The Rebel King (All The King's Men, 2) by Kennedy Ryan
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The Rebel King (All The King's Men, 2)

by

Kennedy Ryan

(Author)

4.6

-

4,776 ratings


From beloved, RITA-award-winning author Kennedy Ryan comes the gripping, passionate finale of the All the King's Men duology.

Though surrender is what Maxim Cade demanded of Lennix Hunter's body and heart, she had other plans. They were fast-burning fascination and combustible chemistry, the son of an oil baron and the Apache daughter at war with his family, but she trusted him, and he turned out to be a thief who stole her love.

Still, if what they had was a lie, why had it felt so real?

Now, the man she swore to hate is about to have it all, and he wants Lennix at his side. But when the two of them are forced to face the unthinkable, their rocky foundation is tested, as is the invisible thread that seems to wind their fates together. As they navigate a treacherous political landscape in their quest for justice, Maxim and Lennix soon learn that power is a game, and they are merely the pawns and players. Facing insurmountable odds, will they win the world, or will they lose it all?

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ISBN-10

1728284937

ISBN-13

978-1728284934

Print length

352 pages

Language

English

Publisher

Bloom Books

Publication date

June 26, 2023

Dimensions

5.5 x 0.88 x 8.25 inches

Item weight

11 ounces



Product details

ASIN :

B0BZDVDLX4

File size :

2562 KB

Text-to-speech :

Enabled

Screen reader :

Supported

Enhanced typesetting :

Enabled

X-Ray :

Not Enabled

Word wise :

Enabled


Editorial Reviews

"This is the future of romance." -- Adriana Herrera, Author of the Dreamers Series

"Kennedy Ryan writes with surgical precision that slices right through your heart. Layered, intensely real characters, and just this immensity of story." -- Sonali Dev, USA Today Bestselling Author

"AHHH!! Kennedy Ryan just delivered one of the most magnificent reads I have EVER read! The Rebel King is absolutely spectacular as it not only contains passion, and turmoil but it is honestly One of the Greatest Love Stories EVER Written!" - Bookgasms Book Blog

"ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT WRITING. This duet it's gonna definitely hit the #1 spot of books in 2019." -- Bellaorev Books

"A love story that will not relent." -- Jessica, Angie & Jessica's Dreamy Reads

"You will be on the edge of your seat waiting to see what bomb Kennedy drops next...This story will go down as one of the most insightful and poetic reads I have ever read. Slay Kennedy Slay!!" -- Wicked Reads & Dreams

"Kennedy's books always squeeze my heart, but this was something special. Her writing just keeps getting better and better. She's in a league all her own." -- Two Book Pushers

"The story is a fast paced, nail-biting read, and left me breathless and with a book hangy. It's an unputdownable must read. 5 Stars." - KDRBCK

"The Rebel King quite simply is outstanding and ensured that this Duet is my top read of 2019...This is a reading experience to devour." -- Jx Pinklady Reviews

"Holy crap!!! This book. Kennedy took this to a whole other level! Fantastic writing, amazing storyline, suspenseful. I feel like I just read an episode of Scandal." --Tiffany, Goodreads Reviewer

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Sample

PART 1

“Tell me a story. Make it a story of great distances, and starlight.” —Robert Penn Warren, Tell Me a Story

CHAPTER 1

LENNIX

I’m running.

Desert wind whistles past my ears and whips through my hair. My feet are feathers, light, quick, but my arms and legs are lead, the muscles aching and burning. The shouts, the encouragement of my tribe spur my spirit when I fear my body will fail.

Run.

Nistan.

The Apache word thumps in time with my heart and races through my veins as I run in the four directions.

East.

South.

West.

I turn north but falter, coming to a halt when I see the beautiful woman standing solemnly among the cheering crowd. The wind lifts the dark hair from her shoulders, and her eyes fix on me.

“Mama?” The strangled whisper catches in my throat. I stumble toward her, the ceremony forgotten. The run abandoned. Tears roll over my cheeks, and my hands reach out. Beseeching. Begging for my mother’s touch just once.

