Kennedy Ryan

THE KINGMAKER is the epic and powerful first installment in the All The King’s Men Duet by USA Today bestselling and RITA® Award winning author, Kennedy Ryan. Power. Passion. Betrayal. Raised to rule, bred to lead and weaned on a diet of ruthless ambition. In a world of haves and have nots, my family has it all, and I want nothing to do with it. My path takes me far from home and paints me as the black sheep. At odds with my father, I'm determined to build my own empire. I have rules, but Lennix Hunter is the exception to every one of them. From the moment we meet, something sparks between us. But my family stole from hers and my father is the man she hates most. I lied to have her, and will do anything to keep her. Though she tries to hate me, too, the inexorable pull between us will not be denied. And neither will I.

The Kingmaker

RITA(R) Award Winner Kennedy Ryan delivers a tale that spans the globe from the iconic canals of Amsterdam, under Antarctica's midnight sun and all the way to Pennsylvania Avenue in America's capital. One power couple. Two star-crossed lovers.

Sara Uribe

I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


Why in the hell did I wait so damn long to read this book?!

This is the BEST book I’ve read this year. Wow! I honestly don’t know what I could say that could accurately convey how this book made me feel. Not even 5% in and I knew this book was going to keep me in a chokehold. And it did. But, am I really surprised though?? It’s a book by Kennedy Ryan and she does such a phenomenal job constructing a beautiful story about love but always with a deeper meaning.

Maxim and Lennix are such strong, independent, intelligent individuals. These two touched my heart deeply. I love the growth we see from beginning to end and can’t wait to see where things take us in book two. Talk about a real punch to the gut with that ending. Excuse me while I cry for the next few days since I can’t read book two right away 😭

ANOTHER top read for 2023!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Michaella 

5 stars to The Kingmaker and The Girl Who Chases Stars!   

 This was an impactful, gripping, and powerful book that tackles roughly about family and passion with the depiction of relevant issues on diverse cultural heritage and disturbances of environmental matters.   

• the native american representation and diverse cultural heritage depiction and thorough research on relevant issues especially the disturbances of environmental and cultural aspects which I thoroughly enjoyed  

• political dealings (as implied by its title, Lennix is the Kingmaker, she reminds me of Olivia from the TV series Scandal, tho she is not a lawyer) 

 •  strong, powerful, and tenacious main characters  

 •  impressive writing and wonderfully done premise   

Overall, this was a prevalent book everyone should read. It left me with an unforgettable impression. However, the only downside of this was the conclusion, it ended with a cliffhanger! 

 Disclosure: Massive thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review. 

mikee ♡

5 stars to The Kingmaker and The Girl Who Chases Stars!   

 This was an impactful, gripping, and powerful book that tackles roughly about family and passion with the depiction of relevant issues on diverse cultural heritage and disturbances of environmental matters.   

Thoughts:  

• the native american representation and diverse cultural heritage depiction and thorough research on relevant issues especially the disturbances of environmental and cultural aspects which I thoroughly enjoyed  

• political dealings (as implied by its title, Lennix is the Kingmaker, she reminds me of Olivia from the TV series Scandal, tho she is not a lawyer) 

 •  strong, powerful, and tenacious main characters  

 •  impressive writing and wonderfully done premise   

Overall, this was a prevalent book everyone should read. It left me with an unforgettable impression. However, the only downside of this was the conclusion, it ended with a cliffhanger! 

 Disclosure: Massive thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Maxim Cade meets Lennix Hunter for the first time when she is 17 years old and leading a rally designed to keep Maxim's father from building an oil pipeline across sacred Native American burial grounds.  Maxim doesn't believe in what his father is doing and ends up in jail with Lennix and the other protesters.  Ten years later Maxim and Lennix meet again in Amsterdam and begin an affair that is doomed from the start because Maxim is heading for Antarctica on a research expedition and Lennix is headed to Oklahoma to work for an up and coming Native American politician.  Even though Maxim can't stop thinking about Lennix, he knows that a secret he has been keeping may jeopardize any relationship they might have.

The Kingmaker begins the All the King's Men duology.  While the plot is well written, the characters come across as a bit flat and their feelings for one another underwhelming.  Some of the choices the protagonists make in the story seem over dramatized and somewhat shallow.  The political story line holds some appeal but a lack of interest in the characters makes it difficult to care about what happens to them during the story.  Overall, considering all of the hype over The Kingmaker, I expected a much more engrossing book. 

