There is a lot of angst in 2020. The American Royals series is the perfect way to escape in to another world. I love this series!

"As if she wasn't a young woman at all, but a queen."

Summary
Majesty kicks off six weeks after the tumultuous end of American Royals in the aftermath of the shocking events. Beatrice has had to choose between duty and heart. Sam is stuck between being true to herself and living in Beatrice's shadow. Jeff is still stuck between the two girls vying for his attention - Nina and Daphne. While Nina is trying to move on from the events of six weeks ago, Daphne will do anything to claw her way back in to Jeff's- and America's - heart.

Review
This was a thoroughly enjoyable sequel! I had just as much fun reading this one as I did the first book. There is so much juicy drama and fun plot twists. This truly feels like a Gossip Girl-esque novel set to the backdrop of something wholly unique - the American monarchy. Part of what makes this duology so fun is the royalty set among typical American imagery. It's fun to imagine what would have happened had American been a monarchy - and the drama that would follow a very American royal family around.

It felt like there was a complete switch around of love interests and yet it never felt forced. The twists and turns of the relationships were definitely one of the most fun aspects for me! This follow up novel managed to keep the spirit of the first one, but switch it up in a way that kept it fun and not repetitive.

If you're looking for a fun read this is definitely a book for you!

After her father’s sudden death, Beatrice Washington prepares herself to become the first female monarch of America. A marriage has been arranged to help bolster the public’s confidence in the young new queen, but Bea finds herself experience feelings that extend past convenience and duty. Her sister Sam feels more sidelined than ever, and embraces a fake new relationship of her own, leaning into the press generated and her new party persona. Friends and enemies circle the family with their own agendas ranging from finding love to gaining power.

The magic of American Royals caught me totally off guard I read it last year. I had so much fun imagining what the US would be like if the country was established as a monarchy following the American Revolution. Majesty was still fun in that sense, and packed an even bigger punch of juicy drama. At first I didn’t love the partner swapping and new love interests for many characters, but I had to remind myself that this is SOLIDLY a young adult novel. “True love” in the teenage years can be fleeting and there is often something new right around the corner. Anyways, I liked the multiple love stories and the ending in this, but acutely felt the YA of it all.

If you haven’t read American Royals yet, I’d suggest starting there. It’s set in alternate universe DC, where I live, so it was particularly fun to notice all the differences between this book and real life.

I received an advanced copy of American Royals II: Majesty through NetGalley, so I could share my review with you! Though this review is for the second book in the American Royals Series, I kept it free from spoilers from either book, so that everyone can enjoy it!

Set in an alternate history where George Washington became America’s first King rather than its first President, America can’t help but adore its royal family. The heir to the throne, Princess Beatrice has grown up on policies and politeness. To the outside world, she looks the part of the perfect heir, but, inside, she’s not sure if she’s up to the challenge. The second royal child, Princess Samantha, has enjoyed the liberties that come with being second in line for the throne. When people look at her, they see a party girl one mistake away from disaster, but how else is she supposed to get attention when the world only wants Beatrice? Samantha’s twin brother, Prince Jefferson is the nation’s heartthrob, but his heart is torn between two girls: Daphne Deighton, a master of etiquette and propriety; and Nina Gonzalez, Samantha’s best friend who stands temptingly apart from the world of royalty. Each of the royals will have to war with what their country demands and what their hearts desire, and only time will tell who will reign victorious.

You can get your copy of Majesty on September 1st from Random House Books for Young Readers!

Soap operas have been one of my guilty pleasures for a long time, so the levels of drama in both American Royals and Majesty were absolutely delightful to me! I was constantly wondering where Katherine McGee would take the characters next and who would end up with who! I thought the development in Majesty was even better than in the first book, as the characters really stood on their own in this one. I just know that I’ll be desperately waiting for news of a third book with my fingers crossed for my favorite couples!

My Recommendation-
If you love alternate histories, powerful female characters, or irresistible romantic plotlines, you should read The American Royals Series! These books are some of the most fast-paced and intriguing contemporary novels I’ve read in a long time. Fans of royal romances like Red, White and Royal Blue, by Casey McQuinston, the Royals series, by Rachel Hawkins, or Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon should definitely check out this book!

Thank You NetGalley for providing me a copy. All thoughts are my own.
I loved the first book, and listening to it on Libby was just a whole different experience. I stayed up all night to finish the first book. Now, my questions are basically like this: wtf?
I have no words in how I feel and probably will never find the words. I do feel a bit unfinished and hope there is a wrap up of all my thoughts eventually.

