Review - - The Wicked Heir

The Wicked Heir
By Elizabeth Michels
The Spare Heirs - Book 3
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: July 4 2017
Reviewed by PJ

When the love of Lady Isabelle Fairlyn's life is betrothed to her twin sister, Isabelle vows to find a suitable replacement before the end of the season. He must be a talented dancer, have a keen fashion sense, and be perfectly dashing in every way.

Fallon St. James is the farthest thing from perfectly anything. As head of the secretive Spare Heirs Society, he must stick to the shadows...even as Isabelle's friendship pulls him reluctantly into the light. But when Isabelle gets involved with the one man who could destroy Spares, Fallon must decide between protecting his life's work—or risking everything to save the woman whose warm smile leaves him breathless.




I continue to be impressed by the richness and depth of the stories within Elizabeth Michels' Spare Heirs Society, historical romance series. In The Wicked Heir, Michels turns her sights on Fallon St. James, the mysterious leader of the Spare Heirs, and Lady Isabelle Fairlyn, who readers may recall as a secondary character from previous books. At the start, the two seem an unlikely match. He is a tightly controlled man who eats, sleeps, and breathes the business of the Spare Heirs while Isabelle dances her way through life in a cloud of fairy dust, or so it seems. I fell for Fallon in a heartbeat - Isabelle took a little more getting used to - but, together, they captured my heart as all of Michels' couples have done.

Ms. Michels is adept at weaving emotional complexity and suspense through her books while also bringing readers a deeply romantic tale, lightened by strategic splashes of humor. It's a fine balance and one she carries off with panache. Balance is a good theme for this particular book as that is something that seems to be lacking in Fallon's and Isabelle's lives, particularly Fallon. I love how Isabelle, with her sunny, positive outlook on life, gradually introduces touches of light into the dark corners of his life. The scene where he's introduced to the food his cook prefers to prepare is a particular favorite. Fallon is an honorable man, loyal to his friends and determined to protect those unable to protect themselves, such as Isabelle after she's attacked by an enemy, but he has an iron-grip control on himself, a reluctance to ask others for help, and many more layers than I had guessed. With each layer unveiled, he wound his way more tightly around my heart. 

Isabelle may seem immature at times and lost in her self-imposed fairytale outlook on life but as the story slowly unfolds, I could see her insistence on a rainbows and unicorns existence for the coping mechanism it was and I appreciated her evolution as she began to accept the realities of life around her. She needed to grow up to be an equal partner in her relationship with Fallon, which she does, and I'm delighted she was able to do so without losing that goodness and positivity that are such essential parts of her. 

Michels once again surrounds the main couple with a vibrant secondary cast, including a truly nasty villain who is chillingly written. Heroes and heroines from previous books in this series, and the one past, pop in and out of the story on occasion, adding spice to the soup without detracting from the main dish. Two secondary characters who have vital roles in The Wicked Heir are Isabelle's twin, Lady Victoria Fairlyn (Isabelle's opposite in most every way) and Fallon's best friend, and fellow Spare Heir, Lord Hardaway. Those two are like a powder keg waiting for a lit match. I can't wait to see what Michels has in store for them!

Today's Special - - Elizabeth Michels

PJ and Elizabeth

It is with great pleasure that I welcome Elizabeth Michels back to the Dish today. Elizabeth's newest book, The Infamous Heir kicks off her new The Spare Heirs series and I was lucky enough to join her and others at my local Barnes and Noble last week to celebrate its release. As you can tell from the smiles, we were both very happy to see the new book on the shelf!

Elizabeth Michels grew up on a Christmas tree farm in rural South Carolina. After school, she met a boy and followed him to Missouri but spent summers visiting his family in England where, as she says, she soaked up "history, culture and a few too many pints." She graduated college Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Interior Design, married that boy and they eventually moved to North Carolina where she worked in Architecture, Real Estate, Office Management, Interior Design, and Construction. Until the day when it all changed.  For the rest of the story of how Elizabeth came to be an award-winning historical romance author, visit her website. 

  

Welcome, Elizabeth! Congratulations on the release of your new book. The Infamous Heir sure has been generating some terrific pre-publication buzz including a RT Top Pick and Publisher's Weekly Starred Review. What should readers expect from this book?

You can expect mystery to solve, romance between a reckless boxer turned lord and the daughter of a duke, your first look into the secretive Spare Heirs Society, and—as always—shenanigans in Regency London! I’m so excited about this book, and about being here to celebrate its release! You may remember Lady Roselyn Grey from Must Love Dukes where she first made an appearance as Devon Grey, Mad Duke of Thornwood’s younger sister.   Now it’s her time to enjoy the London season, but when her childhood friend, Ethan Moore, returns to town, things take an unexpected turn.

Ethan Moore is an unexpected obstacle in Lady Roselyn’s carefully laid life plan. 

I love how Ethan's return flipped her plans upside down. What is it about these two together

that convinced you they were destined for a happy ending?

