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The Bridge Kingdom #1
Królestwo Mostu
A gdybyście zakochali się w tej jednej osobie, którą przysięgaliście zniszczyć?
W dniu ślubu Lara ma dla męża tylko jedną myśl: rzucę twoje królestwo na kolana. Jako księżniczka szkolona od najmłodszych lat, by być śmiertelnie niebezpiecznym szpiegiem, wie, że Królestwo Mostu symbolizuje jednocześnie legendarne zło – i legendarną obietnicę. Jako jedyna droga przez pustoszony burzami świat, Królestwo Mostu kontroluje handel i podróże między krajami, co pozwala jego władcy się wzbogacać, a swoich wrogów– w tym ojczyznę Lary – rujnować. Kiedy więc Lara – pod pozorem wypełniania zapisów traktatu pokojowego – trafia do niego jako narzeczona władcy, jest gotowa zrobić wszystko, by osłabić obronę nieprzeniknionego Królestwa Mostu. Ale kiedy Lara trafia do nowego domu – porośniętego bujną roślinnością raju otoczonego przez wzburzone morza – i poznaje przyszłego męża, Arena, zaczyna się zastanawiać, gdzie leży prawdziwe zło. Wokół siebie widzi królestwo walczące o przetrwanie, a w Arenie mężczyznę, który zajadle broni swoich poddanych. Dzięki swojej misji Lara coraz lepiej rozumie konflikt o most, a jednocześnie nie może dłużej ignorować uczucia, które zaczyna ją łączyć z Arenem. A mając cel niemal w zasięgu ręki, musi podjąć decyzję – czy zniszczy króla, czy wybawi własny lud?
Powyższy opis pochodzi od wydawcy.
W dniu ślubu Lara ma dla męża tylko jedną myśl: rzucę twoje królestwo na kolana. Jako księżniczka szkolona od najmłodszych lat, by być śmiertelnie niebezpiecznym szpiegiem, wie, że Królestwo Mostu symbolizuje jednocześnie legendarne zło – i legendarną obietnicę. Jako jedyna droga przez pustoszony burzami świat, Królestwo Mostu kontroluje handel i podróże między krajami, co pozwala jego władcy się wzbogacać, a swoich wrogów– w tym ojczyznę Lary – rujnować. Kiedy więc Lara – pod pozorem wypełniania zapisów traktatu pokojowego – trafia do niego jako narzeczona władcy, jest gotowa zrobić wszystko, by osłabić obronę nieprzeniknionego Królestwa Mostu. Ale kiedy Lara trafia do nowego domu – porośniętego bujną roślinnością raju otoczonego przez wzburzone morza – i poznaje przyszłego męża, Arena, zaczyna się zastanawiać, gdzie leży prawdziwe zło. Wokół siebie widzi królestwo walczące o przetrwanie, a w Arenie mężczyznę, który zajadle broni swoich poddanych. Dzięki swojej misji Lara coraz lepiej rozumie konflikt o most, a jednocześnie nie może dłużej ignorować uczucia, które zaczyna ją łączyć z Arenem. A mając cel niemal w zasięgu ręki, musi podjąć decyzję – czy zniszczy króla, czy wybawi własny lud?
Powyższy opis pochodzi od wydawcy.
400 pages, Paperback
First published October 16, 2018
14717 people are currently reading
444496 people want to read
About the author
Danielle L. Jensen
28 books21.3k followersJoin Danielle's mailing list for exclusive content, giveaways, and new release alerts: https://danielleljensen.com/newslette...
Danielle L. Jensen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Fate Inked in Blood, A Curse Carved in Bone, and the Bridge Kingdom, Dark Shores, and Malediction series. Her novels are published internationally in twenty-one languages. She lives in Calgary, Alberta, with her family and guinea pigs.
Danielle L. Jensen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Fate Inked in Blood, A Curse Carved in Bone, and the Bridge Kingdom, Dark Shores, and Malediction series. Her novels are published internationally in twenty-one languages. She lives in Calgary, Alberta, with her family and guinea pigs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 26,484 reviews
July 27, 2020
“I will be the next Queen of Ithicana. And I will bring the Bridge Kingdom to its knees.”
ENEMIES TO LOVERS COMBINED WITH A MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE IS THE BEST MIX OF TROPES EVER CONCEIVED. IT JUST IS. I DON’T MAKE THE RULES. (For others, see: Falling Kingdoms, The Cruel Prince, Serpent & Dove, Cruel Beauty, Spinning Silver…)
This is a re-read in preparation for the sequel, The Traitor Queen, releasing in September, but I had initially picked up this gem on a whim. I was bored and the synopsis was intriguing enough…but little did I know that I was about to discover one of my new favourite books!!!
“This man might be a hunter. But he was mistaken if he believed she was prey.”
Lara Veliant, the Princess of Maridrina and the daughter of King Silas (aka the “Rat King”), was raised as an assassin. She was trained in the knowledge that she’d be married off to the evil, demon-like king of an enemy kingdom with the orders to spy on and then kill her new husband within her first year of marriage. Her kingdom is held captive between the Red Desert and the Tempest Seas, leaving its citizens impoverished and starved, so this is the only way that she can save her people from suffering as they do. Having grown up in harsh conditions and seclusion, however, Lara’s true motive is the acquisition of her freedom. She wants to complete her mission and then be able to live her life in the manner of her choosing.
“She wanted to stay, to fight and sweat and bleed for him and his harsh, wild, and beautiful kingdom.”
Aren Kertell, the 37th King of Ithicana, is her soon-to-be husband. Ithicana, or the Bridge Kingdom, makes most of its income from the bridge that protects the kingdom from would-be invaders and serves as a source of revenue due to trade with the neighbouring kingdoms. Oh, and it also encompasses a series of islands made up of a jungle terrain, dangerous waters, incessant storms, and an infestation of SNAKES (no, thank you!!!)
“It’s yours,” he murmured into her ear. “Ithicana. Everything that I have is yours. To protect. To make better.”
“I will,” she whispered. “I promise.”
Lara arrived in this new kingdom, expecting to be treated poorly and to hate this new husband of hers, but it turns out that her father had not been entirely truthful with her. Aren is more than he seems – loyal and honourable, rather than sadistic and cruel – and not the villain who wanted to do harm to her people. As the truth is slowly revealed, she gathers that this mission of saving her kingdom would only destroy another, one that she had sworn to protect and had come to care for. Lara then comes to the realisation that she must ultimately make a choice: Will she believe her father or her husband? Will she fight for Maridrina or Ithicana? DUN DUN DUNNN!!!
“Aren't we bold now that we believe we are untouchable.”
I LOVE Lara! SO MUCH! She’s a beautiful, yet deadly, siren who’ll do whatever it takes to fight for what she believes in. And I can’t write this review without mentioning the STEAMY ROMANCE. Lara and Aren make such a swoon-worthy pair with sexual tension that’s OFF THE CHARTS!!! <333 The political intrigue and actual spying bits were also extremely compelling, making this a remarkably easy book to complete in merely a sitting or two.
“Even if I’m a goddamned fool for it, there will never be anyone but you.”
If you like your girls deadly, your enemies sexy, your romance intense, and your plot twists mind-blowing…then THIS is the book for you!!! Luckily, this cliffhanger that nearly KILLED ME and RIPPED OUT MY HEART should be resolved within the next couple of months. This is everything you could ever want in a fantasy novel and MORE! ;)
PSA: This is NA, NOT YA. This is explicit, both in terms of profanity and sexual content.
ENEMIES TO LOVERS COMBINED WITH A MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE IS THE BEST MIX OF TROPES EVER CONCEIVED. IT JUST IS. I DON’T MAKE THE RULES. (For others, see: Falling Kingdoms, The Cruel Prince, Serpent & Dove, Cruel Beauty, Spinning Silver…)
This is a re-read in preparation for the sequel, The Traitor Queen, releasing in September, but I had initially picked up this gem on a whim. I was bored and the synopsis was intriguing enough…but little did I know that I was about to discover one of my new favourite books!!!
“This man might be a hunter. But he was mistaken if he believed she was prey.”
Lara Veliant, the Princess of Maridrina and the daughter of King Silas (aka the “Rat King”), was raised as an assassin. She was trained in the knowledge that she’d be married off to the evil, demon-like king of an enemy kingdom with the orders to spy on and then kill her new husband within her first year of marriage. Her kingdom is held captive between the Red Desert and the Tempest Seas, leaving its citizens impoverished and starved, so this is the only way that she can save her people from suffering as they do. Having grown up in harsh conditions and seclusion, however, Lara’s true motive is the acquisition of her freedom. She wants to complete her mission and then be able to live her life in the manner of her choosing.
“She wanted to stay, to fight and sweat and bleed for him and his harsh, wild, and beautiful kingdom.”
Aren Kertell, the 37th King of Ithicana, is her soon-to-be husband. Ithicana, or the Bridge Kingdom, makes most of its income from the bridge that protects the kingdom from would-be invaders and serves as a source of revenue due to trade with the neighbouring kingdoms. Oh, and it also encompasses a series of islands made up of a jungle terrain, dangerous waters, incessant storms, and an infestation of SNAKES (no, thank you!!!)
“It’s yours,” he murmured into her ear. “Ithicana. Everything that I have is yours. To protect. To make better.”
“I will,” she whispered. “I promise.”
Lara arrived in this new kingdom, expecting to be treated poorly and to hate this new husband of hers, but it turns out that her father had not been entirely truthful with her. Aren is more than he seems – loyal and honourable, rather than sadistic and cruel – and not the villain who wanted to do harm to her people. As the truth is slowly revealed, she gathers that this mission of saving her kingdom would only destroy another, one that she had sworn to protect and had come to care for. Lara then comes to the realisation that she must ultimately make a choice: Will she believe her father or her husband? Will she fight for Maridrina or Ithicana? DUN DUN DUNNN!!!
“Aren't we bold now that we believe we are untouchable.”
I LOVE Lara! SO MUCH! She’s a beautiful, yet deadly, siren who’ll do whatever it takes to fight for what she believes in. And I can’t write this review without mentioning the STEAMY ROMANCE. Lara and Aren make such a swoon-worthy pair with sexual tension that’s OFF THE CHARTS!!! <333 The political intrigue and actual spying bits were also extremely compelling, making this a remarkably easy book to complete in merely a sitting or two.
“Even if I’m a goddamned fool for it, there will never be anyone but you.”
If you like your girls deadly, your enemies sexy, your romance intense, and your plot twists mind-blowing…then THIS is the book for you!!! Luckily, this cliffhanger that nearly KILLED ME and RIPPED OUT MY HEART should be resolved within the next couple of months. This is everything you could ever want in a fantasy novel and MORE! ;)
PSA: This is NA, NOT YA. This is explicit, both in terms of profanity and sexual content.
April 26, 2022
reread in preparation for book #3 and im surprised that i enjoyed this more the second time around!
___________________________
okayyy fine. i guess i will give this five stars because i really have no reason not to. ignore the fact that the cover is sporting some seriously awkward video game-esque graphics, because its so not representative of this wholly engaging story.
have i read this kind of story before? oh yeah. many times. the whole ‘enemies to lovers’ via a girl infiltrating another kingdom through marriage is one of my favourite plot devices, so this rating is probably quite biased. but theres something about this particular story that made me feel as if the political undermining, secretive feelings, and enchanting kingdoms are all something new.
also, i knew i was hooked when i reached the cliff hanger at the end and, instead of rolling my eyes, i immediately looked up when book two will be released. theres something seriously charming about this story that i think many readers will fall for.
