The Bridge Kingdom

I loved the story and I cant wait to read the next book. The story was creative and I fell in love with the characters. A little disappointed that the ending was predictable, but hoping to find more surprise in book 2. Because it was predictable, I didn’t find myself enthralled like I had hoped but I still really enjoyed the story, the writing, and the world building!

A romantic fantasy that perfectly balances world-building, high stakes, and political intrigue with swoony, slow-burn, spicy romance that's a true enemies to lovers tale. The Bridge Kingdom is up there in the pantheon of classic, essential fantasy romance reads.I loved the steamy tropical setting of this book, which was a big part of what set it apart from other fantasy romances. I also loved the lack of fae and magic, focusing instead on building up the ruthlessness, intelligence, and fighting skills of the main characters. The book is actually perfect for those wanting similar vibes and tropes seen in SJM and Jennifer L. Armentrout books. The duel-POV format makes for an excellent dynamic story that'll make you question who the real villains of this world are.

I enjoyed reading The Bridge Kingdom series over the last few weeks, and while it was a good fantasy series, it wasn’t an epic story. There were moments when I loved the storyline and characters, but truthfully, the overarching story was long and drawn out at times, so I struggled to stay focused and read very much each day. I will say that the first and final books are my two favorites because they both had unique storylines with not much overlap, if any, with the other books. On the other hand, books two and three were essentially the same story but told from the perspective of the two different couples in each book. It was nice to get more background on the machinations behind the characters' motivations, but at times, it felt stale and tedious, especially in book three while listening to it. If you enjoy slow-burn fantasy stories with decent world-building, this series is worth checking out; it’s just not an incredible one. The narrators across all four books did an excellent job with the story, and I recommend checking out the audiobooks!

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟/5Overall Feelings: I liked this book, but it wasn’t one I’d add to my pile of I would read over and over again. I will definitely read it again, but it isn’t going to be one that I automatically reach for. I also think some of this is because I’m not a fan of third person point of view.Lara: So, Lara is an interesting character. She spends fifteen years of her life locked in a palace in the desert learning to be ruthless, a killer, a spy, and the perfect wife to bring Ithicana to its knees. She ‘poisons’ her sisters to grant her the ability to see her father’s plan through. Her father is atrocious, and I feel that she gave him a little bit too much trust and grace after everything that he did. I feel like after fifteen years of training to be an assassin and a spy, she should have done a little bit better of a job. At times, she seemed a little naive, immature, and out of character for what she is written to be.Aren: I actually liked Aren. He seems like a good guy that cares about his people. His relationship with Jor is fun, and I like the interactions between him and the various soldiers. I like the way his head works, and I wish I got to see more of how he ruled Ithicana. We saw a good bit of Lara without Aren, but in his POVs there wasn’t enough done without Lara. I wanted to see more of him running through the bridge, doing his Kingly duties, and interacting with his soldiers. Low key though, he’s a little too forgiving. Like be angry! Your wife deceived you, was going to overthrow your country, and is a spy, but hey that’s okay. I love you.Side characters: I thought Jor was a good mentor for Aren. I would like to see more of him. He seemed to be a good person with looking out for Aren and the country’s best interests. I’ve seen people complain about the “crass” language of the soldiers, but that is what makes their characters feel more realistic. Having been around those types in the real world, that is very much how they would speak. There’s a reason people refer to swearing as “like a sailor.” Ahnna…..I don’t know how to feel about her. She was fine, but also a little flat.Romance: For being listed as “Romantic Fantasy,” I felt like this book lacked romance. There was definitely fantasy, but when the author said slow burn, she meant that there’s only a scrap of romance. They “love” eachother, but when she is doing her whole reveal about the spy life, why didn’t she reveal her sisters and what she did. She loves this man and has seen how he acts and that he is honest, so why does she believe her father over him when her father effectively abused her for 15 years?I wish that their romance had more sexual tension and more build up to the scene where they did have sex. In addition, when they sneak back into her home country and Aren sees his old fling, I cringed so hard. This scene bothered me because Aren, for being a good guy, seemed like he was getting ready to have his way with her and would have cheated on Lara had it not been for Jor.World Building: I have a good grasp on Ithicana, but the rest of the world fell a little flat to me. Even Lara’s homeland was a little flat. I thought using the bridge was a neat idea to move goods, but I really didn’t understand the need for secrecy?I have book two in my cart to buy, but it won’t be on my next to read any time soon.

I could NOT put this book down except to sleep because I was exhausted! Lol Not many books have all the details and that make sense. Very well put together and a very good story. None of the characters were annoying that made me want to quit the book. This was told in the third person which I'm not a fan of but this author just has excellent writing skills so it didn't matter. Huge props!

There is no magic in this book, but it is set in an interesting fantasy world full of political tension and deadly intrigues. The FMC is a princess who has survived years of brutal training to become an assassin for her father, who plans to use her to help him overthrow a rival kingdom. She has been molded into a weapon with one purpose and has been indoctrinated with ideas of how her own nation and its citizens have been victimized by this rival nation.Through the course of this book she uses her cunning, intelligence, highly trained skills, and courage to implement a plan, then revise it when things suddenly change. She is challenged to see things from new perspectives, develop trust in others, and question life-long beliefs in order to ultimately accomplish her initial goal, all while being viewed as the enemy by the people she wants to save.There were definitely a few places where the miscommunication/lack of communication trope was really frustrating and could have prevented a lot of problems, but the author does set up good reasons for why the characters make their unfortunate decisions. This was a gripping story, and it does end on a cliffhanger. I'm looking forward to reading the next installment to find out what happens next.

The media could not be loaded.  Truly an amazing book, lots of tension, political intrigue and a dash of spice!Spice: 🌶️🌶️Genre: New adult, Romance, PoliticalEdition: US standard hardcover——————————————————If you like:✔️ Arranged mariage✔️ Slow burn✔️ Ennemies to lover✔️ Spying✔️ Political intrigue✔️ Pirates of the Caribbean✔️ Swoon worthy MMC✔️ Badass trained assassin FMC

All the story is so captivating, I love it every scene of Aren and Lara. They’re incredibly great together. And I’m a bit sad for the confusion of the end. But, Lara is amazing and came to show how she is. Let’s go to book 2.

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Tiene la perfecta dosis de romance, intriga, política y acción. Lo recomiendo mucho

Ho adorato tantissimo questo libro, ne consiglio la lettura. Per quanto riguarda il pacco è arrivato in perfette condizioni, non ho riscontrato nessun tipo di problema