Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great novel! I deeply enjoyed it and look forward to more from Kennedy Ryan. I loved the suspenseful romance in this novel and am now a big fan of Kennedy Ryan!

Rating: 5
Laughing: 3

I said this in my stories and i’ll say it again, I am BLOWN away by the range of Kennedy Ryan’s writing. There are some authors, you read their books and they kind of feel familiar. You pick up on their style of writing and it’s not a bad thing, but it kind of feels the same. This is my third book by Kennedy and when I tell you each book blows me away, I MEAN IT. I don’t feel strongly about politics, but while I was reading this and The Kingmaker, I was invested. These two books sucked me in, and I just kept feeling amazed by the story.

I picked up The Rebel King immediately after finishing The Kingmaker (because how could you not?) and I just gobbled it up. I kind of thought I knew what was going to happen - but jokes on me, I didn’t. This book was suspenseful, a true page turner and I just couldn't tell if I was reading a romance or a thriller lol. When I finished the book, I truly felt sad that there wouldn’t be another book about Maxim and Lennix. I loved them as individuals, I love the relationship building and flashbacks throughout both books, and I thought it was overall just a beautiful story.

It’s informative and eye opening. Kennedy did her research - and it shines a light on American Indians, and their experience in America. Her author’s note, and this book is powerful, and honestly, just epic.

Chapter 22 was one of my favorite chapters. When I finished reading it, I just felt WOW’d.
I’m looking forward to reading Kimba’s story in Queen’s Move, but I’ll definitely miss Maxim and Nixe.

I definitely enjoyed this book. I don’t tend to love politics in my romance books, but Ms. Kennedy did a great job of highlighting important current issues and weaving them together, seamlessly in this romance novel. I can’t wait to read book three.. 😊

A banger! What else did I expect? Kennedy Ryan does it again with this one. I was on the edge of my seat at the end of the King Maker.

Maxim is in a rear form in this book. Pure Alpha, and I am here for it. His girl is in danger, and he will not allow anything to happen to her, no matter what

This man does what needs to be done! I mean, I was for real scared for Lennix while she was in captivity.

This book certainly took me on a rollercoaster of emotions with the death, reconciliations, fights and sex. Hot damn! I devoured this, and I couldn't get enough of it.

It is highly recommended. The whole series is highly recommended.

Kennedy Ryan knows how to get you with every book! book is captivating and hits you right in the feels! I loved that this book is a continuation of The king maker!

An absolute amazing follow up book to the king maker. An absolute amazing story to an extremely sad and unknown crisis. Kennedy ryan clearly did her research and it is so important that more people are aware of the missing indigenous woman. I loved this story so much and highly recommend it.

This book begins right where The King Maker left off and immediately jumps back into the drama of Lennix and Maxim's lives. I thought this book continued the story well and was a great end to the series. I've always loved the enemies to lovers trope and I loved how Kennedy Ryan evolved that trope into Lennix and Maxim's relationship. That being said, the character development was great and I loved seeing both lead characters grow from the very beginning of book one. I thought their relationship together was crafted beautifully by Kennedy Ryan, as it wasn't rushed and never felt forced upon us readers.

Overall, this book was an exceptional sequel to The King Maker and did a wonderful job of continuing the story all while keeping up with the high stake action and plot twists. Kennedy Ryan is such a talented writer and I cannot wait to read more from her in the future!!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for this free arc in exchange for my honest review.

If you like alpha romance, enemies to lovers with a second chance romance, a burning love that spans 20 years and 4 continents, this is the book for you! What a great end to a duet! I was engrossed in this from the word jump and read it all in one day. It's written so well and I felt immersed in the story from the beginning to the end! The love story was so intense, like they were addicts almost, and I was so here for it! I didn't need wine, this was intoxication on the page!

Thank you #Netgalley and @kennedyryan for the chance to read this arc, it was amazing to read and I can't wait to read even more Kennedy Ryan in the future!

