Actual rating: 4.5 
 Fortune's Pawn was fantastic and so much fun! There are so many enticing reasons to be sucked into this series and I'm desperate to buy the second and third books immediately. 
 Devi Morris is a kickass mercenary and she knows it. She's worked her butt off to get to the high rank she's currently at. But she wants more. Her goal is to become a member of the king's own armoured unit as a Devastator. Unfortunately, she might just get herself killed before then as she takes on a security role on Captain Caldswell's Glorious Fool, a ship notorious for its high death count. However, that's not going to stop Devi by any means. Her ambitions come first and she'll do anything to fulfill them. 
 I loved Devi's character so much and she has easily become one of my favourite book heroines. I admire how she does what she wants to get what she wants, and won't let anybody tell her she can't do it. She knows she can be crazy and she embraces it wholeheartedly. This can-do attitude applies to everything from her job to her personal life. If she's attracted to a man, she goes after him. She's also snarky as hell, a complete menace when it comes to the battlefield, and has the most loving relationship with her armour and weapons (she has names for all of them). 
 The story itself is so highly entertaining with its fast pace, intense fight scenes, gripping plot twists, and diverse cast of characters. I can't think of a time I was ever bored or distracted from the plot, and with an ending like that, I'm frantically seeking more pages. 
 The only thing that knocked the rating for this book down a half star for me is a teeny weeny issue with the romance. I like the love interest well enough and you can feel the chemistry between them through the pages, but there's something about it that's not completely pulling me in. But I'm sure that won't be an issue in the next books as I'm already far too interested in this story and characters. 
 I'm so, so happy I picked this book up on a whim and I can't wait to read on!