Now a Top 30 Amazon Bestseller! “This story sets a new bar in the genre . . . Exquisitely written, meticulously researched, tender, yet oh-so steamy–this is the Mary Poppins of Contemporary Romances: practically perfect in every way.” — Natasha Is A Book JunkiePower. 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 … 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 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.
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REVIEW: 4.5 STARS
“If a kiss has a taste, it tastes like this. Hunger flavored with yearning and spiced with desperation.”
Kennedy Ryan amazes me and this story is yet another reason why she sits on my Favorite Authors list. She gets in the trenches of a subject, pulls out all the knowledge – big and small – and then basically manipulates my emotions with an honest truth. I know I will sit amongst the many other raving reviews out there, and many will want a more diverse review with some negatives and positives, but one thing Ryan does without fail is bring me a compelling story that makes me think. It’s constructive and thought provoking – one that I know I won’t walk away from without a better understanding of a situation, or a current issue.
My absolute, hands down, favorite thing about her writing is the fact that she can make me feel her words. I never feel like I’m guilted into taking sides on a specific thought process. Kennedy always has a way of talking through a cause, an emotion, a belief that has very strong opinions attached to it – on both sides of the spectrum. I love the way she talks me through it and gives me another POV. Her words are mesmerizing, tantalizing, and she can romanticize anything – but that’s not who or what she is deep within. Making it emotional is one thing, making it personal is another, but making it relatable is what Kennedy excels at.
But, you know what else she does so well?? She gives me a man worthy of weak knees and heart palpitations….the tummy-flutters, the heart eyes. Not to diminish the quality of her storytelling, or the value of her content, but Maxim Cade is unlike any of her other men. Is he strong? Yes. Is he thoughtful? Yes. Is he meaningful in his actions? Most definitely. But the depth of his soul is scale-tipping of epic proportions. I love when I can get caught up in a fascinating storyline as a whole, but I love to settle into a love story that it makes me ache for more.
“There’s a language between our heartbeats I have no translation for – no words, just a thumping communion.”
Within the first few chapters, the strength of Lennix gave me the chills. Her words haunt me still….days later. I love what Kennedy does with bringing issues to light. Things we hear about but may never really think about in depth. She definitely gave me something to think about.
Lennix has such a personality and she made me laugh with all her sarcastic thoughts. But she was also bold. She didn’t let anything stop her and she was headstrong and determined. That clearly played out well for her in the long run. Given the history and background of the characters, this was a story with purpose. I wanted to read the love story, but I was very intrigued where she was taking the moral side as well. Ryan builds a love story so organically. There isn’t any undue drama. No eye twitching moments. It’s pure unadulterated brilliance in her writing and I truly love settling into her books. She puts love in motion and I can appreciate her vision for not only the love that she’s growing and giving us, but also for the actual storyline that has moral implications beyond an everyday romance reader’s run-of-the-mill stories. She’s always got a heavy subject matter, one that’s told with knowledge and a deeper understanding of all the intricacies that make it a hot and debatable discussion.
“Anticipation is the match to the line of gasoline, and I’m already on fire.”
-> There’s a reason she’s a best-selling author – she writes books that speak to people about people, but with a powerful message attached.
-> There’s a reason she’s a RITA award-winning author – she writes books that resonate with people, not only on an emotional level but an academic level.
-> There’s a reason she’s an amazing human being – she writes emotional books while telling a compelling story with so much heart and soul and conviction, but not making you feel bad for not fully grasping the concept at hand on a deeper level. I love that I can get a POV that makes me see more than surface level arguments.
In the interest of being open and honest with my reviews, as I try to be with every single book, favorite author or not; there isn’t much I can honestly complain about with this one. The one thing I personally struggled with was the constant repetitive side of Lennix’s need to explain her fight. I know why she is fighting and I am behind her 100%, but continually bringing it up in every single conversation made me feel a little brow-beaten at times. But if that is seriously the only thing I can say I struggled with – a headstrong heroine with strength and conviction in her fight? Then I think I can call this a win. But it ended and I am left scrambling with my emotions unchecked, waiting for November 18th…..there’s my real complaint. HA!