The unique blend of her soap and shampoo and natural scent floats to me. Longing, desperate and sharp, spears through me with aching familiarity. I’m almost there, can almost touch her, but she points a finger over my shoulder. She points in the direction I have not yet run.

North.

“Finish, Lennix,” she says, the words firm and unyielding.

“What?”

Her lips tighten. Her eyes are slits. She is the fierce warrior who lives inside the gentle mother, and she shouts.

“Run!”

I jerk awake in complete darkness, startled, disoriented.

Panic rips my mouth open on a scream, and the sound shatters, falls around my ears. I can’t move my arms. Ropes bite into my skin, my wrists bound in front of me.

Oh, my God. Where am I? What’s happening?

I want to be strong, but a whimper dissolves on my lips.

“Lenny,” a voice says to my right.

I know that voice.

“Wall?” The word grates painfully inside my throat. “Is that you?”

“Yeah. Thank God you’re awake.”

“I can’t see,” I tell him, choking back tears.

“They put a bag on your head. On mine, too.”

I turn toward the sound of his voice, and coarse fabric brushes my cheek. A stale scent clogs my nostrils. I’m entombed in burlap and uncirculated air.

“Shit, Lenny,” Wallace says, relief and torture in his tone. “I thought he was gonna drop you.”

Drop me?

The memory rushes back up at me like the ground when you fall, inevitable and jarring. The horror of a masked madman dangling me over the side of a mountain. The feel of his fingers slipping around my throat. The sight of him straining and struggling to keep me aloft. The utter indifference in his eyes about whether I lived or died.

The images set my heart on fire in my chest, the burning, pounding muscle beating so fast my head starts spinning.

“How long have I been out?” I ask.

“I don’t know. They shot us up with something that put us out. I just woke a few minutes before you did.”

“So you have no idea how long we traveled? Where we could be?”

“No.”

“Ahh, you’re awake,” a disembodied voice says, coming at me suddenly, an unforeseen intrusion into the darkness sheathing my eyes and ears. I hear the crunch of booted footsteps, sense a presence in front of me and tense, my muscles braced for a blow or a bullet. I have no idea which.

The bag is yanked off my head. We’re in some kind of cave, and the light flooding in from the opening, though dim, hurts my eyes. It’s just Wallace and me and the madman who brought us here. I squint up at him, masked as Abraham Lincoln, the grinning monster with wild blond curls who dangled me over the side of a mountain like an insect trapped between his fingers.

“I thought you could do with a nap while we traveled,” he says. “For your own comfort, of course.”

“What do you want with us?” Wallace asks, his bag removed, too.

“You’ve created something extraordinary, Dr. Murrow,” Abe says.

Wallace frowns. “Extraordinary? What do you mean?”

“Oh, don’t be modest.” Abe places the barrel of his rifle on the ground and leans his elbow on the butt. “You’ve made a thing of beauty in your lab, and there are many people who will pay a lot of money for it.”

“Wall, what’s he talking about?”

Wallace looks back to me, fear and horror dawning on his face, and shakes his head. “Oh God, Lenny. I’m so sorry I got you into this.”

“Into what? What the hell? What’s going on?”

“What’s going on, pretty lady,” Abe interjects, “is none of your damn business since it has nothing to do with you.”

“If it has nothing to do with me, then you won’t mind letting me go.”

His low chuckle rumbles, and interest flares in his eyes. “I like a little spirit in a woman.” His laugh dies abruptly. “But not that much. Keep it up and you’ll die even sooner than I’ve planned.”

“Planned?” Wallace echoes, his eyes wide, his brows bent.

“Oh, yes. Everything is planned,” Abe says pleasantly. “There’s actually no way for you to come out of this alive, lady, but you’ll go when I say you do.”

His words are a loaded gun, pointed to my head, waiting for the trigger to be pulled. I feel the pressure as surely as a barrel at my temple.

“But firrrrrrrst,” he says, eyes shining with anticipation, “let’s have some fun.”

