Making it up the aisle was the easy part: Rebecca “Bex” Porter must survive her own scandals and adjust to royal British life in this “timely and positively delicious” follow-up to The Royal We that’s “just as fun, charming, and delightful as the first” (Taylor Jenkins Reid)After a scandalous secret turns their fairy-tale wedding into a nightmare, Rebecca “Bex” Porter and her husband Prince … 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.
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This was a fun sequel to a book I loved, THE ROYAL WE. Though I do think the romantic chase of the first was more gripping than the what-happens-after-I-do in this one. Still, with family tensions and royal pressures, the authors wrote a page-turner that has me hoping for a third.
I loved the first book of this series and was so excited to discover there was a continuation of the story.
This story didn’t disappoint. It was great, with a fantastic mix of humor, sadness, and so much heart. Also, wow, what a twist!
The Heir Affair (Royal We, #2) by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan did not start off as promising as I would have hoped, but it quickly picked up speed and I could barely stop listening. I had it playing whenever I had an available moment, it was that engrossing. I loved the continuation of Bex and Nick’s love story, it had lots of juicy bits and even a snippet of a twist thrown in that was completely unexpected and added a whole extra level of drama. This is the second in the series and I suppose one could read just this one, but I would highly recommend reading The Royal We (book #1) first because there is so much backstory that would be missed out on by skipping it. Reading the pair makes the continuing story in The Heir Affair that much richer. If you are looking for an intriguing end-of-the-summer, still a bit in lockdown read, then look no further than The Royal We & The Heir Affair.
The Heir Affair is the sequel to The Royal We. The story picks up right where The Royal We ends. We last saw our couple Bex and Nick as they got married and were being shunned by England when their “frenemy” Clive reported of a love triangle between Bex, Nick, and Nick’s brother, Prince Freddie. When the Royal Family is appalled by the news, Nick and Bex flee London and hide away to avoid backlash from the press and the public eye. This “vacation” does not last long, of course, before Nick and Bex are back in England and expected to perform their Royal Duties.
The story continue to follow Bex and Nick as the face real relationship problems their first year of marriage, balance their Royal duties, become homeowners, and more. We also get to continue to see some of our favorite characters from the first novel like Bex’s sister, Lacey, Lady Bollocks aka Bea, Prince Freddie, and her Royal Highness herself, the Queen.
The Heir Affair leave you wanting more and hoping for a third installment! At this time, there isn’t one of the works but.. miracles happen!! I highly recommend this if you enjoyed The Royal We, other Royal type books, or if you are looking for a cute romance series!
Much like its predecessor The Royal We, it’s funny but not fluffy, smart but not too serious, jam-packed with wonderful characters, and constantly surprising the reader with situations that have no easy answers. A really wonderful story. Maybe not for you if you’re looking for a light romance, or if you haven’t yet read The Royal We, but otherwise, definitely put it on your TBR.
A rare time when the sequel is better than then original
Couldn’t put this book down!
Enjoyable easy read…
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.
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars
You know how when you watch the sequel to a movie you absolutely loved and you go into it thinking, this is going to be just like the first one! And then you’re disappointed for absolutely no reason at all because, all and all, it’s really still quite a good movie?
Think Legally Blonde and Legally Blonde 2.
That’s the feeling The Heir Affair left me with. It was good. And fine and just…meh? It felt a bit too long and a bit too whiny, but I seem to remember a few sections of The Royal We feeling like that as well, especially towards the end.
The Heir Affair picks up exactly where The Royal We left off and goes thru a few twists and turns to an all-out shocker of an ending. Reader beware: this book should come with a trigger warning for infertility issues. The author(s) did a fine job with it, but it is there, in all of it’s gut-wrenching and heart-breaking nastiness. I say this with the utmost respect. I have been there. We tried for 5 years (off and on) before finally succeeding.
All this to say, my very favorite part of this book was Her Majesty Herself. While she was kind of a shit…I too am a shit, and loved her snobbery throughout.
This is worth the read if you read The Royal We and loved it but it is absolutely not a stand-alone so if you’re looking for a royal romance, start with The Royal We. You could stop there and live your life happily or, pick up The Heir Affair to find out what happens next. It’s a perfectly okay book.
The perfect, dishy, fun summer read will make you wondering if the authors are actually psychic–their royal romp feels like it is ripped from recent headlines! Such a delight!
Heir Affair begins where The Royal We leaves off. All is not well in the House of Lyons. Bex and Nick’s rebellion outs decades worth of secrets even as they begin building new ones. I found Eleanor to be the highlight of the second-half, but even her rabid love of the Cubs couldn’t save the overall narrative for me.
CW: miscarriage, cheating, death of supporting character, stroke
At long last we have a sequel to The Royal We!
We were left off wondering what happened with Nick and Bex after the whole douche bag Clive thing revealing something scandalous. When we pick up the book we are still left wondering what happened. we do know the scandal was revealed but how did it actually go down. we dont know what really played out until later on in the book.
A pet peeve of mine that the last book had was it had five parts in the book where so much potential could have been written. The Heir Affair is the same way but this time around not so much of a time lapse between parts.
I am really hoping the author duo makes book three. it didnt leave the reader on a cliff hanger but i really enjoyed the story of Nick and Bex. Plus you get so many more scandals, secrets, shocks, and tears in book two.
Beguiling, entertaining, and delightfully scandalous!
The Heir Affair is a charming, spirited, amusing tale that picks up right where The Royal We left off taking us back into the lives of Bex, Nick and the whole royal crew, including newcomer Princess Daphne of Holland, as the gang faces a new round of challenges including illnesses, pregnancies, infertility, weddings, scandals, and long-buried secrets.
The prose is lighthearted and fun. The characters are charismatic, eccentric, and lovable. And the plot is a playful romp of all the hopes, dreams, goals, heartbreak, family, romance, struggles, sacrifices, fears, politics, and entangled relationships involved with being part of a monarchy.
Overall, The Heir Affair is a winsome, compelling, clever addition to the Royal We series by Cocks and Morgan that leaves you feeling fulfilled and satisfied but undoubtedly eager for more.
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!
Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC for an honest review.
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.
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!
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 right up after the final events of The Royal We! I loved The Royal We and knew it needed a sequel or a few! I feel the characters make this book fantastic! Bex and Nick are now married and living life on the lam but the palace calls them home. There they must face the consequences of their actions. The Heir Affair deals with more secrets in the royal family, the queen’s health, and Bex, Nick, and Freddie trying to get back to normal after the what happened in The Royal We. I really enjoyed this book and as I said earlier, the characters make this fantastic. I love Queen Eleanor and her dealings with Bex, Freddie, Gaz, and Lacey round out the cast my favorites. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and is it too early to beg for a 3rd book in this incredible series? I received an advanced readers copy from Grand Central Publishing and all opinions are my own.
Buckle up for interesting read!
I just finished The Heir Affair and I’m still shaking my head because the story went in a direction that I wasn’t expecting but it was an amazing story reading all 460 pages. It starts with Bex and Nick laying low after the disaster of a wedding but then it starts back up with Bex trying to find her place in the royal family.
The Heir Affair is the sequel to the Royal We and I was able to read both books in succession and I thought that the authors almost had a time machine because of what has happened with the British royal family. They have taken a plot twist and made this book an interesting read so buckle up and enjoy!
I want to thank Grand Central Publishing for giving me an ARC of the book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.