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.

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.

I am absolutely fascinated by royal romances and all the obstacles the couples have to overcome to finally be together. American Royalty features a prince turned professor who reluctantly performs his royal duties by booking Duchess, an American rapper, for a tribute concert. They’re an unlikely pair but the two quickly hit it off and have an immediate attraction. Tracey Livesay has crafted such a unique and fun royal romance.

After starting American Royalty, I looked up and realized 100 pages had gone by. This romance is an engaging, windswept tale that just made me feel lucky to be a romance reader. I really appreciated the dual perspective story and it was interesting to see the romance from both Dani and Jameson's perspectives. Obviously a royal romance has quite a few obstacles so I really appreciated seeing the characters work through their complicated roles and feelings as they admitted their feelings for each other.

This steamy and charming romance is perfect for fans of Talia Hibbert's The Princess Trap.

When I saw this was an interracial romance between and an American rapper and a prince I knew I had to read this. This was a fun read and and I liked the set up of the story. What bothered me though was the third act break up. That's become a pet peeve of mine in romance books and it just felt so unneeded. Also the time jumps in the couples relationship felt a little weird. Like I wanted to see more of them developing feelings for each other but it was mostly lust filled and then we would jump weeks forward in their "relationship". Over I liked this story but wasn't super connected to the characters. 3/5 stars.

Tracey Livesay’s American Royalty was one of my most-anticipated romances of the summer! I was completely ready to fall in love with Prince Jameson and Danielle "Duchess" and follow along with their love story, wherever it may take them.

As I started reading, I was pulled in right away by Duchess’ personality—it came through in the way she interacted with other characters as well as her inner monologue. She radiated role model, strong female—I just loved her!

I wish I could say the same about Prince Jameson. I really really wanted to like him, and expected him to become a new book crush. I just couldn’t really get a read on his character though, and it didn’t help that I didn’t enjoy the voice or style of the narrator for his parts of American Royalty when listening to the audiobook. I tried pausing the audio and reading those parts myself, but by that point, the narrators voice was stuck in my head.

That’s okay though because I was all there for Duchess—I really really rooted for her. Plus, there was some spicy spice in American Royalty as well as many other aspects of the story that I liked. For example, I didn’t expect the ending, which was nice, because I like to be kept guessing. I enjoyed American Royalty quite a bit!

This was a sizzlingly sexy romance starring black rap artist and beauty mogul, Duchess, and the painfully Caucasian British monarch, Prince Jameson. What ensues is a romantic love story taking place within the palace, while battling misogyny, racism, and the media. This book is multidimensional, and as I said … steamy.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley & Avon for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

There are few books that make me squeal out loud - to the point of other people in the room are wondering what the heck is going on. THIS is one of those novels. This book expertly gives the reader a rollercoaster ride of emotions, and it’s such a pleasure to get on board. The story follows Dani, a famous American rapper called “Duchess” who is invited to perform for the British Royal Family. She’s invited as part of a week long celebration to honor the legacy of the late monarch. Her host: none other than Prince Jameson, a reluctant member of the royal family just wanting to live a normal life as a college professor that happens to have some very famous people in his family. What happens next is a satisfying tale of romance that takes several twists and turns between two people that had lottery-winning odds of getting together. I won’t spoil it for you, but it is such a good book. The romance. THE STEAM - let me just say that I highlighted so many passages on my Kindle that it looks like a rainbow. The spicy scenes are beyond epic and squeal worthy. Jameson is so freaking SWOON-worthy. Oh my Lord. Anyway, it is a well-written tale of two people who have to live under the public microscope, and also have to wrestle with the challenges of an unexpected relationship. They both want to make their own decisions in life, but they both are beholden to other people and obligations. Anyway, I really enjoyed it and, again, this book is satisfying in so many ways. This book gives the reader all the feels. NOTE: I was provided an ARC Copy of this book in exchange for a review. This is honestly one of my favorite reads of this year. Great writing. Great Story. Great Prince.

