I really like Tracey Livesay as an author. I just could not get into this story of royalty and celebrity. Maybe it mirrored real life too much? Maybe it was my mood. But I just never settled into it. Thank you so much for letting me try both on audio and on kindle.

I wish I could say that I liked this book. But, it just wasn't for me. I believe a lot of people will like this book - it feels like it could've been written yesterday especially with the state of the world regarding Black women musicians and the royal family. The references were true-to-life and the backdrop of the story was extraordinary. And yet, it did not jive with me. I think I have come to the conclusion that modern royalty books are not it for me. I've tried and the only one that I hold in high regard is The Princess Diaries.

The characters were good, decently characterized, and have problems that people of a higher tax bracket have. Those problems are fun to read about if they're done in a way that I think is both well-written and not dismissive of the readers that are likely not of the same tax bracket. And both characters either came from a lower tax bracket or distanced themselves from the pomp and circumstance that came with wealth (though the leading man still had all of the wealth that being a part of the royal family granted him but he at least did not wield it as a weapon). But despite decent choices regarding the way these characters see wealth, they did not feel like real people some of the time. And it detached me from the story.

...When there was a story. A lot of the book was *insert peach, eggplant, sweating emojis* out of nowhere. Which is fine but I did not expect that from this book. I was not in the right headspace from that and often times it happened when I detached from the story so it just sort of washed over me instead of being interesting or sexy.

It was not a bad book though. It was just not for me. I would suggest seeking some positive reviews because it might be for you!

Megan and Harry but think more Harry and Meg the Stallion. I loved this book! It was funny, sexy and just overall lovely. The cover is enough to make me want to purchase a physical copy because I need something as beautiful as that on my shelves.

I have read and loved Tracey Livesay books in the past, but unfortunately American Royalty is not hitting the mark with me. It takes closer to 30% for the couple to even meet and the chemistry is not present for me. I really wanted to love this book as the concept sounds amazing, but sadly I am deciding to dnf at 47%.

this was one of my most anticipated stories for 2022 but unfortunately, it just didn't hit all the marks I wish it did. there were pacing issues, a lack of development for the characters besides dani. jameson just felt like a jerk, especially when he first met dani, then completely changes when he let's his lust take over. the spice scenes for this book weren't as fulfilling as I wanted. a little more chemistry for the mcs would've helped.

it leaned towards instalove, which is a trope i'm not a big fan of, and there weren't enough actual bonding conversations to make up for that. I felt the story gave some scenes too much and others - that felt important - a quick brush over. there were more times I was struggling to find the motivation to finish, than times I was really moving with anticipation. the ending was also unsatisfying for me.

I was hoping for better. It’s hard to have a romance when only one of the characters is likable. Rap singer Dani or Duchess as she is known professionally is smart and driven. She is a strong black woman trying to control and grow her brand while dealing with a misogynistic manager and industry leaders. They only want to control her and have her make money for them. To get a break from a made up social media feud she accepts an invitation to perform in England at a concert benefitting the Queen’s late husband’s charitable trust. Once there she finds her self sharing a manor house with the queen’s grandson Prince Jameson.

Prince Jameson doesn’t perform royal duties and is a professor of philosophy at a University. To improve the Royal image the Queen herself tasks him to the organize the events leading up to and including the Royal Concert. Jameson is beyond grumpy to Dani and then after only two days is jumping on her because he claims attraction between them. His attraction is the week he spent getting off watching her videos before her arrival not getting to know her. But she accepts his advances and there is a lot steamy action and a couple of cute dates. Dani is an interesting character but Jameson is not.

The author throws in every bad royal cliche. There’s the manipulative monarch, obnoxious and priveleged Prince of Wales, family infighting and jealousy. Everything seems superficial. The ending is also very abrupt with choices made but nothing resolved. A major plot point (her side hustle) gets dropped too. Maybe because this is inspired by Harry and Meghan the author isn’t sure what the HEA should look like. It also may have benefited from an epilogue that isn't the next day. If there were some get to know you conversations before jumping to steamy I’d rate this higher but I’m stuck at two stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

American Royalty has an interesting setup. Livesay takes a note out of the romance of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry but gives this a Megan Thee Stallion twist to it. What drew me to this is that premise and what had me anticipating this is that the heroine is a rap artist. I want more heroines like Duchess. A Black woman pursuing and molding her powerful and creative ambitions in a misogynistic industry. What fell apart for me comes down to author/reader chemistry. I found the author's writing to be clunky, making it difficult to smoothly sink into this romance. The characters lacked the sort of depth that makes me interested in those little bits of them. Romance really requires good dialogue. The humor and dialogue felt very really awkward. Since the writing felt very clunky that really made the one liners, dialogue, and character interactions worse. The author presented the idea of a Meghan Markle/Prince Harry over the internal, intimate emotions they feel. That's obvious in how feminism feels more like it was made into a stage act than something the author wanted to dig into with nuance and depth. Ultimately, American Royalty felt more like an interesting idea that didn't pull through on building an enjoyable romance for me, especially given it takes so long for the couple to meet.

