The Kingmaker

I loved every moment of it. Don’t buy book one. Buy the entire series because she will leave you wanting more!

Nothing can ever stop the real love!!!! If I man wants you he’ll come get you! The boom had me hooked immediately went to download the next one because I could be left with the way it ended!!

Slow 🔥 burn. This story is FULL of rich history. Political and socially driven. I also see it as deeply feminist and aptly so considering the male dominated world we live in. Lennix pursuing her dreams, goals and aspirations as equally fierce as does DOC is refreshing. I also thoroughly enjoyed how mental health is addressed in the face of the traumatic experiences of Lennix’s life.

I had the chance to meet Kennedy Ryan recently at a book release event, and when she talked about The Kingmaker—its themes of activism, politics, and love—I was instantly intrigued. I don’t usually veer away from romantasy, but I loved her Skyland series so I gave this one a shot.What I found was a powerful, beautifully written love story deeply rooted in real-world issues. Kennedy’s research shines, especially in her representation of people of color, Indigenous communities, and driven women in STEM and activism. The emotional depth had me hooked from page one.Even at a time when I wanted to avoid anything political, this book helped me view our world through a new lens—compassionate, empowering, and hopeful.A standout story with unforgettable characters. I cannot wait to pick up the sequel.

So this is my last series to read in Kennedy's backlog of books. I am sad that this will be the last complete series I have from her. She's hands down my favorite author. I love that her romance novels are just about the romance or just about the plot. She marries the two together effortlessly. I gasp, I am agape, I exclaim, I talk to the characters like they can hear me. I do not know how she always writes the best novels but she does. Every single character in her novels is always well represented and the found family aspect in all of her novels will FOREVER have me coming back for literally anything she writes. Her earlier books are free on KU but I will always pay money to have my physical copies because she deserves that much and more.This book was good but not my favorite. Politics took a very large front seat which put me off for a bit. (Hence the 4 stars instead of the 5.) I had to put the book down for a little. But I told myself "you love her writing keep going". I'm so glad I did. And hello cliffhanger! Good thing I already bought the whole series and can jump right into the next book. I am loving the dynamic between Lennix and Maxim. He's intense! I hated them both for a second for what they were doing to each other but you cannot deny their chemistry and how good they are together. I liked this book a lot. I'll be diving into the next one literally tomorrow.