The Traitor's Kiss

This is an action-packed, expertly plotted story, drenched in double crosses and intrigue, with an irresistible heroine and a sweet and sexy romance. A late-breaking twist gives way to a final act that will leave readers eager for subsequent books in this planned trilogy. -Publishers Weekly , starred review 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 proper lady-which is perfectly fine with her. Deemed unfit for a suitable 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 soldier 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. With secret identities and a tempestuous romance, Erin Beaty's The Traitor's Kiss is full of intrigue, espionage, and lies.An Imprint Book Marital and martial matters collide when brides and spies become ensnared in a treasonous plot. . . . Sage is a clever, contrary female protagonist who remains realistic and likable, while her fellow protagonist Ash is enigmatic enough to require a second read. . . . Both epic and intimate, a semi-old-fashioned alternative to the wave of inexplicably lethal superheroines and their smoldering love triangles. -Kirkus Reviews Complex characterization, deftly layered adventure story, and [a] balanced blend of political maneuvering, romantic interludes, and action scenes. -Kirkus Reviews Beaty balances a taut web of deceit...readers will be carried away by the mystery. -The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (BCCB)A debut novel that blends fantasy, romance, and battlefield action. . . . A slow burn YA fantasy with clever genre mixing. -School Library Journal