I wanted to love this book. I was OBSESSED with The Royal We, Nick, Bex, and Freddie. But in the end, I just felt like it was entirely too long. So many parts seemed unnecessary such as the whole Clive story line. I know it was part of the first book but it just didn't need as much focus. I think my favorite part of the story was the actual end when they revealed the names of the twin girls. It might just be that I share a name with one of them.

This book picks up right where the last one left off. Bex and Nick are hiding out after the drama of their wedding until they get called back to their duties. When back in London, they have to address the mess they left behind as well as what this means for their future with their familial relationships and with their country.

Prior to reading this book, I did re-read The Royal We so that I could start The Heir Affair knowing exactly what happened. I initially read The Royal We 5 years ago, so when I re-read it there was a lot that I had completely forgotten about. I remembered a lot of what happened vaguely, but there were some bigger plot points I forgot. Since this is a sequel, I will warn about spoilers because I will be talking about things that happen in the first book that pertain to the second.

The Royal We ended with Nick finding out that his brother Freddie had kissed his fiancé Bex and asked her to leave Nick and run away. Nick and Bex get married anyway and as they are getting married, news about the “affair” breaks. When Bex and Nick come back from running away, Nick and Bex continue to struggle with their relationship as well as how to handle Freddie.

What I love about these stories is how they are coincidentally similar to events that have happened in real life. For example, an American marrying a prince prior to Meghan Markel marrying Prince Harry. However, because of these similarities, it can be hard to remember that this is a book of complete fiction in a made up universe and not a historical fiction type of novel. I appreciated that Nick, Bex, and Freddie had to deal with their issues and they didn’t just disappear.

As with the first novel, there is a lot going on in this book. They tackle some serious issues but in relatable ways that make it enjoyable to read. I wish that there had been more of the side relationships in this book, but I understand why that wasn’t possible. This book focused a lot more on Bex, Nick, and their responsibilities to their family and country as opposed to their friendships. As a result, Bex’s sister Lacey who featured so heavily in the first novel is barely existent in this one.

If you enjoy royal romance fiction, you will greatly enjoy these two books. As sequels go, this one is strong. The characters felt familiar and I loved seeing where they went. With the way the first book left off, I was very happy to get some closure and see what happened next. I would highly recommend reading both of these books.

For readers of The Royal We, this sequel will not disappoint. This book picks up right where we left Nick and Bex and takes us through the challenges and triumphs of two people trying to build a life and protect a marriage under the scrutiny of millions of people watching their every move and the pressure of the crown. If you liked The Royal We, you will definitely enjoy The Heir Affair.

Cocks and Morgan are an amazing writing team. This book reads as though it were written with one voice and one author, whereas many books with a writing team do not flow nearly as smoothly. These two have a great talent for working with each other and I hope that there is far more to see from them.

After reading The Royal We, I absolutely couldn’t wait for more of Nick, Bex and Freddie. The Heir Affair absolutely did not disappoint! This is a true sequel, so you definitely want to read The Royal We first! There is sooooo much drama packed into this book! I had a seriously love/hate relationship with the Queen and Prince Dick. Nick, Bex and Freddie have such funny moments together, but I found myself heartbroken for Freddie so many times. There were multiple love triangles and history repeating itself.... There are some very serious topics woven into this one, and I felt they were handled in an excellent way. After reading these, I can safely say that the pressures of being in the Royal family are not something I would be interested in! This NEEDS to be a TV series so badly- I can visualize the episodes unfolding!
Thank you @grandcentralpub for gifting me a copy of this wonderful book in exchange for my honest review.

⚠️: miscarriage, infertility, infidelity

Rating: 4/5⭐️⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
Rationale: This book was a great sequel. It’s a bit less parallel to Will & Kate’s actual trajectory than its predecessor, but is equally as dramatic and un-put-down-able.⁣
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𝗪𝐡𝐨 𝐈’𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐨: Fans of The Royal We who want to dive deeper into the obligations of royal life and relationships within the royal family.⁣
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𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝: I loved that this story picks up right where we left off, at the disaster scene of Nick and Bex’s wedding, and that we weren’t left guessing what happened in its aftermath. While I enjoyed both Nick and Bex in The Royal We, I had previously loved how the story was held up by the full cast of characters. In this sequel, I felt more connected to their relationship. This one approaches their relationship on a different level than the first, with a larger focus on family dynamics.⁣
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I still feel as though the deep cast of characters is what makes these books. This one has a much stronger focus on Bex and Nick, but I liked the maturing of Freddie and Lacey, and that Prince Dick came around as a likable character. The evolution of every character arc was handled with the utmost detail, and it’s impressive that the authors manage to keep you equally invested in so many storylines.⁣
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𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞: I missed the old Freddie in this book. I know that he had to grow up a bit and I did enjoy his storyline, but if you’re reading this @fuggirls: PLEASE give me a book from Freddie’s perspective that hits on his college years. He entertains me endlessly.⁣

