The Heir Affair was the book I was most looking forward to reading this year and it did not disappoint! This sequel exceeded all my expectations, and at this point I will read anything these authors write.

The story picks up right after the events of The Royal We, which I reread in preparation for this book. Bex and Nick first go into self-imposed hiding to get away from the fall out. As the future King and Queen, though, they can't stay away forever. They have to deal with the press and public, not to mention Freddie and the Queen.

Just like the previous book, The Royal Heir is full of drama, humor, and a look behind the glossy veneer of life as a royal that is shown in magazines and on TV. It shows that there's more to happily ever after than the big wedding.

I enjoyed getting to revisit Bex, Nick, and Freddie as well as their friends, while getting a chance to know other characters better too. The Queen plays a much bigger role here, and it humanizes her quite a bit.

The authors' writing is engaging and entertaining. It kept me turning the pages late into the night when I should have been sleeping. This book has literally just released and I am already looking forward to what they might write next!

I absolutely loved The Royal We, so I was really excited to get an advance copy of this sequel from NetGalley. Unfortunately, this fell terribly prey to the problem many sequels have: not giving enough backstory from the first book. There were so many oblique references to "what happened with Freddie", but the authors didn't bother to catch the reader up on what exactly they was - which I certainly expected given that this sequel wasn't published until five years after the original. The Heir Affair picked up exactly where the Royal We left off, but I couldn't for the life of me remember the nuances of what happened in the Royal We. So disappointing! It took me about half of this book to mostly figure it out, and it was only then that I started enjoying this novel. Three stars for taking so long to get into.

At last, we have the sequel to The Royal We. It isn't the book I thought it would be--I thought we would get Freddie's story--but it's a book I enjoyed quite a bit as Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan take a deeper dive into what happened between Nick and Bex after their nuptials. Cox and Morgan reveal these details slowly, dropping them into chapters rather than hitting you with it straight away. It made for a fun clue hunt.

Nick and Bex have some issues to overcome, and the scenes where they talk about what led to their wedding(s) compelled me to tears. Our duke and duchess don't just miraculously solve their problems; they talk and confront and forgive.

Even though this isn't all about Freddie, he has a prominent role. There is a particular subplot involving him that is a real head-scratcher. Not only does it feel unnecessary, it directly contradicts a subplot involving Queen Eleanor. I found myself wondering about Cocks and Morgan's editor. Did no one notice how the sentiments behind one of those plots worked against the sentiments behind the other? How they couldn't coexist in the same book? One of those would have been great (the Queen Eleanor strand is especially gripping). Together, it's as if they're in a tug-of-war for your attention. If you buy into Eleanor's crisis, then you will face a quagmire when it comes to Nick, Bex, and Freddie.

One of the messages Cocks and Morgan address is the idea that people get married for different wants and needs, and you should not project your own onto theirs. Just because you married your partner with heat and spark does not mean that all couples do. I enjoyed that message quite a bit.

Cocks and Morgan also address pregnancy and fertility, and they do so with a gentle, respectful hand. Those scenes are poignant without being maudlin, and they feel real. If you've never experienced infertility, Cocks and Morgan show you its rollercoaster of emotional and physical pain and how it affects every relationship you have.

If you're a regular reader of the Fug Girls' blog, you know that Jessica Morgan loves royal logistics. I join her in that particular interest, so the scenes in this book that featured planning and maneuvering and making appearances happen made me clap my hands with glee.

It is difficult to ignore the real-life inspirations for Nick, Bex, and their supporting cast. You wonder about the prescience of Cocks and Morgan in both having a member of the British Royal family marry an American and in the changing relationship between royal brothers. They give you hope that rapprochement is possible.

I would love to know your thoughts on this book, particularly that subplot. Please hit the comments and let me know if you liked it or not.

"The Heir Affair" starts where "The Royal We" left off in the aftermath of Bex and Nick's wedding which was not the fairy tale they were hoping for. Now, they must figure out how to balance their marriage in the public eye and deal with the fallout of Freddie's actions.

We learn more about Bex and Nick's friends along with Queen Eleanor and the Queen Mother Marta. This was a great romance and a great read for royal watchers as well.

