I have decided that, once a month, I will have a day or two dedicated purely to checking in with my readers. This is as open ended as you would like it to be and I encourage engagement with me if you are comfortable enough with it.
The problem I face is how. Do I let you chat and send replies in the replies section at the bottom of every post? Do I add a poll sporadically to the bottom of posts? There are likely some other functions that I haven’t found yet either.
So, while I am reading House of Night, I am going to have the next 2 days with a poll in each to better cater to what you would like to see from me going forward. While this is my little slice of the internet, I want as many of you to feel at home as I can and I genuinely want to hear from you. Got some book suggestions? I absolutely want to hear about them. Did you have a win today? That’s amazing, I want to cheer you on! Do you have thoughts on what I write? I definitely want to know.
Now that I have taken a break from fantasy romance, time to dive back in with a relatively new and upcoming author, Celia Aaron! Her book, House of Night, was given to me as an ARC by The Nerd Fam and I always love getting them, The Nerd Fam is like my bookish fairy godmother and I wouldn’t have it any other way! As always, I’m grateful to be included every time and I can’t wait to bring you more.
Only she knows the secret of what happened that night …
Trapped in an upside-down castle, Georgia is met at every turn by a creature as cruel and vicious as his vampire kin. Valen, the cursed lord of the manor, is the monstrous minotaur lurking at the center of Georgia’s maze. He stalks her steps, his gaze forever on her as she desperately searches for escape. He wants her memories, memories that are just as lost to her as she is to the outside world.
Valen has no intention of ever letting her go, not when she is the key to his ascendency to the vampire throne. He desires nothing more than her secrets. Not her entrancing eyes, her soft skin, her coursing blood. Once he breaks her apart and extracts her memories, he’ll be done with the mortal who haunts his days and nights, who dances just outside his grasp, who defies him at every turn.
But fate looks different in the light of day, and night can’t obscure the truth forever. . .
House of Night is a full-length dark gothic romance and is the first of the House of Night trilogy. This series is for readers who enjoy dark, atmospheric elements, horrormance, and an engrossing plot that drags you in and refuses to let you claw your way out.
Does that sound like an interesting premise to you? Keen to read with me? Interestingly, you can get the paperback of House of Night on Australian Amazon, but not the US version. I like it, we don’t often get things before the US! Anyway, if you’d like to get it and support Celia and myself, you can get the book here! For any of my previous books and posts, you can find them here.
Happy reading and I will see you all back here for the first chapter commentary!
Red, White & Royal Blue follows the story of Alex, the First Son of the United States, and his romance with Henry, the Prince of England. Through all of the political landmines, the mis-steps and the uncertainty comes support and love from the ones closest to them. But also personal attacks from those least expected. We find side characters who bring life and colour to the romance and build the fictional, but modern world in which this is set.
Story 5/5
Although I had seen the movie when it was first released and I am only just reading the book for the first time now. There were certainly new story points to discover. There were points that were different or left out that I enjoyed reading. This made the story a new experience, set apart from the movie itself. The book spans months and although it is 418 pages, the pacing didn’t feel jumpy and jagged. This can be a major struggle for many authors in a timeframe like this. What I read felt like a natural progression of time and evolution of relationships. The romantic relationship between Alex and Henry is at the forefront. This was done exceptionally well, but the relationships between the side characters aren’t ones to be forgotten.
I found that it was easy to forget that Alex is only in his very early 20s , but it came back into sharp focus when he did something reckless. As a character, he is a very charismatic person, but that is also heavily calculated when in the public. Not thinking about the risks and implications doesn’t seem like him, but that is also true for anyone of the same until they find someone that they love. They are often the ones most likely to let the world burn to protect. I would have liked to see more of his internal thought processes. There is only so much you can fit into one book. I’m still satisfied with the character I got to see. While I didn’t connect with him as much as I did with Henry, Alex was still an interesting character to read about.
characters: 4/5
Finding that I connect more with a fictional prince of a very real country is a strange concept. One I certainly didn’t see coming. Henry is facing the expectations of his family and the pressures placed on him while also battling a complex mental load. He not only has to think about the implications of his actions on himself and his family, but also how they affect a country and it’s future. In the middle of all of this, he also navigates a detailed landscape of grief. This shows in the very real loss of one parent and the loss of a parent still living. Not much is mentioned about Henry’s mother until the last 2 chapters. Hearing how the loss of her husband affected her so much… It was something I could empathise with deeply. Mentions of his father are even fewer, but it makes sense. Given how much he misses his father and feels his loss to the core. It’s normal to want to hide that kind of vulnerability. It has taken me 20+ years to be semi-okay with it. It’s clear that the pressures that Henry faces, force him to hide that part of himself. As distressing as that thought is, it’s something that feels so deeply personal, but right for the character.
