First, I have read lots of Suzanne’s books and loved them. This is a different type of story and it just was not for me. It dragged a bit and I started skimming. I hate that because I love her writing style.

Outlandish yet delightful, Something in the Heir provided a comedic escape that was greatly needed. Emmeline discovers that if she doesn't marry, she will lose her ancestral home per her grandfather the Duke of Welshire's rules. Thus begins the plotting and the scheming. She enlists her best friend Will to form a partnership; she will help him establish a political career, and he will aid in claiming her estate.

Fast forward 8 years to an invitation for the Duke's birthday, and he demands to meet the children Emmeline and Will "never" had. Will discovers that his partner has imagined children and even described them in detail to her family. In order for them to maintain ownership of the estate, they must proffer their imaginary children at the celebration. This leads to the pair borrowing children from an orphanage, and one can imagine the trials and tribulations that will follow.

Suzanne Enoch has a way with words! Tears will be shed not only from laughter but from sentimentality. Readers will fall in love and hate with the myriad of characters that fit like a puzzle piece into the story. There are not too little and not too many, just right. I highly recommend this tale to lift your spirits to new heights.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC. The opinions expressed are completely my own.

Oh I loved this story even though there were no open bedroom door scenes. It's a partnership marriage with two childhood friends helping each other with their life goals. Then you add a big lie and events change causing the marriage to become more day to day interaction to soften the lie. Two orphan siblings who are loveable but cause so much chaos are added to the household and you have the perfect mix to open up hearts to more. I adored everything about this story.

Emmeline Pershing is three weeks into her debut season when her mother informs her she'd better find a husband fast as they are moving out of the family home and relocating to Bath. Emmie's beloved home Winnover Hall belongs to her Grandfather Malcolm, Duke of Welshire. The provisions of possession are they the couple who resides there must produce a child within the first five years or it goes to another of his progeny. Emmie's cousin Penelope came out last year, was engaged last week, and is all set to move into the house. Emmie wants to stay so she proposes to her friend William Pershing. She'll help him with his political career if he'll marry her to keep her home. It's ideally located for the socializing that can help with his political negotiations.

William is in love with his friend and she is unaware of it. It appears she doesn't feel the same way and he finally decides he has to help her even if his affections are one sided. They end up running in parallel circles with only short meetings a few times a week. Then her reclusive Grandfather decides to throw a 70th birthday celebration and demands everyone attend so he can survey his legacy. It seems Emmie made up two children in letters to her family when they produced no children after trying for 7 months. After brainstorming they decide to borrow two orphan siblings from an orphanage, to pretend to be their children for the party. What they get are George 8, and Rose 5, Fletcher who grew up on the streets of London. They are very independent, resourceful, intelligent and sticky fingered! The children decide to go along with the plan through the party and even though the Pershings have promised to find them a good home. instead they know adults are not to be trusted so they've decided to run off on their own. Their little thefts are how they will fund their adventure. Each step of the way Will and Emmie must depend on the other to get through the havoc that occurs and they find they like depending on each other.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Suzanne Enoch for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Something in the Heir coming out September 20, 2022. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Emmeline and William Pershing have enjoyed their perfectly planned marriage of convenience for eight years. Emmeline treats it as a business deal, even though she has grown up with William. Meanwhile, William has longed for more from his adorable wife. However, he is content with her skills which have advanced him in his career.

The Duke of Welshire, Emmeline’s grandfather invites them to his birthday celebration. He requests they bring their two children. William is shocked to find out his wife has invented two heirs. With Emmeline’s quick thinking and scheming, she arranges to borrow two orphans in exchange for a considerable donation to the church orphanage. George, age 8, and Rose, 5 are perhaps the two most misbehaved orphans in England. 

As the chaos ensues, their professional arrangement takes some intimate turns as well. Can this insane plan actually bring Emmeline and William their happily ever after?

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I loved it! The imaginary children reminded me of Adelaide writing home to her mother about getting married and having children in Guys and Dolls. It’s a fun plot! I love marriages of convenience. It was a little slow to get into, but I really loved the plot with the children. It was pretty chaotic, but definitely well done. I did think the birthday party would happen a little sooner in the book. I was hoping there’d be more time where they’d have to pretend to be their children with the Duke. It seemed a little rushed and wrapped up at the end, but overall, I loved the book! I would classify this as a clean romance.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical romance fun!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.5 ⭐️‘S

I requested this book because I thought the premise sounded fun, but honestly I do have mixed feelings about this one. Everything was fine for the first half of the book and I was really enjoying it. The children, George and Rose, were adorable and so fun. I liked all the mischief they got themselves in and I just adored them, but I had issues…

▪️I disliked that James was introduced into the story line at 50%. I felt that was quite late to introduce a new character, especially one that alters the existing story line. He’s not a likable character (he isn’t intended to be) and I understand he was added in for additional drama, but I didn’t think the book needed his sorry presence. He dragged down the story and I didn’t like his violent side.

