Review: American Queen by Sierra Simone

By -
Ever since we fell head-over-heels in love with Priest by Sierra Simone, I've been waiting for her next book, hoping that it would knock my socks off just as thoroughly. Well, I've been slacking a bit this year in following authors, and their coming releases, closely. In other words, I haven't been author stalking like I should be. So it was nearly release day when I learned that Ms. Simone was shortly releasing a new book. I ran to Goodreads to check the book summary and proceeded to wait impatiently for the book to hit my Nook app. 

 Fortunately I had a quiet weekend with the house all to myself, so when I got my hot little hands on American Queen I was able to dive in and wallow in it, finishing it in about a day, barely surfacing for food and sleep. It was glorious.

 Come with me through the jump and I'll tell about American Queen, why I am awed by it, and why I will be stalking Sierra Simone much better from now on. I'll try to keep my spoilers to a minimum. 


Sierra Simone is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance authors. She pushes the limits and makes you think, building relationships that aren't traditional, that might be uncomfortable, but always show stunning depths of emotion and connection. You can probably tell from the book summary that the central relationship is going to develop into a love triangle, but the configuration of the three points ends up being utterly unexpected and riveting. It's not your typical heroine-can't-decide-who-she-loves situation. It's so much more complex and surprising, which seems to be where Sierra Simone excels. 

 I loved the way she revealed the layers of the central relationship, making what could have been an eye-rolling insta-love into something so much deeper. Here's the point at which I don't want to give too much away, but I thought the choice to show moments in time from the present and two points in the past was perfect, giving readers just enough information to keep us guessing, wondering, and always turning pages. I need to reread the book understanding where it ends up, because I love seeing those clues scattered throughout that I always miss the first time. 

 I also adored the Arthurian touches that gave this already wonderful book another added dimension. My knowledge of Arthurian legend is limited, I admit, but I loved seeing all of the classic characters and plots I know in a modern story. In fact, it makes me want to delve deeper into tales of Camelot, intrigued to know if these same affairs show up in the old legends. At any rate, the brilliant touch gave an already wonderful story an added literary flair that sets it apart from your typical contemporary romance. 
But make no mistake: this book is also classic Sierra Simone with impeccable smut. It definitely has a certain kink that won't be everyone's cup of tea, but the story will keep you turning pages into the wee hours of the morning. Filthy, filthy smut, woven into a love story that left me speechless by the end. 

 I was riveted by American Queen, finishing it in less than a day, only to find out at the end that it's the first in a trilogy. American Prince is scheduled to release in March of 2017, and American King in August. Thank goodness they are each just a few months apart, because I'm not sure I'd make it with a year or more between each book. Until then, I'll be stalking Ms. Simone so that I never miss a release. 

 Wench Rating:

Comments

Post a Comment

You Might Want to Read...

Black Dagger Brotherhood: Scenes That Left us Begging for More

By -
Image
Created by Olga Daniels What better way to prepare for the impending release of the next Black Dagger Brotherhood novel, Lover at Last by J. R. Ward, than to relive some of our favourite scenes in the previous books?! Some of these scenes were selected by multiple Wenches, others are just personal favourites. One is. Clearly. The. Wench. Favourite. It won't be hard to tell which one! After the jump, see which scenes made us ooh, ahh, and pant for more.
Keep reading »

A Tribute to The Fiery Cross

By -
Image
Or How I Learned to Stop, Smell the Pig Shite, and Fall in Love with the Fifth Book in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander Series A young White Sow dreams of all the food she’ll be eating to grow into her role in this book As the wait for the new Outlander book and television series drags on (and oooooonnnnnnnnaaaarrrggghhh), many fans have been rereading the first seven books in the series. Fascinating online discussions abound as to the motivations of the characters, the nuances of meaning within various scenes, and future possibilities and foreshadowing. Amongst enthusiastic effusions about all things even remotely associated with our beloved series, I’ve seen one recurring subject of complaint. People like to pick on The Fiery Cross . “It’s too slow.” “It doesn’t have enough action.” “Where’s the mystery?” So during my recent reread, I set out to take a few notes about memorable moments. But I gave that up early on. There were far too many. Because the book was like a beautifu...
Keep reading »

When The Music's Over

By -
Image
A SUPER Spoilery Discussion of Feversong by Karen Marie Moning by: Zee the Terrible and Barbara Bones By Olga. It's now been two weeks since we got our hot little hands on Feversong , the final book in the Mac & Barrons part of Karen Marie Moning's Fever series. It's almost all we can talk about in the Saucy Wenches hallways (which is really online, but you get the drift) and we have lots of thoughts and opinions so we aren't putting off our Super Spoilery Recap Extravaganza any longer!  Zee told you about how much she loved it in her Wench review, here , and it will surprise exactly no one that Barb did, too. Loved it to pieces. Thought it was pretty much perfect, exactly the kind of conclusion KMM has been promising us since she gave us Iced , leaving everyone precisely where they need to be. That said, we have lots and lots and LOTS of thoughts. So come with us through the jump where we're dishing all the dirt, in filthy, spoilery detail. We menti...
Keep reading »

Dani Mega O'Malley: Superstar

By -
Image
Giddy with anticipation for the release of Karen Marie Moning's Iced , a lot of the Wenches have been thinking about Dani "Mega" O'Malley, the young sidhe -seer we first met in Bloodfever , who is poised to step out of the shadows behind Mac and Rowena and take center stage. Though Moning has recently said the three books she is writing for Dani will continue the story we've been following in the Fever books, the POV will shift to reveal the next chapters through Dani's eyes. With our heads firmly buried in Shadowfever in a frenzied effort to finish our rereads before the new release, we Wenches have been wondering what's in store for Dani. But no one has wanted to stop reading long enough to write a proper tribute to our young heroine as she prepares to take the leap to leading lady. Though we all think she's pretty awesome and deserves a big ticker-tape parade to show our support. So a sneaky Wench tried the stealth approach and asked us...
Keep reading »

Review: Annihilation (Book and Movie)

By -
Image
When I read Annihilation last fall, I was intrigued, repulsed, mystified, enchanted, horrified, compelled, absorbed, and ultimately so unable to articulate what had happened that I didn’t attempt a review. But it has never stopped growing on me, new insights twining around in my brain. It’s insidious. Then the movie happened. I. Had. To. Go. I didn’t think anyone could film the book, and I was on Cloud 9 when I saw the abundance of rave critical reviews. It got compared to Apocalypse Now and 2001: A Space Odyssey ! It got called “stunning” and the “Best Sci-Fi Film in Years” that “ranks among great philosophical sci-fi”! And though there were many differences from the book, it sounded almost as batshitcrazybrilliant as the book!! Which means there are now two equally haunting versions of this story for me to wonder WTF happened. I might not have all the answers, but I’ve certainly enjoyed replaying scenes in my mind and pondering the possibilities. And I suspect that’s...
Keep reading »