Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, 421 p.

"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.

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. What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?" -- Goodreads blurb

After just coming off of a heavy epic fantasy, I thought I'd pick up a fun read, though this is out of my usual wheelhouse. I read a McQuiston book last year, though, and loved it, and thought I'd try this one out. It DID NOT disappoint. This book was just a good time, plain and simple. It has all that good romance has, enemies-to-lovers, humor, real relationship building, great side characters, and emotion. I will read everything McQuiston writes. 
 

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

 One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, 422 p.

"For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.

But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train.

Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to start believing in some things, after all."--Goodreads blurb

I generally try to stay away from books that are really hot on social media, but I'll be honest, I loved the cover on this book. I'm so glad I tried it, because it was worth the hype. What a fun, emotional, and crazy ride this story was. Love and time travel and drag queens making pancakes...enough said!

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston - 424 pages

Alex's mother is running for re-election as president of the United States.  So it is a major incident when he gets into a public spat with Henry, the Prince of Wales.  To fix the problem, they are forced to stage a truce and "become" friends.  What starts out as a fake friendship soon turns into a real friendship.  Then it turns into something more.  But will they be able to have a relationship without ruining the re-election campaign?

This book was on several best of 2019 lists.  I'm glad I picked it up to read.  I really enjoyed it.  The characters were interesting and drew you into the story.