As a fan of this author, I was excited to read this new book. I can say that once again Katharine McGee delivers that wonderful aching love story where everything appears to be going perfectly and then factors built in during the story complicate things.

There is such clear distinction between the three main characters as they tell their stories. And since they are so different it is easy for a reader to find themself in one of those characters. The longing that each character embodies in their own way is very relatable as well.

Beyond being a romance, this novel is a historical representation -despite being fiction- on how differently women were regarded let alone treated by men. With that in mind, there is a great amount of intrigue at work since women in that time really had to hide or veil their abilities, ambitions, and actions.

In summary, this is a great read as it draws you in with romance, political intrigue, and such fascinating historical characters as Queen Victoria.

To preface this review, I must say I am a BIG Katharine McGee fan. I absolutely devoured the American Royals series and loved the fresh and unique take on young adult romance. I felt a void when I finished the last book of that series and couldn't have been more thrilled when she announced A Queen's Game. I couldn't believe it when I was selected for an eARC of A Queen's Game!

I am hoping and praying this will turn into a series because I think it will make me appreciate and enjoy this first installment even more. I know that the first book of a series needs to be expository in nature just to get the ball rolling but at many times, I found myself... bored? I don't feel endeared to any of the characters yet and so far, it's feeling like American Royals in a different font.

That being said, I can feel the potential - if continued, this WILL be even better than American Royals, if that's even possible! I love a Regency novel and I love a unique YA romcom so this checks all the boxes. Can't wait to see where this one goes!

I have enjoyed Katharine McGee's previous books, so I was excited to receive an e-arc of A Queen's Game. I love historical fiction with a royal twist, so this was perfect. The book absolutely didn't disappoint. I devoured it quickly--I was only delayed by my constant googling to divide fact from fiction.

A few general thoughts:
--This is the first book in a duology. I did not know that going in, and I was a little disappointed. Although I know who ends up with whom after googling, I really thought that the book was a standalone.
--I don't always love when authors take liberties with real people. I would love to know what kind of research the author did and how historically accurate it is. My googling indicates that much of it is historically accurate (maybe not some of Helene's arc).
--This book is told from multiple POVs. I think that it works really well, but I know that some people don't like that style.

Thanks Netgalley and publishers for the free e-arc in exchange for my host review. I can't wait to read the sequel!

I will be the first to admit that historical romance is not my favorite genre; but for Katharine McGee, I am willing to give anything a chance. Surprisingly, this was a fun read!


A Queen’s Game follows three young women in Victorian England as they struggle to find love and their place in the world of English royalty. May of Teck has a terrible home life and is desperate to get out from under her father’s thumb. She has her sights set on the future king, Prince Eddy, as her ticket to freedom, but is he the right person for her? Helene d’Orleans is the exiled French princess who has a habit of falling into unrequited love. She has caught the eye of Prince Eddy, but can two people as different as them be together? Alix of Hesse wants a quiet life and is not interested in a betrothal that would cast her into the spotlight like the Queen wants. When she marries, she wants it to be for love, which may come when she least expects it.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book! I think, for me, what made the difference between this book and other historical romances I’ve read were the characters. I was so invested in all three women and wanted each to find love and happiness. I appreciated how authentic May, Alix, and Helene were (despite being based in history). I could easily see this book becoming a television show or movie (in the vein of Bridgerton) and cannot wait for book 2!

I think this book is perfect for those who enjoy historical romances or even for those who don’t, but want a book filled with intrigue, love, and characters trying to discover who they truly are.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children’s for the ARC!

**2.5 STARS**

Content Warning: slap in the face

I remember reading and enjoying American Royals but I never finished the series. So when I saw this was about European royals, not going to lie, I wanted to read this for the drama. Here are my thoughts:

Likes:

+ If you want royals, there are all kinds of royals in this one. Apparently Queen Victoria of Britain had 22 grandchildren? And she was trying to marry a few of them to one another – I’m so glad they don’t do that anymore. In this story, there is a lot of drama going on between who is going to marry who. I’d say it got mostly interesting in the second half of the story.

