Readers looking for surprises in this lightweight romance will be disappointed. There's a princess who must choose a husband from the âappropriateâ candidates, but loves a man she can never have. There are also a couple of siblings with equally hopeless romances going, and a bitchy villainess willing to upset the apple cart to get her way.
Or, make that âto upset the cherry cartâ, because the single interesting thing about âAmerican Royals' is that McGee has created a modern world in which George Washington did not refuse the crown that was offered to him in the Revolutionary era, but rather accepted it to found an American dynasty. That notion is not just dumped into the plot and abandoned, but is used as a springboard to imagine a world where participatory democracy never took hold, and where monarchy is the prevalent governmental model.
After that glimmer of originality, it's straight down the romance path, with a plot that seems series-ready for The CW, complete with an open-ended conclusion that guarantees a sequel.
It's all very lush and sparkly and designed to reassure the plebeian reader that being royal isn't all it's cracked up to be, but oh, isn't it fun to watch.
Or, make that âto upset the cherry cartâ, because the single interesting thing about âAmerican Royals' is that McGee has created a modern world in which George Washington did not refuse the crown that was offered to him in the Revolutionary era, but rather accepted it to found an American dynasty. That notion is not just dumped into the plot and abandoned, but is used as a springboard to imagine a world where participatory democracy never took hold, and where monarchy is the prevalent governmental model.
After that glimmer of originality, it's straight down the romance path, with a plot that seems series-ready for The CW, complete with an open-ended conclusion that guarantees a sequel.
It's all very lush and sparkly and designed to reassure the plebeian reader that being royal isn't all it's cracked up to be, but oh, isn't it fun to watch.
