The Heir Apparent
Reese's Book Club Pick
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
An irresistible modern fairy tale about a British princess who must decide between her duty to her family—or to her own heart.
A Reese's Book Club Pick!
It’s New Year’s Day in Australia and the life Lexi Villiers has carefully built is working out nicely: she’s in the second year of her medical residency, she lives on a beautiful farm with her two best friends Finn and Jack, and she’s about to finally become more-than-friendly with Jack—when a helicopter abruptly lands.
Out steps her grandmother’s right-hand-man, with the tragic news that her father and older brother have been killed in a skiing accident. Lexi’s grandmother happens to be the Queen of England, and in addition to the shock and grief, Lexi must now accept the reality that she is suddenly next in line for the throne—a role she has publicly disavowed.
Returning to London as the heir apparent Princess Alexandrina, Lexi is greeted by a skeptical public not ready to forgive her defection, a grieving sister-in-law harboring an explosive secret, and a scheming uncle determined to claim the throne himself.
Her recent life—and Jack—grow ever more distant as she feels the tug of tradition, of love for her grandmother, and of obligation. When her grandmother grants her one year to decide, Lexi must choose her own destiny: will it be determined by an accident of birth—or by love?
“One of the best books I've read all year.” —Natasha Lester, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Seamstress
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.