I love the first book, but this sequel surprised me, I absolutely loved this rollercoaster ride, you though about a HEA after last book but this story is full of angst and emotions. I couldn't get enough of it, definitely recommend it and if you haven't read the first one, what are you waiting for? You will find that there is so much more into the story, but I don't like giving out any part of the story, but I assure you this one will have you reading it in no time until the very end, now we want more. Bravo Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan brilliant story!

Greetings Bookworms,

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan was one of my favorite reads of 2016 (it was published in 2015 but I was late to the party, as per usual.) It was, more or less, Prince William and Kate Middleton fan fiction. I mean, YES, it was DIFFERENT in a lot of ways, but when you're reading about even a fictionalized British royal family, it's hard not to focus on the parallels. But, as I said, I read The Royal We in 2016 and loved it, so I was extremely excited to find out that Cocks and Morgan were working on a sequel. Then, I broke my own rules and asked for an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley because it was the beginning of quarantine and I was very concerned about lacking reading material. I also naively thought that I'd somehow have more time? Apparently I have juuuuuuuust enough remaining blogging clout to get approved for the occasional ARC and I was stoked to find out I had permission to read The Heir Affair early. In case it wasn't abundantly clear, I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher for advance review. You still get my honest opinion on the book because it would cost a lot more than a digital book for me to besmirch the dignity of this publication. LOL I know, I can't keep a straight face either. Still though, I have no real skin in the game with publishers, you'll get an unfiltered opinion from me regardless of the occasional freebie.

The Heir Affair starts with the aftermath of Nick and Bex's wedding. I don't want to be super spoilery for the first book, but Nick and Bex are threatened with a tabloid scandal on the eve of their wedding. They decide to call the blackmailer's bluff and it turns out he wasn't bluffing. The news dropped mid Royal Wedding, and all the spectators in the crowd had smartphones full of gossip on the state of Nick and Bex's relationship before they exited the church. So, Nick and Bex do the obvious- they skip town and run off to Scotland where they traipse around small towns in disguises for a few weeks. I mean, who really needs a honeymoon in the Seychelles anyway?

Of course, their escape couldn't last forever, and Nick and Bex are called back home by a crisis in the family and forced to deal with their mess. Y'all, this book had me SUPER STRESSED. The tension between Nick and Bex and Freddie was just GAH. It was truly painful to read about. And then the emotional punches just kept coming. And the secrets! And the scandals! And the heartbreaks! It's A LOT.

But there were some bright spots amidst the chaos. Imagining the Queen of England becoming a Cubs fan delights me to a level I'd never have expected. The Queen Mother trolling Twitter under a pseudonym was delightfully cheeky. And there's always Gaz, bless him, the only consistent comic relief. Also,

I can't say I liked The Heir Affair quite as much as The Royal We but that's likely a function of my personal preference. I always enjoy stories about falling in love, but I'm much less inclined to pick up books that hash out the uglier bits of marriage. Still, I liked the book, even if it was a bit heavier than I expected. If you want to know what happens after Nick and Bex said "I do" pick up a copy of The Heir Affair and prepare for an emotional ride.

Talk to me, Bookworms. Do you like reading novels about the messy years of relationships, or do you prefer tidy Happily Ever Afters?

Prince Nicholas (Nick) and Rebecca (Bex) have had their glorious wedding. Unfortunately, just as it is ending, a scandal is released about a tryst that Box had with Nick’s brother, Freddie. They simply kissed impulsively and it was found out. For some time after the wedding, Nick and Bex assumed identities as Steve and Margot and stayed away from London hoping this hoopla would die down. The bad guy in all this is a sleezeball reporter named Clive who leaked the scandal but he continues to feed it.

Now, they are back in London having to face the ire of Queen Eleanor and Nick’s father, Prince Richard. They move into the home of the Queen’s late sister, Georgiana. It’s is decorated in a style that the flamboyant woman loved and Bex is finding diaries that she wrote that exposes a huge secret.

With the help of her twin sister, Lacey and others, Bex is trying to show her remorse not only to Nick but to the entire royal family. Freddie and Nick are both called upon by their father to get busy doing official duties. The Queen has had a stroke but continues to linger. Now Richard, next in line to the throne is everywhere and one has to wonder if he truly wants his mother to recover.

