*** ARC provided by netgalley for a free review***
I’ve waited 5 long years to see what happens to Bex and Nick. I was not disappointed. The relationships that Bex’s builds with her family and Nicks is something kinda beautiful. It’s a good read. If you like romance of any kind this book and it’s predecessor are for you.

The Heir Affair, a true sequel of The Royal We, picks up right after the disastrous wedding of Nick and Bex. This novel takes the reader on a journey through the inner workings of a royal family, what happens when a generation of secrets threatens to change all of history, and how to move on from past familial hurts.

The first half of this book was difficult for me to grasp - I wish there was more summary at the beginning, as I had a hard time keeping up with the minor characters. And the tension between the core three made me incredibly frustrated. But I did really enjoy the last half; the relationship between Bex and Eleanor was heartwarming to read, and the struggles Bex and Nick went through brought them together in a way we hadn't seen before.

This book is not a light, easy read. It is complicated, emotional, and deep in ways you don't necessarily expect. But in the end, I was happy with how Nick and Bex's story played out.

TW: infertility, miscarriage, grief from losing a parent.

This follow-up to The Royal We is a surprisingly poignant look at what happens just after the fairy-tale wedding. American Rebecca Porter married Prince Nicholas at the end of The Royal We, in spite of the complications created by Bex kissing Nick's brother Freddie.

But in The Heir Affair, Bex and Nick have to still negotiate the angry British public, and the fraught relationship between the brothers, as they try to maintain their happily-ever-after.

This is a title for sheer escapism.  It is a follow up to the author's earlier novel, The Royal We, the first story about Bex and the prince with whom she falls in love.  In this title, which seems to have some similarities with stories in the British press, the newlyweds have decamped in order to protect their relationship.  (a bit like Harry and Megan?) What happens when they must return to London?  What will be the fallout in their relationships with other members of the Royal Family?  Will their own relationship emerge as a strong one? Read this sequel to find out.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

A story of loyalty, steadfastness, and the things people will do out of duty. The Heir Affair is the sequel to The Royal We but in my opinion you do not have to have read the first one to understand the second, even though I’ve read both.

The Heir Affair continues to follow Rebecca (Bex), a former American, and Nick, who is in line for the throne as King of England, after their scandalous wedding and into married life, all with a shadow of drama around them. Can they stay together? And what about the Queen? Can she accept Bex? How far will Bex and Nick have to go to secure themselves in the eyes of each other and in the eyes of the Crown?

I love the characters and think they’re developed quite well. But so much of the book feels... like too much? There are certain incredible relationships that develop that had me smiling and I’ll confess once I hit the 80% mark I could not put it down and stayed up far past my bedtime. However, my biggest complaint is that it took me so long to get thru it! I kept feeling like there was too much detail. I feel like 100 pages or 20% could have been cut from the story to make it more enjoyable and more of a “page turner.”

These authors know their Royal drama well. So well, that much of it seems to mimic the real Royals in part. Be sure to read their acknowledgements at the end.

If you love the Royal family (and big books) you will love The Heir Affair.

3.5 stars only because of the length and the too much added detail.

I wanted to love this book. I very much enjoyed The Royal We however The Heir Affair is a little dull. I struggled to remember the side characters. I wish the authors had caught us up quickly. This is a better read for someone who goes straight from the first book to this one. I struggled to finish it.

"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 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."

For your "royals" fix now that Harry and Meghan are off living the L.A. life.

When I read The Royal We I instantly fell in love with the novel. It felt like exquisitely written William/Kate fanfiction that put me through all the emotions: delighting me with candid moments of Oxonian hijinks and making me ache with sympathy. Learning that there would be a sequel and that I’d have the opportunity to review it was so exciting. Be warned, there are probably going to be spoilers for The Royal We in this review.

The novel opens approximately three weeks after the end of The Royal We with Nick and Rebecca lying low after their scandal breaks and contemplating never coming back, but a family emergency pulls them out of their bubble and thrusts them back into the real world, which was not on pause while the royal couple hid. Apart from the expected castigation of the press and the Firm, Nick and Bex struggle to find their place in what seems to be an entirely new world order where everyone’s problems have grown up beyond who slept with whom (or didn’t)..