↠ 4.5 stars
___________________________
okayyy fine. i guess i will give this five stars because i really have no reason not to. ignore the fact that the cover is sporting some seriously awkward video game-esque graphics, because its so not representative of this wholly engaging story.
have i read this kind of story before? oh yeah. many times. the whole ‘enemies to lovers’ via a girl infiltrating another kingdom through marriage is one of my favourite plot devices, so this rating is probably quite biased. but theres something about this particular story that made me feel as if the political undermining, secretive feelings, and enchanting kingdoms are all something new.
also, i knew i was hooked when i reached the cliff hanger at the end and, instead of rolling my eyes, i immediately looked up when book two will be released. theres something seriously charming about this story that i think many readers will fall for.
↠ 4.5 stars
Read
July 1, 2024Please shelve as New Adult Fantasy, Adult Fantasy, or Adult Romantic Fantasy. The characters are 20 (Lara) and 25 (Aren).
TW: Profanity, sexual content, alcohol consumption, references to child abuse, parental death, and violence.
For those of you looking for spelling of character names and places, I have a guide posted on my website! https://danielleljensen.com/the-bridg...
TW: Profanity, sexual content, alcohol consumption, references to child abuse, parental death, and violence.
For those of you looking for spelling of character names and places, I have a guide posted on my website! https://danielleljensen.com/the-bridg...
September 17, 2021
On the surface, this is a story many of us dig. Enemies to lovers. She’s trained her whole life to be the downfall of her future husband’s kingdom. Betrothed because of a treaty, Lara is sent to marry the evil king of the bridge kingdom. She needs to discover the secrets of the important bridge connecting the continents, its weaknesses, and of course, any flaws that might help take it over. Several kingdoms tried from the outside and failed constantly. Her people are starving because Ithicana is monopolizing trade.
Having been trained all her life as an assassin, a spy, and in a way, a queen, Lara didn’t expect to actually like the people of her new kingdom, they were supposed to be evil, you know?
While I wouldn’t say it’s the most innovative plotline, if done well, I enjoy it immensely. I was looking for a book similar to From Blood and Ash but sadly, this one wasn’t nearly as good. I was willing to ignore the boring cover because I’ve learned a long time ago to not judge books by their covers but in this case, the book is actually as dull as its cover.
While I was considering rating this 3 stars, I was looking for any element in this book that might help. I found none. The most interesting thing happened on the last page and made me think of reading the sequel but of course, I won’t.
Why didn’t I like this book you might be wondering?
Well, the characters are so meh. Especially Aren. While Lara was ok at first, Aren didn’t impress me. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t dislike them but didn’t care for them either. I couldn’t feel the sexual tension nor the burning chemistry. You’d think that almost nothing happening between the characters until 80% might help. It didn’t. They were bland. And of course, I wasn’t reading this book for the world-building. I was reading it for the romance (NA style in a fantasy world). Oh well.
I also found the world-building lacking. Yes, we got lots of info about Icathana but I wish we knew more about the other kingdoms, their cultures, and how developed they were. This didn’t affect my rating because maybe even we did, I wouldn’t have been interested. Maybe.
Furthermore, I found the behavior of the main characters questionable.
For example, Aren, defending her and choosing her over people who back him up. Like dude, you know her for one month tops, she is the child of your former enemy, while those people would die for you… He trusted her too easily.
I won’t talk about Lara because I’d be spoiling it but I’m not sure if it counts as such because the PLOT WAS SO OBVIOUS. I predicted what’s going to happen from the start and I was thinking if doesn’t, I’ll give it 3 stars. Sadly, I’ve read too many books to not guess but it doesn’t take a genius to guess.
I’ll keep this short and sum it up by this:
You might enjoy it. Many enjoyed this book. I really wanted to like but it ended up boring and painfully predictable with one-dimensional characters. The secondary ones were actually decent and I would’ve liked to know more but I don’t think it’ll make reading Traitor Queen much better. I wish we had more dynamics between the main characters and well, more depth to the story. It had potential but it wasn’t for me.
Having been trained all her life as an assassin, a spy, and in a way, a queen, Lara didn’t expect to actually like the people of her new kingdom, they were supposed to be evil, you know?
While I wouldn’t say it’s the most innovative plotline, if done well, I enjoy it immensely. I was looking for a book similar to From Blood and Ash but sadly, this one wasn’t nearly as good. I was willing to ignore the boring cover because I’ve learned a long time ago to not judge books by their covers but in this case, the book is actually as dull as its cover.
While I was considering rating this 3 stars, I was looking for any element in this book that might help. I found none. The most interesting thing happened on the last page and made me think of reading the sequel but of course, I won’t.
Why didn’t I like this book you might be wondering?
Well, the characters are so meh. Especially Aren. While Lara was ok at first, Aren didn’t impress me. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t dislike them but didn’t care for them either. I couldn’t feel the sexual tension nor the burning chemistry. You’d think that almost nothing happening between the characters until 80% might help. It didn’t. They were bland. And of course, I wasn’t reading this book for the world-building. I was reading it for the romance (NA style in a fantasy world). Oh well.
I also found the world-building lacking. Yes, we got lots of info about Icathana but I wish we knew more about the other kingdoms, their cultures, and how developed they were. This didn’t affect my rating because maybe even we did, I wouldn’t have been interested. Maybe.
Furthermore, I found the behavior of the main characters questionable.
For example, Aren, defending her and choosing her over people who back him up. Like dude, you know her for one month tops, she is the child of your former enemy, while those people would die for you… He trusted her too easily.
I won’t talk about Lara because I’d be spoiling it but I’m not sure if it counts as such because the PLOT WAS SO OBVIOUS. I predicted what’s going to happen from the start and I was thinking if doesn’t, I’ll give it 3 stars. Sadly, I’ve read too many books to not guess but it doesn’t take a genius to guess.
I’ll keep this short and sum it up by this:
You might enjoy it. Many enjoyed this book. I really wanted to like but it ended up boring and painfully predictable with one-dimensional characters. The secondary ones were actually decent and I would’ve liked to know more but I don’t think it’ll make reading Traitor Queen much better. I wish we had more dynamics between the main characters and well, more depth to the story. It had potential but it wasn’t for me.
May 26, 2020
If you’re a fan of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series and/or The Bargainer series, drop everything you’re doing AND READ THIS BOOK RIGHT FUCKING NOW.
NOT KIDDING. RIGHT NOW.
I can’t even tell you why because spoilers. Just trust me. TRUST ME, OKAY.
I just finished it and my heart is still racing. I can’t handle it. IT WAS SO GOOD. It doesn’t have Fae or magic or any elements like that in it, but you ACOTAR/Bargainer/good book fans especially NEED TO READ IT BECAUSE OMGGGGGGG.
FOCUS, LINDSEY. FOCUS.
HOKAY.
1. Likable characters galore.
SERIOUSLY. I am in love with just about EVERYONE in this book (which is a damn miracle because in real life I don’t like anyone). I want to be their friend. I want to be their family member. I WANT TO BE THEM. (Not in a creepy, stalkerish way.) (I’m aware saying that doesn’t help my case.)
2. THE FUCKING SLOW BURN IS HOLY SHIT.
So excellent that I can’t even form proper sentences. I just 😏😏😏😏😏😏😏
3. Badass characters all over the place.
The MC, Lara, especially. Goddamn. The woman is lethal. She’s not a delicate flower. Get the hell out of her way. Hello, Lara. I’m here. Please take my heart and soul.
4. The author doesn’t drag her feet when it comes to plot.
This book hits the ground running in the first chapter. You’re catapulted right into the action. THAT is how it should be done. Had my attention from cover to cover. I can honestly say there were no boring parts for me. The author knows when to go into detail and when to sort of gloss over weeks of nothing happening. I’m a fan of that. I have a hard time reading books where the goal is to get on a ship and sail to another country and conquer it, but it takes half the damn book to get there (or, you know, never happens in Daenerys Targaryen’s case—moron). Especially when nothing really happens on the ship. This book doesn’t waste time on that. If nothing happens during the “sailing” time, she just says something like, “Three weeks later, we arrived.” Love that type of storytelling. It focuses on character development and action. It doesn’t waste time on irrelevant events/characters. Which, in my opinion, is the way it SHOULD be. 💯👏🏻 (Sorry, Charles Dickens.)
5. It made me FEEL things.
I laughed out loud at the banter. I was positively giddy during slow burn interactions. I felt stressed AF while certain conflicts played out. I even teared up at a few parts. GUYS. I AM SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD INSIDE. WHAT HAS THIS BOOK DONE TO ME?
Am I going to read the sequel?
Gurl you already know the answer to this. (Cue heavy breathing cat meme)
NOT KIDDING. RIGHT NOW.
I can’t even tell you why because spoilers. Just trust me. TRUST ME, OKAY.
I just finished it and my heart is still racing. I can’t handle it. IT WAS SO GOOD. It doesn’t have Fae or magic or any elements like that in it, but you ACOTAR/Bargainer/good book fans especially NEED TO READ IT BECAUSE OMGGGGGGG.
FOCUS, LINDSEY. FOCUS.
HOKAY.
1. Likable characters galore.
SERIOUSLY. I am in love with just about EVERYONE in this book (which is a damn miracle because in real life I don’t like anyone). I want to be their friend. I want to be their family member. I WANT TO BE THEM. (Not in a creepy, stalkerish way.) (I’m aware saying that doesn’t help my case.)
2. THE FUCKING SLOW BURN IS HOLY SHIT.
So excellent that I can’t even form proper sentences. I just 😏😏😏😏😏😏😏
3. Badass characters all over the place.
The MC, Lara, especially. Goddamn. The woman is lethal. She’s not a delicate flower. Get the hell out of her way. Hello, Lara. I’m here. Please take my heart and soul.
4. The author doesn’t drag her feet when it comes to plot.
This book hits the ground running in the first chapter. You’re catapulted right into the action. THAT is how it should be done. Had my attention from cover to cover. I can honestly say there were no boring parts for me. The author knows when to go into detail and when to sort of gloss over weeks of nothing happening. I’m a fan of that. I have a hard time reading books where the goal is to get on a ship and sail to another country and conquer it, but it takes half the damn book to get there (or, you know, never happens in Daenerys Targaryen’s case—moron). Especially when nothing really happens on the ship. This book doesn’t waste time on that. If nothing happens during the “sailing” time, she just says something like, “Three weeks later, we arrived.” Love that type of storytelling. It focuses on character development and action. It doesn’t waste time on irrelevant events/characters. Which, in my opinion, is the way it SHOULD be. 💯👏🏻 (Sorry, Charles Dickens.)
5. It made me FEEL things.
I laughed out loud at the banter. I was positively giddy during slow burn interactions. I felt stressed AF while certain conflicts played out. I even teared up at a few parts. GUYS. I AM SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD INSIDE. WHAT HAS THIS BOOK DONE TO ME?
Am I going to read the sequel?
Gurl you already know the answer to this. (Cue heavy breathing cat meme)
April 25, 2024
This is the kind of book where you shouldn’t pause and think about what’s happening while you’re reading or it might ruin the experience for you when you realize that none of the world building or plot makes any sense.
If you close one eye and take everything 100% at face value, I think there’s a good chance you can enjoy this book.
It’s not *bad* per se but I do think lots of the book was constructed more for the ✨vibes✨ than anything substantive.
