Winnover is Emmeline's childhood home, a home that in order to keep she was supposed to deliver an heir. Instead, she has invented two children a son and a daughter to fulfil said contract. Unfortunately, the normally reclusive and unsociable Duke of Welchire has decided he wishes to have a family reunion to meet all these new additions to his family.

William Pershing has no idea that his wife has invented children in their marriage. Now with their home on the line they must find a solution to their dilemma. The best Emmeline could come up with is two orphans, she makes a deal with them to find them a good permanent home if they agree to learn everything necessary to pass as the Pershing's children.

With lots of negotiation and more than a few giggles bargains are struck. All is going according to plan until the children's older brother shows up. He has far more demands both of the Pershings and the children.

This is a delightful and funny read with just a touch of drama and the rekindling of a relationship.

I went into this book with the perception that it was going to be a historical romance of sorts. Well, it really isn’t. While it does have some romance in it, it really concentrated on the plot of found family and the growth of our characters.

The plot of this story was cute, seemed a bit original and I thought I would really like it. Unfortunately this book fell flat for me. The children were the best part of the book, they were funny and seemed years older than their young age (time in the stone jug will do that to you). However, that is all I really enjoyed about the book. It was very repetitive and after a few times of reading the same information I started skimming sections. I found the point of view jumped around often and I had a hard time figuring out who we were following.

2.5 ⭐️

In order to inherit her childhood estate Emmeline asks her good friend will to marry her before her horrible cousin can snatch her beloved home away from her. The other constituent for Emmeline and Will to keep the estate is to produce an heir within five years. As the years go by Emmeline and Will have not produced an heir and they have a unromantic marriage of convenience. When her Grandfather requests to have a family birthday celebration Emmeline and Will must come up with two children, the ones Emmeline has made up and told her family about to evade eviction. Desperate, the couple go to an orphanage and are given children Rose and George. They have learned how to survive and be self sufficient in the shady streets of London after their parents deaths, then eventually turned over to the orphanage where life still isn’t very pleasant. Can Rose and George be Emmeline and Will’s saving grace or will they end up ruining everything? This was such a delightful story with humor, romance and love. It also highlights conditions in orphanages and the true meaning of family. I absolutely loved this books and will be returning to it again!

I tried to enjoy this book, but sadly the lies took over and I lost the good fuzzy feeling when reading a book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Something in the Heir is a unique historical romance with a marriage of convenience trope.

WIll and Emmie are friends who decide to marry so she can keep the ancestral estate and help Will with his political career. The story takes a unique turn when the couple needs to acquire children to keep the ancestral pile because Emmie lied and told everyone they had kids.

The book spends a lot of time on Will and Emmie’s quest to find children to ‘borrow’ to fool their family. They land on the idea of borrowing and training up two orphans to play the part. I think a lot of time is spent on a problem that had an obvious and easy solution. However, I did like that the story explores the complex topic of what makes a family.

Less time is spent on the romance between Will and Emmie whose marriage lacks any romance or spice as they go back to being friends after their marriage. I would have liked more time with Will and Emmie and the romance story that could have resulted in them finding what they love about each other again. However, there is no romance, no steam, no spice.

If you enjoy closed door romances and stories of street-wise and precocious children, this is the book for you.

This was such a delightful story. There is a romance angle but the strong plot point is the love that grows between the children and the new parents. Emile and will scrambled to figure out how to keep their house as they didn’t keep up their end of the bargain, heirs. When they end up borrowing children from an orphanage what starts off as icky ends up being a very fun story of new beginnings.

💜 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲:
- Multiple POVs
- Marriage of convenience
- Found family
- Light romances

💭 𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: I rather enjoy Regency romances and ‘Something in the Heir’ was no exception. The story was unique as well as light and refreshing to read. I loved that it was from multiple perspectives and I found humor in much of the book, especially with the children's’ antics. The romance aspect was a bit lacking for me, but the ‘marriage of convenience’ and ‘guy falls first’ tropes are two (of my many) favorites. I would have also loved an epilogue at the end to see how things panned out a year or two down the road. All in all, this book was a delight to read!