This was actually quite cute. I don’t know why, but going into this I didn’t expect a forced proximity trope. Dani and Jameson are put together to help plan something where she will perform and I think having them be so close (physically) was a benefit for the book. They had such a connection and you could feel their attraction leaking off the page. I guess my only hiccup would be that the final act felt a little rushed, but I still had fun.
I will def read more by this author and see if I still like it :)

Give me a royal romance story every time! So excited to see an amazing twist to the royal love story between a prince of England and an American rapper! Duchess is a famous rapper who is trying to make a name in the music industry in order for her to do what she really loves - her skin care brand. She wants to be her own boss and make her own decisions instead of dealing with the life of a rapper who is being told how to dress, act, etc. Unfortunately she gets caught up in a scandal involving a pop singer and in order to try and fix her reputation so she can make a deal with her skin care brand she takes an offer to perform at a special concert for the late Prince John in England. Prince Jameason does not like the royal spotlight and has to be in charge of presenting at the royal concert and finds himself face to face with Duchass.
The sparks were hot and I liked the background of each character. Unfortunately I did not like how fast the romance was. Didn’t feel like there was much emotion between them. Liked it but was going for more.

I wish the entire book was from Duchess’ POV because she’s a fascinating character, and I wanted to know more about her and her world and her challenges. Whenever the book switched to Jameson’s POV, I lost interest and was put off by how quickly he sexualized Duchess before even meeting her, The insta-lust between the two was also too much and some of the dialogue during the sex scenes was cringe-y. And the ending was just so abrupt, with an epilogue about a third character I never even cared about, leaving the story feeling unfinished and unsatisfying.

I liked the premise— American Rapper and British Royal hit it off while working on a charity concert— but the insta-love ruined the suspension of disbelief.

Points for the lyrics by fictional rapper, Duchess, at the start of her chapters.

This book….it’s everything.

Dani is a successful rapper, with the stage name of ‘Duchess’ and she’s looking to what’s next in her career. She has started a skincare line for women of color and is trying to sure up a deal with a professional skincare company when some bad press puts a dent in her image.

In a bid to turn things around she agrees to perform at a charity concert in honor of the late Queen Consort…in England. Due to a mix up she ends up staying at the private resident of Prince Jameson, who prefers to stay out of the spotlight, and isn’t exactly thrilled at having a house guest…especially not an American rapper.

Despite their obvious attraction, the two get off to a series of rocky starts before they begin to warm up to each other. But all this time spent together out in the country lets them get to know each other away from prying eyes, and they soon begin to fall…first in lust, then in love. But they’re from two very different worlds, they couldn’t possibly work long-term. Could they?

This book is steamy, moving, funny, and smart. I adored both of the lead characters but particularly Dani. She was intelligent, driven, sassy but still down-to-earth and caring.

I read part of this one, and listened to the rest on audiobook. If you’re into audio you really really need to get this one, it was excellent! It’s narrated by Antony Ferguson and Wesleigh Siobhan, and while they were both amazing, I could listen to Wesleigh Siobhan all day. Just so, so good. The audiobook is 10 hours 46 minutes, and is definitely one I’ll be listening to again soon.

Content warnings for racism, classism, sexual harassment, parental death and more.

i wish i liked this, but unfortunately i wasn't into the writing style. i might give it another chance in the future. thank you for the arc.

This book was a fun rom-com. I will admit that it took me some time to really get into it but that was on me. I don’t really read books that have to do with royal characters/families so I felt like it might be predictable.

However, once I got past the first few chapters, I began to enjoy it more. Danielle aka Duchess wants to reach for the dollar signs and is hoping to sign a deal that will get her some more. She’s already a top woman in hip hop but she knows once she does this she will be able to have more control over her life (managers aren’t always the greatest).

Dani ends up getting in a bit of a social media downer so she has to come up with some ways to get her image back in good graces. Little did she know that it would send her all the way to England.

Prince Jameson aka Professor Jameson, has been put in charge of an upcoming royal event by his grandmother, the Queen. She put him in charge to gain some good press and well, make his presence known in the royal family. He prefers to stay out of the family and hates that he’s been tasked to do this. However, being a professor has its perks especially when your students can help with musical suggestions.

Dani and Prince Jameson’s worlds collide. At first, they clash on so many levels but can’t deny the attraction. Once they get to know one another, they can’t help the way they feel. Their chemistry is fire, I loved the quiet moments when they expressed their feelings and finally, the bed rocking scenes were well worth the wait.

Thank you @harpercollinscanada for the eARC!