The Heir Affair

I knew almost immediately that I was going to love The Heir Affair – the whole thing opens with Bex and Nick hiding out (after the media storm surrounding their wedding) in the small Scottish town of Wigtown, staying at the B&B above Open Book. While this probably doesn’t inspire delighted squeals of joy from most, other than the fact that it sounds cool, Open Book is run as a companion to Book Shop, owned and operated by Shaun Bythell, author of Diary of a Bookseller and Confessions of a Bookseller, two memoirs that offer remarkable insight into my chosen profession. So as a bookseller, I got really excited about Bex and Nick’s chosen hide out in Scotland.

But that was just the very beginning. With a gap of just more than five show more years (an eternity in publishing time) between the release of The Royal We and The Heir Affair, Heather and Jessica knew they’d have to give readers a bit of time to play catch up with Nick and Bex and they do a tremendous job easing readers back into their lives and rehashing the events of The Royal We. The bulk of The Heir Affair takes place in the two years immediately following The Royal We, and as both are set in “real time,” it’s kind of fun to be transported back to 2016 in the book, before the dumpster fire of 2020.

Eventually, as they must, Nick and Bex return to the firm (no Meghan & Harry cut and run here), and are reunited with friend and foe alike, from Nick’s brother Freddie and Bex’s twin sister Lacey, the brothers’ taciturn father, to the centenarian queen mum obsessed with Idris Elba, and all their friends (one of whom is obsessed with getting onto a GBBO inspired baking show), it is refreshing to be reunited with so many favorite characters.

After the expected roughish patch between Bex & Nick, and the two of them and the family, the book moves along at a decent clip through time until “the heir affair” takes center stage. With everything Bex and Nick have been through, there was no way this was going to be smooth sailing. But Heather & Jessica present their situation with so much kindness and empathy that I found myself bawling my eyes out at certain parts (I don’t want to spoil anything, but you’ll know pretty quickly which scenes I mean).

While The Royal We delved into the melodramatic soap opera type of story pretty quickly, The Heir Affair is not nearly as over dramatic until the last hundred pages or so where a secret is revealed about now deceased members of the royal family and has a potentially devastating effect on the future heirs. It gets a little trite, especially when, by this point, we really just want to see a happy ending, but Heather and Jessica handle their chosen curveball well. I walked away from The Heir Affair enjoying it more than The Royal We and I think it will become a favorite of anyone who chooses to pick it up as well. show less

Bex and Nick are back fresh from a wedding marred with scandal. The royal family continues to impose itself upon Bex - but her discovery of hidden secrets (and adding some of her own to the mix) brings some needed humanity and understanding to the seemingly arbitrary dictates of the monarch. There's some humor and a lot of sorrow and love.

A solid follow-up to The Royal We, The Heir Affair asks, What happens after Happily Ever After? In the case of Nick and Bex, quite a lot. A sleazy journalist exploits a weak moment on their wedding day, and Bex must deal with the fallout and its impact on her standing with the Royal Family, as well as her fledgling marriage. There is much drama and many heavy pieces to consider, but thankfully also a lot of the friend group. Lady Bollocks is a particular standout here, and I need one of my very own running my life.

Are you a royal watcher? I must admit, I am. So, yes there are many, many similarities to the current family of royals in England. What Cocks and Morgan have done though, is humanize the public personas and let us behind the curtain. And imagined what might have happened or might be happening away from public scrutiny.

Leading the charge is Bex. She is such a wonderful lead. She's not perfect, but always tries to do the right thing while remaining true to herself - within the confines of her new public role and behind closed doors. She's a lead that readers can't help but be onside with. And who hasn't imagined marrying a Prince? The relationship between Bex and Prince Nicholas is wonderfully drawn and absolutely believable. (and so show more romantic!) The supporting cast is an eclectic bunch - I have a soft spot for Bex and Nic's friends - especially Gav. The Queen and Queen Mother played a bigger part in this book.

There's a lot of humor in the pages of The Heir Affair, but many serious issues are tackled as well and are handled with aplomb. The dialogue is witty and things move along quickly, making for addictive reading.

An easy, breezy summer read - definitely a fairytale for today's world. I'm hoping there's more in store..... show less

Soapy and just what I was expecting. I read the first book on maternity leave last year and it sucked me in. The second installment jumps right back in and is fun and frothy while still providing a good plot. Eleanor is particularly tart and we get a chance to see the cracks in everyone’s foundation.

“It was the most in tune we’d been in weeks; such a small, perfect moment, one that I knew even then to hold close to my heart for the times when everything around us would get darker.”

“So it was a test. I thought maybe you were just being petty!”
“They are not mutually exclusive.”

This follow up to The Royal We is about What Comes After. When the book opens, Bex and Nick are on the run, hiding from the fallout of the scandal that broke on their wedding day, and threatens to break the family. I couldn't help comparing what happens in these books with the real story of William and Kate, and in this case, it feels like the authors are also inspired by Harry and Meghan. The similarity stops when the runaway couple are summoned back to the fold because of a health crisis, and then their relationship begins to be truly tested. As in the first book, this is where this book becomes a Romance. The up and down, the will-they-or-won't-they, with the constant threat of exposure by the press, but with an undercurrent of show more passion and devotion. They just have to get over themselves to let it all work out. Eventually, a bombshell family secret ends up trumping all the other crap, and the family (and the couple) bond over something that should have torn them apart. I found this a little less crisp and clever than the first book, but that's to be expected in a sequel, especially one in which the romance evolves from youthful discovery to mature family matters. I am a sucker for any fiction that offers a glimpse behind the curtain, and this definitely contains some plot points that make me hope that is how royal families actually are. show less

On my reading list forever and moved to the front with the passing of the Queen. I had no idea that there’s a vague subplot around royal funerals.

Mix of audio and reading - listened to a huge Chuck during a 3 hour solo long run and it was perfect for that.

I could barely remember the original book and was expecting this to be a stand alone about Freddie/Harry but it was really a continuation of Bex and Nick and the early years of their married life. There’s much more plot and intrigue here than expected and o think it’s better for it not being just another romance. I am also a longtime fan of The Fug Girls so I enjoyed seeing them shine through in some of the details like the fake Max & Wax, all the attention to baseball, the show more bake off, and the occasional mention of blue suits and lame shoes. show less