Lynn Braden

Maxim Cade meets Lennix Hunter for the first time when she is 17 years old and leading a rally designed to keep Maxim's father from building an oil pipeline across sacred Native American burial grounds.  Maxim doesn't believe in what his father is doing and ends up in jail with Lennix and the other protesters.  Ten years later Maxim and Lennix meet again in Amsterdam and begin an affair that is doomed from the start because Maxim is heading for Antarctica on a research expedition and Lennix is headed to Oklahoma to work for an up and coming Native American politician.  Even though Maxim can't stop thinking about Lennix, he knows that a secret he has been keeping may jeopardize any relationship they might have.

The Kingmaker begins the All the King's Men duology.  While the plot is well written, the characters come across as a bit flat and their feelings for one another underwhelming.  Some of the choices the protagonists make in the story seem over dramatized and somewhat shallow.  The political story line holds some appeal but a lack of interest in the characters makes it difficult to care about what happens to them during the story.  Overall, considering all of the hype over The Kingmaker, I expected a much more engrossing book. 

🧸

the end got me so confused like this was a romance right?😭

menna

this took me waaay longer to read than i thought it would. It was slow in some places but I adored it!

Lover of Romance 

I really wanted to love this book more, I really did. I had such high hopes when seeing all the great reviews from fellow book bloggers, so I decided to grab it up and start reading. And this is my FIRST Kennedy Ryan. So I definitely had high expectations. But to be honest this book was a struggle. I didn’t even finish it all the way through , I did get through most of it and yeah many things wrong with it. First is the romance, there was NO chemistry that I felt being built between the two characters. I just did’t connect with the story in any way and I think the main issue I had was the fact that this book was pretty much a political point that REPLACES the actual romance. Look I have no issue if you want to insert some political issues here and there in a story BUT it should never actually be replacing what I am looking for....a sexy romance romp. It just seemed like a whole Greta address for the whole book, it was pretty heavy and consistent all the way through and got so tedious and I just couldn’t take it. I still plan on read some other books by this author but I read romance for romance and not for a political missile field of knowledge dumps. There was so much potential for this story so it just saddens me that I couldn’t enjoy it like I wanted to.

Megan Lowe

3.75 stars.

I have to admit, this book wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. Usually after I read one of Kennedy’s books I’m left with a sense of wonder. Here, it’s more of a story than a general sense of wowness.
I really liked Maxim, he’s a great character and total book boyfriend material.
Lennix is a strong, steely woman, which i love in my fmcs.
But I’d didn’t feel as inspired as I expected after reading this book. I’m not even sure if I’m going to read the second book.
I just don’t think this is my kind of romance, but do remain a fan of Kennedy’s.

Anastasia 

This was such a good read 

The pacing, the plot , the writing ....so beautiful and lose the back stories and how it's relatable to marginalised communities....I can't wait to read book 2 

I can't think of better way to end my February TBR ...than with this book and poppy war of course ....this was a great ...I loved it

Nimo

I CANT DESCRIBE HOW PERFECT THIS BOOK IS TO ME!! IT IS LITERALLY MADEEE FOR ME!:!:!:!: 
best believe I’m rr this monthly

Lydia White

"I feel chagrined and incredibly turned on and concerned about the planet all of a sudden. I want to recycle and dry hump him in the middle of the square."
  

mood. 

I really enjoyed this book and will continue on with the rest of the series. If you like your romance with a bit more substantial conversations about important real world topics including climate change, missing and murdered indigenous women, and indigenous land rights, then I think you'll like this! Lennix and Maxim are still early in their relationship so I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops over the next book.

It does kind of veer on the side of insta-love (which is one of my least faves tropes) but I think the way that Kennedy Ryan describes the connection between Lennix and Maxim makes me feel like it's a bit more plausible, and didn't deter me as much as it usually would. Also, there's a number of time jumps which is also not my favourite but ... I could look past them for the purpose of progressing the story.

Sheena

Unpopular opinion- I get the instant chemistry but the instant love is killing me slowly and how the storyline is dragging put a damper on my overall reading experience. Sadly I have yet to find what all the hype is about and it just wasn't worth the time nor energy to figure it out.

