Jenny annoyed the hell out of me from the very beginning with her lack of loyalty to Royce, and her terribly misplaced devotion and trust in her clan and family. He admits his faults and is willing to do what he must to be a better man. He’s deadly on the battlefield, a warrior willing and able to do whatever he has to do to win, accepting nothing less than victory, no excuses for failure, but off the battlefield he is compassionate, fair and honorable. I was rendered speechless by the Merrick family/clan dynamic and while yes, I know it is just a story, thier motives and reasonings were written so well that there was no doubt in my mind all of those underhanded, deceitful things could really have taken place. The storyline with its twists and turns fascinated me from the first page and held my attention to the last. I was instantly captivated by the characters who are deeply complex, wonderful people trying to make their way through a rough, and oft times unfair world – and do it while keeping their honor and integrity intact. Kingdom of Dreams is my first read by this author and it will not be my last. I am at a loss for words – I seriously don’t know how to review this book – which words to use to do it justice. What a scene! I still feel a tug in my heart remembering it. I didn't always agree with everything Royce and Jennifer did but, in a sense, their actions were consistent and 'right'.

(BTW, I think 'Jennifer' is an unusual name for a medieval heroine but I'm not an expert in History, so I'm not sure it isn't appropriate.)Īs for the story, what an emotional roller-coaster! When I become so involved in a book that I find myself laughing, crying and even 'talking' to the characters, I know I have a winner in my hands. That's not to be taken lightly, because I never - or should I say, almost never - forgive a hero who raises his hand against the heroine.Īs for Jennifer, I had mixed feelings about her throughout the book - sometimes I wanted to hug her, sometimes I wanted to scream at her - but I ended up understanding and loving her too.

After a less-than-thrilling introduction, he slowly (but steadily) started to grow on me, up to the point where I understood and forgave everything he'd done.

Judith McNaught has done it again! This book has two major 'pet peeves' of mine (#1- at the beginning, the hero beats the heroine not only once, but twice #2- somewhere down the road, the hero and the heroine are torn apart by a Big Misunderstanding), but who cares? I don't know why, I don't know how, but I ended up loving this book! :)

A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught