New Release Review ~ American King ~ Sierra Simone #2017NewRelease #TravelingtotheTerminus

American King by Sierra Simone
New Camelot Trilogy #3
Release Date: October 31, 2017
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Source: Purchased on Nook 
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Challenges: #2017NewReleasee, #TravelingtotheTerminus
Goodreads

Synopsis
They say that every tragic hero has a fatal flaw, a secret sin, a tiny stitch sewn into his future since birth. And here I am. My sins are no longer secret. My flaws have never been more fatal. And I've never been closer to tragedy than I am now.

I am a man who loves, a man whose love demands much in return. I am a king, a king who was foolish enough to build a kingdom on the bones of the past. I am a husband and a lover and a soldier and a father and a president.

And I will survive this.

Long live the king.

Two things I want to mention before I get into my review.

1. I didn't mention in previous reviews but I absolutely appreciated the nods to classic literature in this trilogy - The Iliad, Jane Austen, and Thomas Malory
   However,
2. Beyond the very basics, I'm actually unfamiliar with Arthurian legend. *gasp* I know! So I really had no idea how closely this trilogy mirrored Le Morte D'Arthur. But I'll be remedying that and then re-reading this trilogy. So I can't speak to exactly how closely the New Camelot trilogy ties to Arthur but it was a brilliant story.

Oh, one more thing. I switched to ebook format for this last installment because I JUST COULDN'T WAIT FOR THE AUDIO!

In this final installment, we get Ash's POV (with sprinkles of Greer and Embry). Having time inside Ash's head - once again both past and present timelines - was enlightening and fascinating. He's so self-aware and I admire his drive to do the right things - be a moral and good man. I also admired that he didn't let his religion confuse how he wanted to live and love.

The events in American King kept me on edge with a lump in my throat and a feeling of dread in my gut. Not only did I worry over how things were going to go but my heart broke many times over for all Ash and Embry, Ash and Greer, and Embry and Greer sacrificed for each other. I was enthralling to see how they each felt about the others. And I marveled over Ash and Embry both feeling unworthy of the other or like they didn't love enough when all their actions spoke otherwise. At least to an outsider.

Simone took my emotions on quite a ride. I laughed and I cried. I loved and I hated. This entire series held me captive - enraptured. The way she wrapped the romance in war, politics, duplicity, family - personally and professionally...it's all done so very well. I can't get these characters out of my head!

Apparently Simone is an author I *knew* I was going to love considering I've hoarded, um, collected most of her work. I'll make haste in reading that collection.