Love, Katharine McGee | Q&A with the Author of A Queen's Game

Dear reader,

It’s cute to meet you! Welcome to Love, Underlined, your new online community for romance readers. Each month we invite one of our romance authors to answer a romance-themed Q&A. This month, Katharine McGee, author of the American Royals series and A Queen’s Game, shares her favorite romance tropes, her book crushes, and more! Read on for the full Katharine McGee Q&A.

Love,

Underlined

What was the first romance novel you read?

That’s a hard question because it feels like I’ve been reading romance forever! Probably the L. M. Montgomery books. My constant need to write love triangles probably stems from the many, many entanglements of Emily of New Moon.

What romance are you currently reading?

I’m reading a wonderful adult romance called One-Star Romance by Laura Hankin. (Don’t let the title fool you, it’s so much fun!) On the YA side, I always recommend Anna K by Jenny Lee. If you enjoyed my books, you’ll love her modern take on Anna Karenina.

What are your favorite tropes?

Fake dating is probably my go-to, but I also love “there’s only one bed.”

Who’s your book crush?

Jamie Fraser from the Outlander books, or maybe Cedric Diggory (as played by Robert Pattinson).

What inspires your writing?

A Queen’s Game is the story of a true historical love triangle—or more accurately, I should call it a love tangle, since all three narrators were linked at various times to Prince Eddy. The moment I read about these relationships, I knew I had to write them as a romance novel. The love lives of these young women really did shape the course of history!

What’s your favorite part of writing romance?

I always love writing a meet-cute, especially between two characters who are initially resentful of each other (like Hélène and Eddy in A Queen’s Game or Daphne and Ethan in American Royals). Dialogue and banter is the hardest part but also, somehow, the most fun.

Share with us an out of context quote from your book!

“Do you remember your last night in Russia, at the Winter Palace?” he asked. “I thought for a moment that we almost kissed, but I wasn’t sure . . .”

Wasn’t sure if he’d meant to? If he ought to?

“Wasn’t sure if you wanted me to.”

Her reply was as quiet as his. “I did want you to. Very much.”

**Describe A Queen’s Game in three emojis.**

Sorry this is four!

Read A Queen’s Game by Katharine McGee

A Queen's Game

By Katharine McGee

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The author of the American Royals series invites you to visit 19th-century Europe amid the glamour and intrigue of the Victorian era. In this historical romance inspired by true events, three princesses struggle to find love—and end up vying for the hearts of two future kings.

A WOMAN’S WORLD BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

In the last glittering decade of European empires, courts, and kings, three young women are on a collision course with history—and with each other.

Alix of Hesse is Queen Victoria’s favorite granddaughter, so she can expect to end up with a prince . . . except that the prince she’s falling for is not the one she’s supposed to marry.

Hélène d’Orléans, daughter of the exiled King of France, doesn’t mind being a former princess; it gives her more opportunity to break the rules. Like running around with the handsome, charming, and very much off-limits heir to the British throne, Prince Eddy.

Then there’s May of Teck. After spending her entire life on the fringes of the royal world, May is determined to marry a prince—and not just any prince, but the future king.

In a story that sweeps from the glittering ballrooms of Saint Petersburg to the wilds of Scotland, A Queen’s Game recounts a pivotal moment in real history as only Katharine McGee can tell it: through the eyes of the young women whose lives, and loves, changed it forever.