American King (New Camelot Trilogy #3) by Sierra Simone

American King (Sierra Simone)

SUMMARY

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.

MY REVIEW

“Being a secret child of a world leader? Winning a war? Having a child with your sister? The love between you, Embry and Greer?

All of that seems common and unremarkable to you?”

The book tells us the fairytale of the extraordinary life of three extraordinary people:
• A powerful but humble King
• A graceful but naughty Queen
• A faithful but backstabber Knight

Thankfully, the King is also understanding and he is ready to forgive. And he is also so honorable that he is ready to step down from his throne in order to save the people that he loves the most in the world:

I have to trust -so much trust- that this sacrifice has meaning. That on a wicked day, when I fall to my knees, I will fall knowing that the world has shifted that much closer to peace and goodness. I will fall knowing the people I love are safe.

He will be ready to thank everybody and then disappear in the shadows of the earliest American history:

“Thank you for having me as your President. It’s been the greatest honor I can imagine.”

If I were a chain smoker, I would have probably smoked 454 cigarettes (as many as the book’s pages) before the end of the book.
The book has sexual tension and angst.

When you read it actually you may choose what parts exactly from the book stand out the most. The sex parts or the story parts.

Yes, there are numerous sex scenes in the book. Some readers may even think that it is one long sex scene with a few intervals that include an actual story. Greer, Emery and Maxen have so many scorching hot moments in every possible combination. You may just want to read those and forget the rest of the book. I believe it is understandable.

Yes, there is a complicated and mind-blowing story in the book. The author in fact tried to give her own interpretation to the story of Camelot. And (why not really?) correct the things that she did not like in the myth of Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot. I mean
...why should Arthur be betrayed by the two people that he loved the most?
...why should all of them end up broken and lonely?
…why can’t the three of them be in love?
…why can’t the three of them have a happy ending?

To be honest, when I read the ending of the book, I thought that the author was not brave enough. That she just wanted to make everyone happy and satisfied. And that this was not the end that she really wanted. Maybe she wanted a more tragic ending. After I read the AFTERWORD, I realized that this was her attempt to correct things. And I totally support this!

So, what I read was a balanced story. Each of Greer, Emery and Maxen has equal time in the story. I suppose the problem with most MMF romances is that they emphasize more the MM bond or the MF bond and one of the triad is usually neglected. I did not feel it in this story. The male characters and the female character were strong links of their common chain.
Moreover, although the sex scenes take a large part of the book, they mostly complement the story and emphasize the power exchange between the three characters. They are acts of devotion, love and internal need which require gratification.

I am overall very happy with this trilogy. I HIGHLY recommended it, if you are a fan of MMF romance. If on the other hand you have never read MM or MMF before, I believe this is the right trilogy for you to experiment and maybe leave your comfort zone for a while.