Let New York Times bestselling author Judith McNaught who “is in a class by herself” (USA TODAY) sweep you off your feet and into another time with her sensual, passionate, and spellbinding historical romance classics, featuring her “unique magic” (RT Book Reviews)–now available for the first time on ebook. Abducted from her convent school, headstrong Scottish beauty Jennifer Merrick does not … beauty Jennifer Merrick does not easily surrender to Royce Westmoreland, Duke of Claymore. Known as “The Wolf,” his very name strikes terror in the hearts of his enemies. But proud Jennifer will have nothing to do with the fierce English warrior who holds her captive, no matter what he threatens. Boldly she challenges his will–until the night he takes her in his powerful embrace, awakening in her an irresistible hunger. Suddenly Jennifer finds herself ensnared in a bewildering and seductive web of pride, passion, and overwhelming love. This beloved tale about two defiant hearts clashing in a furious battle of wills in the glorious age of chivalry “will stay in your heart forever and be a classic on your shelves” (RT Book Reviews, Top Pick).more
THE book that made me decide to write historical romance. Brilliant.
A real masterpiece!
I can’t say enough about this book. I think I was 13 when I discovered Judith McNaught. I know some of them are controversial now, but at the time, it was like level up Romance. I tore through all her historicals and to this day, Kingdom of Dreams is one of my favorites.
I reread it recently, and I can’t…I really can’t even describe how beautifully crafted Royce Westmorland is as a character. He’s the biggest baddest my terrifying alpha warrior dude ever…and he just…is brought to his knees so resoundingly for the heroine. I will forever and a day hold this book up as one of the most unrepentantly romantic of books.
The side characters are fantastic. I laughed outloud…for like…longer than I should have when her aunt suggests that the 8 foot tall Viking warrior who’s Royce’s #2 might have irritable bowels.
There’s some stuff that maybe could be stronger. I think if it were written today, Jenny wouldn’t be 17. She’d be a fully adult woman, more powerful in her own right maybe, but at the end of the day, this is a wonderful book. Well deserving of it’s place in the Romance Reader’s Hall of Fame, if there is such a thing. There really ought to be.
I absolutely adored this book! Jennifer and The Wolf are one of my all-time favorite couples. There were moments when I laughed out loud. The writing is outstanding and everything about this book shines.
Kingdom of Dreams is my second read by this author and definitely will not be my last. I was enthralled by the characters, specifically the H/h of the story. Two wonderful individuals that have much pride in their tough exteriors.
The story had a lot of twistes and turns, which I didn’t think was a drawback, but made the story a bit facinating. From the first page to the last, I was determined to find out the outcome in the end. Royce is an amazing man under that tough persona. A weapon on the battlefields and will do anything to win. Failure is not an option. He was a true hero…admitting to his faults and becoming a better man by them.
Jenny, although young and naive was very prideful and tough as nails…showing no tears because if she let anyone see them, she was a wimp so to speak. She exemplified the meaning of life’s unfairness having had her inheritence stripped to stepbrothers and being a pawn of a father who was devious and unscrupulous.
I think together they are a force to be reckoned with. Was almost teary eyed when Royce galloped over to the enemy camp and presented her with his lance and when she fell to her knees after he had been beaten and torned during the tournament. That is what true love is made of and a very happily ever after in my book.
4.5 stars and I look forward to reading more from Judity McNaught.
4.5 out of 5
I reread this book every couple of years.
Wonderful book, I hated to finish it. Terrific characters and plot.
She led Royce on a merry chase but in the end she was caught. Royce was captivated with the enchanting Jennifer but her family was a mess. Forced to marry they set out to make the best of their circumstances. Will Jennifer adhere to her new husband or will her father use her marriage to Royce for destruction. This historical romance draws you in right from the beginning and you can’t help but take notice of Jennifer’s antics at Royce expense because you will be caught up in laughter!
