1.5 Stars
This book was a struggle. I was excited to read this when I learned that it was based on Meghan and Harry. The idea of a Black American celebrity dating a British prince sounded amazing, but that’s where the similarities to Meghan and Harry ended. My first major annoyance was that the pair didn’t meet until we were over 25% of the way through the book. How were we ever going to get a complete story if they don’t meet until a quarter of the way through? The answer, we aren’t. This book doesn’t resolve a single thing. Rather than getting a story of people from different but similar worlds falling in love and overcoming the barriers between them, we got two people who fell into instant lust who never had a meaningful conversation that ends with them saying they will need to figure things out. What the hell was the point of the book if they weren’t going to figure things out? I am so annoyed. Prince Jameson had exactly two moods: grumpy and horny, and never actually showed any growth. I did like Dani, but was annoyed on her behalf that she’s the one that’s going to have to make sacrifices for the relationship. She deserves better. I can tell from the epilogue that there is going to be another book, but I don’t know why I would want a book about that character. This book was a miss for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I can't believe this is a debut!!! I loved this from start to finish. I love anything royal family-related, so I was SO ready to dive into this, and it did not disappoint! This book had me laughing out loud from the first page. The concept of this was hilarious too - a yummy British prince has to find someone to perform at a concert honoring his grandfather, and who better than an artist named Duchess? Their chemistry was off the charts too. All in all I loved this, and I'm patiently waiting for Livesay's next installment (Nyla and Rhys?? 🤔)

This was my first book by Tracey Livesay and trust me it won't be my last this was such a fun delightful read and that's just what I wanted

American Royalty had so much potential. While I mostly enjoyed the book, I had mixed feelings.

What I enjoyed:
-- Dani's character - she's vividly defined, so much so I could see her as a rapper that I would like & listen to
-- Steamy moments between Dani and Jameson
-- Real world parallels and commentary

What didn't work for me:
-- For most of the book, it was unclear how strong Dani and Jameson's connection was beyond sex
-- Uneven pacing

So the blurb compares this to Harry and Meghan.
That's a stretch.

Our two main characters: Prince jameson and Duchess ( a Black rapper and entrepreneur ) meet, have a whirlwind romance and conflict ensues.

Insta love at it's finest.

That being said, I wanted to love this book, but I only ended up liking it.
The romance felt rushed without us really getting to know the characters. I'm all for strong sexual tension from the beginning. But one minute Jameson was in denial the next minute they are going for it on the couch!

I wanted to love both the characters, and in some ways I did. I just wish we had had a little more time to get to know them and a little more depth in their characters.

And let's not forget the ending. It felt RUSHED. It was a major conflict resolved REALLY quickly and it just threw me.

overall, this is a light read, heavy on the stream. A good by the pool read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Ebook. All opinions are my own.

A stellar read - especially if you're in love with all things royal! This royal romance is not like others I've read before, for starters because it's MULTI-RACIAL! (We love a good multi-racial love story.) And Dani (or Duchess) is so bad-ass. She's a strong, independent woman, who really just is an inspiration in herself. I loved reading from her point of view, how much she loved her family and treasured her fans. I really enjoyed that aspect of it, and of course watching the love story between her and Jameson bloom. I think what made it so fun to read, is because it seemed like they were opposites, I mean they did come from different families and upbringings, but how they got to learn about each other throughout the book was so fun. I think this was a fun read all around.

I liked this book. The blurb compares it to Harry and Meghan, but I think that’s kind of a stretch. The FMC, Dani, is a rapper who calls herself Duchess. Her lyrics are explicit and her stage costumes skimpy.
The MMC Jameson (Jay), is a professor who is encouraged ie forced by the Queen to become a working royal. He’s not happy about putting on a concert in honor of the Queen’s deceased husband until he meets the real Dani, who’s not in her Duchess persona.

