This was such an enjoyable book! I love historical romances, and especially ones like this, that don’t feel too historical. Also, I really liked that the plot idea, that they need to find these children to pretend to be their children, new and fresh. It really did make the book more enjoyable, because it was something I hadn’t seen before.

This story was honestly more than I was expecting it to be, and while slightly shocking, it was really good. I went into this expecting it to be most romance, but I was pleasantly surprised when there was a big focus on what I would essentially call found family.

First and foremost, I did really like the two main characters. I thought both Emmeline and Will had journeys where their characters were almost reawakened to who they were. Additionally, I liked seeing representation for people who get comfortable in life and almost need to have things shaken up a bit to remind them how to live. Additionally, I really enjoyed all the side characters as well. I really liked that throughout the book, we got their viewpoints as well. And my most favorite thing is that we get the viewpoints of the children as well. They were important characters to the plot, so it made sense that we also heard what was going on in their heads.

One other thing I liked about reading this book was that there was a slight air of mystery to the entire book. Yes, we got the romance and the slow build in the relationship between Emmie and Will, but we also got this “what will happen??” sense throughout the entire thing as well. It was like on each page we were wondering if the whole scheme will fall out from under them. In the end, I liked how the book ended as well, and I think it really fit well with the lessons in it.

Overall, I gave it 4 stars

I don't recall the other books that I have read from Suzanne Enoch being this funny. The desire to stay in the home she grew up leads Emmeline Hervey to jump through all kinds of hoops to win the right to live in Winnover Hall, owned by the Duke of Wilshire, the current Duke is her grandfather. When her parents announce that they are moving to Bath, the rules say that the first descendant to marry can live there for 5 years and if they produce an heir, they can stay there until they die. Her cousin is all ready engaged and despite having received 3 proposals, Emmeline hasn't made her mind about either of them. With the chance of her cousin getting a special license she makes a proposal to her childhood friend, Will Pershing. Not knowing that he is already in love with her, she proposes a marriage of convenience , where they get to live at Winnover and she will use her talents to help him with his career in the government. He agrees to the quick wedding, but then boggles their wedding night, and they fail to create a heir. She becomes convinced that she is barren, but then makes up two children, failing to tell Will about her lie. Eight years later, they are more like business partners then spouses, but when they are ordered to appear at her grandfather's birthday party, she must confess to Will. What follows is hilarious brainstorming plans and "borrowing" some orphans to play the part. The kids are adorable and Emmeline and Will find out what they have missed by not having children. Wonderful ending. Except for the one "villain", all the characters are very likable and the story engaging.

I read an ARC from the publisher, provided by NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Something in the Heir by S. Enoch, published by St. Martin's Press, was great. This is a fun and enjoyable read and excellently written. I love a good historical read and I would recommend it in a heartbeat to those who love a great plot!

dnf
i was so excited by the premise of this book, but it just did not work for me. I am open to reading more from the author though.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I started this book, since it came highly recommended. Didn't care for the messy parts of their earlier marriage, so it wasn't really for me.

This didn't feel like the Suzanne Enoch I'm used to.
To be fair, I'm not a victorian orphan so I don't know how they'd think or feel but I didn't like how untrusting they were, it made the push and pull take too long.

I love love romance tropes like marriage of convenience, and friends to lovers.

I think I would have preferred a different pull together of the main characters than the use of orphaned children but their use and chemistry was great.

I would have liked a different coming together than focused more on the romance instead of world and relationship building as this read more historical than romance but it was predictable fun.

Nostalgic for the Suzanne Enoch of old, This book was an okay middle of the road historical romance, but it almost feels as if its trying too hard to keep up with the times (or is it the cartoon cover).

The humor and wit was excellent, but the plot often felt rushed at times. Like the whole book went by in a blink of an eye. I would recommend this as a good starter for anyone just beginning in the historical romance genre.

I don’t read a ton of historical romance, but this was a new premise for me! And I have to say I really really enjoyed this one!

I loved the struggles of being “parents” and how fiercely they became over the kids. I loved the slow return to actually falling in love. Though I wish we had more of their past to see why they just stopped being intimate.

I thought there would be more hijinks with the children (there was some) but it wasn't what I expected. I'd say the plotline kind of turned from what I thought it would be and sometimes it was good, other times not so much.

