Red, White & Royal Blue

I have to admit curiosity lead me to read this book. I saw it on the NY Times best seller list last year, which isn't common for a romance. Then, after seeing it stay there for a while, I read the description.Son of the US President falls for the Prince of England. Say what???So, initially, I thought, not for me. Not my thing. But, I kept seeing the title and became intrigued. Who wrote it? A man? A woman? I looked up the author who prefers the pronoun they, so my question went unanswered. But, did it matter? As an author myself, I've written from the male and female points of view (though I admit writing from the guy's perspective is harder for me.)Then, I wondered, how different is a guy-on-guy romance from a guy-on-gal romance? I know from seeing my gay friends, that the guys relate way differently from how my husband and I do. There's a roughness they have that I don't share with my spouse. I even remember asking who does what in the relationship. I mean, we don't strictly follow a normal gender roles, but I do the dishes. My husband handles the care maintenance. I asked my gay friend how they divided the labor and he said, “Whoever is better at something handles that task.”So, then, like most books, you need to do a little research about experiences you haven't lived in order to write the book. How did the female-looking author ([a:Casey McQuiston 17949486 Casey McQuiston https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1608160367p2/17949486.jpg]) research the intimate scenes? As a woman, I wouldn't have a clue how guys approach one another, get intimate, and even kiss. And then was the rest of the setting as well. I don't think the author ever lived in the White House or Kensington Palace.Well, it's all there in black and white if you want to know. I think from what I know, the author captured it well—and not just the sex. There's the politics, the royal protocol, and even the ins and outs of “The Residence” aka The White House living quarters. I'll say I learned a lot, again not just about sex. I found it unputdownable, always a positive quality in any book I read. If you're curious, like I was, give it a read.