Book Review: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Book Review: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

The lowdown from Goodreads

Publication Date May 14th, 2019

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?

Book Review: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

There are many things I love about Red, White & Royal Blue.

My First Romance Audiobook

The audio for Red, White & Royal Blue is utterly fantastic. I’m so grateful for Macmillan Audio to give me the opportunity to be an early listener. For a while now, I’ve wanted to dive into a romance on audio. Ramon de Ocampo is a brilliant narrator. He really brings the characters of Red, White & Royal Blue to life. It’s safe to say, this is one of the most enjoyable audiobooks I’ve listened to in recent history. The audio makes the love story so much more enjoyable. I looked forward to waking up in the morning and continuing the story.

My First Male / Male Romance

First, I had no idea this was a male/male romance. I’m still fairly new to the romance game. While I’ve wanted to read a m/m romance for a while, I picked this one up based on the cover alone. Yes, I know. There certainly are two males on the cover, so I must have only glanced at it. No matter, I’m here for it & excited to dive in!

I loved the romance in Red, White & Royal Blue. The enemies to lovers aspect, the forbidden love, the poetry, the cover-up. I have so many romantic comedy vibes, I’m really hoping this one makes it to the big screen soon.

Dreaming of a Blue Texas

Politics are a large part of this novel. I’ve seen some reviews saying the book felt a little long to them. But, as someone who watches MSNBC on the regular, attends political rallies & thoroughly enjoys politics, I loved it. I was stoked to find one of the main characters, Alex, is from Texas. He’s not just from Texas, but he’s from Travis County, Texas. Same as me. Instantly, I felt a big connection to this story. I love all the Texas tidbits thrown into the novel. It makes it all the more special to me.

I only wish this story is true. I’m hopeful one day it will be. President Claremont sounds like a respectable, strong & responsible leader. Our first female President & she’s from Texas? Claremont is someone we can really stand behind. It made me want to read Charlotte Walsh again.

THE VERDICT

I am Really Into This book. The romance is sweet & sultry but not too steamy. For me, the political element is a ton of fun & the narration is stellar.

Special thanks to Casey McQuiston, Macmillan Audio & St. Martin’s Press for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: CASEY MCQUISTON

I’m a writer—books, essays, books, articles, books. I live at the intersection of fun, escapist romantic adventure and smart-mouthed characters with bad manners and big hearts. I was born and raised in the Deep South, which taught me how to love a good story and a great biscuit, and now I live and work in northern Colorado with my dog, Pepper. I’m represented by Sara Megibow at KT Literary.