REVIEW: "The Bridge Kingdom" by Danielle L. Jensen (Fantasy, Romance)

THE BRIDGE KINGDOM by Danielle L. Jensen
	Publisher: CLA Genre: Fantasy, Romance Publication Date: August 13th, 2019 Series: The Bridge Kingdom, #1 Standalone: No, Cliffhanger
Categories/Tropes:
Arranged Marriage, Assassin, Royalty
Other Books By This Author:
#2 #3 #4
Description from Publisher:
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. 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.
A Favorite Quote: (No Spoilers!)
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
From the moment Lara's sisters went down, this book had my attention. The political intrigue here was really very well done, and at no time did I find myself confused about the different kingdoms and their distinct differences. I would have expected to, but this world really was built well and I found myself easily understanding Aren's position as kind, and what a betrayal by Lara would mean for the entire world. Not gonna lie, I got pretty irritated with how brainwashed Lara was, and how long it took for her to start waking up. It was important to remind myself that her entire life has been spent being fed a particular truth, and just how incredibly difficult it would be to have everything you have ever known be flipped on it's head. In light of that, I gave Lara some grace. She was otherwise a strong, compassionate woman, and I thoroughly enjoyed how that unfolded from the first chapter to the last. Aren, King of Ithicania, was also a fantastic male protagonist. The amount of respect he showed everyone around him won me over easily, as did his snark and sincerity. There was a moment where he felt disappointment at the fact that Lara wasn't his equal and instead a subservient princess that cemented to me that I was going to like him. He wasn't an annoying alpha, but didn't lack in strength and commanding respect. There was excellent chemistry between the two of them from the moment they are face to face. This is a slow burn, which I love, and they circle one another for quite awhile before you have no choice but to root for them. I always try to avoid spoilers as much as possible, but will say that that last act had me wincing as I knew what was coming, my heart wrenched at the inevitable, and then pretty satisfied at the lead-up to the cliffhanger ending. This book will make you laugh at times, cheer at others, fan yourself a bit, and otherwise enjoy exploring the battles, strategy, and secrets.
My Source: I borrowed this via Kindle Unlimited to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and 100% my own.

About the Author: Danielle L. Jensen
Danielle L. Jensen is the USA Today bestselling author of the Malediction series, the Dark Shores series, and the Bridge Kingdom series, as well as the forthcoming A Fate Inked in Blood. She lives in Calgary, Alberta with her family and guinea pigs.

BLITZ: "Selena Flowers and the Cursed Ruby" by Ella English (Middle-Grade Fantasy)

SELENA FLOWERS AND THE CURSED RUBY by Ella English
	Publisher: Genre: Middle-Grade Fantasy Publication Date: April 30th, 2024 Series: The Merblood Saga, #1 Standalone: Yes
Description from Publisher:
When the Tide Turns, the Merblood Rises... In the quaint, windswept town of Madderly Bay, twelve-year-old Selena Flowers' dream of a peaceful life shatters as an eerie voice echoes in her mind, a reminder of the nightmarish encounter that awaits her beneath the "Just relax. You can breathe easily. I’ve got total control over you." Selena, newly arrived from the bustling streets of London, finds herself in a gothic mansion teetering on the edge of a coastal cliff, her mother Fiona's strange inheritance. But their new beginning turns into a chilling adventure when an undead mermaid, Faustina, crashes through Selena's window, heralding a descent into a dark, hidden world. The once thriving zombie merkingdom beneath Madderly Bay, now a forgotten abyss, is Faustina's haunting domain. Cursed to eternal youth, this zombie mermaid queen is driven by a lonely, venomous desire to expand her ghostly army. When Fiona begins to show signs of a ghastly transformation, Selena knows the curse has found its newest victim. Faustina's power stems from a mysterious ruby necklace, an artifact of untold magic and menace. Its dark magic can turn the tide of fate, offering salvation or doom. As Selena grapples with bullies at her new school and the complexities of a small town riddled with secrets, the necklace becomes her only hope to save her mother from a watery, undead fate. With the help of her new friend Chloe, Selena embarks on a perilous quest to uncover the necklace's hidden past and its current whereabouts. The journey takes her deeper into Faustina's world—a world of betrayal, ancient curses, and underwater lairs. As the clock ticks and Fiona's transformation accelerates, Selena must confront her deepest fears. Plunging into the murky depths, she faces off against Faustina in a heart-stopping struggle for the necklace. In this underwater chess game, every move could be her last. Will Selena retrieve the necklace and reverse the curse, or will she become another lost soul in Faustina's mermaid kingdom? As Selena's story unfolds, she discovers that the true power lies not in a ruby's glow, but in the strength of her own heart. In a final, breathtaking climax, Selena must decide the fate of the necklace, balancing the weight of its power against the safety of those she loves. "Selena Flowers and the Cursed Ruby" is a tale of magic, courage, and the unbreakable bonds of family. It is a story that reminds us that even in our darkest hours, there is always a glimmer of hope. ...For in the Depths of Despair, a Hero Rises.