I accept, Judith McNaught’s books haven’t aged well. But, she did write these nearly 40 years ago and to this day, she remains my favorite author. No one writes like her. She brings scenes to life in front of your eyes, transports you to fifteenth century and puts you in the middle of a jousting session with your heart racing. She is it, guys. She’s the writer.
This book with its rugged, dangerous hero, and a heroine who strats off childish but grows by leaps and bounds. The love… oh, boy… the love between these two. That touching, terr jerker of climax is forever etched into my mind. I will recommend this to anyone who likes historical romance.
This book is a prime example of why I love historical romances so much. It had great characters, a great story, angst, tension, betrayal, humor, love–it had it all! I can’t remember when the last time I read a book that grabbed me like this one did and just would not let go.
Jenny is our heroine. I felt for her right from the beginning, although there were parts in the story where I got frustrated with her because I thought she was making some foolish and downright wrong decisions. When I thought about it, all she wanted was to be accepted by her father and her clan. Her stepbrother had smeared her name like nothing else and everybody hated her. She had a chance to prove herself and her loyalty when she and her sister were abducted by Stefan Westmoreland and brought to Royce, his older brother.
Royce, The Black Wolf, was angry that he’d done it, but eventually saw some sense in it. But it turned out much differently than he’d ever anticipated. He was everything a hero should be. He was rough and tough when he needed to be, but could be sympathetic, caring, and loving when nobody was looking. He was exceedingly strong (more than the average knight), handsome, and virile. He had his moments of being funny, but only with Jenny and only when they were alone. He had a reputation to protect, you know, even though it’s never said like that. The bottom line was he was nobody to mess with and Jenny tweaked his nose (figuratively) and made him laugh and turned him around to a degree. She poked the sleeping bear with a stick and when he awoke, it was beautiful. There were some very tender moments between them that tugged at my heart.
There are a couple of minor characters that the author was skillful in not letting them steal the show. One was Aunt Elinor. She had me laughing out loud with the way she messed with the stoic, silent giant of a man, Aric. She swore he never smiled or said much because he was constipated. She had a cure for everything and wanted to cure him of his ailment. Aunt Elinor is an eccentric little old lady and wasn’t afraid of Aric at all, while big, trained knights backed away from him. They were great friends and could’ve upstaged Jenny and Royce had they not been so well developed and written. The relationship between Aric and Aunt Elinor was unlikely and so fun.
I don’t want to give anything away, but at the tournament, I was almost in tears. I was angry with Jenny and couldn’t believe she did what she did, but that one moment was so moving, it almost had me on my knees. It was what I’d been waiting for all through about the last quarter of the book. It was a ten on the “wow” scale.
This is the first book I’ve read by Judith McNaught, but it certainly won’t be the last. I was reading historical romances in 1989, which was when this book was first released, and for whatever reason, I passed it up. It took me only 30 years to catch up with it, but I finally did and it was so worth it.
I loved this book! ( I love all of Judith Mcnaught’s stories) I have read this one at least 5 times… wonderfully written and highly entertaining!
This is just the sort of sweeping, romantic and adventurous historical romance novel that I love. I really miss this classic style, which is why I find myself revisiting these old books time and time again. Jenny and Royce are such engaging, compelling characters and their chemistry is off the charts. I LOVE the ‘kidnapped by the hero’ premise, and in this case it’s done so well. Add in the enemy-to-lovers trope that I also love, and this was the perfect cocktail of me. Jenny is the ultimate feisty heroine … she doesn’t just talk tough, she IS tough! After all she’s been through, being scorned by her family and her clan, she keeps her head high and gives as good as she gets. I loved how Royce reacted to her, the way her nature collided with his dominant, headstrong one. And Royce … he’s my favorite type of hero. An alpha to the core, but with a soft spot for the woman he loves. Can you say swoonworthy? The climax hits hard, and the story races to such a satisfying finish. This is one of those historical romances I will pick up time and time again just for its timeless appeal. So beautifully done!
My introduction to romance. Has a special place in my heart.
Judith McNaught is author goals.
This was the book that started my love affair with historical romance when I was 16. I’ve read it dozens of times and I love it!