leaving the actual substance behind.

The writing style also wasn’t my cup of tea. It felt overly dramatic in some places and lacked the finesse needed to really immerse me in the world.

Overall, if you’re looking for a quick spicy read and don’t mind one-dimensional characters, Collared by the Vampire Prince might work for you. For me, though? It was a miss.

Book 1 in Kira & Nathaniel's Duet

This is the first book I have read by Ms. Fayton; and I was impressed. I have to say that I was immediately engrossed in this story. It had a quick start and the MCs were quickly introduced to each other. The magical/academic world was fairly simple and was explained as the story continued on. The only part I didn't understand was when Kira shifted and it was explained that she was two wolves. What? How? What does that look like? Why? Those questions, unfortunately, were not answered. I'm hoping they will be answered in the next/last part of the duet.

Kira and Nathaniel are an amazing enemy to lover's couple. And that cliffhanger? Holy heck!! I immediately purchased the second book. I HAVE to know how this ends! And when I learned that there is a duet for Susie (Kira's BFF) and a single for the Vampire World. Oh yea! I'm in. I have to spend more time in this world.

I liked the premise of this book and was prepared to give a chance an author I had never heard of. However, this book was very strangely written and I didn't like the characters so unfortunately I didn't love reading it.

It gets two stars because it had a story line you could follow, I just didn't love it!

after multiple attempts at reading- I have decided to DNF. I’m hoping to return to it in the future but right now i’m unable to connect with the author’s writing style.

I really struggled finishing this one. I found the MCs to be very unlikeable, a bland plot and way, way to many plug scenes. I will not be continuing the series but, if you're only interested in erotica this may work for you.

Oh my goodness! I just finished reading this book and I need time to process it. The ending has me shocked and heartbroken for both the FMC and the MMC.

The author is a beautiful storyteller. I was expecting mostly spice and hardly any plot. She balanced them both in a tasteful way. The spicy is spicy and the storyline had me paying attention. It truly wasn’t what I was expecting and I’m glad I gave it a try. It was a glorious he falls first, emotionally, slow burn. Her enemies to lovers story and so many other tropes but those are my favourite. Definitely read your triggers first and be sure this is your cup of tea. I had fun explaining certain scenes. I would definitely read the next book in the series.

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

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What to Expect:
🧛Enemies to Lovers
🩸Steamy
🧛Spicyyyyy
🩸Paranormal
🧛College Academy - Dark Academia
🩸Praise Kink
🧛CLIFFHANGERRR!!!
🩸BDSM
🧛Forbidden Love
🩸Taboo
🧛Vampires

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Collard by the Vampire Prince… Let’s just say wow, why didn’t I pick this up sooner?! I knew I’d be into it the second I saw “vampires and shifters with a sprinkling of BDSM spice”—sign me right the EFF up! The story dives right into Kira’s world as she’s escorted to Volmasque Academy by Nathaniel, the Crown Prince. While there, she’s meant to become an obedient wolf shifter for a vampire master, and let's just say, the power dynamics are INTENSE. The plot isn’t super heavy (spice>plot in this one), but it has just enough intrigue to keep me invested, and that cliffhanger? 👀 I’m certain the second book is going to deliver even more drama and spiceeee!

Nathaniel is every bit the domineering MMC with BDE, and I loved the small glimpses of his true self—there’s definitely more to him than just his alpha exterior. Kira’s character is complex, and it’s clear she’s holding back from him, which makes me excited to see how she handles that bombshell dropped at the end! The spice level? MMMMMM YESSS PLS. 🔥 You’ll def want to pick this one up if you love vampires, wolf shifters, SPICEEE, more spice than plot, angst, and all the things that come along with those.

Thanks, NetGalley for the chance to read this, with exchange to drop a review!