Review by Booklist Review
Sage Fowler, apprentice matchmaker turned spy, now tutors princes and princesses and is engaged to Demoran royalty, Captain Alex Quinn. When he is assigned to lead an elite fighting unit on a secret mission, Sage talks the queen into allowing her to go along on a mission of her own in disguise, of course. Alex is furious once he discovers her subterfuge, but he cannot deny that Sage's talents make her an asset. During a surprise attack on the campsite, Sage and her charge (the crown prince) find refuge with allies, but Alex believes they've been caught and tracks them deep into Casmuni territory. This follow-up to The Traitor's Kiss (2017) reunites Sage and Alex, revisiting their trademark problem with trust and full disclosure. At times, this back and forth (should I tell him/her? I can't tell him/her) bogs down the story, but Beaty reclaims it every time she sends them into battle. Like the first novel, this romance tilts more toward adventure story, while underscoring the virtue of lifelong learning.--Welch, Cindy Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
In this sequel to Traitor's Kiss, Sage's decision to go behind Alex's back on a military adventure prevents a war but damages their relationship. As Sage's diplomatic skills and experiences deepen, misunderstandings and betrayals threaten both the future of their romance and the kingdom of Demora. Sage grows in this craftily plotted second installment, but Alex and supporting characters lack depth. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Politics and peril unfurl slowly in this old-fashioned sequel.Eighteen-year-old former matchmaker's assistant Sage Fowler now serves as a royal tutor and unauthorized spy, eager to protect Demora against its neighbors: hostile Kimisara and enigmatic Casmun. Tasked with training an elite unit and uncovering rogue Kimisar soldiers, 20-something Capt. Alexander Quinn takes the army to the borderlands, Sage and 14-year-old Prince Nicholas in tow. Haunted by his brother's death, Alex keeps Sage at a distance, fearing that his love for her endangers everyone around him. When an attack forces the Demorans into an uneasy alliance with the isolated desert-dwelling Casmuni, Sage and Alex find their diplomatic skills, military experience, and even romance tested. While white Sage is dismayed by discrimination against darker-complexioned Alex, who had an Aristelan mother, her adventures rely heavily on stereotypical fantasy racial divisions pitting the pale Northerners (who read as European) against the darker Southerners (described as living in formerly nomadic, desert-based, slightly exoticized societies). Lacking lavish fantasy elements and heavily focused on politics and war, Beaty's (Traitor's Kiss, 2017) tale resembles a more YA-friendly Game of Thrones and recalls classic novels such as Tamora Pierce's Alanna series and Robin McKinley's Blue Sword.Plentiful action scenes, unflinching but never gratuitous violence, and a smoldering yet still-chaste romance should keep readers' appetites whetted for the third installment. (Fantasy. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