Bex is an American who met Nick when they attended the same university and dated for some years. Now, they are trying to have a baby but even with rounds of IVF, things are not looking good. They may need some help that could be unheard of in the royal family.

This is a bit of a screwball story that wasn’t as much fun as “The Royal We” but I kept up with it. I enjoyed the real friendship that Eleanor and Bex finally achieved. I loved sweet Nick. He’s a total love. Freddie is a goofball who is finally trying to grow up and he does it well. A cute story and I hope this duo writes more gossipy books like this using a thinner veil of whom their characters truly are. Enjoy.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Heir Affair picks up where The Royal We left off and dives into how the characters are handling the aftermath of the events in book one.

This book is a bit melodramatic— there are a lot of different storylines, one more dramatic than the next. Some will make you roll your eyes, others might be difficult to read for some. The heart of the book continues to detail family drama and the pressure of fitting into the royal family and expectations.

Despite having numerous dark storylines, there were a lot of moments that made me laugh out loud. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and an emotional roller coaster.

Bex and Nick, the fanfiction version of Will & Kate, are back in The Heir Affair, the sequel to The Royal We. Like the first in the series, this book is full of drama and twists, a lot of sub plots, and is probably a 150 pages longer than it needs to be, but if you like living in royal plots, you'll probably like this one. 

Spoilers for The Royal We ahead but like...it's romance, come on. 

After Bex' kiss with Spare Prince Freddie was revealed on their wedding day, Bex and Nick have been hiding out and enjoying the early days of matrimony, but the pressures of The Crown are pressing as hard as ever, and so the lovebirds must return to the mess they left behind, including Queen Eleanor and all her sass, the tricky Prince Richard, and Freddie, whose dating a series of career woman and finding himself dumped again and again. The trio--Bex Nick and Freddie--is still trying to find footing in this new reality, and things are going to get complicated quick because there's more tabloid drama, someone ends up in a coma, someone dies,  at least three people are pregnant, and Bex and Nick must make a VERY big decision--or multiple--that will change the monarchy forever. 

As per usual, Bex and Nick are almost boring compared to their fascinating friends--loved Bea in this one, and Gaz as always--and the complicated feelings of Bex and Freddie remain. There's a lot of gossip,a lot of description of manor homes we didn't need, and a fascinating but probably overdone subplot involved the Queen's dead younger sister. Trust me, there's a LOT going on, which makes sense since this book is nearly 500 pages long. Wayyyy too long for rom-com style, but the writing is intriguing and the pacing I think it interesting--doesn't lean too heavily into "everything happens today" or skipping through time.  I liked spending time in this world again, but I was also so ready for it to be over, if that makes sense?

Overall, I think our fascinating with royalty will continue in this world, but I hope that these authors dive into another story instead of giving us another 500 pages on Bex and Nick's ascension to the throne or something, ya know?

Bex is back.

Thanks to @grandcentralpub and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan! Pub Date: July 8th!

It was so wonderful to jump back in to this story after 5 years! The novel picks up where the first book (The Royal We) left off and puts us right back in the action with Bex, Prince Nick, Price Freddie 😍, and their entire crew as they deal with the fallout around Bex & Nick’s Royal Wedding.

The book then spans several years as Bex becomes further ingrained in the Firm. I loved exploring Queen Eleanor and her family dynamic in detail as it parallels the current generation’s struggles. And as in Book 1, I loved me some Prince Frederick!

I do wish I had re-read The Royal We prior to picking this one up, so I’d recommend a re-read or start there if you haven’t read it yet!

I really enjoyed The Royal We so I was excited to read the 2nd book. I love books (fiction or non-fiction) about the British monarchy and this fit the bill. It took me a bit to get immersed in the story because I couldn’t remember exactly where the 1st book left off. Once I got on a roll, I enjoyed it! It’s a fun summer read and could stand on its own without having read The Royal We.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who is Royals-obsessed I HIGHLY enjoyed this book. So glad I had read the first book in the series. I thought the characters were so well-developed and really likable. Glad Bex twin sister finally grew up a bit; she's quite the character - no pun intended. This sequel was the perfect summer read. Here's to hoping there is 3rd installment!