There wasn't a ton of romance either, for a historical romance, but I still enjoyed the characters and story without it.

Thank you to St. Martin's press for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF. Just wasn't feeling the chemistry or intrigue here. Definitely more of a comedy than a romance, which it pulled off, but I didn't enjoy it and wouldn't have picked it up had I know that. Didn't feel like the MCs even really liked each other — and not even in a hot way.

Emmeline will do anything to keep her home. Thanks to the inheritance rules set forth by her grandfather, she needs to be the first to marry and also produce heirs. An arranged marriage with a friend and a little white lies about their (non-existent) children have served their purpose. Except now, they have a family gathering and need to produce the make believe children, so they borrow two siblings from an orphanage.

This was so fun! As ridiculous a situation it is, the more fun it became. The kids were a riot and it was easy to see why Emmeline fell in love with them, as naughty as they were. Even the support staff were entertaining. I smiled throughout the entire book and can't wait to read more by this author.

This was a funny and entertaining book, but I would not class it as a romance- if historical comedy was a genre, this would be it. I thought the storyline with the children would run parallel to the romance, but it was fairly non-existant. I think a clearer blurb would have helped with expectations!

Just absolute pure fun! Emmeline and William have settled into their life with a solid marriage of convenience. They have good routines and they have each dutifully played their roles to perfection, but when Emmeline’s grandfather calls on them to attend his birthday celebration William is stunned to learn that his wife made up two children. They need to quickly find two children. As it happens the two most unruly orphans it seems in all of the land play the role of their children. In the chaos of the celebration William and Emmeline find their marriage is truly so much more than either of them expected and there is real love there!

Thank you #stmartinspress and #Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

On one level, this book was hilarious. Getting caught in the lie of having two perfect children and being forced to produce some really brought Emmeline and William together in a marraige that was quite stagnant. On the other hand, the idea that the orphans they procured were just temporary and expected to eventually go somewhere else was completely heartbreaking. Alls well that ends well, I suppose, but parts of this were hard to read as a foster parent.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-galley of Something in the Heir.

Emmeline and William have had an amicable marriage for eight years. They have a good routine going and know how they fit in each other's lives. However, their peaceful cohabitation is soon to be shaken up when they are summoned to Emmeline's grandfather's birthday party...and are expected to show up with the two children that Emmeline has been writing to her family about. Two children that do not exist.

Emmeline and William are forced to work together in closer proximity than they have been for years. Will they be able to pull off the farce of a happy family of four? Or will it all come crumbling down around them?

This book was such a surprise! I loved the witty writing style, The fabulous and incredible lead of the book were incredibly gripping and kept me hooked into the story. Amazing!

I wanted to love this one more than I did but sadly it fell a little flat for me. But I can see so many others loving it, Thank you to SMP for the advanced copy

Not long after I read Never Rescue a Rogue by Virginia Heath I found myself craving for more historical romance (and that crave is still active) so Something in the Heir came to my life in just about the right time.

Suzanne Enoch is pretty popular in my country and now when I finished her book I can see why. Her writing style is witty and I can imagine myself grabbing her work when I need something to make me feel better.

However, although I enjoyed author’s writing style, the story she created this time around didn’t win my heart.
I did enjoy it to some degree, but I signed up for a romance, and in reality I got a family comedy with somewhat shallow protagonists.

The story has tropes that are popular in romance books: marriage of convenience and friends-to-lovers, but the reason I simply reject to call this a romance are children who took the spot from main characters, their chemistry and everything in between.

This story was more about orphan children coming to lives of our two main characters (for a reason that can put a bad taste in readers mouths I am sure) and them winning the hearts of said protagonists than about Emma and Will‘s path to find love with each other.
I mean, there was not even one scene where the reader would witness the chemistry between them or root for them.
It was all predictable in a way, which I don’t mind, but I wish I was swept away by at least one or two moments of love in this story.

So overall, this book was fun but it read like historical fiction because it lacked when it comes to romance.

Sometimes you just need to sit down with a fluffy romance novel with a comfortable blanket and a fireplace. This is one of the books you pull out at a time like this. Are most romance novels rather predicable? Yes. Does it make this book any less enjoyable? No. I enjoyed watching these characters go from a polite marriage, to one with affection and love. It was nice to see these two characters grow and learn more about each other and themselves.