THE HEIR AFFAIR by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

I read The Royal We just recently, and as long as the book was, I could not get enough of Bex and the entire cast of characters. Each brought a unique part of the story that made the book such a delight to read. It was a guilty pleasure every time I read and picked up the book. Getting lost in Bex's world was so exciting. I am so glad I am not part of the many that had to wait five long years for the sequel. My advice is to read The Royal We first before picking up The Heir Affair as it truly sets up the beginnings of how Bex and Nick met and the development of the characters.

The Heir Affair was a fun read and started exactly where the story left off from The Royal We as if no time had passed. Right away Bex, Nick, Freddie, Bea, Calla , Gaz and The Queen's stories scooped me back in to their lives - the majestic, the mundane and the ugly of all this which makes it all the worth while in the end.

The big question here is whether another five years would pass for another sequel? This is a fantastic series that I highly recommend to get lost in.

I also had the opportunity to listen to both of these books in audio as well and the narration was amazing. The characters and the story was really brought to life and made it an exciting read for me.

Although The Heir Affair was not what I expected it to be, I still enjoyed it. I originally thought that the sequel to The Royal We was going to be about Freddie since The Royal We ended from the perspective of Freddie. However, The Heir Affair dives back into the lives of Bex and Nick post-nuptials, and takes us on the crazy journey of royal life. It is filled with paparazzi, glamor, and gems with underlying notes of derision, deceit, and heartbreak. You simply can't help but feel like you are living this live with the characters. Cocks and Morgan have written another page turner, that will be sure to keep people guessing about what will happen next and will Bex and Nick survive the pressures of royalty.

I have ever so slightly mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I loved it. I loved coming back into this world of realistic-but-fictional royals, and I love all of the characters. I immediately put it on my “Best of 2020” list. On the other hand… the book feels a bit long, especially for the first third or so.

This is also not a particularly happy book. There is one scene involving baseball that is amazing and will make you cheer, but so much of the rest of the book has a certain resolve, embracing and enduring sadness for the sake of the crown.

I know, I know, if it was sad and long, then why did I like it? This book is very well crafted, and it is very absorbing. I am also one of those people who loves royal gossip and all the talk of how “The Firm” operates, and the authors are very clearly basing a lot of that machinery on real life. Besides, don’t you need a bit of a break from reality to go spelunking in 2016-2018 era royal gossip? That’s what this book is like.

Wow, this book had a lot going on. I really liked the first half of the book and thought it was easily going to be five stars. I felt for poor Bex and loved the quirky characters. Then the second half of the book happened, and it was so many dramatic plot lines at once, many of which I just didn't like. It was honestly a bit exhausting to read. It was interesting enough for me to keep going, but it was all just too much.

Ugh I wanted to like this book since I read the first but it’s just sooooo long. So much detail that it becomes a bore.

Did not finish. I loved the first book, but found myself not really interested in the characters in this one. I think the first one could have been fine if it was left as a standalone.

3.0/5.0
Being that I read The Royal We when it first hit the shelves, I was surprised at how easily I dove back into the world of Bex and Nick. I'll start by saying The Royal We was a 5 star read for me, hands down. I was happy to reconnect with this world and characters. i enjoy the writing style and that each character is written so well that there is no "mushing together" of events/scenes and each character has their own unique strengths and weaknesses. This book got 1 star because I knew I'd finish it, this book got 2 stars because I wanted to keep reading and star 3 was awarded for the likable character, interesting storyline and the way that miscarriage/infertility was portrayed in this book. Without providing any spoilers, consider that a big ole' content warning. As someone who has struggled with loss- I resonated with these events and in my opinion, it was done well.

What fell short?
Y'ALL ARE REALLY GOING TO DO FREDDIE LIKE THAT? Like I said earlier, spoiler-free but I did not agree with, like, or enjoy any aspect of Freddie's storyline in this book. He is one of my favorite characters and this is not what I wanted/envisioned for him.
Additionally, the pacing felt a bit off for me- I felt like we needed less of what we were given upfront and more of what were denied towards the end.

