** Excerpt from Tea Time With a Good Book published online in the Collinwood Chronicle for the month of September 2022

First off, while I am not an avid reader of romance novels, when I looked at Something in the Heir , by Suzanne Enoch, I decided that this would be the novel I started off on this site for my review. Maybe it was because the last romance I read was a good one but as I began the first chapter right from the start I was hooked and it went on from there. I could not put this book down until I finished the last page and sighed, relieved that the lovers had, at last, realized they were meant to be together. Because this was no ordinary romance.

I had no idea how a writer could take two characters, marry them before the book even got started and not have them fall in love until the end while still keeping the reader engaged. Enoch however, pulled this off with a flair that I haven't seen in an author, (in a romance novel) if ever. The fact that the books has a funny undertone with characters who are English, royal and with tricks up their sleeve that they want to pull off with family members in the novel….when you add two children they borrow from an orphanage to pull of their hijinks…there is no better cast of characters you can ask for.

But, will their master plan work in the end? Will they finally fall in love? Does the writer pull it off well? That is all up to you, the reader, to find out if and when you decide to read the book.

This book was such a pleasure to read. I thoroughly enjoyed the witty banter and quick wit of the two children, Rose and George through the novel. The FMC and MMC, Emmie and Will Pershing were an amazing team from the start. Friends who use each other for an end goal. Emmie needed to keep her family home after her father died. Her grandfather would grant it to any family member who marrying next and produce an heir within 5 years. Unwilling to lose to her snotty cousin, Emmie turns to her best friend and rising political star, Will Pershing. Will needs a partner to help with his political career and Emmies family home is close to London, making the commute to work easier. Both seemed to be doing great, until the time came for Emmie’s grandfathers birthday in which he wanted all his family, down to great-grandchildren to attend. The twist? Emmie and Will tried to have children but failed so Emmie wrote to her family and grandfather that they actually DID have kids. She made up entire lives of 2 children, one boy, George, and one girl, Flora.

Will learns about this requirement to keep the home and the made up children that Emmie has been keeping up on over the years and determined to keep the home, they hatch a plan to procure 2 children for the party. After a few failed attempts, the Pershing’s acquire George and Rose, siblings in care at an orphanage for their plans.

George and Rose have been fending for themselves all their lives and agree to help the Pershing’s as long as they learn upper class skills and are placed with a good family in the end. All seems to go well until their 18 year old problematic, thieving brother, James, comes into the picture. James threatens to tell everyone about the Pershing’s plan and ultimately let them lose their home.

The story was wonderful and seemed original. It was told from multiple POV’s and you really were rooting for their plan to work. Unfortunately, it felt annoying after the billionth time of Emmie and Will continually stating that they couldn’t adopt the children themselves. Even up to the almost end of the story, they would not even consider it. In the end, after falling in love with the children George and Rose, they do keep the kids. Which like, DUH! We knew this would happen.

I love the sorry otherwise, but that constant annoyance and the plot of James, coupled with the entire plan falling apart within 3 pages was just too much. Additionally, there was a side love story that took up a lot of space within the story that I just was not interested in. I would definitely read this author again though!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Griffin for providing me with the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

❤️❤️❤️❤️ out of 5
This book is something different for Suzanne Enoch (and I’ve been reading her for years). The main characters don’t kiss until 75% and there is exactly zero action. I actually really enjoyed this book- not as a romance, but as a humorous feel good book with a family coming together.

Our hero and heroine have been married for 8 years after a marriage of convenience to ensure she could keep her family home. Her hold on her family home comes into question when she tells her husband that they have 2 fictional children that her entire family believes are real and that she needs to produce proof of them in 2 months. What are the two of them to do except find some children to act as theirs in front of her family?

There was something about this book that had me keep coming back to it even with the absence of romance. It was just such a feel good book with great characters and humour that I couldn’t even be outraged 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Something in the Heir made me laugh out loud and also clutch my heart at the tender moments sprinkled throughout the story. I love a found family story and this is not your typical found family but I love how Emmeline and William find their own family in the weirdest of ways. A fresh read!

