Loosely inspired by Meghan and Harry (with a side of Megan Thee Stallion) American Royalty is a steamy contemporary romance between Jameson- a professorial, introverted prince- and sexy American rapper Duchess (Dani).

Dani is ambitious, hard-working, and has a side project building a brand of skin care products for Black women. Jameson has managed to stay in his ivory tower and out of the spotlight, but now his grandmother the Queen is determined to bring him into official royal duties. Assigned to manage a concert to raise funds for the charities his deceased grandfather supported, he suggests Duchess as an act, not knowing how she would shake up his life.

I'll be honest, Jameson starts off as kind of a prick and throws up walls in response to his attraction to Dani. But I ended up really liking their dynamic and how they got to know each other for more than their public personas. He plans some really cute and thoughtful dates for her. They also have sex. Lots of sex. This is definitely steamier than the other book I've read from Livesay, but I think it fits for the characters. They have a lot of barriers to overcome between jobs, backgrounds, race, etc and we see how toxic much of the royal family is, but perhaps love can conquer all. I was a fan! I received an early copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book so much! I finished in two days. The sex scenes were epic and the chemistry between the two protagonists was very well articulated. I'm kind of hoping that there will be a follow up on the couple being together in the public eye because (spoiler alert) 98% of the story is them behind closed doors with not a lot of people knowing. I enjoyed the dynamic of the royal family and getting to know them through Jameson's eyes. Would recommend it to all my romance fans!

Man, this book was sexy. I don't know what Tracey Livesay's been doing, but she knows how to write some sex, baby! Every encounter the leads had left me sweating with heart palpitations. But! More than just being super erotic, I really liked the way the story unfolded chapter after chapter. Tracey took a lot of care to make sure that we understood both characters and their respective journeys, and I was invested all the way.

Wow, what a book! First of all I loved Duchess (Dani). She was such a relatable character and I love any book that showcases a strong female lead getting where she wants but also enjoying her life on her terms. I also really enjoyed Jameson and his drive to be his own person while dealing with all the joys of the royal family. This book was the best sexy romanic comedy with nods to real life Meghan Markle and Prince Harry and I was here for it!

If you love a steamy royal romance this one is for you!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Travey Livesay for getting to read this book!

First off, thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC of American Royalty.

I mean who wouldn't want to read this book based on the cover alone. Total Megan and Harry Vibes. American Royalty was a fun book, easy read and if you liked the anything that deals around commoners and royalty you'll enjoy it. It was a lighter book but at times had some depth in the development in both characters and story. Loved this modern love story and I think you will toO!

This contemporary romance has a slow first half, but if you stick with it, you'll be rewarded with a nice romance.

Dani, who raps under the name Duchess, is at a turning point in her career: she's ready to make business moves, but she's hampered by a manager who sees her as little more than a paycheck and a white, one-hit-wonder pop star who is manufacturing beef with her. Over in England, Jameson--Duke of Wessex and the only child of the Queen of England's youngest son--is trying to live a quiet life as a philosophy professor. Jameson is roped by his grandmother into planning a benefit concert to both celebrate her deceased husband, the Prince Consort, and to gin up support for the monarchy. Knowing nothing about popular music, he selects Duchess to perform--and is instantly attracted to her. Once he meets Duchess in the lead-up to the big event, he starts to fall in love with Dani, the woman Duchess is behind her public persona.

I liked these two together, especially in the early moments of their romance when they start to fall in love. However, this book has a pacing problem that impacts the romance. Dani and Jameson don't meet for the first 30-40% of the book. From there, it's almost insta-lust, and eventually, some romantic scenes. Dani and Jameson spend too much time apart on the pages; the success of the book as a romance relies on the readers' connections to the characters leading up to their meeting, rather than bonds they build on the page. It didn't make sense for Jameson--a member of the royal family sensitive about his own father's infidelities--to fall into a torrid affair with a houseguest he doesn't seem to like within a day or two of meeting her. And Dani came across as an agent of chaos at the beginning of their relationship--destroying his kitchen in a botched cooking attempt, for instance--rather than a woman in charge of her life. Readers will go from "get them together, already!" to "whoa, slow down a bit."

That said, once it gets going and moves past its bumpy initiation, their relationship is sweet and charming. A little more mutual jealousy than I tend to prefer in romances, but it was overall fun to watch their secret yearnings in public as they try to hide their relationship. And there's a satisfying conclusion--even the pop star stalker storyline ends justly.

Y'all, this was WAY spicier than I was anticipating or have been used to in my romance reads. Honestly, for about the first 1/4 of the book I thought that I was going to hate this - but it turned it around by the halfway point. I know it's supposed to be giving Harry and Meghan vibes, but I kept envisioning Duchess as Rihanna. I found this as a nice, lightly emotional, and 3 spicy peppers out of 5 romance read. I enjoyed the little 'The Great British Bake Off' shoutout since I am also obsessed with that show.

(Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyage for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

American Royalty is the well-known author Tracey Livesay's thirteenth novel, and boy, is it steamy! The book jacket compares it to Harry and Meghan's love relationship. I agree with that in a few aspects, but for the most part, it felt like the book Red, White & Royal Blue.

Synopsis:
Dani "Duchess" Nelson is an ultra-sexy rapper. The Queen of England asks her grandson Prince Jameson "Jay" to arrange a tribute concert in honor of the Queen's late husband. When he obtains Dani for the event, Jameson is unaware that Dani's theme may not meet his grandmother's approval. He soon finds out the name "Duchess" does not always refer to royal behavior.

Jameson and Dani are a fun couple, and the banter between the two is entertaining. The romantic attraction is pretty explicit. Dani is a powerhouse with a dynamite personality compared to Jameson's more reclusive nature. The book offers the perfect balance of charm and humor that romance readers adore.

American Royalty is available on June 28th.
Trigger Warnings: Language, Sexually Explicit Scenes

Thank you, NetGalley and (Avon and Harper Voyager) Avon, for allowing me to review this delightful romance. I appreciate your kindness.

I admired Dani and her confidence. I loved how she wouldn’t compromise who she was for anybody. She made a great match to the prince and I loved how they both wanted to live their lives their way. I had to keep reading to see what would happen to them in the end since there was so much at risk.

I disagree with the advertisement implying similarities with Prince Harry and Princess Meghan Markle. The only thing they had in common is being a royal interracial couple. The ladies are entertainers but that is not even a fair comparison because of the different levels and lifestyles. Dani is a famous superstar rapper while Meghan is an actress.

Now this story is super cute and romantic. The fact that Jameson and Dani are as far apart as the continents they live on, yet they mixed very well.

Trying to fight his interest and desire for her Jameson presented himself as a jerk…but Duchess gave it right back. She needed this time to recover and repair the damage to her image and she was not for his games. Then he caught a glimpse of Dani’s true personality and had to have her. This was a fun read and entertaining story of how two strangers can blend and fall in love. No matter the differences and challenges love will inspire you to win! The plot twist at the end was a great redemption moment!!! If the author is willing a novella would be greatly appreciated to get a update.

Dani, who goes by the stage name Duchess, is a rapper who unfairly needs to clean up her image to sell her beloved skincare line, Mela-Skin, to an elite beauty company. An up-and-coming popstar has started a feud with her, making Duchess out to be the villain. When the British royal family invites her to perform at a charity concert in honor of the Queen's late husband, she sees the perfect opportunity to shine.

Meanwhile, Jameson, a prince not set to directly inherit the throne, is living a quiet life as a philosophy professor. But after a number of royal scandals, the Queen decides he needs to become a working royal and help run this star-studded event. Part of his duties means choosing a performer to invite. Jameson has no idea who a good choice would be, and goes with a student's suggestion of Duchess, a woman hew as unfamiliar with before.

When Dani has to stay on Jameson's estate during preparations, sparks fly, at first through butting heads and then between the sheets. (Let's note that this doesn't happen until 27% way through the novel - oof!, IMO.) But the two know this has to be a secret, short-term fling. Jameson's family will never accept Dani, and he doesn't want to be in the spotlight for too long anyway. And Dani can't afford to get wrapped up in another scandal. Of course, in the weeks leading up to the concert and its surrounding events, feelings develop, and the secret becomes harder and harder to keep. Can these two really walk away from one another after all is said and done?

While I loved the concept of American Royalty and was drawn to the gorgeous cover, the execution left something to be desired. I struggled with the writing style, which often omitted dialogue tags, making it hard for me to tell who was speaking during scenes with three or more characters. I also could tell this wasn't the most well-researched. I've read other royal romances before where the authors really know their stuff, so I went in with high expectations and a little knowledge myself. Finally, I am all for extra horniness in my romance, but there are times when sexiness fits better than others. I had trouble emotionally connecting to Dani and Jameson's romance, even though I adored them as individual characters for their drive and strong personalities, because of the juxtaposition of extreme emotion with sexy thoughts. Sure, emotion and sex can go hand-in-hand, but every time I was feeling the characters' joy or sadness, they'd be ready to start going at it again, seemingly driven more by hormones than the emotional intensity of their connection. It really made it difficult for me to care if these two had their HEA.

All in all, this was a fun read, and I think if you like your romance extra steamy it might be worth a shot. The characters are memorable and Dani especially shines. Unfortunately for me, I was impervious to the steam and this one did nothing for me, making it a 2 star read.

Genuinely enjoyed this book. First of all the cover caught my eye. I enjoyed the chemistry between the main characters. Was a fun read

I adored everything about this book.i want to be able to read it again for the first time.. I love a royal story and an interracial couple but when you have a royal and a rapper whole fall in love I zm here for it.

Dani is a self-made independent women who is ready totake charge of her career. The opportunity to perform at a benefit concert hosted by the queen was to good to pass up.

Jamieson never wanted to be in the lime light and he's dodged it for a while but he's been called go manage this event.

