The Heir Apparent: A riveting royal story, now a Reese's Book Club Pick
-
-
4.2 • 131 Ratings
-
-
- $16.99
Publisher Description
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
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
We loved all the royal drama in this compelling read about what happens when “the spare” suddenly becomes the future Queen. Lexi Villiers is living her best life in Tasmania, completing her medical residency and sharing a farm with her closest friends, Jack and Finn. That is, until she learns her father and brother have died and her formidable grandmother insists she come home to England at once. Oh, did we mention that her grandmother is the Queen? Australian journalist Rebecca Armitage makes Lexi’s choice between the comfortable world she’s created and her duty as princess feel authentic and deeply human. There’s plenty of glamour and pageantry, but grief, guilt, long-standing family rifts and the pull of her budding romance with Jack come with real emotional stakes. The Heir Apparent is smart, modern royal fiction with heart.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Armitage's perceptive debut, the British monarchy navigates a crisis following the death of two heirs. Lexi Villiers, whose grandmother is the Queen of England, has removed herself from royal life and is finishing up her medical residency in Tasmania. After her father and twin brother die in a skiing accident, she becomes first in line to the throne and is whisked back to England. Under the intense scrutiny of a hostile press, Lexi is given one year to decide if she will accept her royal duty. Her decision is complicated by the recent kiss she shared with her best friend Jack, a Tasmanian winemaker from an activist family, and painful memories of how the palace culture destroyed her late mother. With the support of her brother's Indian British widow and a savvy social media manager, Lexi comes around to the idea of ascending to the throne. But as she solidifies her plan for a monarchy that acknowledges its historic harms, someone leaks damaging secrets about her. Armitage convincingly renders Lexi's inner turmoil as she weighs her sense of responsibility with a desire for freedom. It's a standout portrayal of the royals and the tabloid culture surrounding them.
Customer Reviews
Excellent
I didn’t have high expectations but thought I’d give it a go. I loved it! Interesting characters and issues, close enough to make you think…
I don’t think I’m the target audience for this
Author
Australian journalist. Former ABC Royal correspondent in London. Debut novel.
In brief
Contemporary setting featuring fictional British Royal family — the Villiers — descended from the best known, and most fecund, of Charles II’s mistresses. (He of Restoration fame. Catherine of Braganza, his actual wife, had 3 miscarriages and zero children, but he begat widely.) The Villers’ family home is Watford, rather than Windsor, Castle, and they spend every summer at their estate in the Scottish highlands shooting grouse, catching trout, and plotting against each other. Sound familiar? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
Presumably, although not explicitly stated in the text, the Villiers lineage didn’t involve a Glorious Revolution or feature as a heavy a German flavour as the Windsors, but the Queen Regnant when the book opens (and when it finishes) is 85 or so, and has been on the throne for a long time. Her older son and heir apparent — the Prince of Scotland rather than Wales — divorced his beautiful much younger media darling wife after she bore him twins (one of each), and married his old flame: a Catholic divorcee. The aforementioned media darling ex then dies in a tragic boating accident (was it really?). But wait, there’s more. The Queen’s other son is a dodgy Duke — an alcoholic gambler rather than womaniser with a penchant for teenagers — with two daughters.
So, after the media darling ex’s funeral, her male offspring stays in Blighty with Dad while the female twin goes to Tasmania, becomes a doctor, and takes up with a ruggedly handsome winemaker, as you would. At least until she’s whisked back to London after her old man and her twin bro both croak in an avalanche in Zermatt during the Xmas hols, and you do. Cue 12 months of internecine rivalry: a mashup, if you will, of The Crown, Succession, and the Kardashians. Maybe a bit of Bridgerton too.
Writing
Clear, professional prose although the narrative felt choppy due to the frequent flashbacks to fill in backstory. Consolidating some of these into longer chapters would have improved the flow IMHO. Character development was reasonable, even if none, including the protagonist, was particularly likeable: a point the author was seeking to make I suspect. Following the antics of the Royal family over a number of years is not my idea of a good time. I imagine it got old for Ms Armitage too.