Hello there, bookworms! I hope you’re all well and enjoying your summer with tons of books and relaxation. I am SO sorry for the delay in posting. My computer broke a couple of weeks back and it was a whole process to diagnose it and decide if I wanted to shell out the chunk of change it would cost to fix it, and then after making the decision, I had to have it sent out for repairs and wait for its return. Long story short, I’ve been without a computer for just about 2 weeks, and when it comes to my bigger writing tasks like this blog and my book, I don’t like to post from my phone. It’s a lot to tackle on a smaller screen without all the dashboard tools I need.
Aside from that, life has been hectic with some on-going personal challenges I’ve been going through and work taking up a lot of my mental energy lately, so it’s all around been slow in focusing on posts. Now that a major component is back and working wonderfully, I have many a book review to bring you so let’s get to it shall we?
Tonight’s book is one I’ve been seeing all over my social media feeds with rave reviews. I was out with a friend last week and saw the cover peeking at me from the bottom shelf of my local Barnes & Noble so I had to grab a copy. Needless to say, I spent this past week devouring every last page, and it definitely lived up to the hype. Let’s talk about Red, White, and Royal Blue, the debut novel from Casey McQuiston.
A big-hearted romantic comedy in which First Son Alex falls in love with Prince Henry of Wales after an incident of international proportions forces them to pretend to be best friends…
First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations.
The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince. Alex is busy enough handling his mother’s bloodthirsty opponents and his own political ambitions without an uptight royal slowing him down. But beneath Henry’s Prince Charming veneer, there’s a soft-hearted eccentric with a dry sense of humor and more than one ghost haunting him.
As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. And Henry throws everything into question for Alex, an impulsive, charming guy who thought he knew everything: What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?
Let me start off by wishing everyone out there a Happy Pride Month! It seems I got my computer returned to me just in time to post this book review and wish everyone in the community happiness and love! I’m getting this in just under the wire but better late than never!
Now, about this book. This was my first M/M romance I’ve read and I could not get enough! This wasn’t done deliberately, I’ve just never come across many or any same-sex works as suggested reads. That being said, I’m so glad I read this book because I loved every minute.
As someone who is writing political fiction, I was so impressed and at the same time, so jealous of this amazing story. I adored the wit, humor, drama and flow of every page. Bravo, McQuiston, Bravo.
In a time of such fear, dread, pessimism, and a strain in the political climate and global relations, it was nice to have a little form of escapism with these gorgeous men who want to bring a message of love and positivity and use their voices and relationship for good.
Alex and Henry. What can I say? you’re both too wonderful, funny, and lovely for words. Your mild-hatred-turned-love was fantastic to witness. I felt like I had been in a total reading slump since I finished the After series by Anna Todd a little over a month ago, and I couldn’t find a book or characters that I felt completely lost in. Everything I read was about a 3 star read at most, and you two and your fierce devotion to one another changed all of that for me. I admired how hard you fought for each other and your desires to be happy just living your lives. You guys broke the mold of the monarchy and American politics, crushed barriers and stigmas of “this is just how things are done” and made people realize and understand your truth as a couple. Your journey was sweet, real, sexy, and honest and I admired every step of the path you two paved.
I did what I could to savor this story as long as I could, but I couldn’t help turning the pages to find out what would happen next with this whirlwind, high profile love. My time with these two and their amazing family and friends has come to an end, so I’m a little sad, but I also feel so inspired to get back to writing my own book. Red, White, & Royal Blue really set the bar and it was one of those books I wish I could write. Ugh, Casey, be my mentor, please? Your work is a dream and if it were 1,000 pages, I guarantee I would’ve loved every minute.
I can’t wait to see what McQuiston releases next, but in the meantime, if you’re looking for a fun romance, a great summer read, or you’d like to get into the 4th of July mood, do yourselves a favor and get your copy of Red, White, & Royal Blue and go meet Alex and Henry. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. They’re definite game-changers who bring hope and messages of love and generosity to their respective nations, the rest of the world, and future generations.
History, huh?
