I don’t know if it was because I read this book over several days, or because I was unwell for half of them, but this book was a strange reading experience. Let me start by saying how excited I was to read this “Meghan and Harry” romance; I was all on board with the premise and the promised tropes, but the execution was severely lacking. And I really did want to love this book. The good things? Dani and the steamy scenes, Dani’s friend Nyla and fellow musician Liam Cooper.

First of all, the hero and heroine don’t even meet for the first 25% of the book, during which time it drags on with unnecessary build up, and when they do meet, it’s more meet awkward than meet cute. Which can work sometimes but this wasn’t adorable awkward, just plain awkward with the Prince’s snobbishness competing with his immediate h0rniness for Duchess. Duchess aka Dani is the best thing about the story (except some out of character behavior which is par for the course for this book), and it feels like she gets all the personality that’s lacking in Prince Jameson. Like dude is the soggiest of white bread, hot and eligible on paper but zero going for him in actuality. Well except when he’s an unnecessarily crude h0rn dog, which doesn’t jive with his character at all, just makes him come off as a douche who’s only after Dani for her body. I’d hate him if he weren’t just so uninteresting.

They’re pretty hot when they get together, but the scenes start super explicit and then cut off so abruptly it’s like the book can’t decide if it wants to be steamy or fade to black. I once almost felt like I missed pages or something. A lot of things don’t make sense narratively at all, but the biggest is that these two never feel like they’re in love and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t just go back to their own lives after their fling, except them telling us. They go from bickering to hot and heavy to sappy in the span of a scene and none of it really works. And for a couple stuck in close proximity for weeks, we don’t see a lot of moments between the two really that gave me confidence in their union. Again, too much telling, not enough showing. In fact she has more chemistry with Liam.

And when they’re finally caught, it’s due to the stupidest most ridiculous mistake by Jameson and in contrast to the beginning, the climax is all hastily wrapped up in a half-ssed attempt to end the book as if the author ran out of pages and had to make do. Just like this review that I’m now wrapping up coz I don’t know what else to say.

I’m not a huge fan of the royal family, but I am a fan of American Royals by Tracey Livesay.

This book was a steamy hybrid of insta-love with a side of enemies to lovers. The first two thirds of the story were so sweet— a great mix of swoon worthy dates and some really steamy passion. The chemistry between Jameson and Dani was hot and their banter was cute.

The end of the book felt really rushed and there were a lot of people involved—too many, really. The pacing felt dramatically different from the rest of the book—which was a bit slow with exceptional detail. I was also a little frustrated because they didn’t actually talk about or solve some of the very real obstacles they would face.

Overall though, it was a fun read and I’d definitely recommend it, whether you follow the royals or not.

Thank you to Avon Books and Goodreads for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

American Royalty by Tracey Livesay is out now & it's a delight.

👑 British Prince + American Rapper
👑 Enemies-to-lovers
👑 Forced Proximity
👑 Secret Relationship
👑 Cute British countryside dates
👑 A hot bubble bath scene 🛁
👑 Royal Family drama

If I haven't convinced you yet did I mention the bubble bath scene?

Also there's a side character nicknamed Professor Thor & I'm going to need another book just with him.

This book was so fun and the perfect summer romance.

Dani "Duchess" Nelson needs some good PR following an incident with an up and coming pop star. Prince Jameson of England wishes to lead a quiet life, with as few royal responsibilities as possible. When his grandmother the Queen calls on his services to help organize a memorial concert in honor of his late grandfather, Jameson accidentally invites the rapper to perform.

It doesn't take long before sparks fly.

The chemistry between Dani and Jameson is instantly palpable. While it's not quite enemies to lovers, the pair definitely get off on the wrong foot (Jameson is pretty uptight and judgey, IMO). It doesn't help that Dani's lodgings are under repair and the two find themselves cohabitating under the same roof. One thing leads to another and soon there are movie nights on the couch and shared baths. Steamy, steamy, steamy!

I liked both of our main characters, especially Dani. She seemed like a truly fleshed out character and she was incredibly easy to root for, especially with all of the Samantha Banks drama and racism that came out with the palace. The royal drama seemed very realistic and I could imagine those conversations happening behind closed doors.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for a review copy. I hope the author writes a follow up to this story, I really enjoyed reading from her.

This was a very good book! I liked the contrast between the royal family and a rapper. I thought that was very interesting! I also liked the inclusion of statements or rap lyrics at the beginning of each chapter. I also really enjoyed the ending. Take that Samantha!

