Hey ForeverBookers,
I’ve just finished American Royals by Katherine McGee and I LOVED it! If you love scandal and complicated love stories in a contemporary setting, then you will love it as well! Think a royal version of Gossip Girl and you have this book in a nutshell.
American Royals follows six characters, all of the new adult age range that come together to create a story of intrigue and romance. There isn’t high action or really a plot outside of the romance which was fine with me as I really enjoy stories just focused on the romance. I appreciated how “American Royals” only focused on the six different characters. There weren’t loads of personalities to get to know, and they all followed the same pattern as they’re all from or have grown up around a certain standing in society. This made the characters easy to follow and understand. It is a character led story, without as I said, much plot.
What there is of a plot of American Royals is taken up with the ascension of what will be Queen Beatrice, the first blood Queen to the American throne. It’s actually quite pertinent reading this now, what with the American election that’s just happened. The other stories surround this one, I’d say.
I read American Royals for a few readathons. They were:
Reading Rivalry - Wait For Me - there’s literally soooooo much yearning in “American Royals.” All of the couples are forbidden to be together in one way or another…
2025 Always Fully Booked Reading Challenge - A book with a dual timeline - “American Royals” flashes to the past for a couple of the storylines. Daphne’s in particular…
On The Cover Reading Challenge - Only one face - I believe it’s Beatrice’s face on the cover, who id class as our main female character.
Genre Reading Challenge - Contemporary - as I said above, “American Royals” is like a royal version of Gossip Girl!
“American Royals” is marketed as YA, but as I said there’s scandal in the plot. No on page sex, although it is brought up in each of the romances that form at some point. There’s also a parent dying of cancer, although it’s not detailed in a big way. It’s more of a plot device, I feel. There’s drug talk too, towards the end of the novel. However, I feel in “Majesty” #2, drugs might play more of a part in flashbacks at least.
Spoilers below
“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.”
We start with Beatrice, who as I said above will become the first Queen of America through blood. Her father, King George IV isn’t really present in the plot. The story all about the young socialites and how they cope with their hectic lives.
I’d say there are three couples at the moment in the plot. Beatrice and Connor, who are my favourites, Samantha and Theodore or Teddy, and Nina and Jefferson. Oh, and add in a bitchy character that causes drama like no other, the Blaire Waldorf of American Royals, Daphne, and the plot turns nasty.
Beatrice, as I’ve said is the main female character I feel, as she’s Queen Regent. She was my favourite character to read about. Her plot intrigued me or pulled me in more than the others. She’s in love with her Guard, Connor. Connor and Beatrice are forbidden or can never be, however because of their standings in society.
“If they really feel that way, then maybe I don’t want to be their queen.”
Connor gave an exasperated huff. “Don’t be flippant.”
Beatrice stepped forward, folding her body into his. After a moment, Connor let his arms loop over her and pulled her closer. She pressed her face against his chest, inhaling the familiar warm scent of him. The whole world felt suddenly lighter.
“I already lost you once. I can’t bear to lose you again,” she murmured.”
Beatrice only wants Connor. Not the responsibilities of the American crown. Her father, King George IV, decrees her to marry Teddy, who just happens to be her sister Samantha’s crush. See, what I said about it being complicated and a scandal! Samantha and Teddy do admit their feelings towards one another, so there’s no real love triangle. I appreciated this, as I hate love triangles with a passion!
I thought that the cleanest relationship in American Royals was actually Samantha and Teddy’s. They’re always on the same page in terms of what they want. You’d think they’d have the easiest time being together too, without Teddy being the man King George IV wants his eldest daughter to marry. There’s a rush to do this because it’s revealed that the king is dying of cancer.
Nina and Jefferson come together in this book. Nina is a college student, who’s grown up around the royals. Jefferson is Samantha’s twin brother. He’s not Prince Regent because the oldest child is, no matter their gender and that’s Beatrice. Jefferson has a shady history with Daphne, our antagonist. She’s a nasty, horrible, judgemental girl.
“Daphne had every intention of going to that engagement party. And if Nina and Jefferson were there together—well, she would make sure that by the end of the night, they no longer were.”
This shows just what a calculating, manipulative bitch Daphne truly is! All she wants to do is get Jefferson back when it was her fault he dumped her in the first place! I was truly cheering on Nina and Jefferson throughout! Daphne goes so far as to sleep with Ethan, Jefferson’s best friend—TWICE, when she apparently only wants Jefferson…scandalous!
There’s a mystery that’s to do with Daphne that isn’t revealed until the last chapter of American Royals. It’s scandalous again! I won’t reveal it completely but Daphne gets very jealous of her “friends” let’s say and that leads to some not so gracious choices from her…
My next couple of reads are going to be rereads of GILD by Raven Kennedy and A Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness, my two favourite book series so I won’t review them again. They shouldn’t take me too long to get through but they won’t be done in a matter of a week or two.
My next review will be after them…
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