This book was absolutely everything! Tracey Livesay knows how to give us humor and romance wrapped up on a cute little package. I adored Dani and Jameson, from their chemistry to their 🔥🌶️ scenes… needless to say, I’m tuned in for the sequel!

4.5/5⭐️

3.5 stars, rounded up.

The parts of this that worked, worked SO WELL. But the parts of it that didn't work were laced so thickly throughout the text that it was hard to get past them, which was sad.

I LOVED Dani's characterization. Everything about Dani is absolutely perfect, 10/10, no notes, I adore her. Her exploration of misogynoir in hip-hop was incredible, and I would follow her character basically anywhere. I liked Jameson a lot, but I'm always a sucker for a grumpy professor type. That said, Jameson's characterization felt incredibly lacking in comparison to Dani's, and I wasn't a fan of him lusting after Dani before they even met or began to fall in love.

I also wasn't a fan of the insta-love portion of the text, and the Samantha Banks epilogue, while giving me a chuckle, didn't give me any sense of actual closure. I also didn't love that the story ends right when things finally begin to work out.

I'm incredibly happy that a sequel is coming out, because if this had been the actual end of their story, my ranking would be even lower. I'm excited to explore more of Dani and Jameson's story, but I wish we had gotten to see more of it in their first book.

I liked this mostly but sometimes the chemistry and attraction wasn't clear (except for physical). I'll read the next in the series though!

I am having the worst book hangover from this one. This is the exact type of royal romance that I need in my life. What a refreshing take—so beautiful and wonderfully told.

I need a Duchess album STAT! Oh, and for it to be July so I can read the follow-up to American Royalty by Tracey Livesay.

Dani “Duchess” Nelson is an American rapper with a PR problem thanks to a rival singer’s untrue accusations, and it’s impacting the launch of her skincare line. Some good press would help sway investors, and let her finally have creative control over her career. So when she’s invited to perform at the memorial concert for the Queen’s husband, she’s surprised. Turns out Prince Jameson, who has shied away from his family’s spotlight and works as a professor, chose Duchess to perform based on her name alone and had no idea who she was or her genre of music.

And with some insta-lust and forced proximity, Dani and Jay go from strangers to lovers pretty quick, and then have to decide if their summer fling is worth the impact to her career and his responsibilities as the future face of the royal family.

I am kicking myself that I took forever to focus and read this! BUT now I don’t have to wait so long for the second book, so maybe past me had the right idea. Dani is a force, and I liked that I could read snippets of her lyrics at the beginning of her chapters. Jameson is such a stickler yet he can’t resist Dani and gets on his knees (SEVERAL TIMES) to worship her and beg for forgiveness when he’s groveling. *chef’s kiss*
I can’t wait to see how their relationship evolves in the next book, and how they’ll take on the crown and the press together.

I put this down a few times because I'm moody, lol! So when I got a chance to read finally get the audiobook and pick back up where I bookmarked and I loved reading along with the audiobook. This was giving all the Megan and Harry vibes, but if Megan was a rapper. I loved their chemistry together and the way Duchess hepled Jameson sees that he needs to put his self first rather than the opinions of the Queen.

This was such a blast of a read. I loved the world we entered. I loved how dimensional our characters were. I also adored watching Dani and Jay fall in love.

The sex scenes were also fantastic.

2/5 Stars

Please take this review with a grain of salt and know that I did DNF this book at the 46% mark. My Biggest issue was the writing. I just could not get into it. I was not a fan of the dialogue or the way the characters were written. I don't know if it was just the way I'm reading it in my head or if I heard the audiobook it would be better I'm not sure. It just didn't work for me. I think there is something here for sure. I think from what I read and if I could get past the writing I could enjoy this romance. Again this was just a miss for me and I'm incredibly disappointed because I wanted to love it.

American Royalty is a well-crafted romance that will appeal to fans of the genre and those who are looking for a unique and entertaining story. Livesay's writing is engaging and her characters are endearing, making this a book that is hard to put down.

Wow… 🥵🥵🥵
LIKES:
1) Royal characters… Even though this was “loosely based” on my favorite royals, the differences were awesome! Jameson and Dani were so sexy and hot. I had just read a Livesay romance so I knew what to expect! 🌶️🌶️🌶️
2) Dani was so like Lizzo/Cardi B. Just unapologetically herself and fierce in her blackness. I just loved her
3) interracial couples! I knew this is Livesay’s thing but I will never tire of the representation!
4) I loved that Jameson was a professor that was able to live a relatively normal life.
5) the ending… and that there is a sequel!!! I’m so ready for The Duchess Effect! Can anyone get me the ARC??

DISLIKES:
🚫

I really enjoyed the books from Tracey Livesay I’ve read in the past, and I had really high hopes for this one. A Royal romance with a rapper heroine? Sign me up! Unfortunately I couldn’t connect to the characters and struggled with the pacing. I don’t think I was in the right mood when I tried it. DNF for now.

I have tried to get into this one, and it's just not for me. I struggled with the language and blatant sexuality in the very first chapter (it doesn't help that I'm not a fan of rap music, and that's my fault for not reading the synopsis thoroughly).

I truly enjoyed American Royalty. This was my first book by Tracey Livesay and I really liked her writing style. I loved the two points of view and how they had very defined voices. Jameson was an intriguing hero that took a bit pull my interest. He was kind of an enigma at the beginning but it makes sense with his character. However, any character that is inspired by Megan Thee Stallion I am going to be a HUGE fan of. I really loved Dani she is probably one of my favorite heroines of 2022. She is bold, interesting, and unique. I did think it took a bit long for Dani and Jameson to meet. I wasn't the biggest fan of the third act breakup but I really enjoyed the epilogue. I can't wait to read what's next from this author and really excited to learn that I'll get to see more from Dani and Jameson.