Throughout the story, I would have liked to see more about the political landscape and how it affected people. It can be hard to weave those themes in a story about romance and the complexity of coming out. It can also be hard to understand the implications when you yourself aren’t in politics. Casey did do a fantastic job in sharing this story and I commend them, but certainly something that I would have liked more of.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone that likes contemporary romance as it was engaging, complex and thought provoking. It is well worth the time spent on it and is a whole new experience to the movie based on it. Do you like your romances to have some serious themes and tackling current issues? Red, White & Royal Blue could very well be the next read that you need to add to your ever growing TBR.
If you would like to read the previous posts or posts about the other books, you can find them here.
If you would like to get the book, you can get it here.
So you know how yesterday I didn’t want to cut out a chapter from Red, White & Royal Blue because it would make it uneven? Yeah, well, I am doing it this time! Essentially, there wasn’t enough that I could quote in chapter 14 that wouldn’t give away the sub plot of the story. It’s definitely worth the read, though, I didn’t see the twist coming
As always, if you would like to follow along or fill in the gaps, you can get the book here.
To read any of my previous posts about this book or any of the others, you can find those here.
He runs through pro and con lists, models of different outcomes, fucking charts and graphs and more data than he has ever wanted to see about his own relationship and it’s ramifications for the world around him. ‘This is the damage you case, Alex’ it all seems to say, right there in hard facts and figures. ‘This is who you hurt.’ He hates himself, but he doesn’t regret anything, and maybe that makes him a bad person and a worse politician, but he doesn’t regret Henry.
It says a whole damn lot about the social climate of real world America and fictional America that this is the first thing that Alex thinks of. He didn’t cause damage to anyone, he found someone that he loved and chased it. He jumped off that cliff and landed in the arms of the man he loves. That doesn’t make him a bad person or politician. It makes him a human who can fight for those that aren’t in a position to fight for themselves.
“Just hold on until I get there; we’re gonna figure this out.” “I will.” “I’m coming. I’ll be there soon,” Henry exhales a wet, broken laugh. “Please, do hurry.”
You can just feel how much they want to – and need to – be there for one another. It’s not all rainbows and sunshine, but there is dark times and desperation and hopelessness too.
Henry drifts asleep at some point, and Alex is thankful for it, but he can still feel tension in every part of Henry’s body against him. “He hasn’t slept since the news,” Bea tells him quietly. Alex nods slightly, searching her face. “Can I ask you something?” “Always.” “I feel like he’s not telling me something,” Alex whispers. “I believe him when he says he’s in, and he wants to tell everyone the truth. But there’s something else he’s not saying, and it’s freaking me out that I can’t figure out what it is.” Bea looks up, he fingers stilling. “Oh, love,” she says simply. “He misses Dad.”
There is so much of this book that I can relate to and this is no exception. My mother was killed when I was 8 years old. If there is something I know with absolute certainty, it is that there is no time that you miss a parent that isn’t here anymore, more than when life gets so desperately dark and hopeless. I can imagine that the desire magnifies for Henry. Given that he doesn’t have much support with the family that he has in this moment with the exception of Bea.
“This is the life we live, Henry. You’ve always known it. I’ve tried to tell you. I wanted to be a good brother to you, but you don’t bloody listen. It’s time to remember your place in this family. Be a man. Stand up and take responsibility. Fix this. For once in your life, don’t be a coward.”
Firstly, the ‘Be a man’ line and mentality is bullshit. Men have thoughts and feelings and weaknesses that they are allowed and should be encouraged to express. They don’t need to hold the world on their shoulders. They are allowed and should be encouraged to share the load with others at all times. Not just when they are having a hard time. Secondly, it is so easy for others to tell you what they think is best for you. But those same people won’t listen to you when you say otherwise. Then make out like you will thank them later even if they hurt you. Sometimes people just need you to sit in the dark with them and listen, not try to blast them with brutal truths and cruelty.
