Book Reviews: Princes and Princesses

If you are anything like me you have spent your Sundays binge watching The Crown and Bridgerton on Netflix. I have never been so scandalised by television shows. If you want more scandal, beautiful costumes, handsome princes and princesses who don’t do as they are told then I have the books for you. Books about the colourful royals that run down staircases with I am sure glorious violin music playing in the background. 

 

1. American Royals by Katherine McGee.

One of the prettiest book covers of 2019 holds within its pages a pretty beautiful love story. Princess Beatrice Washington is the first in line to the throne of The United States of America. The first-born child of the reining king and queen, she has been preparing her whole life to be ruler. Beatrice is everything a queen should be; she is intelligent, graceful and willing to put her country before herself. Despite how well prepared Beatrice is her father knows that the country would be more accepting of the first female head of state if she had a man by her side. So Beatrice must attend a royal ball to find herself an appropriate husband. Will she find the one at the ball? 

 

Princess Samantha is known as ‘Sparrow’ to the royal guards. Sparrow as in the spare, Beatrice’s little sister. Princess Samantha is not ladylike. Sam is all about partying, wild adventures and wearing colourful patterned tights. When Sam is not busy running away from her guards with her twin brother Jeff to go ride quad bikes in Thailand, she is trying to figure out who she really is besides just being the party princess. 

 

Nina has been best friends with Princess Samantha since they were little girls running through the palace halls. Nina’s mother worked at the palace and Nina has always felt like her and Samantha are destined to be best friends forever. Nina is shy, doesn’t have perfect hair and is more comfortable in jeans than gowns. She also has a secret that may destroy her friendship with Sam.

 

Daphne is the first love of Prince Jefferson, or as he is known to America the very handsome Jeff. Daphne is use to always being the most beautiful girl in the room. The whole of America loves her for her beauty and her devotion to charity work. Is she truly as perfect as she seems? 

 

This cover of this book was so beautiful and girly with it’s pink bordering I felt like Elle Woods from Legally Blonde while reading this. While the cover is what drew my attention in the bookstore I loved the story more than I ever expected. After reading nothing but serious memoirs for the past several months, a princess story was just what I needed to take me to a land filled with cool women in beautiful gowns. By the end I desperately wanted Beatrice to have her happily ever after but the ending made me gasp and clutch my heart. 

 

 

2. Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston.

I first heard of this book from a stranger in a book group I am in on social media. She posted a picture of the cover and wrote that she has seen nothing but good reviews but hated this book because it felt like a cheesy fan fiction of a homosexual version of Prince William or Prince Harry. I thought that sounded amazing so I bought it right away. 

 

“Alex’s image is all charisma and genius and smirking wit, thoughtful interviews and the cover of GQ at eighteen: Henry is placid smiles and gentle chivalry and generic charity appearances, a perfectly blank Prince Charming canvas.” – Red, White and Royal Blue.

 

Alex Claremont-Diaz is the first son of the President of the United States. He is handsome, extroverted, intelligent and popular with the American public. Alex is always on the cover of all the tabloids as they gossip over his love for mysterious women and expensive drinks. Alex know he has to protect his mother’s reputation but the pesky paparazzi just seem to always catch him in compromising situations. 

 

Prince Henry is a member of the British Royal Family. Also handsome but more serious and reserved - Alex thinks he is a boring, snobby nerd and wishes the entire British Empire would come falling down like their hideous London Bridge. What Alex fails to understand is that being a prince means the whole world’s expectation of who you should be must come first and you can never truly be yourself… or love who you want to love. 

 

When Alex and Prince Henry get into a small altercation, which results in a disaster with a tumbling wedding cake at a royal wedding, the tabloids have a field day discussing their rivalry. So both the staff at Buckingham Palace and the White House decide to work together to fabricate a friendship for the tabloids to paint a picture that the young men are the best of friends, this means lots of pictures on social media and fake laughing together at public appearances. Can the boys fool the press and survive pretending to actually like each other? 

 

I loved this book so much it has become one of my all time favourites and it has become my go to gift for friends on birthdays or whenever a friend is going through a difficult time and needs a positive distraction. While reading I found myself often laughing so hard I had tears falling down my face. This book brought so much sunshine into my world and I will treasure it forever, when the times become rough, we turn to art to help us get through the darkness, this book does nothing but shine light into your heart, if you need a positive distraction please read this book. 

 

 

3. American Royals: Majesty by Katherine McGee.

When the first book ended on a cliffhanger and I quickly realised this meant a sequel I was devastated. I had no idea I had started a series and I probably wouldn’t have bought the first book if I knew. Nothing against my fellow bookworms that love devouring series, I just prefer stand-alone books. As we all know, most sequels never live up to the original. Just look at some of the best movies of all time and the sequels that were some of the worst movies of all time, Grease, Mean Girls, Legally Blonde and the approximately 17308131 Fast & The Furious movies. 

 

This sequel was perfection. 

 

This sequel had two key factors that made it flawless – interesting new characters and being unpredictable. Introducing new characters is always a tricky transition when the original characters are so beloved. The author had to ensure the characters would be the same calibrate of the originals, and what would we love more than the introduction of a handsome regal man? Lord Marshall Davis the son of the Duke of Orange, gracefully strolls into this storyline and changes this American monarchy as we know it. Without giving away any spoilers it was clear we need another love triangle and what could be better than giving all our leading ladies even more options for handsome suitors? This is no Disney movie where each princess falls in love with the first prince they encounter; sometimes one finds their soul mate in the person they least expect. Though can you imagine if this was a Disney movie? Beatrice would be a more graceful and proper Belle from Beauty & the Beast and Samantha would be Princess Anna from Frozen if Anna had a love for cocktails and nightclubs. 

 

I devoured the sequel quicker than I devour hazelnut gelato. When I read a book I always become attached to the characters, even the sinister characters, and I think of them all as my friends. The gift this author gave me was bringing my friends back into my world and developing their characters in a way that was both unpredictable but in the end necessary.  I applaud the author for doing the almost impossible, by making a sequel even better than the original. 

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Wishing everyone reading puffy gowns and encounters with good looking strangers.