With a sharp tongue and an unruly temper, Sage Fowler is not what they’d call a lady―which is perfectly fine with her. Deemed unfit for 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. Amid secret identities and a tempestuous romance, Sage becomes caught in a dangerous balancing act that will determine the fate of her kingdom.

I've been aggressively focused on reducing my TBR pile this year. The Traitor's Kiss has been on the list for quite some time and I had been coming off of two books that just couldn't capture my interest (enough to delete them from my shelves without a rate). I was wondering if it was me...and then I got sucked in and finished this in a day.

NOTE: I'm so sad this book wasn't a standalone (it was literally perfect for one). I'm mentally rewriting the last couple of pages and pretending that the next two books don't exist.

The novel starts with Sage having to attend the matchmaker. She tries her best to do right by her family and still gets disgraced by being herself. That said, it's little wonder she lost her temper when the entire appointment was the antithesis to the value her much loved and deceased father instilled in her. To Sage's shock, it was actually the matchmaker's plan all along. She knew that Sage was not one for marriage and used it to make her more pliable to what she really wanted: Sage as an apprentice. And she's actually a darn good apprentice.

Too often in these time periods it's all too clear what women can't do (or control) in their own lives, the rampant classism, and their petty squabbles—certainly present here—but what I loved was also how it highlighted some of the ways in which women are powerful despite their circumstances. It's not necessarily so different from some of the subtle manipulations that women have to do in modern day society but it's still a highlight that makes a huge impact on the story. Through astute observations, sharp intelligence, and her ability to read people and their motivations, Sage is an integral part of the plot...in the most subtle of ways.

Quinn is an up-and-coming captain of a military unit. The closeness his unit displays really communicates that they've been through it together...and I actually like ALL of them. When Quinn's unit is assigned to guard the important group of brides—part in punishment, part in trust—he assigns a member (Ash) to go undercover.

Sage is slightly awkward when left to her own devices and happens to irritate Ash when conversing together in the library. Trying to cover for the flash of temper, Ash lets Sage believe he can't read. Wanting to make up for her overstep, she offers to teach him...and thus starts an intriguing relationship wherein Sage starts noticing inconsistencies and Ash suspects she may be a spy for the enemy. As they each try to sus each other out, we're teased with more and more details behind the political threat. When they finally join forces, Ash and Sage grow closer through mutual admiration. It's a perfect blend of military tactics with secrets and spying.

And when Sage figures out the political threat...battle commences and I was enthralled until the end. I cannot praise Beaty more for her intriguing characters and a great plot. No lags, no fluff, all greatness.

Recommended for lovers of smart female leads with men that appreciate them for it.