An absolute treat of a romantic novel, focusing on the love story of a royal and a pop star, despite all of the obstacles thrown their way. Naturally, the story of Harry and Meghan comes to mind as an inspiration.

Unfortunately, this one just wasn't my personal cup of tea. I am an absolute sucker for royal romances, and this gorgeous cover got me immediately, as did the concept. But the writing just never grabbed me and it all felt a bit cliche and undercooked. I know this will find its readers, but I've decided to DNF.

A steamy, fun, compulsively readable book that I obviously couldn’t put down all day once I started it. I was hoping for a slightly earlier meet-cute between the main pair (they don’t cross paths until over 25% of the way into the book), as well as a somewhat modified resolution of the biggest issue surrounding their relationship (how would Jameson and Dani balance their commitment to each other with his responsibilities to the monarchy?). I won’t lie; I was sort of rooting more for him to cut ties altogether with the royal family and live his own life as a professor, since he never enjoyed the part he had to play anyway. But overall, I was delighted by their chemistry and what an escapist read this was for me!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars: American Royalty was a highly anticipated book for me. A member of the royal family falls for a female rapper? What a unique storyline. I will say the first 40-50% of the book moved pretty slow but when Jameson and Dani finally let their guards down and acted on their feelings the storyline moved very quickly. I liked Dani’s no-nonsense demeanor; she matched Jameson’s energy and she was not phased by his status. Jameson never wanted the spotlight or to do any royal duties and that’s what made him so likable- he wanted the simple things. I liked the characters and their chemistry. The flow of the story was a little slow at times. I was super skeptical about the plot but it came together well.

I received an ARC from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the concept of the book and how each character was introduced to us.. It is fast paced so be ready but we all love a good fast read that’s also entertaining.

I loved this book! The “ripped from the headlines” premise was fun, but Dani and Jay definitely read as real people outside of the the stereotypes they face both in the book and perhaps reader expectations of a royal/celeb romance. And WOAH, what a romance. This is probably one of the spiciest books I’ve ever read. I’m not gonna go into much more detail on that to minimize the blush you cannot see forming on my cheeks, but closed door this is definitely not. My only quibble is that that sometimes the dual pov suffered from telling parts of the same scene twice, but it’s a very minor thing to pick on. As the child of biracial parents myself, I love the authors motivation to tell love stories like our and I look forward to her next book.

Oooooo I thought this one was SO entertaining. It was sweet and sexy and oh so satisfying! I adored Dani's (Duchess) character and what a driven badass she was. Prince Jameson was both surly and charming and I really rooted for him (well, them both actually) to get the life HE wanted. I definitely punched the air at the end a la Judd Nelson in The Breakfast Club.

If you love a story that involves royal romance, spicy scenes, and truly decent and cool main characters, I highly recommend American Royalty!

Prince Jameson is a reclusive royal who doesn’t want to be in the spotlight. Dani AKA “Duchess” is an American rapper who wants to give up rap to focus on her beauty line.

When Jameson is tasked with creating a concert for the Queen, he books Duchess before listening to her music. Eager to take a break, Duchess ends up in London early and stays with Jameson in his castle. Romance blooms in a MAJOR way.

I had to suspend belief a lot while reading this one. As someone that reads many royal romances, I considered myself well-versed in the British Royal Family. So there were many scenes I had to remember this was fiction because in no way would some of these scenarios happen.

Still, I was entertained and I loved the ending. I really hope there is a sequel to this one because I’d love to see this story expanded on.

loved the idea, simply couldn’t get into it. that you to the publisher for the arc! i really wanted to love this one but it just wasn’t happening for me. i’ve actually bought a physical copy as well, and hope to revisit it soon because i want to love it so badly!

I've had this title on my TBR shelf for way too long. Loved every bit of American Royalty and will be recommending to my romance readers. Thank you NetGalley for the advance e copy.

3.5⭐

Thank you so much to Avon and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

This book was a bit of a rollercoaster for me. There were moments that I absolutely LOVED. And some that didn't quite work for me. So let's start with what I loved -

Dani is amazing, I loved her chapters. I love that she showed all the different sides of a person. Sometimes she's story and fierce and takes no shit. But sometimes she's quiet and just wants to feel safe.

And I loved that while she always fought for herself, she had amazing friends that fought with her. I loved a good platonic relationship in my romances and this definitely had that. In fact, I wish we had even more of it!!

While the parallels between this and Meghan Markle were clear, it wasn't, by any means, a direct copy of her story. This was definitely it's one unique story with it's own unique characters.

I'm usually very leery of books about famous people - including musicians. But in this case, I thought the concert was a really cool backdrop for the story. And I also appreciated that the build up to the concert took a larger focus than the show itself.

Unfortunately Jameson left a little be desired. I felt like he was such a flat character with little to no personality. Why did Dani like him beyond being attractive? I have no idea. Because we never really got to know him.

In fact the majority of his chapters were just him complaining about how relationship with Dani would never work.

But where this story lost me a little was with the ending. The late 3rd act conflict just really threw me. It was so abrupt and quick that I felt like I got book whiplash. While I knew it was coming, the way it was executed was just too quick and ended without any real resolution. Our characters spent 300+ pages talking about why their relationship won't work and in the end essentially shrug it off and say they'll figure it out.

