The Kingmaker by Kennedy Ryan is a story about Lennix and Maxim, two people who are connected to each other over time, but also connected to their passions. They meet when she is 17 and again when she is 21. He thought she was the most interesting person ever, but she was off limits.

Kennedy Ryan wrote an amazing story about a woman who is strong in her convictions and her beliefs. She wrote two characters that were interesting and believable. You could feel their connection every time they were on page together and even when apart.

What I found interesting about this book was the author writing tough and incredibly important issues, like MMIW, the treatment of Indigenous people and the environment. She writes characters with strong beliefs and convictions who are looking to make the world a better place and I found that interesting. The part that I struggled with is that the book dragged in parts for me.

This book ends on a major cliffhanger! Be prepared to want to pick up the next book in this duet as soon as you finish off this one! Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

While this book and relationship didn’t start out super strong for me it ended up having me hooked! It’s split into three parts at three different time periods. I enjoyed seeing their relationship change in each time. Lennix and Maxim’s chemistry is electric from their first meeting and even if I didn’t like it you could still tell they’d end up together. I didn’t like it because she was 17 and he was 24 when they met and he didn’t stop thinking about how attractive he thought she was and this is something that’s continually brought up. But besides that I really did enjoy the romance. There was love and happiness and tension and jealousy. The lovers to hate to lovers again arc is so good and you can feel the love they have for each other when she hates him. I love Lennix and just want her to be happy and loved seeing her development through the years. I also Maxim who was incredibly charming. And I was so happy to see them finally together again until the book ended because I need more.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, although would’ve enjoyed it more if she was 1 or 2 years older when they met, and need the sequel asap. I do recommend you read it when it comes out!

Read if you like…
•strangers to lovers to hate to lovers
•multiple time periods
•🌶️🌶️

Great storytelling! This is the first of a two part saga, telling the story of Maxim and Lennix… So well told, lots of drama and spanning years, but what makes this so appealing is that both characters are such determined, courageous, people, Maxim may be an ambitious and driven billionaire, but he’s neither a mantoddler nor a dick. He owns his feelings and his connection to Lennix from when he first meets her when she is 17. That regard for her feels so real…
Lennix is an incredibly brave and determined young woman owning her American Indian heritage. Her speech about the value of her virginity would be worth handing out in schools. Steamy, with honour and mutual respect. I loved it!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the ARC.

I love everything Kennedy Ryan writes and she kept me totally engaged again this entire book. While I HATE cliffhangers this one is just perfect. I learned so much on top of a very slow burn romance!

This was an absolutely amazing book! I was hooked from the beginning and didn't put it down. The book was divided into three parts over the course of a few decades with dual POV which I loved. From the beginning, you were pulled into the culture and the different aspects this book portrayed.

Definitely felt the Scandal TV show vibes in part three and it was great how well the story was developed before getting right into Part three. The spice on this book was 🔥 which is great for a virginity trope (which typically I'm not the biggest fan of those books).

This book had so many cliffhangers and I definitely can't wait to pick up the sequel!

An amazing read! Kennedy Ryan certainly has a way with words. She can spin any story into something deep and beautiful. Lennix and Maxim’s story, the challenges they faced and the time between them was mesmerizing. The problems in the background like the Native American voices being silenced by the American government, the search for clean energy sources. All of it comes together beautifully. A must read in today’s world.
I have the utmost admiration for this author

3.75 stars

I was a little apprehensive about this book because of the subjects it deals with and how the author isn't indigenous themselves and how many times I've read bad portraits of indigenous people in book but so far I've been pleasantly surprised with this series (duet?).
I adored Lenny. She's fierce and brave and fights for what's right. Also, she let herself be vulnerable with the people she loves because she knows they got her back. I love her friendship with Kimba (and I can't wait to read K's book, too)
Our Hero, Maxim is also amazing (so far!) Albeit I'm not fond of some choices he made, especially in the beginning of the book, I appreciate how fiercely protective he is of Lenny and how he respects her wishes and takes her feelings into consideration with some things about their lives together.
This one is left in a cliffhanger, so now, I can't wait to read book two as soon as I can.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Kennedy Ryan is SUCH a queen and I will read anything she writes. This is a rerelease because of a new cover, but I haven't gotten to her whole backlist so was excited to get an e copy of this. Kennedy Ryan has a beautiful way of writing a story and making you care So much about the world and her characters. I will forever be a fan of her writing and her stories and this was amazing!