i shouldn't have requested the heir affair. don't get me wrong, i adore the fug girls. i love their writing. but at the end of the royal we. i was left somewhat unsatisfied, mainly because i hated everything having to do with freddie. but the fug girls, they love him. and i knew that, and i was nervous, but i also loved bex and nick and i wanted to give it another chance.

and so while i love the banter and moments of the heir affair that were about bex and nick, i abhored everything to do with freddie. i almost didn't finish this. because when this kicks into the infertility struggles something i deeply understand having undergone ivf myself, i could see where this story was going and i hated it.

i just, even thinking about this, after having read books i loved to forget how upset this made me, i am all upset all over again. i hope they never write about these characters again. (oh my god, i sound so harsh, but i have all these angry feelings. i need to go find something sweet and frothy to read to forget this all over again.)

**the heir affair will publish on july 7, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/grand central publishing in exchange for my honest review.

After hearing so much hype about The Royal We, I was a little disappointed in the story. I don’t know why, but I just didn’t love it as much as everybody else did. When I had the opportunity to read the second I decided that it would be fun to see where this one led.

I’m so glad I decided to read The Heir Affair because it blew me away. It was such a fun continuation of the first book and I also felt like there were a lot of trials and tribulations that just about anybody could relate to. I also liked how the story line seemed to pull from the past as well, and reminded me a lot of The Crown.

Overall I loved this book and highly recommend if you love British royalty. Just make sure to read The Royal We first!

What a slog. The joy I experienced reading The Royal We all those years ago was in no way replicated by this experience. While the narrator had a lovely voice, the story itself did not capture and hold my attention.

I spent most of the book switching between the audio and the print copy I received for free from the publisher. Reading this today in 2020 made me feel not great.

The pregnancy plot point (CW: miscarriage, infertility problems, pregnancy) and subsequent way of dealing with the titular "Heir Affair" did not work for me at all. There's a lot going on with lies and secrets and the ending did not land at all with me. Let's not praise the rich and powerful for hiding their dirty secrets from the public. Why not abolish the monarchy instead?

This is a follow up to The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan of The Fug Girls, fashion bloggers who I follow and really enjoy. The Royal We, and now The Heir Affair, is a thinly disguised alt fan fic of Princes Harry, William, and Kate Middleton. The Royal We pre-dates the arrival of Meghan Markle on the scene so there’s really no fictionalized version of her that appears in either book.

I loved The Royal We so I was excited about The Heir Affair, however, there has been around 5 years between these books and this one picks up almost immediately after the last. That was rather jarring to me as a reader who is used to romance authors doing the heavy lifting of either integrating excellent synopses into the stories for those of us who don’t re-read or just make a series about different couples. I spent about 25-35% stopping and looking for spoilers from the first book until I just gave up on that part and kept reading obliviously.

But I finally bailed on the whole book because I could not handle how the potential triangle between the three from the first book – which ended in MARRIAGE – continues. Bex and Nicholas (William stand-in) are married now and he spends his entire time in a tense one-upping situation with Freddie (Harry’s counterpart). I hated them both by the time I DNF’d because they both come off as whining children. Freddie has no actual reason to be angry – he kissed his brother’s fiance previously and is mad they left for a bit…huh!?! And Nicholas HAS a reason to be mad but he is actually mad because Freddie is doing more than him for a few weeks? I don’t know what was going on there but I hated it.

And really, I’m glad I bailed when I did because what happens later is simply bananas, and not in a ooh FUN way, more in a wtf did I read and why kind of way. To be clear there is no cheating in the half that I read or later on between any of the MCs from what I gather. But I can’t deal with grown adults acting like children in romance these days. I borrowed these CWs from my reviewer friend Melanie at Love in Panels who *did* finish it and it’s a whole lot!

CW: On page miscarriage, inability to conceive, off page affair between minor characters in the past, death of supporting character, injury of major character sustained in military service, off page kidnapping of minor character in the past resulting in fear of going out in public, mental illness of minor character (not seen but referred to), allegations of cheating (untrue)

I absolutely loved The Royal We and I was beyond excited at the news that we were getting a sequel.

If you ALSO enjoyed the first novel, you're going to enjoy this one, too. It has the same feel and the same flow to it. This one is over 450 pages, but it feels like it's much shorter.