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️3.5/5 (rounded up to 4 for platform purposes)

Thank you very much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Something in the Heir by Suzanne Enoch, is a rom-com written within a historic romance, a unique and delightful read. This is the story of Emmeline and William Pershing who have been friends for years and decided a marriage of convenience would best support their end goals; Emmie receiving Winnover, a family estate, and William having success in his career through her connections. The couple agreed to live separate and apart under one roof and remain that way. When the Duke of Welshire, Emmie’s reclusive grandfather, summons all of the family and their children to his estate to celebrate his birthday, she finds herself in a disastrous situation. Will is totally bewildered at the extent his wife went to in order to keep Winnover, her beloved estate. Her biggest lie above all the lies is the invisible children her grandfather believes they’ve had. Not only are there no children, but they must make haste to materialize a son of eight years and a daughter aged 5. What they did not bargain for is George and Rose, orphans. After all nothing could go wrong when you borrow unruly orphans and present them your grandfather. Right?

One might think it would be Will and Emmie leading this story, and they do in parts, but it's clear from the moment Rose and George are introduced, they are the stars. Wise beyond their years, intensely loyal to one another, and need for love more than they will ever admit, these two little rascals steal every single scene they're in, leaving laughter, frustration, confusion, and affection in their wake. They were adorable and it was somewhat obvious, from the beginning, how it would all end; but it was fun getting there, with plenty of twists, turns, and shenanigans along the way.

An amusing and entertaining story that was hard to put down, this was a humorous read making me smile or laugh with each turn of the page; needing to find out what would happen next for Will and Emmie. There is sarcasm, humor and some shenanigans that will keep you on the edge with laughter. The characters are beautifully explored and you enjoy every one of them in one way or another. From the staff to the children, humor leads the way. I highly recommend Something in the Heir to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

I just finished Something in the Heir by Suzanne Enoch and I have to tell you how cute and funny this book was. I laughed with pure joy!

Emmeline Pershing has a plan, a plan to keep her family home. It entails marrying her friend! 8 years later she hasn’t managed to start the family she needs to continue to keep her home. Her grandfather and his silly rules… So Emmeline tells a tiny white lie.

Now the Duke, her grandfather, is requesting that all his grandchildren and their families come for his birthday. To Emmeline’s chagrin… That means producing her imaginary children. The whole jig will be up!

Not willing to go down without a fight, Emmeline and her husband Will hatch a scheme to borrow 2 kids from the orphanage for a few weeks, enough to fool anyone, they can keep their home and their life as it was. Things don’t go quite according to plan, which makes for some laughs, some tears, and the two of them falling in love with 2 rogue children and falling back in love with each other.

The words cute, funny and adorable spring to mind when I think of this book. Loved every silly moment this book delivers. I fell in love with Emmie, Will, Rose and George. The whole dynamic of the 2 kids made me smile and my heart break a little. George has had to take care of his little sister for so long that letting these adults in in any way, is too dangerous for him. I laughed so hard at the games the kids play with the butler and how the butler pretends he isn’t fond of the kids himself. I loved the location of the book and how all the characters had so much charm to them. I felt like I was being hugged all the way through the book.

My heart felt so full after I was finished and I didn’t want the book to end. I loved how the book ended too. It was so perfect.

I love women's fiction and this one might be my favorite in that genre now. 5 stars. 5 beautiful stars!!

Thank you so much to #netgalley and #stmartinpress for this book. It was the best of the year so far, for me.

My first book by Suzanne Enoch and, now that I've discovered her witty and entertaining writing style, it won't be the last.

The premise was hilarious- Emmeline has to get married as soon as possible in order to secure her place in her own house. On the spur of the moment, Emmie proposes a marriage (of convenience) to her childhood friend Will Pershing, who (unbeknowst to her) has been harbouring tender feelings for her. Match, set, marriage! Winnover House is hers…for the time being.

Fast forward eight years and our fabulous protagonist finds herself in a new predicament. While her marriage to Will may be considered an exemplary partnership, the couple are childless, so Emmie might have been less than completely truthful when she informed her family that she has two sweet, but unfortunately very sickly children. Summoned to a family reunion, our enterprising couple depend on two feisty orphans' ability to pass for Flora and Malcolm Pershing. No pressure!

It is quite hard to classify this book- there's a lot of comedy for sure, but just a tiny bit of romance as Emmie and Will re-discover the joy of attraction to each other. The romance in this book is absolutely secondary to …everything else that is happening, above all, the children's shenanigans and Pershings gradually developing a better understanding of what being a parent or a guardian involves. I did want more romance or failing that more friendship/that elusive understanding that good couples have. At the beginning Emmie Pershing is totally oblivious to anything but her own socialite role. As the plot develops, this changes and she finally sees the light and her own very attractive and incredibly patient husband. To be fair to Emmie, she had a very cold and emotionless role-model of her own mother, so discovering that she herself might even want to be a parent is going to take some time…and some pages.