+ I did like the historical aspect of the story and learning a little bit more of Queen Victoria’s grandkids.

+ This story is told between 3 POVs: Alix, Hélène, and May – each girl with a different background and each girl trying to make an advantage marriage. Alix was okay – she’s the demure one, Hélène is the fun and flirty one and May is probably the more interesting one because though she’s plain, she gets caught up with blackmail plans by of course, an American heiress trying to infiltrate the royal crowd.

Dislikes:

~ The beginning is too slow and I wasn’t connecting to any of the characters. I wasn’t sure if I cared enough about their marital market drama until the second half.

~ I think because there is no real connection to the characters, I didn’t feel anything for the romance either. Maybe also the fact they were cousins were turning me off. The romance does happen quick for the girls except for May, who is the more practical of all of them, but it’s just too fast with no real investment for me in the couples.

~ The ending is abrupt and even though I did enjoy the messiness and drama of the second half, I don’t think I’ll read the sequel.

My Thoughts:

This one didn’t quite work out for me but I did enjoy the second half of the story. I just didn’t connect to the characters, or romance, but I did like the blackmail. I think younger readers would enjoy this one though if you liked the American Royals series.

this book was pretty great, i loved the vibe of it and the characters were definitely cool. its biggest flaw, to me, was just its unfinishedness. It felt not just like it's being set up for a second (third, fourth, fifth....) book but like it was just one book cut in half and handed to a reader. 3.5 stars tysm for the arc.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced reader copy.

I loved the American Royals series from Katharine McGee and was excited that she had a new book out. But I think the magic of the American Royals series was the juxtaposition of modern day storylines mixed with an alternate history of the United States. The characters and plotlines in A Queen's Game, set in the time of Queen Victoria, just didn't zing the same way.

⭐️: 3.5/5

Some of my favorite YA series have come from the mind of Katharine McGee, so when I got the chance to read her newest book, I was excited! Off the bat, it gives big Bridgerton vibes, along with the multiple FMC POV narrative that I know I always expect when it comes to McGee’s books. I say it gives Bridgerton vibes, since it’s that same sort of British Regency time in history, but the twist here is all the characters in the books are based on real people in European history. Obviously, this also means that you can easily find out what happens to all of them at any point with a simple Wikipedia search, which I admit that I did once I was about one third through the book, since I wanted to to verify that these people were actually real, as advertised. Obviously, that gave spoilers, but whatever.

There are some relatively big time jumps in this one, which should have made it feel like it moved faster, but honestly the book itself was kind of slow. I think I expected more drama and overlap of storylines, but they honestly moved mostly independent of each other, while still being in close proximity. I think this one would be more fun for people who are really into this period of history, or who are really into the British monarchy, but neither of those are big topics of interest for me, so that, along with my age, made me not the target audience of this one.

Clearly this is the start of a new series by McGee, since none of the storylines reach their conclusions at the end of this book, and although I do recommend this book to those who are interested, I think I’ll personally be skipping the rest.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhousekids for this eARC provided for my review!!

A Queen’s Game
Katherine McGee
Publishes November 12, 2024
Thank you and random house children’s for this ARC!

I adore Katherine McGee’s writing. Her American Royals series hooked me with its compelling characters and royal storyline. I’m forever a Bea and Teddy fan. This new novel, A Queen’s Game, is just as intriguing and in a historical setting.

This novel follows three royal women, May, Helene, and Alix. And they are all after a prince. That, however, is where the fairy tale ends.

Each woman holds a different place in royal society with very different family situations. I grew to understand and empathize with each, even when some really terrible decisions were made. The story itself is captivating, but I truly loved the character depth and growth.

I also found it funny that of course the American in the story is brash and pushy.

This book is listed as YA, however there are a lot of references to sexual relations. It’s never described, but I was a little surprised by the numerous mentions. I even double checked if this book was YA. I think YA can mean different things to different people so I wanted to note this.

