Cover of Den of Blades and Briars: The Broken Kingdoms, Book 7

Den of Blades and Briars: The Broken Kingdoms, Book 7

by LJ Andrews

4.6

About this book

Saga stands on the losing side of a brutal war, condemned to a century of servitude to her sworn enemy, Ari Sekundär. Bound by fate and hatred, she prepares to endure a life of forced obedience under the man she blames for her people’s suffering. However, their volatile dynamic shifts when a high-profile assassination casts Ari as a traitor to the crown.

Suddenly, the master and his reluctant servant are forced into a desperate flight for survival, stripping away the safety of their roles. As they navigate a treacherous landscape of fae magic and Viking-inspired danger, the lines between animosity and attraction blur. What begins as a bitter rivalry ignites into a forbidden passion that threatens to consume them both.

Yet, Saga harbors a lethal secret: Ari’s growing affection for her is a catalyst for destruction. If he surrenders his heart, he risks unraveling a hidden power that could topple the kingdom and seal Saga’s fate. In this reimagining of The Swan Princess, Saga must decide if the cost of their connection is worth the ruin of everything they know, or if their love is the very blade that will end them.

Available Formats

Audiobook: $0.00 Audiobook: $0.00

What readers are saying

Ashley

Den of Blades and Briars

"Omg what a wildly wicked tale! This one leads to the Southern Lands with different kinds of fae and magicks. I loved this dark and action packed story! It was so good! Ari and Saga were fiery together. I enjoyed their banter! The story has so much going on and I loved how it all weaved together. There’s also ties with the other books as well so do read in order! Ari was an entertaining sharp witted character who was possessive and charming. I loved learning more about him and his past! Saga was a puzzle I loved to unravel. I enjoyed watching her grow into the woman she was always meant to be. If you love enemies to lovers, banter, forced proximity, touch her and xx vibes, quest, action, magic, curses, marriage of convenience, my wife, and so much more then do yourself a favor and read this series! ["

May 24, 2025 Verified Purchase
ANNA S.

Caution and beginning of an emotional journey

"This is Ari and Saga’s story in Book 7 of Broken Kingdoms. I bought the ebook version. Starts out after Bracken’s curse on Saga to be Ari’s serf after she was being on the wrong side of their war. After people treat Saga very poorly as being traitor to their king (there are reasons), Ari and Saga bicker a lot at the beginning, not liking each other but Ari’s later actions starts to grow on her not long before they go on the run due to a murder plot that is framing Ari. Cursed to must be close by his side, Saga has lots of secrets she keeps from Ari during the trip and some of them she didn’t know herself due to a curse. Ari has been burned in his past, so he’s dealing with his own issues from his past before he can really start to seeing Saga as a person. There’s a lot of mistrust and secrets going on between them but it takes loads of things on their journey into getting to know each other to get them going. I think this book was more emotional journey story than her previous books I read. There are a couple villains to watch for and plot twists. This is book 1 (of 2) of Saga and Ari’s story, so if you buy this book - you MUST get reign of stars (book 8) to find out what happens after the ending cliffhanger. Calista’s story is in book 9, think. I would’ve put 5 stars on this book but some people might get triggered by any of the sensitive subject matter (rape and physical abuse) in the story or her backstory. There is a warning at beginning of book. In my opinion, it’s not super descriptive or not too overwhelming on the abuse scenes for adults (that is) but it could be really triggering some readers’ anxieties or mental anguish from their past experiences. I do get anxiety attacks (but not from any physical abuse) but I kinda sympathize/understand how Saga has a panic attack in a scene. I hope any of this doesn’t spoil the story too much. I have read about eleven books so far (as I’m writing this) and I am surprised how well LJ Andrew’s stories have pulled me in. I haven’t gotten this entranced into books lately for a really long time. I started with The Ever Seas series (as 3 audiobooks which I think were very good narration with a better male narrator, in my opinion) and then into the Broken Kingdoms (the audiobooks weren’t as great as ever seas, but I had read 7 of the 9 ebooks so far). I suggest reading Broken Kingdoms before the Ever Seas but you can start with Ever Seas series (which are the set stories of the later children of Broken Kingdoms’ main characters). If you rather like pirate stories more, the Ever King is a bit more gruesome than previous Broken Kingdoms books in my opinion. Valen’s stories (first books of the Broken Kingdoms) are violent in some ways but the Ever King’s more villainous pirate-like brutality, in my opinion. Good luck on your book adventures. ["

February 27, 2026 Verified Purchase
Gabby

Broken Kingdoms just gets getter and better!

"I absolutely ADORE Ari and am so happy his story is being told! I have been following the Broken Kingdoms since the 2nd book drop in the series and I can honestly say it just gets better and better. DOBAB had me laughing and crying while simultaneously making me want to throw things. Count down is ON to find out what happens next!!! DOBAB has everything from witty banter, enemies to lovers, touch her you die, and adventure that leaves you needing to keep reading until the early hours of the morning. You can tell that the spice has gone up but it is still done in a way that people who don't like smut won't be offended and those that do like smut, appreciate the build and attention to detail without it being crass and in your face The story is beautifully unfolding and I absolutely cannot wait for more! 💜 ["

February 21, 2023 Verified Purchase
LP

okay…DAMN

"I let myself slow down to finish this book, really envelope my mind with the story.. I was not disappointed. Ari has steadily been my fave character in the series and this entire story was so so so so sooooooo damn good. I am not even mad at the ending but definitely have number eight on deck if you are reading them straight through . I always fear writing too much in a review, I don’t want to accidentally ruin anything . Every books adds to the last making the information you learn this far in such a bombshell. I am living for the twists and turns, I truly did NOT see so much that happened even coming, this series is so damn good. ["

February 22, 2025 Verified Purchase

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