Review by Booklist Review
Tiaras, titles, and titillating royals abound in this engrossing debut from Armitage. Lexi Villiers, 29, suddenly becomes the heir apparent to her grandmother, the Queen of England, after a tragic skiing accident kills her father and her twin brother, along with a longtime family friend. Lexi, also known as Princess Alexandrina, walked away from the royal family several years earlier and is in her second year of medical residency. But duty calls her back. The Queen gives her one year to decide whether to accept her destiny, or the crown will go to Lexi's smarmy Uncle Richard. She's forced to leave behind her student life with her two best friends, Finn and Jack, and the budding romance with Jack she had just started to enjoy. The Heir Apparent is filled with secrets, scandals, and a few unexpected twists, including a forbidden and beautiful love story. Anglophiles will enjoy this intriguing and expressive story of self-introspection that takes place in the thinly veiled world of the British royal family. 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.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
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. Agent: Kimberly Witherspoon, InkWell Management. (Dec.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A British princess who's stepped away from her royal role finds herself suddenly next in line for the throne. As Armitage's debut opens, Lexi Villiers is a medical resident in Australia, estranged from her family since she slipped away several years earlier to pursue a career. She's been living on the grounds of a beautiful Tasmanian vineyard owned by the family of a man she is about to become more than best friends with--when a helicopter touches down to tell her that her father, the heir to the throne, along with her twin brother and his best friend have been killed by an avalanche while skiing. She's whisked back to Britain at the behest of her grandmother the queen, landing instantly in the hornet's nest of tabloid coverage, family secrets and resentments, and implacable protocol that is royal life. Will she accept her role as the heir apparent or let the crown pass to her scheming, power-hungry uncle? The queen gives her a year to decide. While her decampment to Australia left her with a very low approval rating from the British public, her reinvolvement in public life wins favor, engineered with the help of a savvy assistant. Though she feels the call of duty, it's lonely at the top--her bereaved sister-in-law, once a close friend, is angry about her defection; a handsome aristocrat who might make a suitable mate doesn't hold a candle to the man she left behind. Fortunately, she has a very nice dog. To the author's credit, the suspense of the decision lasts right up until the final pages, though one of the main issues creating all the drama--the circumstances of her mother's drowning when Lexi and her brother were not yet 18 and on vacation with her in Italy, slowly revealed in sections set in the past--never quite makes sense. The author's deep knowledge of all things royal adds realism and texture to this entertaining debut. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
