Format: Kindle, 448 pages
Release Date: October 16, 2018
Publisher: Del Rey/CLA
Source: Kindle
Genre: Fantasy / Romance
A warrior princess trained in isolation, Lara is driven by two certainties. The first is that King Aren of the Bridge Kingdom is her enemy. And the second is that she’ll be the one to bring him to his knees.
The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom enriches itself and deprives its rivals, including Lara's homeland. So when she’s sent as a bride under the guise of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture its impenetrable defenses. And the defenses of its king.
Yet as she infiltrates her new home and gains a deeper understanding of the war to possess the bridge, Lara begins to question whether she’s the hero or the villain. And as her feelings for Aren transform from frosty hostility to fierce passion, Lara must choose which kingdom she’ll save… and which kingdom she’ll destroy.
The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom enriches itself and deprives its rivals, including Lara's homeland. So when she’s sent as a bride under the guise of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture its impenetrable defenses. And the defenses of its king.
Yet as she infiltrates her new home and gains a deeper understanding of the war to possess the bridge, Lara begins to question whether she’s the hero or the villain. And as her feelings for Aren transform from frosty hostility to fierce passion, Lara must choose which kingdom she’ll save… and which kingdom she’ll destroy.
The Bridge Kingdom is the first installment in author Danielle L. Jensen's The Bridge Kingdom series. This first book features two entirely different characters from different parts of the world. Princess Lara Valiant of Maridriana, daughter of King Silas, was raised secretly along with her sisters to marry King Aren of Ithicana, known as the Bridge Kingdom, and destroy it. Lara, who spent 15 years training in secret along with her half-sisters, is driven by two certainties.
The first is that King Aren Kertell of the Bridge Kingdom is her enemy, even though the two countries made a bargain 15 years ago that Ithicana would receive a bride to stabilize both countries. The second is that she’ll be the one to bring him to his knees, even though the Kingdom takes pride in keeping outsiders away from how they operate. The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom is said to enrich itself and deprive its rivals, including Lara's homeland of goods and services they need to survive.
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, including his own daughters or whoever is even aware of the plans, because he needs to cover his tracks. So when she’s sent as a bride under the guise of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture its impenetrable defenses. And the defenses of its king. Whoever controls the bridge controls the commerce between the north and the south and Lara is determined to save her people from their misery.
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. Yet, as she infiltrates her new home and gains a deeper understanding of the war to possess the bridge, Lara questions whether she’s the hero or the villain. Especially when it seems that everything she was ever told about Aren is questioned almost immediately.
Aren 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. Even though Aren 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. Aren is far from the demon-like king Lara's father described, and she finds 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 things change. Especially when a rival country invades, and Lara ends up fighting for and alongside the people she's supposed to destroy. What if you fell in love with the man that you are supposed to destroy? As her feelings for Aren transform from frosty hostility to fierce passion, Lara must choose which kingdom she’ll save and which kingdom she’ll destroy. The relationship between Lara and Aren is so incredibly tense, due in part to their unfamiliarity but also due to their mistrust of each other. If you love sexual tension and steam sex scenes, you need to read this book.
*Fair warning: This book ends with a heartbreaking and stunning cliffhanger ending, which obviously leads into the next installment called The Traitor Queen. Through both perspectives, we are given insight into what they think about each other. Unlike some couples in other novels, this romance is gradual and more realistic than falling in love after having sex with one another.
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