I don’t want this adventure to end! Going into this novel, I was so sad for Bee and wanted to wallop Daphne. Well, the Daphne part never changed except I just feel sorry for her now (and hope Jeff comes to his senses). But Bee and Sam! I loved watching them grow into themselves. Find their strength, purpose, and general (sorry!) badassery.

Book one was on what felt like permanent waitlist at school. I am so excited to report to the students that yes, book two is SO worth the wait!!

After almost two hundred years of men on the throne, America finally has it's first queen. While the Washington family and the whole country struggles to come to terms with life after the death of their beloved monarch, change is in the air for all four of our fierce females. Beatrice struggles with the reality that her father is gone, while also trying to do a job that many men, including the dreaded Lord Chamberlain, believe they could do better than her. Samantha continues to adopt her "party princess" persona in order to not care about any of the things that have rocked her world. Daphne persists in her climb up the social ladder by orchestrating events to finally fulfill her dream of becoming a princess. And Nina attempts to avoid the spotlight after her horrifying debut in the media as not only Princess Samantha's best friend, but Prince Jefferson's girlfriend. With so many events occurring at once and a new monarch on the throne will America survive our leading ladies?

I am so excited to say that I think Majesty was even better than American Royals! I loved the character arcs for Beatrice, Sam, and Daphne because I felt like they all really grew into themselves. Nina's arc could have been improved a little as I felt like she was mostly there in order to give Daphne a punching bag. She is portrayed as unique and strong, yet all the major stuff that happens to her has to do with her romantic life. Now, a lot of this series does have to do with our ladies' romantic interests, but I feel like Nina's love life is controlled by Daphne throughout the two books and she exists just for Daphne to manipulate. I want more for her especially as our one true "commoner." She deserves something powerful! In addition, I found myself much more content with our shift in leading men because they quite simply made much more sense for their respective lady.

Overall, Majesty was a delight to read as I enjoyed a story that was expertly woven together with drama that carried on shamelessly and made me more and more gleeful the further I read. I anxiously await what I hope will be a third installation to the series!

I remember reading book one and being sucked into all of the twists and turns of the characters as they were introduced. This lead to me being worried that I wouldn't be able to jump right into book two and remember everything that had occured. Thankfully, McGee was able to suck me back into the universe righting wrongs from book one and building even deeper into the characters and their relationship. I'm glad she allowed Bee to come into herself as Queen on her own, but once again this just isn't my cup of tea kind of story. i was sucked in but prefer a better mix of plot and character driven story telling which is why it is placed at a four instead of a five star rating.

3.5 stars

Sequels are tough, but this one does the job...mostly.

Upon our return, we get to catch up with four characters who alternate chapters: Beatrice (now the queen), Samantha (now the first in line), Nina (still too good for this world), and Daphne (WHY IS SHE STILL HERE?!). It's interesting to pick up with the characters post-book one and see where they are in their lives, but unfortunately, we get so much about where they are in their love lives and little else about them. I get that these are romances, but these characters are just so singularly focused at times.

I'll be vague intentionally here:

The d/evolution of the various love stories is intriguing. Two of the four main stories fall into place way too quickly, and their outcomes are incredibly predictable. I would have liked to see some more growth there. In another of the stories, I am holding out hope that the character grows in book three. I think it's in them! Come on and grow already! The fourth story...that one is rough. While I get that there needs to be a villain or at least challenging force here, I wish that there was more creativity in this particular plot so that every character surrounding this person didn't seem so daft! HOW are people not onto this person? When people are onto this person, the person's level of consequence is minimal at best. Ugh!

Like its predecessor, this is a fast and easy read, mostly because there's so much drive to see how the relationships pan out, but I am left (1) needing a third installment to clean up some of these story lines and (2) hoping to see some growth in these characters.

Bottom line: If you enjoyed the first one, read this, but don't expect to feel fulfilled until (fingers crossed!) we get book three.

It’s such a delicious concept - what if George Washington had established a monarchy? You can enjoy book two without reading book one, but why would you want to miss the fun of meeting the 21st century version of United States royals? There’s serious, hard working Beatrice who is heir to the throne and in love with one of her guards, twin siblings Samantha (party girl and “spare”) and Jefferson (low pressure and a little spoiled.). Book two picks up just after the end of the events of book one. King George has died of cancer and Beatrice takes the throne as the first woman monarch. Multiple characters continue the story, including Teddy, with whom Beatrice is planning an arranged marriage, Sam’s best friend Nina who has been dating Jeff, calculating Daphne, who will do anything to become Jeff’s wife, and Ethan, Jeff’s best friend. The monarchy is struggling to modernize, as the racism experienced by secondary characters is explored. Escapism at its best!

