Briana @ Pages Unbound
Written on Aug 19, 2017
To escape the threat of being married off by her uncle, orphaned Sage Fowler accepts an apprenticeship with a matchmaker. Intelligent and unruly, she’s perfect for gathering information on prospective clients. Protected by a small army contingent, Sage and her mentor escort a group of ladies to be matched with noblemen. Sage spies on soldiers and brides alike as they travel.
Amongst rumours of a political uprising, a handsome solider recruits Sage to infiltrate the enemy ranks. The more she discovers, the more uncertain she is of whom to trust. Sage becomes caught in a dangerous balancing act that will determine the fate of her kingdom.
With secret identities and a tempestuous romance, The Traitor’s Kiss is Jane Austen with an espionage twist.
- ISBN10 1250158842
- ISBN13 9781250158840
- Publish Date 1 June 2018 (first published 9 May 2017)
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 5 April 2024
- Publish Country US
- Imprint St Martin's Press
- Format Paperback
- Pages 368
- Language English
Reviews
Cocktails and Books
Written on Jun 7, 2017
I look forward to seeing what happens next in this trilogy. Will we get more of Sage and Alex's story or will this move onto other secondary characters?
lizarodz
Written on May 24, 2017
You can tell the basic plot from the blurb so I won't repeat it again. The world in which the story takes place is sort of like England in the 1700's or before. Women were bargaining tools, a source of income, a way to create alliances. All of this was too important to leave to chance, so it was left to matchmakers instead. Sage wanted something more for herself and so she took a chance at something different that would at least give her a measure of independence. The rest of the world building was not as in depth as I'm used to in fantasy, but still easy to follow and well explained. There is a lot of spying, action, interactions, twists, turns, misunderstandings and understandings.
I liked Sage. Although she was prone to be sullen and prejudiced against the rest of the females in her company, she's also loyal, discreet, a hard worker and an eye for detail. Besides, she loves books and learning and that's always my kind of people ;) Sage made a decent spy, even if she got a bit over her head sometimes.
Now, I LOVED Alex. He's a newly appointed captain, trying to prove himself and doing a fair job about it. He's charged to be the escort of the ladies traveling to the capital to be married. Alex is handsome, loyal, smart, considerate, and fair.
The romance is slow to build, but awesome! I just love the way Alex was first suspicious of Sage and how Sage was so prejudiced against him, but at the end they fell for each other. I really enjoy when characters are flawed and not afraid to speak their mind or show their feelings.
The writing was fluid and interesting. I did felt like the book was a bit longer than it needed to be. I liked that the ending was not a cliffhanger, we do have an ending of sorts, but it's also clear that it is to be continued. I do hope that the author keeps this couple together because I adore Alex.
Overall, The Traitor's Kiss was a good introduction to the world, the characters, and the politics. I expect great things from the rest of the series and from Alex and Sage :)This review was originally posted on Quite the Novel Idea
shannonmiz
Written on Apr 9, 2017
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
I don't... I don't fully even understand what just happened here. And I didn't care enough to worry about it, so there's that. This basically sums up my experience:
Sigh. So, a friend asked me how it was going when I was around page 50. So by that I mean, I won't be spoiling anything for you. But this was how I'd sum it up:
We meet girl. She doesn't want to be married. Uncle says she must; sets up a meeting with a matchmaker. For reasons. She plans to run away. Girl's like "nah, that seems hard", meets with matchmaker. Pisses off matchmaker, who then asks her to BE a matchmaker. THEN, random switch to some RANDOM ASS DUDE who is not properly introduced. And a... war skirmish.
Then a time jump. And I still have NO FUCKING CLUE who this guy is, and why there have been 4 chapters in his POV. And why there is a war. Or why this matchmaking thing is so important. Or anything.
Seriously, it jumped back and forth and the military guy POV was talking about places that meant nothing to me, groups of people that I had never heard of. Are these counties, kingdoms, cities? I don't know. But it was confusing, because they're talking about attacks and strategies, and I had no idea. Just... nope. As such, it was incredibly confusing.
So, let's push that aside, because I have never and will never understand it. Let's get back to our girl Sage, who has decided that she'll be the matchmaker's apprentice. Again, for reasons. None that are clear to me, but whatever. Here's my main problem with Sage: I get that she doesn't want to be married off to some random guy. I get it. I respect it. Hell, I agree with it. But she is so damn judgmental of the girls who are looking forward to finding husbands. And yeah, it wouldn't be my cup of tea either, but why do you have to rain on everyone else's parade, girl? She makes it very clear that she feels superior for being "above" the whole finding a mate thing.
And lest we forget, there is some really... racially insensitive stuff going on here too. There are a lot of reviews that go into more detail about this, so do check them out, but here's a snippet in case you were wondering:
"I've noticed how some of the soldiers look at you. Especially that darker one you spend time with."