▪️The romance portion that’s supposed to be in this book was so very minimal. It was none existent actually. I was hoping for so much more! I understand it was a clean romance, but I wish the author focused on Emmie and Will more. The story of the children overshadowed the romance completely. I’m not even sure that I would consider this a romance book.

▪️They waited too long to tell these poor kids what would become of them. The children suffered having the whole situation drag on so long, especially making them think they were being handed off to another family and not loved enough. It all happened a little too late for my liking.

I really did enjoy several parts of this book, and it wasn’t horrible by any means. It just seemed to veer off once James was added into the mix. I still suggest you give it a try …It had a unique story line. Thank you to @netgalley for an ARC of this in exchange for my honest review.

Emmy and Will entered a convenient marriage 8 years to gain Emmy's grandfather's estate. They both live a content life, until Will finds out that Emmy has been lying about having two kids to her grandfather. Now, they pick out 2 random kids and have to act the part of their family going or they will lose their home.

The writing was not it for me. The switching POVs without a heads up had me confused on whose mind I was in. The writing was too jumpy and hard to keep up with.
The whole situation was pretty funny and the content is pretty original for a historical romance.
Overall, the book was okay but if is not something I would ever go out of my way to read but if you like a comedy of errors with a hint of romance, go for it!

Something in the Heir
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Historical Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 9/20/22
Author: Suzanne Enoch
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 352
GR: 3.51

TW ⚠️: Mentions infertility and adoption

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Emmeline and William Pershing have enjoyed a perfectly convenient marriage for eight years. They’ve settled into separate, well-ordered lives beneath the same roof, and are content to stay that way—or so Emmeline thinks. Then when Emmeline’s grandfather, the reclusive Duke of Welshire, summons them both for his birthday celebration and demands they bring their two little angelic children, William is stunned to discover that his very proper wife invented not one, but two heirs to fulfill the agreement for living at Winnover. Enter George, age 8, and Rose, 5—the two most unruly orphans in Britain. As the insanity unfolds, their careful, professional arrangement takes some surprisingly intimate turns as well.

My Thoughts: This was the most unusual plot I have read in awhile and it was so refreshing. This story was mainly narrated in a dual POV with Emmeline and Will, however, it had sprinkled in some from the staff and kids. This was a sweet closed romance novel set in historical times. The one thing that I disliked about the book was the “borrowing” of the orphans, I think it would have went better if they were fully adopted by the Pershing’s. I did love seeing how Emmeline and Will’s relationship changed over the course of the book. The characters were well flushed out and well developed with depth, witty banter, sarcasm (my favorite), and creatively written. The author’s writing style was complex, well paced, humorous, and kept me engaged throughout the entire book. This book releases in a little over a week and I would recommend pre-ordering!

From the description of this book, you'd expect a fun romance but what you actually get is more of a thriller/mystery story with some romance on the side. While I did enjoy the story overall, I would not have put it in the romance genre.

The story begins with Emmeline propositioning her best friend, William, to marry in order to save her childhood home. This is necessary because her grandfather, the Duke of Welshire, is obsessed with the family line so only those who are married & produce children within an allotted amount of time are allowed use of the ancestral home. Emma & Will marry, claim the house and go on with their lives. However, they are unable to conceive so in a moment of desperation Emma 'invents' a child; then a few years later they 'have' another child.

Things carry on just fine for many years - until the Duke requires the entire family attend his upcoming birthday celebration. Emma confesses the ruse to Will, and the two embark on a mission to 'find' their children. From there the story take a large left turn from typical romance, and becomes more of a suspense novel. Again, I enjoyed the suspense, but found there was really little to no romance.

All sorts of shenanigans ensue when they decide to temporarily 'adopt' a brother & sister from a local orphanage. I love the two kids - incorrigible yet adorable - and their story really gets to your heart.

As a suspense, I give this book 4 stars, and as a romance I give it 2 stars - so I went for 3 stars overall.

