When I say Kennedy Ryan’s talent is unmatched, I whole heartedly mean it. The Kingmaker was yet another masterpiece by her that sucked me in, kept me captivated and quite literally blew me away.

In true Kennedy fashion, her characters were multifaceted and full of depth and I instantly fell in love with each character. Maxim and Lennix were both forces to be reckoned with; strong willed, intelligent, and driven individuals. But together? Together, their chemistry will take your breathe away. Be prepared to relish in all their highs and quiver with suspense throughout their lows.

The Kingmaker is a powerful love story that spans over a decade, so beautifully executed and gripping you won’t be able to put it down.

Mark your calendars for May 23- this is a release you don’t want to miss!

I am so sorry, but this book was so hard for me to get through. I am not a big fan of insta-love trope and that’s exactly what is happening in this story. I loved the representation, yet I couldn’t stand the main character making her whole personality about her being a virgin. Also I feel a great drama coming with the miscommunication trope and I just can’t do this

I absolutely loved Lennix & Maxim! I like their first encounter and how the book shows different time periods. And the spice was ❤️‍🔥
Excited to read The Rebel King!

This book was so good I was completely hooked from the first page couldn't put it down I absolutely loved it

I just love Kennedy Ryan. She writes delicious and binge worthy romance! And I particularly love that she includes under represented populations, bringing them into the light and giving them a voice and space. RUN. RUN to the stores and pick this up 😍

4.5 stars

What I liked:
-Political undercurrent
-Native American representation & education (for me)
-Ryan's author's note about her research process
-Strong female MC
-Strong chemistry between Lennix & Maxim
-Second (and third) chance romance
-Climate advocacy
-He falls first
-Career focused characters

What I didn't like:
-Some of the steam was a bit much for my liking
-Crass/immature dialogue among the men about women
-The time lapses in the plot disrupted the momentum

Looking forward to book 2!

There are three parts to this book following our main characters, Lennix and Maxim, at different points in their life stages. This story highlights a number of important topics, with the main two being; 1) Native Amercian injustice, particularly missing and murdered indigenous women, and 2) the ramifications of fossil fuels on our planet, and finding more sustainable alternatives. The way Kennedy writes the women in this book is amazing; they're all strong, independent, driven, caring, and fighting hard for their cause. Lennix's voice is fierce and loud and determined and unwavering. I love reading empowered women. Maxim's character is endearing, charming, intelligent, and sexy. I felt so many emotions reading this book. It is quite a slow burn, with time jumps spanning over more than ten years. Lennix and Maxim's connection is magnetic, passionate, and intense. And the ending, oh my gosh, that cliffhanger. I need to know what happens immediately. This book is thought-provoking. It's raw, it's real, and it's heartbreaking.

Thank you to Kennedy Ryan, Bloom Books, and NetGalley for this eARC.

this is spicyyyyy! ive always wanted to read a Kennedy Ryan so I was super excited when I got this earc. the writing is unlike any other and I was hooked from the first page.

I received this book as an ARC. Honest review ahead.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I hoped I would. I usually love Kennedy Ryan's books, but this one in particular seems a bit drawn out.

Kennedy Ryan’s writing and storytelling is always gripping. In the first half we get to know the characters and the chemistry between them is off the charts, but as you go on there is no real character development. At 38 and 31 the characters are still the same people they were at 28 and 21 with a bit of added therapy knowledge. If the time-skip had been shorter then this might have made more sense.

The cliffhanger at the end was great though, can't wait for the second book.

This book definitely captured my attention from the first page and did not stop until the end. It was very well written and it is highly addictive. Kennedy Ryan has set the bar for this romance. I loved the characters and they left me wanting more. I can't wait to see what comes next in the series.

This book was good. it had me hooked from the beginning .This is my first Kennedy Ryan. and I really enjoyed reading. Thank you so much net gally and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for this arc. I really a appreciated.

I was really looking forward to this book as I love Kennedy Ryan and loved her last release so much! It was a 5 star for me! This book however, completely fell flat for me. It was not what I expected at all and did not grab my attention and keep it at all. I was rather disappointed because I expected something completely different.

This is an incredibly well written book. A political/ natural science drama with Olivia Pope and Scandal Vibes. The themes and indigenous representation is obviously well researched and respectfully conveyed.

both the MCs are inspirational in their respective fields and I love how strong their views are! The FMC is one of the strongest and most badass characters I’ve ever read.

The connection between the characters was so good, but this was a second chance Romance and the timeline was over 14 or so years. During this time we see both characters progress in their fields of work and we get a lot of the ins and outs of political campaigns that I actually was not very interested in but still found interesting.

I’m loving Kennedy Ryan’s books and can’t wait to read more!