The writing and the characters still feel as real and completely realized as they were in the first book, with the passage of time and certain momentous events having the sort of effect that they ought to, but Bex’s story really feels like it’s on hold for much of the first quarter of the book, which is a bit of a disappointment, and I kept hoping her obsession with the former occupant of her home won’t prove to be a historical parallel to her own situation, because I’ve never been fond of “two remarkable women bound across the centuries”-type stories. To avoid spoilers I’ll say no more on that count.

Cocks and Morgan once again manage to skillfully convey what a relationship under duress looks and feels like, writing Bex’s emotional turmoil at her relationship and her role in the world so that readers who will never marry princes can still sympathize with her. Similarly, the importance of self-determination and caring for one’s own mental health is a major topic this time around. Throughout it all, though, is a streak of humor and hope that makes each page turn irresistible, not to mention the way the stakes keep getting raised higher and higher, just brushing against implausibility but never becoming ridiculous.

The Heir Affair is a clever, thought-provoking, emotional ride that sits a little heavier than its prequel, but is deeply satisfying.

The much-awaited sequel to The Royal We shows that even the royal family deals with a lot of the same difficult issues we all do. While the Royal We was fast-paced and sexy, The Heir Affair gives a closer and more intimate look into the lives of the new Duke and Duchess Nicholas and Rebecca navigating their relationship and their families, learning how to be true to themselves while also trying to be the perfect couple for the press. Thoughtful, intriguing, and heartwarming, this was a fantastic follow-up from Cocks and Morgan.

I have… thoughts.

First of all, thank you very VERY much to Netgalley and to Grand Central Publishing for gifting me with an ARC of this book.

I enjoyed The Royal We very much and I’m happy to say my main “quibble” with that book – that it wasn’t funny enough (my God, what a nitpicker) – has been completely rectified. This book was a hoot.

BUUUUUUUUUUT. Maybe I’m just tired of drama? Tired of all the unnecessary drama in national and world politics, tired of all the ridiculous drama in my daily life, sick and tired of being sick and tired, as the saying goes. And The Heir Affair had drama IN SPADES.

Loved the Eleanor plotline (shout out to Twitter Queen Marta). And I loved that Bex made some serious friendship strides with the secondary cast, not to mention her sister. Seriously, the secondary characters really made the book shine for me. I was completely hooked on the Georgina story line.

Nick and Bex, though, disappointed me. Where was the ZING? The romance from the first book? I felt a connection between them, all right, but it was the most friendliest friendship connection of all time.


…ok, they had sex a few times, but all that sizzling chemistry from The Royal We faded down to dead air, like a three-hour-old plate of Chili’s fajitas. It was so sad to me that more often than not they were at odds, or worse yet, not even speaking. So long, fairytale romance :(

Meanwhile, Freddie... oh, man. Just when I thought he’d been tortured to the max, an absolute bomb got dropped.


I finished the book – let’s be real, I TORE through this book at top speed – but I was of the opinion that That Plotline* took things too far. I think the book would have had a really powerful emotional impact without it, considering everything else going on, and adding that in was a step too far. It wasn’t necessary, and it broke my heart for the characters involved.

I guess I just wished the book was a little less drama-heavy. Enough stuff is going on right now in the world that a nice escapist little love story was just what I needed… but don’t look for that here. This one is more Maury Povich-style. I’m sure this will really hit the spot for most people! It just wasn’t quiiiiiiite what I had hoped for. :(

Also, side-rant, but COME ON, Clive gets NO PUNISHMENT AT ALL? I call BS. Unacceptable.

Again, thank you to NetGalley & Grand Central Publishing. An honest review was requested (and duly produced!) but not required.

*I will amend my review post-publication, with spoiler tags, to include what I’m talking about but I don’t want to ruin the story for anyone before it’s even been published.

3.5 I liked the first one better. It took a little while for the book to find its groove but when it did it was a page turner. In the beginning Bex and Nick were just unlikeable, and maybe that was the point. I am still not sure how I feel about the ending. It was great to see the secondary character as they all have great personalities.

