The Bridge Kingdom

I completely love this book. The world-building is awesome and I loved the fact that it wasn't left behind just for the sake of the love story/steamy scenes. So it has great world-building, plot twists, enemies-to-lovers (also marry him, to take everything from him), a lot of action, and great surroundings description.I love how Lara's portrayed, her backstory, but also her character development. Lara reminded me of Aelin, in the best way possible [so don't think is a copy-paste character]. Lara is strong and I love how her brain works. She sees every possibility and always has a backup plan. She's not the villain, although some of her actions are against her new home. But she fights her brain with her heart and I'm so happy she gave herself a chance. Of course, it had to happen the "letter thing", otherwise we wouldn't have a second book :)) I think she learned her lesson here. She should've trusted Aren with the whole truth. I strongly believe that she should have told him everything the moment he told her he knew she was a spy. But I understood her fears. Also, she's still young and lived a life full of lies. So yeah, I understand her.It's DUAL POV. YEEEEES!. I love having from the first book, both perspectives.I love Aren and his devotion to his people. I love the fact that even if he's the King, he doesn't let others fight his battle. No. Aren's right there with his people, fighting the enemy, and protecting the ones he loves. Also, I love the friendship between him and his guards, it reminds me of the "inner circle". This is one of the reasons I love this book. The friendship, the trust, even if one of your battle mates is your king. This makes the difference. How a kingdom - where its king is there for his people and the friendship and respect starts from the guards, the servants, and the relationship with his people - is united and fights for one another. Unlike Silas, who's greedy and sees only what benefits him, and nothing else.Overall, I love this book and now I'm going to start the second one. Oh, and also, somebody has to punch me in the face, why I haven't bought this series sooner???!!!!???! On what planet have I lived????!! :)))

If you like slow-burn, enemies to lovers, and espionage, this is a book for you.The first 1/4 of the book is all setting the scene (world building, character introduction, etc) so like many books of this variety, it takes a bit to get really interested. The author does a nice job of hooking the reader in at the beginning diving headfirst into some action and deception.Told in alternating third person points of view between Aren and Lara, I find this narrative refreshing as many of the books I’ve read recently have been told in the first person point of view or alternating first person between the two main characters.The story is wildly predictable, but no less enjoyable. I try not to guess what’s going to happen and just read/discover things as it happens but sometimes it’s inevitable.BookTok has shown me another winner. I’m off to go find the sequel.

I hesitated more than once on reading this, but it managed to keep my attention beyond the first few chapters where others failed. It’s actually a very interesting story. I kept having the song, One Tin Soldier, play in my head as I read it.Lara is a strong female character, which I liked. There’s enough unknowns to keep me reading and guessing. I liked how the story jumped between she and Aren’s points of view for the story telling. Also enjoyed the occasional witty banter. I never miss a budding romance either.I now need to read the next book to find out what happens next.Worth the read, for sure.

This was a fantastically paced read with great world building, politics and romance. The first chapter is so intense and it doesn’t let up. Lara thinks she knows the truth and is doing what is right but she begins to see things a different way. I think this is the way that I enjoy morally gray characters - where the character is doing dishonest things but with a “greater good” mentality until they learn of the true evil. I really enjoyed Lara learning the truth and watching the development of her relationship with Aren. The author did a great job of describing the Bridge Kingdom and packed so many intense moments of action into the story. I’m definitely looking forward to getting the rest of the story in The Traitor Queen.I avoided this book for so long because my steam tolerance is pretty low and I was afraid I would have to do too much skipping to be able to enjoy it but I was surprised. It was really one scene but I did skip about the last 1/3 of chapter 33 if you’re sensitive to that content the way that I am. There is some language and general crudeness that I didn’t enjoy but it wasn’t horribly overbearing.Romantic Content: Open door with detail

A true enemies to lovers book with so much adventure!! Laura taken from a young age and raised to become the ultimate weapon for her father the King. Is married off to the Bridge Kingdom King Aren, to attempt to infiltrate and bring down his Kingdom. This novel is extremely well written I absolutely love this series and can't wait to read more of her work!!

If you loved From Ash and Blood or A Court of Thorns and Roses you will love this book! I couldn’t stop reading from start to finish.

Definitely read it within the same day. Couldn’t put down the book! At times it felt very YA but when the spice came it was great! Though some twists were obvious and typical fantasy romance book stuff I still ate it up! Definitely ready for book 2!

I put this book off because I don't like spice in my books. However, after seeing it raved about in a Facebook group, I decided to give it a try. Holy shmoly! I LOVED it. The spice was not over the top, vulgar, silly or even very explicit. It fit with the story and was well written. The book is not riddled with over the top cussing either.The characters, their emotions and motivations are well flushed out and very believable. The story flowed well and held me captive the entire time. Nothing felt too far fetched and there weren't any blatant plot holes.Bravo Danielle. Encore!