“What are we even defending here, Philip? What kind of legacy? What kind of family, that says, we’ll take the murder, we’ll take the raping and pillaging and the colonizing, we’ll scrub it up nice and neat in a museum, but oh no, you’re a bloody poof? That’s beyond our sense of decorum! I’ve bloody well had it. I’ve sat about long enough letting you and Gran and the weight of the damned world keep me pinned, and I’m finished. I don’t care. You can take your legacy and your decorum and you can shove it up your fucking arse, Philip. I’m done.”
Yes, go off, Henry! I was mentally clapping at this moment and I loved seeing him stand up against his brother who is so high and bloody mighty. He has a good point too. Put up with the dark history, but you can put up with one gay family member? That’s some bullshit.
Henry looks Philip square in the face and says, “I’ve been gay as a maypole since the day I came out of mum, Philip.” In the silence that follows, Alex has to bite down very hard on his tongue to suppress the urge to laugh hysterically.
Alex has more composure than I do. I may have snorted while I was laughing.
conclusion
As you can see, even with the exclusion of chapter 14, there was a lot to include in 13. This was a very serious chapter which makes sense given that their relationship is now out in the open at this point. Managing the ramifications of that is on everyone’s minds. Not that I think it needs to be that big of a deal. But that’s also not the political or social landscape for way too many even in 2025. This post is also coming out late because I have a trip to the hospital planned tomorrow and I needed to have my last meal for the next 24+ hours. I also have a job interview in an hour, so I have to be quick.
The final review for Red, White & Royal Blue will get written tonight, but posted tomorrow instead of tonight so that there is some content for tomorrow.
I contemplated not putting in chapter 11 of Red, White & Royal Blue because it was all emails and there wasn’t much I felt like I could quote there. If I did that, though, I’d have the finish the book today rather than tomorrow because there would be an uneven amount of chapters and it would annoy me. In the end, I decided to leave in what I chose to quote and go from there. Regardless, the entire chapter being emails isn’t a bad thing, it is hard to format in a way that makes it clear.
If you’d like to follow along or fill in the gaps, you can get the book here.
If you would like to read previous posts or content on previous books, you can find them here.
By the way, in this relationship, I am absolutely the Han and you are absolutely the Leia. Don’t try to argue because you’ll be wrong.
Well this depends on who has the high ground!
I can’t match you for prose, but what I can do is write you a list.
What do I keep saying? Every hopeless romantic sap needs an equally hopeless romantic nerd who writes lists. Since when have I always said this? Since now.
For half a second, he allows a small part of him to think about how much easier things would be if this were the truth: sliding back into comfortable, easy harmony with his best friend, leaving greasy fingerprints along her waistline outside Jumbo Slice, laughing at her crass jokes. If he could love her like people wanted him to, and she loved him, and there wasn’t any more to it than that.
Everyone hits a point of an aspect to their lives that they wish was different because it would make life easier. For some that is who they love or how they love. For others, that could be career moves or living circumstances. Regardless of the reason, everyone is worth being happy and feeling fulfilled with the life that they live. If we can’t eat the rich, we should at least tax them.
The anxiety feels like buzzing little wings in his ear in the silence, like a petulant wasp. It catches him when he tries to sleep and startles him awake, follows him on laps paced up and down the floors of the Residence. It’s getting harder to brush off the feeling he’s being watched.
Anxiety is a petulant little wasp that will tell it’s hive that you deserve worse when you’re already stressed. Medication helps to dull the feeling, but it never goes away, not really. That wasp is always close by, waiting to sting you when you want it the least.
“Okay, fine, kid,” Luna finally snaps, “you want me to be your fucking sherpa? Here’s my advice: Don’t tell anyone. Go find a nice girl and marry her. You’re luckier than me – you can do that, and it wouldn’t even be a lie.” And what comes out of Alex’s mouth, comes so fast he has no chance to stop it, only divert it out of English at the last second in case it’s overheard: “Sería una mentira, porque no sería el.” It would be a lie because it wouldn’t be him.