Like the American Royals series, this first book ends with unfinished business. I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes in book 2!

If you liked Katharine McGee's earlier books about American Royals, you will also enjoy A Queen's Game. This follows 3 of Queen Victoria's granddaughters though their personal royal relationships. Even though the setting is the Victorian Era, McGee's writing style makes the reader feel like they are a part of the inner circle.

i received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley.

I think this novel may be a win for young fans of historical romances, but it didn't work for me. It's based in historical reality but somehow feels anachronistic. I didn't dislike the story, but it seems to be a start to a new series. That's disappointing. American Royals should have be one novel, or at most two. I'm not willing to follow McGee into another series.

American royals like but set in 19th century Europe . Absolutely excellent read and I cannot wait for the next (please ) installment. This book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

A Queens Game was a quick and easy read, full of historical women and their gossip/daily demands. Very similar to her other series, American Royals! I enjoyed the characters story and was definitely left wanting to know about how each women’s love life as well and their friendships would turn out. This may change with publication, but author repeated phrases quite a bit throughout the book - not my favorite. Either way, still a great read!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I had enjoyed the American Royals series from Katharine McGee and was excited to read other books from the author. A Queen’s Game worked with the historical setting that I was hoping for and was hooked from the setting and how the characters worked in this universe. I thought it had that element that I enjoyed from the other books and was glad it was so well done.

I was a huge fan of American Royals, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. Unfortunately, this one didn’t live up to the hype for me. I had a hard time liking and being invested in these characters. I still enjoyed it, but not a 5 star like American royals was for me.

4.5 stars.

This is for anyone who loves a good historical fiction royalty romance novel. It is a closed door YA romance. Eddie (future King of England) needs a bride. His grandma picked one, he picks another, and another girl wants him. There are love triangles, court politics, and a lot of longing looks. I was not able to put this down once I started reading. It was so good!

I have not read her American Royals series, but I definitely will after reading this. It was captivating and I can't wait for book 2.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the arc! All opinions are my own..

As someone who would, literally, drop everything to read the American Royals series, I guess you could say I was interested in this one. It's very similar stylistically, naturally, except the plot is set in the 19th century with European royalty. So, different, can't you tell? "A Queen's Game" had as compelling of language as ever. Despite the obvious regency setting, the story really did feel quite modern which made it exponentially easier to read as a modern human. I ended up really digging "A Queen's Game." I mean not as much as American Royals, but definitely a close second. Like, "A Queen's Game" is really the regency precursor to the American Royals series. And then that ending, oh boy, I fear I need more content/answers STAT.

Entertaining read of what I'm sure will be an amusing series. Sometimes found it hard to remember which POV I was reading, but I can often have that with multi POV books

Thanks, NetGalley!

This book is the perfect follow-up to the Dear America and Royal Diaries historical fiction that I grew up reading in the early 2000s. I really enjoyed reading about how all of these young women were tied together (though I have to admit, I did google to find out where they all ended up). Based on where the book ends, it clearly is meant to be a series—though I would have liked for the story to be tied up in one book (similar to the historical fiction novels I used to read). Still an enjoyable read, and one I would recommend alongside Dear America and Royal Diaries!

I was nervous how I’d feel about A Queen’s Game, after really enjoying the American Royals series. Would a new series that is somewhat based on history be able to live up to its predecessor? I actually ended up liking A Queen’s Game more than American Royals.

The novel is based on May Teck, Alix of Hesse and Helene of Orleans, vying to marry various heirs to thrones in Europe. There’s the rivalry, drama and twists that McGee used in American Royals, but I actually found myself really liking each of the princesses, despite the things they sometimes did to each other. Their developing friendships were as intriguing as the relationships they were trying to forge.

The ending was a mild cliffhanger, but it made me really want more! So I’m looking forward to the sequel, whenever that may be.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House and Katharine McGee for the ARC.