I loved this book. I loved reading a story with a very different background than I’ve ever read. I loved getting caught up in a gut-grabbing, time-diffusing love that spanned years but never lost it’s magnetism. If anything, it grew stronger. I felt the pull between them and I could feel his need with every interaction. I could feel her want and desire humming just below the surface. I felt their love, despite the animosity harbored between them. I felt this story. I cannot wait for their conclusion.
“The harder I have to work for something, the harder I take it.”
~BEE
Kennedy is a rare talent, combining beautiful, lush writing with difficult, real-life issues. In this book, Lennix, a Yavapai-Apache environmental
activist, encounters Maxim, a man born to privilege and wealth, expected to take over his father’s empire. Over the years, they encounter each other again and again, and their relationship deepens. Ms. Ryan’s ability to write a powerful novel intertwined with an incredible love story is unrivaled. (This is part one of a two-book series; the second is The Rebel King).
Flawless writing and an original unputdownable storyline!
Poignant and stunningly written, this epic love story is not one to be missed. I absolutely cannot wait for The Rebel King!
The King Maker is book 1 in the All the King’s Men Duet and an enemies-to-lovers, second chance romance featuring an alpha male and alpha female. With a passion spanning 4 continents and 20 years, 2 fighter-dreamers are determined to change the world!
“‘It’s never like this.’”
It’s. Always. Like. This. It’ll never not be like this. The power of a work of art you can’t even consider a book. The Kingmaker is an entity. It’s the embodiment is what’s not only raw and real in terms of true love, but in terms of REAL. LIFE. And that’s what make The Kingmaker not only the top read of 2019, but the one book every person who has ever read a book NEEDS to pick up.
To put into works exactly what The Kingmaker by Kennedy Ryan is is probably the toughest expedition I’ll ever embark on. It takes a special type of person to go beyond research to create such a masterpiece. Kennedy Ryan embarked on her own expedition to make The Kingmaker what it is. The dedication, the storyline, the love, lost, and found in terms of everything this book stands for bleeds from the pages.
The Kingmaker is by far the best of Kennedy Ryan’s work. She embodies it and it embodies her. To have this woman’s work such as The Kingmaker bless us on this Earth is a blessing in an of itself.
“The harder I have to work for something, the harder I take it.”
The Kingmaker took everything. My heart and soul, my mind, and my very being. Right along with Kennedy Ryan.
Reminiscent of an Austen Classic
Just when I think Kennedy Ryan’s writing is perfection, I read something new that she writes and I have to redefine perfection. No one but Kennedy Ryan could describe the epitome of first kisses and then lay a line down that slays me with its humor and its passion. She is BRILLIANT and her light will never be hidden under a bushel. She has created masterpiece which engages all five senses as well as that sixth sense which has yet to be named.
What I admire most about THE KINGMAKER is the attention to detail with which Kennedy Ryan treats relevant social issues. I am amazed at the extraordinary accuracy she gives to each and every situation in her writing. It is quite evident that she did not take the easy route by googling information needed to make each scene and setting believable. I can only imagine the amount of time she invested and the number of sources she needed access in order to write with such purpose clarity about the unique topics addressed in this story.
The characters Kennedy Ryan created are as diverse and interesting as are the locales in which she places them. The beauty and strength for which KR heroines are known is seen tenfold in the character of Lennix Moon Hunter. The hero, Maxim Kingsman Cade, is a driven, willful rebel who knows exactly what he wants in life and has no shame in going after it.
The attraction that sparks between these two unforgettable characters blazes into a romance to rival that of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy from Jane Austen’s, Pride and Prejudice. Their journey strikes right at the heart and burns down into the soul. Lennix and Maxim are equally as quirky, fascinating, and memorable as any couple I can recall from my favorite classic novels.
These two characters literally travel to the ends of the earth. Arizona, Amsterdam, and Antarctica are but a few of the amazing settings readers get to experience in this epic story. The attention to detail and intricate ways in which Kennedy Ryan describes these places made me feel like I was actually there with the characters.
I did not rush my reading of this book because I wanted to savor every nuance. It is astounding – filled with such beauty, passion and strength. Kenendy’s writing keeps getting stonger with each book. I don’t know how, but she manages to bring it deeper, and harder each time.