There is no day and age where someone should have to hide who they love. Especially for the sensibilities of politics or religion. If you can respect what someone believes socially, theologically, spiritually, or any other way, you can respect who someone loves. The only exception is when it effectively causes harm to others. Let people love who they want to love and leave them the hell alone, it’s not your business.
“Alex, please. Please. Jesus Christ. You have to leave. I can’t know this. You can’t tell me this. You have to be more careful than this.”
Raf has a good point here and Alex has been unbelievably stupid. Alex’s mother pulled him off of the campaign trail because of the fear that his sexuality would come out. Now that Raf is aligning with the opposite side, he shouldn’t know that or he could use it. I also think there’s surveillance in his office given how aggressively cagey he is here.
“Fuck!” he says a third time, spiking the newspaper at the floor. That one was his. It feels obscene to see it there. “How the fuck did they get there?”
A consequence of being in the public eye is that others will always be trying to get this kind of information about you. It’s never okay, but it happens and it’s layered being being a ‘source’ for a supposed journalist. It’s okay to invade your privacy or hack into your private communications because of fame. I find that to be disgusting.
conclusion
I hate this turn of events for Alex and Henry. Reading it just reaffirms that I don’t want to be famous and I’m happy with my little corner of the internet. I don’t want people to invade my privacy like this and I question anyone whose goal is to be famous. I can understand wanting the attention, but those people generally don’t think about the consequences that that amount of attention gets. Unless you’re happy with living your life out in the open like that (which I don’t know of anyone who does), the ambition needs to be second guessed.
Obviously in the case of Red, White & Royal Blue, Alex and Henry don’t have a choice because of the circumstances of their birth and the ranks of their parents. No one deserves to be disrespected and demeaned like this. The next couple of chapters are going to be hard to read and see what happens after this leak.
If you’d like to follow along or fill in the gaps, you can get the book here.
There won’t be a new chapter review today or tomorrow. I need to take a couple days to myself.
A year ago, I met the most incredible man, someone I love more than anyone before or anyone who will come after him. He is and will stay the love of my life. Much like Alex from Red, White and & Royal Blue, I am hurting without the one I love. Unfortunately I don’t have the ability to hop on a plane and storm his castle. Instead, I am here in this house that was supposed to be ours, remembering the life that we were going to build here and remembering how happy it always made me, but also processing how sad it makes me now. I have to find a new normal and, though he is still in my life and I couldn’t imagine it any other way, it’s still difficult.
So here is my love letter to us.
You don’t like to show it, but you are an incredibly emotional person and I love how deeply you are able to feel and understand things. I, on the other hand, am a deeply emotional person who doesn’t have the ability to hide it. Together, we were electric. We were a cyclone of love and passion and laughter. You used to chase me around the house, knowing how ticklish I was, just to see me squirm and then kiss me while I’m coming out of a fit of giggles. I would wake up in the middle of the night to your snoring, cuddle into your side and feel your arm pull me in, even in your sleep. Unconsciously (or barely consciously), we were drawn together and I still think that we are, it just looks different. You love to laugh so much that you have to have comedy on TV as we are going to sleep and we found so many comedians together that we love. There was no part of our lives, as complex as they may have been, that was lacking in love. We had it in abundance. I still hold it for you in abundance.
You may never come home to me, but until you do, I will make sure your side of the bed is ready for you. I will make sure you have a clean pillowcase and a warm mattress. I’ll make sure I have a cup of hot milo for you, ready to help you wind down for the night. I will have open arms to hold you when you need it and to cuddle you while we sleep, ready to be your little jetpack. I will make sure that you can feel the love I have for you in every room, in every item of this house and I will make sure that you have a safe place to come home to. I will make sure that you can feel your emotions out in the open without feeling judged for them.
Well, I may or may not have cried. Red, White & Royal Blue is a fantastic book. I will absolutely recommend this to anyone who loves fiction, romance and politics. The way it is written just makes me want to sink into more pages and see how it ends. Makes me want a second book!
If you would like to read previous posts or the reviews on other books, you can find them here.
Suddenly, her phone is in her hand, and she’s standing, kicking her chair under the table. “Okay, I’m clearing my schedule for the afternoon,” she says. “I need, uh, time to prepare some materials. Are you free in an hour? We can reconvene here. I’ll order food. Bring, uh, your passport and any receipts and relevant documents you have, sugar.”