I think that the fun of the Fug Girls' take on the romantic relationships within the British monarchy (begun with 2016's The Royal We) is that they're extraordinarily savvy about some of the dynamics within the "real" royals; and they're also entirely willing to depart from trying to capture that "reality," in order to go with something fun and unexpected. I wholly approve; I would certainly not have predicted some of the threads that develop in this sequel -- and those surprise dynamics are honestly the highlights of the book, outshining the stuff that I knew would be here (read: baby stuff -- though I appreciated the directions that they took with that arc.)

There are aspects of this second book that feel like the middle book of a trilogy -- many of the leads rely on the characterizations established in the first book, more than developing, though that makes room to develop both Eleanor and Marta further, and I am not a bit sorry. Some things are developed, others as yet unrevealed (who IS Xandra Deane? When WILL Clive get his comeuppance?) I don't know that this book will capture readers who start with it, rather than beginning at the beginning, but as an established fan who didn't realize that any series was possible, I was thrilled, and I'll be just as delighted for a third book.

I was over the freaking moon when I was approved to review an advance copy of The Heir Affair, Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan's sequel to The Royal We. The Royal We is one of my very favorite books. When I was sick as a dog during my final pregnancy, I would read it until I reached the end and then flip back to the first page and start again. Though The Royal We felt complete, the door was left open for a sequel if the authors decided to revisit the characters. Did Clive follow through with his threat? If so, how on Earth does the Firm try to reel that back in now that Nick and Bex are absolutely legally wed? What do we do about Freddie?

The problem with revisiting the characters is that TRW was absolutely real people fan fiction, and the Cambridge shine has dimmed somewhat in the last several years. Also, if you have the fictional Prince of Wales marrying an American in the first book, then what do you do about the real life spare doing it? The logical answer is: abandon the fan fiction bit and go your own way.

The Heir Affair picks up about six weeks after the wedding. (Yes, the Westminster Abbey wedding happens.) Clive did his thing and Nick and Bex are hiding out rather than dealing with the publicity nightmare it caused. (The big, fancy reception was cancelled.) This interlude has come to an end, and the couple are tasked with repairing the damage they've done with the public and with their friends. Nick, Bex, and Freddie have to find a way to make peace with one another; everyone has hurt everyone else and negotiating that while smiling for the cameras takes its toll on the group.

The book tackles too much as we follow Bex trying to get settled into her new life on the inside. Her already-thin support system seems to disappear entirely. Cilla and Gaz pull away. Lacey finds a place for herself outside The Ivy League. Things with Freddie are fraught as he grows beyond his Party Prince persona, and starts to look like he might settle down. Eleanor suffers a health scare which opens the door to Bex building the relationship they hadn't established before while Richard takes being regent for a spin. Contrary to the ending of TRW, Nick and Bex aren't all that unbreakable yet; Nick still has a tendency to run and hide when the going gets a bit rough, once again leaving Bex to cope with the strain of life inside. All the while, Bex begins to realize that producing an heir may not be as simple as she expected. (The "heir" part of the title is a bit scattered: there is definitely more than plot thread that could be covered by it.)

With all this going on, the story still isn't done: a plot thread sort of explodes at the end of the book. And that's when I lost it. The sequel went from "okay" to "can I forget that I ever read any of this?"

This was a tough review to write. I thought perhaps that I just came to the book with too much excitement, and sat with my feelings on it for a few months to see if they changed. But in revisiting the book, I realized that I just didn't love this book as much as I loved the first.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley in order to facilitate this review.

Thank you to Grand Central for a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I read The Royal We over the weekend and really enjoyed it (it was a 4 star read for me) so I went right into The Heir Affair looking for the same experience. Unfortunately, I have very mixed feelings about this book. I love the writing - it's a long book but it's a page turner for sure, and for me, the verbal bantering is the real MVP of the book. So from that aspect, it gets a 4 star for me.

