Wow. I swear, Kennedy Ryan's writing never fails to deliver. This is my second read from her, and while Before I Let Go was incredibly raw and real in a personal way, The Kingmaker is intellectual and ambitious in its themes. Politics, especially its effects on the marginalized and climate change. My dormant activist? protester? feelings were stirred.

"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." Say it louder for the people at the back. Lennix's beliefs echo some of mine, and I related so much to her and her story. Her bravery and strong will sets her apart from characters I've read about before.

Maxim was a bit harder for me to understand due to his ambition and arrogance, but I respect his passion and perseverance for the people he loves and the pursuits he deems important.

But this was above all a love story, told over the course of a decade. Their chemistry was magnetic and palpable from the start, but they had a lot to work through including past hurts, messy family situations and the gravity of their own ambitions.

Incredibly well-researched, well-written and informative, this opened my eyes to several issues such as the culture and oppression of Native Americans, dangerous expeditions in the Antarctic, and the energy crisis. Thank you Kennedy Ryan for shedding light on these important topics!

That ending though, what a cliffhanger!

This book was rereleased through @bloombooks last May 23, and I was given this copy to review for free in exchange for my honest opinion. I'm so glad that this goes out to a wider audience now because these are relevant and important.

Excellent, excellent book from start to finish! I enjoyed learning about the history of Indigenous people, and what they continue to go through. I also enjoyed the chemistry that Lennix and Maxim had and how their love story evolved. I can’t wait to read Rebel King and to continue to learn more about them.

This is my fourth book of hers that I've read and each time, I'm always awed by the passion that the female main character always have - for her work, for her family, and for herself. Despite them being a romance, for me it's also just so empowering to read about these women and it makes you root not only for the romance to happen but also for their dreams to thrive.

The Kingmaker is definitely one of them. I love Lennix and I love Maxim, and I love that they each have a passion they're pursuing. One thing I love was also learning about the environment through them, and that their passion includes saving people and saving the world (as Lennix and Maxim say themselves). Despite them being separated for so long, you can still tell they love each other and that they have a pull towards each other.

The Kingmaker is my first Kennedy Ryan book and I was immediately captivated by Ryan’s illustrative, powerful writing and the romance she weaves across a decade. Lennix and Maxim are two unstoppable forces drawn to each other no matter the time passed or physical distance separating them.

In addition to the spicy romance, Ryan tackles several complex, pressing issues facing the US and the world: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) and climate change. Did you know that murder is the 3rd leading cause of death for Native women?
Personally, I loved how Ryan highlighted an issue that rarely gets attention through Lennix’s heritage, her tenacity, and her commitment to fight for her people.

Part of a duology, The Kingmaker had me laughing, crying, and on the edge of my seat. The ending only has me anxious to dive into book #2, The Rebel King.

Overall, I loved it and I can’t wait for more! 👑

LIKES:
👥 Dual POV (Lennix & Maxim)
🌱 Environmentalist themes
🆔 Indigenous peoples rep (Yavapai-Apache)
💞 2nd-ish chance romance
💵 Billionaire romance
🌶️ The spice
🗳️ Political drama

The romance would be better without the time jumps. Just when I think the story is really going, would turn the page and there would be another time jump. I liked both the characters, Kennedy Ryan is clearly skilled at developing depth with characters in a short amount of time.

The story was also a little heavy handed with the messaging while not having the male character realize his own privilege. His main stand point was rebelling against his father, "supporting himself", but his idea of supporting himself was a large inheritance (which he says is modest, but 6 years of school and living expenses at Berkley did not exhaust it) without acknowledging how that inheritance was originally earned by his grandmother.

Lennix Moon Hunter is a Native American activist following in her mother's footsteps, a woman who went missing years ago. We meet her when she is a seventeen year old protester who gets thrown in jail. Maxim is a grad student who sustained injuries trying to protect her during the protest.

Flash forward 10 years where they meet in Amsterdam and spend one week together. They plan to reunite until Lennix discovers Maxim's real name, and what his family does for a living. Another time jump and Lennix is now a political consultant who is so successful in getting candidates elected they call her The Kingmaker. When encounters Maxim and his family again, she's much more savvy, and very unforgiving.

