I found this book a very compelling read. It was very well written and researched. A beautiful story about life, love and fighting for what you believe is right even against those you love. There is a lot of drama and politics that are both in and out of the family units. I also found all interactions between characters interesting and engaging. ( )

I loved this book. Def a candidate for my favorite book of the year. Very well researched, and I don't think I've ever gotten to read a romance with a Native American MC. The insight into her culture and culturally-driven motivations were executed thoughtfully and respectfully, and really opened my eyes to some of the realities people living on reservations face every day.

On top of that, I really enjoyed the characters. There was solid character development for the MC, love interest, and some of the secondary characters as well. The community Lennix has grown up in full of people who support her after devastating loss is well-described, and it was clear to see how they helped shape the awesome, multi-faceted woman she becomes throughout the book. I loved seeing the sparks between Maxim and Lennix from the very beginning and how that progressed (and stalled, and progressed). I'm a sucker for a guy who knows exactly what he wants and goes after it, especially when it's a smart, badass, passionate woman who's killing it at her job, and Maxim definitely fits that bill. Sometimes it felt like this couple couldn't catch a break but it was super satisfying to read about how they overcame and came back to each other after working through the real issues they had between them.

All in all, well-written book with enough detail to get invested with the characters; valid reasons why they start as "enemies" to work through versus just an author with a hankering to write this trope; an MC you would want in your corner; believable, constant love interest who becomes half of a really fun couple; some good steamy scenes; a worlds-meet feel with some unexpected plot points to keep things interesting; and enough moments of "oh they're such good complements to each other" to make you root for them to get their sh** together. ( )

Maxim Cade meets Lennix Hunter for the first time when she is 17 years old and leading a rally designed to keep Maxim's father from building an oil pipeline across sacred Native American burial grounds. Maxim doesn't believe in what his father is doing and ends up in jail with Lennix and the other protesters. Ten years later Maxim and Lennix meet again in Amsterdam and begin an affair that is doomed from the start because Maxim is heading for Antarctica on a research expedition and Lennix is headed to Oklahoma to work for an up and coming Native American politician. Even though Maxim can't stop thinking about Lennix, he knows that a secret he has been keeping may jeopardize any relationship they might have.

The Kingmaker begins the All the King's Men duology. While the plot is well written, the characters come across as a bit flat and their feelings for one another underwhelming. Some of the choices the protagonists make in the story seem over dramatized and somewhat shallow. The political story line holds some appeal but a lack of interest in the characters makes it difficult to care about what happens to them during the story. Overall, considering all of the hype over The Kingmaker, I expected a much more engrossing book. ( )

Unpopular opinion- I get the instant chemistry but the instant love is killing me slowly and how the storyline is dragging put a damper on my overall reading experience. Sadly I have yet to find what all the hype is about and it just wasn't worth the time nor energy to figure it out.

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dnf at 20%

another victim of my reading block, i just couldn't get into it but i'll try to read it at some point