About the Author:
Ella English is a British author and illustrator who swapped afternoon tea for lattes to go when she moved from London to Baltimore, USA 23 years ago. She writes children's books, including the beloved Kitty in the City chapter book series about a singing cat in Manhattan, as well as the Merblood Saga which deals with magic and mermaids in Madderly Bay. The inspiration for the Merblood Saga can be traced back to Ella's childhood holidays on the Kent Coast in the UK. With massive waves crashing against the seawall and the occasional freak wave pulling unsuspecting beachgoers into the water, young Ella's imagination ran wild. She began to wonder if a hidden community of mystical mermaids could be living beneath the surface, their lives intertwined with the ebb and flow of the tides. Years later, those childhood musings have transformed into a middle grade series that will enchant readers. The Merblood Saga brings the magic of Ella's coastal daydreams to life, inviting readers to dive into a world where mermaids are real and adventure lurks beneath the waves.
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REVIEW: "Take Any Chance" by Brenna Aubrey (Contemporary Romance)

TAKE ANY CHANCE by Brenna Aubrey
	Genre: Contemporary Romance Publication Date: April 30th, 2024 Series: Gaming the System, #10 Standalone: No, at least read #1-3, 6, and 8
Categories:
Nerds in Love, Pregnancy, Doctors in Love
Other Books by Brenna Aubrey
#1 My Review #2 My Review #3 My Review #4 My Review #5 My Review #6 My Review
Description from Publisher:
In the game of life, Mia Drake has leveled up like a pro. Just out of medical school, she’s landed her dream job—a medical residency at a prestigious hospital. She has a beautiful home and an amazing husband. But there’s one more achievement she’s determined to unlock: becoming a mother. In the business world, Adam Drake is a beast. He can face any threat. Conquer any boardroom. But when Mia issues the challenge to start a family, Adam will have to take up a sword to fight the ultimate boss—his own fear. The path forward is clear, but are Adam and Mia truly ready to embark on this epic quest?
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
I have been a big fan of this entire series basically since At Any Price came out, and absolutely loved Mia & Adam's love story, in particular. My heart has broken with them and then pieced back together again. I enjoyed their wedding, getting to know their friends, and I've been reading FallenOne every month. I was excited for their voyage through trying-to-conceive, pregnancy, and parenthood. Which is why it seriously pains me to say that I didn't really care for this book like I'd hoped I would. :( I loved getting to see these two as grown ups, settled in. But I can't help but feel like this book wasn't really necessary for the series... One of the biggest things that stood out at first was the lack of consistent timeline and general pacing. These two went from graduation (June) to a honeymoon & starting a hospital internship (July) to a holiday party (November) and then Adam was talking to Jordan about the jerk at the party and having just come back from his honeymoon (He didn't see his CFO for 5-6 months??). It didn't stop there, as Adam researched pregnancy for several weeks (January?), then they were trying for several months (June?) and then "just a couple of months" (April??), then she was pregnant just as her first year was up (July, right?) and just after her birthday near Mother's Day (May).... Yet she was due on Christmas Day, which would have had a conception period of late March, early April. Then, she was having a first appointment at 14 weeks, which isn't at all when a pregnant mom would be seeing a doctor, especially one who is potentially high risk (typically, women are seen around 10-11 weeks, then monthly until about 34 weeks, then every two weeks until 38 weeks, then weekly until birth). Her baby shower went from "next month" right after finding out the sex (which is unusual anyway), to us skipping a few months. There was also the fact that Mia was constantly talking down to Adam about her pregnancy, and he was fine to just assume she knew everything. AND SHE WAS OFTEN WRONG. It doesn't take any special training to see a 14-week fetus on an ultrasound. The baby looks very clearly like a little human at that point, let alone during the anatomy scan usually done around 20 weeks. How Adam the genius who was obsessed with research couldn't tell that his baby was the sex it was at that point, I can't