The plot opens on a sort of “last supper” of twelve princess sisters dining with their dad, the king. The princesses have been locked away in the desert all their lives, training to become assassin spies. One of them will marry the King Aren of Ithicana, the enemy kingdom, and send all his secrets back to their father.
So the king’s plan, now that it’s finally time for one princess to marry Aren, is to pick the best of his twelve surviving daughters (he started with twenty) and have the rest killed.
This is a really stupid plan. What if your one chosen daughter catches the flu three days later and dies? Poof, there goes decades of your work. Shouldn’t you at least keep one spare on hand? Also, wtf does he even gain by killing the rest? If they haven’t spilled his secrets while trapped in the desert so far, why would they start now?
Clearly this whole “kill the daughters” plot point is just for shock value and to make extra extra sure that the readers understand this dad is SUPER DUPER EVIL.
Because, you know, forcing all your daughters to endure decades of torturous training in the desert then selling them off to your enemies isn’t evil enough. The silly readers might get confused and accidentally like this guy!
So the FMC, Lara, is the princess who makes the cut and gets married off to Ithicana. She’s hellbent on finding a way to destroy her new husband and his kingdom by finding a gap in their defenses which will allow her dad’s army to invade and slaughter the Ithicanians. This, because she thinks Aren’s tough trade tax policies are causing her people back home to starve.
Why does she believe this? Because her evil dad told her so. He told her he’s just so dedicated to helping his poor people who are suffering under those darn Ithicanian trade taxes. She takes this at full face value, since we all know evil child-murdering fathers are trustworthy and have only the most benevolent of intentions.
Now, if you, unlike Lara, have more than two braincells, you might have guessed the big twist here already—it’s actually her dad whose shitty policies are leading their people to starve!! Shocking!! I expected so much better out of a child murderer!
I figured this out at maybe 3-4 chapters in. For Lara, it takes 75% of the book.
Sure, she grew up to some degree brainwashed, but she clearly knows enough to understand that the way she and her sisters were raised was wrong and fucked up. If you get that, how do you not take the tiniest step forward in logic to understand that the evil people who raised you might just be LIARS?!
Spending most of the book watching Lara make stupid decisions based on stupid assumptions that will lead to the massacre of the Ithicanian people she now rules was a tad frustrating.
The rest of the plot was equally predictable if you’re at all familiar with romantasy tropes.
As for the romance, I could see how some people might enjoy it, but it wasn’t very meaningful to me. Aren, the love interest, might as well have been a cardboard box with some eyes and abs drawn on it. His one personality trait was being into Lara.
So basically this was one big meh-fest for me. I might try book 2, I might not.
If you close one eye and take everything 100% at face value, I think there’s a good chance you can enjoy this book.
It’s not *bad* per se but I do think lots of the book was constructed more for the ✨vibes✨ than anything substantive.
The plot opens on a sort of “last supper” of twelve princess sisters dining with their dad, the king. The princesses have been locked away in the desert all their lives, training to become assassin spies. One of them will marry the King Aren of Ithicana, the enemy kingdom, and send all his secrets back to their father.
So the king’s plan, now that it’s finally time for one princess to marry Aren, is to pick the best of his twelve surviving daughters (he started with twenty) and have the rest killed.
This is a really stupid plan. What if your one chosen daughter catches the flu three days later and dies? Poof, there goes decades of your work. Shouldn’t you at least keep one spare on hand? Also, wtf does he even gain by killing the rest? If they haven’t spilled his secrets while trapped in the desert so far, why would they start now?
Clearly this whole “kill the daughters” plot point is just for shock value and to make extra extra sure that the readers understand this dad is SUPER DUPER EVIL.
Because, you know, forcing all your daughters to endure decades of torturous training in the desert then selling them off to your enemies isn’t evil enough. The silly readers might get confused and accidentally like this guy!
So the FMC, Lara, is the princess who makes the cut and gets married off to Ithicana. She’s hellbent on finding a way to destroy her new husband and his kingdom by finding a gap in their defenses which will allow her dad’s army to invade and slaughter the Ithicanians. This, because she thinks Aren’s tough trade tax policies are causing her people back home to starve.
Why does she believe this? Because her evil dad told her so. He told her he’s just so dedicated to helping his poor people who are suffering under those darn Ithicanian trade taxes. She takes this at full face value, since we all know evil child-murdering fathers are trustworthy and have only the most benevolent of intentions.
Now, if you, unlike Lara, have more than two braincells, you might have guessed the big twist here already—it’s actually her dad whose shitty policies are leading their people to starve!! Shocking!! I expected so much better out of a child murderer!
I figured this out at maybe 3-4 chapters in. For Lara, it takes 75% of the book.
Sure, she grew up to some degree brainwashed, but she clearly knows enough to understand that the way she and her sisters were raised was wrong and fucked up. If you get that, how do you not take the tiniest step forward in logic to understand that the evil people who raised you might just be LIARS?!
Spending most of the book watching Lara make stupid decisions based on stupid assumptions that will lead to the massacre of the Ithicanian people she now rules was a tad frustrating.
The rest of the plot was equally predictable if you’re at all familiar with romantasy tropes.
As for the romance, I could see how some people might enjoy it, but it wasn’t very meaningful to me. Aren, the love interest, might as well have been a cardboard box with some eyes and abs drawn on it. His one personality trait was being into Lara.
So basically this was one big meh-fest for me. I might try book 2, I might not.
August 9, 2025
5 stars!!
"Since the moment I set eyes on you in Southwatch, there's been no one but you. Even if I'm a goddamned fool for it, there will never be anyone but you"
Danielle L. Jensen has never disappointed me ever! I was always recommended this series, and I knew it would be amazing. Before this, I read one of her series Dark Shores, which had me obsessed, so I just had to read this, and oh boy, how glad I am to have read this because it was everything that I was hoping for. This series deserves so much more hype and love because it's quite literally perfect. It's not overburdening with its length as most fantasies are; within just 300-330 pages for both books, it captures what it intends to execute perfectly, and I just love how she made all these 300 pages count without dragging or rushing the story. Besides that is the fact how atmospheric her writing is immersive, like she writes, and I'm fully immersed in it. I just have this vivid imagination of the entire setting, and I am in love. Her writing is very fast-paced, and each chapter ends with a cliffhanger, not letting you stop. I kept on saying one more chapter till the book was finished because the stakes were sky high from the start to the finish.
“This man might be a hunter. But he was mistaken if he believed she was prey.”
Lara, stunned me so bad! I had no idea that I was about to read about an FMC who was this cunning, manipulative, and strong 😋. It was honestly such a breath of fresh air to be in her mind because it was so unique and well thought off, I loved how all her actions were pre planned, well though and perfectly executed, Her strive for what she wanted and the determination that she had was so inspiring, the way she could seduce and manipulate cards in her favour was something that had me in awe the entire time, I loved how well trained she was and how she tried to look past the brainwashed memories and fought against her mind. One thing that sat right with me was that despite her wicked cleverness, sharp wit, strength, and determination, she always found out what was right and tried to be on that side 🙂↕️.
“She was so painfully beautiful, and even knowing that she'd used it against him didn't lessen how powerfully he was drawn to her.”
Aren, he was so badly whipped for Lara 😭 like that man was so in love with her. At first, I was a bit taken aback by how easily Aren was able to trust Lara. Well, it did take a lot of time since there were time jumps, but I feel like it's also because we were made to believe that Ithicanians were barbarian's and this proved that they're not. They are people who care and love and are just trying to protect their own. I loved how determined he was to protect his people. I liked how far he was willing to go for that. Aren is being torn apart for his people, and Lara was so fun to see. I also loved seeing the progress of how he viewed Lara and eventually how deeply he fell in love because after the betrayal ( which is very obvious and not a spoiler), he was insanely mad at her, BUT still defended her. A man a ma-ma-ma-man.
“I love you," he said, his lips grazing against hers. "And I will love you, no matter what the future brings. No matter how hard I need to fight. I will always love you."
Romance, I knew this was a tragic romance from the start, because this quite literally starts with betrayal set in the future under the circumstances that they meet in. It wasn't a slow burn, but it also was a slow burn?? I liked that it wasn't insta-lusty. The yearning was 🫦, the chemistry was 😋, and the tension was 🥵. I honestly cannot remember the last time I was this hooked on a book where I was invested in every single aspect, like I knew that this romance wasn't going to end well, but Danielle made me fall in love with it, and it hurt so much!! I loved their bickering and banter, and I was getting so fond of that, but ughh, what I was dreading the most happened, and no matter how hard I tried to prepare myself, it still shook the earth from below my feet.
"I will be the next Queen of Ithicana. And I will bring the Bridge Kingdom to its knees."
The plot and the worldbuilding, the plot was so well set, it was perfectly in motion to what Danielle had in mind because the way it starts with overthrowing a kingdom and then expands into something more with newer characters being introduced and how it follows in book 2 with it reaching a new peak was amazing, the world building was nice, the war tides concept was very fun to read about, I just know I cant live in Ithicana because of their snake problem but I loved the difference in Madriana and Ithicana and how distinct they are, I also loved how the politics were weaved through this because that made it read more like an actual fantasy rather than a romantasy.
The ending was the most torturous thing that I have read. Betrayal after betrayal after betrayal. Twists after twists after twists. I am unwell!
“Ithicana—and its king—bent to nothing and no one. But he bent for her.”
__
I absolutely loved every other work of Danielle, especially 'Dark shores'. Everyone has always recommended this one, saying it's the best, and my sisters have also hyped it up for me so much! I have to start it now!!
"Since the moment I set eyes on you in Southwatch, there's been no one but you. Even if I'm a goddamned fool for it, there will never be anyone but you"
Danielle L. Jensen has never disappointed me ever! I was always recommended this series, and I knew it would be amazing. Before this, I read one of her series Dark Shores, which had me obsessed, so I just had to read this, and oh boy, how glad I am to have read this because it was everything that I was hoping for. This series deserves so much more hype and love because it's quite literally perfect. It's not overburdening with its length as most fantasies are; within just 300-330 pages for both books, it captures what it intends to execute perfectly, and I just love how she made all these 300 pages count without dragging or rushing the story. Besides that is the fact how atmospheric her writing is immersive, like she writes, and I'm fully immersed in it. I just have this vivid imagination of the entire setting, and I am in love. Her writing is very fast-paced, and each chapter ends with a cliffhanger, not letting you stop. I kept on saying one more chapter till the book was finished because the stakes were sky high from the start to the finish.
“This man might be a hunter. But he was mistaken if he believed she was prey.”
Lara, stunned me so bad! I had no idea that I was about to read about an FMC who was this cunning, manipulative, and strong 😋. It was honestly such a breath of fresh air to be in her mind because it was so unique and well thought off, I loved how all her actions were pre planned, well though and perfectly executed, Her strive for what she wanted and the determination that she had was so inspiring, the way she could seduce and manipulate cards in her favour was something that had me in awe the entire time, I loved how well trained she was and how she tried to look past the brainwashed memories and fought against her mind. One thing that sat right with me was that despite her wicked cleverness, sharp wit, strength, and determination, she always found out what was right and tried to be on that side 🙂↕️.
“She was so painfully beautiful, and even knowing that she'd used it against him didn't lessen how powerfully he was drawn to her.”
