A Kingdom of Dreams is a 1989 ''New York Times'' bestselling historical romance novel written by American author

Judith McNaught Judith McNaught (born May 10, 1944) is a bestselling author of over a dozen historical and contemporary romance novels, with 30 million copies of her works in print. She was also the first female executive producer at a CBS radio station. Early ...

. It is set during the early 16th century.

Plot summary

Jennifer Merrick is the feisty daughter of a Scottish laird. Royce Westmoreland, the "Black Wolf", is sent by the King of England to wage war against Scotland. When Royce's brother, Stefan Westmoreland, kidnaps Jennifer and her stepsister, Brenna, and brings them to Royce's camp, the lives of the two become intertwined. Royce and Jennifer must marry by order of the King of England and the King of Scotland after they consummate their keeper-prisoner relationship. Forced to accept the marriage, Jennifer's family try to make the marriage fail by intending to send her to become a nun in a

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

after the wedding reception. Royce beats the family plan by kidnapping her first and takes her to his home. The King of England orders the two families to settle their score in a

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

where Jennifer must choose which family her loyalty lies with.

Reception and legacy

Romantic Times ''Romantic Times'' was an American genre magazine specializing in romance novel A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love betwee ...

'' gave ''A Kingdom of Dreams'' a favorable review and a five-star rating. ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'' noted that the book is "filled with McNaught's trademark mix of lush romance and horrible conflict", and that the Westmoreland family was iconic in the genre, with significant impact on Romance

fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...

. NYT bestselling Romance authors

Tanya Anne Crosby Tanya Anne Crosby (born June 5, 1962) is a Spanish-American writer of romance novels. A ''New York Times'' bestselling author, she is a five-time nominee for a ''Romantic Times'' Career Achievement Award. Her novels have been translated into Sp ...

and

Sarah MacLean Sarah MacLean (born December 23, 1978) is a ''New York Times'' bestselling American author of young adult novels and romance novels. Her first adult romance novel, ''Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake'' debuted on the New York Times Bests ...

are both fans of the work. Crosby credits it for inspiring her to write her first published book, ''Angel of Fire''. When MacLean writes a new book, she rereads all of McNaught's works, ending with ''A Kingdom of Dreams'': "Here’s why – I am a sucker for the black moment. I adore the moment when the hero and heroine are both broken in their own way, and they – and the reader – can’t imagine how this love story will ever work out. ''A Kingdom of Dreams'' features prominently in ''Sex and the Genre: The Role of Sex in Popular Romance'' by Codruţa Goşa of the

West University of Timișoara The West University of Timișoara ( ro, Universitatea de Vest din Timișoara; abbreviated UVT) is a public higher education institution located in Timișoara. Classified by the Ministry of National Education as a university of education and sci ...

, where the novel's five sex scenes are compared with those of Nora Roberts’s ''Enchanted'' and Sandra Brown’s ''Fanta C'' (the three being selected as examples of works of bestselling Romance authors in Romania). In a 2006 prank interview on WFMU's ''

The Best Show with Tom Scharpling ''The Best Show with Tom Scharpling'' (formerly ''The Best Show on WFMU'') is a combination music, call-in, and comedy Internet radio show/podcast hosted independently by Tom Scharpling since 2014, which previously aired on New Jersey-based radi ...

'', American musician Marky Ramone appeared to credit the book as sparking his interest in the historical romance genre, which led him to write a romance novel of his own, ''Lady Wainsworth's Desires''. The book has been rereleased numerous times, and translated into more than ten foreign languages.

Westmoreland Dynasty Saga

#''A Kingdom of Dreams'' (1989) #''

Whitney, My Love Whitney, My Love is the first book published by author Judith McNaught. While written first, it is the second novel in the Westmoreland Dynasty Saga, preceded by ''A Kingdom of Dreams'' (1989) and followed by ''Until You'' (1994) and "Miracles" ( ...

'' (1985) #''Until You'' (1994) #''Miracles'' novella (1995)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kingdom of Dreams, A 1989 American novels American historical novels American romance novels Historical romance novels Novels set in Scotland Novels by Judith McNaught Love stories