Some of you may remember me gushing about The Royal We in one of my earliest posts on the blog, so you can imagine how excited I was to find out that authors Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan were writing its sequel, The Heir Affair!
This minute I found out it was publishing, I began chasing down ARCs like kids after an ice cream truck. None made their way to me, though, so I was forced to wait until the ebook was available at my local library.
I have to say — The Heir Affair was worth the wait, in more ways than one!
Although the two books were written about five years apart, The Heir Affair picks up shortly after where the The Royal We ends. So, you DO need to have read Book #1 to “get” Book #2. Which is fine since, again, The Royal We is fantastic.
So, for those of you who haven’t read The Royal We — go do that, then come back here to read my book review of The Heir Affair. Off with you! Shoo!
And be warned that what comes next contains spoilers for The Royal We.
NOTE: THE REST OF THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS ABOUT THE ROYAL WE (but not about THE HEIR AFFAIR).
Now, for those of you who are waiting to dive into The Heir Affair: let’s go!
The Heir Affair picks up just a few weeks after Nick and Bex’s disaster of a wedding. After the couple does a brief walkabout, we see how the newlyweds sort out their royal lives in the aftermath of Nick (and, well, the entire world) finding out that Freddie and Bex had a little bit of a “thing.”
While The Heir Affair is “chick lit” in its truest form, emotions and tensions run high in the book, spanning the gamut of the usual newlywed problems, royals or not: dealing with your in-laws; traumatic family health issues; infertility and family planning; and maintaining some kind of work-life balance with your spouse. Oh, and, y’know… that pesky little thing of your husband trying to get over the fact that his brother asked you to run away with him because he thinks you’re soulmates.
GULP.
Yep. Although Nick (shockingly, miraculously, magnanimously) forgives Bex right before their nuptials for her and Freddie’s indiscretion, that landmine is nowhere near disabled when you begin The Heir Affair, and working through that issue — and its rippling repercussions for everyone in Nick and Bex’s world — moves most of the plot points along.
Although The Heir Affair tackles some tough topics, it’s still a fun, enjoyable romp of an escape read, much like The Royal We. I loved learning about what happens next in the lives of Nick and Bex, Freddie and Lacey, the frosty Queen Eleanor, and all their friends. I also enjoyed the family mystery surrounding a new character — Nick’s Great-Aunt Georgina. Holy royal drama!!! I’m hoping that Cocks and Morgan put out book #3 at some point because I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of Nick and Bex.
And, of course, royal fiction lovers will have their absolute fill of all things royal: the pageantry, the social climbing, the parties, the travel, the outfits, the castle… Even though we all know being a princess (okay, Dutchess) is no easy feat, there are enough parts in The Heir Affair to make you wish you could experience being a royal for a day.
Or maybe a week.
A month at most, tops.
Are you a royal fiction fan? If so, I’d love to hear some of your recommendations for new reads!
