This was overall a great book. I finished it pretty quickly. Had a little bit of a hard time with the age gap. I enjoyed it and would read more from this author.

Sierra Simone's American Queen is a steamy, polyamorous romance trilogy that combines politics and magic. The book follows the story of Greer Galloway, the sharp-eyed granddaughter of a former vice president, who serves at the pleasure of the president of the United States. Despite her knowledge of politics and people, she's never been involved in romance. However, when she shares stolen kisses with war hero Maxen Ashley "Ash" Colchester and his best friend, future vice president Embry Moore, the three of them become entangled in a ruthless, all-encompassing love.

The structure of the book jumps between past and present, which is easy to follow, and from the first chapter, readers are drawn in with a hundred questions at the ready. Simone's writing is lyrical and almost poetic, capturing attention with every little detail, revealing just enough to keep readers hungry for more. The plot and characters are well-developed, with a perfect balance between plot, character, pacing, and intimacy. While the book features intense scenes of intimacy, Simone does an exquisite job of balancing plot and intimacy, with a focus on empowerment and detail that makes them incredibly sexy and intimate.

Overall, American Queen is an amazing first installment to the series that has captivated readers with its intricate plot, poetic writing, well-developed characters, and empowering and intimate scenes. It's a book that's impossible to put down and will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment in the series.

The book is hot. I simply must say it’s on fire. It’s the intense heat that is consumed by Ash, Embry and Greer that pushes all the limits in the book. This is some Terrific writing. I was entertained to the hilt. The pages was hard to turn because I wanted to make sure that I read all that was exciting to visualize. I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I am pleasantly surprised how quickly I was captivated by this story and how compelled I was to finish it. The characters were unique(ish), the plot is unlike anything I have ever read, and the smut was truly fantastic. It’s a very good trifecta when it comes to the romance genre.

I wished that Greer was a little more confident when it came to Albilene and was a little less naive to her cousins pretty shady behavior. I, personally, don’t like when women hate each other this way in books, so it was a little discouraging to see them being related yet still having such deep rooted animosity. I am sure with the cliffhanger ending where it did we will eventually see some payback in the books to come.

Ash and Embry are both instantly likable and I appreciated the dynamic they brought to the relationship ship with Greer. Ash is the strong and controlling one, Embry is the more submissive one and the balance between the two really highlighted a lot of things I enjoyed about this poly couple.

The cliffhanger on this one wasn’t unexpected, but it definitely has the motivation for the person to immediately pick up the next book. That will be me as soon as I finish typing this review because I need answers.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the three books in this series for review. I have had this book on my Amazon wishlist for quite a while and decided I needed to binge the series now to see if I need copies to keep on my shelves.

I will say that I am a bit disappointed in this book. I think that with all of the reviews that I had heard (most of them overwhelmingly positive) I went into this with entirely too high of expectations. It's not that this book was necessarily bad, it just wasn't for me.

SPOILERS:

I love smut books. I love even more when smut books can give a decent amount of plot. While this book definitely tried to have a plot, I think this was the rare instance where I wish it WOULD NOT have. Greer was an awful main character. Actually, if I'm being honest, I kind of hated ALL of the characters. Not a single one of them has a redeemable quality or made me invested in them. Back to Greer. She's awful. Whiny. Somehow talking dirtier than most adults as a virgin sixteen year old. Ash is the worst of all. Not only did he sexually assault a minor, but he also had sex with his half sister and he's manipulative as fuck. Embry is the least terrible of the three, but somehow he's just as weak as Greer and incapable of a healthy relationship where he doesn't exist solely as the third wheel FOR TEN YEARS.

I just think this story lacked believability and the characters were all just boring or gross. I will continue the series since I did get all three of them, and I own other books by this author that I am eager to get to, but I have a feeling that this one just may not be for me after all.

I am a huge fan of Sierra! She just know how to write! I get that this book was not for everyone but I loved it. Greer and Ash meet when she is only 16 and he is 26. It is a slow burn romance that takes twists and turns and makes you pull your hair out sometimes. Not to mention the addition of Embrey to the mix! There are so many people involved in this relationship besides the three of them between Merlin, Morgan, staff, etc.
The spice level was off the charts between all three of these characters. From just a simple kiss shared in the dark 😉 to kneeling in the White House residence. There were so many great scenes and great dialogue between characters. Can't wait to read the next two books!
I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

This book was interesting, but a little too unrealistic for my liking. I just needed a little bit less of some things and a little bit more of others.

Her name is Greer Galloway, and she serves at the pleasure of the president of the United States. (Don't worry, he isn't a decrepit old president, he is a young, vibrant president. ). This book is extremely spicy, and I am not mad that it is the first in a trilogy. There were a couple of plot points that I wish had been different, like Greer's experiences in her younger years. But other than that, the storyline was entertaining. It ends on a cliffhanger, so make sure to have the next one ready.