However, the actual plot gets 2 stars. I was so upset with where the authors took the plot that I wanted to throw it across the room. I don't like love triangles to begin with but I was okay with how things ended in The Royal We and The Heir Affair just broke my heart. <spoiler> We end up rehashing the same stuff over and over again and Nick and Bex are so immature that they avoid the heart to hearts and instead, toe the line of cheating. It's so clear that she is more emotionally connected to Freddie despite all the sexual chemistry with Nick. The whole infertility and sperm donation thing took it too far for me. My heart really broke for Freddie and his reason for marrying Daphne made me cry. </spoiler> I was really hoping this book would be about Freddie finding his true love and the 4 of them could be really happy together. The only highlight of this story was seeing Eleanor and Bex develop a friendship.

TW - miscarriage, infertility

If you enjoy books about royalty or have ever fancied yourself marrying the future King of England, The Royal We series by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan needs to be on your must read list. The Royal We, the first book in the series, follows American college student Rebecca Porter (Bex) and Prince Nicholas (Nick), the future King of Great Britain as they meet, fall in love, and navigate the many obstacles that stand in the way of Bex becoming a member of the Royal Family, while the newest novel in the series, The Heir Affair, picks up with Nick and Bex as a newly married couple starting out their lives together.

While I thoroughly enjoyed both of these books, what I really loved about The Heir Affair is that it really takes a deep dive into Nick and Bex’s relationship. Some very dramatic events from the first book have really shaken them. They need time to heal and regroup, and then they also need to work to try to reconcile with Nick’s brother, Freddie, as well as mend their reputations with respect to the people of Great Britain. The authors do a wonderful job of making Bex and Nick’s relationship easy to relate to. Even though they are royalty and many of their issues and challenges are royal problems that most of us can only imagine in our wildest dreams, many of the other challenges they face are normal, everyday couple issues.

Of course there are still plenty of humorous moments sprinkled throughout the book, particularly with respect to Bex’s relationship with the Queen and with Bex and Nick’s circle of friends from college who are always entertaining. As much as Bex and Nick’s journey through married life and, in particular, their strained relationship with Freddie, tugged at my heartstrings, the humorous moments really balanced things out, as did some of the long-buried, juicy royal secrets that come to light and shake things up for everyone.

As much as I enjoyed The Royal We, I couldn’t have asked for a better sequel in The Heir Affair. Overall, a very satisfying read.

I eagerly awaited the follow up to The Royal We - and was not disappointed. I read The Royal We right before my year abroad in England, and cherish it among my books about fictionalized royalty. I went into this sequel knowing nothing, and half-expecting it to be from a different character's point of view. I was so pleased to fall back into this world exactly where The Royal We left off, and surprised at every turn of drama that came. It's hard for a sequel to accomplish higher stakes, but The Heir Affair definitely provided.

When The R0yal We ended, I thought Bex and Nick were on the road to happiness--was I ever wrong! This book deals the aftermath of the wedding when Clive's blackmail info goes viral and much much more. Somehow the authors of these books makes the reader believe that all this could actually happen and the repartee among Bex, Nick and their friends is great. However, the scene stealer i9n this book is Queen Eleanor, you can't help but fall in love with her and I have a feeling she is a reflection of the real Queen Elizabeht (although I doubt if the real queen has a couchertor). I reread the Royal We before reading this one and loved it just as much as the second time. I hope there ar more to follow.

⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣The Heir Affair was the perfect book to read over this long weekend. I couldn’t put it down which is a big deal as a new mom. I really enjoyed The Royal We so I was very excited to get my hands on the sequel. I actually enjoyed this one more than the original. It had me laughing and crying, sometimes at the same time. ⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
This book had some twists and turns, but I loved the ending. I’d love a third book a little further in the future. I loved seeing the progression of relationships from The Royal We. I also enjoyed that Bex and Nick were a little older and I could relate more to the stage of life they were in. ⁣⁣I highly recommend grabbing a copy when it releases on Tuesday July 7th!⁣
⁣⁣⁣
The Heir Affair opens up after Nick and Bex are married and they have exiled themselves to avoid the drama and anger of the Royal family. They’re called back with another emergency and must repair the damage and deal with future crises as they adjust to married life.⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣

I really liked Royal We and was very excited to get Heir Affair. But I just had a hard time with it. I am not really into love triangles and I expected the triangle to be resolved after the first book. It wasn't. I didn't love how complicated it got as time went on. I need a little bit of a happy something in there and didn't really feel like I ever got it. I hope that other readers like this more than I did and that maybe I was just not in the right frame of mind for it.