Aren, he was so badly whipped for Lara 😭 like that man was so in love with her. At first, I was a bit taken aback by how easily Aren was able to trust Lara. Well, it did take a lot of time since there were time jumps, but I feel like it's also because we were made to believe that Ithicanians were barbarian's and this proved that they're not. They are people who care and love and are just trying to protect their own. I loved how determined he was to protect his people. I liked how far he was willing to go for that. Aren is being torn apart for his people, and Lara was so fun to see. I also loved seeing the progress of how he viewed Lara and eventually how deeply he fell in love because after the betrayal ( which is very obvious and not a spoiler), he was insanely mad at her, BUT still defended her. A man a ma-ma-ma-man.
“I love you," he said, his lips grazing against hers. "And I will love you, no matter what the future brings. No matter how hard I need to fight. I will always love you."
Romance, I knew this was a tragic romance from the start, because this quite literally starts with betrayal set in the future under the circumstances that they meet in. It wasn't a slow burn, but it also was a slow burn?? I liked that it wasn't insta-lusty. The yearning was 🫦, the chemistry was 😋, and the tension was 🥵. I honestly cannot remember the last time I was this hooked on a book where I was invested in every single aspect, like I knew that this romance wasn't going to end well, but Danielle made me fall in love with it, and it hurt so much!! I loved their bickering and banter, and I was getting so fond of that, but ughh, what I was dreading the most happened, and no matter how hard I tried to prepare myself, it still shook the earth from below my feet.
"I will be the next Queen of Ithicana. And I will bring the Bridge Kingdom to its knees."
The plot and the worldbuilding, the plot was so well set, it was perfectly in motion to what Danielle had in mind because the way it starts with overthrowing a kingdom and then expands into something more with newer characters being introduced and how it follows in book 2 with it reaching a new peak was amazing, the world building was nice, the war tides concept was very fun to read about, I just know I cant live in Ithicana because of their snake problem but I loved the difference in Madriana and Ithicana and how distinct they are, I also loved how the politics were weaved through this because that made it read more like an actual fantasy rather than a romantasy.
The ending was the most torturous thing that I have read. Betrayal after betrayal after betrayal. Twists after twists after twists. I am unwell!
“Ithicana—and its king—bent to nothing and no one. But he bent for her.”
__
I absolutely loved every other work of Danielle, especially 'Dark shores'. Everyone has always recommended this one, saying it's the best, and my sisters have also hyped it up for me so much! I have to start it now!!
November 11, 2025
✅ Only one bed trope
✅ “Who did this to you?”
✅ Arranged marriage
✅ Hate-to-love
✅ 2 POVs
✅ Badass and ruthless main characters
✅ World-building
✅ Slow burn romance
✅ Action and fighting
✅ Politics and spying
❗️❗️ Cliffhanger
❗️❗️ Trigger warnings: child abuse, drugging, murders, war and mild gore, use of narcotics on others, violence, shark attacks
_______________________
Third read/listen: Still as good as the first 2 times. I can't wait to reread the angst-fest that is the second book!
_______________________
I adore hate-to-love stories, and this one is great! Add to that an arranged marriage, a country made of deadly islands full of serpents, sharks, and violent storms, a strong badass heroine, and a kind but fierce male lead, and you've got yourself a pretty epic adventure.
Lara Veliant is a princess of Maridrina, one of many daughters of the cruel King Silas. She was raised to be a ruthless assassin since she was 5, so her father could send her to marry the new king of Ithicana as part of an old peace treaty. He expects her to find out how to take control of the famous bridge of Ithicana, thus helping Maridrina get revenge on Ithicana and ensure their prosperity. Whoever controls the bridge controls the commerce between the north and the south and Lara is determined to save her people from their misery. Lara is also expected to kill her husband when the time comes, and she is more than willing to do it for her country. Lara does not care for her coldhearted father, but she does care for her people who are starving. She also wishes to gain her freedom from her father, and he promised to let her go free once she fulfills her purpose.
The beginning of this book is so intense and shows how ruthless Lara is! She is driven and determined to do whatever it takes to survive and protect the few persons she loves. Her father cares only about his power and is willing to kill whoever stands in the way of his plans, or whoever is even aware of the plans because he needs to cover his tracks. Lara is shipped to Ithicana where she expects to hate her cruel husband but she discovers a dangerous and wonderful land, ruled by a kind but fierce king and she soon realizes that her father and tutors may have not told her the truth about the situation in Maridrina and Ithicana.
The kingdom of Ithicana is a magical, dangerous, and unforgiving land. The world-building is vivid and intricate, and the descriptions are superb. It is very easy to lose ourselves in this book and to picture what life in Ithicana entails, and I absolutely adore the atmosphere and world the author created in this book.
Aren Kertell is the 37th King of Ithicana and Lara's soon-to-be husband. Ithicana survives with the money it makes from the bridge that crosses their kingdom. The bridge allows trade between neighboring kingdoms, and whoever controls the bridge controls the trade. The kingdom is made of many islands, all more dangerous than the other. They have hungry sharks, snakes, violent storms, dangerous waters, and jungles full of predators. It's a good thing that Lara is strong and can take care of herself, even if she needs to hide it and pretend that she is mostly defenseless.
The romance is slow to build but smooth, sweet, and realistic. Lara needs to appear as a demure, fragile, and non-threatening young woman, but she is deadly. Arren wants nothing to do with her since he suspects that she might be there to spy on him and just doesn't want a wife right now, but the sexual tension between them is there from the start. There are some steamy moments and they are just swoon-worthy together. I like that despite their physical attraction to each other, Lara remained focused on her mission until she was forced to admit that her father had lied to her. The same goes for Aren, even though he thought Lara to be a fragile but gorgeous flower, he still managed to keep her at arm’s length because he knew that trusting her without undeniable proof of her loyalty would be stupid.
The political plot to ruin Ithicana and give Maridrina control over the bridge is a big part of the story and I really liked to see how Lara was struggling because she didn't know who to help and who to trust. She was not easily swayed just because the king is young and gorgeous instead of being an old cruel man, but she quickly realized that Aren was kind and selfless when it came to his kingdom. He is far from the demon-like king Lara's father described, and she found herself stuck between a rock and a hard place because she has to choose between gaining her freedom by betraying Aren or following her heart and her conscience by remaining with him, but knowing that her father would find her and kill her sooner or later if she failed her mission.
As she learns the harsh truth about her father, and as she sees that the people of Ithicana are constantly fighting to survive, Lara has a tough choice to make. She needs to decide if she will fight for Maridrina or Ithicana, because helping Maridrina will come at the cost of Ithicana’s destruction, and much to Lara’s surprise, she has come to love this harsh land and its brave and loyal people.
The pace is perfect and engaging, but also slow enough to leave room for relationship-building and character growth, and the plot is well-developed, full of action, and keeps us at the edge of our seats. We are thrown into the action from chapter one, and it just never stops being engaging and compelling. The spying part is full of stressful moments, the action scenes are well done, and the romance is a slow-burn enemies to lovers. I truly loved everything about this book.
I definitely recommend this book if you like strong main characters, steamy hate-to-love romance, politics, and spying games, with a lot of life-or-death situations and a few twists. Also, the way the book ends promises a lot of angst for the second book, I cannot wait to read it!
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✅ “Who did this to you?”
✅ Arranged marriage
✅ Hate-to-love
✅ 2 POVs
✅ Badass and ruthless main characters
✅ World-building
✅ Slow burn romance
✅ Action and fighting
✅ Politics and spying
❗️❗️ Cliffhanger
❗️❗️ Trigger warnings: child abuse, drugging, murders, war and mild gore, use of narcotics on others, violence, shark attacks
_______________________
Third read/listen: Still as good as the first 2 times. I can't wait to reread the angst-fest that is the second book!
_______________________
There would be no happily-ever-after. Not for her.
I adore hate-to-love stories, and this one is great! Add to that an arranged marriage, a country made of deadly islands full of serpents, sharks, and violent storms, a strong badass heroine, and a kind but fierce male lead, and you've got yourself a pretty epic adventure.
“You murdered your sisters for the good of our country?” His voice was amused.
Lara forced a chuckle from her lips. “Hardly. I murdered them because I wished to live.”
Lara Veliant is a princess of Maridrina, one of many daughters of the cruel King Silas. She was raised to be a ruthless assassin since she was 5, so her father could send her to marry the new king of Ithicana as part of an old peace treaty. He expects her to find out how to take control of the famous bridge of Ithicana, thus helping Maridrina get revenge on Ithicana and ensure their prosperity. Whoever controls the bridge controls the commerce between the north and the south and Lara is determined to save her people from their misery. Lara is also expected to kill her husband when the time comes, and she is more than willing to do it for her country. Lara does not care for her coldhearted father, but she does care for her people who are starving. She also wishes to gain her freedom from her father, and he promised to let her go free once she fulfills her purpose.
All she had ever known was violence. It was nothing to her. And everything.
The beginning of this book is so intense and shows how ruthless Lara is! She is driven and determined to do whatever it takes to survive and protect the few persons she loves. Her father cares only about his power and is willing to kill whoever stands in the way of his plans, or whoever is even aware of the plans because he needs to cover his tracks. Lara is shipped to Ithicana where she expects to hate her cruel husband but she discovers a dangerous and wonderful land, ruled by a kind but fierce king and she soon realizes that her father and tutors may have not told her the truth about the situation in Maridrina and Ithicana.
"I wanted to see the bridge."
Aren stopped in his tracks, turning to give her a sharp look. "Why?"
She met his gaze unflinchingly. "I wanted to see the bit of architecture that was worth the right to my body. My loyalty. My life."
He recoiled as though she'd slapped him. "The rights to those things are yours to give, not your father's."
The kingdom of Ithicana is a magical, dangerous, and unforgiving land. The world-building is vivid and intricate, and the descriptions are superb. It is very easy to lose ourselves in this book and to picture what life in Ithicana entails, and I absolutely adore the atmosphere and world the author created in this book.
She was so painfully beautiful, and even knowing that she'd used it against him didn't lessen how powerfully he was drawn to her.
Aren Kertell is the 37th King of Ithicana and Lara's soon-to-be husband. Ithicana survives with the money it makes from the bridge that crosses their kingdom. The bridge allows trade between neighboring kingdoms, and whoever controls the bridge controls the trade. The kingdom is made of many islands, all more dangerous than the other. They have hungry sharks, snakes, violent storms, dangerous waters, and jungles full of predators. It's a good thing that Lara is strong and can take care of herself, even if she needs to hide it and pretend that she is mostly defenseless.
This man might be a hunter. But he was mistaken if he believed she was prey.
The romance is slow to build but smooth, sweet, and realistic. Lara needs to appear as a demure, fragile, and non-threatening young woman, but she is deadly. Arren wants nothing to do with her since he suspects that she might be there to spy on him and just doesn't want a wife right now, but the sexual tension between them is there from the start. There are some steamy moments and they are just swoon-worthy together. I like that despite their physical attraction to each other, Lara remained focused on her mission until she was forced to admit that her father had lied to her. The same goes for Aren, even though he thought Lara to be a fragile but gorgeous flower, he still managed to keep her at arm’s length because he knew that trusting her without undeniable proof of her loyalty would be stupid.
She wanted to stay, to fight and sweat and bleed for him and his harsh, wild, and beautiful kingdom.
The political plot to ruin Ithicana and give Maridrina control over the bridge is a big part of the story and I really liked to see how Lara was struggling because she didn't know who to help and who to trust. She was not easily swayed just because the king is young and gorgeous instead of being an old cruel man, but she quickly realized that Aren was kind and selfless when it came to his kingdom. He is far from the demon-like king Lara's father described, and she found herself stuck between a rock and a hard place because she has to choose between gaining her freedom by betraying Aren or following her heart and her conscience by remaining with him, but knowing that her father would find her and kill her sooner or later if she failed her mission.