This book was not for me. From the beginning I didn't really care for it. I'm not sure if I just read it too fast but I felt like there was absolutely no tension between the two main characters. And then towards the end Emmeline talks about them having sex but it's like an after thought of the conversation. It was so weird - I felt like I had missed something. I'm fine with closed door romances but this one also had like no emotions to it, it was pretty disappointing. Also overall the plot was just not for me - I couldn't get into the story line at all. It was a funny book and I'm sure many will enjoy it, it just wasn't for me personally.

I received a reviewer copy of Something in the Heir by Suzanne Encoh from the publisher St. Martin's Press from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Emmeline Pershing loves her family home but her grandfather left some unusual rules for the inheritance, whoever marries first gets the home and then to keep the house an heir must be produced within five years. When she finds out her loathsome cousin is engaged Emmeline convinces her old friend, William, to be her husband and marry her immediately. Eight years later Emmeline runs Will's political career, but has been keeping a secret, she lied to her grandfather that they had kids, and now the chickens are coming home to roast. To save their home, Will and Emmeline borrow orphans to 'play' their children.

What I Loved: The premise is so good. I thought this was a fun premise and I liked how that premise played out. The plot was really solid.

What I didn’t like so much: I didn't really buy the chemistry between our two leads. And a lot of the difficulties with the children seemed kind of silly. I guess overall I didn't love the characters or feel invested in them. I didn't buy in that these characters belonged together and that made it hard to be invested.

Who Should Read It: People who like unique premises in books.

Summary: Finding a work around for a contract leads to disastrous impacts.

I love this book! It's such a different plotline and yet so familiar. I loved that Emmeline and William are already married, already have habits, and have already established their marriage of convenience. However, I love the plot of "borrowing" two little ones to fulfill their duty and all the joy that ensues! This one kept me laughing and I loved this original plot!
pily ever after.

I absolutely loved the premise of this when I first read it and I went into it expecting a lively, passionate story and it was not that in the slightest. I found it dragged so much, there was very little action in it and the character stories weren't compelling enough to keep it moving, and the romance aspect of it felt practically non-existent. I was just bored, and it was so unexpected and disappointing since the book started with such a good premise and a lot of charm in the first chapter.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

Something in the Heir
by Suzanne Enoch
Pub Date: 20 Sep 2022

This book was not what I thought it would be. As other reviewers have pointed out, the romance is not the focal point of the story. Actually, a side couple has about as much romance as our main couple. All that being said, if you look at the whole story and not expect romance to take center stage, this book is quite enjoyable! William and Emmeline marry in order for her to claim the family house. While they were friends (and William harbors romantic feelings) this is more a partnership than a marriage. When no children are conceived, their relationship turns strictly business. Fast forward eight years and it is discovered that Emmeline has lied to her family through correspondence that they in fact have two children. Heirs, it turns out, are a part of the contract that allows her to keep the home...hence, the sudden need to produce said heirs! And that is when all the fun and hijinks begin with orphans George and Rose.

Yes, the story is predictable, but the kids are adorable, and it is fun to see the developing relationships between all the characters.

4 Conveniently Unconvient Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free
This was so much fun. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale, not there was any doubt due to it being written by Suzanne Enoch.

Ms. Enoch takes the troupe of a marriage of convenience, mixes it with the ownership of the family's estate, and then throws in the need to produce an heir or no home! For years these childhood friends, now married have pulled off this feat, but due to the state of the grandfather insisting on seeing the family they have created, all the fibs are on the line.

If you are open to a fun, historical read, you couldn't find one more fun.

Suzanne Enoch used one of my favorite trope: fake wedding , in a very different and surprising way.
The prologue made me super curious about how the plot would develop and I rooted for the couple a lot.

I'm on the fence with this book and I'm not happy about it. I love Suzanne Enoch's books and this one just seemed a bit out there for me. I loved the characters and I thought the story itself kicked off really well but the story of invented kids and somehow evading all family for years where no one has ever met them just seemed off to me.

I did like the characters and while I appreciated the way their relationship changed once Emmeline fessed up to what she did, I don't know how I really feel about the story. I will say it is well-written and this won't deter me from picking up a book by Enoch in the future.

