Excuse me, Katharine Mcgee!? How dare you leave off on a cliff hanger like that. This 3rd book had me on a spectrum of emotions. I laughed, I cried (the first two books didn’t make me cry), I was so angry, I was so happy.

There was so much character development and so much backtracking. I was mad, I was angry at the book. I was at 96% and ready to DNF the book. But I kept going. And you left me on a cliff hanger!? When this book isn’t even out yet and I have to wait longer for the fourth? I’m thoroughly upset, obsessed, and here for the ride. I’m addicted to the American Royals.

The third installment of this series has been my favorite so far. The battle between love and duty, friendship and sacrifice, power and conscience. The relationships formed were so genuine and not forced. There was a lot of character development and I was hooked. However, a lot of the receding development at the end made me want to stop reading. I told myself I had one chapter left and I’d finish the book. Holy cow, I’m glad I did. That cliff hanger had me on the edge of my seat waiting for book 4.

Thanks you to the author and publisher for an advanced edition in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. There needs to be a book four solely based on this ending… I mean seriously omg… the rest of the book was good and lived up to 1/2 but the ending gah….

Another fun addition to this series! Really liked the development of all of the characters and getting a chance to learn more about other royals. I am intrigued to see how this series continues.

This is the best book in the series yet!

I absolutely devoured this third (and surprise!) installment in the American Royals series, and I cannot wait for the fourth and final book - and a physical copy of this one to reread.

What I loved most about this book is that it has all the drama and romance and parties that the last two books had, but it expands the world greatly. We meet a ton of foreign monarchs and learn more about the structure of the world this world that has followed America's lead by embracing monarchies instead of democracies. There is a new character, the Princess of France, who is introduced and plays a major role in the story, and I loved her character.

I also think that Majesty did a good job of covering the topic of race, but I think Rivals takes it to an even greater level of depth, and I really appreciated the way Katie not only included commentary on this, but ensured she made it a part of the plot.

I loved everything about this!!

Thank you to Netgalley and to Random House Children's for an advance copy of this book to review. I am very surprised and excited to say that Rivals was my favorite book in the series so far. It is definitely a testament to how much time and effort Katharine McGee has put into building out these four main characters.

This is my favorite so far because it combines everything I enjoyed in the first two books (complicated characters, alternative history, glamour, palace intrigue, and a feminist lens) with some deeper and more mature topics. Although the storyline is a little bit ripped from the headlines with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, I liked that this book spends a lot of space exploring what life is like for the significant others of the royal family, especially when they are also people of color. I think the book does a smart job of exploring the intersection of race and royalty as well as the press's role in the issue. McGee does a great job of exploring the concept of sacrifice when it comes to love, what are you willing to give up in order to be with the person you love? Another thing that McGee does so masterfully in this book is giving depth and even likability to the typical "villain" character.

This book once again takes us on a emotional rollercoaster with Daphne. She is still ruthless in pursuing what she wants but I think Rivals does a better job of showing her motivations and external pressures than the previous two novels. I wouldn't go as far as to call her likable (because that ending!) but she has more depth than you would expect from a character like hers.

I won't give away any spoilers but the ending is simply fantastic but also quite the infuriating cliff hanger, I need book four ASAP.

I loved the friendship between Daphne and Nina in this book! However, things are starting to feel a bit repetitive, and I feel like McGee barely scratches the surface in terms of racism and royalty in America. I didn’t like the cliffhanger!

I think I've managed to read all three of the books in this series through Net Galley. I do enjoy them and while I generally don't like dual perspectives, Katharine McGee does a great job of giving each young woman her own voice and desires. I am definitely ready for book four, after that cliffhanger.

McGee makes you root for every character, yet again, even when their desires contradict each other. The relationships that develop between the characters are complex and nuanced, with many twists. Beatrice is an iconic queen-- a young lady who is just trying to do the right thing but isn't quite sure how. I loved meeting royals from all over the world in this book, and the Rivalries are to be interpreted. I'm already looking forward to the fourth book of the series.

This is the 3rd book in the American Royals series.
Beatrice and Teddy are trying to navigate live together through the League of Kings Conference that the Americans are hosting and trying to discover a role for Teddy. At the conference Beatrice makes friends with Princess Louise of France and other young royals.
Nina & Daphne become surprise friends as they discover a mutual enemy in Gabriella, a high ranking aristocrat recently returned from France who is out to get them.
Samantha and Marshall are also learning to navigate their relationship as a young couple in the media eye.
If you enjoyed the previous 2 books in the series then you’ll want to read this one too.

Katharine McGee does an amazing job building up the characters in this American Royals series, and Rivals is no exception. Rivals revs up the drama in this series and gets you invested in this world McGee has built. We revisit the main crew of Queen Beatrice, Samantha, Nina, and yes, Daphne, with the League of Kings as the backdrop as love, heartbreak, diplomacy and drama reign supreme. There are some new characters introduced and an ending that will send you REELING.

Perfect escapism! I had been mentally prepared for this book to be the last in the series, and I'm thrilled that the story will continue (but it's so hard to end on a cliffhanger!)

This series just keeps getting better and better! I loved the characters and the plot. It was great to get a glimpse at royals from other countries in this installment. McGee really knows how to hook her readers! So many loose ends need to be tied up at the end of Rivals that readers will be begging for a fourth book. This series is a great addition to all YA collections.

I was so disappointed when I though the series was over with Majesty. Not the ending I was hoping for, so I am happy about this suprise but eagerly hoped for third book in the American Royals series. Katharine McGee did not let me down. In this alternate reality of an American monarchy she has sucked me in with her multi-dimensional characters who make me want to keep turning the page. Set at a gathering of monarchs and bringing back the good, bad and complicated relationships of America's young royals, AR 3 follows Bea's efforts to become a respected leader while struggling to keep her relationship from falling apart. The Nina, Daphne and Jeff triangle takes crazy twists and turns that end in a WTF plot twist. Finally, the question whether Sam will walk away from her past (and future) for love. The last 100 pages bring us the the ultimate life and death cliff hanger...and the question of how soon we can get our hands on book #4!