I loved the first "American Royals" book, and this sequel did not disappoint! I could not put it down and loved revisiting the world of Beatrice, Sam, Nina, and Daphne. Things have drastically changed in this book as Beatrice takes over the crown after her father's death. With a royal wedding quickly approaching, all four ladies face challenges and obstacles, and not everyone gets the happy ending they want.

The characters in this second installment really seemed to have matured and grown. I absolutely loved seeing Beatrice come into her own as the first Queen of America and watching how the relationships/friendships around her changed. At so many points, I was absolutely breathless with anticipation and desperately hope there will be a third book in this series!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's for the e-ARC. I highly recommend this series and this book!

The second book in American Royals did not disappoint. Women choice and voice are the major themes with a little bit of romance thrown in! Though the plot is a bit scattered, I enjoyed reading the book. I feel that this could wrap up nicely in a third book; however, the author has stated this is the conclusion of the series. Please finish Jefferson's story!

I was thrilled to be approved for this book! It was absolutely wonderful and just as good as the first!!! I found myself rooting for characters that I wasn’t previously. I can’t wait to read more about the Washingtons!

Binge reading at its best! I devoured this in one sitting and at the end started calculated when the next novel will drop. Wonderful characters, believable growth, and just an all-around enjoyable series. It's just screaming to be made into a CW show. I'm already thinking about how to create a bookstagram post featuring it.

I’m giving American Royals II 4 stars, because, like the first, it’s extremely well-written and the story is compelling. However, the direction the story took kind of makes me angry. Without getting too spoiler-y, not a single thing I wanted to happen at the end of the first book happened in this one, and I kind of feel like all the set-up in the first book, making you care about pairings and characters and storylines, was a bit for nought. Since this is the end of the story, and I know there’s not meant to be a continuation, I find myself extremely disappointed in the way this all went, despite it being well-written and engaging.

I loved American Royals, and I loved Majesty! This is just such a fun world to escape to. Maybe it's because I'm obsessed with all things royal, or maybe it's just because Katharine McGee creates such an entertaining and amusing alternate reality. We follow the same four girls in this book: Beatrice, Samantha, Nina, and Daphne. This book was very different from the first as far as storylines go, but it worked! The story grew with the characters and it is obvious how well thought out it was. I do wish things had ended a little differently for some characters, but I still greatly enjoyed it. I will really miss these characters. Here's to hoping there will be a book 3!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

After the death of her father, Beatrice assumes the crown and becomes America's first queen. Her sister, Sam, moves to first in line for the succession, and her twin, Jefferson, tries to discover how he fits in to the new dynamic. Told in the POV of Beatrice, Sam, Sam's best friend Nina, and Daphne, Jefferson's ex girlfriend, we are taken into their lives as they discover who they are.

The characters, who were set up well in the first novel, continue to grow here. Sam, the party girl, begins to see that her life has purpose and that chasing things she can never have will do her no good. Daphne has to choose between happiness and duty. Nina has to come to grips with learning how to navigate a more normal life, and if she really wants to stay within the world of the monarchy.

I like that this book is told from feminine points of view. Their voices are the ones heard, and the perspectives held. While there is a lot of relationship drama surrounding the women, their voices are the important ones, not those of the men in their life. Another great novel. Can't wait for the next one!

Thank you NetGalley for providing an e-ARC for an honest review.

Majesty is a work of insubstantial fluff populated by mean girls, struggling, duty-bound royals, misogynistic politicians, and earnest, well-meaning narrative foils who offer a reprieve from the entitled characters that crowd the pages. If you embrace Majesty for what it is, a soap-opera in literary form, you will not be disappointed. This book operates as a drama-laden bridge to what I assume is the impending finale. Each obstacle was fabricated, existing of thin stuff that could have been quickly unraveled had the characters simply communicated with one another. It is quite maddening how needlessly complicated everything became and I cannot imagine the plot exceeding three books. I anticipate everything will be neatly tied up in the third book and I hope that the main villainess, Daphne, finally bears the karmic retribution of her frequent manipulations and persistent artifice. Candidly, I am not the intended audience for this series, so I will not continue with the next book.

The concept of George Washington having been our monarch, rather than our President, is an intriguing one and I really enjoy reading about that possibility in these books. I didn’t think I was gonna dig it, because it was too difficult to tamp down my historical realities. But, I actually really like the references to actual historical people and events and such. In addition, I like being able to almost cheer for the drama of Daphne. She adds some spice to the story. I dig it completely. 💜📚

Ahhhhhhh!!!!