He points the gun at us again. “Get up. It’s time for the show.”

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About the authors

Kennedy Ryan

Kennedy Ryan

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kennedy Ryan writes for women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies. Kennedy and her writings have been featured in NPR, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, Glamour, Cosmo, Ebony, TIME, and many others. The audio edition of her novel Reel received the prestigious Audie® Award, and her Skyland series is currently in development for television at Peacock. The co-founder of LIFT 4 Autism, an annual charitable book auction, Kennedy has a passion for raising Autism awareness. Dubbed "Queen of Hugs" by her readers, she is a wife to her "lifetime lover," and mother to an extraordinary son.

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Reviews

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

4,776 global ratings

BellaOrev Books

BellaOrev Books

5

The type of stories that never leaves your minds and hearts.

Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2019

Verified Purchase

WAO just WAO!!! There’s so much I want to say about this exquisite, compelling and emotional story. After 5 days I feel like nothing I say will give justice to the incredible book I read. Once I got to the end I literally stare at the wall in amazement. The level of knowledge and perfection in details that Kennedy put into this duet needs an ovation. I never get tire of saying that with Kennedy’s books there’s ALWAYS a lesson to be learn.

“The past is behind us. The future is ours. Figure out how you can change the world right now, and don’t fear it. Do it.”

The Rebel King was the perfect conclusion to the All the King’s Men duet. It will keep you on the edge of your sit from beginning to end. It is so much more than an incredible and passionate love story. It’s also a story with a socio political lesson. A book that will educate us in culture, human equality, love of the land and even history.

“True empowerment is about choice; figuring out what we want and going after it.”

A book with intrigue and even a bit of suspense throw in the mix to make this a perfect culmination to an already mesmerizing duet.

I don’t feel worthy of writing a review cohesive enough to give you all the powerful feelings this story evoke in me.

Lennix and Maxim have become my favorite power couple. Their convictions, strong personalities and determination are to be admire. There’s nothing this two can’t conquer. Their passionate about their beliefs and can convince anyone to see a better way for the world. They could change the world, I can feel it in my bones. I wish that there would be more humans with their level of passion and knowledge to actually achieve more good and real change in the world.

Lennix Hunter is the kind of woman I wish I grow up to be. She is a fighter a righteous, compassionate and sensible woman. In this book her strength will be challenged but at the end she will succeed fiercely.

Lennix love and connection with Maxim is the kind that you only get once in a lifetime and endures and last forever. It’s beautiful, passionate, powerful and undeniable.

”She’s an extension of me, and I’m an extension of her. She’s a layer of my skin, a chamber of my heart. She’s the tattoo on my chest. Endurance.”

Maxim Kingman Cade is my new book boyfriend obsession. He is power and his possessive and protective side made me melt for him. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do or place he wouldn’t reach for Lennix. If I thought he was delicious in book 1, in book 2 he brought me to my knees in admiration and with pure desires.

”I don’t want any man to ever hear her unravel that way again. She’s mine completely. And I, unequivocally, belong to Lennix Moon Hunter.”

I could keep talking about this book, this duet for hours, days and years. I can’t wait to have more of this world that Kennedy created because I need more. There’s no way I’ll be done with Lennix and Maxim.

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7 people found this helpful

Official Maleeka

Official Maleeka

5

A page turner for sure

Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2024

Verified Purchase

My younger sister recommended me to read all of KR’s books. The first book drew me in and this one won me over. Maxim and Lennix make my heart happy. Far from fairly tale and perfect for reality. Keep the good reads coming KR...

AlohaD

AlohaD

5

4.5 Chase the stars, chase your dreams STARS

Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2019

Verified Purchase

What a conclusion! This is going to be a shorter review, but not because I disliked the book. In fact, it's quite the opposite. It is a world in which Kennedy Ryan submerses us in totally and completely. Just understand that this is a duet and you MUST read book one, The King Maker first.

