Over all this was a very lovely read. I always love good dual povs. Who can say no to a princes love story, will definitely reread at some point.

While I am not a regular rom-com movie watcher or book reader, this was provided through BookClubGirls as an early read. It is the story of an American female rapper struggling to overcome some untrue publicity. She attempts to improve her reputation by performing at a royal benefit concert. During that time leading up to the concert, she meets the prince hosting the event. Sparks fly but can a US rap star and a prince fall in love? This was a quick read perfect for vacation.

4.5 Stars / 3.5 Steam Fans

American Royalty is everything that Tracey Livesay promised! Dani is an American rapper that needs a little time away when the perfect situation falls in her lap to perform for the Queen of England's celebration. Jameson is the queen's grandson, who tasked him to be the face of the festival for his grandfather. When things are accelerated in Dani's rap life was, she decides to spend the few weeks before the celebration performance on Jameson's estate. At Jameson's estate, a mishap causes him to open up his residence for Dani. The accident starts a forced proximity situation when Dani and Jameson must get to know each other better.

I loved every second of American Royalty. I hope the publishers contract some excellent narrators for the audiobook to bring Duchess' (aka Dani) lyrics to life as Tracey would have wanted us to experience them.

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I am happy to report that while some people will try to twist this into a different version of Harry/Meghan, it is not that at all. Which, given that I'm not interested in the royal family, I was thrilled.

Dani, aka Duchess, is a thriving rap artist that is continuing to gain fame when she's invited to be part of a benefit concert honoring the late Prince John. It's coming at a good time for her as she's embattled in an ongoing "feud" with a pop star and needs good PR to get her cosmetic company to the threshold it needs to be. Except Dani wasn't expecting Prince Jameson.

Prince Jameson wasn't expecting Dani when he randomly said that he wanted Duchess to perform without realizing how she performed. He's not the most open person but neither is Dani and instead of shutting each other out, they end up being able to open up to each other. Sure, it starts off physically for them but slowly grows into something much stronger. Neither of them is prepared for it and the firestorm it is going to create. Is their relationship worth it? That's up to them to decide.

American Royalty by Tracey Livesay is a 5 star, steamy read. The writing was beautiful and you could feel the tension between Dani, aka Duchess, and Prince Jameson. I loved their relationship's push and pull, which made for an engaging read. They both struggled with being in the spotlight and the difference between their public vs personal lives on top of the vast differences between them. I loved the set-up for the meet-cute as well. The growth of their relationship from lust mixed with dislike and then to love was beautiful to read. I definitely recommend this book and I'm looking forward to reading more of Livesay's books!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

Look at this cover... I mean really sit here and take it all in. What a beautiful cover! This cover and the premise of the story are what shot this to the top of my TBR pile. However I will say, I set myself up for a possible let down. Granted I didn't come in with "Harry and Meghan" vibes, like most. I knew there was no way that someone would get the inside scoop on the royal family but I had higher expectations than what was provided.

Neither character fit perfectly together.... Dani's character on her own was alluring and strong. Her backstory framed her aspirations and her side story was intriguing. However her interest in Jameson was completely lackluster. Whereas Jameson truly shined in his desire to pursue Danielle and showcase his creativity and his personable nature. However outside of the relationship he was dull.

My enjoyment of this book also suffered from the narrators in the audio book. Jameson's voice actor was great when it came to his English accent however when he voice Danielle's response it was always in a stereotypical southern accent which the voice actress playing Danielle demonstrated an East Coast accent. Also don't get me started on the audio portrayals of the sex scenes. I whole heartily appreciate the authors effort at giving the girls adult content but listening to it kind of ruined the mood. Just about as much as Danielle asking him to moisturize her in the middle of the act did but I digress lol.

Lastly, the end felt rushed. Because I never felt Danielle fully gave into the relationship outside of the physical and Jameson was obsessed from the very start (carnally) it felt difficult for me to see the lasting effects of this relationship. It felt more as a 2 week fling that should have ended on a positive term. Maybe that was the HFN but it seemed like the author was more excited to get to Rhys and Nyla's book.

All in all, I'm glad I received an ARC for American Royalty in exchange for a fair and honest review. I just wish I had love it as much as I anticipated I would.

I loved every moment of Jamison and Dani's story. The journey between the two was the perfect forced proximity romance. Jamison was a hero who was passionate and wanted to protect Dani. in Dani we saw a heroine who was comfortable in her own skin and knew her worth. She more than anyone knew her value as a woman and an artist. she knew the reality of the focus the world had on her and how she would be vilified if she step one foot out of line. The wave the author wove in the reality she faced when placed under the scrutiny of society allowed us to see the vulnerability artist often face. Then we have Jamison who only wanted to just be professor and live outside of the royal family. Dani coming into his life upsets the dynamic but in the best way. We get too see two people grown and learn about each other in a lovely way. It was spicy and still tugged at the heartstrings.

