Review: The Heir and The Spare by Emily Albright

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Rating: PG

Genre: Contemporary 

Score: 3.75 stars

Page Count: 288

Book #1 of Untiled series

Publisher: Merit Press

Published: January 18th, 2016

Family can be complicated. Especially when skeletons from the past pop up unexpectedly. For American Evie Gray, finding out her deceased mother had a secret identity, and not one of the caped crusader variety, was quite the surprise. Evie’s mom had a secret life before she was even born, one that involved tiaras.

In this modern day fairytale, Evie is on a path to figure out who her mom really was, while discovering for herself what the future will hold. Charged with her late mother’s letters, Evie embarks on a quest into her past. The first item on the list is to attend Oxford, her mom’s alma mater. There, Evie stumbles upon a real life prince charming, Edmund Stuart the second Prince of England, who is all too happy to be the counterpart to her damsel in distress.

Evie can’t resist her growing attraction to Edmund as they spend more time together trying to unravel the clues her mother left behind. But, when doubts arise as to whether or not Edmund could ever be with an untitled American, what really ends up unraveling is Evie’s heart. When Evie uncovers all the facts about her mom’s former life, she realizes her mom’s past can open doors she never dreamed possible, doors that can help her be with Edmund. But, with everything now unveiled, Evie starts to crack under the pressure of new family responsibilities and the realization that her perfect prince may want her for all the wrong reasons.

Rating:

PROS:

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1. First off, a huge thank you to the author and Fantastic Flying Book Club for the review copy of the book! I thought this book honestly sounded like it could be really cute which is why I first wanted to review it. I'm currently in a very contemporary mood and I find myself flipping back and forth between that genre and mystery. I thought this book sounded right up my alley since it's kind of a little bit of a mystery mixed into the romance. So, before I can ramble on too much, let's get onto the review!

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2. I really liked the cast of characters in this book. I thought Evie was a relatable character and she was very independent in her own right. While sometimes being a little too insecure, she was smart and devoted to finding out whatever her mother was leading her to in her letters which is why Evie decides to go to London in the first place. She was also a little bit stubborn but I honestly didn't mind that much. I also liked Edmund and thought he was a little bit of a geek which is a nice trait for a prince if you ask me. He was sweet and funny and I liked the chemistry between him and Evie. I also loved their friends and thought they were a ton of fun. I love a good group of friends in a book and I adored those little weirdos!

3. The book was very amusing and had a really nice pace. Even though it was a short book, I didn't really feel like the story was being rushed. It flowed nicely and didn't feel awkward at any point. I thought it was a fun read and perfect for fans of the classic girl-falls-for-secret-prince storyline. The book reminded me a lot of The Princess Diaries, 13 Little Blue Envelopes, and a little hint of Anna and The French Kiss. I think fans of any of those books would really like this book. It's cute, fluffy, romantic, funny, and a perfect summer or spring read, maybe even fall.

CONS:
1. While I liked this book, I was disappointed that the whole mystery surrounding Evie's mom was pretty easy to predict very early on in the book. The cover pretty much gave the secret away and I was hoping for some other surprise to pop up to make up for the spoiled secret but that didn't happen. I felt like I was just waiting for Evie to finally figure out what I had already put together and I didn't really like that.

2. I also had a little bit of an issue with the lack of research this book seemed to have when it came to how college in the UK worked. I had a couple of specific issues with it, one being that at one point Evie was having trouble with her Algebra homework when she was majoring in Art History. That was a detail I couldn't really get past since it felt out of place and inaccurate. I also felt the romance was just a tad bit rushed and I think it could've slowed down just a tad to really sell it.

Overall, I think this book is fun and it has me interested in the sequel since I ended up liking this first book more than I thought I would. The review for the sequel will be up in the next couple of weeks so be on the lookout for that! I think this book is cute and if you love a fluffy read set in a different part of the world, I would totally recommend this one! 

You Can Purchase The Book Here:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Books-A-Million

IndieBound

Overstock

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Wal-Mart

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About The Author:

Emily Albright's debut novel,THE HEIR AND THE SPARE, is available now from Merit Press. The sequel, EVERYDAY MAGIC, releases this November.

She's a writer, a major bookworm, a lover of romantic movies, a wife, a mother, an owner of one adorable (yet slightly insane) cockapoo, and uses way too many :). 

Author Links:

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REVIEW COMING NOV. 2ND!

COMING SOON!

Everyday Magic by Emily Albright

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Synopsis: For once, Maggie McKendrick just wants to control her own life. Her overbearing Hollywood director father has it all planned out for her: UCLA, law school, then working as an entertainment lawyer, preferably for him. But Maggie has other, more creative-spirit friendly, plans. Namely, Thrippletons School of Fashion and Design in England, and then onto becoming a designer, preferably a wildly successful one. The big snag in her plan? Getting it past her dad.

A movie shoot takes the family to the Scottish Highlands for the summer, and closer to Maggie’s dream school. While there, she runs into the charming Preston Browne. Maggie is intrigued and decides to bend her no guys rule—instituted after her ex used her to get close to her dad. Forced to keep secrets from Preston in order to protect the future plans she’s made, Maggie finds herself falling for the tall Brit. And for once in her life she knows that he’s interested in her, not her Hollywood connections. When Maggie's father blackmails her into dating his lead actor, she isn’t left with a choice. The biggest problem isn’t having to date hunky, mega-hottie, Ben Chambers. No, it’s praying she doesn’t lose Preston in the process.

Excelling at her dream school, Maggie’s personal life is a tangled mess. She needs to decide if living a lie is worth losing Preston or chance going against her father and facing his wrath. When the tabloids expose the truth of her fake relationship with Ben, Maggie's world is thrown into a tailspin. Ultimately, Maggie must find the courage to take risks and forge ahead on her own path.

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I hope you guys enjoyed this book review! Read on, bookworms! See you in the next chapter!