The Heir and The Spare (Untitled #1) by Emily Albright

Published by: Merit Press

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Rating: ****

American Evie Gray has finally achieved her dream. To be able to attend Oxford just like her mother did before she tragically died. But there is more to the story. Directed throughout her life by mysterious envelopes written by her mother, Evie finds herself in the same school, and friendship circle as the spare heir to the British throne, Edmund. The two dance around the city of London and surrounding cities as they try to figure out what exactly Evie's mother wants, and whether there is such a thing as fairytales.

My first impressions of this book were quite dismissive. It felt too cringeworthy, especially after the Kate and Wills story but now that I have read this, I can honestly say that it definitely isn't as bad as I thought.

Starting with Evie's brief moving into her student digs at Oxford, she is immediately befriended by fellow students and meets the mysterious Edmund (who looks familiar but not). The book quickly introduces the reader to all of what they need to know about everyone whilst setting up the romance pretty quickly (and rather solidly.)

The Heir and The Spare can be purchased from Amazon now.

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer Armentrout

Published by: Harlequin Teen

Genre: YA Contemporary, YA Romance

Rating:****

The problem with The Problem with Forever is that it took forever to get to the good part.

Don't get me wrong. I've been a fan of Jennifer Armentrout for ages but this book did not appeal to me as much as her supernatural and fantastical series have. Maybe it's because I cast her into those genres or my love of the Lux series? Either way, I did not appreciate the book for what it was and that was disappointing.

Instead, the book focuses on the female protagonist Mallory, or Mouse as people of her past called her. She has endured a lot in her time on the book's Earth. But most of all, the surprising aspect is the way Armentrout approaches this dark past.

I was pleasantly surprised to read these snippets with emotion. Rarely do I get to read these scenes without feeling bored of them and that is the strange part. This novel made me care about Mallory/Mouse.

Yet Mallory's story takes a turn when she decides to attend high school despite her inability to perform via speech classes. Therefore, when a character from her past, a very important guy named Rider Stark, walks into her classroom, Mallory cannot help but feel trapped and excited at once.

The two characters reunite despite fellow classmates being wary of the relationship. It's a strange predicament. But as a reader, you can understand both sides of the argument.

It's a funny book with funny situations. I cannot fault it too much because it is a well-written novel. However, I did knock it down a star due to my lack of interest in the novel.

Apologies Ms. Armentrout. I do love your other books, though!

The Problem with Forever can be purchased from Amazon UK.