These two have a history together that starts years before the first page of the book.  Long before Ethan was disowned and forced to leave home, he had a friend on the estate next door.  Her name was Roselyn.  She was wild and her laughter brought him joy, but while Ethan was away Roselyn’s father left home on a mad mission and never returned.  Broken-hearted, Roselyn began walling herself in with things she could control and soon the wild girl that Ethan knew was gone.  I knew that Ethan could bring her back to life.  And she would, in turn, give him the home he’d been without for so many years.  They were once friends and I was certain they would be again by the end of the story.

The Infamous Heir is the first book in the Spare Heirs series. How many books will be in this series? Will each book stand on its own or do you recommend reading them in order?

The Spare Heirs is a 4 book series…right now.  I *may* already have a novella up my sleeve that would increase that number. J   I’m always open to the possibility of expanding the series, but at this time the Spare Heirs are:  The Infamous Heir, The Rebel Heir, The Wicked Heir, and The Unsuitable Heir.  Just like my other books, they stand on their own but are also part of a larger world that you get glimpses into in each story.  I recommend reading them in order but it seems like, as a reader, I always accidentally start with book 3 which is fine too. 

I enjoy the intensity of a good mystery interwoven with romance, such as you’ve written in The Infamous Heir, especially when I can’t easily figure out the identity of the villain or the reasons behind that person’s actions. Your twists and turns really kept me guessing! Will each of the books in the series have a mystery to be solved?

The Infamous Heir and The Wicked Heir have definite elements of mystery in the plot.  As you know, in book one there’s a murder, and in book 3 there’s a theft and a kidnapping.  But just like the members of the Spare Heirs Society themselves, every book in the series is a little different.  Each of these gentlemen have their expertise and what they do for the clandestine group, so the plots are going to vary a bit from book to book because of that. Though, each book will keep you guessing in one way or another.  It’s proving to be a wild series to write, and I’m really excited about it. 

Me too! :)

Our recent warm weather has me anticipating spring. What’s your favorite season? What sets it apart from the others?

Here in North Carolina, many people think fall is the most beautiful time of year, and it is pretty, but I think spring is the best.  I can’t wait for the flowers to bloom in my yard for the first time, the woods that have been gray and sad all winter will become bright green with all the new leaves, and I don’t have to wear a parka to go outside.  I’m one of those people who is perpetually cold, so the first warm weather is always such a relief.  I have lots of projects waiting for me outside this spring, so warm weather and sunny days need to make plans to stick around for a while!

When Lady Roselyn upsets a fruit bowl to create a diversion at a garden party, her sister-in-law jokes that it’s good she spared the plate of cakes or Roselyn’s mother might have started a war. What food should a person valuing their safety never try to take from you?

…I’m laughing so hard right now.  That scene… I had to fight to keep that one in the book, but it’s one of my favorites.  I couldn’t let it go.  The Dowager Duchess of Thornwood would, without a doubt, get violent if someone took her sweets away.  Personally, I love cheese.  If I was happily munching on a plate of assorted cheeses or had some kind of fondue with yummy things to dip in it, I would at least give you the evil eye if you stole it away from me. …And this is why I have to remember to exercise.  Cheese—not the best for you, but yum!

One of the many things I enjoy about your books is the sparkling, witty dialogue that always leaves me smiling. To what author(s) do you turn when you need your spirits lifted?

First of all, thank you! And second, how many can I list?  Haha! I love to escape into stories by Lisa Kleypas, Eloisa James, Julia London, Sherry Thomas, Sarah MacLean, Julia Quinn, Amanda Quick…the list goes on.  But the authors I truly turn to and lean on when I need my spirits lifted are the ones who have become my friends over the past few years.  I don’t know what I would do without their support.  They’re amazing.

Here I am this past weekend with Sophia Henry and Heather McGovern a.k.a the Hot Mess Car Club, enjoying the romance author version of tailgating. We had champagne and chatted in the parking lot before the Carolina Romance Writers meeting where we were speaking on a panel.

Will you be attending any book signings this year where readers can meet you?

I’ll be at Romance Writers of America in San Diego in July and I’m planning to attend Put Your Heart in a Book in New Jersey in October.  I’m sure I’ll add more book signings in between those, but right now that’s what I have on my calendar.  I hope I get to meet lots of readers in person! I can’t wait!

Where can readers find you online?

I love to chat with readers! You can find me in a few places if you would like to say hello.  Here are the links:

www.facebook.com/e.michels.novels

www.twitter.com/southerntart

www.elizabethmichels.com

What’s next?

I’m currently writing the ending to the Spare Heirs series.  I just sent off the final edits for The Rebel Heir, book 2, which releases this September.  (There’s going to be a cover reveal in the next few weeks for that one.  Shhh, it’s a secret for now.)  After the Spare Heirs?  I’m already plotting out the next series which will take place around the same time as the first two.  I’m really looking forward to it, but right now I’m super excited about sharing this wild band of spare heirs with you!

Thanks for visiting with us, Elizabeth! Would you like to ask our readers a question today?

Are you excited about the arrival of spring? What are you looking forward to the most?  The warm weather? A vacation? A book release?  Let’s chat.

I have a signed copy of The Infamous Heir for one randomly chosen person who leaves a comment on today's post. (U.S. / Canada only)