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.

Audio Review ~ American Prince ~ Sierra Simone #2017NewRelease #AudioChallenge

American Prince by Sierra Simone
New Camelot Trilogy #2
Narrated by: Stephanie Rose and Guy Locke
Release Date: June 27, 2017
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Source: I received a complimentary copy from Tantor Audio. This did not affect my rating and my review is voluntarily provided. 
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Challenges: #2017NewReleasee, #AudioChallenge
Goodreads

Synopsis
I've been many things.

I've been a son and a stepbrother. An Army captain and a Vice President.

But only with Him and I a prince. His little prince.

Only with Maxen and Greer does my world make sense, only between them can I find peace from the demons that haunt me. But men like me aren't made to be happy. We don't deserve it. And I should have known a love as sharp as ours could cut both ways.

My name is Embry Moore and I serve at the pleasure of the President of the United States...for now.

This is the story of an American Prince.

I started listening to American Prince immediately after finishing American Queen and found myself swallowed by Greer, Ash, and Embry once again.

American Prince is told mostly from Embry's POV and once again, Simone delivered the story via past and present timelines. This format was an excellent way to get Embry and Ash's backstory and their history was gut-wrenching, heartwarming, and riveting. The present timeline was also suspense-filled with Ash, Embry, and Greer dealing with the fallout over the consequences from the event that ended American Queen. The way Simone handled that was so well done and felt authentic. The feelings and emotions of Embry, Ash, and Greer as well as the public backlash over what was leaked - it all felt so real. The political intrigue and conniving and plotting against the trio kept me tied in knots as well. Especially considering who was behind most of it. Once again, I was shocked at how much emotion - HATRED - Simone made me feel towards a certain character.

And then...and then...AND THEN! I absolutely could not believe the choices Embry made and the repercussions from those choices. These choices and their repercussions impacted the rest of the book and even with all the revelations made at the end of the book, I'm still reeling. STILL. Seriously.

Needless to say, I pre-ordered American King in ebook format because I couldn't wait for audio...BECAUSE I HAVE TO KNOW HOW IT ALL ENDS!!! (I'm currently reading it)

The narrators, Stephanie Rose and Guy Locke, did well for the most part. Locke's range seemed limited and he did have some inconsistencies with pronunciations which bothered me but I enjoyed Rose's delivery once again.