I liked this story. I liked the political aspects of it. I liked that Lennix didn't give up her dreams for a guy but followed her own path. While I knew this was the first book in a series the ending came out of nowhere and didn't seem to fit with who these characters were. And outside of the political thread the story didn't seem to interest me.

Thank you, Netgalley, for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I firstly want to say how incredible it is to know that Kennedy Ryan consulted Native Americans to portray their culture and ceremonies and possibly even their plights when it comes to preserving their reservations as accurately as possible. Native Americans DESERVE that

Now, I could resonate with Lennix a lot as a young african american women when it comes to grief and being used a political ploy to get votes from our community and other marginalized groups. Lenny is young and brave and much like her mother, didn’t rest, always fighting for what she wanted.
Maxim, wanting to make a difference but not wanting to disappoint his family even though he knew he would and could possibly leave them estranged is also something many could relate to. Max was very well-written and easy to like.

Max and Lenny’s chemistry was unmatched from the day he got bit by a dog to protect her. A young man finding his way and a teenage girl fighting for preservation of her and her ancestors home to be kept intact. Fated, they meet again for a week in Amsterdam and it was one hell of a week before Max gets stuck at sea before being recused by his father who was hoping for gratitude in the form of working for the company Max is trying to go against. Lenny, finally understanding and realizing who Max is wants nothing to do with him. Personally, I understand both sides, Max wanted to enjoy his very limited time with Lenny despite the last name, but to Lenny he lied and took away her right to choose. But none of that stops fate when they are reunited 10 years where Max orchestrated a way to get Lenny on his brother, Owen’s presidential campaign, hoping to get a second chance with the woman he couldn’t stop thinking about, and he does.

I ran through all of the emotions i didn’t know i could run through in such a short amount of time, but why would you leave us on a cliffhanger? C’mon lol

The Kingmaker is a rerelease for Kennedy Ryan, but this was my first time reading it. It is a powerful story about Maxim Cade and Lennox Moon Hunter. Maxim is an ambitious, driven young man who rebels against his oil tycoon father with his goals of saving the planet with clean energy and green manufacturing and technologies. Lennox is a young woman who is straddling two cultures, that of her white father and her Apache mother. The two meet initially when Lennox is only seventeen and Maxim runs into a protest against one of his father’s oil pipelines to prevent Lennox from the bite of a Doberman. Despite the pull they feel toward each other the timing is not right, but they will have more chances in the future.

I was immediately drawn into this story about two very intense, driven individuals who are so perfectly suited for each other. Their emotional connection and chemistry is palpable and so very hot. The barriers of distance, disparate backgrounds, and fear strive to keep this couple apart as they find success in their chosen career paths. One cannot help wanting them to find each other and their happily ever after. Both Maxim and Lennox are well developed, multidimensional characters. The reader is able to see their positive qualities as well as their flaws. I am incredibly impressed with the amount of research this author must have done to write so knowledgeably about the issues faced by Native American women and the reality of American history seen through a Native American lens, the process of the political campaigning, and the issue of climate change and what can be done to address the way we use resources to be more earth friendly. This book ends in a devastating cliffhanger just when everything seems to be right. It has left me on the edge of my seat anxiously waiting for the sequel to end this limbo. I strongly recommend this book to readers of romance novels, especially those who love to read books about BIPOC characters. I personally adored it. I am voluntarily submitting this independent review after reading an advanced complementary copy thanks to Netgalley and Bloom Books.

A whirlwind of a book. I was drawn in from the first page. The characters leap to life, and kept me involved in their issues and adventures. The ending was, however, horrifying, if quite realistic, and I had to google the author to see that this is one in a series. Apparently we get more of the story in the next book. I’m not sure this worked for me, much as the story up to that point was fantastic.
Will look forward to continuing the story when the next book is released.
Thanks to NetGalley Bloom Books for a free advance copy to read and provide feedback.

Kennedy Ryan is such an amazing writer and I have heard so many great things about this series. I need to get my hands on a physical version of this book as soon as possible to be able to write notes and tab it. LOVED IT

Thank you, NetGalley!! The Kingmaker, by Kennedy Ryan...this book!!!! The best words I can use to describe the writing is vivid and smart. I learned things while reading this one! I loved the chemistry between Lennix and Maxim, and their dialogue is perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourebooks for the eARC.

