The Heir (Kingmakers)

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If you're like me, and you haven't read the parent series, don't worry! I somehow missed that this was a spinoff series, and I never felt lost or like I was missing out on anything. The author has a way of including the relevant bits from previous stories in a way that gives you all the information you need and at the same time, makes you interested in finding out more. There is a lot of pining on both Leo and Anna's side for a big portion of the book which got a bit frustrating and I wish Dean would have received some sort of punishment for his deeds.

While I'm at languages, I wonder if Sophie Lark (and every other author who does this), speaks more than one. I say this, because Miko will randomly call her his little ballerina in Polish while he's talking to Nessa in English. Callum and Aida's story Brutal Prince was an explosive ride and the glimpses of Nessa made me super excited to read her book! I personally loved the three POVs, between Leo, Anna, and Leo's cousin/enemy Dean. It provided such a different dimension to this book, and set up Dean for his (dare I say) Draco Malfoy-style redemption arc (in book 3). Dean provided so much tension and angst - I think that if we hadn't gotten his POV the story wouldn't have been as interesting or dynamic. I loved him (and wondered why he wasn't the hero) - then I hated him, even when I kind of pitied him. It made me so excited for his book.

Publication Order of Kingmakers Books

And listen, I'm a dancer, I love reading books where dancing is included. But this was so stupid that it did not work for me.

Even the house with its historically ambiguous decor and old books musty smells of fairytales, not to mention the enchanted garden. It read like a high school drama yet these damn kids are supposed to be getting prepared for a mafia world.

But I actually ended up really enjoying the book. The constant rivalry between Leo and Dean was actually really fun to read even though they could get pretty annoying sometimes. And for the amazing narration, Chloe Ryan, Michael Gallagher and Gregory Salinas were the perfect cast to bring these characters and their story to life. They had a complete understanding of the characters they portrayed, gave each a voice that was a perfect fit for that characters persona, sounding believable in every role they played and just as I pictured the characters to sound. They set the perfect tone for the story, grasped every single emotion from their character, had you feeling them as well as the angst, the thrill and the suspense. These mega talented narrators are versatile voice artists and entertaining storytellers. Thank you for this exceptional listen. I was a corpse when I met you, Nessa,” he says. “No breath. No heart. No life. I felt nothing. I cared about nothing. Then I saw you, and you woke me up inside. I was such a fool at first. I was so numb that I thought that spark must be hatred. If I was a normal person, I would have realized it was love. Love at first sight. From the second I laid eyes on you.”

All I’m going to say about Dean is that Sophie Lark has a serious redemption ARC to write. The rest are spoilers, so I’ll remain quiet about that. It was a little longer than I think it needed to be but i can see myself loving other stories in this world depending on what tropes end up being in the other books. If Miko was talking to himself out loud or in his own head, then okay, obviously he would refer to her in Polish. But this way it sounds cringy, I'm sorry. No one actually talks like that. She also touched him while he was sleeping and that made me uncomfortable bc he may want you butttt that doesn’t give you the right to just go to the guys room and touch him the way you did while he is asleep and he literally pushed your hand away a couple minutes ago when you also tried it- PLUS IT DID NOT FIT HER CHARACTER ONCE AGAIN SHE IS SUPPOSED TO BE THIS SWEET INNOCENT SHY VIRGIR OR WHATEVER ANS SHES OUT HERE STRIPPING AND TOUCHING HIM LIKE THAT BAE THAT IS NOT THE DEFINITION OF SHY He’s the ringleader. I’ve seen how the others defer to him. I’ve seen how he stares at Anna most of all.After an incident at school that leaves Anna heartbroken, Dean, Leo's cousin and archenemy swoops in and tries to keep them apart and have Anna all to himself. By the time they got together, I didn’t care for either of them. Their chemistry wasn’t believable and instead of the reader forming a relationship with their friendship, we’ve formed it with… I don’t even know. The kidnapping trope wasn’t done well. The only kidnapping stories I have read were on wattpad so idk if I have any say in this but the kidnapping trope was just not it??? Yk what I mean?? When it comes to dark romance story’s like kidnapping the story has to be written in a specific kind of way to make it enjoyable and not make you feel creeped out or like ��what. Is. Going. On.” Dark romance is after all a side of romance that can go wrong very easily if it’s not written well. While Holly and Byron say that they are going to just remain friends, it appears that actions speak louder than words here. The two are constantly hooking up and taking the clothes off the other one. It’s clear that they have incredible chemistry together and they probably would be a fantastic couple if things got serious.