I love Bex and Nick. I loved them all through The Royal We and I loved them so much through this book. I just wanted everyone to have a happy ending, and so a lot of this book (and its predecessor) was fairly stressful for me.

An absolute highlight though was getting to spend time with Marta and Eleanor. (Eleanor is mostly how you remember her but she also mellows a bit. A very small bit, but it's still very fun. If I could get a spinoff focusing on her and if she could somehow meet Emily Gilmore, I think I would literally die of joy.)

Highly recommended. These books are just delightful.

I did not love this one as much as the first, but did like it. It was hard to follow the first book because that one was just SO good. Overall though the story was fun and I was lucky to have a chance to read it.

A totally worthy sequel to The Royal We — scandalous, dishy, and funny. Loved getting to reunite with the Lyons family, and loved all the nods to real-life royals. (“Hax & Lax”!!!)

Review // The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan
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The Facts: Contemporary Fiction, Rom-Com
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The Feel: Gossipy, Funny, Scandalous
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The Focus: Bex and Nick are back in the sequel to my beloved The Royal We, and this time the scandals and family secrets are juicier than ever! Bex and Nick, the future King and Queen of England, wake up to a crisis on the very first day of their marriage. How will they navigate a sex scandal on the world stage? How will their relationships with their families change? Will they be able to start a family of their own?! So much drama!
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Things To Know:
🇬🇧 I'm not typically a huge fan of rom-coms, but I'm a SUCKER for these books! The Royal We is probably my favorite rom-com ever, and The Heir Affair was definitely a fitting sequel. It had all of the drama and intrigue of the first book, just ramped up a notch. The scandals and secrets were a bit off the wall in this one, but I loved every minute of it. No one said that rom-com's had to be realistic, right?!
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🇬🇧 When The Royal We was first published, the idea of an American marrying into the Royal family was scandalous in and of itself. Now, of course, it's REAL! While the story was originally meant to mimic the romance of Will and Kate, it's hard not to entirely relate this book to Harry and Meghan (right down to contemplating the idea of leaving the royal family, and the scandal that would follow). It's funny how life imitates art.
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🇬🇧 The dialogue in these books is top-notch. Reading them really feels like watching a movie, with all of the snappy comebacks and witty remarks. Aside from the fast-paced plot, I loved just reading the characters' conversations.
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🇬🇧 As much as I loved The Heir Affair, it wasn't perfect. It was about 100 pages too long (no rom-com needs to be almost 500 pages) and I didn't feel the chemistry between Bex and Nick that I loved in the first book (which is understandable, since they're very much dealing with the real world now).
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Read If You Like:
🇬🇧 The Royal We
🇬🇧 Will and Kate, Harry and Meghan
🇬🇧 British humor
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I loved it!

After reading The Royal We, I was eager to get my hands on The Heir Affair. Just as I did with The Royal We, I couldn't stop turning the pages. I loved every last bit of royal drama.

At times, the story seemed to be drug out a bit longer than necessary, but ultimately, it did not effect my love for it.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this and give my honest opinion!

Review will be posted on 7/24/2020

Things pick up where The Royal We left off. Nick and Bex had a beautiful wedding, well, except for the rumor that put a dark cloud over their ceremony. The rumor was about an alleged affair between Bex and Prince Freddie, Nick's brother. Cue all the drama as the tabloids pick the story up, which was tipped off from one of Nick's former friends. Obviously, this takes away from what should be a fairy tale wedding, so Nick and Bex escape to Scotland to avoid the public, tabloids, and all rumors. However, after going into hiding for awhile, the public starts to get annoyed with them, not to mention the Queen. Who do they think they are escaping all Royal duties and trying to blend in with the public in Scotland? Leave it to the Queen to get them home under false pretenses and then the story continues from there. Bex and Nick must face the music and dance while trying to repair their relationships with just about everyone including the issues within their own marriage. Royal lovers rejoice, because you will take pleasure in revisiting these characters and all their drama in The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan.

It's no secret that I absolutely loved The Royal We, so I was dying to return Nick and Bex's world. Cocks and Morgan didn't disappoint. There were many recognizable scandals pulled right off of the headlines and inserted in this book, which made The Heir Affair a lot of fun. However, it wasn't all fluff. Nick and Bex's relationship is difficult at times in this book. They have to deal with rumors, Royal duties, expectations, the fractured relationship with Freddie, and then the ever-present pressures of producing an heir. Things aren't always easy for them, but I loved their relationship in The Heir Affair.