Anyway, I liked the plot and loved the characters. Dani and Jameson have mad chemistry, and the sex is steamy and sometimes graphic.
I liked seeing the differences in the public and private faces of both Dani (Duchess) and Jameson, and the scenes describing the music industry and backstage of the concert were really interesting. There are lots of glimpses inside the palace, and at the Queen and her adult children.

If you’re a fan of royals you’ll love this one! 4.5 stars.

Synopsis:
In this dangerously sexy rom-com that evokes the real-life romance between Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle, a prince who wants to live out of the spotlight falls for a daring American rapper who turns his life, and the palace, upside down.

Sexy, driven rapper Danielle "Duchess" Nelson is on the verge of signing a deal that'll make her one of the richest women in hip hop. More importantly, it'll grant her control over her life, something she's craved for years. But an incident with a rising pop star has gone viral, unfairly putting her deal in jeopardy. Concerned about her image, she's instructed to work on generating some positive publicity... or else.

A brilliant professor and reclusive royal, Prince Jameson prefers life out of the spotlight, only leaving his ivory tower to attend weddings or funerals. But with the Queen's children involved in one scandal after another, and Parliament questioning the viability of the monarchy, the Queen is desperate. In a quest for good press, she puts Jameson in charge of a tribute concert in her late husband's honor. Out of his depth, and resentful of being called to service, he takes the advice of a student. After all, what's more appropriate for a royal concert than a performer named "Duchess"?

Too late, Jameson discovers the American rapper is popular, sexy, raunchy and not what the Queen wanted, although he's having an entirely different reaction. Dani knows this is the good exposure she needs to cement her deal and it doesn't hurt that the royal running things is fine as hell. Thrown together, they give in to the explosive attraction flaring between them. But as the glare of the limelight intensifies and outside forces try to interfere, will the Prince and Duchess be a fairy tale romance for the ages or a disaster of palatial proportions?

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

At the beginning of this book, I didn't think I would like it at all. Rap and Hip Hop are not my thing, so I wasn't excited about a book featuring a rapper. Once the setting of the book moved to England, and the Prince and "Duchess" Dani met, things began to heat up. Dani was actually a down-to-earth woman, with a kind heart. However, she was a bit raunchy.
The chemistry between the prince and Dani was definitely there, and there were many, MANY, steamy scenes which portrayed their interest in bed. I know that this novel is in response to the Harry/Meghan marriage, as well as referencing some other celebrities with business ventures, but although I liked the romance between Dani and the prince, I still found it VERY difficult to imagine that 1. a performance for the royal family would be laced with profanity, and 2. that a rapper and a prince would be able to pull it off.
As always, with books like this, I truly wish the author would spend more time showing the personalities of the characters, so that if they do make a go of it, you believe their relationship would last - because they know each other as friends, vs. just being hot for each other. I do think it is important to show interracial relationships.
All in all, I ended up liking the book, and the ending was just deserts.
Thanks to BookClubGirl/HarperCollins/WilliamMorrow and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own and freely given.

Grab a fan, cause this book was hot!
The main characters, Dani and Jameson, had combustible chemistry. It practically burned through the pages! I was not expecting that from a royal romance that's for sure!
Dani is a wonderful heroine. She's a famous rapper (yas!) and super confident and sexy. I loved how she owned her identity and didn't let anyone tell her who she is or change for anyone.
Jameson did take a moment to warm up to since it was kind of a jerk in the beginning but I grew to like him too. His character had layers and I liked that we got to see them.
This book had so had so much going on but I think everything gets resolved in a way that is believable.
If you're into celebrity/royal romance, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, forbidden relationship, steamy reads, and spicy scenes this book is for you.

Thank you Tracey Livesay for the fairytale every Black woman has been waiting for. American Royalty is a superb study of what it means to be true to yourself no matter what you stand to lose. Being you is the most powerful and attractive thing in the world. This book has all the things I love: A heroine who is the perfect mix of a sexy ‘around the way girl’ and a ‘boss b*tch’, a hero who is swoonier than all the Hallmark princes collectively, fire chemistry, and it was written by Tracey Livesay. What more can you ask for? Read this book!!!

