All the Kings Men Book 2
(Me: So, book one ended with Lennix literally hanging off a cliff. I really want to find out what’s going on and I wouldn’t be surprised if Maxim’s dad has something to do with it.
I wrote the above before I started. I think it’s important to let you know how I felt at the end of the first book.)
Again, there’s such depth to this book it’s hard to write a review without outlining a lot of the plot details. Spoiler alert!
The author takes us straight back into the action. Lennix has been kidnapped while completing a charity immunisation project in Costa Rica. The tension is piled on in the opening chapters and I couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough.
Maxim organises a rescue and gets her back, but one of the kidnappers is still on the loose. Back in DC he does the lovable possessive and protective boyfriend thing, which, of course, Lennix finds stifling. In the meantime, the reader waits in anticipation, because it’s just a matter of time before the kidnappers strike again.
Lennix throws herself back into her job. She wants to keep their relationship secret because she’s running his brother’s presidential campaign. They try to make the relationship work despite both their hectic schedules. On top of it all, she’s suffering from PTSD, despite her positive outlook. I can’t help feeling that all those things combined are going to break them. Plus, I’m on tenterhooks waiting for Maxim’s dad to be revealed as the bad guy pulling the strings.
On a side note, there’s some really hot and steamy scenes between Lennix and Maxim. The plot, the characters, the tension, and the steam, all gel to make this a great read.
By half-way, the reader is nice and settled in, things are going well, then boom! Maxim’s brother is killed in a car bomb. Yep, the kidnapper is back and seeking revenge. First they lie low for a bit, then Maxim decides to run for president. Lennix wants to run the campaign, but enforces her strict rule of no sleeping with the candidates. (Sarcastic me: Hmmm, this will go well.) To avoid scandal, they have to keep their hands off each other for a year.
They get outed, of course, and then Lennix has to decide if she is willing to make the necessary sacrifices that will enable them to be together, especially if he becomes the president:
“But will I have the chance to do something no one who looks like me has ever done before? And with a man I love more than everything else? A man who loves me the same way?”(Me: Just go for it!)
After all the angst and tension, the story ends with partial closure, leaving the reader to fill in the gaps. It’s little frustrating, but also a good ploy by the author. (I know there is a third book about a secondary character.) This book is well-written, balancing the political plot line and romance perfectly. The story covers a variety of issues: family, personal sacrifice, cultural values, and privilege.
This is better than the first book, because there’s no need for the drawn out timeline and backstory. The tension is there from the start, both in the romance and the overall story. The way the plot played out in the first book had me on tenterhooks throughout this one. I was waiting for something to happen that would break them, but their dedication to each other in this book makes them unbreakable in the face of everything that hits them.
I can’t recommend this duet highly enough. Both books had me cheering, shouting in frustration, and on the verge of tears at various points. Spoiler alert: Maxim’s dad is not the bad guy, but it was a good red herring.
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Feels: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heat: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