Cocks and Morgan are so good at what they do. I was reminded of so many Royal rumors and scandals as I read The Heir Affair. It's sort of fun how they are able to incorporate some real-life issues into this work of fiction. If you love all things Royal family, you'll appreciate this aspect of the novel. At times it felt so real, it was almost like getting a glimpse into the lives of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

I didn't love The Heir Affair as much as The Royal We due to some drawn out drama---the book is almost 500 pages--nevertheless, I still thoroughly enjoyed The Heir Affair and loved revisiting these beloved characters. If you love all things Royals and are looking for a good escape this summer, pick up The Heir Affair--it's the perfect beach or poolside read.

American Rebecca (Bex) Porter seems to have won the lottery when Britain’s second-in-line to the throne, Prince Nicholas, falls in love with her. Of course, it’s not that simple, but it does make for fun reading in The Royal We. That novel ended with Bex and Nick married, but already engulfed in scandal. When The Heir Affair opens they are hiding out in remote Scotland, but realize they have to go back to the real world when Nick’s grandmother Eleanor, the Queen, has a health scare. Reality continues to push hard as Bex has to negotiate the scandal that’s turned much of Great Britain against her. Not to mention that her number one job is to produce the next heir.

Now more than ever, fun reading is a necessity not a luxury and The Heir Affair is just that. Bex and Nick are newlyweds, but the royal kind. Every aspect of their lives is under a microscope and friendly faces are hard to come by. Things are awkward with Nick’s brother Freddie (the spare heir), their father is as cold and judgmental as ever. As for Eleanor, an American commoner will never be good enough. Everything is a minefield, including the new apartment in Kensington Palace they’ve been assigned. It belonged to Eleanor’s wild child sister, Georgina. Who was basically a hoarder—only with really good stuff like priceless antiques and a lot of personal letters and journals.

Family secrets, the royal life, young love and new marriage, along with the pressure to get pregnant are the various ingredients brought together to make the delicious confection that is The Heir Affair. Is it more soufflé than sundae? Sure, but who needs heavy richness right now? I devoured this novel from start to finish, even as the intrigue reached new heights. It’s well-written fun, plain and simple, and required no mental effort on my part to enjoy. You also don’t need to have read The Royal We to read The Heir Affair, but why not? It came out years ago and should be easy to get at the library or inexpensive to purchase at the book store. That way, you’ll have twice as much scandalous entertainment to savor.

I loved this book! It was the perfect follow up to the Royal We. This is definitely my favorite royal book I’ve read this year!

I went into the Heir Affair with a lot of expectations and it did not disappoint! I was immediately drawn into the story with Nick and Bex in my dream Airbnb experience running t he Scottish bookstore. Right away I thought "are the authors rooting around in my brain?". By taking readers right into the days and weeks after their disaster of a wedding the authors bring right back onto the characters emotional roller coaster of a relationship. I've always loved that the romance between Nick and Bex is not perfect. They stumble and fall, are flawed and make stupid mistakes but they are definitely stronger together. By keeping them so realistic its so easy to root for them. One of the strengths of the first book was how strong the supporting characters were from Freddie and Gaz to Lacey, Cilla and Bea. It was a bit of an adjustment to see these characters do less but I was buoyed by the strong presence of Queen Eleanor and the shadow of Georgina. The strong points of these authors is how well they know the real British royal family and how that knowledge translates to creating a fictional one and making it so real that a reader wonders what is real and what isn't - the lines are that blurred. I wasn't sure how i could be surprised by plot so much but they did surprise me - what a great bunch of twists and turns to surprise even the most cynical of romance readers. I am a;lready pressing this book into hands but I'm telling them to all read or reread Royal We - it gives the book ven more emotional resonance. The second book took so long to come out but now all i want is a third one. I need more NIck and Bex and I definitely need more Freddie1

I had high hopes for this book, probably too high. I loved the Royal We and I was so excited to revisit this world.

Maybe my hopes were just too high because I was pretty disappointed. This book is long, as was the Royal We, but I just thought there were too many storylines. Many of them dragged on and I felt myself getting bored. Sadly, I wasn't excited to pick this book up each day.

If you're looking to spend more time with Bex, Nick, and their crew, you should still give this a try!

I read this book without the benefit of reading The Royal We so initially I felt as though I needed to catch up. Although I did get the gist of the current story I would have benefitted from the background. I thoroughly enjoyed the monarchy storyline with characters described so similarly to those I recognize in the Royal Family I could put faces to the names easily. The sweeping historical perspective and commitment to the family were the standouts and very likable, flawed characters we easy to rout for in the end.