Kennedy Ryan not only writes a book about two people that are strong and both alphas, but she takes on writing about politics. About the environment. About indigenous people and the way they have had life taken from them. She takes it ALL on and puts it on her shoulders, creating a world of beauty, of evil, of strength and endurance, and one in which we want to see our world prosper. But it takes work. AND that is what The Rebel King is all about. Working for the outcome and not just having it handed to you. It's going to be a different journey if you're up for it, but you cannot deny Lennix and Maxim's belief in a better world.

If you read book one, you can understand why you need to read book two. That cliffhanger left us literally on a cliff. And all the things Lennix and Maxim do out of love and duty to each other and for their country is what makes this book easily one of the most unique experiences you will have in a romance. Be prepared for all the feels. Good, bad, sexy, evil, hate, hurt, sadness, love, understanding, frustration....it's all there. Be forewarned that this wasn't an easy book to read. There were things happening that literally broke my heart, but also I knew Kennedy was going to put it back together. My emotions were just splayed in every which direction. Even in the end, I don't know how at ease I felt. But I feel there is more to their story and to the story of the side characters. They were all just too strong and all wanted to make a difference. I need to see that through. I'm ready for more, but will take this Happy For Now ;)

"The past is behind us. The future is ours. Figure out how you can change the world right NOW, and don't fear it. Do it."

4.5 rebel stars

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Jessica Hull

Jessica Hull

5

An edge of your seat, spellbinding conclusion to a wholly unputdownable duet!!

Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2019

Verified Purchase

If you thought the road to HEA was a bumpy one in The Kingmaker, you have no idea what you're in for with The Rebel King. This sequel is a harrowing testament to fierce, unwavering love. It's a beautiful account of resilience, fortitude, and conviction. And it's one of the most passionate romances I've read in recent memory. 

The raging emotion between Maxim and Lennix is arguably more intense in this second book than it even was in the first. (And that speaks volumes because the emotion was next level in The Kingmaker!) The Rebel King finds this couple in the most unthinkably perilous situation, circumventing a terrifying course of events that tests their foundation and brilliantly demonstrates the unshakable thread connecting them no matter what obstacles intervene. This is a book that shook me. It was terrifying in moments, brutally devastating at others. But at the core of this book, of this entire duet, is a love story that will not relent. It's all consuming, the fiery chemistry between these characters, and that burn hurt so damn good. So much has changed for Lennix and Maxim in this second book, but we're never allowed to forget who they are, what they stand for, what they continue to fight for, and what they mean to each other. And perhaps most importantly, we're never allowed to forget that one single person can set into motion the profound change they wish to see in the world. 

There truly aren't words. The Rebel King is outstanding! Masterful. Phenomenally written. An edge of your seat, spellbinding conclusion to a wholly unputdownable duet. I was in sheer awe of Kennedy Ryan's writing in this book. I was overcome by the brilliance of her word weaving and seamless storytelling. I was shaken by the palpable NEED between these characters and I was utterly blown away by the way this story unfolded. These characters truly come full circle in this second book, everything they've gone through both together and apart brings them exactly where they were always meant to be and there's a sense of perfect rightness as I closed the final page. 

I devoured this book in a matter of hours today. I could not put it down, could not get over what I was reading. Every word is important. Profoundly impactful. Every page a luminous step in the most unforgettable journey. I won't get over this couple, won't get over the genius of Kennedy Ryan. I can't recall the last time I read a book where the gravity of LOVE between characters leapt from the page and gripped me the way this one did. All The King's Men is an absolute MUST READ duet, one I know I will still be thinking about for days to come.

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4 people found this helpful

Durdahawk

Durdahawk

5

Slower end, but WOW

Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2024

Verified Purchase

In true Kennedy Ryan form, I was holding my breath so tightly in my chest while witnessing the ebbs and flows of the main character’s lives. She proved again why she is the best she is at her craft. This was much slower than Kingmaker, but there was a lot of pain and sacrifice on every page. I was very worried about where the story was going throughout this book and that goes back to Kennedy’s writing: she keeps you guessing in a stressed state 😆 I love these two so much and I just want to know more about them! Here is to hoping appearances in Queen Move!

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