Super satisfying sequel to The Royal We, a book I've been recommending for years. Who can beat the winning combination of the monarchy and the Cubs??

Knowing that this book was being released caused me to read "The Royal We". It was fun reading both books in succession. The Heir Affair mirrored current headlines in the UK. The twins were also perfect foils for the princes. I will definitely recommend this pair of books. Hoping there is a third book in the series,

Unfortunately this one was very slow for me and I had such a hard time getting into it. I ended up DNF-ing. I will definitely try picking it up again at a later date, as I truly loved The Royal We. It may just have been this pandemic and my mood.

Well that Cinderella wedding didn’t exactly go as planned. After a scandalous rumor turned her wedding into a nightmare, Rebecca “Bex” Porter and her husband Prince Nicholas, escaped under cover to wait out the scandal and attempt a semi-normal honeymoon. When duty forces this new Duke and Duchess back into England, they find there are even more scandals left to uncover. So much for happily ever after...

While drama and intrigue keep the reader interested, I actually find the character development and more mundane moments the real winners of this book and series. I truly appreciate how Cocks and Morgan pace these stories to allow for humor and humanity amidst the regalia and suspense. From watching baseball with the Queen, to a heart wrenchingly honest discussion of infertility issues, to sneaking into a baking competition in terrible wigs, it’s the warm moments amidst friends and families that had me rooting for these royals.

I loved The Royal We when I read it a few years ago and I was patiently waiting for this sequel! I loved it so much! The story begins right were it left off after the wedding of Bex and Nick. They are on their honeymoon away from the paparazzi when they are beckon back to royal life because the queen has had a stroke.
The book mostly goes on about how Bex gets situated in royal life and how she tries to still have the life she wants despite always being in the public eye. I love reading about Bex, Nick and Freddie so much. They are the perfect trio win my opinion, although I did feel bad for Freddie because you can tell he still had feelings for Bex.
Overall, this was a perfect sequel to the first book and I hope that there is another book in the works!

I loved this sequel as much as the first book, maybe even more! There are times when I was laughing out loud, the dialogue is creative and witty. I also appreciated how the author delved into so many family issues, the relationship that developed between Bex and the queen was one of my favorites.

I did not realize how much I missed our crazy and fun crew until I started reading The Heir Affair. Full of the witty banter that we love and drama fit for the Royals, this sequel did not disappoint.

Of course I will always swoon over Bex and Nick and their adorable relationship. But what I really loved with this book was getting to know Eleanor a little more and watching her relationship develop with Bex. I particularly love the conversations between Bex, Eleanor, and Marta; multiple generations in one room providing the type of comical relief that one can only hope the actual Royal family might partake in.

I seriously could not put this book down and when it ended, I was ready to pick up the sequel to the sequel. I hope that with the dynamic writing of Cocks and Morgan, we will be seeing more of our favorite Royals.

This is the long-awaited follow up to THE ROYAL WE (inspired by Prince William & Princess Kate). It was so fun to dive back into this world, which is utterly engrossing, fascinating and super dishy. This time, Bex and Nicholas navigate the repercussions of their scandalous wedding, plus they uncover secrets that shake the foundation of the family. Great Audible listen.

The Heir Affair picks up with The Royal We left off, so if you haven't read The Royal We yet, you'll want to read that before reading this one or you'll be totally lost, and will be missing a lot of context. 

I was excited to jump back into the world Bex, Nick, Freddie, and their friends. The first book ended on a note that left the ending open for readers to use their imagination, but also left it closed enough to where a sequel wasn't necessary, so I was very excited to learn there was a sequel coming out. 

While The Royal We was filled with lighthearted romance and friendship with a little drama thrown in, The Heir Affair felt the opposite. Overall, the sequel took a darker turn, and focused more on family drama, strained relationships, and marital hurdles. I really felt for Bex, as it seemed like she couldn't catch a break. While that was not what I expected going into the book, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Based on the way things ended in book one, it was to be expected that things wouldn't be totally peachy-keen in book two. That said, it felt like the book could have been a little bit shorter. Some of the main plot points seemed to stretch on a little too long, and could have been resolved in a quicker, more concise manner, while still getting the same emotions across to the reader. 

That said, I still enjoyed The Heir Affair as a nice summer read, and would recommend this to anyone who read and enjoyed the first book. If you haven't read the first book, but are interested in the Royal Family and their relationships, definitely pick this series up! I ended up rating this one 4 stars.