There are few romances were I want a sequel that follows the same characters, but I am so glad American Royalty is one that is getting one! I'm so excited to see the relationship between Dani and Jameson develop deeper. Their chemistry in this one was off the charts, and their personal storylines were intriguing as well. It was a bit weak in the middle with the repetitious jealousy, but it didn't hinder my enjoyment much overall.

I enjoyed American Royalty! Once the story got going I enjoyed it, and it definitely gives Meghan and Harry energy for those who are looking for it. I had trouble with the beginning (the FMC and MMC don’t meet for the first third) and wanted things to move along faster. Then we got into the insta-love and I felt like the pacing was rushed. Overall a fun read for those looking for a fresh take on celebrity/royal romance but a little uneven.

A fun romance with amazing diversity. I really enjoyed the two main characters and loved seeing them grow.

I was rather apprehensive about the book, I can’t put my finger on why but I had a difficult time getting into the first three chapters. However, I am so glad that I stuck with it. A new take on the Royal Family member meets and falls in love with a regular person. Granted she’s a mega music star.

I thought the character development flowed naturally and the romance was overall sizzling. I hope there’s a follow-up or more from this author.

In the latest in an unintentional series I'm calling "Allison reads romances about famous people," I picked up American Royalty about a rapper and prince who fall in love. It's an exciting premise that doesn't smooth over the colonialist, racist bullshit of monarchy. In fact, it digs in by showing how the royal family reacts to a Black rapper in their midst, the assumptions they make and the disrespect they serve up.

Our lovers are Dani, who raps as Duchess and owns a successful skincare company, and Jameson, a grandson of the queen who has thus far avoided taking on royal duties. Dani is by far the more developed and interesting protagonist. The story addresses how her childhood being passed among family members after her grandmother's passing motivates her to seek control in her adult life. This is easier said than done in a male-dominated music industry keen on over-sexualizing her as a Black woman. The media is running stories about a supposed beef between Dani and a nobody pop singer who wants the publicity. When the bad press affects a business deal that would give Dani some of her much-craved autonomy, she needs something else to shift public perception in her favor. A royal benefit concert fits the bill. Meanwhile, Jameson is being dragged from his semi-normal life as a philosophy professor back into the royal fold as the face of the benefit concert. His aunts and uncles largely besmirch the royal name, so the Queen turns to him, demanding he fill a role he can't refuse.

So while this premise is excellent and Dani has a lot of potential, the romance is basically a story about two hot people who are attracted to each other but also want to fight. To make things worse, Jameson has a lot of racist, classist assumptions about Dani based on her career and public persona to start their relationship. He has the hots for her and assumes she would reciprocate if/when his creepy uncle makes moves on her because of how she acts in her music videos. Which he also jerks off to fyi. And we're meant to understand that he learns the error of his ways. I guess that's true, but it felt very surface level to me, i.e. "I was wrong about Dani" and not "wow, I need to consider my general racist, sexist perceptions here." Philosophy professor, my ass.

When the characters first get together, there's a shady consent moment. Jameson's been drinking and approaches Dani about their mutual attraction via liquid courage. Dani says she doesn't feel the chemistry, and Jameson says she's lying and kisses her anyway *sigh*... but it's ok because the readers know she really is lying? This is how allosexuals ruin things for me and for themselves, honestly. It is not ok to assume someone is lying when they say they're not interested, end of story. It becomes obvious fast that Dani's actually interested based on how she responds to the kiss, but that initial steamrolling over "no" pissed me right off all the same.

The love story then hops, skips, and jumps between romantic gestures. There's no feeling of gradual change, of being a part of how their feelings grow and develop. It feels more like an outline or sketch of a romance, focused on big, passionate, showy moments rather than little romantic ones. They also both go through jealousy plots with one another that were very annoying.

A final note is that this isn't a standalone romance, so the characters have more to work through in future books; we're not meant to have a complete arc that leaves their relationship on steady ground. This first part ends well, but many challenges are still lurkingunresolved before Dani and Jameson, particularly from the royal family. I don't think I'll continue to see how the story develops. While I appreciate the author's goals to address racism and sexism in the music industry and from royalty (and everywhere tbh) and to show positive representation of a biracial couple, the romance itself just didn't work for me. I am still grateful to Avon for my copy to read and review.

✨ Review ✨ American Royalty by Tracey Livesay

I'd been putting this one off for a bit after reading mixed reviews but I'm so glad I finally picked it up. I'd been in a bit of a slump and this one cheered me up again.

Borrowing not a small amount from the story of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, this fictional m/f romance features the professor prince Jameson and the American rapper Duchess (Dani) who come together in the UK in preparation for a charity concert to honor the memory of the Queen's late husband. Jameson and Dani quickly realize their attraction but also the necessity of hiding what they have.

This book not only brings together Jameson and Dani in a steamy partnership, but also tackles complex issues around the monarchy, paparazzi and media harassing, and gender stereotypes / patriarchy of the rap world.

While there are some cringey spots around the issues of the monarchy (including some of the supporting characters), overall I really enjoyed this both as a romance and as a deeper reflection on these issues around the crown.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)
Genre: m/f romance
Location: UK estate and London
Pub Date: out now!

Read this if you like:
⭕️ the Harry and Meghan romance
⭕️ + their critiques of the crown, the paparazzi and all of the surrounding pressures
⭕️ the mash-up of rapper and philosophy professor

Thanks to Avon and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!

It was average. I didn't think there was anything new or special about this one. I would still recommend it because I did think it was enjoyable.