After enjoying The Royal We back in 2015 (reviewed here), I was eager to check out the sequel this year. Keep in mind that the synopsis contains spoilers for The Royal We. So if you want to skip over it and just see my review, you'll then be guaranteed a spoiler-free experience.
After a scandalous secret turns their fairy-tale wedding into a nightmare, Rebecca "Bex" Porter and her husband Prince Nicholas are in self-imposed exile. The public is angry. The Queen is even angrier. And the press is salivating. Cutting themselves off from friends and family, and escaping the world's judgmental eyes, feels like the best way to protect their fragile, all-consuming romance.
But when a crisis forces the new Duke and Duchess back to London, the Band-Aid they'd placed over their problems starts to peel at the edges. Now, as old family secrets and new ones threaten to derail her new royal life, Bex has to face the emotional wreckage she and Nick left behind: with the Queen, with the world, and with Nick's brother Freddie, whose sins may not be so easily forgotten -- nor forgiven. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)
I enjoyed The Heir Affair more than The Royal We overall. It picks up where everything left off, but then allows readers to experience life inside the castle. Fair warning, it is really long. It took me over two weeks to read. However, it was interesting throughout and had some surprises and game changers. While the authors explained what happened in the previous novel, it's still a good idea to read that one first, just to get to know the characters and how they fit into the story. And although it started off a bit slow, it soon took off with lots of drama, balanced out by some funny moments and lines that made me laugh out loud. I liked that Bex was a Cubs fan, as I am one too, even though I don't live in Chicago anymore either. I also liked her relationship with Eleanor, as more of Eleanor's layers got pulled away.
Given my only issue with this novel was the length, I wish that the material had been spread across two books, making it a three-part series. However, the length didn't deter from my overall enjoyment. I am not into the British royal family in real life, but that is not a requirement for liking this novel, or its predecessor.
thanks, Melissa!
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