AMERICAN ROYALS

Grab a cup of mead and gather round for a story of kings, queens, princes, princesses, lords, and ladies: the modern ruling families of America.

With the ease of a curtsy, McGee (The Towering Sky, 2018, etc.) has established a monarchy made up of the direct descendants of George Washington. There’s enough palace intrigue, royal shenanigans, and even a smidgen of sex to satisfy anyone who loves a bit of gossip. Set in the contemporary United States, there are characters we love to love, love to hate, and those we want to send to timeout. Princess Beatrice, who will be the first queen regnant, her twin siblings, Princess Samantha and Prince Jefferson (those noble scamps), Jefferson’s wicked ex-girlfriend, and a couple of commoners who make falling in love with the wrong person too easy all tell their sides of the story in alternating third-person chapters. Critical questions tantalize readers through the foibles and flaws of characters who are frustratingly human. Crown jewels aside, the events of the story are as familiar as college parties or family dinners. Not all questions are answered, and readers will eagerly await the next installment to find out whether true love will win or stodgy tradition will triumph. A Latinx main character with two mothers lends a bit of diversity to the majority white cast.

An entertaining royal family modeled after the residents of Buckingham Palace.