Preye

Dnf @ 58%
Don't stone me but.... I didn't love this. I believe I might belong to the minority and my opinion might be a bit compromised because I went in with so much expectations. I was disappointed really. I liked the politics part and how the characters were very passionate about their environment and all that, but there was just something about this book. Havent read anything by this author so it might just be that I'm not used to her style but the writing feels choppy. Also, the time skips were annoying and some of the descriptions were pretty redundant in the story. I may or may not read this one again when I'm in a better frame of mind, but until then.

Grace O'Callaghan

I've heard so much about Kennedy Ryan and it's safe to say I'm not disappointed. 

Lennix and Maxim are some of the best characters I've read about in romance. Such clear personalities with motivations you understand completely, even if you don’t like their actions.

Lennix is a spirited woman who wants to fight for the unheard voices by helping political candidates get elected that are willing to listen to marginalised voices. She’s just passionate about wanting the best for others.

Maxim is similar to Lennix as he too is very passionate, but also stubborn. As he’s made himself a billionaire it’s clear that he’s ruthless and will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Together, Maxim and Lennix are a force to be reckoned with. Their personalities do clash sometimes, but ultimately their love for each other is so deep that they just work. It helps that they have a lot of history together that their love seems inevitable and right.

The plot is a wild one. If you don’t like reading about politics and dramatic and tense scenes in your romance, don’t pick this one up. I’m not saying that romance can’t tackle topics like politics. But for me, especially when the world is getting more political, it’s nice to step away from that. Even just for a fiction book, it feels good to not have to think about politics for a bit.

I loved the emphasis on family and what it’s like to be estranged from them. It’s explored more in the second book but I still loved what was said here.

Overall, a great start to this political romance. Trust me, you’re going to want to pick up the second book after that cliffhanger.

Alexis Rader

I could not put this book down. It was the perfect blend between romance, danger and important situations that are so important to today's world. I can not wait to dive into the second book since that cliff hanger is roughhh.

b.andherbooks

I waited to this weekend to read THE KING MAKER by Kennedy Ryan because I knew I'd need to sit with my feels. You don't read one of her luscious stories without being completely consumed.

Wow. Explosive and challenging, and ah I screamed at that ending. Cannot wait to read THE REBEL KING on November 18th. 

If you don't want to know anything else, stop reading here. The rest of the review is mildly spoilery.

I appreciated the author's call to attention for her sensitivity readers and the time she took to research Lennix's heritage and her call to stand up for her beliefs and find a career and calling to advance them.

This story spans decades and I did kind of wish Lennix wasn't a minor when she first met Maxim, but YMMV. Nothing happened between them then, but still. I absolutely adored their second meeting in Amsterdam, I've been twice, and loved watching these two young, beautiful people fall in love and then lose it so quickly. So heart wrenching!

Ryan loves to kick you in the heart and write powerful characters, so I'm intrigued to see how this story ends.

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads.


It takes a special author to make me pick up the first book in a duet before the second is published. Kennedy Ryan is one of those special authors. I'm not a big fan of cliffhangers. (And boy does this one have a doozy.) I'm counting down the days until book two's release, but I regret nothing. The Kingmaker was gorgeous and gave me all the feels while totally putting me through the wringer. 

Lennix is easily one of my new favorite heroines. She's the embodiment of strength and determination. I'd call her amazing, but even that's not strong enough a word to describe her. I was in awe of her throughout this entire book. Maxim is pretty wonderful in his own right. The two of them together? Incredible. The passion, the power, and the chemistry was intense. As is often the case with Kennedy's books, The Kingmaker tackles some tough topics but does so in a way that's eye-opening and respectful without ever feeling preachy. 

I want to be cautious not to say too much about the storyline here. I feel like you really just need to experience the ride that is The Kingmaker. The balance of politics and romance was absolute perfection. Everything about this book hooked me from the prologue. Before I knew it, I was halfway through the book trying to decide whether to savor it or devour it. (I chose to devour, btw.) When the characters, story and words are this good, I have to take it all in as quickly as possible. 

The Kingmaker was beautiful and relevant, full of fiery passion and plenty of emotions. Now I just need the second book. ASAP, please. Thank goodness the wait isn't that long. I need more Lennix and Maxim feels. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Favorite Quotes:

On rare occasion, you come across someone who just gets you, and you don't have to figure out your place. Wherever you are is okay. I think he could be a "wherever you are" person.