Ellen feels like a caricature of a human. Alex has just come out to her and her first instinct is to be a president and not a mother and that rubs me the wrong way. I don’t find her to be likable at all.
“Also,” she says. “I am so sorry to do this, sugar. But you’re off the campaign.” Alex snaps back into razor sharp reality, stomach plummeting. “Wait, no-“ “This is not up for debate, Alex,” she tells him, and she does look sorry, but he knows the set of her jaw too well. “I can’t risk this. You’re way too close to the sun. We’re telling the press that you’re focussing on other career options. I’ll have your desk cleaned out for you over the weekend.”
Alex being in a loving relationship with another man is too close to the sun? Seriously? Rank irregardless, this was unnecessary. She knew how much Alex loved being on the campaign trail and how good he actually was at it. Then at the first sign of him being more than one minority, she pulls him back? I understand that politics is rough and that that could legitimately be the end of her presidential term, BUT as a mother, your kids come before your job. I hated this interaction.
His dad laughs ruefully. “You know, in a lot of ways, your mom and me were a stupid idea. I think we both knew it wouldn’t be forever. We’re both too fucking proud. But God, that woman. Your mother is, without question, the love of my life. I’ll never love anyone else like that. It was wildfire. And I got you and June out of it, best things that ever happened to an old asshole like me. That kind of love is rare, even if it was a complete disaster.” He sucks his teeth, considering. “Sometimes you just jump and hope it’s not a cliff.”
It’s strange to know when you have met the love of your life. You know you’ve met them and that no one will ever feel the same or more, but for some people, you just have to move on and try to find something as close as you can get. I am not one of those people. I met mine and that’s where I’ll stay. Agreeing on this point though, it is rare, but goddamn is it an amazing feeling to love someone that much. I don’t regret a second.
He smiles as he reaches for a frying pan, because he know it’s exactly the kind of insane risk he can’t resist.
Tangled awakened many things in many people. The temptation of a frying pan. To the skull. God I need a good nap.
The sheets smell like Henry. He knows: One. Henry isn’t here. Two. Henry never said yes to any kind of future last night. Three. This could very well be the last time he gets to inhale Henry’s scent on anything.
The fear of something being so dear being the last time is an excruciating feeling. I guess all you can do is live in the moment, hope that it’s not the last and try to figure out what to do next.
“I’m saying,” Henry begins, and the knit of his brow is nervous but his mouth keeps speaking. “I’m terrified, and my whole life is completely mad, but trying to give you up this week nearly killed me. And when I woke up this morning and looked at you… there’s no trying to get by for me anymore. I don’t know if I’ll ever be allowed to tell the world, but I… I want to. One day. If there’s any legacy for me on this bloody earth, I want it to be true. So I can offer you all of me, in whatever way you’ll have me, and I can offer you a chance of a life. If you can wait, I want you to help me try.”
This is the part that made me cry. The loss, the acknowledgement of how he feels and then deciding to fight for Alex despite his life being stacked up against him.
“Diaz, you insane, hopeless romantic little shit,” says the voice of the President of the United States, muffled in the bed. “It had better be forever. Be safe.”
Even if it’s just a voicemail, this is the most motherly I have seen Ellen be toward her children thus far and I hope we get to see more of it because Alex and Henry deserve her support.
At cruising altitude, he takes the chain off his neck and slides the ring on next to the old house key. They clink together gently as he tucks them both under his shirt, two homes side by side.
Well this was adorable and also made me cry. Dammit, Casey, why are you turning me into a blubbering mess?!
conclusion
These two chapters were less about politics and more about the turmoil that Alex and Henry have to face and will continue to have to face. I absolutely loved seeing Henry decide to fight for Alex, knowing full well that it would be a long and difficult battle. Red, White & Royal Blue does a wonderful job of balancing the realities of politics and romance, but I would love to see more of Ellen choosing to be a mother over choosing to be the President even while in private and towards her children. I can absolutely see what June meant when she told Alex that Ellen was a good mother to him and alluded to her not being a good mother to her. I want to see more interactions between both women too.
If you’d like to fill in the gaps and cry too, you can get the book here.