The Bridge Kingdom – Danielle L. Jensen (The Bridge Kingdom Book 1)So this series appeared on my “you read X so you might like this” billed as;“Passionate and violent, The Bridge Kingdom is a seductive fantasy perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.”Perfect you say? ACOTAR you say?Yes I am that easily swayed.I wasn’t disappointed, the storyline is built around a warrior princess of Maridrina, Lara, and her secret mission to infiltrate the enemy and destroy from within.The only route through their frequently stormy world is the Bridge Kingdom held by their “allies” Ithicana. It’s a valuable asset and is held by King Aren to whom Lara has been betrothed as a political move.This is a tale as old as time;Girl “murders” sistersGirl is forcibly betrothed to boyGirl travels with father and spymaster aide to be handed over to said boyGirl marries boyGirl secretly plans to overthrow KingdomGirl falls for boyBoy falls for girlGirl changes mind on subject of betrayalBetrayal happens regardlessBoy is taken hostage by Girl’s fatherGirl sets off to gather assassin trained sisters to spring Boy from tyrant father.Enemies to lovers, beautiful but dangerous and unhospitable islands, cranky old Witch Nana who’s sassy AF and great addictive pace that means you just can’t put it down! Oh and slow burn smutness!4 stars!

The Bridge Kingdom kept popping up on my Goodreads so I took the plunge and bought the book, and it was better than I expected.The beginning pulls you in from the start and my first thought was 'Dam, this girl is ruthless.' What I liked about Lara is that, though she is skilled in combat and strategy, she doesn't come across as a Mary Sue. She has her flaws and grows throughout the book. She is protective of those she loves and is willing to do what she believes is right. She is also a crafty survivor, also know as 'The cockroach' I couldn't help but smirk every time she was described as that.The story focuses on Lara trying to infiltrate the Bridge Kingdom. She has been brought up to believe that they are a greedy kingdom that hordes wealth and trading with them is an expensive thing, making it near impossible, leading her kingdom to suffer and live hand to mouth. As it progresses we see the turmoil that she goes through when she tries to grapple with what she sees to what she has been told.Through it all, we have Aren trying his best to be accomodating and trustworthy, unaware of Lara's ulterior motives. I liked Aren and thought he was an interesting character to read about. I like that as the novel progresses their relationship evolves. Once they both see where the other is coming from, you can't help but hold your breath, because we know what Lara has done, but can she stop what she's set in motion before it's too late? Will she be able to open up to Aren and fully confess what she has done? Will the cockroach make it!? Well read it and find out!All in all the Bridge Kingdom is an easy read, with enough intrigue to keep you hooked and the plot and story progression is well thought out, that lacks plot holes, which I am happy about. I will definitely be reading the next book, especially after that ending!

Fui burra e n vi que o livro era em inglês kkkkkkkkkk to levando o triplo de tempo para ler

"One kingdom to save. One kingdom to destroy..."*Lara has been training her whole life as a secret warrior princess with one mission: infiltrate the Bridge Kingdom and bring King Aren to his knees. As part of an old treaty, Lara is sent as a bride to Aren. She must gain his trust, learn the secrets of the bridge and relay the information back to her father, the king. But as she grows to know Aren and his people she begins to question who the real villain is. And as passion ignites between her and her husband she needs to decide which Kingdom her loyalties lie with.*"Alive isn’t living..."*I loved this book and everything about it! With dual POV I got to follow events through both Aren and Lara's eyes which I don't usually get in fantasy books like these. I felt like Lara gave off Alessandra and Jude vibes from The Shadows Between Us and The Cruel Prince as someone who is tough on the outside, skilled and willing to do what needs to be done...that is until love worms it's way in. Aren was a treat! And the love his has for his people knows no end. This book had great side characters too and it was packed full of political intrigue that kept you on your toes. Not to mention a nice steamy romance between our two main characters! This book is as good as The Cruel Prince and The Shadows Between Us but has that bit extra as it follows through on the spice! I had to jump right in to the sequel after finishing this.*"Ithicana - and its king - bent to nothing and no one. But he bent for her..."

I am absolutely enthralled with these books and the world Danielle has created.Danielle's storytelling is phenomenal, creating such a vivid world, I felt like I was there watching a movie play out. There is so much depth and layers to this book I couldn’t see what was coming. I only managed to guess one thing and that was because it was made obvious to the reader. The characters are well executed, and I have fallen in love with them all, flaws, and all. Lara is gutsy and conniving. Aren is charming and loyal. There banter is heaven! But of course, Nana is the real MVP 😉– we all need a grumpy old bat who takes no shit in our lives. She always steals the show when she’s in the room, but I did love a particular chapter with her and Lara – if you know, you know 💩 ha-ha! I loved the notion of the war tides, the islands, the people, everything! I read the first book over a few days and I brought book two before I finished, I already knew I needed to know what happened next. I’ve now devoured book two as well. 🙀If you love a slow burn romance with plenty of betrayal, angst, adventure, dramatic relationships, twists and turns, political intrigue, then this is the book for you! Go read it now, you won’t regret it.★ Minor Troupe Spoilers ★The Bridge Kingdom is the best enemies-lovers-enemies I have read! Oh yes, I did say back to enemies 👀. All my other reads with this troupe will now have to live up to these, I feel like nothing will compare. That’s saying something because I rarely compare books 😉