With THE KINGMAKER, Kennedy Ryan has left me breathless and speechless, sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what will happen between this magnetic power couple. I am impatiently waiting to read the conclusion of this duet, THE REBEL KING, when it releases in three weeks.
Kennedy Ryan writes with powerful conviction and beautiful prose–a breathtaking combination. Read THE KING MAKER today!
The author has delivered such a powerful and emotional story with Maxim and Lennix. Their moments of attraction, second chance encounter, loss and growth all pivotal moments that make up this wonderful story told by Kennedy Ryan will have you moved and captivated. A book like no other, the author delves into the reality and poignant moments that define and shape each character. The strength of the heroine and the tenacity of the hero made the characters that much more likeable. The powerful message that Kingmaker relays with the added bonus of romance between Maxim and Lennix will have you anticipating how and where this story will go. Kennedy Ryan has not only met my expectations but exceeded them by a long shot. I never know what to expect from the author as she has the ability to take any topic, any character and just takes it all to a whole new level of perfection!
I LOOOVE second chance romances and I super love Kennedy’s writing. She has a reputation for bringing out those emotions and it is EVERYTHING!
L Alpha Male + Alpha Female
Passion spanning 4 continents & 20 years
2 fighter-dreamers determined to change the world!
Enemies-to-Lovers + Second Chance romance
“Some people leave an impression, but Lennix left her mark on me. Shaped like a star”
Sweet Moses! That ending was bananas y’all. I don’t know how I’m currently functioning right now. The Kingmaker by Kennedy Ryan was empowering and inspirational. It was filled with passion, love, and angst. Kennedy is known to pick strong and real subject matters and weave them into her writings. She’s not afraid to take a stand and give those who can’t speak a voice.
The beginning alone is magical. We’re introduced to young 13 year-old Lennix of the Apache tribe who is undergoing a traditional Sunrise Dance which signifies the passing of a girl into womanhood. I loved Lennix’s strength and heritage. She isn’t like any heroine I’ve ever read. She’s steeped in tradition and fighting for the rights of her people!
Then we have Maxim Kingsman Cade. He comes from a prominent oil tycoon family. He wants nothing to do with Cade Energy, his father’s company. In the midst of a pipeline protest, Maxim races to save a now 17 year-old Lennix. He’s blown away by her beginning speech and wisdom. Their encounter is small but life changing. Fast forward 4 years and they find each other again but this time in Amsterdam. They embark in 1 week whirlwind affair that does not end well for power, passion, and betrayal win in the end.
More time passes and these two come together once again but can they heal and forgive?
This book was gripping! By the end you’ll be left at the edge of your seat. The only thing holding me together at this point is knowing that book 2 is a few weeks away! Please stop what you’re doing, and read this book!
Entering a novel by Ryan is like listening to good music. You’re enveloped in a complete experience. It’s an experience that feels effortless. It’s one of the reasons I love Ryan, her storytelling’s seamless and the reader is quickly blanketed in the middle of its weaving.
When I heard Ryan’s character was going to be Native American I must admit I cringed. I’m mestiza and though I identify with my Latina identity more, part of my mestizaje is indigenous; I come from two different Pueblos and have intertribal ties within that.
I also teach Native Literature in a school that serves more than 30 tribes in the Southwest and when someone who isn’t Native writes Native characters a little voice inside me says don’t f*ck this up. Ryan didn’t f*ck up. She did her research and was thorough in the vetting of her book and it shows. I appreciate that she shows the strengths of the culture rather than relying on stereotypical tropes of economically impoverished rez life.
Lennix is mixed race: Yavapai, Apache and white. Ryan handles the complexities of this kind of identity well. Lennix is an overall badass who runs a firm that specializes in putting minorities and people who work to serve the marginalized in political power. That’s pretty damn sexy.
Maxim is obsessed with green energy and saving the world with it. Also, pretty damn sexy. He comes from a more privileged background. His father is a big oil tycoon and stands for everything that Lennix and her community stand against. Maxim is also constantly at odds with his father and his father’s beliefs; it is in one such moment that an attraction is sparked with Lennix.