When I tell you that these two chapters were huge, I mean that they were the last remaining Mammoth in the world. Brandon Sanderson is bigger than a Mammoth, the analogy still works. That man scares me. Anyway! There’s more witty repartee which I love and there’s more politics. I’m surprised that there hasn’t been more of considering that the character that Red, White & Royal Blue follows is the First Son of the US. Even more so given that Casey is American and politics that affect them have been at the forefront. I’m not saying that all books like this have to reflect the social climate in which their author exists. It is significantly more likely than not, however. Write about what you know and all.
If you’d like to read the book and fill in the gaps, you can get the book here.
If you’d like to read any of the previous posts or books reviewed, you can read those here.
It’s weird that the thing with Henry could make him understand this huge part of himself, but it does.
Sexuality and attraction are massive parts of a person, so this is unsurprising. Especially when this was such a sudden development for him and it caused him to freak out and recover so quickly. As the relationship with Henry continues and develops, Alex is going to understand parts of himself that he didn’t know existed because of the Butterfly Effect of all of this.
“I’m not… historically great at talking about things,” Henry says. “Well, I wasn’t historically great at blowjobs, but we all gotta learn and grow, sweetheart.”
This exchange made me close my book and laugh for a minute. I think I startled my dog. Practice makes perfect though, in blowjobs and in talking!
“Mum hasn’t been involved much since Dad died,” Henry says on an exhale, then stops short. “Sorry. That’s not fair. It’s… the grief has been total for her. It was paralyzing. It is paralyzing. She was such a spitfire. I dunno. She still listens, and she tries, and she wants us to be happy. But I don’t know if she has it in her anymore to be a part of anyone’s happiness.”
This is where I stopped yesterday because it hit me like a tonne of bricks. I wish I didn’t know how this feels, but I really, really do. It’s hard to be around and encourage someone else’s happiness when it feels like yours is gone and can’t come back. Not when the absence of someone that you love was interwoven all around it.
“Hi, Pez,” Alex says, grinning back. “Where are y’all?” “We are out for a drive, taking in the scenery of Carmarthenshire,” Pez tells him. He tilts the phone over toward the driver’s seat. “Say good morning to your strumpet, Henry.” “Good morning, strumpet,” Henry says, glancing away from the road to wink back at the camera.
Look up the word ‘strumpet’. This is so much funnier now that I know what that means.
He turns to June and slurs, “Bisexuality is truly a rich and complex tapestry,” and she screams with laughter and shoves a napkin in his mouth.
Amen to that, Alex!
He watches Henry lather up and shave, put pomade in his hair, put on his Burberry for the day, and he catches himself wishing he could watch it every day.
There’s a certain blonde tradie that I would love to see get ready for the day for the rest of my life. So I can absolutely understand this feeling.
“Why don’t we talk about how there’s a chapter of the Klan in every state? You think there aren’t racists and homophobes growing up in Vermont? Man, I appreciate that you’re doing the work here, but you’re not special. You don’t get to sit up here and pretend like it’s someone else’s problem. None of us do.”
Alex comes off as an asshole here, but he makes a good point. There will always be people with bias and prejudice and hate in every zip code. Regardless of whether or not they are open about it or whether or not you know about it. Just because you don’t see it, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen. If you want to see change, you have to actually DO something about it. Protect the ones you see are getting hurt if you are in a position of privilege. Call out your friends. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s necessary.
“Right,” Phillip says. “You know I don’t judge. I just think, you know, remember when we were younger and you’d spend time with my mates from uni? Or Lady Agatha’s son, the one that’s always quail hunting? You could consider more mates of… similar standing.”
Says he doesn’t judge… Proceeds to judge
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” Alex groans. The thing is, he does, and Henry knows this too.
From experience, if someone says that they don’t want to talk about something, they almost always do, but might just need to take some time to process the situation.
Conclusion
These two chapters were massive and it was hard to find points to include that were somewhat short and I didn’t have to type up a whole page for. It’s absolutely worth reading for yourself because there were some really interesting points (and a few moments of light smut if you’re into that) that were enjoyable to read. The politics came in some more which was great to see, though I do hope that there is more of it. I’m not usually one for politics, but Red, White & Royal Blue does revolve around a presidential debate, so it’s kind of necessary.
If you’d like to read the book and fill in the gaps, you can get the book here.