This is the sequel to the Royal We that I read back in 2015 (Thanks Goodreads for helping me remember when). First of all, since it had been so long since I had read the Royal We, I had forgotten some of what happened. I had to go back and reread parts of the book to help me remember what had happened to set the stage for this next book. Once I got caught up, I carried on. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so I will keep it vague. I enjoyed reading about Nick and Bex again. It was nice to see what happened after the wedding. There was lots of Royal drama and scandals. Parts of this book were just heavier then I thought it would be. I was anticipating a lighter read. Also, parts of the story dragged and seemed to go on and on. On the plus side, most of the book had me wanting to see what would happen next and you could definitely see the characters grow and develop. Overall it is ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️!

After the tumultuous Royal Wedding That Was, Bex and Nick are in hiding. Hiding from the angry public, who feel betrayed by Bex the Scoundrel, and hiding from the wrath of the Queen. But you can't run from your family, and you can't run forever, and so Bex and Nick slap a band-aid on their fragile romance and start their return to public life. Can they make it? Do they even want to?

While I adored The Royal We, I liked this one even better!!

Bex is forced to adapt to her out and open relationship with Nick and handling the aftermath of the previous book's revelations, and she discovers what it means to be a royal Duchess who has royally pissed off the queen.

Speaking of Eleanor, she really took the lead in this book. Once again, Bex's relationship with Nick falls to the backside (while paradoxically being at the forefront?) as she and the Queen begin what has got to be the weirdest relationship in the entire world. I loved it, and I loved Eleanor, despite her being...well, the Queen of England and absolutely one of the Worst People in the Word.

And I loved how Bex handled her relationship with Eleanor—that silent stand-off was fucking hilarious. The brass balls of reading a Playboy magazine and clicking a pen for fifteen minutes straight in the presence of the Queen of England is just...wow.

Anywho, in this one Bex navigates life as a Duchess, with the help of her friends—her friends whose trust she needs to win back after the secrets of the first book. I still love Gaz (who is just precious), but Lady Bollocks takes the win in this book. She's just utterly fantastic, and I love how ruthless and competent she is in keeping everything together. Binders upon binders upon binders.

Upon returning from self-imposed exile, Bex and Nick are given Eleanor's late sister's suites to live in. Georgina's life is an allegory for Princess Margaret, and she's depicted as a hoarder, partier and heavy smoker...who also has an illicit Sex Den basement hidden in her closet. But there is more to Georgina than Bex ever imagined, and as she and Nick go through the late princess's many possessions, they begin to realize that the Royal Family's royal secrets are darker than they ever could have imagined.

So that's a super cryptic way of putting it, but I really don't want to give any more spoilers away.

Shit goes dooooooooown.

Let's just say that this one tugged my heartstrings in multiple directions, that I still want to kill Clive, that Freddie is always and forever #1, and that I am ride or die for @KingIdrisEbla.

Oh, and go Cubs!

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable sequel to the authors's previous book "The Royal We." The story follows Bex, an American woman who joins England's Royal Family by marrying Nick, the queen's grandson and eventual heir to the throne. The story begins just after their wedding, and readers definitely need to have read the first book before starting this one. Whereas "The Royal We" portrayed Bex and Nick's romance and her rocky adjustment to royal life, "The Heir Affair" focuses on the line of succession, Queen Eleanor's past with her late sister Georgina, and the pressure on Bex and Nick to start a family. Nick's brother Freddie is also a major part of the story, and his character and plotline were my favorite part of the book. The pacing is very slow and doesn't match the lighter content of the book, and it took me a while to get into it; I think the early sections could have been shorter. Most of the action happens towards the last third of the book, and becomes more of a soap opera than I was expecting.

"The Heir Affair" has a witty, gossipy style that will appeal to romantic comedy fans or those that follow the latest news about the current English Royal Family, particularly the parallels to William and Kate.

*I was provided an #arc of #TheHeirAffair by @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
From the moment I heard that The Royal We was getting a sequel I was bouncing up and down in my seat. I loved The Royal We *so* much more than I could have ever imagined, and I am thrilled to report that Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan did it again.

The Heir Affair picks up right where The Royal We Left off, with Bex and Nick hiding out after their wedding trying to figure out how to deal with (but mostly avoiding) the repercussions of the scandal. Like The Royal We, The Heir Affair spans several years and a LOT happens (and the legnth of the book reflects that).