Shelf Awareness PRO: Celebrity and royalty come together (literally and figuratively) in Tracey Livesay's steamy romance novel, American Royalty, which draws inspiration from the love story of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan Markle without once feeling derivative in doing so.

Dani has spent years building a hip hop career as Duchess, known internationally not only for her talent, but for her seductive dance moves and scant clothing. The latter, though, are dictated by the men who manage her career, not her. "She wasn't ashamed of her sexuality.... But she was also aware that she viewed it differently than the men who controlled her career and dominated the industry did." In need of a break and space to think about the future of her career, she leaps at the invitation to perform at a royal concert in England in memory of the queen's late husband. What she doesn't expect to find there is Prince Jameson, who looks to Dani "like a sex god trying to masquerade as a mortal professor," or a queen desperate for good press to turn around the family fortune.

In the weeks leading up to the concert, Jameson and Dani spend more and more time together, until the undeniable attraction between them becomes impossible to ignore--an attraction that Livesay explores in great detail throughout American Royalty ("Who'd known the prim and proper Prince could do what he did? And say what he said? She'd thought it would be a little more... vanilla"). What starts off as a very hot fling gets increasingly more serious as the two develop feelings for each other--feelings they are desperate to keep secret from the royal family and, perhaps more importantly, the press, which has the potential to ruin them both with a misplaced story.

This layering of the power of media attention to shape the lives of those it focuses on shifts American Royalty into something larger than the story of these two unlikely lovers, exploring family and duty, privilege and race, and the potential harm caused by losing control of one's own story, despite all the perks that may come with being famous as rapper or royal. Despite (or perhaps because of) all the odds stacked against "the black Rapper and the white Prince," though, readers will find it impossible not to root for a happy ending in this irresistible, sexy romance about two star-crossed lovers and the lengths to which they will go to get--and stay--together. --Kerry McHugh, freelance writer

Shelf Talker: A sexy contemporary romance draws inspiration from the real-life story of Prince Harry and Duchess Megan Markle, as a (fictional) British royal falls into unlikely love with an American hip hop star.

This book is pretty much just Prince Harry and Meghan Markel fan fiction. If you are a fan of them you should read this book. Since this is based off of the real life Prince Harry and Meghan this book is exactly what you expect it to be. There are a few spicy parts in this book. I really enjoyed this one.

3.5, rounded down.

SUPER strong start, but a weak finish marred by insta-love (well, weird "enemies" to "oops my fingers are inside you") and weird time jumps. There were a lot of things going on, and while I loved Dani's character and the commentary on the racist royal family and about Black women in the music (and business) industry, I felt that there were a lot of plotlines that were either swept under the rug or resolved too quickly.

And the ending was...um, okay. Hopefully things will go well in the end?

But I did like the epilogue. And the sex scenes were hot.

This was a SUPER steamy, open door, forced proximity, interracial royal romance between Jamieson, a Prince Harry like British royal and Dani ("Duchess"), a Beyonce-like American rapper.

In England for a benefit concert, Duchess is hiding out the week before the show trying to relax from her life in the spotlight. The only problem is, she's staying in a remote cottage with none other than the hot reclusive royal prince.

The chemistry between these two is off the charts but can they make a real relationship work?? Definitely recommended for fans of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and great on audio. I really enjoyed this one and look forward to reading more by Tracey Livesay. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy.

I really really wanted to love this book. The premise sounded amazing; a prince who doesn't want the spotlight at all and an American Rapper who mistakenly gets asked to perform for the royals. I did not believe the romance one bit. It just came out of nowhere without any real chemistry between the two main characters. I will say that the smut was great in this book. There was a lot of jealousy between the two characters that seemed to be the main plot and it dragged out the book. If the two of them would just have a conversation, it would have been fine and we could have more chemistry. If you are looking for a book that doesn't have an amazing plot but a ton of smut with lots of drama, then this is the book for you.

First, let me say that this is probably the most gorgeous cover to exist in 2022 and illustrator Erick Davila performed one hell of a job with aiding my visuals for Prince Jameson and Duchess. Just as you can imagine from the cover, these two are hot and heavy from the beginning immediately ratcheting up the spice level of this contemporary romance. I knew from the get-go that this story was modeled somewhat on the real-life story of Duchess Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, but even so, I attempted to keep an open mind about it letting the characters guide the story.