These two chapters had a lot of growth for Alex and Henry and it was really entertaining to read. I’ve got some of my typical, witty comments, but also some more serious notes. I think that Red, White & Royal Blue is super topical and relevant and is a really good piece of popular media in today’s social climate.
If you’d like to read any of my previous posts, you can find them here.
They’re rounding the corner for their eighth lap now, and he’s starting to see some flaws in his logic. Straight people, he thinks, probably don’t spend so much time convincing themselves they’re straight.
Exactly! I mean, he’s going to spiral anyway because most people do when this kind of thing happens to them, but yeah. If you’re trying to convince yourself of something that is core and fundamental, it’s probably not true for you. Also, at this point, Alex is questioning whether or not he’s gay and knowing that he still likes women. It seems to be trying to pull attention to bisexuality by first showing that it’s not default thought option which is an effect of bi erasure. Which is absolutely a thing. It is absolutely okay to like both sides of the fence and all the little split offs in between. Or none of them. We love everyone of all genders and orientations here!
Alex very professionally does not punch him. He just gets to work.
This is in reference to a staffer that he’s working with. Regardless, everyone has one (or more) very punchable colleagues.
Tonight, she’s sitting on her living room floor in a glowing circle of screens like some kind of Capitol Hill séance
Are the reasonable and respectable laws in the room with us? No? Dammit.
Henry enters stage right. His suit is black, smooth, elegant. Perfect. Alex wants to rip it off.
And do what? I can see where you’re going in your head, Alex!
They reach the doors, and Amy is there. She hesitates, hand on the know. “You’re not going to kill him are you?” she says. “Probably not,” Alex tells her.
The chances are never zero! No, he probably just wants to put his hand on HRH Prince Henry’s knob. See what I did there?
Henry, the prince. Henry, the boy in the garden. Henry, the boy in his bed.
Alex, the First Son of the United Overthinkers
“You were jealous,” Alex says. “You want me.”
What is it about this line and attitude that is just so incredibly sexy? Like, this is just pointing out facts and being smug about it which shouldn’t be sexy, but absolutely is.
“I don’t suppose you’ll be anywhere near Kensington anytime soon?” “That shithole?” he says with a wink. “Not if I can help it.” “Oi,” Henry says. He’s grinning now. “That’s disrespect of the crown, that is. Insubordination. I’ve thrown men in the dungeons for less.” Alex turns, walking backward toward the car, hands in the air. “Hey, don’t threaten me with a good time.”
Alex went from spiralling out of control, forgetting that bisexuality exists, impulsively showing Henry that he wants him too and into acceptance in 2 chapters. The timeline shows it’s been a couple of weeks, but damn that was fast for a reader! It does work for the story though, I don’t have any pacing issues with this one so far.
Conclusion
There was a heavy amount of character development in this block of chapters from Red, White & Royal Blue. Because there was also a decent amount of sexual exploration, there weren’t as many quotes that I could pull from it, but it absolutely was a very engaging part of the book and I do think that Casey did a fantastic job of writing it. There can be a big challenge with writing books from a perspective that you don’t align with and making it engaging for the audience that you are targeting. While Casey themselves are queer and non-binary and also not the First Son of the US or a Prince, this relationship development does seem realistic and genuine. I find both parties to be likable, though Henry could do with some more fleshing out which I know will happen as I read more.
Outside of daily life getting in the way of finishing Red, White & Royal Blue in it’s entirety in one day, I have really enjoyed what I have read. I think that that is the mark of a gifted storyteller. Maybe that’s bias or maybe that’s just a fantastic book. You read it and tell me which you think it is!
And if you want to read any of my previous books or posts, you can do so here!
“Fuck you doing here, kid?” he says, watching him like a cat.
It’s always weird to think of politicians as people and that they may have their own mannerisms especially like here. They always seem so foreign. That might be because every politician I know of is so grossly out of touch with reality.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice you changing the subject. For the record, I won the office pool on how long it’d take you to cause an international incident.”
This book should be re-classified as fantasy based on how human politicians feel.
“Come on. I’m trying to give you some advice, from one old man to a much younger version of himself.” “You’re thirty-nine” “My liver is ninety-three”
If I’m 31, I have a child (which as we all know, ages you at LEAST 10 years), my back and knees hurt all the time and I’m constantly in and out of hospital. My estimation is that my body is around 78.