even fathom... So much didn't make sense for a bright medical doctor who knew everything either, including the way they went about TTC (Why have sex so many times that it becomes boring? Why freak out when she hasn't conceived within a couple of months?), her entire birth experience (Scheduled an induction for the day after her due date? Told her to start pushing before she was ready, then to stop pushing so they could rush her to an unnecessary c-section while she fought the urge to push?). I've always appreciated the fact that Mia (and Adam) is a feminist who doesn't let herself get pushed around, and who will fight life's injustices. However, she got preachy AF in this with the other characters who we already know feel the same as she does. These characters would say things that sounded straight out of an activist's speech at a protest while just chatting together at lunch, which felt really over-the-top. These ladies decide to create a non-profit in an area that they even admit is already saturated with non-profits just like theirs, then go on diatribes about women's health rights in the U.S. that just don't fit in the context of what they were doing, and sounded scripted rather than conversational. Don't get me wrong, I talk to my friends about freedoms, rights, the corruption of horrible politicians and governments, but we don't sound like we're reciting an article from CNN (unless we're reading one out loud, haha). I started just skimming through the sections of this that got weirdly preachy, which made me sad. Also in line with feminists is going back to the pregnancy and especially the birth... Neither Adam nor Mia advocated for her the way you'd expect people who understood how pregnant women are treated in hospitals. There didn't need to be preaching here, but I can't fathom why a billionaire's wife wouldn't have had a private experience with the best pregnancy support you can imagine. This was an opportunity to explain why these two people would have made less mainstream choices, and then Mia could have been an advocate for better treatment of pregnant women and mothers in general. Her non-profit could have helped underprivileged mothers have access to midwifes, doulas, lactation consultants, and childcare providers. It could have helped educate women so they understood their rights and how to best advocate for themselves to avoid unnecessary interventions, unnecessary surgeries, and reduce the stress that can come with caring for a newborn. I had hoped that the fact she was due on a major holiday might play into that some, too, as it's an unfortunately reality that OBs push for inductions/c-sections so that they can avoid working inconvenient days. Instead, Adam actually told Mia multiple times to just listen to her doctor, as though she shouldn't be allowed to be informed herself and make her own decisions about what she wanted. Nevermind that Mia was already intimately familiar with the fact that some doctors have big egos and don't take women seriously.... I digress (I told you, womens' health is an issue I'm passionate about :P). There were sweet moments in this, and I really liked seeing Daddy Adam. I just wish we saw more of their day-to-day lives and less of a general synopsis of what the journey was, sprinkled with pro-choice speeches. I had even hoped for a bit more about the fact that Mia had previously had an abortion, and cancer treatments, and delving into how it might have been different for her than your average woman in her late 20s, both psychologically and physically. Or, to mostly be light and fun as their family grew, getting to see Uncle Heath (and maybe Uncle Heath's partner?) enjoy the fruits of all the many years he was there for his best friend as she rode the rollercoaster of a lifetime.
My Source: I received a digital ARC from the publisher to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and 100% my own.

About the Author: Brenna Aubrey
Brenna Aubrey is a USA TODAY Bestselling Author of contemporary romance stories that center on geek culture. Her debut novel, At Any Price, is currently free on all platforms. She has always sought comfort in good books and the long, involved stories she weaves in her head. Brenna is a city girl with a nature-lover’s heart. She therefore finds herself out in green open spaces any chance she can get. She's also a mom, teacher, geek girl, Francophile, unabashed video-game addict & eBook hoarder. She currently resides on the west coast with her husband, two children, two adorable golden retriever pups, a bird and some fish.