There are a lot of people the heir to the British throne isn't supposed to fall in love with—commoners, for example, or Americans, or anti-monarchists. This goes double when the heir was until recently 11th in line, and an American himself at that, and certainly not expected to get anywhere near inheriting...and triple when he unexpectedly falls for a man...and quadruple when, uh, that man is the prime minister, and royalty isn't supposed to get involved in politics.

So that's Callum's life in this book. Shenanigans ensue.

Perhaps against my better judgement, I am very fond of contemporary "suddenly royal" books (shhh, we all have our quirks), and this is no exception. It's interesting in a few different ways—first, though Callum is not living a particularly privileged life at the beginning of the book and doesn't have any expectation of going anywhere but farther down on the line of succession, he's well aware of who his family is. This is not a "who is this upstart" book so much as a "hello, Gran" book. Second, Callum is a grown man by the time he takes his place as first in line for the throne, and the expectations placed on him are...different from the expectations in fiction I've read in which a girl or woman is suddenly high up in the succession line (or about to marry within it). There's no discussion of his figure, or schedules so packed they leave no time for breathing, or days upon days of etiquette lessons. To be fair, I do think this book leans heavily towards the permissive side on that score—I suspect that anyone thrown into that particular shark tank would be far more scrutinized from the Crown's side, not just the public side, than Callum ever is—but there's a point to be made about expectations and attitudes when a man is in a position of (sudden) power vs. when a woman is.

The romance is fun and full of *terrible* puns, which is...well, pretty much just how I like it. Callum and Oliver very quickly come up against the reality of their situation—they can't be together publicly unless one of them steps down from their respective very highly privileged and influential roles, and chances of maintaining a private relationship are slim to none—which means that the things keeping them apart tend to be external rather than internal, which I'm always fond of because the relationship tends to feel healthier.

I'm not sure Callum needed quite so many things stacked against him, though. He's 1) unexpectedly first in line, 2) American, 3) the sort of romance-novel clumsy that means that he'll spill coffee down someone else's shirt any time there are photographers around but rarely otherwise, 4) in a relationship that could become a legal nightmare, and 5) just now realizing that he might not be as straight as he thought. And that's a *lot*. 1 and 4 together would be enough for a book's worth of drama. 3 is probably in there as an inoffensive character flaw, but there's a limit to how many "charming but clumsy" hero/ines I can take, and I hit that limit a good decade ago. I'm ready for a new standard inoffensive character flaw! 2 definitely creates drama, and I suppose 5 is in there so that Callum and Oliver can spend time as friends (and without sexual tension) before getting together, but for those I could take them or leave them.

All told, plenty of fun—will likely appeal to fans of "Red, White and Royal Blue" or "American Royals".

Thanks to the author for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

I picked this up because the cover and synopsis were cute and because I desperately needed something to fill the void left after finishing the new Red White & Royal Blue movie. And this was absolutely perfect.

This a deliciously swoony slow-burn romance, with Callum, unlikely American heir to the British throne, and Oliver, Prime Minister of the UK, sloooooowly falling in love over nightly text messages that evolve into phone calls that evolve into video calls and then more.

I loved Callum, with his bumbling but cheerful approach to life, his random facts and obsessions, and always seeing the magic in the small things and trying to make people's days brighter with every conversation. He was so genuine and likeable and good. He occasionally reminded me of a golden retriever lol.

I also loved Oliver, with his passion to improve the lives of the common people and his witty comebacks and political savvy. He was so serious all the time - it was nice to see Callum making him laugh and relax.

Would this absolutely bonkers political scenario ever happen in real life? Hell no. Did I care? Absolutely not. It worked because the heart of the story is Callum and Oliver falling in love.

I was 100% there for them falling for one another and in some sense the political trappings of the story were secondary to that. Yes it was amusing, and it certainly caused plenty of conflict and provided the forbidden relationship angle, but I'm not going to nitpick historical or political details.

Why would I? I loved this too much. I flew through it in a day and did absolutely nothing else I had planned to because I couldn't tear myself away from it.

To be fair, when presented with an epistolary novel, especially a slow-burn in the form of text messages, I'm almost guaranteed to like it. There have been a few notable exceptions, but only a few. Callum and Oliver, however, are the heart of this novel and their personalities and interactions are what drew me in and kept me hooked.

