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The Heir Apparent

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The Heir Apparent

By: Rebecca Armitage
Narrated by: Shakira Shute
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A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK

An absolutely delicious, compulsively readable, stylish novel about a young aristocratic woman, who has to choose between duty and her heart - think The Crown meets Taylor Jenkins Reid. 'I loved it. I devoured every page of this glorious novel.' Holly Ringland


Lexi Villiers is a 29-year-old Englishwoman doing her medical residency in Hobart, working too hard, worried about her bank balance, and living with friends. It's a good life, and getting even better, because as the dawn is breaking on New Year's Day, Lexi is about to kiss the man she loves for the very first time.

But by midnight, everything will change. Because Lexi is in fact not an ordinary young woman. She is Princess Alexandrina, third in line to the British throne - albeit estranged from the rest of her family and living in voluntary exile on the other side of the world. But following a terrible accident, Lexi - the black sheep of her family and, until this moment, always destined to be the spare - is now the heir apparent, first in line to the throne once her grandmother, the elderly Queen, dies. Called back to do her duty, she arrives in London to a Palace riven with power plays and media leaks, all the while guarding painful secrets of her own. Palace waters are treacherous, rumours are rife, and selling each other's secrets is a family tradition. And with the Crown just within her grasp, Lexi must choose what bonds she will keep ... and what she is willing to leave behind.

'This engrossing debut ... is filled with secrets, scandals, and a few unexpected twists, including a forbidden and beautiful love story. Armitage's writing is spectacular, with rich dialogue and descriptions, a vibrant depiction of the burden of duty versus personal freedom, and unique insights into royal life.' Booklist, starred review

'For everyone wondering who's going to be the next big thing on the Australian literary scene, I have the answer: it's Rebecca Armitage. The Heir Apparent is one of the best books I've read all year.' Natasha Lester, New York Times bestselling author of The Mademoiselle Alliance

'A fabulous novel, juicy and irresistible'. Pip Drysdale, bestselling author of The Close Up

'Completely addictive! I was up until the wee hours finishing this fantastic book. It's Hello! mag meets Sally Hepworth and I was utterly transported by the evocative, clever storytelling. Five stars!!' Ella Ward, The Cicada House

 Family Life Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Royalty Women's Fiction Heartfelt
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Ngl I clicked onto this book thinking the “alternate history” aspect of this book would be…at least a little more different than what we have in real life with the royal family.

There’s a review saying it was The Crown mets something else and it is probably the most literal interpretation of that. The book parallels the real life figures of QE2, Charles, Diana, Andrew, Kate Middleton all most one to one with the public perception of these person with slight changes to their deaths and lives. It makes it feel like the story is a pure self insert fanfic when I think there was so much more potential to explore different dynamics with the concept.

I don’t hate the book, I think once the book gets going and you manage to ignore all the “Easter eggs” of the real royal family it is quite enjoyable. I think the early to middle of the book does an excellent job setting up and paying off plot points to keep the reader engaged although it sort of felt lacking. Neutral feelings on the ending, made sense but edging the audience to be like ‘ahh what’s she gonna do?’ felt a little unnecessary at points bc it was pretty obvious her choice.

Good, easy read if you don’t expect much from it aside from what’s written on the tin.

Alternate title: What if Prince Harry was a girl

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Enjoyed this book. There are so many similarities to the current royals and it is a great story. However, the Australian accents are a cross between an exaggerated Australian accent and a New Zealand one. It grated every time I had to listen to the “Australians” unfortunate. I think this one would have been better to read than an audio.

Pity about the Australian Accents

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A nice story, which I enjoyed, fiction, but much is probably close to reality, however some of the pronunciation was annoying.

Enjoyable

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Whilst it took me a minute to get into this story, once it grabbed me, I was hooked and just needed to know what happened next. A royal FMC with a human heart that had endured her share of trauma, betrayal, regrets and secrets and ultimately had to choose between two very different life paths after a family tragedy thrust her forward in line to the throne. Whilst I personally hoped for a slightly different ending, a winner takes all shall I say, and whilst I despised a certain family member who I hope (as we don’t get answers) had a horrid fallout from the people and didn’t walk away with everything he wanted, I appreciate the path Lexi ultimately chose for herself. I would have loved an epilogue to hash out and give insight into the outcome for a certain family member post fallout but nevertheless I will make it up in my own head. Whilst it is a work of fiction, being someone with a slight interest into royal family, I couldn’t help but draw out the similarities with certain characters to those of the real royal family, which I found fun. Overall, I really enjoyed the glimpse behind the curtain of these people’s lives and the, family dynamics, secrets, gossip, betrayal and lifestyles maintained my interest throughout.

A lovely fictional peak behind the curtain

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I really enjoyed this one, but I do love the pageantry of the royal family! The traditions and behind-the-scenes scheming were such a fun backdrop and added a lot of charm to the story.

That said ... it was little slow, and final 1/4 felt like it dragged more than it needed to. Still, there were enough engaging and intriguing moments to keep me invested.

I really really loved the little surprises of recognising places in Hobart!! The tamiliarity made the story so much sweeter and gave me unexpected sense of connection 🥰

3.5 ⭐️

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