As she learns the harsh truth about her father, and as she sees that the people of Ithicana are constantly fighting to survive, Lara has a tough choice to make. She needs to decide if she will fight for Maridrina or Ithicana, because helping Maridrina will come at the cost of Ithicana’s destruction, and much to Lara’s surprise, she has come to love this harsh land and its brave and loyal people.
"Everything you’ve said, everything you’ve done, everything between us has been a damned lie."
The pace is perfect and engaging, but also slow enough to leave room for relationship-building and character growth, and the plot is well-developed, full of action, and keeps us at the edge of our seats. We are thrown into the action from chapter one, and it just never stops being engaging and compelling. The spying part is full of stressful moments, the action scenes are well done, and the romance is a slow-burn enemies to lovers. I truly loved everything about this book.
I definitely recommend this book if you like strong main characters, steamy hate-to-love romance, politics, and spying games, with a lot of life-or-death situations and a few twists. Also, the way the book ends promises a lot of angst for the second book, I cannot wait to read it!
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June 18, 2022
"She would fight for him.
She would bleed for him.
She would die for him."
My mind is blown. I seriously did not expect it to be THIS good. You all were not lying. The last few chapters and the cliffhanger were so brutal. I was literally reading it with tears in my eyes😭😭 I'm going to need Danielle Jensen pay for my therapy....
The plot is amazing. It doesn't have any supernatural beings but it's so damn interesting, it's hard not to get lost in this fantasy world. The world building is done beautifully and it's easy to keep track of. The characters are total badass. I did not see certain plot twists coming and that kept the element of surprise, which I seriously enjoyed.
Aren and Lara are so easy to love. Both of them as individuals are full of personality and independency. They don't need to rely on each other to win their battles. As a couple? They're unbeatable. The way Aren was smitten by her since the beginning was so sweet to see and the way Lara opened up to him was just chef's kiss 🤌 I liked how the both of them will do anything to protect the other.
The supporting characters are equally good.
As you can tell by now, I'm completely in love with this book and everything about it. So, of course I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it. You guys, don't hesitate to pick this one up. I can't wait to start with The Traitor Queen 😩
Thanks to my girl, @Leonie for making me read this.... Again with the good recs lol🙈♥️
She would bleed for him.
She would die for him."
My mind is blown. I seriously did not expect it to be THIS good. You all were not lying. The last few chapters and the cliffhanger were so brutal. I was literally reading it with tears in my eyes😭😭 I'm going to need Danielle Jensen pay for my therapy....
The plot is amazing. It doesn't have any supernatural beings but it's so damn interesting, it's hard not to get lost in this fantasy world. The world building is done beautifully and it's easy to keep track of. The characters are total badass. I did not see certain plot twists coming and that kept the element of surprise, which I seriously enjoyed.
Aren and Lara are so easy to love. Both of them as individuals are full of personality and independency. They don't need to rely on each other to win their battles. As a couple? They're unbeatable. The way Aren was smitten by her since the beginning was so sweet to see and the way Lara opened up to him was just chef's kiss 🤌 I liked how the both of them will do anything to protect the other.
The supporting characters are equally good.
As you can tell by now, I'm completely in love with this book and everything about it. So, of course I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it. You guys, don't hesitate to pick this one up. I can't wait to start with The Traitor Queen 😩
Thanks to my girl, @Leonie for making me read this.... Again with the good recs lol🙈♥️
November 24, 2024
A young princess is married off to a neighboring king and proceeds to drug absolutely everybody she meets. Her new husband is sort of the human version of a resigned, duty-bound sigh, but he’s a very important man (he has a bridge). She has this whole plan to take down his kingdom from the inside so she can save her people but he’s like, really hot and nice and probably has a facial scar that makes him look dashing (I might have made that part up) so really what choice does she have? The supporting cast is primarily a series of little islands that feature a lot of snakes. This is marketed as a fantasy, despite not having any typical fantasy elements like magic, fae, or mythical creatures, but maybe that’s an easier sell to the masses than “book about the geopolitical consequences of government-driven artificial scarcity propaganda and realistic examination of marriage as a form of allegiance between formally warring factions”, I don’t know. Also there are sharks!
April 28, 2021
“Even if I'm a goddamned fool for it, there will never be anyone but you.”
Hello, you, yes, you, who is reading this and looking for a good fantasy book, romance, action, with forced marriage and enemies to lovers, with a giant cat, a world divided by a bridge, islands with snakes, jungles, a grandmother obsessed with people's teeth, killer princesses and a handsome and sweet king.
Look no further. The Bridge Kingdom is that, and more. My old and wicked heart fell in love with this book. It is perfect and has a little bit of everything.
I must admit I had a hard time finishing this book because I was always busy with college hanging over me, and ended up procrastinating. But yesterday I read more than half of the book to completion, and I am satisfied with my decision to read it just yesterday.
There are spoilers, I guess, so, watch out, y'all.
Lara and her sisters were raised to be spies and assassins, they have been trained to defend themselves, and to kill the king of Ithicana, whom one of them will marry, spy on, and send the king of Madririna information to attack Ithicana, who owns the Bridge. Lara poisons her sisters, although it is more a sedative so that none of them is condemned and dies: she sacrifices herself for them.
Lara marries the king of Ithicana, Aren. She has lived being fed by a hatred directed towards him, and later she realizes that it is an unjustified hatred and full of lies. Something totally false. At first, Lara despises Aren and tries to find Ithicana's secrets to send to her father, the king of Madririna.
They end up falling in love. Aren realizes that Lara is a spy, and proves to her that the king of Madririna has been lying to his daughter all this time, that he filled her head with lies and false promises just to get the Bridge.
The most predictable thing about the book is known from the beginning, and it's not a bad thing: we know it's all going to go to shit at any moment. My anxiety wouldn't let me live because every now and then I kept telling myself, "this is going to go to hell very soon." And I was expecting it, in many action-packed and intense scenes.
Plot.
From the moment you read the synopsis, you know it's going to be good; it grabs you. The pace is quite addictive, so much so, that you don't even feel the chapters; you just want to keep reading. There are many plot twists that I didn't see coming, and several minor ones that I did, but they weren't that relevant tbh.
Writing.
Oh gods, the writing is perfect; it's not complicated and it doesn't try to describe difficult things either. Even the smut scenes were divine and well told; SJM and JLA, this goes for you. There was nothing forced about the tension between Aren and Lara, and I just wanted to scream at them to kiss already, because even I couldn't handle the tension between those two, which was fantastic and quite entertaining.
Worldbuilding.
The book doesn't come with a map, so it was a little bit hard for me to get my bearings at first, and in the review by the amazing Marta, there is a nice map that helps you understand the kingdoms and their locations. It's amazing - they're islands! Most fantasy books portray run-of-the-mill kingdoms with snowfall and such, Ithicana has storms and an aggressive sea that keeps its enemies at bay.
Characters.
Perfect. From head to toe.
Lara is tough, but she has a big heart. She changes her mind when the truth is presented to her, and is willing to defend her people, both Madririna and Ithicana, and help them. I wanted to yell at her on many occasions, to make her realize that she was in love with Aren, even if she didn't want to accept it. She is not the typical arrogant girl who only talks and doesn't show her strength; Lara shows that she is strong, that she cares and much more.
Aren is a cinnamon roll. Don't touch my baby. I love him too much. He cares too much for his people and does not like them to go to war, to die under his watch and reign. He doesn't want a war, but soon gets caught up in one. He is not the typical love interest who is arrogant and unhinged. He is perfect. He's sweet, kind, funny, brave, strong, and even a little clumsy, but his honesty and position make up for it all.
Even the side characters are cool, funny and adorable. Jor, you're my hero. Nana, I love you so much. Taryn, you fucking deserved better. Ahna, my queen. Marylyn, you deserved that, bitch. Nobody touches my baby Aren.
Romance.
*chef kiss*
There's no way to explain how I felt romance in this book, but this gif:
I was literally freaking out, screaming and crying when Aren said "I love you" to Lara, bECAUSE IT'S MEANT TO BE. IT'S TRUE LOVE. THIS TRUE LOVE. It's so sweet, a slowburn and natural, without being forced; the freaking tension is real.
Overall.
This goes straight to my "marry you with paper rings" shelf. It's a 5 stars rate and a "I will love you 'til I die". I can't express how much I loved this book, how got me screaming and jumping on my chair everytime a plot twist appeared, or there was a romantic or action scene.
Yup, I'm still freaking out over that ending.
And yes, I will read the second one, The Traitor Queen waiting to see my cinnamon roll filled with love, Aren.
yOU MUST READ THIS BOOK, NOW.
thanks for coming to my ted talk.
February 21, 2025
⤷2.5! Sadly kind of a big disappointment 😭 The enemies/hidden identities plot is usually fun, but it wasn't very well done in this case... He's already weary that she's a spy but still somehow gave away his trust :') Lara's motives to follow her father was also a bit ridiculous I fear!! They had lots of 'romance building' moments but not a lot of it was good imo... Minor complaint that there's awkward/unfitting lingo in between that kinda made me cringe. Some parts about the bridge was less political intrigue and more on the boring side. Still someeee entertainment mostly through stress and a good plot twist at the end!!!
September 3, 2025
Wow, this had a wild start all the way to the end.
I have many thoughts on this book....
Officially making plans to read Danielle Jensen's backlog of books
Read My Honest Book Review on My Blog:
The Bridge Kingdom
There was one point in this story that 90% of me was thinking to myself "This is a little too happy." Then WHAM crap hits the fan and Danielle pulls the rug from underneath you and gives you a solid ending.
This was a cool story. The FMC is really tough as nuts and is a BA in this. Not just all bark and no bite. Our FMC Lara can fight without hesitation. I wish I saw more of her assassin abilities in this one but there is a good chance I will see it in the next book for reasons that I won't say.
The story did drag a bit in between 60-80%. Lara was getting comfortable with her new world and with her new husband. But it got a little mundane and I almost wasn't enjoying it for a bit there.
I cannot wait to read the next one because this one slightly left me hanging.
Connect With Me:
BLOG ⟫ INSTAGRAM ⟫ NEWSLETTER ⟫
I have many thoughts on this book....
Officially making plans to read Danielle Jensen's backlog of books
Read My Honest Book Review on My Blog:
The Bridge Kingdom
There was one point in this story that 90% of me was thinking to myself "This is a little too happy." Then WHAM crap hits the fan and Danielle pulls the rug from underneath you and gives you a solid ending.
This was a cool story. The FMC is really tough as nuts and is a BA in this. Not just all bark and no bite. Our FMC Lara can fight without hesitation. I wish I saw more of her assassin abilities in this one but there is a good chance I will see it in the next book for reasons that I won't say.
The story did drag a bit in between 60-80%. Lara was getting comfortable with her new world and with her new husband. But it got a little mundane and I almost wasn't enjoying it for a bit there.
I cannot wait to read the next one because this one slightly left me hanging.
Connect With Me:
BLOG ⟫ INSTAGRAM ⟫ NEWSLETTER ⟫
February 17, 2021
At the moment, trying to take some rest...
This book ACTUALLY caused me a headache SMH
When the luuurve interest kept saying he luuuuurves the MC
Mrin was like
Also, the authors should know that making the girl an "assassin" DOESNOT make her strong.
This MC was a wonderful example of it
We're told she's "badass" and "strong" but she's not even going to stand up for her own people or herself.
