Synopsis
An obstinate girl who will not be married. A soldier desperate to prove himself. A kingdom on the brink of war.
With a sharp tongue and an unruly temper, Sage Fowler is not what they'd call a lady- which is perfectly fine with her. Deemed unfit for marriage, Sage is apprenticed to a matchmaker and tasked with wrangling other young ladies to be married off for political alliances. She spies on the girls- and on the soldiers escorting them.
As the girls' military escort senses a political uprising, Sage is recruited by a handsome solider to infiltrate the enemy ranks. The more she discovers as a spy, the less certain she becomes about whom to trust- and Sage becomes caught in a dangerous balancing act that will determine the fate of her kingdom.
An obstinate girl who will not be married. A soldier desperate to prove himself. A kingdom on the brink of war.
With a sharp tongue and an unruly temper, Sage Fowler is not what they'd call a lady- which is perfectly fine with her. Deemed unfit for marriage, Sage is apprenticed to a matchmaker and tasked with wrangling other young ladies to be married off for political alliances. She spies on the girls- and on the soldiers escorting them.
Loved
- The romance. I loved Alex and Sage's relationship. Although it starts under layers of deception, I love how they ultimately trust each other and love each other despite mistakes they've made. I love their banter and how they open up to each other and bring out the best in each other. I was like a teenage girl dying over some of these swoony romantic scenes! (Not that there's anything wrong with teenage girls- they are some of my favorite people :)
- Sage. It's always refreshing to have a heroine who is plain and flat-chested :) She is so sharp that I felt I had to race to keep up with her! I love how smart, brave and stubborn she is, but she's not frustrating. Many heroines as smart and stubborn as she is usually are frustrating at times because they are bull-headed at times, but Sage is quick to realize her mistakes and stands bold even when she's hurting. I also love her quick wit and ability to laugh at herself.
- Alex. He's pretty dreamy, let's be real. Tall, dark, and handsome, not to mention a captain of the royal army, and even a little broody. I love how he opens up to Sage like he can't with anyone else, and he tells her about all his funny childhood memories. I love how he is protective, but also willing to let Sage have her will. It's also refreshing that he's strong, but vulnerable- like when he throws up after his first kill or when he thinks someone has died. That's probably a more realistic reaction than we normally get, which is refreshing.
- The twisting deceptions. This story sweeps you off your feet from the very beginning with everyone wearing different faces, spies, cat-and-mouse traps, and layers of deception. It was a little confusing and breath-taking at first to try to catch up with everything, but I ended up enjoying the complicated twists and turns and figuring out everyone's motives and true personas.
- The short chapters. At first I was annoyed at the really short (2-3 page) chapters because I felt like I wasn't getting to know the characters very well with the small snapshots we get. But I ended up loving the short chapters by the end because we switch perspectives much more quickly, which makes the plot feel very fast-paced. And I just love knowing what happens more quickly so there's less waiting :)
Didn't Love
- This plot was really confusing for me at times. Like I said before, I ended up enjoying the plot and understanding it, but it took quite a while before I understood who was who and what exactly was happening. The writing was beautiful, but somewhat unclear- I had to go back multiple times and read pages before to clarify what was going on. The author uses conversation and subtle hints to help us know what's going on, and doesn't outright tell us- so we have to keep up with every word that is said. I ended up enjoying that once I caught on, but at first it was a little dizzying to be caught up in multiple people's different personas, motives, schemes, and lies.
Content
- Language:
- Frequent uses of "damn" and "hell." Infrequent uses of "sh**," and bastard.
- Sexual content:
- There are some pretty steamy scenes between the two main characters, but it never goes beyond kissing.
- In one scene, two characters stage a tryst in order to escape- he pulls her sleeve off her shoulder, puts his hand up her skirt, and kisses her on her lips and neck. She pulls his shirt from his pants and has her hands on his back. He apologizes beforehand for doing this (pgs 207-209).
- Two characters kiss- descriptions of him lifting her off her feet, sighing, hands in each other's hair, and her hands on his chest (pg. 211).
- A steamy kiss described with sighing, lying on top of each other, his hands exploring her thighs and hips, her hands exploring under his shirt, him pulling her top out of her pants (but not off), and kissing down each other's necks. They stop before anything else happens (pg. 222).
- A kiss on the ground with descriptions of exploring each other's bare skin (what was already exposed), and his hands gripping her skirt "like he was trying to prevent himself from doing something else." She thinks she won't be able to deny him if he presses her for more than kisses (which he doesn't). (pg 341).
- One character taunts another by describing raping a woman and her jumping out the window, though neither event actually happened.
- A character dresses up as a maid and is sexually harassed by some guards- they catcall to her, kiss her on the cheek, and grab her rear end.
- Violence:
- There is quite a bit of medieval-type violence in this story.
- Many mentions of people being killed by stabbing, having daggers thrown at them, or having their throats slit. Blood and facial expressions described.
- Description of a child dying from a slit throat. Talks about blood spurting from his wound and suffocating while he's gurgling blood.
- Mentions of bodies hanging as warnings to other armies.
- Many soldiers die in explosions or fire. One person is seen with burning flesh and a skull still on fire.
- Frequent uses of "damn" and "hell." Infrequent uses of "sh**," and bastard.
- There are some pretty steamy scenes between the two main characters, but it never goes beyond kissing.
- In one scene, two characters stage a tryst in order to escape- he pulls her sleeve off her shoulder, puts his hand up her skirt, and kisses her on her lips and neck. She pulls his shirt from his pants and has her hands on his back. He apologizes beforehand for doing this (pgs 207-209).
- Two characters kiss- descriptions of him lifting her off her feet, sighing, hands in each other's hair, and her hands on his chest (pg. 211).
- A steamy kiss described with sighing, lying on top of each other, his hands exploring her thighs and hips, her hands exploring under his shirt, him pulling her top out of her pants (but not off), and kissing down each other's necks. They stop before anything else happens (pg. 222).
- A kiss on the ground with descriptions of exploring each other's bare skin (what was already exposed), and his hands gripping her skirt "like he was trying to prevent himself from doing something else." She thinks she won't be able to deny him if he presses her for more than kisses (which he doesn't). (pg 341).
- One character taunts another by describing raping a woman and her jumping out the window, though neither event actually happened.
- A character dresses up as a maid and is sexually harassed by some guards- they catcall to her, kiss her on the cheek, and grab her rear end.
- There is quite a bit of medieval-type violence in this story.
- Many mentions of people being killed by stabbing, having daggers thrown at them, or having their throats slit. Blood and facial expressions described.
- Description of a child dying from a slit throat. Talks about blood spurting from his wound and suffocating while he's gurgling blood.
- Mentions of bodies hanging as warnings to other armies.
- Many soldiers die in explosions or fire. One person is seen with burning flesh and a skull still on fire.
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