Great characters, I normally do not read cliffhangers but this one is worth it, Features
drama, trauma and angst.
I look forward to reading the ending but I also don't want it to end. Kennedy Ryan is one of my favorite authors and I will buy anything with her name on it because it is always excellent writing and creative stories.

“The Kingmaker” is the first book I’ve read by Kennedy Ryan and I have to say, it will NOT be my last. I want to start this by saying that I loved this book. My ONLY complaint was with the long timeline gaps, but I understand why it was probably written that way. I’m assuming because the author wanted a book that wasn’t solely focused on the 20 something year old. I like that the main characters are both strong willed and passionate. Not only passionate about each other but about the things they want out of life. Lennix nor Maxim ever waver from their passions and its truly inspiring. So often you have characters that bend and break and then put themselves back together and that’s fine, but it’s nice to see characters that are just strong, keep their eye on the prize, and eventually find each other once again when “the time is right.” I like that the political climate of today as well as our concerns as a nation are written into the storyline because this makes it relatable for me. I love the focus on marginalized groups because I think it is an opportunity to bring awareness to what marginalized groups, like the Native Americans, often experience. Like I said, I loved this book. Everything about it was fantastic and I read it in one day. I really look forward to reading the next.

The cover is beautiful and it immediately attracted me to the book. I was excited to see it authored by Kennedy Ryan, the queen of romance novels in my mind.

Ryan did not disappoint. She wrote a spicy romance novel with social justice issues interspersed throughout the book like only Kennedy Ryan can.

I appreciated that she had an Indigenous woman as a main character in a romance novel without fetishizing her. She also tactfully explored Indigenous issues including the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

I rated this 4.5 stars. The only reason it didn't get a 5 was how the time gaps were handled. It was hard for me to believe Maxim wouldn't have been more calculating over those breaks.

Looking forward to the next book!

Umm.. Mrs. Kennedy Ryan !! We need to talk, like now. Because not only have you written another masterpiece but you’ve gotten me hooked only to end the book like that.But in favor of not spoiling anything I’ll get on with my review.
Maxim and Lennix have a lot of similar values but their worlds couldn’t be more different. It feels like every time they meet time is working against them, at least that’s how it felt as I was reading. You know there are some characters you just want to see happy and winning and Maxim and Lennix were definitely those characters for me. Not only did I get romance but I also got development: through their career, their relationship, and their own personal development. The Kingmaker really gave me everything I would have wanted in a book until it tore my heart out with those last chapters. Like I’m not okay and will need to process what that all means but I’m hopeful for their future.

Woahhhh this book! So good! This was a new to me author and I can't wait to read more! Thank you for the ARC

“Confidence and Conviction”
The Kingmaker has two of the most admirable and inspiring main characters I’ve read about in a long time.
Lennix and Maxim’s connection spans nearly two decades. We get to know them as individuals during three main stages of their lives. That’s the beautiful part about this book: the character development. It’s not rushed. It flows well and it feels natural.
Lennix is a member of the YavapaiApache Nation fighting to prevent a pipeline from being built on her reservation. Her pride of self and her people comes from her mother who was a staunch fighter for tribal people. Tragedy strikes and Lennix immerses herself in the fight, which is how she met Maxim. He’s a moneyed tree-hugger whose ideas about climate and environment don’t mesh with that of his father, the king of oil.
The build-up to Lennox and Maxim’s relationship, in all of its stages, is full of angst, tenderness, and intention. I love these two together; watching their struggle to reconcile their feelings for one another and maintaining their convictions for change was incredible to witness.
The plot is well-thought-out and the narration is beautifully descriptive. And that cliffhanger?! Did not see that coming! I cant wait to see what happens next.

ok... I liked the first and second parts. Lost me in the third part, the time jump was unnecessary.
It was a good read, but the characters fell flat.