Some people leave an impression. Lennix Moon Hunter has left more than an impression. She's left her mark on me. And it's shaped like a star.

Injustice never rests and neither will I.

If a kiss has a color, this one is the muted shades of the sky overhead, a ménage à trois of midnight and indigo and moonshine silver. If a kiss has a sound, this one is the concert of our breaths and sighs and moans. If a kiss has a taste, it tastes like this. Hunger flavored with yearning and spiced with desperation. With bites and growls and tender licks and soothing whispers. Perfectly served portions of sweet and scorching.

"I have to go make my world, but when the time is right, I'll be back for you." 

"Just promise you'll stop fighting for everyone else long enough to find something for yourself."

window

Deducted a full star for literally leaving the reader with a cliffhanger at the end of the book. Call me old fashioned, nay even curmudgeonly, but I believe that authors owe their readers a full and complete story arc within each novel. It's fine to leave some threads open for a sequel/series, but readers should not have to buy and read a whole other book just to get resolution to the main story arc in the current book. It feels manipulative - almost like the reader is being blackmailed into buying book 2 if they want to find out how book 1 ends. If I know in advance that a book ends with a cliff hanger, I won't even give it a try.

OK, I've jumped down from my No Cliffhangers soapbox and fortunately, I didn't know this book ends the way it does or I might have skipped it and missed out on really great story. It helps that both books in the duet are available via Kindle Unlimited, so I don't feel quite as salty about things as I would if I had to pay for a second book to see how the first ends. 

All I can say here is wow! Epic love story, two equally strong-willed and accomplished main characters, and a diverse cast of characters are all here. I also learned quite a lot about Native American heritage and many of the current issues that plague indigenous people, rooted in our country's history. I love learning things and being exposed to other perspectives when I read as long as it doesn't feel I'm being lectured. These issues were so much an integral part of the characters and plot that it felt very organic. 

The fraught family dynamics between Maxim and his father were also interesting and compelling - the author managed to render them in a way that the nuances and conflict of a parent-child relationship where there is love but also animosity felt very authentic.

Chantale

I have been a fan of Kennedy Ryan for a while now and I have reviewed a couple of her books on my blog in the past couple of years.



I started reading this one in the late morning and kept reading it because I couldn't put it down. I lost track of time and almost forgot to make supper.



I love this story. It is very well written and it got me hooked. I loved Lennix and Maxim.



I do recommend this.



I am giving this 5 out of 5.

Jo H

Indigi-athon 2019

Edited 18.07.21; a sudden burst of inspiration hit me because at the time I was incapable of putting my thoughts into words. So here it is.

WOW. What an introduction to a Top Tier Author. She is one that I trust, implicitly, to write romance that is more than just a romance, even though it doesn't and shouldn't need to be more than that. And if ever there was a character that I aspire to be... Lennix Moon Hunter is her.

This was my first KR read and I'm still kicking myself that I waited this long (well Nov 2019) to read her work. With this first experience, I was sold on her being a favourite even before I had finished the absolutely beautiful prologue. Reading Lennix's journey into her cultural womanhood was a pure feast for my eyes and heart and a sublime introduction to one Boss Bitch Babe😘. I'm not an Indigenous person let alone Yavapai-Apache, so really my opinion on that aspect of the story is of little value and I have no knowledge of how well it was portrayed*, but it had me in tears with how respectful and uplifting it appeared to my uneducated mind. 

Despite everything that I've since discovered is a cut above in all of this author's books, the single most amazing power in THIS one, in particular, was her having me not just accept but loving the parts of the characters that I would usually turn my nose up at, because of how well she wielded them in this story. There are some things that I hate with a passion in a romance that 99% of the time sours my opinion of what I read no matter how good the story and characters are or how well it's written (I am that fed up of seeing these all over romancelandia) and those things include an arrogant billionaire MMC and a (special snowflake) virgin FMC - especially if these are together. KR SOLD me on both of these in The Kingmaker simply because of the way she wrote them (Lennix was not in any which way or form a special snowflake about her 'purity'!) and the strength of their characters. There is such authenticity to them as people without all of the cliches that most often come with those archetypes which was such an incredible relief. It also helps that Lennix is absolutely an Alpha Female to match Maxim's (non assholey!) Alpha Male and to say that I need more Alpha Females in CR is putting it mildly. 