What!? NO. That is something like, your grandma's old, racist friend would say, leading you to explain why that is not okay. And it is not. Also, I know a lot of people have discussed the dark skinned aggressor trope, but I legit had no idea who was fighting who, so I was so lost I can't even comment on that part. But the descriptions alone of the different armies and their levels of "darkness" were bad enough. And frankly, it seemed like they had no other defining characteristics, which is probably why I couldn't figure out who was fighting or why. And in case you were wondering, yes, it is made abundantly clear that Sage is white.
Anyway, for a more detailed account, I'm going to link you over to the lovely Aila's review, because she discusses this well.
Now, we must talk about the society. Look, I get that a lot of societies- hell, even our own, often- treats women as "lesser than". But this was just kind of gross. Sage was seen as extra special because she climbed trees and wore pants as a kid. Well, guess what? Not everyone had that luxury, I'm sure. She ended up being well educated, which again is not something other girls had the opportunity to do. So instead of, I don't know, helping out your fellow woman, instead Sage just rolls her eyes at them and becomes a special snowflake. She solves all the things, even things that there is really no basis for her to have been able to figure out (can't say much more because spoilers), and it seems like answers to problems just pop out of thin air and into her head so she can save everyone. Because she hates makeup and dresses.
There were some twists which I think might have been good if I'd had any idea what was happening in the first place. But I was so confused, and by this point, angry, that I just couldn't bring myself to be too shocked with any revelation- mostly because I wasn't sure if it was a twist, or just my own confusion being sorted out a little. Like "OH, now I get that one thing!", but is that because it was a twist, or I just finally understood what was happening? No way to know, friends. No way to know.
Will I Read the Sequel? Yeah, really really not. Which is rare for me. But I cannot with this book. Or Sage. Or the confusion.
Bottom Line: I still have no idea what I read. All I know is that I was not a fan of most of the characters (save a few side ones that I kind of enjoyed) and really have no idea why there was a war happening and what this group of girls had to do with any of it. And definitely not here for the racial tropes either.
**Quote taken from uncorrected proof, subject to change.
Sam@WLABB
Written on Mar 30, 2017
I would like to state, that I am a hard-core contemporary reader. However, I do delight in a fantasy novel from time to time, and especially like when the story lean towards high fantasy. I love taking that trip back to an undefined time, to another world, that is entrenched in its own history, geography, and politics. Ahhh, a true escape from the day to day grind.
I was very pleased with the escape provided by The Traitor's Kiss. I know there are some things that will disappoint the hard core fantasy lovers out there. As far as I know, there is no map, and I know it is somewhat crucial to understand the lay of the land. Perhaps, there will be a map in the finished copy (?). And, although Beaty did a wonderful job with the history and politics of the realm, the world building was still a little lacking. Alas, this is slated to be a trilogy, and Beaty can get that done in the next book. But, like I said, I am a contemporary reader, so this did not bother me. This book was all about the characters for me.
I think at this point, we expect strong heroines, and Sage was just that. She had her own thoughts and opinions. She wanted to make her own decisions, and to make her own way in the world. She valued intellect and learning over preening and being matched. She was essentially an anachronism in this undefined medieval-like time. I loved her spirit, her sass, her can-do attitude. I liked that she was not afraid to get her hands dirty. There were so many sides and layers to her. Her past broke my heart, but what a future I sense for her.
"I could never be happy pretending to be something I'm not. I just wish being myself didn't cause so much trouble."
I thought the matchmaker was well crafted, as well. Mistress Rodelle had this air of superiority, that came along with the power to arrange political unions, but she also had this nurturing side, which was apparent in her dealings with Sage. Some of her plotting elicited grins from me, as I knew I would love the result. She was crafty, and I liked it.
The captain and his men wormed their way into my heart as well. They were swoonworthy, but also so loyal and dedicated to the crown and each other. Their bonds of brotherhood were quite apparent, and their interactions were often amusing. But what I really liked, was the way they respected Sage. Once she was pulled into their circle, they listened to her, and treated her as an equal. They considered her suggestions, and when they worked, they gave her credit. They appreciated her, and didn't underestimate her abilities. That scored them points in my book.
Some reviews I have read did not like when the book took a romantic turn. Um, I love romance, and this one was totally ship-worthy. I smiled and swooned and all that good stuff. It was a slow burn, but once it got there, it was a wildfire.
"Kissing her had been like tasting sunshine."
This is also the type of trilogy I like - no cliffy! I am a fan of series, which have an overarching story, but also a story arc that is completed in each book. This BIG plot is not resolved, but the smaller plot is. We know enough at the end of this book to expect more, but also be sated, and that always pleases me.
Overall: a promising beginning to a new series replete with great characters, battles, duplicitous plots, espionage, and romance.
**I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book.
tweetybugshouse
Written on Feb 11, 2017