I could not get into this one, and I made it halfway through. I wasn't invested enough in the characters, even though I read and loved The Royal We. The Heir Affair moved too slow for me to gain any momentum. Maybe I'll return to it later, but for now I'm putting it aside.

Nick and Bex, "forged in fire, fiercely in love."

I think I enjoyed The Heir Affair even more than The Royal We, both of them were 5 star reads for me.

Nick and Bex, scrambling after their less than idyllic wedding, are hiding out as Margot and Steve. Escaping the spotlight, they run off to Ireland to decompress and focus on each other. When they finally return to England, everything has changed. Eleanor has been hospitalized, Freddy is the go-to man for Richard, and they are forced to relive all of that pre-wedding drama.

I loved the character growth with really all of the main players. One of my favorite relationships that developed was the one between Bex and Eleanor. Some of Eleanor's snarky retorts had me cracking up throughout the book. Also, I have to mention that Christine Lakin narrates this sequel as well and she did such a fantastic job!

The Heir Affair, sequel to 2015's acknowledged Will and Kate fanfiction The Royal We, is shockingly raw and somber.

People Magazine called one of my most depressing reads in a long time “fun and dishy.” Entertainment Weekly called it a “fun, frothy imagining” and “a breezy, juicy novel that’s like The Princess Diaries with fewer made-up countries and more sex.”

Most Goodread reviews of The Royal We hit the same beats: fun, funny, upbeat, a little silly, romantic, self-indulgent, and above all, CUTE. Pure escapism. The book’s fault, perhaps, is too much frivolous, unrealistic fantasy. The most prominent negative reviews (including by the fabulous Emily May) mostly slam it for being boring.

Based on this response, the last thing I expected was to find this book TOO real. Too grounded in deep, honest emotion. Too depressingly pragmatic.

Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan certainly have the knowledge to make this book as real as possible. The real-life royals are a mainstay on Go Fug Yourself, their delicious yet compassionate celebrity fashion blog.

You can definitely see the influence. We get a few fun details of the absurd new demands of Bex’s life--armpit botox, and weighted skirts--but that’s all. The book spends little time on silly palace-exploring or honeymoon-planning. Instead, we get a slow-moving, intimate portrait of isolation.

The book starts as a fun (if a little bland) girl-meets-prince. Studying abroad at Oxford for a semester, American Bex Porter meets Nick, future King.

This is where things really sour. All Bex’s support networks disappear. Sometimes The Firm cuts off a relationship, sometimes Bex and her friends are dumb or selfish, and sometimes stuff just happens thats out of anyone’s control.

The end result is that Bex has just been thrust into a new, terrifying life, with almost no support. She is eviscerated by the press and disdained by many of the royals. Her new position is poison to her friendships. Even her husband-to-be, who is dealing with his own problems, isn’t really there for her at all.

We get to know three characters (Bex, her prince, and said prince’s little brother) who feel they don’t have anyone to talk to--not even one another. They fall into self-destructive choices, selfishness and self-pity, and deep depression.

And then… that’s about it. While threads of plot are mostly resolved, this emotional story never gets a real conclusion. Bex simply drifts into the end of the book, trapped in toxic relationships and unable to see what really went wrong.

I turned immediately to the sequel, released earlier this month, hoping it would recapture some of the magic the first third of The Royal We hinted at. But The Heir Affair only doubled down on the gut-wrenching misery of the first. Things only get worse--and why wouldn’t they, when

I spent the book begging these characters to get couple’s counseling. What is therapy for, if not this? But none of the characters seemed willing to do anything about their broken relationships. Our main characters, Bex and Nick, simply drifted through the book, letting events happen to them. Passive and helpless, Bex is more of a Snow White than the spunky, modern princess I was promised.

I just can’t reconcile the books I read with the breezy, dishy novel other people seem to have read. I know that people respond to books in all sorts of different ways, and usually that doesn’t faze me at all. But this time… I feel sort of gaslit. Did I forget how to read a book properly? Is my copy a completely different story than everyone else’s? Am I majorly projecting?

Maybe this was the wrong book to read during covid lockdown. I don’t need stories about people feeling alone right now.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance reading copy of this title at no charge. All opinions are my own.

“It’s unrealistic to expect to find peace in the arms of someone else if you can’t find it within yourself.”

The Heir Affair picks up right where The Royal We left off, with Nick and Bex dealing with the aftermath of their wedding and the stories about Bex and Freddie. Honestly, I had to remind myself what happened in book 1, but then I quickly fell back into things. Once again I loved the story that was fully of juicy drama and just thoroughly entertaining. I really enjoyed seeing Bex’s relationship with Eleanor evolve.