This book was a... wild time. I enjoyed Lennix and Maxim but there were some parts where Maxim's entitlement crossed the line from besotted to obnoxious and I found myself not exactly rooting for them to get back together. Also the cliffhanger?! I wasn't expecting to feel so anxious right when I thought I was in the clear.

I loved this book so much that I immediately started reading the sequel! The pacing throughout the book is energizing for the story since it is set over many years. The book highlights many real issues that affect Indigenous people in society and I think it was done in a respectful way with thorough research.

The two main characters are Lennix Hunter (FMC) and Maxim Cade (MMC) who grew up with different backgrounds but share similar views. Maxim's family is filthy rich due to their oil empire and polluting the planet. Maxim is dedicating his life to building his own empire with clean energy. Lennix is a member of the Yavapai-Apache Nation and she is dedicating her life to fight for the people. The story follows these two determined to save the world as they continue to bump into each other over multiple decades. Will they have their second chance romance?

I am thankful to have received an ARC of the traditional re-release. I hope more people will be able to read it because it is a powerful story. Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I enjoyed this book, I enjoyed the characters, and I enjoyed the conversations it brought onto the table. Granted, I do not believe the characters are written perfectly, and also how the main conflict that made them stay away from each other to be a ¨lie about a last name" kind of dumb. It annoyed be but enjoyed how that Lennix's friends were more aware that it had nothing to do with the lie itself and more so not hoping for things to be too good because nothing can be good.
That said, I fucking despised that underage Lennix was called basically prison prey or whatever the fuck, She was underage, just to call a child such a thing because they appear older was disgusting and actually made me not want to read this further. But I persisted, even when the time skips were all over the place, and a lot of what happens was the characters telling it without necessarily showing it, cause the smut was nice.
Yes, the smut was nice, you can all now read this book just because of that.

The Kingmaker has long been on my radar to read, but it kept sitting on my TBR shelf. Originally published via Kindle Unlimited, it was recently picked up by Bloom Books to be reprinted with a new cover (which is beautiful).

This story is so unique, and I’ve honestly not read anything like it. I liked that Lennix is a fiery, knows-what-she-wants-and-won’t-compromise kind of girl. Maxim is equally the same, and it’s so unique because you rarely see a love story with two alpha, strong-willed characters. But it made the story have so much *zing.* It gave me Scandal vibes, probably due to the political nature of the last half, which I loved. Olivia Pope would love her some Lennix.

When I first started reading this book, I was hesitant, because Lennix is 17 and Maxim is getting his master’s (I believe he’s 23 or 24). It was off-putting because I thought Ryan was going to take their love story somewhere, but thankfully, she didn’t. I’m not a fan of serious love stories with young characters. She uses Parts 1 (ages 17 and 24) and 2 (ages 21 and 28) to establish the background of where the story is going and what’s important to Lennix (championing and fighting for her Native Americans and underrepresented peoples) and Maxim (climate change). The bulk of the story happens when they’re 31 and 38, when they’ve established their careers and know even more firmly what they want out of life and how they want to change the world.

While there are political topics represented, no political ideologies felt forced down my throat. I loved that it was a unique story line I haven’t seen done before, but the writing style I love so much from Kennedy Ryan was present.

And holy canoodle, the cliffhanger at the end…?! You better believe I’m going looking for a copy of the sequel immediately.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Be sure to check this one out when it’s re-released in May 2023!

Tropes/info:
-dual POV
-second chance romance
-spicy
-Lennix is an indigenous activist
-Maxim is a climate change activist billionaire

-This book kept me on the edge of my seat many times, especially at the end. I had no idea it leaves off on a cliffhanger but wow, I need to get ahold of the second book in the series ASAP. I did feel like the middle dragged a bit at times, but overall the rest made up for it. Lennix and Maxim were perfect together and I can’t wait to read more about them.

Thank you to Bloom books, NetGalley, and Kennedy Ryan for the ARC.

I was fortunate to read an ARC of The Kingmaker. Kennedy Ryan has a way with words and these characters are full of passion, energy, and loyalty. Lennix and Maxim are the ultimate power couple and their introduction was one for the books. Romance mixed with political awareness and cultural pride is so beautiful…. #netgalley #thekingmaker

First, I really liked Lennix as a character! She's very headstrong and proud of who she is and I love that in a FMC. I also liked Maxim, however, sometimes he made decisions that I didn't always understand and it conflicted with his already established character traits.

I also loved the overall plot and that we got to experience their relationship over the course of more than a decade.

What I was not a fan of was the insta love trope and Maxim becoming a bit of an alpha hero in the second half of the book, but this is more of a personal preference.

Kennedy Ryan's writing is compelling and beautiful, but I know this book will not be for everyone. It's part love story and part political drama. If you liked Scandal and the tropes that I mentioned above, you'll definitely like this. If not, you may want to skip.