This is absolutely a new favorite and I will be checking out the author's other works asap.

*Thanks to Booksirens and NetGalley for providing an early copy for review.

When a surprising investigation into the British royal family leads to the next ten successors to the throne ineligible, American Callum Prescott finds himself next in line to be the king. His entire world turned upside down, he is whisked away from obscurity and thrust into the spotlight as the new heir.
Unfortunately Callum's tendency to be a bit of klutz, coupled with the public's growing unhappiness with the monarchy, makes it a really difficult transition; no one seems to want the American to be the heir.
After meeting the first openly gay Prime Minister Oliver Hartwell at a political function, Oliver gives Callum his phone number and offers to chat when things get too heavy. Which leads the pair to start texting every single night. Soon this evolves into video calls that the pair both look forward to all day. Which soon develops into more. But how can the heir to the British throne possibly be with the Prime Minister?

Y'all. This. Book. I was entirely blown away by how friggin' adorable Callum and Oliver are. Their conversations are so cute and watching them support each other and grow close while both struggling with the fact that they know that being together isn't possible/easy...this book had everything. I can easily see this as a book I'd come back to again and again when I want some warm fuzzies.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was so much cuter than I thought it would be! I loved it! Gotta love a forbidden romance story. I don’t know what it is with these stories about the King of England being in a forbidden gay romance but I’m here for it. In this book, we get the future King having a secret relationship with the Prime Minister. Callum is 25 years old and working as a representative in an insurance call center. He hasn’t had any luck with dating, and most girls don’t like him after he opens his mouth. He’s awkward and likes to recite random facts to anyone who will listen to him. Shenanigans lead to him becoming the next heir of England, even though he’s 11th in line. After he’s whisked away, he begins to realize that being an American king is going to be hard. Things become even harder when he falls in love with the most unlikely person ever.

Oliver and Callum were so cute! I could tell they were catching feelings and was screaming at them to get together already. The end was beautiful as well. This is a romantic comedy set in the backdrop of English monarchy with plenty of politics I didn’t understand. Callum was adorable and I’m glad he got the happiness he deserved with Oliver. They both seemed like amazing dudes.

An amercian somehow find himself as the new heir to the British Throne. He has to struggle against traditions, treacheries and lies to save the monarchy. Then he meets the handsome prime minister and falls in love...

A fun take on a royal forbidden romance. :) Love the humour and the banter. Great characters. The romance is terrific... swoony and fun. Yes, it's SO unrealistic but that's what made it fun. And it's Terrific fun!

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

American Callum learns that he is heir to the throne after a scandal hits his royal family. Royal life isn't easy, but a forbidden romance with the Prime Minster spices things up.

This was so good!

It was fun, it was funny, it was romantic, it was cheesy, it was emotional, it was just what a forbidden romance should be. Callum and Oliver were so sweet, so romantic and the slow build from friendship to romance was perfectly paced.

I'd recommend this for sure.

Thank you to Net Galley for the Arc. All opinions are my own.

(4.5 stars rounded to 5)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Callum, California native and eleventh in line for the throne, gets a call from his grandmother and in true Princess Diaries fashion: he is now heir to the throne. Throughout his journey to accept heirdom Prince Callum is forced to reckon with himself and realize what he truly wants. Even if it means breaking every royal protocol and falling for the Prime Minister.

What this book lacks in epic makeover scenes, it makes up for in sheer enjoyability and fun. I laughed, I cried, I cringed, but most importantly I truly enjoyed myself reading this book. The main characters were a wonderful smorgasbord of fun facts, dad jokes, and just enough cheese that I had to set the book down several times to walk off some secondhand embarrassment (in a good way).

I encourage everyone that loves romcoms to read this book. Caution: side effects may include giggling, kicking your feet back and forth, and wanting Callum to become your new best friend.

The Unlikely Heir might just be one of the best forbidden romances I’ve read recently.
The pining, the angst, the cute secret moments — my heart can’t take it!

Callum and Oliver were so charming and dreamy, and i loved the nice build up from a sweet, unexpected friendship to a beautiful and caring relationship despite their differences.

Lovely writing, Jax Calder just knows how to show the love between the characters.

a decent romance – i wasn’t too into the age gap, but i read it in two sittings and laughed out loud a couple of times, so it did it job just fine.