Majesty is a sequel to American Royals, a young adult alternate history novel which imagines what America would be like if George Washington had agreed to become its King. We basically follow the three young Washingtons: Beatrice, the first female monarch of America, her twin siblings Samantha and Jefferson, and their various friends and love interests.
The book has very little politics. What it does have in spades is court intrigue and manipulations. Even though the plot seems silly and far-fetched, I somehow got really attached to the characters. Reading these books feels a lot like watching a soap opera: the storyline is completely unrealistic and frustrating and yet you cannot stop watching it. One thing that I did not like about book 2 is how quickly all the main characters abandoned the love interests from book 1 and moved on to someone new. It's almost like all the drama we saw in book 1 did not exist. This made the characters look fickle and immature. There were also plenty of moments that were just too convenient: someone walking in just in time to see something untoward, or discovering a hidden wedding invitation, etc.

Because I read the unedited advanced copy of the novel, I noticed a couple of things that I hope will be fixed in the finished copy: (a) there is no such thing as Cyrillic numerals, there is the Cyrillic alphabet, but the numerals are exactly the same as are used in Western Europe and America; and (b) the author kept referring to nobility as royalty, these are two different things. These are minor points. Afterall, this is not a historic fiction novel, but still they are annoying enough in a book that is already pretty silly overall. 3 out of 5 stars, purely for the entertainment value.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

I am so thrilled to be talking about MAJESTY today. The second book in the AMERICAN ROYALS story picks up almost immediately where book one left off. I'm doing my best to keep spoilers for book one out of here, but I can tell you that love triangles and storylines get even more complex, and I don't know who I'm shipping for anymore. I was really worried that the characters I grew to love in book one would stay flat and two dimensional in MAJESTY, but I'm thrilled to say that I saw our favorite characters come into their own as they're grapple with the chances life gave them in AMERICAN ROYALS.  Will there be a book three? Pretty please? 4 out of 5 stars.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting subject that comes from the heart and captivates the reader. I love when offers offer a unique perspective.

I love books about royalty. I read American Royals and fell in love with the characters and the re-imagining of American history. When I got the chance to grab the second book, Majesty, I was SO excited. This book did not let me down!

Majesty picks up just a little after the end of the first book in the series, American Royals. We find the royal family, and the entire country mourning the death of the King. Beatrice is now the reigning monarch and the first Queen in United States history. Her sister is not the next in line for the throne, which was a position Sam had never expected to be in, and Nina is happy to be out of the spotlight that comes with being friends with the royal family.

I loved that this book again provided different POVs from the characters. We have Nina, Beatrice, Sam, and Daphne all telling this story. This story still doesn’t make me like Daphne, but I really came to respect Beatrice. I loved watching her take on her new responsibilities and work through all the problems.

The relationships were still exciting as each character discovers a bit about themselves and what they want in life, and in a partner. I don’t want to give away anything about the romances, but I thought they were just as good as the first book!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I loved getting to see the characters grow and mature, as well as follow their relationships.

To Read or Not To Read:
I would recommend Majesty to readers that enjoy young adult fiction with romance and a bit of coming-of-age. I highly recommend you read American Royals before reading this book.

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Oh my goodness, I absolutely adored this sequel!! This was a very powerful book about women coming into their own and stepping out into the world. There was so much incredible growth and insight that happened with Beatrice, Samantha, and Nina. Everything began in such a whirlwind of uncertainty and insanity, everything felt wrong, and as the book went on, everything slowly became RIGHT. I was thoroughly impressed with how each girl was able to become herself through all the drama and chaos and show off some serious female power. And boy, was there drama! Every relationship was built better in this book. I was so pleased with how things turned out, but then the book ended and I can't find any information about a book 3 being in the works??? You can't end things like this, I need more!!

MAJESTY is a satisfying sequel to last year's AMERICAN ROYALS. McGee plays with familiar romance tropes -fake dating, star-crossed lovers, etc. - and makes the next part of Queen Bea, Sam, Nina, and Daphne's stories surprising and thoughtful. Though the shifting romantics relationships are even more prominent in MAJESTY, the novel also gives its women characters the space to meditate on the nature of female friendships, race, class, love, and the glass ceiling.
Some storylines proved more satisfying than others but overall, MAJESTY had the right tone and was the perfect escape for a few hours this summer. McGee added more depth and nuance to several characters that I appreciated; she showed how challenging it can be for a young woman to navigate high society and politics in today's world.

