Red, White & Royal Blue has been on my to read list for a while as Cannonballers have steadily given it positive praise. Happy to report it did not disappoint. I do enjoy an enemies to lovers story and McQuiston delivers with Alex Claremont Diaz, son of the first female President of the United States, and Henry, Prince of Wales. Set in a fictional 2020 (that I would very much like to trade for our own 2020), Alex is in his final year of college, chomping at the bit to get his future political career underway. Henry is the younger brother to the future King of England and constrained by familial and royal expectations.
For years Alex has had an internal push pull reaction to Henry. In younger years there was an attraction that he couldn’t put words to. As he got older, Alex found himself constantly aggravated by and disdainful of the Prince whenever they are at the same international events. For a myriad of reasons, Henry has kept himself distant around Alex. But all that changes when the two create an incident at a British royal wedding. The altercation has created chilly tensions and it is decided the only way to fix the image problem is for the two young men to pretend to be friends.
What starts as a fake friendship quickly becomes the real thing. In each other they find someone they can be open with, who has sympathy for the spotlight they each live under. When Henry surprises Alex with a kiss, Alex has to examine his feelings and sexual identity. Familial suspicions and their disapproval has kept Henry closeted. Both have to come to terms with what it would mean for them to have an open relationship and how it will impact the institutions they are part of. But the course of true love never did run smooth and more than coming into the open challenges Alex and Henry as the American Presidential election is putting pressure on the first family.
I enjoyed every moment of Red, White & Royal Blue! Alex and Henry are so cute and hot. I love how their communications goes from rude texting to full on letter writing over the course of their romance. I especially liked how they begin quoting historical letters between lovers to each other in the closing of their emails. Highly recommend.