*I received a free copy of American Royals from Random House Publishing via Netgalley. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *
American Royals by Katharine McGee Series: American Royals #1
Published by Random House Publishing on September 3, 2019
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 448
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
What if America had a royal family?
When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne.
As Princess Beatrice gets closer to becoming America's first queen regnant, the duty she has embraced her entire life suddenly feels stifling.
Nobody cares about the spare except when she's breaking the rules, so Princess Samantha doesn't care much about anything, either . . . except the one boy who is distinctly off-limits to her.
And then there's Samantha's twin, Prince Jefferson. If he'd been born a generation earlier, he would have stood first in line for the throne, but the new laws of succession make him third. Most of America adores their devastatingly handsome prince . . . but two very different girls are vying to capture his heart.
American Royals answers the question: What if George Washington has agreed to be King of America? An interesting premise, right? It certainly grabbed my attention and I was pleased with KMcGee’s execution of it.
American Royals is told from four POVs. That of the Crown Princess, Beatrice, her younger sister, Princess Samantha, Sam’s best friend, Nina, and Prince Jefferson’s ex-girlfriend, Daphne. Through these POVs, we get a great understanding of American royal life. Beatrice shows up what it’s like to have been groomed your entire life to be the next monarch, never getting to make her own decisions. She’s going to be facing adversity as America’s first Queen and she’s struggling with what she’ll have to give up. Samantha demonstrates what life is like feeling like the spare heir. She and her twin brother, Jefferson, are rather aimless in life at this point but also so full of zest for living. Nina, shows us how it feels to have grown up as a commoner whose life has been entangled with the Royal family’s thanks to her friendship with Samantha and her new relationship with Jefferson. And Daphne illustrates the lengths that some people will go to in order to attain a title. (psst, it isn’t pretty)
American Royals kept me engaged, the character development was moving, and the day-to-day living juxtaposed with the considerations toward the future was interesting. There were a few plot threads that were predictable and a few moments of melodrama but they didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment. I’m utterly invested in the Washingtons as the Royal family and I’m eager for the next installment.
**I read American Royals in honor of Grace from Rebel Mommy Book Blog. I believe she would have enjoyed this story as much as I did.**
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
About Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
Brandee is a mom of 3 and a soon-to-be empty nester. She is also an avid reader, a genre omnivore, and a compulsive one-clicker - but she's in recovery. Besides being a reader, she's also a writer and hopes to divide the vast quantities of spare time she'll soon have between reading and finally publishing her first book.
I’ve seen this book around but never actually looked into what it was about but it sounds like a really good read and like you said an interesting premise. I think I would enjoy it a lot. Thanks for putting it on my radar, Brandee! ♥
I am all emotional, but I agree, I think Grace would have enjoyed this book. I LOVED it! I was so sucked in by all the drama, the couples were interesting, and that cue-epic-music final scene had me thirsting for more
That is a cool ‘what if’ premise to consider. This looks great. Glad you were able to pull it off the shelf and enjoy it, Brandee.