One of the things I really appreciated about this book is that Bex and Nick’s relationship wasn’t some perfect fairy tale. They deal with a LOT in this book. After finishing the book, though, I still feel like I don’t really know Nick all that well as a character, which at times made it hard for me to want to root for him and Bex, especially when I feel like we know Freddie so much better. Anyone else want Freddie to get his own book next?

4.5/5 stars

Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy.

I am a sucker for a good royals romance. The cover was gorgeous and reminded me of a certain royal family making headlines. Overall, the story was fun to read and it was simple. I love the magic of royals and this series.

This book was just like book 1 but with more drama. Though I don’t know this became an entanglement? A love triangle? The only love I acknowledge here was Bex and Nick. All other relationships were flirtations at best and some attention seeking jealousy but not abiding love.

Nick and Bex being this sequel in seclusion as married people trying to navigate their relationships with each other, their siblings, their parents AND the monarchy. I found all of that stressful especially the Queen. I will admit that I never quite warmed to Eleanor but I was amused at certain
things in the book as she finally deigned to get to know the woman her grandson loves and possible future Queen.

Nick and Bex were my highlight. They were a loving team and I was so happy that they got to a place where they really love each other. They had grown and this journey was their learning how to balance their marriage with the expectations of others as well as how to find boundaries to all the forces pulling at them.

I was a bit confused with Freddie because I loved him in book 1 but here I found him having revisionist history with both Nick and with Bex. I do love that Bex and her sister got to a good place with their sisterhood since that was what I had wanted them to mend in book 1. I am glad that Freddie is coming out of Nick’s shadow. It is good for him and they will be able to meet each other as equals in the future.

I would love it if the authors could shorten these stories because it felt long just like book 1. It began dragging especially when I felt like the Bex and Freddie thing wasn’t authentic. Still, this felt like I was getting an insider tale from the real family and it was juicy.

If you love stories about The English monarchy, then you should dive into this one. It had all of that intrigue, secrets, traditions and romance.

The Heir Affair picks up right where The Royal We ended. Nick and Bex have just been married amidst the torrential gossip and scandal caused by Bex and Nick’s brother Freddie. It follows them through their married life, moving into the house of the Queen’s late sister, dealing with the pressures of providing an heir to the crown, etc. There was a lot of drama in this book similar to the first one in the series, but slightly more muted and serious.

This book is similar in style to The Royal We, except it is mostly all present tense, where The Royal We starts at the end and then introduces us to the story. I liked the format of the sequel more, and have grown to love some of these characters, especially the Queen and Freddie.

I still wasn’t fully sold on the character of Nick, or the romance and love between him and Bex. The side characters didn’t get quite enough time to shine in my opinion, but that could be a product of me not really enjoying our heroine. Bex frustrated me in this book and personally I found her to be really selfish and bothersome. I wish she’d been given more of a personal passion.

If you like dishy, drama infused romance, or you’re a big fan of celeb/royal gossip, this book would probably be more enjoyable to you. To be fair I am not someone who has followed the English royals, so I came at this series from a pretty blank canvas. I imagine for people who are more invested in the lives of the royals, this would be more fun. Also if you liked the first you’re sure to like this one.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I could not wait to read the sequel to The Royal We. The first book in this series is one of my favorites, and a book I've read more times than I could count. I had high hopes for The Heir Affair, but it just wasn't as good as the first book. It's still a great book, but it was very slow, and I was not really on board with the weird twist.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After reading the first one, I was super excited about this follow up. I thought it was going to be focused on Freddy's love story like Harry and Megan, but it wasn't. It takes place about 2 months after the events of the ending of the first book and I couldn't help but feel that Bex and Nick were just making the same mistakes over and over again. I was like "did you not learn anything from the last book?" I forced myself to finish to see how this was going to wrap up.

There were tears shed by me and some laughter (The Queen cracked me up every time she came into the scene because it reminded me of my grandmother devastatingly shadey with no F*'s left to give) So it helped me get through it. It also delved into a bit of the Queen's history regarding choices that were made for her and the choices she made to move forward which I found interesting.

Unfortunately this was DNF for me. It was too long. i don't think we needed a sequel. i really loved The Royal We but for some reason this was not as good.

I always knew that this wouldn't be as good as The Royal We so I didn't have high expectations. I did enjoy getting to being back in the world of Bex, Nick, and Freddie. Although part of me was always hoping for Bex and Freddie to get together. I just kind of expected more from this novel that I waited so anxiously for.