Mar 9, 2023
Aren and Lara - the Bridge Kingdom credit: @/castleinthesky
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Aren and Lara - the Bridge Kingdom credit: @/castleinthesky
📖 Book Review: The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen NA/ Adult fantasy romance. Book 1 in the Bridge Kingdom series. Swipe for my full thoughts, but TLDR; Why, oh why did I wait so long to pick up this book? It was so good. I loved everything about it and have nothing to critique or complain about. It was perfect for me. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #adarkershadeofarc22 - Stabby character #BombBooks2022 - Starry Eyed #MyFandomObsessionsMar22 - Elend: #bookboyfriend or #otp #booktineusreview #bookreview #review #bookreviewer #bookblogger #ausyablogger #bookstagrammer #5star #favouritebook #TheBridgeKingdom #bridgekingdom #fantasyromance #danielleljensen #indiebooks https://www.instagram.com/p/CbAEoWpLasP/?utm_medium=tumblr
✨🚨EPIC INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY🚨✨ . . 🌟QOTD: would you rather sail into the unknown or touch a magical portal with no idea where it will lead you? . . Hello friends and happy Wednesday!! I am sooooo excited to help announce this amazing giveaway!! I am obsessed with Danielle Jensen and this incredible universe she has created!! And now you can win some really cool things!! DARK SHORES fandom—it’s time to DECLARE YOUR ALLEGIANCE! Are you Team Marcus, Team Killian (cough THE BEST cough), or Team Agrippa? . . ⚔️ Prize: One lucky winner will receive a signed & personalized hardcover of GILDED SERPENT, plus the amazing official bookish merchandise for the winner’s declared Dark Shores team: ~ a 10 oz candle from @novelcandleco ~ a 15 oz ceramic mug from @crabapplebooks ~ a scented soap from @booknookbath (You can check out all the merchandise in their shops!) ⚔️ 𝐓𝐨 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫: 🌟Create an original bookstagram post declaring your allegiance as #TeamMarcus , #TeamKillian or #TeamAgrippa that includes the cover of at least one of the books (print or ebook). Tell your followers why your team is the best team. 🌟Include hashtag #TeamDarkShores Only entries with this hashtag will be counted. 🌟Follow @danielleljensen and make sure to tag her in your post so she can share! . ⚔️ 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬: 🌟Giveaway runs February 14th at midnight EST and ends on February 28th at midnight EST. 🌟Winner will be selected by random drawing from the hashtag #TeamDarkShores. 🌟Winner will be announced by Danielle L. Jensen on February 28th. And also be announced on @helenaoferetz stories! 🌟Open internationally as long as USPS ships to your country. Not affiliated with Instagram. Must be 18+ or have parental permission to enter. Account must be public so entry can be verified. . . #teamdarkshores #tarnishedempireds #gildedserpent #darkshores #darkskies #danielleljensen #bookgiveaway #flatlay #tbrpile #biblio #booksonbooks #bookclubs #avidreader #readingismagic #instareading #bookaesthetic #bookishlife #bookaholics #bookwormproblems #homelibrary #booksoninstagram #bookchallenge #bookstagramit #bookshelves #rainbowbooks https://www.instagram.com/p/CLZVkMogHWm/?igshid=1gd6f30nxop92
✧ G I V E A W A Y ✧ . 💬 If you had your very own pirate ship, which fictional character(s) would you want on your crew? . A RUNAWAY WITH A HIDDEN PAST A COMMANDER IN DISGRACE A KINGDOM UNDER SIEGE . Unwanted betrothals, assassination attempts, and a battle for the crown converge in Danielle L. Jensen's Dark Skies, a new series starter set in the universe of the YA fantasy Sarah J. Maas called "everything I look for in a fantasy novel." . Thank you to @torteen for sending me a copy of the book and teaming up with me for a great giveaway! Enter to win a finished copy of Dark Skies! . . t o e n t e r : ✩ follow me, @torteen, @danielleljensen and @storygramtours ✩ tag a friend you think will be interested . f o r e x t r a e n t r y : ✩ visit @everlasting.charm and repeat these steps . r u l e s : ✩ Giveaway will end May 18th at midnight EST ✩ US ONLY ✩ not affiliated with Instagram ✩ must be 18 or have parents permission ✩ must be a public account so entries can be verified . . . h a s h t a g s ⇣ #DarkSkiestour #DarkSkies #DarkShores #danielleljensen #TorTeen #storygramtours #aquietmoment #livelifebeautifully #morningslikethis #cornerofmyhome #momentsofmine #bookaholic #jamestrevinorepost #bookstagramit #blissfulday #stillography #lovelysquares #nestandflourish #yabooks #bibliofeature #booknerdigan #bookster #bookcommunity #mybookfeatures #bedroominspo #bedroomideas #bedroomdecor https://www.instagram.com/p/CAQa7QQnUYk/?igshid=1ryvl48gn4ain
A Fate Inked in Blood is a Norse‑inspired fantasy romance that follows Freya, a young woman with a hidden divine heritage who dreams of becoming a warrior rather than staying trapped in an unwanted marriage. Everything changes when her secret magical ability as a shield maiden is revealed, and she becomes a key piece in a prophecy that could unite a fractured nation called Skaland.
When Freya is forced into a new alliance with the ambitious Jarl Snorri and protected by his son Bjorn, she must learn to control her magic and navigate political dangers, ancient tests, and growing attraction. As Freya trains, battles, and questions her role in the fate laid out before her, the story blends action, prophecy, and a slow‑burn romance.
