You probably caught wind — because we mentioned it a million times — of us being in the throes of book writing or editing stress over the past year, and so we are very pleased that the fruit of all that labor is finally coming out into the world. The Heir Affair, our sequel to The Royal We, comes out in hardback on July 7 in the U.S. — and in only one week in Canada, in paperback. Enjoy it early, Canada! Consider it a Happy Almost Canada Day gift.
What is this book about? Per the dust jacket, it’s this:
After a scandalous secret turns their fairy-tale wedding into a nightmare, Rebecca “Bex” Porter and her husband Prince Nicholas are in self-imposed exile. The public is angry. The Queen is even angrier. And the press is salivating. Cutting themselves off from friends and family, and escaping the world’s judgmental eyes, feels like the best way to protect their fragile, all-consuming romance.
But when a crisis forces the new Duke and Duchess back to London, the Band-Aid they’d placed over their problems starts to peel at the edges. Now, as old family secrets and new ones threaten to derail her new royal life, Bex has to face the emotional wreckage she and Nick left behind: with the Queen, with the world, and with Nick’s brother Freddie, whose sins may not be so easily forgotten — nor forgiven.
And yes, you probably do need to read The Royal We to fully appreciate the events in this one, although you can always live on the edge and hope the exposition carries you through. (Writing exposition that doesn’t feel clunky as hell is really hard, by the way; I have even more respect than ever for soap opera writers.)
Obviously, Covid put a crimp in our promotional plans; even with some stores opening up, we are not about to make super-spreaders of us all. We will really miss getting to see everyone, but we hold out hope that eventually we’ll be able to hit up all those cities and bookstores we had in mind. In the meantime, we are doing a virtual event with Vroman’s on July 7 at 6 p.m. PST, moderated by Linda Holmes (esteemed author of Evvie Drake Starts Over, esteemed writer for NPR, esteemed co-host of the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, esteemed former Television Without Pity recapper — which is how we met her — and esteemed human in general). Here’s how that’s going to work:
- It is a ticketed event, in the sense that Vroman’s asking you to purchase the book from them in order to join us — but we will be signing (and personalizing, by request!) all the books before they are sent out to you. Per Vroman’s: “Your event ticket includes a new hardcover copy of The Heir Affair, with personalization, mailed to your door after the event, as well as online access to the event for your household. You will receive a link and password to attend the Crowdcast event on the afternoon of Monday, July 6th.”
- You can get tickets here and we’d love to (virtually) see you there!
- If you’ve already pre-ordered from Vroman’s, you should be able to get the Crowdcast link simply by contacting the store.
You can also always pre-order from your favorite independent bookstore — please do! — or from:
If you want a signed copy but can’t (or don’t want to!) make our Vroman’s event, you can also order them from The Ripped Bodice (sidebar: We’re also doing a Facebook event with them on Friday to celebrate Jasmine Guillory’s amazing Party of Two, if that tickles your fancy.)
And while we’re here, we’d also like to use this post to wish a Happy Book Birthday to some excellent ones that are coming out today — just in case you’re in a book-buying mood. For your consideration:
- Talia Hibbert’s Take a Hint, Dani Brown, which connects with her delightful Get a Life, Chloe Brown.
- Jasmine Guillory’s swoony and perfect romance, Party of Two.
- Protocol by Capricia Penavic Marshall, who was chief of protocol for President Obama and social secretary for the Clintons. (We haven’t read this yet but it sounds logistically fascinating!)
- Kimiko Guthrie’s Block Seventeen, which Booklist called a “promising and totally immersive debut, rich in Japanese American culture… as devastating and evocative as Julie Otsuka’s When the Emperor Was Divine, with a Hitchcockian overlay of suspense.”
- Ottessa Moshfegh’s follow-up to My Year of Rest and Relaxation, called Death in her Hands: A Novel.
- Julie Clark’s The Last Flight, which has gotten fantastic reviews, including a star from Kirkus, and which sounds like the kind of twisty lady-thriller that’s great to read by the pool. (I don’t have a pool.)
- And Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein, which is a romance about Olympic gymnasts!
All income from affiliate links in this post will be donated to The Conscious Kid’s Anti-Racist Children’s Books Education Fund.