I was in the fourth grade before I settled on a career goal that wasn't princess, which is probably why as a general rule, I tend to enjoy books with royalty and commoners even though my logical brain doesn't really love the idea of a monarchy. Unfortunately, even with the basis that I should have enjoyed American Royalty and with the absolutely enthralling first 40%, the book just failed to live up to its promise for me. And I should have known that I wasn't going to wind up buying the romance from the beginning because even before Jamison and Dani meet, I already hated the way he watched her music videos and formed this idea of her in his head and objectified the hell out of her. And at the end of the day, Dani is such an incredible character that I genuinely wanted like a whole book just about her taking over the world and wanted Jamison to like... disappear. I didn't care to where. But Jamison's life is obviously complicated because, well, he's a Royal. Only, I don't care about Jamison's complicated life because he never seemed to want to be a royal so all of the obligations and trappings were much less interesting to me than Dani because she has actual goals and wants and desires and I wanted to watch her take over the world.

I loved that this book was dual perspective and that it got super spicy pretty quickly. I enjoyed the female MCs voice and I did wish she could've handled her situations in her career differently, I understood as a Black woman why she went the directions she went. I did have a little issue with how possessive they could be over each other but I also got it because of the level of celebrity they had in the story. I ate this story up though (in less than 48 hours) and I would want to read more of Tracey's work (I do wish that she would have POC romances in the future).

Duchess and Prince unexpectedly find love in this spicy romance featuring a black American rapper and scholarly British prince.

Dani needed good press and to get away from the American tabloids and industry that wanted to exploit her. Jay needed to obey the Queen while trying to maintain his unassuming career as a univeristy professor, far away from royal duties. When Dani stays at his palace before a charity concert, the two can't ignore the sparks while learning how their values are shared.

I loved how Dani owned her sexuality, but still felt frustrated by others wanting to exploit that. It felt so realistic and true of our society. We love women to be sexy, but only when it benefits the men (often white) in power.

Dani wasn't the only one pleasantly surprised by the scholary professor! He was definitely educated in the classroom and bedroom.

My only issues were that you had to lean into romance logic at the end to believe they'd stay together. Dani cares most about control, so while they got to take it at the end, it's only in romance world believe they can keep it. Also, I felt like Jay needed to do more to attone at the end. The ending was very quick so if more time was spent resolving these issues it would've rated higher for me.

Overall, a very enjoyable royal romance with great characters and excellent spice!

Feat: opposites attract, mixed race couple, POC lead, royal romance, secret romance

Thank you to netgalley and Avon for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars
2.5 spice

I really liked this one! I loved the alternating perspectives of Dani and Prince Jameson! Their connection was instantaneous. Their relationship did seem very physical and I would’ve liked to see a little more to it. I’m not sure why, but I didn’t expect this to be so steamy, but it worked well. I loved seeing the sides of celebrity rapper verses a Prince. I wouldn’t have minded an epilogue or even another book about Dani and the Prince after this one ended. I ended up buying the audiobook and really liked both of the narrators.

Say Yes to American Royalty!

Dani or better known as Duchess needs a change of pace after receiving unwelcome news. An unexpected invitation from England to perform at a celebratory concert comes at the right time. and there’s only one possible answer to give—a resounding Yes!

When the Duchess arrives and meets Prince Jameson there’s a definite chill in the air. He’s put out by her proximity and she’s wondering why he’s still standing on two feet. They’re both going to get schooled in how not to judge a book by it’s cover and how to overcome preconceived notions and personal agendas to get to what truly matters—love! Read It!

This book initially appealed to me because of its loose association with the romance of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. I loved the set up and the initial premise, but found the delivery to be a little lacking. I disliked the main male character, which makes it really hard to come out on the other side of a romance with a win in hand. Dani deserved better! Their physical relationship felt like the main plot, and I didn't love that either.

This book was a light and fun read! It reminded me of other books about royals but I still really liked it.