So amazing to be back in this world. I’d forgotten how much I loved the first story.

This series is so fun and different from my typical reads. I could live in this world and read these characters forever.

okay, so. It's not a secret that I did not like American Royals. In fact, it was one of my only one-star reviews of this year. However, when I received the ARC for Majesty, I figured I might as well give this series a second chance.

and I am so glad that I did! Majesty was addictingly good, and most of my problems with the first book in the series were remedied.

Without going into too much detail (I will put the spoilers in spoiler tags), let me touch on all the ways the second installment saved the American Royals series.

Daphne finally had some depth! I still kind of want her to chew on tinfoil, but she's not a totally and completely evil character after all. I felt that I better understood her motivations.

B-E-A-T-R-I-C-E.

This girl is a literal queen. A QUEEN. Honestly, the character I hated the most in <i> American Royals was Connor. Seriously, what kind of guy tries to convince the girl he loves to throw away something she has worked for her entire life, just to be with him? That's not romance. That is manipulation. This girl needed to learn how to love herself and become the queen she was meant to be and I loved. seeing. her. flourish!!!

Samantha is a boss.
I'm not going to say much else about her because it'll delve into too many spoilers, but let's just say that she might be one of my most favorite characters of all time. I <i> love </i> her.

There are *still* some ways that this series needs to improve. Mostly, I think this particular installment did Natalie dirty. I feel so bad for that girl. She keeps getting raked through the mud. I'm crossing my fingers that she gets some version of a happily-ever-after in the last installment.

Also, I need less drama and more government. It's probably just because I'm a huge history nerd, but I love government, this is a book about an alternate reality of American government, two of the main characters are part of that government system, and we have no actual governing going on. Please, please, please, please let there be more government in the final book! I need to see Beatrice being a boss at ruling the country!!

All in all, I just loved this book! I read it all in one sitting. Whether you loved or hated the first one, I would recommend that you read this!

Majesty picks up where American Royals left off. Queen Beatrice feels unprepared to take the throne as Americans look to her for comfort. Nina is sick of hiding a romance. Samantha wants to stir up trouble again. A host of new romances flood the palace, and it seems that everyone is trying to find the match that is safe until they realize that the consequences of their choices will have lasting effects. A fun read to keep up with the next chapter of the American Royals. I hope this will be a trilogy.

I received a copy of American Royals II: Majesty on NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to the author and publisher for this opportunity.

Five stars and here’s why:

TOTAL BOOK HANGOVER. Katharine McGee does not disappoint! It’s very difficult to write a sequel to a story and have it pick up right where the first story, American Royals, ended but the author does it seamlessly.

Without giving too much away, this book picks up where the first one left off, which means that you do need to read the first book to enjoy this one. However, you will be totally glad that you did. This book had everything you want in a contemporary YA novel. There’s angst, love, the precarious balance between duty and honor to family and responsibility to one’s own dreams and self-fulfillment.

If you like fast-paced stories, excellent writing, and characters that stay with you long after the story ends, then this book is for you. Highly recommend.

This was everything I could’ve hoped for in a sequel and more.

After I read American Royals in 2019 I’ve been eagerly waiting to get my hands on the sequel. And wow. Oh wow. Majesty blew me away. The writing was addicting and the way that Katharine McGee shaped with this story was masterful.

One of my favorite parts of these two books has always been the characters, especially now after finishing this one. The character development was unbelievably good. The transformation that every individual character got was perfect. I particularly enjoyed the development of Beatrice and Daphne. I grew to enjoy both characters significantly more throughout the sequel!

And, if you thought the romance in the first book was good just wait! I never expected the romances in this book to go how they did, but I loved the new directions. There were a few couples I shipped so hard it felt like my heart was going to burst! They were adorable and so so romantic. I think I may even be a little in love with Teddy.

Finally, that ending nailed it. It was fulfilling and a near perfect wrap on the story. I loved how the different plot lines were cleaned up and where all the characters ended up with their development. I adore this story sooo much and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that maybe, just maybe, the author will return to these characters again someday! I would die over a few novellas written after the ending. I won’t be spoiling anything, but there is one character that I need a future novella for! So, here’s to hoping!

Overall this was a fantastic sequel. The writing is lovely and the plot will keep you hooked. It’s a wild ride from start to finish but a wild ride that you have to read! It completes the story beautifully and I cannot recommend this sequel enough.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with an E-Arc of Majesty in exchange for an honest review! Opinions are all my own.

I like this series. The author has a new and refreshing way of writing the contemporary romance for first love angst. Thank you to the publishers and Betgalley for the opportunity to read read this ARC.