I wanted them to to figure it out on page...

The little epilogue was super fun though. I'm definitely interested to see what Tracey Livesay releases next (in this world or otherwise!)

The Royal family has always grabbed my attention.

This book did the same!

The writing was quick and entertaining from the start. I loved getting the two POVs of an American rapper and a British Royal. There was humor and spice and everything nice in this book. I also appreciated the discussions surrounding love and status. It was an enjoyable read all around.

Thank you Harper Luxe for the copy via Netgalley.

Having read more than a few not so good books this year I’m always happy when a good one comes around and that’s this book. A lot of times romance makes me roll my eyes and gag but again not this book. I liked it more than I thought I would probably because Dani and Jameson were so likeable.

So the story goes...
Dani aka Duchess is a popular American rapped who wants more control over her life and sees the perfect way to do that is through her skin care line that she’s on the verge of making a big deal with.... that is until some wannabe creates a fake feud between them that people believe and has become a bigger deal that it should have been which has effected her business opportunities. An offer to perform at an event for the British Royal family might be just the thing she needs to get things back on track...

Prince Jameson has been trying to avoid any duties to his family in the years since his father died. When his grandmother, the queen, asks him to assist in an event to honor his late grandfather the charities he patronized... he feels obligated to become involved. His family is a bit of a train wreck and they could use some good press instead of scandal after scandal. He isn’t really into any popular music being a scholarly philosophy professor so when asked to pick a musical act for the event he randomly picks Duchess unaware that he’s picking a rapper.

Because Dani needed to get away for awhile before the event to relax and through a series of unexpected events ends up staying with Jameson and they do not initially get along well. After some time though they grow closer than either of them expect and both know it’s just a vacation fling and nothing more. He is a prince after all and she’s got her career to think of.

Naturally things don’t go as planned and they catch feelings while desperately trying to keep things secret. The public is watching and so is the queen they can’t afford any missteps. Not if Dani wants the ache I’ve her dreams that are on the verge of becoming reality. Because of course a black American rapper does not fit with the royal family. And Jameson as a prince doesn’t exactly get to choose how his life will go...

I loved it... great story great writing great characters. And a gorgeous cover which is definitely how I ended up here I can’t pass up a nice cover and I’m happy to say it was worth it.

This was nothing like I was expecting. The opening chapter was enough to make me want to put this book down, but I kept reading in hopes that it would get better. It didn't.

I don't particularly like lyrics or poems written into books as a personal preference, which is why I was hesitant about the music aspect of this book. The fmc, Dani, has been painted to embody Meg Thee Stallion by many reviewers and as a big fan of her music I sort of feel lied to as she did not come across that way at all. I felt like on her own she was a strong character and I really enjoyed her POV but that all kind of went sour with Jameson. Everything about Jameson just weirded me out. They way he was lusting after her before they even met felt creepy in my opinion and was a major turn off, especially given the fact that when we meet Dani she expresses frustration over being sexualized and fetishized by men. It made the relationship between the two mc's very unbelievable and I don't see them securing a 'happily ever after' or even a 'happy for now' kind of ending.

The pacing of this book felt really off from how long it took for them to actually meet to the rushed relationship and even the resolution of the 3rd act break up, It felt reminiscent of a first draft. The pop-culture of it all was extremely heavy handed and made it more cringe than relatable. I think the premise of this book was good and had a lot of potential to be a great book, but ultimately just feel flat. The characters lacked chemistry and the stakes were too high for the lack of emotional and intimate development between the characters. Overall, I don't think this book was as well executed as it could have been.

I will never not want to read a royals romance inspired by Meghan and Harry. The cover really drew me in on this one, and overall the story was great! I was a little surprised that it took so long for the couple to meet, and the "enemies" portion of their enemies-to-lovers relationship seemed much shorter than I typically enjoy, but the couple is swoon worthy and the steam was FIRE. If you're looking for a fast, fun, flirty read, look no further! This book is as perfect for a scorching day at the beach as it is in a cozy cabin in winter, and I look forward to reading the author's next book as well.

This was a delightful romance. I am a sucker for a royal romance. Although let’s be real Duchess is too good for the Prince 🤣

I was expecting something totally different. This is so overdone with cliches and it's just not good. It's like a Meg Thee Stallion fanfiction.

An American rapper and a British Prince fall in love? It's like Harry and Meghan's story if she had been Thee Stallion instead of Markle! I was all in on this book based on the premise but I found the execution a bit lacking. While I loved both main characters, their insta-lust felt rushed and I wanted more to their relationship. There was a good amount of steam and some interesting secondary characters but overall, the book didn't live up to its potential for me. It was a quick fun read that I liked but really wanted to love.

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager for the copy to review.

I feel that this book started off really strong, but the ending really fizzled off. I really enjoyed Dani as a charterer and I feel the sex scenes in this book were hot. However, I do feel like the author could've went deeper in the commentary concerning the racist royal family and Black women in the music business. Conversations didn't happen and when they did, it was resolved too quickly

Royal romances aren't usually my thing, but Tracey's books ARE so I gobbled this one up. Loved the pop culture-y nature of it and the subtle Rihanna vibes I was getting. Again, I loved a hot prof hero these days, so keep them coming.