George and Rose are adorable: strong-willed, resourceful, independent and completely right for their age. Again there's a bit of repetition as both the children (especially George) and Pershings go through a change of heart and build up some kind of trust. Perhaps the book could have been shorter, especially had another character, important to the children, not been introduced, but boy, did he ratchet up some drama!

Of course, there's only one way in which this romcom could end, but this predictability comes from the internal plot logic and character development and I never say no to a HEA in my romance books.

Sweet, entertaining, and fun. Recommended.

This is less a romance than light historical fiction, but I really enjoyed it! Suzanne Enoch's ability to incorporate so many characters into her stories is admirable; I felt like I got to know not only Emmeline, Will, Rose, and George, but also their staff and the other side characters. It was also refreshing to read about family dynamics evolving in a non-traditional way (TW for infertility).

If you're looking for steam, this is not the book for you. If you're looking for a historical with a twist, try this.

Emmeline Pershing has been keeping secrets and telling lies. When a summons comes to attend her grandfather's birthday with her husband William and their children at his estate, she must confess all. Emmeline loves her childhood home, Winnover Hall. She married Will over eight years ago to keep it, but they have no children. As part of her grandfather's contract they must have children to continue his line and keep her home. Will is shocked she's been lying that they have two children. This is serious business. Their only option is to pay an orphanage for two children to play the parts of Flora and Malcolm. Except their names are Rose and George with very sticky fingers. Things keep missing. The children are a challenge, but you can't help liking them and hope Emmeline and Will can figure out how to keep them.
Funny and heartbreaking, this book will definitely keep you entertained.
A clean romance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Something in the Heir is a departure for Enoch (at least, compared to the ones we've read). It has a pretty classic HR setup: due to inheritance shenanigans, Emmie has to marry quickly. So, she makes a marriage deal with her childhood friend, Will: she'll support his career and he'll secure this awesome manor house for them. The only hitch is that they have to provide an heir within 7 years or they lose the estate. So far, so HR - we figured they'd probably just have to try really hard in year 6 or something. Here's where we start moving off of the track: fast forward 8 years and since they've been unable to produce any kids, Emmie has just invented a couple of them. Will only discovers this when they are summoned to her grandfather's estate, where they are required to show up for his birthday, children in tow. So... they decide to "borrow" a couple of orphans from an orphanage and pass them off as their own kids.

The writing in the book is superb: Enoch works with at least 8 viewpoint characters, including the main couple and the two borrowed children, and the reader is never confused about whose perspective they're in. That said, the entire concept and execution from the moment the children are procured is a tough sell. The Pershings are literally exploiting these two orphans, and despite their excuses ("it's a holiday from the orphanage!" "They're learning skills for the future!") they all know it. Enoch's inspiration seems to be screwball comedies, but we felt that the situation was a little too tragic for us. We were also disappointed that the romance seemed to be back-burnered. We're not sure who the intended audience is for this one, because even if you love traditional Regencies, there just isn't enough time spent with the primary couple to produce a satisfactory HEA.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

SOMETHING IN THE HEIR was a fast-paced read by a new to me author. There was playfulness along with romance, lots of servants, family and friends, estates, secrets, lies, orphans, thefts, business deals, and so much more. This Regency romance held my interest from the first page to the last and had some likable characters.

Emmeline and William were childhood friends, got married quickly when she asked him in order to keep her family home - and it wasn't for his money! They have a marriage of convenience and have trouble communicating their feelings or wants until Georgie and Rose, the orphans, come into their lives. There are a lot of stories being woven together nicely. There were twists and turns to the story and the secrets and lies could be their undoing. The prologue set the stage and the epilogue gave closure but I wish the story had continued just a little bit longer.

What can I say about this book other than the fact that I absolutely adore it and it has quickly shot up my list to become one of my favorites, This story is so pure and heartwarming in every way; not only was I addicted to turning the pages as fast as possible to see how the dramatic points of the story would resolve and how the characters would work with each problem sent their way, but I was also wanting to get to the next sweet moment. Not only does Enoch write lovely, realistic historical romance, but with this book, it also became a love story between parents and children, and it imparts lessons on the benefits of giving up your heart to the people closest. The characters were my favorite part, despite the killer concept and the winding plot. They each like they were standing right in front of me as I read, their personalities clear from the moment they appeared on page. The humor was subtle, matching the setting and themes well. The historical detail was on-point from the start; you weren't drowning in facts that should have been trimmed, but you weren't in a blank room that could be mistakenly thought to be modern. You'll be doing yourself a favor picking up this simply lovely story. If anyone needs me, I'll be working my way through Suzanne Enoch's entire backlist for the next year, provided she doesn't publish a new book for me to be obsessed over, of course.