Kennedy Ryan is just a superb writer. This book is so hard to put down! I loved Lennix throughout. Can’t wait for book 2!

This book 😭😭😭😭😭😭

I have no freaking words. I want to scream at everyone to drop everything and read this book this instant. How has this book been out in the world so long without my picking it up to read it? I feel like I should go into a box of shame right this instant because how could I have not met Lennix & Maxen before this week?!

I swear I stayed up two consecutive nights reading this book until 4 in the morning until I finished it because I could not bear to put it down. This book not only opened my eyes to the issue of SO many Native American women disappearing and no one in power doing anything about it but it just tore at my heartstrings in so many freaking different ways.

And that the main characters reunited only to separate again with one trying to go die like the Titanic and to reunite again only to separate AGAIN this time for TEN freaking years?! Gah. I didn’t think I would survive the up and downs that this book and it’s characters put me through. Oh! And just when I thought all was well && I would get my happily ever after with all the babies? Sigh.. that cliffhanger.

Anyways. Go read this book!

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!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5⭐️

i just loved this book. i love a guy who knows what he wants and goes after it. and the fact that after 10 years, maxim still wanted lennix is just - . i need to find me a man who will fall that in love with me in a week but clearly i'm doing something wrong.

i loved how strong-willed lennix is and how she fought for what she wanted and believed was right and didn't care who got in her path to defending that. and the fact that maxim is so in love with the planet that he would go to so many dangerous lengths to save it - like where does one find a man like that.

i highly recommend this book and will definitely be reading the second one sometime soon!

I was excited going in to this one as, Kennedy Ryan's book Before I Let Go is a top favorite of mine and it was the book that introduced me to this author. My hopes were high based off that book and I must say although good , it didn't meet the same mark for me. It would be unfair for me to say it wasn't a good story because I went in already thinking it was going to hold up to Before I Let Go. I think. If I had read this first I would of given it a higher rating.

Kennedy truly took the time to ensure that the cultural aspects and the heritage of the Native-Americans were accurately reflected and you could tell. The strength of the female main character both in the current timeline and growing up with mer mom as an example is phenomenal. Maxim and Lennix each have their own high level of passion to do good that makes them likable and unstoppable. I did get frustrated at times with Maxim and his selfishness. Each time jump surprised me more than the last. This was more than just a romance story. And Oof…. That cliffhanger…I definitely want to read the rest of this series (All the King’s Men).

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kennedy Ryan does it again!! This book takes you throughout Lennix and Maxim's adult lives and how they leave come back to each other. It taught me so much about MMIW that I hadn't previously learned. It was done so beautifully and carefully you can tell that Kennedy really took her time with beta and sensitivity readers to do it well. Lennix is such a strong heroine I can relate to her and learn from her in so many ways. Even at such a young age she holds such convictions that are admirable, it shows that marginalized people don't have the privilege to do certain things and it's not even a thought. I can't say to much without revealing several spoilers.

This book brought out so many emotions in me and like with all her books I need to read them in several different sittings in order to process them all fully. I cannot wait to immediately indulge myself in book #2.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review as always all words are my own.

Great romance full of substance. I enjoyed reading this story that was filled with environmental activism, political games, and two people that fight for what they believe. The author did a great job in delivering well-built characters that were pretty loveable, the storyline and the dialogue were excellently delivered so it was not hard to imagine everything while reading. I can't wait to read the next part of this installment and see how things will continue.

Kennedy Ryan's newest work pulled at my heartstrings, was full of plot twists and turns, and that ending, what a way to get me anxiously awaiting book #2!

I admit this was not what I was expecting when I requested the dARC of this work, which thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy in exchange for my honest review, but I am glad I gave it a read!

Told from the perspective of Lennix and Maxim over the course of more than a decade, the characters had me hooked from the start. I usually don't enjoy alternating perspectives, but I didn't find it confusing to follow along in this book. Full of great supporting characters, descripting settings, and a great start to a series. At times it was predictable but that isn't something to hold against this book. I can't wait to read more.