Also, with this trilogy (including Lennix's BFF Kimba's story in Queen Move) in particular, I really appreciated the strength of the political and social justice commentary and commend the author for that aspect. It is such a rarity to see such things included in romance as unapologetically and powerfully as is done here, and whilst I understand that is not for everyone, I think that is probably a big part of why I loved Lennix and Maxim's story so much. Because of that, I'm partially glad that this was my first experience of her work. I love me some lighthearted and fun, (and the absurdist!!!) pure escapist romance, but I LOVE this type of hard hitting, realist adjacent and 'aware' narrative too and really am so grateful for the indie authors that give it to those of us that want - no need and crave it.

Whilst there were a couple of things that did rub me the wrong way and in a lesser book would have had a major impact, they didn't take away from the fact that that this is a first class romance or affect my rating; I just could not give this any less than 5 stars because of everything that spoke to me about it. Because of that, I'm not going to bother mentioning those things. TBH, I'm still not able to really fully espouse how fantastic, heartfelt, SUPERBLY written and characterised and sexy As Fuck(!) the actual romance in this book is; needless to say, it converted me to a stan of the author for life. I am just glad that I had book 2 on standby else I don't know how I would have survived that cliffhanger!

For those readers wanting topical commentary (and she covers a multitude of issues that affect contemporary lives in her books), with an array of different types of characters set in the midst of epic and 🔥🔥🔥 romance, do yourselves a favour and READ KENNEDY RYAN. Not just this trilogy, but everything she has written. I'm working my way through her catalogue and have not yet had a single experience that is less than a 4.5 star (and that was only 2 and for petty reasons😆, out of the 8 I've read to date). 

*I do understand from some opinions that it was masterfully done due to copious amounts of research and sensitivity readers - which comes as no surprise whatsoever.

Lacey

This book is ABSOLUTE PERFECTION. It deserves all the stars and all the love. I haven’t felt this giggly and excited about a read in a while, but The Kingmaker blew. me. away. It’s sexy, smart, aware – I LOVED the way Kennedy Ryan blended the romance and politics. Also… Maxim and Lennix were on fire together!!! This book without a doubt is definitely going on my best of 2019 list and right now I’m willing to do anything to get my hands on the sequel.

It’s been a while since my last Kennedy Ryan read, but reading The Kingmaker reminded me of how much I love her writing. Everything from the romance, the second chance, the heroine’s Native American heritage, the hero’s sustainability ambitions, all were seamlessly blended together in a thoughtful, meaningful, and addicting read. Have I mentioned how much I love this book?

When Lennix and Maxim first meet, they find an instantaneous connection together over their youthful ambition and desire for a better world. She’s trying to save her Native American ancestors’ land, and she doesn’t know that he’s the son of the corporation’s CEO trying to destroy that land. They never expect to see each other again after their time in jail after a protest, but years later, they reunite in a chance encounter in Amsterdam. They have one week left before they move to opposite sides of the Earth, but they use that week to its fullest. Theirs is a whirlwind, passionate romance that had me swooning and wanting an HEA for them, even though I knew they wouldn’t get one… yet.

“How does it feel knowing you could bring a man like me to my knees?”

The Kingmaker is divided into three parts, and the last part is the second chance Maxim and Lennix deserve ten years later. It’s a beautiful, emotional, and sexy as hell second chance. Lennix wants nothing to do with Maxim and Maxim is determined to win the heart of the woman who stole his a decade ago. If you thought these two were steamy in their 20s, that’s NOTHING compared to them in their 30s. They’re all grown up now, Maxim especially. You will absolutely be fanning yourself over this man, his desire to save Mother Nature, and how single-minded he is to make Lennix love him again.

He was my first. Ten years ago when we made love, I didn’t know a passion like this was rare, something to be coveted and chased and clutched, but tonight, I know it’s a comet shooting across the sky and all we can do is ride its fiery trail.
Now I know.

If there’s a romance you need to read this year, it’s The Kingmaker. Lennix is one of the strongest, most passionate and admirable heroines I’ve ever read. Maxim will have you heart-eyeing for days. I fell so hard for this couple and the first part of their epic love story. Now I am DYING to read The Rebel King!

The Kingmaker

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