She's also getting "betraying body syndrome"!!
This means that as soon as her hubby touches her..she luuurves him so much that she can not form a sentence. TSTL heroine
And Aren.....Ughhhhh!!!!!
You might know how much I hate the Patriarchate.
This man is all that's wrong with Patriarchy IMO
He THREATENS his sister that he's going to marry her if she crosses him
Can not go into a lot of detail, because it could spoil things
But the starting point is just how much men have control over women.
(Yeah...this book had to objectify women as well *sigh*Why shame women when they just wanna look good ???!
Gonna check my lipstick collection rn)
I can't believe this author wrote one of my all-time fav YA trilogy!!!
Read that triolgy instead of this mess
Update 3
HEY GUYS!! Welcome to a episode of ITS 2020 BUT AUTHORS STILL THINK ITS 1860's EPISODE
This book is getting ONE STAR from me. Haven't completed the book yet(More abt this later)
There's an incoming rant about the douchebag manwhore luuuurve interest
If you consider knowing abt the double standards and how characterless the luurve interest is as "spoilers"...you may not want to read this
Please note: MEMER MRIN I OUT AND MANIAC MRIN IS IN
Here's something you want to see first tho:
Its ok if you have a diff standard for loyalty...I am NOT trying to impose mine of anyone
Now let's begin...
Here's a scenario...
You are MARRIED to a dude
He wants to spite you
So what he does is brings you into forced proximity with his former lover
He NEVER mentions that he is married to you to the said former lover
He rubs it in your face
THEN the former lover sits on his KNEE
He does NOTHING to remove her
DOES NOT stop her advance
Luckily his mentor figure feels bad for you and tells the former lover that your good for nothing husband is actually married
Your husband GLARES at his mentor for spoiling the mood
Now, will you EVER trust this person??!
Is he worthy of being a husband??!
Maybe I am overreacting BUT for me personally, actions speak louder than words
A man's character is determined on many things
And I PERSONALLY prefer HONORABLE men
Not only did this Luurve interest insult our main character ..he insulted his former lover as well
And I honestly loved the former lover the most
She was genuinely a good person
As soon as she realized he was married she backed off
Can't say the same about our main character tho
Cause apparently slut-shaming is still a thing
It's subtle but she does slut-shame his former lover SMH
Girl hate??! Seriously??!!
What did the author expect?? Just because he did not sleep with his former lover he is some kind of saint??!!!!
HE IS FREAKING MARRIED!!! He is NOT doing anyone a FAVOR by not sleeping around
That's expected when he got married!!!
Idk why a MAN is applauded for staying loyal when it is expected of women to do the same??!
You know what?? There's more rant coming..I just need to calm down
Cause this particuallr scene triggered me
Will be back asap!
Update 2
You know a book is Good.... Good(NO TYPO) when you can't stop reading it even to update your progress
Update 1
Buddy read with Feyre Darling
This book ACTUALLY caused me a headache SMH
When the luuurve interest kept saying he luuuuurves the MC
Mrin was like
Also, the authors should know that making the girl an "assassin" DOESNOT make her strong.
This MC was a wonderful example of it
We're told she's "badass" and "strong" but she's not even going to stand up for her own people or herself.
She's also getting "betraying body syndrome"!!
This means that as soon as her hubby touches her..she luuurves him so much that she can not form a sentence. TSTL heroine
And Aren.....Ughhhhh!!!!!
You might know how much I hate the Patriarchate.
This man is all that's wrong with Patriarchy IMO
He THREATENS his sister that he's going to marry her if she crosses him
Can not go into a lot of detail, because it could spoil things
But the starting point is just how much men have control over women.
(Yeah...this book had to objectify women as well *sigh*Why shame women when they just wanna look good ???!
Gonna check my lipstick collection rn)
I can't believe this author wrote one of my all-time fav YA trilogy!!!
Read that triolgy instead of this mess
Update 3
HEY GUYS!! Welcome to a episode of ITS 2020 BUT AUTHORS STILL THINK ITS 1860's EPISODE
This book is getting ONE STAR from me. Haven't completed the book yet(More abt this later)
There's an incoming rant about the douchebag manwhore luuuurve interest
If you consider knowing abt the double standards and how characterless the luurve interest is as "spoilers"...you may not want to read this
Please note: MEMER MRIN I OUT AND MANIAC MRIN IS IN
Here's something you want to see first tho:
Its ok if you have a diff standard for loyalty...I am NOT trying to impose mine of anyone
Now let's begin...
Here's a scenario...
You are MARRIED to a dude
He wants to spite you
So what he does is brings you into forced proximity with his former lover
He NEVER mentions that he is married to you to the said former lover
He rubs it in your face
THEN the former lover sits on his KNEE
He does NOTHING to remove her
DOES NOT stop her advance
Luckily his mentor figure feels bad for you and tells the former lover that your good for nothing husband is actually married
Your husband GLARES at his mentor for spoiling the mood
Now, will you EVER trust this person??!
Is he worthy of being a husband??!
Maybe I am overreacting BUT for me personally, actions speak louder than words
A man's character is determined on many things
And I PERSONALLY prefer HONORABLE men
Not only did this Luurve interest insult our main character ..he insulted his former lover as well
And I honestly loved the former lover the most
She was genuinely a good person
As soon as she realized he was married she backed off
Can't say the same about our main character tho
Cause apparently slut-shaming is still a thing
It's subtle but she does slut-shame his former lover SMH
Girl hate??! Seriously??!!
What did the author expect?? Just because he did not sleep with his former lover he is some kind of saint??!!!!
HE IS FREAKING MARRIED!!! He is NOT doing anyone a FAVOR by not sleeping around
That's expected when he got married!!!
Idk why a MAN is applauded for staying loyal when it is expected of women to do the same??!
You know what?? There's more rant coming..I just need to calm down
Cause this particuallr scene triggered me
Will be back asap!
Update 2
You know a book is Good.... Good(NO TYPO) when you can't stop reading it even to update your progress
Update 1
Buddy read with Feyre Darling
March 7, 2022
I'm sorry I just have to get this off my chest so this won't be a pretty review. Please look away if you loved this book or planning to read it in the future.
SPOILERS AHEAD
*
*
*
There were so many times where I just wanted to throw in the towel and be done with it. The plot was so predictable I think everyone will know exactly where the story is going. It’s basically waiting for the proverbial shit to hit the fan, waiting for doomsday to come.
For reference, Lara has been trained all her life to become a spy and assassin, all for the purpose of getting married to the enemy kingdom and eventually destroying it, so that her people can invade the kingdom and make it their own because they're getting the bad side of the deal and are starving.
***
I absolutely hated this feeling of dread. Why would I want to read about a heroine who’s planning and preparing for the big catastrophe when all she had to do to prevent things from going to shit is by doing a little bit of investigation/digging herself? It was painfully obvious who the bad guy was in here. Lara did not once think for herself. She only did so when she was forced to do so.
She hated her father, she hated the Master of Intrigue, she knew exactly how evil they were but she never once thought of questioning anything they told her. There were so many times where she realized that the information she got about the H’s people was wrong, she once even questioned who was deceiving her but did she do anything to find out? Oh noo, our miss badass just kinda dismissed it and continued with the plan that was set out for her, like a puppet on a string. At the first sign of doubt, she should have done something and it was so frustrating to read about how blindly she followed her task.
How could I cheer her on when she did all that at the expense of innocent people? I don’t care that she did it for her people and that she didn’t know and got fed false information all her life. She should have been smarter than this.
There was nothing badass about her imo. I expected some great scenes but somehow all she did was drug people and idk find entrances to the bridge or something. There was that scene where she risked her own life to rescue the wounded on the battlefield or another one where she killed a few bad guys but I just couldn't acknowledge any good she did because she was willing to sacrifice everyone anyway. For me, it was like "Why bother?" It’s either this or that, why save them when she just wanted to set them out for more pain when her people would invade the kingdom?
This wishy-washy thing got on my nerves and it went on for way too long. Either be ruthless or not. I honestly did not like her at all. Even though she got to know so many people, she was not willing to budge from her view, and I still don’t get why she never thought of finding a solution for both of their kingdoms instead of saving one and dooming the other.
Then there’s the thing that absolutely everything seemed so very easy to accomplish for her. All the information basically fell into her lap and all she had to do was to prepare for the big invasion. Which brings me to my next point.
***
The awfully trusting and kind hero who automatically dismissed every warning there is and could only see the weak heroine with the amazing face and body. For once I wanted the typical ruthless king but this king here foolishly played into her hands and served her everything on a platter right from the get-go.
I also do not understand how he could forgive her so easily after he found out that she was a spy. What was up with that? He was way too nice for my taste.
"It’s in the past now."
Oh, so that she wanted to sacrifice all your people (and yourself) for the sake of her own, even though she saw first hand how hard you had to fight for them is okay? She lied to you and deceived you, but that’s fine right, because she made the right decision in the end and came clean, huh?
At least he banished her the second time around.
***
↳ All in all, there was too much doom and gloom for me to enjoy the story. I hated this book but obviously, I'm in the minority here. I don't want to dissuade anyone from reading it mainly because so many people loved it, so chances are high that you will too.
Suffice for me to say though, I won’t be reading book 2.
SPOILERS AHEAD
*
*
*
There were so many times where I just wanted to throw in the towel and be done with it. The plot was so predictable I think everyone will know exactly where the story is going. It’s basically waiting for the proverbial shit to hit the fan, waiting for doomsday to come.
For reference, Lara has been trained all her life to become a spy and assassin, all for the purpose of getting married to the enemy kingdom and eventually destroying it, so that her people can invade the kingdom and make it their own because they're getting the bad side of the deal and are starving.
***
I absolutely hated this feeling of dread. Why would I want to read about a heroine who’s planning and preparing for the big catastrophe when all she had to do to prevent things from going to shit is by doing a little bit of investigation/digging herself? It was painfully obvious who the bad guy was in here. Lara did not once think for herself. She only did so when she was forced to do so.
She hated her father, she hated the Master of Intrigue, she knew exactly how evil they were but she never once thought of questioning anything they told her. There were so many times where she realized that the information she got about the H’s people was wrong, she once even questioned who was deceiving her but did she do anything to find out? Oh noo, our miss badass just kinda dismissed it and continued with the plan that was set out for her, like a puppet on a string. At the first sign of doubt, she should have done something and it was so frustrating to read about how blindly she followed her task.
How could I cheer her on when she did all that at the expense of innocent people? I don’t care that she did it for her people and that she didn’t know and got fed false information all her life. She should have been smarter than this.
There was nothing badass about her imo. I expected some great scenes but somehow all she did was drug people and idk find entrances to the bridge or something. There was that scene where she risked her own life to rescue the wounded on the battlefield or another one where she killed a few bad guys but I just couldn't acknowledge any good she did because she was willing to sacrifice everyone anyway. For me, it was like "Why bother?" It’s either this or that, why save them when she just wanted to set them out for more pain when her people would invade the kingdom?
This wishy-washy thing got on my nerves and it went on for way too long. Either be ruthless or not. I honestly did not like her at all. Even though she got to know so many people, she was not willing to budge from her view, and I still don’t get why she never thought of finding a solution for both of their kingdoms instead of saving one and dooming the other.
Then there’s the thing that absolutely everything seemed so very easy to accomplish for her. All the information basically fell into her lap and all she had to do was to prepare for the big invasion. Which brings me to my next point.