Dani “Duchess” was a breath of fresh air as a entrepreneurial modern woman, thoroughly confident, quintessentially black, and gorgeously smart. I love a strong heroine and Duchess is no ordinary choice for a traditional romance. Her character juxtaposed smartly with the tight buttoned-up perception of the royal family and she served as the perfect foil to Jameson’s traditional white privileged royal. But just as Tracey Livesay proves that female rappers should not be judged so quickly by their social personas, so too does Jameson prove to be the solid quiet strong Prince that is very much unlike his gallivanting relatives.

What I struggled with slightly is what Dani’s friend Nyla captures, in essence worrying that Dani and Jameson are attempting to turn lust into a meaningful relationship. I believed the chemistry between the two, but kept feeling like nothing could come of their relationship beyond the confines of Primrose Park. And I couldn’t help wonder if it should? The theme of “love conquering all” runs strong throughout, but maybe I’m a little bit too much of a realist to think that these infatuated love birds could make it on their own (and don’t we wonder the same about Meghan and Harry?) I believe that Livesay worked through each challenge Dani and Jameson were faced with (paparazzi, the Queen, fame-stealers, image, gossip-rags, etc.) and deftly addressed each in a meaningful way. I only hope that these two could exist on just their feelings and love with their head as much as their hearts. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Collins for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Duchess (aka Dani) and Jameson (aka Jay) both know what it's like to have a very public persona, and a very private one. Dani is a hot, ambitious rapper who is also trying to branch out and explore other avenues of success. Jameson is the Queen's grandson, but not in direct line to the throne. In what feels like a hallmark movie like set up, our two main characters meet in an unlikely scenario and can't deny their attraction for each other. I loved this story, and the obstacles this couple faced that brought them closer together. Two strong characters and witty dialogue! (also don't let the hallmark movie like set up fool you, this book has 2 spicy chili peppers rating!)

The premise of this book was very exciting to me, thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC.
This book centers around Duchess a famous American rapper and Prince Jameson. While I can appreciate the premise of trying to tell a story similar to that of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, I found this storyline lacking in development of a sweet, sexy, romantic relationship between the characters. I found the buildup of angst and connection between Duchess and Jameson very rushed and not believable. There wasn’t enough time spent on the characters encounters with each other to warrant a swoon worthy reading experience. I had a really hard time caring for the characters. Some of the dialogue and interactions between Duchess and Jameson were cringy and hard to emotionally connect with. I found myself wanting more from the storyline and it just wasn’t delivering. I did enjoy the author’s writing style and will definitely check out more of their books but overall this book was just ok.

American Royalty will ricochet to the top of the bestseller list. Well paced with two stunning leads, this book capitalizes on the past twenty years of controversy surrounding the British monarchy by displaying a stunning romance. Tracey Livesay hits every mark, and adds the perfect amount of spice to the heavy topics she addresses with perfection. This story may not be have any astounding twists, but it is beyond good with a romance that seems just as fateful as the monarchy itself.

A very spicy book!! I was really shocked during some of the pages and thought it was a good plot. I loved the diverse characters in this book. A good read for fans of any type of spicy romance and royalty themed books!

Four stars. It feels more like 3.5 but I liked it enough to round up. Nicely paced, spicy, funny and fun. I found some of Duchess' lyrics lacking and there was something missing from their romance. Maybe more development? I did enjoy the instant sexual chemistry. I enjoyed the read and I will check out more by her. The Bossip headlines were top tier.

American Royalty is an interesting romance and I am still undecided on how I feel about it. I think it comes down to the fact that I liked these characters as individuals, especially Dani, but I wasn't connected to them as a couple. This is definitely "lust at first sight", even though they don't meet until 30% of the book. I thought they had great sexual chemistry but never felt a deep emotional connection. Maybe that is because their entire relationship takes place over the course of two weeks? I also thought the Prince was a complete jerk at first!

That said, I loved the setup and everything that Dani stood for. Reading about her career as a rapper, her passion for her skincare line, and seeing how she was treated by the media were the most interesting aspects on the novel, in my opinion. I wish we got more closure on what happened with her skincare line!

The royal family stuff was interesting enough but overly dramatic and I am struggling to see how this relationship will work long term!

This was one of my most anticipated books for this year and it did not disappoint.

This book was amazing and very entertaining.
Here's what I love about this book:
-Dani's character
-It was a page-turner
-Loved the smut, the scenes were hot
-It had drama, lots of drama and I ate it up
-Dani and Jameson together were perfect
-The secret glances
-The banter between Dani and Jameson
-I feel like the way the royal family interacted with each other was real.

This was my first book by this author and I can't wait to read more from them.

Hopefully, I get to see more of Dani and Jameson.