11/01/2020
Picking up immediately after the scandalous accusation that rocked Nicholas and Bex's wedding in The Royal We, Cocks and Morgan's latest finds the newlyweds hiding out in a charming Scottish bookstore and inn. Their alter egos have no worries or cares, but events soon force Bex back into her pantyhose and sensible heels as she finally assumes her role as dutiful wife to the heir, even if she and Nick haven't quite figured out how to move forward themselves. New scandals and secrets continue to rock their world, threatening not only their marriage but also the monarchy itself. VERDICT Narrator Christine Lakin returns to the characters she brought to sparkling life in the first book, but all her talents as a narrator cannot save the convoluted and uneven plot. Clocking in at more than 17 hours, the work is overly stuffed with consumerist descriptions and themes of the rich and powerful being allowed to lie to the public for "their own good." Readers sensitive to on-page pregnancy complications should consult content warnings.—Elizabeth Gabriel, Milwaukee P.L.
06/08/2020
This funny sequel to The Royal We affectionately sends up royal pomp and celebrity. The novel traces the tumultuous first two years of marriage for the American-born Rebecca “Bex” Porter and Nick, heir to the British throne, as they navigate the fallout from a tabloid scandal—it’s reported that Nick’s younger brother, Freddie, had an affair with Bex—and pressure to produce an heir of their own. The first quarter of the book is weighed down by backstory and the reintroduction of characters from the previous installment, but the intrigue picks up the pace when Nick’s grandmother, Queen Eleanor, has a stroke and the couple’s royal responsibilities increase. The frothy accounts of an official state dinner, international trips, and glitzy parties are irresistibly fun. Bex’s romance with her prince is playful and appealing, and the bond between Nick and Freddie is sincere and moving. As the tabloids continue to wreak havoc on Freddie’s reputation, Bex and Nick take it upon themselves to clear the air of secrets and present a unified, calm exterior to the public. There’s real heart in this escapist romp, and royal watchers and romance fans alike will be left hungry for another sequel. (July)
USA Today Bestseller
Apple Books Bestseller
"With an unintentional knack for paralleling the lives of the real British royal family, Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan deliver up their highly anticipated sequel with all the pomp, circumstance (and gossip!) of a royal wedding. God save the queen? More like God save these books."—Entertainment Weekly
"Those in need of smart escapism will find just what they’re looking for here: a plucky American taking the monarchy by storm; an imperious queen who’s gradually won over by her charms; a devastating family secret; not one, but two royal love triangles."—Vanity Fair
"The Heir Affair, is finally on shelves-and it's even more fun and feel-good than [The Royal We]"—HelloGiggles
"If you loved The Royal We, get your British romance fix with this scandalous sequel."—Good Housekeeping
"Irresistibly fun [...] there's real heart in this escapist romp, and royal watchers and romance fans alike will be left hungry for another sequel."—Publisher's Weekly
"Cocks and Morgan have crafted a delicious story of complicated families, it's just that this one happens to be royal. If you haven't read The Royal We yet, go read that, then read this. You won't regret it, I promise. Read if you're into: royals. Gossip. Drama. Complicated families. Compulsively readable books. This has literally everything!"—Alma.
"The highly anticipated sequel to The Royal We is coming out just when we need it most. It picks up right after the big cliffhanger that ended the first installment. The new Duke and Duchess of Clarence are on the run from scandals and former friends when they are suddenly called back to London where family secrets, old and new, are bumbling to the surface."—TODAY.com
"Heather and Jessica have done it again! The Heir Affair is the perfect sequel to The Royal We. It is just as fun, charming, and delightful as the first- now with even more complexity and wisdom as we grow to know and love these characters even more. A timely and positively delicious story. I loved it."—Taylor Jenkins Reid, bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six
"Royal watchers and tabloid devotees will devour this juicy look behind the gilded curtain of palace life."—Kirkus
"This book is like a long, juicy, satisfying gossip over a glass of wine with your best friend, if your best friend just happened to be married to the heir to the throne. I enjoyed this book from the intriguing beginning to the delightful end."—Jasmine Guillory, bestselling author of The Wedding Date
PRAISE FOR THE ROYAL WE:
"Smart, funny . . . [Cocks and Morgan] write like the pros they've become."—Janet Maslin, The New York Times
"The characters should all be familiar: the heir to the British throne, his mischievous younger brother, his granny and the pretty commoner he meets in college. But in this version by bloggers Cocks and Morgan (a.k.a. the Fug Girls), the girl is American. Nick and Bex's love story is so fun and dishy, you'll hope for a sequel—with royal babies."—People
"In the grand tradition of Curtis Sittenfeld's American Wife . . . A breezy, juicy novel that's like The Princess Diaries with fewer made-up countries and more sex-the kind of book you can imagine Pippa sneaking into Kensington Palace."