I am aware that this series is being republished, but how have they not been on my radar before now?
All I can say is that I am speechless...This book was superb and set up the rest of the series brilliantly, however, I was NOT prepared for that cliffhanger!! Luckily for me, I have the next two books lined up ready to go.
Of course, due to the relationship nature in American Queen, this story won't be for everyone, but I have to admit that I loved the dynamics between Greer, Ash and Embry. The whole storyline was so different and I became so invested in it - I can't wait to see what happens next.

American Queen ARC
Sierra Simone
Stars: 4/5
Spicy Level: 5/5

I received ARCs of the New Camelot trilogy from the publisher since the books are re-releasing, and I loved reading them. I’ve been eyeing this trilogy since I'm a big fan of poly/reverse harem contemporary reads, and oh my gosh. I really don’t even have words for this series. It will destroy you and put you back together in the most painfully pleasant way possible. I tore through the three books and then lay on the couch pondering my existence and the very sorry state of my sex life. Of these three books, I will say that the first book, American Queen, is my favorite. Greer is the perfect mix of sweet and precocious, and getting to meet the characters through her eyes first, sets the stage so that you know everyone, but continue diving deeper throughout the trilogy.

The plot of this first book focuses a lot on the developing relationship between Greer, the President of the United States Ash, and Vice President Embry. This book is told entirely through Greer’s perspective and consists of the main timeline and flashbacks, which flesh out her background story and early interactions with Ash and Embry. In addition to the romance plot, there are political subplots and interpersonal drama with friends and family members. This first book is pretty tame regarding politics besides some dinners and events, plus the concern that war might rekindle in Eastern Europe. Figuring out the relationship between Ash, Embry, and Greer is the main focus of this book. And let me tell you, it’s spicy but also angsty as hell, and it’s only going to get angstier from here. I will warn you that the cliffhanger for this book is brutal and that you will absolutely need book two on hand once you finish.

Greer is maybe one of my favorite female book characters. She’s absolutely brilliant, a hard worker, loves literature, and is able to balance love and life. While a decade younger than Ash and Embry, she’s savvy and vigilant thanks to being raised in a predominant political family. She sees everything from multiple angles and is able to play the political game just as well, if not better than the men. I like that while in an intense romantic relationship, she’s still an endearing mix of shy and eager. Although her background was rich and well-connected, she still finds joy and surprise in her new life. Greer's stumbling through things just like other people in their twenties, she's just lucky enough to have fallen back into the arms of her two great loves. Since the story is from Greer's POV, we only see Ash and Embry through her eyes, with extra glimpses from their dialogue or actions. Ash is the strong, driven war hero turned President, with cracks he only lets his closest loved ones see. And Embry is the dedicated playboy who loves so wholly he often destroys himself. Out of the three, Ash is the most dominant, and he guides the other two. It’s sometimes frustrating to me, because he definitely seems more built up than Embry, even though they’re both love interests.

I don’t think I have ever been so hot and bothered reading a book. I read a lot of smut, and this is probably one of the spiciest things I have ever read. Like flushed, I need to stop reading this in public because I am both melting and on fire spicy. The sex scenes often are multi-chaptered, and they’re the gift that keeps giving. This book is for sure a one-handed read. In this first book, you primarily get M/F with some M/F/M, and a little bit of M/M. The chemistry between Ash, Embry, and Greer, in every grouping, is wild. I’m not a huge fan of pain play or punishments, but even I could appreciate the scenes, and the characters' love and lust for each other. The relationship feels a little unbalanced right now since Greer and Ash have the most time and scenes together, but once you hit the wedding, and things start picking up, it balances out a little more.

Overall this is a phenomenal book. I went into it expecting a contemporary menage and got so much more. The writing is gorgeously lush and interweaves critical themes such as religion, jealousy, guilt, PTSD, and grief. It's the perfect mix of plot and spice, moving at a quick pace, especially towards the end. American Queen is probably one of my top reads of the year, and I can’t stop recommending it to anyone who will listen.

CW: Dom/Sub, sadism, masochism, spanking, belting, sub space, loss of virginity, double penetration in one hole, emotional cheating, accidental incest, minors kissing adults, death of side characters, grief, kidnapping

American Queen by @thesierrasimone is spicy 🌶️ 🌶️🌶️🌶️ for sure and features a why choose trope that will have you falling in love with both men as much as Greer does. Be ready to feel lots of emotions because your heart will tug in all directions of this triangle as you feel the pining emoted through these characters.

I devoured the Priest series by Sierra Simone last year, and I loved her holiday collaboration with Julie Murphy, so I was excited to read this re-publication of a backlist favorite.

