American Royals: A Review

I bought this book when I was in Kentucky in the fall. I love reading on planes but I hate buying e-books. Actually, for the most part, I hate spending money on digital items – the idea that they would just disappear because something happened to a server somewhere really bothers me so I buy hard copies of everything. Anyways, I read the inside flap of this book (hardcover for the win!) and knew I was buying it. I devoured the book and had it finished by the time I landed in Austin. And I can’t stop recommending it to people. Since it is President’s Day tomorrow, I decided it was a fitting time to share the book here too!

What would have happened if George Washington had decided to be king instead of president? This is the idea the book is based on. To set the stage and give you a quick history lesson, the prologue gives you a recap of the history books – well, how the history books would read if monarchy reigned in America rather than presidents and Congress. Then, set in modern day, the book focuses on the three children of the ruling monarch in America, Princess Beatrice – the heir, Princess Samantha – the wild spare, and Prince Jefferson – Samantha’s younger twin who, because of relatively new laws, will be the first firstborn male to not inherit the throne in history. The twins are constantly in the public eye – traveling, parting, having fun on social media while Beatrice is more reserved, always doing the right thing as is befitting of the first Queen Regnant of America.

The queen and king have decided it is time for Beatrice to be married and this is where the story begins. Of the suitors presented to her, only one even remotely strikes her fancy and unfortunately, he also strikes the fancy of her younger sister. I would love to tell you that either a love triangle ensues or somehow it works out really quick but Beatrice and Samantha don’t have the closest relationship so it doesn’t get discussed. Jefferson has recently broken up with his longtime girlfriend who is trying to win him back but his twin’s best friend has a secret crush on him and that does become a bit of a love triangle (if the triangle is just two girls after the same guy). Beyond the romantic aspect, we get a glimpse into what the life of royalty is like – meetings and ceremonies, volunteering and trying to live up to the unrealistic expectations of the Crown – or trying to ignore the rules all together. And, above all, Beatrice’s motto throughout, the motto of the Crown is, In service to God and country, a motto that truly means putting aside personal wants and desires because “the Crown must always win.”

This story is written at a Young Adult level but has an incredibly interesting concept that pulled me in from start to finish – a finish that had me tearing up a bit to be honest. Even though this is technically written for people a bit younger than me, I really enjoyed it. The story flowed well and focused on each character enough that you connected with them but not so much that you were overwhelmed with one story line. The mixing of four or five story lines all happening concurrently felt like real like and honestly, I would watch the heck out of this if it were a movie or TV show. The end of the book made me immediately go to the author’s website to find out about the next book – currently scheduled for Fall 2020 and you better believe I have pre-ordered it! Overall, I think this was a well written, creative book that did exactly what it was supposed to – got me hooked on a story I can’t wait to keep reading.

Go check this book out from your local library, grab it off the shelf of Barnes & Noble or Walmart, or get it shipped to your house via Amazon. Or, if you live near me, give me a holler to borrow it 😊. Let me know what you think once you read it!

P.S. There is a miniseries on the History Channel this weekend called Washington: He could have been king. He chose to be president. Fitting tagline to parallel this book where the inverse becomes reality.