The Heir Apparent follows Lexi Villiers, a 29-year-old English doctor barely keeping her head above water as a medical resident in Hobart. She’s juggling brutal hospital shifts, money stress and a romance that finally feels like it might go somewhere. Then, in the space of a few hours, everything changes. A tragic accident pulls her back into the spotlight as Princess Alexandrina — now heir to the British throne. Recalled to London after years of self-imposed exile, Lexi is thrown into a world of palace politics, media leaks and family betrayals, and forced to decide what, and who, she’s willing to sacrifice for the Crown.
Told across dual timelines, the story slowly unpacks Lexi’s complicated family history, her long-standing resistance to royal life, and the relationships that shaped her. At its heart, it asks a juicy question: what happens to the life she was building for herself — the one with no crowns, no duty, no expectations?
I really liked the structure and the way the past and present timelines gradually filled in the gaps. But emotionally, I never quite connected with the characters as much as I wanted to. I was also hoping for more tension with Jack, Lexi’s love interest back in Tassie, that storyline had so much potential but felt a bit underdone.
The parallels to the British monarchy were distracting and kept pulling me out of the story. The Queen, Charles, Diana, Camilla, William, Harry — even Beatrice and Eugenie, are all clearly there just under different names. I think if it had leaned into being more loosely inspired, rather than so recognisable, I might’ve stayed more immersed. That said, I can absolutely see this working as a screen adaptation.
The middle section, where the revelations start to unfold, was easily the strongest part of the book for me and while I didn’t really warm to Lexi you can’t help but feel for her after everything she’s been through. The relationship Lexi has with her family and those around her is one of the most interesting aspects of the book, particularly the consequences of her moving to Australia.
The ending was probably the biggest letdown for me. After all that build-up, the family tension, media interest, the emotional stakes, everything wraps up a bit too neatly. It takes the edge off the drama the book worked so hard to create and Lexi’s final choice didn’t entirely line up with the character development we’d seen throughout the book.
I genuinely wanted to love this. It kicks off strong and had me hooked early on, but by the end it lost a bit of steam. The “big secret” teased throughout ended up feeling a little underwhelming, and the central family rift didn’t quite pack the punch I was expecting. Overall, an easy read it’s just a shame the ending felt rushed and overly tidy.
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Publisher: Harper Collins
Format: Paperback, 401 pages
ISBN: 9781460767900
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Here’s the synopsis
They would always choose the Crown over their family. It was the pact they made for the honour of wearing it.
Lexi Villiers is a 29-year-old Englishwoman doing her medical residency in Hobart, working too hard, worried about her bank balance, and living with friends. It’s a good life, and getting even better, because as the dawn is breaking on New Year’s Day, Lexi is about to kiss the man she loves for the very first time.
But by midnight, everything will change. Because Lexi is in fact not an ordinary young woman. She is Princess Alexandrina, third in line to the British throne – albeit estranged from the rest of her family and living in voluntary exile on the other side of the world. But following a terrible accident, Lexi – the black sheep of her family and, until this moment, always destined to be the spare – is now the heir apparent, first in line to the throne once her grandmother, the elderly Queen, dies. Called back to do her duty, she arrives in London to a Palace riven with power plays and media leaks, all the while guarding painful secrets of her own. Palace waters are treacherous, rumours are rife, and selling each other’s secrets is a family tradition. And with the Crown just within her grasp, Lexi must choose what bonds she will keep … and what she is willing to leave behind.
What Caz Read 