American Royalty

In Livesay’s (“Girls Trip” series) latest, Dani, aka Duchess, is a Black American rapper climbing her way up the charts while Jameson, aka His Royal Highness Prince Jameson, is trying to maintain a low profile in British academia. When a royal charity event throws them together, their chemistry is explosive and unexpected. But British royals don’t date celebrities, and neither Dani nor Jameson can afford the scandal that would erupt if their tryst became public knowledge. Caught between the press and the Crown, with lives an ocean apart, they realize it would be logical to call a halt to what was only supposed to be a brief sexual affair. But falling in love rarely involves logic. This steamy contemporary interracial romance is successfully told in both protagonists’ points of view. Dani and Jameson are likable, three-dimensional characters who are familiar with the cost of living a public life and chafe at their lack of control—whether it’s the Queen or a manager, someone is always making the decisions for them. Their concerns about privacy, scandal, and autonomy ring true and provide common ground for their developing relationship. Side plots with secondary characters flesh out the novel and reinforce the relationship’s obstacles. Readers will empathize with the protagonists and cheer for their eventual happily ever after.