Oh my gosh, I loved this book! I am a HUGE fan of all things royal, especially Meghan and Harry, and American Royalty is like a Meghan and Harry fanfic book. The cover of this book is STUNNING; as a biracial woman in an interracial marriage, I LOVE the representation. Growing up, I NEVER saw books with covers like this, and it makes my heart so happy to see. I loved the fact that not only was the male lead royal, but that the female lead was popular and known in her own right. Out of all the royal romances I've read, this is the first one where the female was a public figure as well. All of the other ones that I have read have had the male royal and the female some unknown kindergarten teacher or something of the like. This definitely made Jameson and Dani a power couple, and I loved the dynamic between the two of them. I loved that she helped Jameson navigate some of the publicity with his family and his station in life. Next, let's talk about the STEAM... woo, is it hot in here or is it just me? Livesay wasted NO TIME with these two getting together; this was not a slow burn, and I am here for it! Especially when so many romances I have read lately have been slow burns, but not this one. Livesay addresses issues of race and the monarchy, and I wonder what some of those conversations were like between the Queen, Prince Harry, and "The Firm." Some of the things that Dani said I would like to picture Meghan saying, and when I was reading this book, I felt like I was getting an inside look at Meghan and Harry's relationship. I loved that Tracey made Dani and Jameson real- they had their struggles and obstacles to overcome, and even though they lived in the public eye, they were so real with each other. I love the way Jameson worshipped Dani, and I thought he was so sweet to her. A professor who is an undercover prince? Sign me up. Thank you to the author and publisher for giving me a chance to read an early copy of this book!

I loved this and Tracey nailed it with this epic steamy royal romance. The perfect romance book of 2022. I love a good celebrity romance. A lot of fun!

I loved American Royalty so much! As a huge fan of Prince Harry and Megan Markle I loved that this book was kind of based off of them. I had so much fun with this one and I highly recommend it!

I 100% take the blame on my low rating of this one for the sole reason I went in blind and did not read what it was about. For some reason I didn’t realize this was contemporary and not historical fiction. Going to this with a historical fiction lens it was quite jarring and I think really affected my enjoyment level. I do not feel fair really giving this any star rating, as I believe if I would have gone in having read the synopsis I would not have been as disappointed. Overall this was not a bad book by any means and I would love to give it a reread once I get some distance from it. It definitely falls right in the middle for me right now. Thank you so much to the author and publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book. It is one I am looking forward to revisiting sometimes in the future when I am over my contemporary romance slump. ,

Dani, aka Duchess, is a strong, independent woman. She’s a famous rapper as well as a business owner, but she longs to have full control over her life and her business. When she’s invited to perform at a benefit concert for English royalty, she takes it as a chance to get away from a crazy musician who is trying to bring her down in the press. This concert will also allow her to have a ton of good press. What she doesn’t expect is Prince Jameson, a super attractive member of the royal family, who wants nothing to do with the concert and nothing to do with her, at least at first! The two struggle with balancing their personal and professional lives while keeping their families happy.

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This was an absolutely adorable romance. I LOVED Dani! She’s such a strong, kick ass female and I’d love to be her friend. Jameson was also such a fun character, even though I really didn’t like him at first. I loved the start of each chapter, since it started with song lyrics from Duchess’ songs or a famous quote. I also loved watching Dani and Jameson’s relationship grow. I’d love a sequel of this book!
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Thank you to @netgalley and @avonbooks for my eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!
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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tracey Livesay is so good at writing women who are put in very thorny situations, often related to the way Black women are stereotyped and exploited, that create a lot of tension! I absolutely loved Dani--she's so self-assured and unapologetic-- and it was so fun to see her paired with a sexy royal professor. Even though it dealt with some heavy stuff, it still felt breezy and fun. Definitely my favorite Livesay book I've read to date!

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. Staci McIntyre wrote this review for her blog/podcast Lit Shit Podcast.

American royalty is a dual POV with our rapper and business woman Duchess (Dani) and Prince Jameson. Duchess is chosen to perform at a concert series celebrating his grandfather. As they spend time together their attraction is undeniable but what about the royal rules.

This book started out sooo strong! Love Dani, love her being a rapper, a strong female and created and sells her own skin care line specially made for black women. It all worked until she went to London and then it’s almost enemies to insta love which doesn’t work. But I like them separately as individual characters. Very well developed and so was the royal family. Did I eventually see the romance yes but it took a bit. Also unrealistic how they just go oh we didn’t think how we’d be together after this. The author did a good job I think portraying royals in this book.

However, plot lines weren’t tied up and a couple seem completely forgotten by the end of the book. Also the epilogue was a total disappointment. Not even about the main couple!

What brought me to this book in the first place was the cover. It's gorgeous. Secondly, the description intrigued me because we've never had a rapper and a royal falling for each other type of story before. Third, the story and writing enthralled me to the point I couldn't stop reading. I was literally thinking about what was going to happen next when I wasn't reading it. And the story gave me Harry and Meghan vibes at times.


