Literature & Fiction
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American Royals III: Rivals
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES • The third book in the bestselling American Royals series is here, and a meeting of monarchs will test everyone's loyalty to the crown…and their own hearts.
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?
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?
Editorial Reviews
"Royal watchers, we've got just the read for you." -E! News
"Author Katharine McGee's alternative timeline is getting pleasantly twisty." -Goodreads
"Author Katharine McGee's alternative timeline is getting pleasantly twisty." -Goodreads
Readers Top Reviews
Jennifer C.
Oh. My. Wow. Katherine McGee, I both love you and hate you right now. For those of you who have read the first two books of this series already have some idea about how this author can toy with our feelings. However, there is absolutely no preparing for the way this book ends and what it will probably do to your feelings. As this book begins, Daphne and Jeff are dating again, Nina is beginning to rebuild her friendship with Jeff, Beatrice is beginning to step into her role as Queen, Samantha and Marshall are happily dating, and life is beginning to move forward. But this wouldn't be a book by Katherine McGee if she just let things go on happily ever after. The first thing to go wrong is that Nina calls out a entitled, titled woman for insulting Jeff and then responded by getting Nina's financial aid canceled. The same woman was also instrumental in setting up Daphne's family for losing their title. Suprisingly, the two women team up to try and take down Gabriella and get back the things the had lost/were losing. Following that, each of the three siblings and Nina begin to have things go wrong in a way that only Katharine McGee can write. I will say that before this book, I hated Daphne. During this book, I had actually begun to like Daphne, to understand and identify with her a little more, and to see her humanity. I was wrong. The way this book ends, though, has left me speechless. I'm not even sure how I feel about it. But, to quote Nina, it's all changing. For those of you who haven't read any of this series, you really need to. Yes, the series is a romance, but it's also so much more than that. From the politics to the friendships, this series is about all kinds of relationships, and it's all the better for it. There are characters that you will come to love and others to hate (I'm looking at you, Daphne), some you will cheer for and others you will just want to shake until they come to their senses (Jeff, seriously?!?) If you've already read the first two books in the series, likely you've just been waiting for this book to be published - especially with the way McGee ended book 2. For you, I will say again that there is no preparing for the roller coaster this book is going to take you on. For those of you who listen to audiobooks, Brittany Pressley delivers a fantastic performance. This is the first audiobook of the series I've listened to (because the waiting list at the library was shorter for the audiobook than the ebook), but after listening to her performance here, I want to go back and listen to her read all the books. Indeed, as soon as payday rolls around, I will be purchasing all 3 audiobooks to be able to reread them because of the way this one ended. I'm still just ... Oh. My. Wow. And I'm probably going to be there for a while, to be honest.
Love to ReadJenni
What if instead of George Washington becoming America’s first president he became the first King? This is the premise of the YA American Royals series. I feel in love with the series in the first two books and was thrilled to have a third published. It’s YA but I love it as an adult. This book picks up where the last left off so it’s best to read the series in order. The King of America has died and Beatrice is now Queen. It’s a heavy weight to carry for the young royal as she balances responsibility as Queen with a normal teenage life of falling in love and finding herself. I loved this book and the continuation of the series! The characters are engaging and play their roles very well. I’m looking forward to a fourth book as this book ends with a perfect setup for another book!
Emilie litzel vil
Same olde same olde! The drama never changes it’s starting to get boring
ShellEmilie litze
Another awesome American Royals novel - the only bad thing is having to wait a year for the story to continue. Spent my day off reading the book and was not disappointed. Highly recommend.
Short Excerpt Teaser
1
Beatrice
Beatrice pulled her arms overhead in a stretch. She wondered if all brides felt like this when they returned from their honeymoons: flush with a warm, relaxed pleasure.
Except that Beatrice-Her Majesty Beatrice Georgina Fredericka Louise, Queen of America-wasn't a normal bride. Actually, since she hadn't gotten married, she wasn't a bride at all.
