Chained to the Reaper

Protected by the Shadows #3

by N.A. Rose

Her sacrifice will cost him everything.

Ten years ago, Reed begged the vampire king to turn a dying human man in exchange for her freedom—a choice she’s regretted ever since. Confined to the palace, she spends her nights delivering meals to prisoners, seething with hatred for the man she should have let die. But when he turns up as a new prisoner and stirs up emotions she never expected to feel, her resentment for him threatens to uncover memories he was forced to forget.

Fynn knows it’s only a matter of time before the vampire king of Cruxford executes him—and he’s glad of it. With no memory of becoming a vampire, he’s haunted by the horror of his first kill, and he’s ready for the monster inside of him to be put to rest. But when he meets the mysterious woman who delivers the meal to his cell each night, he starts to question if he’s ready to die after all.

As war breaks out, and the king’s plan for Reed unfolds, she must decide if Fynn’s life is worth more than her freedom—and Fynn must decide if Reed is worth more than the truth.

362 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 7, 2025

About the author

If you have a dark side with a weakness for epic Vampire love stories that include lots of action, drama and, of course, steamy love scenes, then you’ll be entertained by N.A. Rose’s books.

Reviews

[Stephanie Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another knockout installment in the Protected by the Shadows series!

I love that the overall story is still building and moving forward as we follow different romantic couples, unlike other series that just retell the same story from other characters' POV. Maybe the next book will follow King Elron so we see the opposing vampire kingdom perspective? There are so many ways this story can continue to build and progress!

I really liked how Reeds character flourished in this book as she realized how worthy she was of love, forgiveness, and taking her destiny into her own hands. The super slow burn, forced proximity, and unknown history between Reed and Fynn were well done. The big action scenes burst throughout this story complemented the slower romance chapters to keep the pace moving well overall.

A great spicy vampire read! 🌶🌶🌶

Thank you to the author for the ARC opportunity for this series!

[Lauren Head · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chained to the Reaper is Book 3 in the Protected by the Shadows and follows Fynn and Reed. I loved this book and it was probably my favourite of the series so far. The chemistry between Fynn and Reed is absolutely undeniable! I couldn't
put it down! N.A Rose packs a lot of punch into the pages!Highly recommended if you love vampires! You won't regret reading this!

[Samantha Steel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been hanging out for this 3rd instalment in the series and this DID NOT disappoint!! I was excited to find out Fynn's story, especially after it was slightly hinted at in the last 2 books, the suspense was building up and then where he was left off at in Book 2- I NEEDED to know what was going to happen to him.

The first 2 books were fast paced and I loved that but this story was a slow burn and I really enjoyed it, the slow build up made it all worth it in the end. I love seeing the different styles of writing N.A Rose has gifted us with with all these books.

This story was beautifully written, I was sucked in already. There were many hidden secrets, there was a bit of angst and I held on to the edge of my metaphorical seat throughout the whole book.
This story follows Reed our quiet, reserved and survivor FMC is a beauty of a character. Fynn is our MMC who is strong- willed, faithful to his friends and becomes untrusting. There are hidden secrets between both captives, being held against their will by the king, but some secrets they aren't even privy to themselves until they're revealed. The war between kingdoms builds up in this book and tensions are high, mistakes may be made. Bryan from Loyal to The Past (Book 2) makes a reappearance.
There's so many feelings in this book, particularly at the end, when things come head on with both Reed and Fynn.

Overall, I absolutely loved this and would 100% recommend you read it, but check the first 2 books out first!

[readwithalix · Rating 4 out of 5]

🧛🏻🩸Chained To The Reaper🩸🧛🏻

My Rating: 4.00⭐️
Series Rating: 3.41⭐️
Goodreads Rating: 4.75⭐️

Release Date: 7th May 2025
Pages: 362

A huge thank you to Phoenix Rising Literary and N. A. Rose for the advanced reader copy of this book 💋

🩸🧛🏻My Thoughts🧛🏻🩸

What I Loved:
🧛🏻 Forced Proximity (he’s in a jail cell)
🩸 Slow Burn (almost painfully)
🧛🏻 Mysterious History
🩸 Forbidden Romance
🧛🏻 Vampire x Vampire

Chained To The Reaper is the third book in the Protected By The Shadows series by N. A. Rose, this book follows the plot set up in book one and two, but focuses on Fynn, and Reed.

