The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle Jensen- GUSH

OH MY GOD. THIS BOOK!! For all of my lovers of From Blood and Ash, this book is right up your alley. I binge read this in about a single day, that is how good/addicting this is!

Lara has only one thought for her husband on their wedding day: I will bring your kingdom to its knees. A princess trained from childhood to be a lethal spy, Lara knows that 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 defenses of the impenetrable Bridge Kingdom.

But as she infiltrates her new home - a lush paradise surrounded by tempest seas - and comes to know her new husband, Aren, Lara begins to question where the true evil resides. Around her, she sees a kingdom fighting for survival, and in Aren, a man fiercely protective of his people. As her mission drives her to deeper understanding of the fight to possess the bridge, Lara finds the simmering attraction between her and Aren impossible to ignore. Her goal nearly within reach, Lara will have to decide her own fate: Will she be the destroyer of a king or the savior of her people?

SPOLERS

I'm telling you this story has EVERYTHING. Enemies to lovers. Marriage of convenience. Regency atmosphere. Preconceived plans of murdering the other. Political intrigue and spying. Taking care of each others injuries. Witty banter. SEXUAL TENSION. Hate to love. One bed trope. Waking up from a nightmare to the other character being there. And, may I add- all executed PERFECTLY.

Everything was so easy to understand without it feeling like info dumping. Which is sometimes really hard to do in a fantasy setting. The action sequence, the political system and intricacies, and the ROMANCE. I am still not over it I swear. This book was masterfully paced, and hit the ground running in the first chapter. My attention was held from the very beginning until the last page. Jensen did such an amazing job of knowing when to go into detail and when to sort of gloss over weeks of nothing happening- which I greatly appreciate! It focuses so much on character development, action, and story-telling.

Now, the CHARCTERS. Let me just say that I am in love with BOTH of the MC's. Lara Veliant. Princess Maridrina. Badass assassin. Intelligent, beautiful, cunning and stubborn. This woman is lethal. She is not a delicate, fragile flower. She is somewhat morally grey and just incredibly relatable and understandable. She is such a marvelous character and I love her so much. I just want to hold and protect her even though she could definitely beat MY ASS, lmaooo. She never knew what it felt like to be loved or cared for outside of her sisters, who were also all in competition with each other. Watching her slowly come to realize the gravity of which her father and the magpie had lied and manipulated her... It was hard to watch. One of my fav quotes from her, "I will be the next Queen of Ithicana. And I will bring the Bridge Kingdom to its knees."

Aren Kertell. King of Ithicana. I was in love with this man from their first interaction. He was such a genuinely good, honorable character. He never wanted to pressure Lara and was so empathetic towards her and the situation the both of them had no control over. He was sexy, smart, protective, kind, and such a great leader. And their slow burn romance...I WAS SHAKING. I CANT EVEN PUT INTO WORDS HOW I FELT. All I know is that they were MADE for each other, and equals in every sense of the word. Watching them slowly become reluctant friends, and then falling for each other so hard. When the storm hit and they finally admitted there feelings and gave into the GROWING AGONOZING sexual tension....I ASCENDED.

This is tied with FBAA as my favorite read of this year, it made me feel SO much. I was giggling at the banter between them. I was giddy with anticipation during their slow burn interactions. I was SO stressed and anxious towards the last half of the book as we see Aren send the letter with Lara's betrayal. I WAS ON EDGE THE WHOLE LAST HALF OF THE DAMN BOOK. It ends on SUCH a fucking cliffhanger- so beware. But, no fear the second book is already out!! If you like your girls deadly, your enemies sexy, your romance intense, and your plot twists mind-blowing then pick up this book!!! And thank me later ;)