She glanced at Theodore Eaton, the man she was supposed to have wed earlier this year. His hair was an even brighter blond after three weeks in the Caribbean sun, his skin burnished to a golden tan. Beatrice knew she looked just as relaxed and well rested.
Not that it would last, with everything that lay ahead.
In the weeks following their non-wedding, Beatrice had remained in the capital, dealing with the aftermath of her decision. She had reviewed infrastructure bills and ambassadorial appointments, and had studied foreign legislation and trade policies in preparation for the upcoming League of Kings conference. It was all the tedious, unglamorous work of being a monarch-the work Beatrice should have been doing since her father died, if she hadn't allowed herself to be sidetracked with planning her wedding.
Porcelain platters were scattered on the table before her and Teddy, laden with the remnants of their scrambled eggs and fruit. Franklin, the golden Lab puppy that she and Teddy had adopted together-not a puppy much longer-nuzzled her leg, whining. Beatrice surreptitiously broke off a piece of toast and passed it to him under the table.
"Glad to be back?" Teddy asked.
Beatrice leaned down to rub Franklin's velvety-soft ears. "Glad to see this guy again," she said, and sighed. "Though I have to say, I already miss our bungalow."
Beatrice had never really been on a vacation before. She'd traveled all over the world, but always for a diplomatic visit or state business. Even on family trips she'd been too busy skiing, or sailing, or catching up on school assignments to relax. It was a trait she'd inherited from her father. King George IV had never taken a day off work in his life. And now that he was gone, Beatrice wished that he had.
A knock sounded at the door. "Yes?" Beatrice called out.
"Your Majesty," the footman announced, "the Lady Chamberlain is here to see you."
Surprised, Beatrice glanced down at her watch: a platinum one that her father had given her on her eighteenth birthday, its hands starred with tiny diamonds. It wasn't like her to be running late. She'd gotten too accustomed to island time-all those mornings when she and Teddy had lingered over breakfast, only to end up falling into bed again afterward.
Beatrice glanced at the footman, struck with an idea. "Why don't you tell Anju to come on in?"
"Into the breakfast room, Your Majesty?"
"Why not?" Beatrice's relationship with her former chamberlain, Robert Standish, had been stiff with formality. But beneath the incessant bowing and Your Majesty–ing, Robert hadn't respected her at all. He'd been silently undermining Beatrice's authority, trying to keep her from exerting any real power.
Robert had been far too stuffy and old-fashioned to even consider sitting down in the Washington family's private breakfast room, which was precisely why Beatrice had suggested it. She was determined to do things differently this time around.
"Bee." Teddy cleared his throat. "Do you think you could run some of my thoughts past Anju, see if we can get moving on any of them?"
She nodded. "Of course."
America had never had a king consort before. The only real precedents for Teddy's position were the eleven queens consort who'd come before him-most recently, Beatrice's mother, Queen Adelaide.
So Teddy had drawn up some ideas for responsibilities he could help take on. He'd been trained as a future duke, after all; he had a great deal of experience in allocating budget, looking out for the good of his people. Beatrice knew he wouldn't be happy doing what queens consort traditionally did-cutting ribbons, arranging tablescapes.
Of course, it wasn't fair that the queens had been limited to domestic roles in the first place. Beatrice's mother was one of the smartest people she knew. And, like Teddy, Adelaide had been trained to rule a duchy someday-two duchies, in fact. But once she'd married King George, she'd been relegated to a position that was more ceremonial than political. That was just the way the monarchy worked.
Until now.
Beatrice was determined to change all of that, to show people that a woman could rule as effectively as any man. Still, she didn't want Teddy to feel purposeless. He was too talented to sit around waiting for her to need him. Even if that was, t...
Beatrice
Beatrice pulled her arms overhead in a stretch. She wondered if all brides felt like this when they returned from their honeymoons: flush with a warm, relaxed pleasure.