Another amazing installment in an amazing series! I love spending time in this world and with these characters. Katharine McGee continues to deliver on all the things that made this series great - good dialogue, deep characterization, intriguing conflicts. There was never a dull moment and the world building is kicked up a notch (loved the details from the League of Kings conference and Princess Louise!). The ending actually left me feeling anxious - can't wait to see where this series goes next!

I believe this book picks up fairly shortly after the second book ended.

Here’s where we begin:

Beatrice is the queen.
Her and Teddy are together but not married.
He stands ready to give up his title for her.
She’s under a lot of pressure as Queen and it’s putting a strain on their relationship.

Samantha is with Marshall.
They started off just having fun but they’ve fallen for each other.
Their relationship isn’t any easy one. Marshall would have to give up his own title to be with Samantha.
Marshall also deals with unfair treatment as a Black man in a relationship with the white Princess.

Nina and Daphne are both still interested in Prince Jefferson. There’s a new enemy on the scene named Gabrielle and she’s so awful that Nina and Daphne have decided to team up to get her back.
Along the way, they might actually start becoming friends.

I enjoyed this story but it felt a bit long. And then, guys, I’m warning you all, it ends with a cliffhanger! 400+ plus pages and it ends on another cliffhanger. This is book number three, so, that’s like 1200 pages of this story and there’s another cliffhanger. Lol I need you to know that going in, ok?
I guess this means that there better be another book or we’ll all be left hanging.

My conservative criticism:
Either Jefferson needs his own chapters or I need a reminder of why atleast two girls are in love with him. There’s so much of the story devoted to Nina and Daphne but I can’t remember what that big deal is about Jefferson. I know he’s a prince. I know that’s why Daphne wants to be with him. But Nina says she cares about him as a person and not because he’s a prince. I need someone to remind me why. He just feels like a background character sometimes and others he’s just bouncing back and forth between the girls. And he wanted them to be friends?
Why does Gabrielle have a problem with Nina and Daphne? I couldn’t figure it out. Is it because she wants to be with Jefferson too?

Otherwise, no complaints. I guess I’ll be reading the next book cause god knows I can’t stop with a cliff hanger like that and I really do care about how Beatrice and Samantha especially get through everything.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thanks!

Full review will be up on pop-culturalist.com the week of release day. American Royals III has a theme of rivals coming together and forming a truce. It also has an enemies to lovers trope that I absolutely adored!!

This look is a personal read, not for my classroom. Love this trilogy, especially after binding the Bridgerton Series on Netflix. It is a fan take on YA.

When I finished Majesty I knew that the ending had been too open. Hopefully, we have Rivals and in this book, we have some answers to what happened to the characters in the previous book and the consequences of their actions.

What bothers me a lot about the series is the different personalities that the characters show in each book. Fortunately, it doesn't happen here, well a little, but they did maintain their essence.

The story continues to be told by Beatrice, Samantha, Daphne, and Nina; each one tells us what is happening with the royals, especially with the League of Kings. We also meet new characters.

The plot was quite flat, not much happens until the end. Something big and shocking took place in the last couple of chapters that left me incredulous. What I don't like about this series is that the author takes great care in putting her protagonists against each other a man, which I don't see necessary.

Let's talk about one of my favorite characters which was Sam. She changes a little, and I lose a little interest in her, but I still want to know what will happen to her. On the other hand, we have Nina and Daphne whose relationship takes a big turn, but unfortunately… you know who ruins it with its indecisions.

Still, the book has been quite entertaining, it hasn't been great, but I want to read the next one and find out what will happen.

Picking up where book two left off, we find the three youngest members of the Washington family, their partners, and friends at the League of Kings — a conference (of sorts) that takes place every five years for royalty and heirs from around the world.

To say this book was a disappointment would be a bit of an understatement. It took me nearly six weeks to finish this book because there was nothing engaging happening. Everyone was rehashing the same drama from book 2.

What bothered me the most about this book is that every woman in this book was pitted against another. Don’t get me wrong, I do not subscribe to the brand of white feminism that says all women must support one another. But creating an entire book and universe about young women in power only to have them backstab and hurt one another is not what we need in 2022. Also, the move Daphne pulls at the end to keep Jefferson around? Disgusting.

On top of that, we have Sam and Marshall (future Duke of Orange) serving as the face of interracial relationships and race relations in America. But outside of one conversation between Sam and Nina, this book is completely devoid of actual commentary about race. Additionally, making Marshall’s family out to be the “mean guys” for not immediately embracing Sam and not following it up with a true apology from Sam is racist. I cannot recommend this book to people of color based on the portrayal of Marshall’s family. Again, it’s 2022 here. The real America is faced with white supremacy from top to bottom and people of color are being killed for the color of their skin. This felt completely out of touch. Readers, especially readers of color deserve better.

I’m not sure what the goal of the book was here. The plot was extremely drawn out - so much so that I felt the last 50 pages of the book could have been the first 50. There were far too many perspectives and main characters to keep track of what was going on. This book needs a single main character, a clear plot, and a goal.

My main question for the author and publication team is - you had an opportunity to reinvent America, and in this book, monarchies around the world, why did you choose to stick with one that’s overwhelming white, sexist, and full of unlikeable people?

3.5 stars- I’m just here for the drama, but don’t leave me on a cliff hanger. Rude. I’ll be on the edge of my seat till the next one comes out.