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Lady of the Bridge by Laura Kitchell: A Book Review

Lady of the Bridge
Author: Laura Kitchell
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Laura Kitchell
Release Date: 2015
Pages: 245
Source: This book was given to me by Read for Review in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Forbidden love between a warrior princess and an elite samurai makes for an adventure set during the early days of the Tokugawa shogunate. Join this couple in a race across 17th century Japan where political unrest has created dangerous ronin, civil uprisings, and war-ravaged castles. Caught in the middle of the struggle between Shogun's rise to rule and the old regime, this warrior princess is forced to battle for her life. 

      In the end, she must choose between family honor and her heart's desire. 

      My Review: Princess Saiko  has lived a sheltered and privileged life. Her father dotes on her and allows her to study martial arts. When the time comes for her to be the imperial consort to the emperor of Japan in Kyoto, the princess is saddened that she has to leave behind the life she had always known. A few days before she leaves, she decides to take a walk in the garden. When she arrives at her favorite bridge, she meets a handsome samurai. The two immediately fall in love. However, she knows that they are already doomed. Yet, no matter how hard she tries to resist, she cannot deny the love they have for each other. Can the two of them find a way to be together or are they fated to be apart forever?

      Princess Saiko is a fun character. She is very intelligent and has a passion for art, books, and poetry. She is also very feisty and can fight. She is very loyal and is willing to do her duty as a princess. Still, she can sometimes be a very frustrating character. She is very reckless. I also did not like her actions. I think that the story would have flowed better had she been more open and straightforward. There were moments that I thought that she was weak. I thought that the romance between Saiko and Takamori felt a bit forced and would have liked more time to develop naturally. I also thought that Takamori needed more character development, for he seemed to be one-dimensional throughout the story.

      Overall, this story is about finding one’s happiness. I thought the story was a bit repetitive at times. It was also very slow-moving and drawn-out. I did however, love the setting of medieval Japan. I thought the author had done her homework on Japanese history. I also thought the book to be very well-written. While I did not like Lady of the Bridge as well as her other novel, Lady of the Imperial City, I did find it to be touching and romantic. I really loved the ending. I recommend this story for those interested in star-crossed love stories and Asian romances.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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