Reviewed by Jess
TITLE: Interregnum
SERIES: The Line of Succession #3
AUTHOR: Harry F. Rey
PUBLISHER: Deep Desires Press
LENGTH: 187 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 3, 2019
BLURB:
Chaos rules an empty throne.
The Queen remains steadfastly in a coma. James is adjusting to his life as prince regent, helped by new eye-candy Samuel, while Andrew faces up to the reality of working for the opposition—James’ twin sister Alexandra. Andrew and James now find themselves on opposite sides of the war of succession.
With Alexandra’s bombshell article due to shock the monarchy to its core, she must seek out political allies to take the throne while keeping her restless husband Faisal in check. But the establishment is fighting back, and they’ll use even the most diabolical means to ensure James will produce an heir.
The powerful forces behind Operation Rex face a greater threat—Lizzie’s plans to expose the monarchy’s deadliest secrets to the world. Her pact with the IRA may finally avenge her parents’ murder… and truly enthrone a reign of chaos during this interregnum.
REVIEW:
I honestly can’t believe how addictive this series is. With most romances, I get attached to the characters, to their chemistry and dynamics with each other. And while there’s plenty of romantic angst to be had here, the real highlight of the “Line of Succession” series is the never-ending sucker-punch of drama that never lets you take a breath. If you’re looking for a soapy, smutty, gritty rollercoaster of a series to binge, you need to start at book one and get here fast!
We pick up pretty much where we left off in the last book. The queen is in a coma with no hope of recovery, leaving the state in interregnum, or the tense period between rulers. The nightmare of being king that James has avoided for years is on the horizon, but after Andrew’s seeming betrayal, he can’t seem to care. Though James is the future king, he’s hardly the most important piece on the chessboard. His brilliant and charismatic sister, Alexandra, is gunning for the crown, ready to make her move to abolish the patriarchal regency and take her rightful place as leader. But when tragedy strikes the one person who is entirely innocent in the game, both James and Alexandra’s roles become blurry, and the stakes of the interregnum go up impossibly higher. We readers know this can’t end well—there’s already been assassinations, terrorist plots, cold-blooded murder, and painful betrayal. Nothing is off-limits, and no one is safe.
Despite the endless luxury, ultimate privilege, and unimaginable wealth, this is in no way a pretty, glossy story. Every character, from the ultra-competent to the absolutely idiotic, has their own agenda, their own reasoning for the wicked, shameless things they do. Nobody is really an ally to another, and you certainly can’t trust anyone—but the underlying thread of hope is Andrew’s devotion to James, even if that can feel tenuous at times. Right when you think there’s nothing left between them, Andrew will come up with something to pull James right back in. Is it healthy, or sweet, or even sane? Maybe not. But it makes for one hell of a sweeping, grand, all-encompassing romance that just might survive a war for the crown.
Though James’ rocky relationship with his lifelong companion and lover, Andrew, is the heart of the book, you won’t find much romance here. It’s all angst from the first page to the last as James continues to believe Andrew betrayed him in favor of his sister. Andrew thinks he’s one step ahead of everyone else, but he underestimates the wrong people, pulling him even further away from his goal: a church-sanctioned marriage to James, no matter what the cost. And James is full-on spiraling, losing himself in alcohol, drugs, and meaningless, anonymous sex that leaves him unfulfilled but strangely freed. Without Andrew, he’s in a tailspin, and by the time Andrew is back to clean up the mess, it might be too late.
Though I’ve been hanging on every word for three books now, it still feels like there’s so much left in the series, like the pot is barely boiling yet. There’s still so much to be said and done, so many loose ends, and some semblance of a happy ending to come to someone. I eagerly await the next installment, and I couldn’t even begin to guess where it will take us!
RATING: 
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