Readers will be pleasantly surprised by the pivots McGee makes from the standard star-crossed lovers storyline in this sequel to American Royals. McGee also gives unexpected depth and nuance to a character that in others’ hands would be the one readers loved to hate. An enjoyable follow-up.

Majesty is the sequel to American Royals and picks right up where the other ended. I was able to read them seamlessly and I loved that. Majesty continues to follow Beatrice, Samantha, Nina and Daphne.

America has it’s first Queen and not everyone is prepared for what that means for the country, plus everyone is mourning a loss. Beatrice is stepping into the shoes of her father, far before her time. Samantha is also mourning a loss, and trying to figure out what is next now that she is officially the heir. Nina, continues to grapple with wanting to be friends with Sam, and wanting a life outside the palace. Daphne is just as horrible, and scheming to claw her way back into the royal life she wants to have.

“It’s easier to believe in things, believe in people, when you read about them in books. They’re so much safer when they’re fictional. The real-life ones ... I’m still not sure how to handle them.”

I read somewhere that this is the last book for this royal family, that Katharine McGee wasn’t going to write another. I can only hope that isn’t true, because I would love a third book about the ladies, their lives, and this country governed by a Queen.

I hadn't read the first book in this series but it didn't spoil the enjoyment. McGee made sure to cover enough back story without going on too much about it for those readers who were already up to speed. The idea of an American royalty was amusing and there was plenty of Ideas taken from the British monarchy. This was very much a young adult book and it seemed that everyone of them had to have a romanctic storyline which was a shame. Young adults aren't just about love and being with someone. I would have liked to see Bee going head to head with some of the members from Congress or dealing with a disaster. It could have shown us some of her majesty outside of standing tall and severe when talking to Daphne. It was very predictable but I still enjoyed it for the light, easy read it was.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC, this is my honest review.

Ugh everything Katharine McGee writes is pure perfection, and this book refused to let me down too. As expected this was great and I can not wait to buy a finished copy!!

Good news for fans of American Royals: Majesty continues in almost exactly the same manner as book one.

Katharine McGee drops us right back in the action with Majesty, where Bea is preparing for life as the queen of the US. In fact, for the first third of Majesty, the plot lines feel so similar to American Royals that they are actually a little dull. It feels more like a rehashing or a “previously on” than new content. Finally though, the book picks up, forging new paths, introducing new characters, and ultimately ending up taking some relatively interesting turns.

Overall, if you loved the first one, you’ll love this one as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

Majesty is the sequel to American Royals by Katharine McGee. I was lucky to meet Katharine last year at an author event at my school, and she was an absolute delight! I loved talking to her about the backstory and I devoured the first book over winter break. Majesty is an excellent sequel, that picks up right where American Royals left off.

In McGee's world, George Washington became the first king of America and his descendants are the American Royals. Majesty is a pitch-perfect YA romance. It is fun and quick-paced while still addressing important issues (slavery, racism, women's rights). I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it for high school and up. Perfect for fans of the Selection series/

Like I said about the first installment of this series, you probably already know if a story about the present day royal family set in an alternate universe in which America became a monarchy is something you'd be into, but if you are, the second book definitely delivers! I was saving this one for a vacation and it didn't disappoint, which is exactly what I needed in an escapist summer soap opera right now.

I am still loving this series and I really hope there is another installment because I have come to really love the characters...except Daphne of course, she is the worst.

This is such an interesting world and the author has done a fantastic job of keeping the characters intriguing through the second novel in the series. The only boring character in this book is Jefferson, who seems to me to be a bit of a naive moron. Other than that there are layers upon layers of personality that makes the rest of the cast very relatable. I didn't really know how I wanted the romances to turn out in this book after the end of the first one, but was pleasantly surprised by how it all played out.

If you are looking for a fun, quick, YA Romance read, try this series out!

American Royals II picks up quickly where American Royals left off. The story is told in multiple alternating viewpoints of characters that we met in part one. Beatrice is working to become queen while planning a wedding, Nina is recovering from her breakup with Jeff, Sam is dealing with her feelings for her sister's fiance. This book is basically romantics arcs forever: it's almost like separate romance stories that all come crashing together in the end.

I thought that all of the story arcs may have been... too separate? Characters that I wanted to interact with each other (especially Nina and Samantha!) barely got any page time in favor of romance. I will say that the story did surprise me and characters didn't end up in predictable situations, so that was fun (as long as you aren't too attached from any romantic pairings in book one). This is a fast paced read, and it's amusing to see how Katharine McGee utilizes some aspects of real US history and blends them into this world.