I loved Dani and Jameson. It was easy rooting for them especially when they were authentically themselves and hella relatable. Though they were from different worlds they were great together. Dani was genuine, self assured, considerate, and empathetic. Jameson was caring, thoughtful, compassionate, and owned when he was wrong and took the steps to remedy it.


This book is a emotional ride. I found myself laughing, smiling, swooning, and getting teary eyed. It featured steamy parts of all levels.



Thanks to NetGalley and HarpersCollins Publishers for providing a copy.

If you're as obsessed with the British Royal family as I am, you MUST ( I repeat, MUST) read AMERICAN ROYALTY. This gives major Harry x Meghan vibes, which am I all here for. It was fun, sexy, and overall such an enjoyable read.

This one had me hooked from the beginning! I don’t often read a book this length in one day but I did with American Royalty.

AHH! American Royalty is a fresh take on the royal romance. Duchess, a successful American rapper, agrees to perform at a royal concert, honoring the late royal consort. She meets Prince Jameson, the Duke of Wessex, and despite their initial mutual dislike, they quickly warm up to each other and embark on a romantic fling, which neither of them expects to turn into something serious. Spoiler alert: they both catch major feelings.

This royally hot story is a perfect book for the steamy days of summer. It's escapism at its most regal--and I love that Duchess is such an unapologetic boss. She is strong, she is focused, she knows what she wants, and she makes things happen. But she also has a soft underbelly that Jameson uncovers and cherishes.

Their illicit romance has some significant ramifications for both the royal family and Duchess's reputation once their connection comes to light. The question then becomes is their love worth fighting for?

This book was so much fun. I absolutely loved it.

Thank you Avon and Netgalley for my advance review copy.

I didn't know what to expect when I first picked up American Royalty but a steamy romance between a Black female rapper and a prince was a decent surprise. I think I liked where the story was trying to go, but a lot of ideas that were being brought up didn't feel fully fleshed out or explored enough. Even their steamy moments and romance felt a bit out of nowhere. The Epilogue, although detached to me from the rest of the story, was an interesting point of view that I feel is the type of ending you'd only see at the end of a movie. If you're one who can suspend a lot of belief when it comes to romance, I think you'll enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really wanted to like this book, but it simply did not work for me. The idea and cover alone immediately drew me in and I absolutely loved the tropes of forced proximity and forbidden love. At times, there were really cute scenes that I enjoyed, but out of nowhere things would turn smutty and the shift felt a bit jarring to read. I had a hard time believing Dani and Jameson’s feelings for one another were more than just lust and I unfortunately was not totally routing for them to be together. Despite my experience, I can see why readers would love this book (especially if anyone is in the market for some spicy scenes), but it unfortunately was not for me.

Another one that is just not for me. The description caught my eye and I thought it might be a fun read. Didn't get very far with it before I put it on my Did not Finish pile. Thank you for the advanced look.

American Royalty is a steamy contemporary romance loosely inspired by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, if we switched out Meghan Markle with Megan Thee Stallion.

Prince Jameson has enjoyed his life staying out of the spotlight of the royal family, he would much rather spend his time teaching philosophy to university students. When the Queen puts Jameson in charge of hosting a concert to fundraise for charities in his deceased grandfather's honour, Jameson can't say no and is thrust into the spotlight. Not knowing any popular music, Jameson asks a student for suggestions and goes with the first choice, how could he go wrong with a singer named Duchess. Dani is an ambitious and hard working business women, while most people know her by her stage name Duchess when she's rapping on stage, she also has released a skin care line that focuses on people of colour. When an up and coming artist latches onto Dani's publicity and brings her image down, Dani will stop at nothing to bring her image back up and get the deal for her skin line.

I fell immediately in love with this book right at the beginning. The main characters really did have some strong chemistry and I loved reading about them getting to know one another. I definitely enjoyed the main characters on their own, and loved reading about the start of their relationship. I also must add that the spicy scenes were top notch!

This book had a very strong start, but weak finish. The ending felt a bit rushed and with little thought into how these characters would actually work together in the real world. While this book did an amazing job at the romance part, I would have like this book to a be a bit more realistic/believable.

Also, I could not tell if the epilogue was a set up for another book/spin-off or if it was just a "you get what you deserve moment" but it felt a bit unnecessary, and has me questioning if this is the last time we will see Dani and Jameson.

Overall, if this book had a stronger ending it would have definitely been a 5 star read because I was obsessed with Dani and Jameson right from the beginning. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves reading about the royals or for fans of Meghan and Harry.