Since book one (The Drosera Legacy) I have been drawn into Fynn, and desperate to discover his story, and man this did not disappoint. After the ending of Loyal To The Past (book 2), I was hella scared for my boy, and rightfully so.

N. A. Rose beautifully continues the story, in my favourite instalment yet! The enemies to lovers, with a complicated - and partially forgotten history was *chefs kiss (👩‍🍳💋). I was literally hanging onto every word trying to discern their shared history.

Similarly to book one and two, I would have loved it if N. A. Rose delved further into the unspoken nature of fated mates, and provided some vampire lore behind it to assist in explaining why the intense emotions the couples feel for each other so quickly.

This series was perfect in getting me out of my book slump, with quick, and easy reads featuring loveable characters, action-packed plots, as well as 🔥🌶️ biting/feeding scenes. If you enjoy: The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Paranormal Romance, and Vampires look no further than this series.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just…wow. I am completely hooked on this series. It took me a long time to recover from sparkly vampires and return to my original PNR love. The Protected by the Shadows series has helped immensely.

This story is an enemies to lovers (Ms Rose does them so well) with the door wedged open at the end of a really long corridor (it’s a slow burn). Both Fynn and Reed have complicated pasts that are very closely intertwined. There’s a palpable sense of danger in these books that some other PNR books lack - you really do fear for the characters’ well-being. There is an HEA, but there’s clearly still more to come for the overarching story.

While parts of her books are following a similar formula, Ms Rose has created three very distinct relationships with characters who have very different personalities. You could probably read this book as a stand alone, but why would you? If you enjoy PNR, you need to stop what you’re reading and read this series. You will not regret it.

[Pepperypotts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was book three in the Protected by the Shadows series and was Flynn and Reeds story as well as the continuation of the on going story arc.

At some point through this book I yelled out loud that men are just so stupid and vampires doubly so because they are older and should know better, which should give you an idea of just how good this book is, although my husbeast might need some time to recover from the scare he got from me doing said yelling.

The characters in this series all make an appearance as well as some new ones and while I was glad to see someone (not saying who) get their just desserts, I am so curious to see what happens to one person in particular, I am hoping against hope that she is in the next book and she gets her HEA.

I read this book in one afternoon because I didn’t want to put it down and just had to know what happened, read it people!!!!

[Ebony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED reading this book and definitely recommend you do too. I was always a little curious about Fynn, so I'm so happy he got his own book and HEA. Reed was only introduced during the second half of the last book, so you didn't know as much about her as Fynn going into the book, but boy did Reed deserve a break and her own HEA. This book was a roller coaster, but a good one I promise. It's important to read through the trigger warnings for this book because some scenes may trigger people.

If this is the first book you find in the series and your reading through reviews, this is not an interconnected standalone. This series really does need to be read in order, but I assure you the first two books are awesome, and if you like them, you'll like this one.

[Courtney Gittins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was longer than the first two with more character development and more world building.

Reed and Fynn had an enjoyable storyline and the story was easy to read. I did find that Reed's character was a bit frustrating at time, particularly on the heels of book two which had such strong independent characters. And some of her and Fynn's interactions were definitely frustrating to read.

However, I did enjoy the longer book and learning more about the Protected by the Shadows world that NA Rose has built.

I received an advanced review copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Evelyn Jane Thorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast read and I was hooked from the start. This story follows Reed and Fynn, and I loved the chemistry between them. I enjoyed discovering more about them and their past lives. Some characters sucked in more than one way (you know who I'm talking about).

I am hoping that another character gets their own book because I'd love to learn more about them.

Thanks to Phoenix Rising Literary and N. A. Rose for my advanced copy.

[Marnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Book 3 in the Protected by the Shadows and followed Fynn and Reed. I really loved this book, it was probably my favourite of the series so far. Fynn and Reed have so much chemistry together, and the love scenes were 🔥. I couldn’t put it down! A shorter read, but N.A Rose packs a lot into the pages so it’s fast paced. Highly recommended, you won’t regret reading this!

[booksthatbleed · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enemies-to-lovers story that will have you on the edge of your seat! Chained to the Reaper is the third book in the Protected by the Shadows series and it follows the amazing tale of Fynn and Reed. Hidden secrets are revealed, and tensions are high, as the war between the kingdoms escalates. An absolute amazing read, I highly recommend delving into this series for all paranormal lovers!

[Aussie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I aboustly love this book! The chemistry between Fynn and Reed is just perfect and i couldn't get enough of it. This is one spicy vampire reads and im yet to read the previous 2 books in this series