This should be read in order:

The king Maker
The Rebel King

Lennix and Maxim are two forces, trying to make an impact in the world despite the distraction of their attraction. It seems the two cannot keep away from eachother and they have to navigate the balance of their professional ambitions with their commitment to each other.

The conclusion I couldn't wait to read and it was all I had hoped it all would be!!
Another fantastic story from Kennedy Ryan!

Rating: 4.5/5

Summary:

Maxim Cade and Lennix Moon Hunter are finally together after over a decade of near-misses. However, their relationship is tested by a kidnapping, then further tragedy that leads to a political situation that will have long-lasting implications for them, their loved ones, and the entire country.

My Review:

I finally got a chance to read the Kingmaker series leading up to its rerelease and I'm so glad I did. It really is a gorgeous series— very grand and sweeping in a way modern romances very rarely are: You have your Kennedy-esque family (no seriously, the way I SCREAMED when Max invoked Bobby Kennedy at the point in time he did) except New England patricians with Old Oil Money, you have two characters that should basically be mortal enemies because of what his family did to hers and yet they can't help falling in love, then you have this decades-long love story, the heroine is nicknamed the Kingmaker (which I am personally obsessed with; I love reading about a good kingmaker personality— both in real life and in fiction), and now the hero who is the Rebel King (the origin story is that his middle name is Kingsmen and his mom used to call him and his brother by saying "All the king's men" which.... if that isn't a reference to the book All The King's Men, I don't know what it is).

I deeply appreciate Kennedy Ryan's dedication to portraying Lennix's Native American heritage in a respectful manner— Kennedy consulted members of the Yavapai-Apache Nation and members of other tribes while writing these books. And Lennix's culture isn't just some background thing; it impacts how she lives, her ideals, and her politics.

Speaking of politics, I think regardless of your personal views, the political aspect of this novel is written in a fairly simple, approachable way that doesn't get too technical, and Kennedy seamlessly intertwines it with the romance. Do I think a lot of it was unrealistic? Yes, but the extraordinary political situation Kennedy sets up calls for an extraordinary solution so I rolled with it.

As for Lennix and Max's relationship, I am a fan of the overall trajectory in this book; a lot of authors tend to get lost somewhere along the way after the main characters get together, but Kennedy Ryan did a great job by not injecting petty drama or whatever, but rather, the turn the plot takes means there are lots of tough questions they need to answer about their future sooner rather than later. I do think Also, reading them as a couple (which we don't see much of in the previous book) also reveals some interesting aspects to their relationship: Maxim is a lot more possessive over Lennix in this book than I thought be would be (and I feel like this goes beyond just as a response to the situation in the beginning of this book), and outside of the relationship, he becomes a lot more maverick-y, if that makes sense. Actually, in hindsight, Lennix is fairly steady in comparison.

The sex:

The sex scenes in this book were seamless and really fit into the plot well, especially considering the insane span of emotions both Lennix and Max (especially Max) go through during the course of this book. And who said sex in a committed relationship gets boring? Not these two. Standout moments in this book for me include a very emotional sex scene after a very tragic incident (which would probably constitute as a spoiler), a scene in their kitchen where Max is full-on sucking Lennix's nipples through her sweatshirt and the noises the make gets everyone in the apartment hot and bothered lolol, and of course, the rare contemporary romance butt stuff (for both of them!).

Overall:

Honestly, I'd recommend this book to anyone and everyone: romance readers in general, fans of political dramas, anyone looking for a diverse romance... you name it, I genuinely think this book has it.

Thank you to Bloom Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

3.5/5 I didn’t love this book as much as the first book. Sometimes I got very irritated with the characters, but then other times I loved them again. There was one part in the book that I did not expect and I cried like a little baby! Once Maxim found Lennox’s kidnapper, it felt very anticlimactic. I was expecting the kidnapper to “achieve” a bit more or give them a real chase. I’m happy that the next book is for Kimba since I am very intrigued by her character.

