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Dark Shores
young adult fantasy
Series · romantic fantasy
The Bridge Kingdom
The Bridge Kingdom series by Danielle L. Jensen has 7 books and is best read in publication order, starting with The Bridge Kingdom (2018).
- Books
- 6 novels + 1 novella
- First published
- 2018
- Status
- completed
- Last checked
Start here: The Bridge Kingdom (2018) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Bridge Kingdom
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bridge Kingdom - Book 2:
The Traitor Queen
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Traitor Queen - Book 3:
The Inadequate Heir
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Inadequate Heir - Book 4:
The Calm Before the Storm
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Calm Before the Storm - Book 5:
The Endless War
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Endless War - Book 6:
The Twisted Throne
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Twisted Throne - Book 7:
The Tempest Blade
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Tempest Blade
About The Bridge Kingdom
Lara has spent her whole life training to be a weapon: a spy raised by the Maridrina court to infiltrate the Bridge Kingdom by marrying its king, Aren, and destroying the magical bridge that makes his kingdom untouchable. She succeeds at the marriage. Bringing down the bridge, and resisting Aren himself, turns out to be much harder than the mission promised.
What starts as an enemies-to-lovers, marriage-of-convenience romantasy expands, book by book, into a much bigger story: courtly betrayal, a kingdom-spanning war, and a cast of side characters (siblings, rivals, and eventually their own love interests) who inherit the spotlight as the series goes on. Jensen keeps Lara and Aren's fraught, high-stakes marriage as the emotional core even as the political stakes widen across six novels.
Like several of its romantasy peers, the series began as a self-published hit before Bramble/Random House Worlds picked it up, and it rewards readers who want a slow-burn arranged-marriage romance that doesn't stay small: assassins, sieges, and a genuinely epic finale for a couple who spend most of book one actively trying to destroy each other.
How to read this series
Publication order is story order here: The Bridge Kingdom, The Traitor Queen, The Inadequate Heir, The Endless War, The Twisted Throne, and The Tempest Blade, which brings the six-book arc to its conclusion.
The Calm Before the Storm is a short bonus story (six extra chapters) set right after the events of books two and three, bundled into later editions of The Inadequate Heir -- a nice extra for fans, not required reading. Lara and Aren's central relationship, and the fallout from it, carries through every main-line book, so read them in sequence rather than cherry-picking.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in The Bridge Kingdom series?
Seven entries: six main novels plus one short bonus story, The Calm Before the Storm. The series concluded with The Tempest Blade in 2026.
What order should I read The Bridge Kingdom in?
Publication order: The Bridge Kingdom, The Traitor Queen, The Inadequate Heir, The Endless War, The Twisted Throne, The Tempest Blade. The Calm Before the Storm bonus story slots in after book three.
Is The Bridge Kingdom series finished?
Yes. The Tempest Blade (April 2026) is billed as the series finale.
Do I need to read The Calm Before the Storm?
No, it's six bonus chapters bundled into later printings of The Inadequate Heir -- extra content, not required.
Does each Bridge Kingdom book follow a new couple?
No. The series follows Lara and Aren's marriage and its consequences continuously across all six novels rather than switching to a new couple each book.
Reading order last verified .