Wow — this spicy romance… I did not see this coming. 🤣 it was categorized as new adult, but hey, it’s good a surprise. Mixed with betrayal, danger and smart, bold characters, this novel does a great job of weaving environmental concerns, social justice issues, murdered and missing indigenous women atrocities with politics, familial discord and passionate soul twining romance. Love the dual POV, and I didn’t stop reading, absolutely consumed these pages until — boom! The book was over, and that ending has me reeling for the next one.

Can Kennedy Ryan write a bad book? I've yet to see it happen. Lennix is such a strong and amazing FMC. She has great values, she knows who she is and what she wants, and she goes for it. I loved reading her journey and seeing how she changes the world around her. Then you add in Maxim. Also very goal driven. I really enjoyed reading their relationship develop. There's a time jump in this story (which I normally dislike), but I feel like it was necessary to their story. Maxim and Lennix needed to discover themselves as individuals before they could truly be happy together.

I also loved the underlying story of indigenous people, their beliefs, and how they are treated. It's an important conversation to have in the real world, and Kennedy Ryan did a great job shedding light on so many issues that should be talked about more, liking missing indigenous women and how important and sacred land is taken from them.

There is a plot twist at the end, so make sure you're ready to jump into book 2 immediately!

Where do I even start with this absolutely perfect book? Let me preface by saying I only read one Kennedy Ryan book before and she is the only author I have ever read who can writes deeply mature characters perfectly, with their flaws and their strengths without anything feeling childish or out of proportion at any point.

- Nix is an indigenous woman with a traumatic experience from the US and yet I, a white woman from Europe with a rather peaceful past, deeply related to her. Her passion for helping marginalised communities including her own, her path to politics to create change, her devotion to her found family and the communities she helped felt so real and close. Yet, she is far from perfect, she is stubborn to a fault and so hurt by the past that she does not want to open her heart more to give it another opportunity to bleed and I think anyone who felt grief can relate. She is probably one of the best and most complex characters I have ever read.

- Maxim is a privileged and arrogant man who always gets what he wants but is also a pure agent of change, through capitalism. His capacity to envision a better future but also a way to monetize it make him an annoyingly hard to hate character even with all the mistakes he makes with Nix. Far from taking her for granted, he wants her so much that he would move the Earth to get to her and actually does !

Kennedy Ryan manages to not only deliver a romance here but also portray characters that feel real and talk about missing and murdered indigenous women, political corruption and climate change.

- Secondary characters : Again, I recognize a pattern in Kenndy Ryan's writing of her characters in the fact that her secondary characters Owen, Kimba, Wallace, Viv and even Grim, are full-fledged. They have a back story, their own opinion and don't seem to only be there to advance the story of the two main characters but their own as well. This is very enjoyable and gives more depth to the story.

- Settings : I live in Amsterdam so the fact that 40% of the story happened there was a huge plus, especially because everything is absolutely accurate. I hate it in a book when American authors talk about a European city I have lived in only to romanticize it. Kennedy Ryan does her research on her settings as well and it shows.

The fact that this book is even better than the show Scandal and is so well reserached makes it very enjoyable and rekindles a passion for social justice I thought was buried in my heart after years of not seeing any advances.

Having not read anything by this author before and based on the description, I was not expecting a romance at all when I began reading The Kingmaker. What attracted me was the indigenous experience and climate impact topics. I found the book to be a unique mix of romance, political intrigue, and matters of social justice and had a tough time putting it down. Lennix is a strong, independent female and Maxim, much the product of his upbringing, is still seeking to make as much of an independent life as he can.

This is my all time favorite Kennedy Ryan book. If I could give it more than five stars, I would. I love how fierce and independent Lennix is and how hard Maxim pined for her, no matter how much time had passed.

I have read this three times already and will preparing for a fourth round here soon! UGH my favorite story ever!