I will say, as much as I loved the political themes and the steam was absolutely scorching, the pacing of this book felt pretty slow and I almost DNFed. However, around the time I was considering, one of the first shocking surprises was revealed and I was curious to see how the story would continue. I will read American Prince and American King, but I will likely wait a bit before continuing this series since it’s a more serious romance.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Bloom for the eARC.

2.5/5 ⭐
3.0/5 🌶️
4.0/5 🎧

I've been putting off reading New Camelot for fear the hype was too high, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this book. It wasn't quite as political as I feared, but also not as spicy as I hoped, and overall it was a really great read. I ended up listening to it via Libby and thought Stephanie Rose did a really great job. I'd definitely listen again.

I really loved the tension between these three characters that all secretly loved each other. It was really sweet watching them come together and having Greer really be the catalyst to Ash and Embry's reunion. I absolutely loved their dynamic, especially at the end when they finally come together.

Queen didn't really have much suspense and really no action, but I have a feeling that will all change with Prince. Just as I thought we were getting a super sweet happily ever after we're hit with an epic cliffhanger that has me speed writing this review so I can start listening to book two.

*I have edited my stars after "finishing" (really DNFing) the series. Please note there are no trigger warnings for this story and there are plenty of them to be concerned about. These include but are not limited to: incest, date rape, cheating and bdsm kinks

Sierra Simone can write a grocery list, and I would rate it 5 stars.

Brb, I’m going to read her entire backlist because this was HOT and PERFECT.

This book has so much in it, and was so intriguing from start to finish! Ash was a very complex character and full of a lot of surprises. Greer was such a Queen and easy to fall in love with. But Embry, I honestly think he was my favorite character, for everything he went through and everything he gave up. Just a great start to a fantastic series!

I really wanted to like this book. I love a good MMF story and have seen people rave about it all over the book community. However, this was not for me.

My biggest issue is that there wasn't a page with the appropriate tags/triggers for this book, which should include pedophilia, incest, cheating, heavy BSDM, humiliation, and dehumanization. This really needs to be stated somewhere so people can decide beforehand if this is something they’re comfortable reading. But regardless, as someone who enjoys their fair share of erotica and dark triggers, I didn't feel like these were done very well.


Here are a few of the other things I didn't enjoy about this story:

- The insta-love. It wouldn't have been so awful if the 26-year-old hadn't fallen in love with a 16-year-old and then sexually thinks about her for over a decade, even though he's married to someone ( who he claims he loves).

- I felt zero connection to the main characters. In fact, I thought Greer was incredibly stupid for an educated woman. And Maxen was unhinged and selfish.

- It's 90% smut with 10% plot, which got old after a while and didn't allow for proper character or story development.

- Maxen is a terrible dom because hardly explains boundaries to Greer. He gives her a safe word and does whatever he wants to her while basically saying, “We can stop, but if you trust me, we’ll keep going.” He's cohering her into doing something she’s not 100% comfortable with, and that's extremely unsafe and dangerous.

- The incest was an ick factor that didn't need to be added.


Bottom line, reading this made me feel so much disgust and dread. There’s zero believability with this story or the characters, and while it’s fiction, it still has to be written in a way that makes some sense - even if there are some twists, but this just doesn’t do that. So much drama for drama’s sake.

I don't plan on continuing the rest of the series nor would I recommend this.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

There was a lot to enjoy about this book. The only thing I didn't totally vibe with was the amount of backstory that was provided. It took forever for something interesting to happen and by then the book was almost over. Aside from that I did really enjoy it. It was also my first MMF read and I did like the way it was written.

This one was quite the spicy ride! I knew it would be going in as a tik tok is the reason I just had to give this one a try.

The tik tok I saw discusses a soccer mom accidentally recommending the book to a soccer grandma she hadn’t met before when the dreaded “whatcha reading?” question came up and then the follow up reaction of the soccer grandma approaching her at a later date after reading this one 😂

Read if you like:
⏳ Age Gap Romances
💕 Insta-Infatuation
🔺Love Triangles
🥵 Spice
🇺🇸 Politics

This one was so different than what I typically read because I don’t read a lot of pure smut, especially not smut with all the categories that this one lands in, but you know what, I really want to read the rest of the series now… 😂 🙈 😳

I’d say to definitely read the categories on Goodreads this one ventures into before deciding to read it, because it may not be your thing, I didn’t think it would be mine, but I did enjoy reading something different and now I need to know what happens since it ended on a cliffhanger!

Thank you Bloom Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I LOVED this! I flew through this book? I could not put it down and it's got some spice in it which I loved and I was so excited. That I'd already had books 2 and 3 already to go so I instantly started. I finished these all within probably about 48 hours they were so good and now. It's one of those series that live rent free in my mind.