A Queen from the North

Starred review from October 15, 2018
The splendid first in the Royal Roses series introduces an alternate present-day U.K. in which the Wars of the Roses never ended and a political marriage between Prince Arthur, the widowed Lancaster Prince of Wales, and Lady Amelia Brockett, the radical daughter of a Yorkish earl, is the only thing that might finally unite the kingdom. Amelia, a grad student studying environmental science, never planned on becoming a princess, but when Arthur proposes their union as a mutually beneficial political arrangement soon after their first meeting, she can’t deny her people the chance to finally have a York on the throne. Against her better judgement, she grows closer with the charismatic prince. Faced with relentless press coverage, a divided, skeptical populace, and an ever-changing political climate, Amelia struggles to keep track of what in their relationship is real and what is just for show. Rich, diverse worldbuilding sets this story of contemporary royalty apart. McRae and Maltese (the Love in Los Angeles series) have created a perfect cocktail of political intrigue and slow-burn romance.