At first, I definitely thought I liked The Royal We more (which I think is totally normal with sequels because that feeling of meeting characters you love for the first time is gone) and The Heir Affair felt different and strange, but once I finished the book I realized that the characters were growing up and the sequel reflected that beauty. This book did such a great job developing Bex, Nick, and Freddie’s characters as they go on to face even deeper challenges with family, identity, trust, and forgiveness. I loved watching them as adults and, while some of the plot lines did not interest me as much, the relationship(s) between Bex, Nick, and Freddie were portrayed in that same honest and raw , albeit complicated, as in the first book.

I wouldn’t be surprised and definitely wouldn’t mind if we saw a third installment. Thanks again, Netgalley!

In this follow-up book to "The Royal We" Rebecca "Bex" and her husband Prince Nicholas go on the run after the supposed scandal that was leaked to the press nearly ruined their wedding. But when they are forced to give up and go back and face the music, they realize that no matter how far you run from your problems, they will still be there waiting for you when you return.
I really enjoyed "The Royal We" so I was looking forward to this one. If you haven't read that one, I would definitely suggest you read it first. This one was not the light, fun romance that the first book was. This one dealt with more serious matters like fertility problems & all of the sruggles that go along with that. It was a much longer book, also. At times I felt like I would never get to the end. But I did enjoy it, and it was easy to compare the characters in the book to the actual Royal Family since there were so many similarities. it is not a quick read, but it is an enjoyable one.

What a weird royal saga with a pragmatic point of view on relationships, gives in to the British stereotypes. I think I expected more of a sweeping romance with both of these books in the series. What we get is a juicy look into what is theorized what being a royal is like. There's a fun aspect to it when you try to connect real life tabloid headlines with the direction the book took on the characters plot points. The actual romance was a hard look into rebuilding a relationship while being a royal, spoiler alert, it's hard. Bet and Nick are reeling from the fallout of their wedding and the reveal about Freddie. That was the hardest part to read, it was excruciating to have them try to put band aid after band aid on it and eventually it blew up in their faces and then took a decidedly very odd turn. The heir affair speaks to baby bump watch and it gets a little dark here. I'm glad they took an honest look at infertility and baby expectations but then it got too weird and outlandish. I think what saves this book for me is the authenticity of the characters and all of the wonderfully delightful side characters. They breathe so much life and levity to a heavy book. I loved reading about Bea, Gemma, Cilla, Gar Eleanor, Agatha, Lacey, etc. IT actually takes a village to get us to the end of the together and much like the first in the series it drops us off in a nice but unfulfilling place.

The Heir Affair is another knockout by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan. After I read The Royal We, I could not wait for more of the story with Bex, Nick, and Freddie. This delivered and was compelling. A little long winded in some parts but overall I couldn't put it down and needed to know what happens next! We are in a pandemic, so I appreciated the extra length but it could have been a little shorter.

"The Heir Affair" is the sequel to "The Royal We." I was a HUGE fan of The Royal We, reading and devouring the audiobook version. The characters maintain their authentic voices, real emotions, and are very relatable. This book has a less overarching romantic tone and deals with much more serious life and family issues. I found the book overall enjoyable but a little heavier than "The Royal We." Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to friends, family, and patrons of the library.

I finished The Heir Affair the first week of June and it’s taken me forever to write a review! I loved this sequel to The Royal We but not as much as the first one of course!⠀
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I was provided an #arc of #TheHeirAffair by @netgalley so thank you for this! I absolutely loved the book.⠀
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The Heir Affair takes place right after the end of The Royal We and follows the Royal couple through their first few years of marriage. It’s difficult work adjusting to royalty and the public eye, as well as being married and this was so perfectly communicated through the story. These authors are a super duo and this was a perfect continuation and wrap up of Nick and Bex’s story.⠀
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I also love these books because I feel like I know a *tiny* bit of what it’s like to be a princess and in the public eye. It’s so fascinating seeing how the Royal family works and even though it’s fiction!
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My six word review:⠀
It’s like having the inside scoop!⠀
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The Royal We was 5 stars and I loved The Heir Affair but because I was comparing it to book one, The Heir Affair is ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars!

CW: infertility, miscarriage, TTC