This weekend I needed an escape - and did American Royalty deliver. The dynamics between Duchess/Dani and Jameson kept me reading. This is a perfect summer read, with fun and heat, but also touching on business commitments, family, and the challenges of fame.

Thank you to Avon and HarperVoyager and to Netgalley for an ARC.
#AmericanRoyalty #Netgalley

This was a fun read my only gripe the rushed pacing towards the end. I hope there is a part two of Dani and Jameson's story. Definitely want more of these two characters chronicling their life in the royal palace. Pick this one up if you are a fan of Harry and Meghan.

When I first heard about this book, I was excited to read it because I love Prince Harry and the Duchess Meghan Markle together. However, I made the mistake of not reading the full synopsis before diving in. This is the story of a Black female rapper and skin care entrepreneur name Danielle "Duchess" Nelson and her whirlwind romance with the introverted prince who works as a philosophy professor. In the U.S., Duchess has been dealing with her management constantly making decisions for her without her consent and a pop star who won't stop trying to ride the rapper's coattails through social media and the press. She just wants to control her own life and move more into the skin care realm with a company interested in striking a deal. Thankfully, she gets the perfect opportunity to escape the madness for a while AND drum up good press through a surprising opportunity.
In the U.K., the Queen is at her wits end with her children and the negative attention they've brought on the royal family. Seeking to convince the public of the royal family's importance and celebrate her beloved late husband, she tasks Prince Jameson with organizing a week long celebration complete with a tribute concert. There are just a few problems...Jameson hates public attention, he doesn't listen to popular music, and he can't back out. On a whim, Jameson asks a student for musicians to recommend, which leads to his decision to invite Duchess to perform without looking into her or her music.

This book was very steamy and full of sexy scenes. I also loved the Great British Baking Show references. However, there wasn't much else I loved about this story. Aside from Prince Jameson being described as extremely attractive and the sexual tension between him and Duchess, I didn't see any real reason the two could fall in love. They barely opened up to one another and when they did, it was only with partial explanations. Most of the time, they were having sex, thinking about it, or trying to act normal in public. So Their love connection didn't feel believable. I also had a hard time with this book because I felt like there were way too many instances of things not quite making sense...
One example: If Jameson grew up as a royal with their need to appear proper at all times, why is he so ignorant of how obvious he and Duchess are in front of his staff and others? They both seemed to lack common sense throughout the book.

If you like instalove and smut and don't care as much about these things, I think you'll enjoy this book!

Thank you Book Club Girl for the opportunity to read an early copy of American Royalty. I really enjoyed this book. I had never read any of Tracey Livesay's books before but I definitely plan to now.

Wow. Some days you need a book to escape from your own day to day and insert yourself in someone else’s glamorous life. Tracey Livesey’s American Royalty does that with ease, even while stripping away the benefits of fame and fortune to show the perils that lie underneath.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dani, aka Duchess, is a famous American rapper with a skin care line designed for women of color. She wants to grow her company, but a manufactured beef with a pop star is messing with her reputation. When she gets the chance to perform at a star studded concert to honor royalty, she jumps at the chance to move the focus back to her music and her business. Prince Jameson is a university professor who just wants to stay out of the spotlight. But his grandmother the Queen has other plans and insists he spearhead a celebration of his late grandfather’s charitable works. He suggests Duchess as a musical guest on a whim, and has no idea what he’s gotten himself into. When the two meet, sparks fly immediately. But can they merge their two very different lives?

I loved this book. Dani and Jameson were both engaging characters that immediately pulled me into their distinct lives. I especially liked the celebration of Dani’s business acumen. The differences between their public and private personas felt realistic, as well as their initial discomfort with each other. And the chemistry between the two is scorching! 🥵

There is no way to read this book without thinking of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The differences between “regular” celebrity and royalty is vast, as well as the role of racism in how the press and paparazzi treat them. While Dani thinks she’s prepared, she not. Jameson attempts to protect her, with mixed results.