Just a few chapters in and already, there’s a whole truckload of yikes. The main thing is that the “hero” wants to expand the roads in Africa. Umm, gross? It’s just casually thrown in as motivation for him to partake in the silly scheme to fleece money from their older relative (who I didn’t even meet on page, so I don’t assume he’s a paragon of moral rectitude either, especially given he’s a duke, but COME ON). I also checked the reviews and it doesn’t even get any real introspection.
And then there’s the main plot, which involves these two out of touch snobs trying to temporarily take some orphans in order to keep up their farce. They plan to return the kids after.
I didn’t get that far, but there’s also apparently some other problematic stuff?
And if we’re talking about “historical accuracy”…my last attempt with Suzanne Enoch’s books also ended prematurely because she tried to set up the backstory for her Scottish family indicating they got a title in the 1500s for approving of Henry VIII’s desire to get annul his marriage. She does know Scotland and England had totally different monarchs until the death of Henry’s daughter in 1603, right? What would the *English* king be doing giving a *Scottish* Laird a *Scottish* title?

Emmeline and Will grew up together and when Emmeline needed to get married fast so that she could keep the home that she grew up, Will married her without question. He had been a bit in love with her for a long time. When they failed to produce a child, they became more partners. They had a comfortable life and got along well together. When Emmeline's grandfather commanded them to show up for his birthday with their children, Emmeline had to confess that she had told everyone that they had two children. What to do? They had to find children before the big day. What they found were two streetwise children who give them a run for their money. They also found love and a family. If her grandfather finds out the truth, they will be asked to leave their home. Can they convince her family?

I loved the premise of this book and saw a lot of potential in the opening chapters, from the humor to the promise of our main characters, Emmeline and Will, falling in love after eight years in a business-like marriage. I also thought the children, George, and Rose, were well-written and brought a lot of energy and warmth to the book, with chapters from their POVs as an added bonus.

However, I had a hard time cheering for Emmie and Will after they made it clear they are willing to exploit orphans for their own gain. Even though they grow to love the children and adopt them, starting off their relationships with them joking about "renting" children did not sit right with me and bothered me throughout the book.

In the future I'd be happy to give Suzanne Enoch another try, especially since I have several of her backlist books on my TBR, but this was not the book for me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press via Netgalley the eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

3.5 ⭐️

For the last eight years Emmeline and William Pershing have enjoyed their marriage of convenience and are both perfectly fine continuing the farce that they are happily married with several children and disgustingly in love. Well, that is until her uncle demands they visit for his 70th birthday and bring their children with them. Can Emmie and the estranged William fix their relationship AND somehow bring about an heir (or two), or will their entire lives blow up in their faces?

Something in the Heir was definitely not what I expected it to be. I went in thinking it would be more of a romance, but found it to be more hilarious than anything else. The chemistry between Emmie and William was a bit off, and I enjoyed the staff more than I enjoyed their characters, but other than that I enjoyed this crazy story.

Thank you Netgalley & SMP for the arc!

Emmeline Hervey, her mother, told her cousin that they were moving to Bath. If Emmeline wanted it, she had better get married right away. She looked around the ballroom and couldn't find any of her other suitors. In comes, Will Pershing. They proceeded to Waltz while she asked him to marry her.
He was handsome, with broad shoulders and beautiful green eyes. If she married Will, she could have Winnower and help him become neat and climb the political ladder. They were married three days later.

Eight years, 4 months, and thirteen days later: Mr. Pershing loved to hunt
Her grandfather was turning seventy and wanted his whole family to spend time with him for his birthday. They were to bring their two children and themselves to his house.

I received this ARC from Book Sirens and voluntarily reviewed it.

This book. THIS book!!!

Honestly, this book was absolutely delightful and full of so much heart and laughter. I adored George and Rose. Everything that came out of their mouths was just the best.

I loved getting to read about a married couple finding their spark. It was such a fresh and unique marriage of convenience story.

I could go on and on, but I'll just say, you need to read this book!

*Mild language, but in British. Is it even cursing if there's an accent?
**Very mild innuendos between a married couple.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun read! It was more comedy than romance for me but I loved the story of people finding their family.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Emmeline Hervey, granddaughter to the Duke of Welshire is upset to learn that her mother, Lady Anne has decided to move to Bath, rather than stay in the house that her father the duke had let them stay in since they married. Winnover Hall is the only home that Emmeline “Emmie” has ever known and she had no desire to leave, but the house will go to the next family member that marries, and at this moment, that would be Emmie’s cousin Penelope. Unacceptable! Instead of letting that happen, Emmie proposes to her childhood friend, William Pershing, promising him a partnership and help with his career. He accepts and they marry, thwarting Penelope’s grab for Winnover Hall, for now because to keep the house for her lifetime, she must have a child within five years…

