Reviewed by Jess

TITLE: The Line of Succession

SERIES: The Line of Succession #1

AUTHOR: Harry F. Rey

PUBLISHER: Deep Desires Press

LENGTH: 118 pages

RELEASE DATE:  July 24, 2018

BLURB:

Families are built on secrets, but when it’s the royal family, the stakes-and the secrets-can be deadly.

Fifteen years ago, Prince James’s father, Prince Richard, was killed in a mysterious helicopter crash, along with his secret Irish lover. The young James became heir to the British throne over his twin sister, Princess Alexandra.

With Queen Victoria II turning ninety, James’s personal life, now that he’s thirty, has come more into the public spotlight as he’s expected to marry and produce an heir. Known for his playboy lifestyle, he’d gladly accept that reputation to hide the truth that he’s gay and in a secret long-term relationship with his best friend and press secretary, Andrew.

His twin sister knows his secret, and plans to use it to create a scandal that will help her take the crown for herself, but her plans rely on trust, and she will soon learn her allies are not as trustworthy as she thought. Will James win his throne, while keeping the love of his life? Or will the monarchy topple in the face of naked ambition and public scandal?

REVIEW:

If you’re looking for your next obsession, the “Line of Succession” series may be just what you need. This book is pure, soapy goodness, and I gobbled up every last page of it. There’s romance, betrayal, untold secrets, family intrigue, past loves, double agents, and, of course, a helicopter crash that sets it all in motion. Take all of that and put a crown on it, and you’ve got a not-so-guilty pleasure that will keep you reading under the covers long after you should be sleeping!

The cover of this book is a great representation for what’s inside. It’s an ensemble story rather than a tried-and-true romance. At the center is the Prince, of course—the closeted and miserable Prince James, grandson of the alt-history fictional Queen Victoria II of England. He has just turned 30 and is feeling the pressure of producing an heir bearing down on him harder than ever before. His press secretary and secret boyfriend since childhood, Andrew, is the man behind the curtain, pulling the strings to make sure what the press can and cannot know. But Andrew and James have their own issues outside of royal politics, and it gets pretty intense and steamy as they try to keep it all under wraps.

On the other end of the family spectrum is Alexandra, the Princess and Andrew’s twin—and the woman who truly deserves to be on the throne, despite outdated laws of primogeniture. There’s no love lost between the siblings, and since they don’t talk, neither of them knows how each other feels about being crowned King or Queen someday soon. Add in Lizzie, a royal cousin of surprising heritage, and Faisal, Alexandra’s Saudi Prince husband, and you have a group of people who all want something and will stop at nothing to get it.

This might be a soap opera along the vein of The Royals, but Harry F. Rey plays it pretty smart. Keep track of all the names in the story, all the minor characters, all the people exchanging raised eyebrows in the background. Everyone has an agenda, and by the end of the book, we start putting the pieces together. The characters can get nasty, but they’re all easy to sympathize with. This is a suffocating, cutthroat world, and to survive, they have to get their pristine hands dirty.

The next book in this series is due in spring 2019, and it cannot come soon enough. This book doesn’t necessarily end in a cliffhanger, but we’re certainly kept guessing about half a dozen plotlines, and I for one and eager for some answers. This is a wonderfully readable, campy, tension-filled book that will hook you from the start.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

Deep Desires Press

Amazon