This was my first book by Kennedy Ryan. I was lucky enough to be able to read this in advance not knowing it was a continual but I'm not upset. Now I get to go to the first book and fall in love more. This was beautifully written and you will fall in love with the characters. I always hear people rave about Kennedy Ryan on TikTok and now I finally get all the hype. Highly Highly recommend this book.


Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for allowing me to read this ARC in advance for my honest opinion.

I absolutely LOVED this one. It was honestly even better than the first one. Maxim might be just a tad too possessive but it actually worked for him. It was a fantastic conclusion.

Thank you for this arc NETGALLEY. Can we all please just give Kennedy Ryan her flower. This is book its follow up right where the King Maker leave off Lennix/Nix was kidnapped. In The Rebel King Nix and Maxim are official an item but on the low. The reason they are dating on the low is because Ryan decided to address some important issues we face in this world. How woman have to be afraid of being judged. How did she get this role because who she slept with. This book also address the issue of over looked women getting kidnapped and nothing being done like Nix’s mother. There was a part in this book that had me on the edge of my seat I want to say it so bad but it will be a spoiler. Listen I was so shocked I literally screamed when it happened. Nix did get on my nerves with this whole I’m ok I don’t need a security guard man look you are a campaign manager you was kidnapped before stop being so hardheaded and let that man protect you. She worked my nerves and so did he but more so NIx. This one here was amazing Romance, action, drama and spicy scenes. This was a hit it wasn’t a 5 start but it was a solid 4. I loved it I wanted to hear from the dad more, her auntie more from her tribe. That is what I was missing,

I dont think Kennedy Ryan can write a bad book. She can't even write an OKAY book. Everything she writes is 5 stars and damn near brilliant. In Rebel King we continue the story of Lennix and Maxium as they navigate being together when life keeps throwing them all kinds of excuses for them to be apart.

It was spicy and thoughtful all at the same time. I could just read 3 more books with this couple in it. They are a chef's kiss.

I will forever be a Ryan fan!

Thank you #NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Omg Kennedy Ryan. What an amazing, horrible, talented human being. I don’t know why, but all of her books get me so close to tears. I loved the first book in this duology, but this one just knocked it out of the park.

Will I ever trust you, Kennedy? No.
But do I want to read every single book you write? Without a doubt.

What I loved:
👑 high stakes action
👑 spicy romance
👑 suspense and plot twists
👑 moments of redemption
👑 Lennix: one of my favorite FMCs ever. She knows what she wants and fights to get it. She doesn’t bow for anyone or anything, even Maxim Cade. I love that she doesn’t falter on her goals, even to make HIM happy.
👑 Maxim: his protective nature REALLY came out on full display in this one and omg 😍 The lengths he’ll go to to make sure Lennix is safe. 🫠
👑 so many quotable moments


One problem (but not big enough to take it down from five stars) I LOVED Maxim’s protectiveness at the beginning, but at one point, it got to be a bit too much. I also felt like s3x was used to solve/avoid too many issues at first. They worked on it though and I think they found a good balance, which is why I didn’t remove any stars . It was just a bit frustrating at the beginning!

⚠️ TW
- gun violence
- on page murder
- mention of rape
- derogatory names for indigenous people
- PTSD
- injustices for POC

Another masterpiece by Kennedy Ryan. I’m really hoping that there is more to this story because Maxium and Lennox maybe my new favorite couple to read.

Bloom Books please auto approve me or man just send me everything you have in print. I would not say no to that. This follow up to the King Maker was so freaking amazing. I don't know how I am going to get over this book and I have so much more I need to read. LOVED IT!!

Ok I'm officially on the Kennedy Ryan train (choo choo motherfuckers). I had never read her stuff before being approved for the first ARC in this re-release, but now having finished this duology, I'm definitely a fan. This is not your average romance either! She tackles politics, climate change, and MMIW among other heavy topics. Sometimes the drama is EXTRA dramatic but who am I to shy away from a few well-done tropes? Fil prob post a full review of this duology soon and will absolutely be checking out more of her work in the near future.