***
The awfully trusting and kind hero who automatically dismissed every warning there is and could only see the weak heroine with the amazing face and body. For once I wanted the typical ruthless king but this king here foolishly played into her hands and served her everything on a platter right from the get-go.
I also do not understand how he could forgive her so easily after he found out that she was a spy. What was up with that? He was way too nice for my taste.
"It’s in the past now."
Oh, so that she wanted to sacrifice all your people (and yourself) for the sake of her own, even though she saw first hand how hard you had to fight for them is okay? She lied to you and deceived you, but that’s fine right, because she made the right decision in the end and came clean, huh?
At least he banished her the second time around.
***
↳ All in all, there was too much doom and gloom for me to enjoy the story. I hated this book but obviously, I'm in the minority here. I don't want to dissuade anyone from reading it mainly because so many people loved it, so chances are high that you will too.
Suffice for me to say though, I won’t be reading book 2.
February 15, 2021
4.25 Stars
What if you fell in love with the one person you’d sworn to destroy?
The plot isn’t anything new, but oh wow this book feels fresh and . . . particular. Sometimes you find beauty and comfort in stories that are already familiar to you.
Brief storyline: A princess trained spy/assassin is tasked with infiltrating the enemy’s kingdom byseducingmarrying its King under the guise of a peace alliance.
This was so good. Why isn’t it getting more hype?!?!? Or maybe it already has, and I just didn’t notice until now. In any case, read this plzzzz, especially if you’re a fan of:
✓ marriage of convenience
✓ enemies to lovers SLOW BURN romance with betrayals that cut deep
✓ ocean full of snakes and sharks and jungle/island setting
✓ action packed plot, heavy with political intrigue and intricate espionage
✓ badass and ruthless heroines like Aelin Galathynius ( Throne of Glass ), Jude Duarte ( The Cruel Prince ) and Alessandra ( The Shadows Between Us )
✓ droolworthy and formidable heroes who aren’t easily fooled . . . or are they??
✓ snarky grandmas as well as sassy, witty, and lovely side characters
Also, look at these!!! The artworks for this series are seriously GORGEOUS.
King Aren (25)
©.
“It’s yours,” he murmured into her ear. “Ithicana. Everything that I have is yours. To protect. To make better.”
“I will,” she whispered. “I promise.”
Queen Lara (20)
©.
“I will be the next Queen of Ithicana. And I will bring the Bridge Kingdom to its knees.”
King Aren ♡ Queen Lara
©.
“I love you,” he said, his lips grazing against hers. “And I will love you, no matter what the future brings. No matter how hard I need to fight. I will always love you.”
Not only does it have all of my favorite ingredients in a fantasy, it’s also considerably well paced. It doesn’t exactly end in a cliffhanger, but the story isn’t finished. So you’ll have to be on the lookout for the next book.
This is a NA/Adult Romantic Fantasy (note: not the other way around). If the YA category doesn’t do it anymore for you the way it no longer appeals to me as much as it used to, make sure to check this out.
(Read as an Audiobook)
Books with similar tropes/vibes:
↠ From Blood and Ash
↠ Radiance
October 29, 2025
3.5* rounded up
Audiobook narrated by Lauren Fortgang and James Patrick Cronin
I have 50 unfinished series. So what, the number is always n-1, n being the actual number of series that I need to read. So, here I am finishing the 1st volume from yet another Romantasy series. It seems like I am enjoying them a little bit too much these days.
The Bridge Kingdom has the enemy to lovers trope. Lara has prepared all her life to become the future bride of King Aren of The Bridge Kingdom. Also, she was trained hundreds of ways to kill him and to destroy his realm. When she finally becomes his bride, she realises that the king might not be really the monster Lara’s father made her believe to be. Obviously, feelings become to change, blah blah
There is nothing extraordinary or new about this series. However, the writing is decent, characters are interesting enough and I plan to read the next one as well, see where it takes me.
Audiobook narrated by Lauren Fortgang and James Patrick Cronin
I have 50 unfinished series. So what, the number is always n-1, n being the actual number of series that I need to read. So, here I am finishing the 1st volume from yet another Romantasy series. It seems like I am enjoying them a little bit too much these days.
The Bridge Kingdom has the enemy to lovers trope. Lara has prepared all her life to become the future bride of King Aren of The Bridge Kingdom. Also, she was trained hundreds of ways to kill him and to destroy his realm. When she finally becomes his bride, she realises that the king might not be really the monster Lara’s father made her believe to be. Obviously, feelings become to change, blah blah
There is nothing extraordinary or new about this series. However, the writing is decent, characters are interesting enough and I plan to read the next one as well, see where it takes me.
August 20, 2019
2.5 stars?
OK, I was really looking forward to this book.
I have mixed feelings.
I thought Lara was going to be this really strong female character who's methodical and mysterious and didn't do anything without thought...but this wasn't the case. I find it hard to like someone - anyone- who doesn't question everything. Knowing the type of person her father was and knowing how little he cares about his OWN DAUGHTERS, I just didn't understand how she just took his word for everything. If it was me, I would be watching and learning and making sure I got ALL the facts BEFORE setting people up to be slaughtered.
I get that how she grew up made it difficult for her to accept Aren was actually a good person, but on the other hand, it should have given her an idea as to what was going on.
Even after she confessed and decided she was on Aren's side, she still wasn't truthful. And I absolutely despised that. I can't stand dishonesty and that was the point I decided I hated her character. I know it was needed for the storyline but I just couldn't get pass it.
I liked Aren, but I thought he was too trusting, he didn't question enough either and ultimately, that was his downfall.
TBH this book made my blood boil. I loved the setting of it with the whole island thing but I did think there needed to be more world building... I would have loved to learn more about the different places in the "realm".
All in all I found Lara really unlikable and dumb as rocks and Aren too soft and dumb as rocks.
Sorrynotsorry
OK, I was really looking forward to this book.
I have mixed feelings.
I thought Lara was going to be this really strong female character who's methodical and mysterious and didn't do anything without thought...but this wasn't the case. I find it hard to like someone - anyone- who doesn't question everything. Knowing the type of person her father was and knowing how little he cares about his OWN DAUGHTERS, I just didn't understand how she just took his word for everything. If it was me, I would be watching and learning and making sure I got ALL the facts BEFORE setting people up to be slaughtered.
I get that how she grew up made it difficult for her to accept Aren was actually a good person, but on the other hand, it should have given her an idea as to what was going on.
Even after she confessed and decided she was on Aren's side, she still wasn't truthful. And I absolutely despised that. I can't stand dishonesty and that was the point I decided I hated her character. I know it was needed for the storyline but I just couldn't get pass it.
I liked Aren, but I thought he was too trusting, he didn't question enough either and ultimately, that was his downfall.
TBH this book made my blood boil. I loved the setting of it with the whole island thing but I did think there needed to be more world building... I would have loved to learn more about the different places in the "realm".
All in all I found Lara really unlikable and dumb as rocks and Aren too soft and dumb as rocks.
Sorrynotsorry
September 3, 2022
“I love you. And I will love you, no matter what the future brings. No matter how hard I need to fight. I will always love you.”
4.7 stars!
This book was SO good!! This book is an intriguing fantasy romance about political power, betrayals, love, and the price of power. Lara is a princess who was trained to be a spy is sent to be the bride of the King of Ithicana and penetrate the Bridge Kingdom to save her people. But she soon realizes that Aren, the King of Ithicana is not evil, he only wants to protect his people. Lara discovers she is attracted to Aren and can't ignore her feelings. Will she save her people or will she destroy the king?
This book is told from Lara and Aren's perspective. It took me a little while to get into this book but once I did I was completely immersed in the intriguing world. The world building was amazing, the author put a lot of detail into how the world and lands are structured. The characters were very intriguing and complex. I'm in love with Aren, he is charming, very handsome, brave, selfless and will do anything to protect his people. I love Lara, she is fierce, badass, brave, strong and resilient. I loved seeing a softer side of Lara. I loved how relatable Lara, she makes mistakes and has to figure out how to resolve them. I really liked the side characters especially Eli, Taryn, and Ahnna. The chemistry and sexual tension between Aren and Lara was amazing. The enemies-to-lovers romance was so well done! I love the author's writing, it is very descriptive and it draws you in. The character development was excellent, I loved seeing the main characters grow and learn more about each other. The ending was so shocking and heart wrenching. I can't wait to read the next book! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy romance, excellent world building and enemies to lovers romance.
4.7 stars!
This book was SO good!! This book is an intriguing fantasy romance about political power, betrayals, love, and the price of power. Lara is a princess who was trained to be a spy is sent to be the bride of the King of Ithicana and penetrate the Bridge Kingdom to save her people. But she soon realizes that Aren, the King of Ithicana is not evil, he only wants to protect his people. Lara discovers she is attracted to Aren and can't ignore her feelings. Will she save her people or will she destroy the king?
This book is told from Lara and Aren's perspective. It took me a little while to get into this book but once I did I was completely immersed in the intriguing world. The world building was amazing, the author put a lot of detail into how the world and lands are structured. The characters were very intriguing and complex. I'm in love with Aren, he is charming, very handsome, brave, selfless and will do anything to protect his people. I love Lara, she is fierce, badass, brave, strong and resilient. I loved seeing a softer side of Lara. I loved how relatable Lara, she makes mistakes and has to figure out how to resolve them. I really liked the side characters especially Eli, Taryn, and Ahnna. The chemistry and sexual tension between Aren and Lara was amazing. The enemies-to-lovers romance was so well done! I love the author's writing, it is very descriptive and it draws you in. The character development was excellent, I loved seeing the main characters grow and learn more about each other. The ending was so shocking and heart wrenching. I can't wait to read the next book! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy romance, excellent world building and enemies to lovers romance.
May 2, 2021
4.5 Stars
I really loved this book! I loved the premise of how Lara had literally trained her whole life to be a spy and take Aren down after they were married. They fell in love so slowly, but so deeply, and I was obsessed with the relationship. I must say, though, that this is a SLOW BURN romance and that had me absolutely dying. I wish we had a bit more pay off throughout their romance instead of just at the end of the book. Also, there was a HUGE miscommunication in here that I knew was going to be used as a finally conflict at the end, which I wasn't a big fan of. But I really loved this world and watching Aren and Lara fall for each other! I also really loved the side characters and cannot wait to pick up the second book!
I really loved this book! I loved the premise of how Lara had literally trained her whole life to be a spy and take Aren down after they were married. They fell in love so slowly, but so deeply, and I was obsessed with the relationship. I must say, though, that this is a SLOW BURN romance and that had me absolutely dying. I wish we had a bit more pay off throughout their romance instead of just at the end of the book. Also, there was a HUGE miscommunication in here that I knew was going to be used as a finally conflict at the end, which I wasn't a big fan of. But I really loved this world and watching Aren and Lara fall for each other! I also really loved the side characters and cannot wait to pick up the second book!
January 25, 2025
consider me !shocked! we aren’t all talking about this series all the time? THE YEARNINGG????? will be reading this series for the foreseeable future yess❤️🩹🗡️ 4.5!!!
October 15, 2020
⭐4 - 4.5 stars ⭐
This book royally screwed with my emotions!
I loved the first part of this book. 20 year old Lara has spent her last 15 years locked away in the desert where she's been trained for one purpose; marry the king, infiltrate his kingdom and bring it to its knees.
The Bridge Kingdom represents both legendary evil - and legendary promise. The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom controls all trade and travel between lands, allowing its ruler to enrich himself and deprive his enemies, including Lara's homeland. So when she is sent as a bride under the guise of fulfilling a treaty of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture the defences of the impenetrable Bridge Kingdom. Her goal nearly within reach, Lara will have to decide her own fate: Will she be the destroyer of a king or the saviour of her people?