This romance is smart, charming, hot and insightful. Dani and Jameson are amazing characters who richly deserve their happily ever after. If you like celebrity or royal romance, dive into this immensely satisfying book now!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm so sad that this ended up being a DNF for me, because the premise and the cover (OMG gorgeous) really drew me in! Unfortunately, the beginning chapters were quite slow-moving and the character's voices didn't appeal to me. I was shocked by how long it took for the two main characters to meet and once they finally did, the chemistry was missing.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

This book was very fun and flirty! Anything with a British Royal romance immediately sparks my interest and I’m glad to say that American Royalty held it. Dani and Jameson had great chemistry and the steam was there for sure.

I will say, although I enjoyed this book, the romance seemed a tad bit rushed and therefore unbelievable to me. There are some odd time jumps, and while we do get a few cute romantic moments, a lot of the interactions that we get of Dani and Jay are primarily physical. This is of course still good, but the ending doesn’t particularly make sense given this context.

Speaking of the ending, it felt VERY rushed. The major conflict shows up extremely late and is then resolved extremely fast. It left me feeling a little disoriented.

Overall though, this book was easy and delightful to read. I did enjoy it, but my advice to future readers is just to not take it too seriously. It’s a fun, flirty, romance with an interesting concept, and I definitely recommend it for lovers of romance.

I almost did not finish this book. The first 30% was so boring!! It took that long before the main characters even met. There was no slow build or tension between the characters. Dani and Jameson jumped right in after just having met. I like that build up and sexual tension before the two love interests actually get together. The last part redeemed this book a little and changed my rating from a 2 to a 3 star review. If the author would have cut some of the first part of the book and used it to build Dani and Jameson's relationship a little slower it would have made this book much better.

Who doesn't love a royal romance? How about a celebrity romance? What if I told you that American Royalty had a relationship between a royal and a pop star and an interracial one at that? This is the first book I have read from Tracey Livesay and I am definitely eager to pick up her backlist after this! If you see the cover, you might think this is based on Meghan Markle & Prince Harry, but the characters couldn't be more different - starting with a reclusive Prince who is new to the spotlight.

I can't say enough good things about this book, so let Duchess (Dani) and Jameson speak for themselves on June 28th when you pick up a copy!

Thank you to Avon for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Add to your tbr if you like:
- forbidden romance
- grumpy/sunshine
- forced proximity
- the tv show The Royals

Loosely inspired by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry (with a dash of Megan Thee Stallion), this is a steamy contemporary romance for your summer tbr! This was an insta-lust between reserved philosophy professor, Prince Jameson, and world famous rapper and skin line mogul, Duchess. I love romance with dual POVs and getting to feel their chemistry explode throughout the book. Jameson is a reclusive royal with major grumpy vibes when he meets Duchess. Used to working a crowd and having most men fall to their knees, Duchess (Dani) definitely knows how to bite back when her usual sunshine meets a stone wall. I loved Dani's cultivated "take-no-shit" attitude and Jameson's feelings growing in ways he never expected. They both have certain perceptions of the other and they slowly peel back the façade they put on for the public and get to actually know one another. There was also set up for potential future books with Rhys, Nyla, and Samantha.

Insta-lust isn't always my jam and I wish that Jameson's original grumpiness hadn't been solely based on hiding his attraction and sex dreams he had about Dani before ever meeting her in person; she experiences that enough with men in her industry. Their relationship had sweet moments, but was mainly focused on lusting after one another, I would've liked to see more depth into what their future could potentially look like. There are also a few weird time jumps or awkward cuts in scenes, which occasionally made me flip back a page to reread.

Overall, this is a fun read for your summer tbr, very heavy on the steamy scenes and Dani's focus on her career!
Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, and Net Galley for this eARC. This is a voluntary review.