“Don’t act like this isn’t a part of your extra-long game of abusing your position to murder Woody Allen and make it look like an accident.” Alex says. “He’s just so frail; it’d only take one good push-“ “How many times do I have to tell y’all not to discuss your murder plots in front of a sitting president?” their mother interrupts. “Plausible deniability. Come on.”
Yeah, this would be me as a president. Encourage sarcasm and joviality which this absolutely is. There is no way that this is a reprimand in any way, shape or form. This is 2 siblings poking at each other and their mum joining in for a second.
“I, um…” June rips a piece of crust off her pizza. “Don’t remember ever saying I wanted to do anything like that. That’s, uh, kind of a big assumption to make, Mom. And you realize if I go into campaign communications now, I’m basically shutting down my chances of ever being a journalist, because, like, journalistic neutrality and everything. I can barely get anyone to let me write a column as it is.”
Journalistic neutrality doesn’t exist, it’s a pretence. Everyone falls on one side of the fence or the other. It just depends on intensity and how much of it comes out in the media. And who pays them. It absolutely is a big assumption to her mother to make too. You can’t just make big choices for your kids like that and just expect them to fall in line. Not everyone wants to work on a presidential campaign for their parent.
He stares at the screen, at his own message, for a few seconds too long, suddenly afraid it was a stupid thing to say. He shakes his head, puts the phone down. Locks it. Changes his mind, picks it up again. Unlocks it. Sees the little typing bubble on Henry’s side of the conversation. Puts the phone down. Looks away. Looks back.
Well this is painfully accurate! Casey, I didn’t think you’d be calling me out like this using Alex as a proxy!
“I’m really going to have you offed,” Henry tells him. “You’ll never see it coming. Our assassins are trained in discretion. They will come in the night, and it will look like a humiliating accident.” “Autoerotic asphyxiation?” “Toilet heart attack.” “Jesus.” “You’ve been warned.” “I thought you’d kill me in a more personal way. Silk pillow over my face, slow and gentle suffocation. Just you and me. Sensual.”
There is so many talks of death for a modern romance novel! I do love the chemistry that Alex and Henry have fallen into and developed. It feels really natural despite their circumstances being decidedly UN-natural.
Oscar does laugh, then, enjoying his brazenness. He is an adrenaline junkie – mountain climbing, cave diving, pissing off Alex’s mother. Flirting with death, basically.
To be once married, divorced and to share kids with a woman like Ellen is portrayed, I think you’d have to be a unique kind of human. Nothing wrong with Ellen and the way that she is. She would be very intimidating to a lot of people, myself included.
Alex shrugs. “I think she’s a good mom.” “Yeah, to you,” June says.
I sat with this one for a minute because I wanted to talk on it, but didn’t really know what to say. As a parent, role model and a mother figure, it can be hard to express love for every child equally. It’s just not realistic and it changes over time. That doesn’t mean that favouritism is okay. I am just trying to say that treating each child exactly the same both isn’t going to work for them and also just isn’t possible.
The way that Ellen is a mum to Alex works for him, but doesn’t work for June. Either June hasn’t been able to say that or Ellen isn’t able to recognise it. No party is in the wrong here because I don’t think communication on the topic has been done to one another which is bound to cause hurt on both sides. I hope that they are able to talk to each other more about it as the story progresses.
A muscle in Henry’s jaw moves, and something soft, almost like a smile, tugs at his lips. “D’you ever wonder,” he says slowly, “what it’s like to be some anonymous person out in the world?”
I’d be entirely shocked if neither had imagined that. The difference being that Alex does know what it’s like to be a regular person even if that was some time ago now. When you are being smothered with people you don’t even know being able to make choices on how you live, you’d be crazy not to imagine what that would be like. It’s a big reason why I don’t want to be famous. I’ll take my little slice of the internet and my little community and be happy with that.
Conclusion
I really like both the development of Alex, Henry and June, but also the serious moments sprinkled in with the hilarity. To expect a book like this to only be comedy is delusional and I really enjoy the serious moments of books, especially when they make you think. We see a little more of the relationship between Ellen and her children too which I hope we see more of particularly in the way of June. There’s more to that than I’ve seen so far and I think it’s worth exploring in the following chapters of Red, White & Royal Blue
Bookish Mumma 