Title: Rivals (American Royals #3)
Author: Katharine McGee
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication date: May 31st, 2022
400 pages
3/5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis
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?
Review
I love this series but if we’re being honest with each other, this should have been the last book. Rivals gave me everything I could have wanted – more intrigue with all of our favorite characters, relationships being tested, and political maneuvers. But at some point there are only so many times you can force the same characters back together and vice versa before it just gets tired. And unfortunately, I think we’re there.
With some minor changes the plot could have ended with this book, but again we are left on cliffhangers for all of our main characters. I still find myself wishing that the Prince would grow into some sort of personality and show some critical thinking skills – and I’m still disappointed. Every other character has a well fleshed out personality except for him and I think it’s a huge oversight.
Will I read the fourth book after how this one ended? Of course. I need to know how everything will end. BUT, the plot is starting to get repetitive and we’re very close to jumping the shark, that’s all I’m saying. At this point, Samantha is still my favorite and she keeps getting the tough end of the stick and I will keep reading simply for her to get a happy ending so it better happen!
Thank you to Random House Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Happy reading, folks!
Baltimore Bibliophile 