Fast-forward eight years, Emmie and Will are married, but have drifted apart and are childless, but when the duke demands their presence, including their children at his birthday gathering, Emmie knows she can no longer keep Will in the dark. Emmie confesses to Will that she invented two children, Malcolm who is 7, and Flora who is 5 and that if they do not produce them, they will lose the house. Will is shocked that oh-so-proper Emmeline has lied to the duke, he was aware of the terms of staying in the house, but after they passed the five-year mark, figured that the duke had changed his mind. And to her surprise, instead of ranting at her, he agrees to go along with her story. At first, they try to “borrow” a neighbor’s children, and then some of the tenant’s children, but none of those ideas pan out and they decide to try an orphanage in London and find George and Rose Fletcher, who are perfect for their charade! All they have to do is teach them how to act appropriately and convince them to play along with their lie. Simple, right? Too bad they underestimated the Fletcher children and find themselves in negotiations with them. And there is the small problem of the children stealing everything that isn’t nailed down. But aside from that, what else could go wrong? Simple, everything!

This was unlike any Susanne Enoch book I have read and I have read almost all of her books! There is nothing technically wrong with the book, I guess it is a bit of a second chance romance, but in truth, it read more like a comedy than a romance. First, the story isn’t really centered on the relationship between Emmie and Will, and second, there is no steam in this book at all (something else that is unlike any of her books I have read), seriously, there are no love scenes, just a couple of kisses and I love yous at the end. But it was still a fun read and I did enjoy reading it – it is just not what I was expecting. So if you are looking for a good read that will make you smile and doesn’t have any love scenes – look no further – this is that book!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

Something in the Heir is an interesting historical romance standalone where a couple of convenience need to fake having a family. After marrying for convenience, eight years have passed, and Emmeline Hervey and William Pershing need to physically produce the children Emmeline has been writing to her family about to keep her family home, Winnover Hall. Now that her grandfather’s 70th birthday is approaching, and he has requested to meet his grandchildren, Emmeline and Will must figure out how to bring their fake children to reality.

Emmeline and William try multiple times to borrow children from various families but fail. When they think they run out of options, they end up with two orphans from London, George, and Rose. These two children were nicely written as they did read as real children with their own personalities and motivations. I can easily see how the situation for “acquiring” the children can not be for every type of reader. Emmeline is not very sympathetic as I could not connect to her treatment of the children and why I would want her to keep a house that she seemed to want just to keep it from her cousin.

The story tended to focus on the family aspect and the antics compared to the romance that I thought I was going to read. Emmeline and William’s relationship is introduced with her proposing to him, and the marriage of convenience being set up before the story jumps forward eight years. There are hints that William had feelings for Emmeline since the beginning, but it was difficult to see as I did not find it explored enough. It seemed their romance took a backseat to the rest of the story where there were ups and downs, but it just seemed to happen.

Overall, the concept is very interesting, but the delivered story was not what I expected. I can see it being a potential triggering read for adoptees or others more sensitive to this topic as I think more care could have been taken. Instead, it seemed the focus in the writing stayed with the comedy aspect where I felt there could have been more. There are many pieces that could make this story great for me, but it just did not quite work. I do believe that each reader can interpret the events and characters in their own way, so I may be in the minority. Therefore, they should read this story for themselves!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Griffin, for the opportunity to read this enjoyable novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Emmeline and William Pershing have enjoyed a perfectly convenient marriage for eight years. She is content to continue with this life until her Uncle demands that they visit and bring their children with them. Unfortunately, there are no children. Can they fix things, or will their life implode?

The premise of this book started out so well, and then fell flat, right away.

There was barely any chemistry between the two main characters, and I ended up more invested in their staff!

This was a closed door romance, and very little steam. I generally did not like the two main characters, they were so involved in keeping what was deemed theirs, that they had little to no compassion for Rose and George. Rose and George stole the show for the most part, especially their relationships with the staff.

3.5 stars for this endearing & unique regency tale of a childless couple who must create a family in less than a month to prevent being evicted from their ancestral home.

This book is told through many POVs, so we get to watch this “fake” family become more like a real family through the eyes (and hearts) of both Will & Emmie and George and Rose (plus some other very loyal staff members as well!) Each added a unique element to the story without confusing the narrative.

The only reason for not giving this one a higher rating is because I felt the conclusion was rushed. The entire build up to the party and led to a quick appearance and a fast epilogue. I want more!