Except that Beatrice-Her Majesty Beatrice Georgina Fredericka Louise, Queen of America-wasn't a normal bride. Actually, since she hadn't gotten married, she wasn't a bride at all.
She glanced at Theodore Eaton, the man she was supposed to have wed earlier this year. His hair was an even brighter blond after three weeks in the Caribbean sun, his skin burnished to a golden tan. Beatrice knew she looked just as relaxed and well rested.
Not that it would last, with everything that lay ahead.
In the weeks following their non-wedding, Beatrice had remained in the capital, dealing with the aftermath of her decision. She had reviewed infrastructure bills and ambassadorial appointments, and had studied foreign legislation and trade policies in preparation for the upcoming League of Kings conference. It was all the tedious, unglamorous work of being a monarch-the work Beatrice should have been doing since her father died, if she hadn't allowed herself to be sidetracked with planning her wedding.
Porcelain platters were scattered on the table before her and Teddy, laden with the remnants of their scrambled eggs and fruit. Franklin, the golden Lab puppy that she and Teddy had adopted together-not a puppy much longer-nuzzled her leg, whining. Beatrice surreptitiously broke off a piece of toast and passed it to him under the table.
"Glad to be back?" Teddy asked.
Beatrice leaned down to rub Franklin's velvety-soft ears. "Glad to see this guy again," she said, and sighed. "Though I have to say, I already miss our bungalow."
Beatrice had never really been on a vacation before. She'd traveled all over the world, but always for a diplomatic visit or state business. Even on family trips she'd been too busy skiing, or sailing, or catching up on school assignments to relax. It was a trait she'd inherited from her father. King George IV had never taken a day off work in his life. And now that he was gone, Beatrice wished that he had.
A knock sounded at the door. "Yes?" Beatrice called out.
"Your Majesty," the footman announced, "the Lady Chamberlain is here to see you."
Surprised, Beatrice glanced down at her watch: a platinum one that her father had given her on her eighteenth birthday, its hands starred with tiny diamonds. It wasn't like her to be running late. She'd gotten too accustomed to island time-all those mornings when she and Teddy had lingered over breakfast, only to end up falling into bed again afterward.
Beatrice glanced at the footman, struck with an idea. "Why don't you tell Anju to come on in?"
"Into the breakfast room, Your Majesty?"
"Why not?" Beatrice's relationship with her former chamberlain, Robert Standish, had been stiff with formality. But beneath the incessant bowing and Your Majesty–ing, Robert hadn't respected her at all. He'd been silently undermining Beatrice's authority, trying to keep her from exerting any real power.
Robert had been far too stuffy and old-fashioned to even consider sitting down in the Washington family's private breakfast room, which was precisely why Beatrice had suggested it. She was determined to do things differently this time around.
"Bee." Teddy cleared his throat. "Do you think you could run some of my thoughts past Anju, see if we can get moving on any of them?"
She nodded. "Of course."
America had never had a king consort before. The only real precedents for Teddy's position were the eleven queens consort who'd come before him-most recently, Beatrice's mother, Queen Adelaide.
So Teddy had drawn up some ideas for responsibilities he could help take on. He'd been trained as a future duke, after all; he had a great deal of experience in allocating budget, looking out for the good of his people. Beatrice knew he wouldn't be happy doing what queens consort traditionally did-cutting ribbons, arranging tablescapes.
Of course, it wasn't fair that the queens had been limited to domestic roles in the first place. Beatrice's mother was one of the smartest people she knew. And, like Teddy, Adelaide had been trained to rule a duchy someday-two duchies, in fact. But once she'd married King George, she'd been relegated to a position that was more ceremonial than political. That was just the way the monarchy worked.
Until now.
Beatrice was determined to change all of that, to show people that a woman could rule as effectively as any man. Still, she didn't want Teddy to feel purposeless. He was too talented to sit around waiting for her to need him. Even if that was, t...