Something in the Heir by Suzanne Enoch is a bit of a far-fetched story, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and didn't want it to end. It is the story of Emmeline and William Pershing, a couple brought together so she wouldn't lose rights to living at her family home, Winnover. Once her parents decided to move out, per her grandfather's (The Duke of Wilshire) demands it would go to whichever of her or her cousins was married first. Her mother broke the news when Emmeline wasn't even yet engaged and she did not want to give up Winnover, especially to her newly engaged horrific cousin. Emmeline quickly was able to round up her childhood friend, William, to marry her. The second stipulation was that she had to produce an heir within five years. Emmeline and William weren't able to have children so they 'borrowed' a couple of orphans to satisfy this portion of the command when they were required to attend her grandfather's birthday party. These children, George and Rose, were quite spirited, to say the least, and it was questionable whether or not the plan would even work out. The story moved along at a good pace and there were a lot of hi jinx and fun to be had.

This was a fun and sweet read! I enjoyed all the characters, especially the children! Emmeline and Will are childhood friends who end up in a marriage of convince because Emmeline needs to marry. I loved going on the self discovery journey for Emmeline while her and Will also found their way to love! Seeing as they grew apart for 8 years. Will is so patient and has had feelings for Emmeline always. Emmeline couldn’t have children of her own, so she’s told her family about made up ones! So when she’s called to come home for her grandfathers birthday, she get two orphans to play the role of hers! Will and Emmeline are open to the children about what is going on. I really enjoyed the story of found family and love! All in all a good read!

I hate to say it but this one was a DNF for me at about 50%. I struggled to get into it. I felt the storyline was moving slowly with little excitement. Maybe it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I’d like to try reading this one again in the future because sometimes it just comes down to being in the mood for certain types of books. I did find the characters flawed in an interesting way, and even better they are aware of their flaws which is refreshing! I wanted to learn more about Emmeline and William’s past and where their relationship truly became more of a partnership. I did have a soft spot for the two little ones they borrow - they were sweet and sassy. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the egalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC for Something in the Heir. All of the following views are my own.

Something in the Heir centers around Emmeline and Will Pershing, childhood friends who agreed to a marriage of convenience in order to keep Emmeline's home, Winnover Hall. The catch is that in order to keep it for the remainder of their lives, they must have produced an heir within the first five years of marriage. Now eight years into their marriage, Emmeline reveals to Will that she's convinced their families (and most of the ton) that they are parents to two children, Malcolm and Flora. The only problem is they only exist on paper and with an upcoming milestone birthday for her grandfather, those make believe children must become real. They find a set of orphans, George and Rose, who closely match the made up descriptions and decide to train them for eight weeks so they can pull off their elaborate web of tales.

With witty dialogue, shenanigans to spare, and a renewed romance, Something in the Heir quickly became one of my favorite releases this year. This was my first Suzanne Enoch novel and because I quickly fell head over heels for her writing, it certainly won't be my last. I would recommend this for fans of The Parent Trap, The Sound of Music (George and Rose did remind me very much of the Von Trapp children), and India Holton's Dangerous Damsels series.

Very fun read! A few times I laughed, and I really enjoyed it. I think this book would be so fun to do as an audiobook! Easy read overall but still really fun.

3 stars!

Emmeline and William have had a marriage of convenience for the last eight years. Life is good. They get to live their separate lives. They don't really have to interact with each other. They both to get to benefit as Emmeline gets her family estate and William gets help with his political career. This is the way both of them want it, right? Wrong! William has secretly been longing for Emmeline's affections. When Emmeline's grandfather asks them to come to his birthday celebration, William is confused because the Duke asks them to bring their two children - who don't exist. It's okay! They can just improvise and find two orphans to act as their children.

I was so excited for this book because it felt like a regency era "You Deserve Each Other," which is one of my favorites. However, I did think this book fell short in many areas. The writing was really great, but the plot was just too crazy. I wasn't really rooting for our main couple, at times it was intensely repetitive,

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's for the ARC!

Aaaah I love fun reads! Such fun and lovely characters. Loved reading this. We need more fun books that will make you giggle and laugh and take away the madness of the world.

This was cute and the story was fun, but it wasn't really a romance as expected. I really wish that there had been more about the main characters' relationship, but it just wasn't there.