👑 Rivals 👑

Genre: Young Adult
Trope: Romance
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 5.31.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Summary:

“Beatrice is queen, and for the American royal family, everything is about to change.

Relationships will be tested.
Princess Samantha is in love with Lord Marshall Davis—but the more serious they get, the more complicated things become. Is Sam destined to repeat her string of broken relationships…and this time will the broken heart be her own?

Strangers will become friends.
Beatrice is representing America at the greatest convocation of kings and queens in the world. When she meets a glamorous foreign princess, she gets drawn into the inner circle…but at what cost?

And rivals will become allies.
Nina and Daphne have spent years competing for Prince Jefferson. Now they have something in common: they both want to take down manipulative Lady Gabriella Madison. Can these enemies join forces, or will old rivalries stand in the way?”

My Thoughts:

“Change happens one generation at a time. HOPEFULLY, if I go through hardship, future generations won’t have to.”

I have been dying to get my hands on this book since Majesty (book two) ended, and as soon as my copy arrived, I sat down and began reading. But then I had to stop because I, apparently, forgot everything that happened in books one and two 🤦🏽‍♀️ I did some digging and found a summary and felt like I could start reading again. There are many characters to get used to and to remember, but after 50ish pages, I was back into the swing of it! Rivals does pick up right when book two ends, so there’s no missed time.

I adored this book. It was full of drama (it would make an excellent TV series), but the book’s heart was a whole lot more than who was in a relationship with whom. Yes, the story does have some romance to it, but it’s also about the complex nature of female friendships and how quickly a rival can become an ally (if we stop letting society get in our way).

Several current political issues were interlaced within the story, which made it feel much more relatable. I’ve always thought the concept of these books (if America had never become a Democracy) to be fascinating.

🎬 Would make an excellent TV series
😵‍💫 Lots of characters to get used to
👏🏼 Picks up right as book II ends
❤️ Daphne + Jefferson 4 life
👯‍♀️ Romance but also about female friendships

And, in true fashion for this series, Rivals ended in a cliffhanger (it’s a doozy), and now I am itching to get my hands on book four (publishing in 2023).

I recommend you read Rivals if you enjoyed the other two books in this series or if you enjoyed reading Royal We. But, please remember that the American Royal series MUST be read in order, or you will have no idea what’s going on.

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BOOK INFO
Format: 400 pages, Hardback
Published: May 2022 by Random House
ISBN 9780593429709 (ISBN10: 0593429702)
Free review copy provided by publisher, Random House , in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.