—Entertainment Weekly
"A joy from start to finish. THE ROYAL WE is that rare novel that makes you think, makes you cry, and is such fun to read that you'll want to clear your schedule until you've turned the final page. But be warned—Cocks and Morgan have created a world so rich, a romance so compelling, and characters so funny and alive, that you'll be terribly sad to see them go."—J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author of The Engagements and Maine
"A heartfelt exploration of a life lived in the spotlight, THE ROYAL WE balances dishy decadence with an honest look at the sacrifices required to stay princess to Prince Charming."—Courtney Maum, author of I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You
"THE ROYAL WE is as engrossing and deeply satisfying as any royal wedding documentary, and it's a thousand times more fun, from the fairy tale to the inevitable foibles. You will want Bex Porter to be your best friend. You will feel the same way about Cocks and Morgan, who are warm, witty, hilarious, and moving in their depiction of a very complicated relationship indeed."—Jen Doll, author of Save the Date
07/24/2020
In their sequel to The Royal We, Cocks and Morgan pick up where they left off, or almost. Prince Nicholas and his American bride, Rebecca "Bex" Porter, have gone incognito in Scotland for their honeymoon after a scandal upended their wedding plans. A new crisis forces the new duke and duchess to return to London and deal with the fallout of the scandal and mend fences with their family, friends, and a very angry public. Once back, Nick and Bex must not only navigate being a married couple, but do so under a microscope while dealing with everyone's expectation about when they'll be expecting. Bex retreats from the scrutiny, diving into a royal mystery from the past and relying too much on Freddie for companionship; Nick escapes into work and avoids the issues. Even when the plot veers in the latter half, there's no doubt that Team Nick and Bex will persevere. VERDICT Angst-filled and bittersweet (sometimes verging a bit more toward the bitter), this engrossing, emotional read sometimes suffers under the weight of Nick and Bex's (and Freddie's) unhappiness, yet also expertly immerses readers in the reality of what it means to be married to the heir to the throne. [See Prepub Alert, 12/9/19.]—Jane Jorgenson, Madison P.L., WI
2020-04-13
Cocks and Morgan, the fashion bloggers known as the Fug Girls, return with the highly anticipated sequel to their regal rom-com, The Royal We (2015).
Nick and Bex, more formally known as the Duke and Duchess of Clarence, have escaped from London and taken refuge in Wigtown, Scotland, where they are posing as local booksellers Margot and Steve. The newlyweds are not only running from their disastrous wedding ceremony—during which rumors of an affair between Bex and Prince Freddie, Nick’s brother, were released to the public by a former friend of Nick's who's a tabloid journalist—but from the resultant wrath of Nick’s grandmother, Queen Eleanor. Both Nick and Bex are uncertain about how to move forward in their marriage following Freddie’s declaration of love for Bex, and they're contemplating never returning home. But when Queen Eleanor concocts a scheme to get them back, they return to their public lives, where they must confront the deepening cracks in their relationships with each other as well as with Freddie and the way history seems to be repeating itself in the palace. It’s clear that the authors are experts on all the juicy rumors about the real British royal family, as they deftly inject recognizable scandals and characteristics from real-life people into a world of their own making. A mystery from the past involving Princess Georgina, the queen’s late sister, mirrors one in the present day of the book and adds more intrigue to the plot, though some readers might find the resultant drama a bit over-the-top. The novel takes place over the course of several years and can feel drawn out as multiple illnesses, pregnancies, scandals, and secrets keep cropping up, but the characters are so compelling that most readers won’t mind spending extra time with them.
Royal watchers and tabloid devotees will devour this juicy look behind the gilded curtain of palace life.