The connection between them is perfection. The tension between them is heightened because of the clashing politics of Maxim’s father and Lennix— add on top of that ONE JUICY LIE and you have all the trappings of unrequited love.
The book takes place over the course of 15 years. I LOVE THIS. It’s real. We get to see each character build themselves through the years. They are individuals who don’t completely forget their life goals in the post-sex haze.
Their love is intelligent and red hot. Maxim is an alpha but so is Lennix. Fireworks and constant chemistry persist as they push, pull and challenge each other. She calls the shots and he’ll be lucky to be one of them.
I haven’t been this awestruck by Kennedy since I read Long Shot. She’s good y’all but this story, this story is significantly next level epic.
Kennedy Ryan’s story-telling skills have power. She weaves a fictional story with relevance. She pulls the reader into the story with her gripping narrative. She gifts us with flawed characters that are relatable. She spins stories that explore society and she does it respectfully and with conviction.
Lennix and Maxim are passionate and strong-willed with pride and conviction for what they believe to be right, but they are not singular. They are not self-serving. They believe in each other’s commitment to do right by the world they live in. This part of their journey is told in three parts and spans quite a few years but you just know from the minute they meet they will be each other’s guiding star no matter how long it takes to connect. Their story is gripping and captivating and I just couldn’t stop reading. It’s explosive in all the right ways and deserves a pedestal to stand on. I finished this story yesterday, yet my heart still beats strong when I think of the pivotal moments in time in this journey so far.
How lucky are we to have such an exceptional weaver of words as powerful as Kennedy Ryan among us? I know I feel lucky because reading this genre makes me happy and she makes it realistic and worthy of my time. If I could spend some time inside her brain ……
How does one keep setting a bar so extremely high and then pole vaults over said bar like it’s absolutely nothing? I’m going to be completely honest and let you know that I have no earthly idea how to write a review for this book. I texted Kennedy the second I finished reading The Kingmaker and my first word was SPEECHLESS. I was moved, I learned so much, I felt everything and this book is a GAME CHANGER in every sense of the word, I am astounded…..it only solidifies what we already knew which is Kennedy absolutely deserved her prestigious RITA award a hundred times over.
The hero and heroine knocked me on my arse and made me feel like I was in a daze. When you read a story is everything vivid in your mind? For me it never is, the characters are usually a fuzzy outline, I get more of an overall feeling then actual pictures but The Kingmaker!? It was BOLD. DETAILED. SHARP and CHRISP in 4k resolution, every scence was so clear in my head that it was almost cinematic. I implore you to PLEASE PLEASE read this story, yes it’s a romance but like so many of Kennedy’s books it can’t be boxed into a specific trope, it’s always so much more…..a message in which the words have settled beneath my bones and deep into my heart.
The heroine is such a remarkably extraordinary woman and her guy? ……sigh……he is a titan amongst men, with such a vision and the sexiest intelligence that just makes you want to do the dirtiest things to him.
The Kingmaker is a cultured, progressive, educational and beautifully written romance that is extremely sexy with multilayered soulful characters and scenes that will make you do everything from curl your toes to want to throw your Kindle. I’m already plotting on ways to get the next book early because I’m feeling incomplete without these two in my life!
Thoughtful, provocative storytelling at its best!
Amazing characters!
I loved the well researched native American aspects and the environmental issues. This is well written and displays depth and sensitivity relating to these issues. But I admit to struggling with some aspects of the storyline. Lennix, for a highly motivated activist, seems to move away from her roots and causes too much. I also can’t see the links to her coming of age ceremony in the rest of her story (which I loved and thought would underpin her journey.) It is hard to believe that she doesn’t meet anyone in the 10 years they are apart. Maxim remains a spoiled rich kid shagging anyone he meets. For someone who longs for her, he certainly doesn’t come across that way. Add in the whole virgin trope and I cringed. Their relationship was fiery and intense and among the best scenes in the book.
This had so much potential, but I wish the characters had maintained their passions set out so clearly in the early chapters
I devoured this book and cannot wait to read the next installment. So wonderfully written and romantic – Ryan is such a talented writer.
I love how Kennedy Ryan incorporates important and timely themes!
Lennix is awe inspiring in her convictions and identity. Maxim is an independent spirit. I love them!