The world‑building draws deeply from Norse mythology, giving the setting a rugged, immersive feel, and the magic system ties closely to prophecies and the gods. While some readers find the pacing uneven and the protagonist’s internal conflict repetitive at times, others enjoy the atmosphere and the tension between duty and desire.
Overall, A Fate Inked in Blood offers a blend of fantasy, magic, and romance with an intriguing Norse backdrop and engaging stakes. It will likely appeal most to readers who enjoy character‑driven romantic fantasy with mythic elements rather than just straight epic fantasy. Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐✨
The Bridge Kingdom
Danielle L. Jensen
Genres: Enemies to lovers (swoon), Political Intrigue, Romantacy (kind of).
A desert. Sand. Heat. Dry and desolate. Isolated. An island where it never stops raining. The land is lush and green and wild. Snakes roam just as freely as house cats. What do these two places have in common? A beautiful and fearsome assassin and queen.
Listen listen listen. Danielle Jensen is genuinely one of my favorite authors right now. She writes such powerful FMC and her take on Lara is heart-stopping, jaw-dropping, and I am completely obsessed.
The book follows "Princess" Lara and her many sisters who are all the same age due to a king who over-procreates. All of the sisters have different mothers. The girls are taken from their mothers as children and raised in isolation from the rest of the world with only the support of one another and their masters and guards. MASTERS AND GUARDS. These young women are being raised to be wives and assassins.
Many years ago (about a decade or so) the king (Lara's father/sire) made a deal with the Bridge Kingdom that when his daughter comes of age she will wed the prince of their kingdom (his name is Aren). Through years of training, some sisters die and some go a little nuts but Lara realizes her father's plan. He will kill all but one because he can't imagine having 12 daughters that he brutalized and trained to be assassins having the freedom to take their revenge. I'm not saying he's right... I'm just saying he's not wrong.
AND LISTEN- Lara loves her sisters deeply but she is a poison expert and wants to survive. You do the math. Through her own espionage and talents she proves that she is the best of the assassins and the best of the sisters. She ultimately is chosen to marry Aren in the Bridge Kingdom. She uses her tools of seduction, poison, womanhood and her abilities to kill to bring her closer to Aren with the hopes of overrunning the kingdom and ultimately conquering it for her father.
As with every good love story... nothing ever goes according to plan. Falling for Aren was not her father's plan but the years of isolation and affection actively work against him. Instead of raising and honing a weapon, he did something far greater and more dangerous. He sharpened the blade and gave a beautiful young woman the tools and education to take over the world if she chooses to. Imagine if all of the sisters were still alive.
Except, we find out that they are. Lara had refused to kill her sisters... she only poisoned them a little.... Creative, passionate, and affectionate to a fault Lara plans to reunite her sisters and beat her father and his oppressive kingdom. Unfortunately, she has to destroy her love life and her new home to do it.
This is one of the sleeper books that crept up on me. I devoured it and fell in love with Lara. Some of the story is a little cliche but by far the women are all unique in their own right. I love when women write women because some are kind, some are fearsome, some are righteous but they are all women.
Out of 10 I give this entire series an 8.5.
Out of 5
Enemies to lovers: 5 Political Drama: 3 Emotional Depth: 3 (Lara starts out too dense for me to feel anything real for her) Atmosphere: 5 Would I recommend it? Hell. Yes. Reading experience? High stakes and pure escapism. ADHD friendly? Sure but only if history and politics are one of your interests
Who is this for? The Bridge Kingdom is for the girlies who fixate on historical dramas, love a slow burn, consider themselves to be fierce and a force to be reconned with and sometimes are afraid of asking for a helping hand.
Core themes: Feminine Rage, found family, trauma and healing, power/politics/betrayal, and healing those ties that you broke, learning to trust
Not smutty but some sex and steam.
This book made me feel everything from a deeply rooted love for my own sister to a very powerful lust for my man. Ithicana and the Bridge Kingdom became a home to me. The structure of the communities and the love they felt for their leaders and one another made me feel like this is a place that I could belong... a place that would accept me.
The plot was beautiful but the scenery will stay with me forever. Danielle Jensen is beyond good at what she does and I will be reading and re-reading this book until the bindings break. If you love Throne of Glass and Celeana then Lara and her Bridge Kingdom are for you.
The Twisted Throne
#TheTwistedThrone by #DanielleLJensen is the 5th book in #TheBridgeKingdom series and was my 84th read of 2024. I thought the ending to this book was incredible and I'm excited for the next book! Read the blog for a plot summary and full #bookreview
The Twisted Throne by Danielle L Jensen is the 5th book in The Bridge Kingdom series and was my 84th read of 2024. You can read my review of Book 4 ‘The Endless War‘ here. Sadly, I read the others when I was less consistent with my reviews, so they aren’t on here! As we are quite far down the series there will potentially be spoilers for earlier books in the plot summary. All the books are…
I'm so excited to reveal #DanielleLJensen newest book, A Fate Inked in Blood! This is a Norse inspired adult fantasy romance and will release February 27, 2024 from #DelRayBooks!
The cover was designed by Eleonor Piteira
Synopsis:
A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in this Norse-inspired fantasy romance from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series.
Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband's back.
Freya's dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region's jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess's blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden's fate.
Believing he's destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies.
Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.