I really enjoyed the world Danielle L. Jensen created, and I hope she will continue to develop the other kingdoms in her upcoming books. This book was so intriguing, entertaining and I hit preorder for the next book immediately after finishing this one. There were some parts that felt dragged out, and considering the characters are humans, they will make human mistakes, I just wish it was executed a bit more creatively and not so straight forward (which is why I didn't give it 5 stars)...
This book royally screwed with my emotions!
For fifteen years, she’d been trained how to infiltrate an impenetrable kingdom.
How to discover weaknesses and exploit them.
How to destroy her enemies.
How to be merciless.
She’d been born for this.
I loved the first part of this book. 20 year old Lara has spent her last 15 years locked away in the desert where she's been trained for one purpose; marry the king, infiltrate his kingdom and bring it to its knees.
The Bridge Kingdom represents both legendary evil - and legendary promise. The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom controls all trade and travel between lands, allowing its ruler to enrich himself and deprive his enemies, including Lara's homeland. So when she is sent as a bride under the guise of fulfilling a treaty of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture the defences of the impenetrable Bridge Kingdom. Her goal nearly within reach, Lara will have to decide her own fate: Will she be the destroyer of a king or the saviour of her people?
I really enjoyed the world Danielle L. Jensen created, and I hope she will continue to develop the other kingdoms in her upcoming books. This book was so intriguing, entertaining and I hit preorder for the next book immediately after finishing this one. There were some parts that felt dragged out, and considering the characters are humans, they will make human mistakes, I just wish it was executed a bit more creatively and not so straight forward (which is why I didn't give it 5 stars)...
August 4, 2023
3.5⭐️ ok fine, I'll marry Lara
what this book has:
✔️ hate to love
✔️ strong, badass fmc
✔️ arranged marriage
✔️ good settings
✔️ a lot of fast-paced action
✔️ great politics
what this book also has:
✔️ not enough emotional build-up between mc's
✔️ not how their hate turned to love 😭
✔️ no good side characters' stories
what this book has:
✔️ hate to love
✔️ strong, badass fmc
✔️ arranged marriage
✔️ good settings
✔️ a lot of fast-paced action
✔️ great politics
what this book also has:
✔️ not enough emotional build-up between mc's
✔️ not how their hate turned to love 😭
✔️ no good side characters' stories
June 17, 2022
this just made me want to jump off of a bridge.
Read
August 14, 2019I LOVED this book. Heart-pounding romance and intense action wrapped in a spellbinding world. I was hooked from the first page!
So excited it's now available in paperback, hardcover, AND audiobook formats!!
So excited it's now available in paperback, hardcover, AND audiobook formats!!
May 22, 2022
this book is so good!! like i was enjoying the entire read but the last chapter? OMFG and LARA I LOVE HER 😭
May 7, 2022
~4.25 stars~
Someone send help lol I'm literally drowning in my obsession with this book (
"Ithicana would pay for its crimes against her people, and by the time she was through with its king, he’d do more than bend. He’d bleed."
Someone send help lol I'm literally drowning in my obsession with this book (
February 4, 2021
*whelp*
*battens-down-the-hatches*
2.5-2.75* being generous as I enjoyed the world but got so mad at the MCs and their blinkered blindness (yes I feel justified in doubling down on the inability to see clearly) and sadly even tho I enjoyed the side characters, they were not on page enough to save the read for me this time 😕
Proceed with caution in case any of the things I didn't like are spoiler'y, I do not go into specifics...but one can never know
Did we read a different book to so many others? I don't understand where we took a wrong turn, I was so excited to Group Read this 😭
I felt lulled into a different story with an enticing ending to the first chapter. I was HERE for such ruthlessness, but there was little follow through in the rest of the read & don't get me started on the puppy dog love interest...where was his backbone? I think we're supposed to swoon for his soft heart, but he was just all around soft! I can understand his desire to make the best of a situation but dude, use your upstairs brain & if your kingdom is built on secrecy - maybe be a little more discerning in how and when you share intel with the treaty bride sent by your enemy...
As for Lara 🤷♀️ I think I'm supposed to care more because of her upbringing but really the secrets, lies & lack of questioning where this info has come from despite ample evidence *sigh* just nope - no bueno
It is no secret I am not a fan of lying in storylines and I knew going in there would be a certain presence in this read, but the amount of time these went unaddressed was beyond frustrating and then when the reveals domino'd they were so obvious that it was lowkey infuriating...there was little suspense and I felt like everything was laid out for us on a platter.
As for the romance, I didn't really connect or feel much chemistry between the MCs. There was some teasing early in their interactions but so far as I could see very few of the supposed Mistress of the Bedroom seduction techniques seem to have been deployed...I've read darker, more violent and/or steamier YA books - not really sure what makes this NA? Maybe the fact cock is mentioned once I think 🤔
In saying this I did really like the setting. The set up of the Bridge Kingdom was unlike anything I could imagine. I needed the map very kindly provided by Jess as my copy didn't have one. I was struggling to picture the landmass layouts at first but as the story progressed the Bridge Kingdom itself struck me as an interesting premise...I don't want to give anything away but it is pretty imaginative eventho the wildlife is permanently out to sabotage 🤢
As an unrelated aside, I don't think I have ever read another book where there was so much 🤮
😅😂
Despite the story not quite living up to our expectations, the Buddy Read experience was 100% 5* 🤩😍🤩😍🤩😍
Thanks gals 🥰
I already own the sequel so will probably read it & hope Ahnna can save this series for me as she's kind of the only one I care about rn, alongside maybe Jor & Nana. 🤔 I will also keep an open mind and hope for the best for any and all other family appearances 🤐🤞
*******************
Pre-review
Group Read with my OG Buddy Reader extraordinaire who led me down this merry path, Kimster, the sweet summer child that I lead astray for her first BR, Fran and the two wonderful relative newcomers to my special brand of BR madness Jess & Francesca 🥰
I am not sure they quite know what they're getting themselves in for - but they've been longstanding followers of my waffle so at this point they really only have themselves to blame for not heeding the very obvious warnings 🙃😈
I haven't reread the blurb, but from the amount of GR friends who've raved & recommended this as similar to JLA's FB&A series ... I am excite 🤩
*battens-down-the-hatches*
2.5-2.75* being generous as I enjoyed the world but got so mad at the MCs and their blinkered blindness (yes I feel justified in doubling down on the inability to see clearly) and sadly even tho I enjoyed the side characters, they were not on page enough to save the read for me this time 😕
Proceed with caution in case any of the things I didn't like are spoiler'y, I do not go into specifics...but one can never know
Did we read a different book to so many others? I don't understand where we took a wrong turn, I was so excited to Group Read this 😭
I felt lulled into a different story with an enticing ending to the first chapter. I was HERE for such ruthlessness, but there was little follow through in the rest of the read & don't get me started on the puppy dog love interest...where was his backbone? I think we're supposed to swoon for his soft heart, but he was just all around soft! I can understand his desire to make the best of a situation but dude, use your upstairs brain & if your kingdom is built on secrecy - maybe be a little more discerning in how and when you share intel with the treaty bride sent by your enemy...
As for Lara 🤷♀️ I think I'm supposed to care more because of her upbringing but really the secrets, lies & lack of questioning where this info has come from despite ample evidence *sigh* just nope - no bueno
It is no secret I am not a fan of lying in storylines and I knew going in there would be a certain presence in this read, but the amount of time these went unaddressed was beyond frustrating and then when the reveals domino'd they were so obvious that it was lowkey infuriating...there was little suspense and I felt like everything was laid out for us on a platter.
As for the romance, I didn't really connect or feel much chemistry between the MCs. There was some teasing early in their interactions but so far as I could see very few of the supposed Mistress of the Bedroom seduction techniques seem to have been deployed...I've read darker, more violent and/or steamier YA books - not really sure what makes this NA? Maybe the fact cock is mentioned once I think 🤔
In saying this I did really like the setting. The set up of the Bridge Kingdom was unlike anything I could imagine. I needed the map very kindly provided by Jess as my copy didn't have one. I was struggling to picture the landmass layouts at first but as the story progressed the Bridge Kingdom itself struck me as an interesting premise...I don't want to give anything away but it is pretty imaginative eventho the wildlife is permanently out to sabotage 🤢
As an unrelated aside, I don't think I have ever read another book where there was so much 🤮
😅😂
Despite the story not quite living up to our expectations, the Buddy Read experience was 100% 5* 🤩😍🤩😍🤩😍
Thanks gals 🥰
I already own the sequel so will probably read it & hope Ahnna can save this series for me as she's kind of the only one I care about rn, alongside maybe Jor & Nana. 🤔 I will also keep an open mind and hope for the best for any and all other family appearances 🤐🤞
*******************
Pre-review
Group Read with my OG Buddy Reader extraordinaire who led me down this merry path, Kimster, the sweet summer child that I lead astray for her first BR, Fran and the two wonderful relative newcomers to my special brand of BR madness Jess & Francesca 🥰
I am not sure they quite know what they're getting themselves in for - but they've been longstanding followers of my waffle so at this point they really only have themselves to blame for not heeding the very obvious warnings 🙃😈
I haven't reread the blurb, but from the amount of GR friends who've raved & recommended this as similar to JLA's FB&A series ... I am excite 🤩
May 23, 2025
i really enjoy Danielle Jensen’s writing! this book had me on the edge of my seat, i loved Lara our FMC she was calculated, controlled, badass and at points INFURIATING (still love her though). she was taken from her mother by order of her father the king and along with her many other sisters she had been raised and trained to be a spy/assassin to take down the enemy - her husband-to-be and his kingdom.
this was a really fun and gripping plot, i did feel like i would have liked to have had a few more moments between Aren and Lara to give more depth to their relationship but i LOVED this story so much, i'm super excited to pick up the next book especially after that ending!
this was a really fun and gripping plot, i did feel like i would have liked to have had a few more moments between Aren and Lara to give more depth to their relationship but i LOVED this story so much, i'm super excited to pick up the next book especially after that ending!
June 6, 2020
I really, really,
really
wanted to love this book, but honestly.........
I'm just happy I finally finished it.😔
The beginning really got me excited for the rest of The Bridge Kingdom, but then eventually I felt like the excitement was dying down and the pacing got super slow.
I was tempted to DNF halfway, but I mean, I was almost done so I thought that I might as well finish the rest. I don't know, I just go so bored.
I liked Lara in the beginning and found her cool, but that was probably it. Aren was a pretty boring character and I just didn't like him.🤷♀️
This might be the longest it's ever taken me to finish a book.😕
I gotta admit, though, the ending really did leave my heart pounding although it was a little rushed.
P.S. ~ Sorry to all who loved this book.😅
I'm just happy I finally finished it.😔
The beginning really got me excited for the rest of The Bridge Kingdom, but then eventually I felt like the excitement was dying down and the pacing got super slow.
I was tempted to DNF halfway, but I mean, I was almost done so I thought that I might as well finish the rest. I don't know, I just go so bored.
I liked Lara in the beginning and found her cool, but that was probably it. Aren was a pretty boring character and I just didn't like him.🤷♀️
This might be the longest it's ever taken me to finish a book.😕
I gotta admit, though, the ending really did leave my heart pounding although it was a little rushed.
P.S. ~ Sorry to all who loved this book.😅
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