While I overall enjoyed this novel, I had a few quibbles. First, while Dani's character felt fully realized, Jay felt lacking to me at points. I would have loved to see more of him with his friends - Rhys had so much potential but barely scratched the surface! - or a deeper understanding of his relationship with his mother, instead of so much time spent on his toxic aunts/uncles and his grandmother, the queen. Second, the pacing just felt off to me. I enjoyed the banter and tension between Jay and Dani and would have liked it to stretch on a bit longer; the transition from sexual tension to just sex felt abrupt to me. And yes, there is a lot of sex in this book, but it didn't always feel like it worked organically with where we were in the plot, and at times felt like the author was stumped as to where to go next, so she just threw in a sex scene. I also really didn't understand the competition from the pop singer in Dani's storyline - it pulled focus from the central plot and just got annoying the further we got into the book. That being said, I did still finish the novel despite all these complaints, mostly based on the strength of Dani's characterization - she's an absolute delight as a heroine and I only wish the rest of the book had been as strongly written.

This book just really didn’t work for me. I feel like the characters had a strong insta-lust, but not enough depth for the romance to feel believable.

you have a famous rapper and a prince fall in love? absolutely yes!

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

I loved Dani’s background and how the author focused on what it means to be not just a female in music but a black female in the industry and the many lenses people will automatically view her in. the assumptions people will make based off the color of her skin or how she has to work 100x times harder than everyone else to be seen as equal. knowing all of this, it doesn’t let dani get her down but give her fuel to reach new heights with her skin care line.

jameson is someone who has first hand seen the worst of what royalty means. his grandpa is the one who he looked up to growing up and that holds a very big significance in this book. his mom wanted him to have “normal” life and took him away from the spotlight and he ended up becoming a professor.

dani and jameson quickly find themselves connecting because they can relate to how others expect them to behave or things they’re expected to achieve because of their roles. their attraction is very palpable and they go from being together in the moment to battling whether them being together in the long run is even an option.

the three things that stopped from rating this book higher is how it was more lust than them connecting that was the foundation of their relationship. I wished we saw more moments of them just talking and getting to know each other because it was very much insta lust. the second is the ending… wished we got to learn more about them and how they managed to deal with everything. the last thing is how unrealistic their relationship seemed after they left their bubble. I left with many unanswered questions!

honestly this book is still an amazing read for someone who loves royal & insta love! just wish we got more of them as a couple to really fall in love with them. will be supporting this author and can’t wait to read more!

American Royalty is the first Tracey Livesay novel I've read and I've already started scrolling through her backlist because it will definitely not be my last. I immediately was drawn to Duchess (aka Dani) and how fierce she was. I loved all of her commentary about the people around her, whether it was lifting someone around her up or being unflinchingly honest, I thought she was the bees knees. Then, you put her in the path of the more seemingly uptight (and royal) Jameson and the tension and sparks were so fun to read--I was always wondering what would set them off next. They both antagonized each other, only to feel remorse later, but I couldn't help but enjoy it because I just knew that all of that tension was going to mean good things for later. And it did, y'all. Once they admitted the obvious sexual tension, it was on, and so much fun. Not only because they were hot together, but because of the things they shared together, the way they were protective of each other, and truly wanted what the other one wanted.

The conflicts they each battled (her coattail rider, scrutiny of a future business partner and his family, namely his grandmother and her threats) also added to my interest and rapid page turning. Additionally, as an American ignorant of the royal traditions, I always love to delve into their world, even if it's fictional and only loosely based on their protocols, I love imagining what that world must be like. Add to that, a larger than life rap goddess and imagining what that must be like? This royal romance was my jam.

If I have any complaint, it's that I wasn't ready for it to be over when I got to the end; I wanted pages and pages more of their life together, their HEA...but I admit that that was just a selfish wish on my part. There wasn't anything I didn't enjoy and as stated earlier, I am eager to read more of Tracey Livesay.

American Royalty is a super sexy forbidden romance. He is a prince. His grandmother is the Queen of England. She is a Black rapper from the US trying to fix her image. They are attracted to each other. But they could never be together...

The book alternates between Duchess/Dani (27) and Jameson's (30+) 3rd person POVs.

This book is mostly set in the UK and it was such a fun and sexy read! If you love all things Royal this book is so much fun!

Romance novels have become one of my favorite genres to read. So when I read the premise for this book, I requested it right away. And I enjoyed it immensely.

Reading books where Black women are being loved and cherished really warms my heart. The budding romance between Dani and Prince Jameson did the same. I enjoyed reading how much they were attracted to each other, especially knowing how much the real world has such disdain for dark-skinned Black women. Dani is treated with love, respect, and is shown the romance she deserves. She is given the fairy tale that is usually reserved for white women.

I also liked that the author includes Dani’s life in the music industry, good and bad. We’ve seen how women are treated and what they’re doing to seize control of their music and lives from greedy labels and managers, so it was nice to see these issues being portrayed in the book without them overshadowing the romance.

I definitely recommend this book to my readers.