The Heir and The Spare is an enjoyable romp through London where an American girl searches for the truth of her mother. Add to that one of the boys in her Oxford dorm just happens to be royalty. Remind you of Prince William and Catherine Middleton? I found lots of similarities to the real life fairy tale romance but also enough differences to make this a very engaging read.

What worked: I really enjoyed this light romance where an American girl finds out that she might have more in common with English royalty that she thought. The chemistry between Evie and Edmund starts off right on the first day she's at Oxford. There's a lot to like about both of them. Edmund is charming, down to Earth, and not ashamed to be around 'commoners'.

Evie attending Oxford is not the only thing that reminds her of her mother. She receives letters that include hints on directing her to the truth about her mother. Edmund gets involved and the chemistry really ignites.

Evie's spunk helps her stand up to nasty Jax and others who brush her off as beneath them. I liked how she didn't back down but also wasn't a push over.

This is kind of like a more mature Princess Diaries meets the prince of England. I know I wanted them to connect.

Some things that I did have problems with was the stereotypical witch Jax, the girl with royal lineage that is just assumed to marry Edmund. Some of her nastiness went way over the top. There wasn't anything likable about her at all.

I also wanted to see more of the Oxford campus other than than the cafeteria and dorm rooms. Readers do get a few glimpses into Evie's classes but mostly how close she sits to Edmund. It would have been fun to see more interaction between other students.


Light romantic tale where an American girl finds that fairy tale endings do exist. Add a cute English prince and a mystery to the mix for one exciting tale.