Recommendation: I am recommending this book only because I want you to read The Royal We.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

The royals are back! The Heir Affair is the sequel to the fun romp, A Royal We. I enjoyed following the two royals who have married and run away after a disaster at their public wedding in the first book. This novel was fun and brilliant with such humor. I always enjoy the comparisons to what is currently going on in the royal family as well.

Quick, light, and utterly royal.

Highly recommend for any fans of royalty.

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. 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. review: The Royal We was such a hit that I’m always a little suspect of sequels, especially when it comes five years after the first book. The authors totally nailed it with this follow up book though! They brought us a totally new perspective of Bex and Nick’s relationship and there was certainly no shortage of Royal drama! I really enjoyed reading more about the characters and loved how well they were developed in this book. It felt like gathering with old friends again after some time away. This book was a bit of a slow build, but I really enjoyed this storyline and that the authors added in some “heavy” tragedies and scandals to the mix. This is a book that you can easily devour in a weekend, especially if you’re a Royal lover! rating: 4 out of 5 ⭐️

Unfortunately, The Heir Affair was very slow for me and I just couldn't get into it. I will definitely try picking it up again at a later date, as I really enjoyed The Royal We. This most definitely could be the case of struggling with certain genres during the pandemic more of a "it's me not you" reading scenario. Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘈𝘧𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳 wasn't as light and romantic as 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭 𝘞𝘦. In fact, the sequel tackles some important, though heavy subjects that I wasn't expecting such as infertility, marriage struggles, and mental health. But I loved the way the authors handled it all, especially depression in men.

There were some twists that I was NOT expecting that made the book feel just as "juicy" as the first. I was nervous those big twists would have something to do with the above subjects, but it was fine.

This book is fantastic, although it could have been just as good being 100 pages shorter. I switched between the e-galley and audiobook throughout my reading experience, and I can say that I highly recommend the audio. The 1.65x speed is perfect.

The title of this book has many meanings as you read the entire book. Family is complicated if you aren’t a Royal and doubly as complicated if you are. Just ask Bex, Freddie and Nick who are entangled in their own scandal in the beginning of the book. I never doubted Bex’s love for Nick but I did think that Freddie was a bit in love with Bex because he really couldn’t have her, which meant it was easy for him.

I enjoyed seeing how Nick and Bex would come together to put the scandal on the back burner and become true partners.

The Heir Affair is a follow-up to The Royal We, and I think I enjoyed this one even more. This one has it all - fun characters, mystery, scandal, romance, and more. I would give this 3.5 stars.

The Heir Affair was one of my most anticipated 2020 reads. Unfortunately with a pandemic and seeing how members of the real royal family were treated by the press this year, I struggled to read it. I loved The Royal We and had such high hopes for this book. I will try it again at a later point, but for now it is a DNF

This was a really awesome sequel! I was a huge fan of The Royal We, which I reread in preparation for The Heir Affair, and ended up still loving, but liking less this time around. I liked The Heir Affair more, and while there were some plot points I was a little hesitant to get behind, the ending was great.

I am a huge royal lover, and The Royal We is probably my favorite royal read of all. That’s why The Heir Affair was an immediate pre-order for me. How could I not read the sequel? This book picks up immediately where the first leaves off – dealing with the same scandal and the fall-out over the disastrous royal wedding. As the newlyweds try to recalibrate their image, they also need to make amends to their royal family members. This book dove into some deeper topics, but I found it to be a wonderful follow-up. A true delight of a story and a perfect addition to the pool reads for summer 2020 list!

After reading The Royal We, I was so excited to see a follow up, and The Heir Affair delivered in the best way. I enjoyed these characters, the “glimpse” at Royal life and what it takes to keep it secluded. The writing is fun and I can’t wait for (hopefully) a third installment.

This second installment was just as captivating as the first! The first book in the series was more light-hearted and I read through it quickly. The Heir Affair is light hearted and funny at times, but also deals with some more difficult topics. Highly recommend for fans of The Crown or rom coms.

I enjoyed picking up with these characters again and exploring new dynamics--in particular, Bex's relationship with the Queen. A very fun and engaging book.

Super satisfying sequel to The Royal We, a book I've been recommending for years. Who can beat the winning combination of the monarchy and the Cubs??