Well, this was just a delight!

I am not a huge regency reader - but this one caught my eye, and I am glad I read it. Huge thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for gifting me an early version to read and review.

While this is billed as a romance, to me it was really a family story. Emmeline and William have had a marriage of convenience, a partnership as they call it, for the last 8 years. In a real reminder of how things were back in the day, in order for Emmeline to keep the home she grew up in, she must get married and have children within a timeframe. She and Will quickly married, but they weren't able to have conceive. So naturally Emmeline lied to her grandfather the Duke.

When it was clear that they were going to have to find kids to pretend to be their own, I was nervous about how this was going to play out. But I quickly fell in love with the Fletcher kids. Rose and George MADE this book. They were so well rounded, so fun and feisty, and so deeply committed to eachother.

I also adored the staff and how they interacted with the kids. And the slowburn of Emmeline and William was so perfect. Just a delightful read! Highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this!

I thought this was going to be much more romance marriage of convince trope-y goodness, and it wasn’t. Unfortunately that’s what I was excited for. If you like historical comedy, where a couple finds family in some orphans, and everyone gets up to some trouble and secrets, you will probably like this!

Suzanne Enoch has a beautiful talent for crafting fun, entertaining tales with more than a touch of chaos. Something in the Heir is an excellent addition to that collection. Will and Emmie have their hands full, and it's a blast to watch.

Will and Emmie have had an outwardly picture-perfect marriage for eight years. However, it only takes one letter to shatter that illusion. Emmie's been lying to her family for years, and the mad scramble to cover it up leads to the wild adventure with the Fletcher siblings.

Will and Emmie have grown into a marriage of convenience where they barely recognize each other from the childhood friends that they once knew. Having that life upended drives them to rethink what they know about each other. As a result, it's a sweet rather than spicy story.

Worlds collide as the streetwise Fletchers are taken in by the wealthy Pershings. George is a protective older brother, while Rose is a sweetheart with a mischievous streak. Watching long-held ideas being shaken and the crazy stunts pulled by the children and servants is a blast, while a sense of levity surrounds the chaos.

The characters are well-crafted, and the different personalities bring the story to life. The butler, Powell, was my favorite of the extended cast. He did not have an easy job trying to keep the house from being completely torn apart. Watching the different factions face off while trying to hide their antics from each other made me laugh.

Being a family is complicated, but the Pershings show why it is worth the effort even when nothing seems to go to plan. Suzanne Enoch did a great job with this book, and I look forward to seeing what she has in store next.

This review will be posted on my blog on 09/19/2022.

There were a few times when I first started reading that I wasn't sure I was going to finish this book, much less enjoy it as much as I did! There are some details that I hope will be polished up in the published version, like Will saying he has always wanted to see Winnover Hall yet was Emmeline's neighbour growing up... And the "borrowing" of the orphans felt very icky, especially since it took Will and Emmeline quite a long time to realize how manipulative the situation was. Thankfully the story started to become really enjoyable quickly after they had that discussion, and it was clear that George and Rose would have a happy ending (the reader can tell long before Will and Emmeline!).

George and Rose were absolutely delightful, especially little Rose. Her inquisitive nature and joyful personality added a great deal of humor and warmth to the story. George was also quite funny, especially his sly and insightful perspective that we got to see (and not only just during his POV chapters). My heart hurt so much for him when the Fenmores came to visit and George was so distrustful that anyone could ever look after Rose and him better than he did himself. He had to grow up far too quickly, and I am so happy that the Pershings gave him his childhood back - some of my favourite scenes involved him letting loose and just being a kid.

Another lovely aspect of the story was Emmeline and Will reconnecting after treating their marriage only like a business partnership for so many years. Their tender affection and obvious feelings were really cute - especially when the kids bluntly called them out!

The family vibes among these four took a while to grow, but they were clearly meant for each other from very early on. I also adored how the staff at Winnover Hall fit into their family, how much they were valued, and how much they helped enrich the children's lives. This was a really lovely story!

I wouldn’t have finished this book if I had gotten it as an ARC. The ending was heartwarming, but generally I found this to be very boring, and I didn’t care about the characters at all. I thought I was in for a fun romance, but the chemistry between the leads was very unconvincing.