I loved absolutely everything about this... Dani and Jamieson are super cute together. The spicy scene was hot hot hot. The supporting character could have a story of their own as well. I can only hope for it.

This will be a constant reread over and over

Unfortunately, I did not like the 24% of the book that I managed to get through. I didn't like any of the characters or plot lines that were happening. Especially the random white woman who is constantly attacking Dani and trying to ruin her image along with the major company that wanted Dani to apologize despite not doing anything wrong. I also didn’t really love the royal family. It seemed really careless that Jameson chose Duchess for the concert without knowing any of her music. I didn’t appreciate the way he referred to her as a stripper and I feel like any interaction between Duchess and Julian would have been very uncomfortable. I'm sure all of it gets resolved in the end but I was not going to make it through almost 500 pages.

Really wanted to like this book and I see some potential with how amazing the Duchess is, but certain parts of this story are making it really hard for me t get through. I really hate how Prince James treats Dani. I'm about 50% through the book, and all I've seen so far is him outwardly treating her like trash while inwardly lusting after her. It's really quite disturbing to me and making it so hard for me to read rn, so currently I think this will be a dnf for me, although maybe if I can get over his treatment of Dani I may continue???

I love how GIRLBOSS Dani is and wow the Duchess can spit some fire 🔥 But lowkey, some of the things she does (though unintentional) REALLY bother me. For example, she uses James’ FIRST EDITION books as an iPad stand in the kitchen and gets flour and other stuff ALL OVER IT. Like even if she didn’t know these were first editions, why would someone go all the way to another persons library to choose s e v e r a l fancy looking books to use as a tablet stand when you can really just prop that baby up on anything that’s heavy?? Like use a pitcher or something, the book aficionado in me is screaming at this heresy. AND then, she opens the very special champagne that holds extreme sentimental value to the prince, and while I understand she would have no idea how much it means for him, why would you as a guest go straight for the super fancy, rare champagne that only has two bottles left when mans a) has a housekeeper and staff that can choose a good one for you and b) claims to have over 1200 bottles of wine. Like girl, respect for loving the bubbly but I feel like it’s soooo super rude as a houseguest to just go for the fancy stuff without first asking permission???

But however (periodically) bad Dani is, James is soooo much worse. It kinda disturbs me how much he lusts after her (both before he meets her in person and after they start interacting). While y’all know I LOVE a good masturbation scene, something about these ones were just very very icky to me. And I LOVE enemies-to-lovers. It is by far one of my most loved tropes, but the enemy part has to be founded, and the transition has to be logical. In this book, I really don’t get why James acts soooo rude to her in the beginning??? Like mans admits why he acts like a dick to her, but it just makes no sense to me why his Reason manifests to such nasty behavior. And the entire time he’s like “oh why did I treat her like that, I never treat people like that, I need to be more polite” but then the next time they interact, he goes back to being a dick?? Like awareness is only step 1 dude, you need to work on yourself a bit.

Overall, saw the potential for a good book, the premise is interesting and the Duchess lines are really popping. It has the setup for a fun enemies-to-lovers, but for now, the Prince's disgusting treatment of Dani is really turning me off this read.

I've read quite a few royal romances but nothing quite like this. I loved Dani's inner monologue so much and the chemistry between her and the prince was amazing! I think my favorite part was the banter, it was so good. I was hooked once I read the description and saw the cover and this book definitely delivered! I absolutely cannot wait to buy the physical copy.

Thank you Avon Books and Net Galley for the arc!

Have you ever cut jalapenos, and immediately afterward, you touch your eyes? You feel that spicy burning sensation that makes your eyes water and your face feel hot. That is the best way I can describe American Royalty by Tracey Livesay. It was a hilarious, painful, spine-tingling experience that, by the end, I wholeheartedly forget all that sweat dripping suffering and wanted to do it all over again. My hands were sweating reading this one. Royalty. American Rapper. Drama. Sass. ENTANGLEMENTS. Multiple POV. Black Representation. Hands down the best Monarch book I have read to date. I can't wait for how uncomfortably good the audiobook will be! Add this one to your TBR.

A full review with spoilers will be posted on my blog on June 28th

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the advance readers' copy for American Royalty in exchange for my honest review.

With American Royalty?, Tracey Livesay has written an epic romance worthy of a big-screen adaptation. I dare you to read this without doing a bit of fantasy-casting. Dani is fierce, savvy, and big-hearted - the perfect partner for Jameson, a man imprisoned by his own sense of duty and obligation. Together, they explode like all of the Fourth of July and Guy Fawkes Day fireworks have been set off at once, burning up the page from the moment they meet. For anyone obsessed with royalty or just looking for a perfect, modern-day fairytale, this book delivers.

Great idea, but I couldn’t connect with our main characters at all. Unfortunately not for me but it will work if you are looking for a good quick read. I only made it a few pages in , but the character voice and writing didn’t grab me. Maybe it is because I’m not a fan of royal romances in books though

This book had everything I love—celebrity culture, royals, a lot of British-isms. I was just hooked and LOVED how much these two wanted each other!