The Heir Apparent: Reese’s Book Club Pick by Rebecca Armitage (Dec 2, 2025) Thank you, @hachetteaudio for the gifted audiobook! #hachetteaudioinfluencer
Lexi Villiers loves the life she has built in Tasmania. She’s in her second year of medical residency and passionate about her work. She’s lived on a stunning farm/winery with her two best friends, Jack and Finn, for seven years. AND today, this new years morning, she is about to finally kiss Jack for the first time. Then the life she left behind swoops in to steal her away. A helicopter carrying her grandmother’s personal assistant lands and he brings tragic news. Lexi’s father and twin brother have died in a skiing accident. She’s barely able to process the tragedy because of the implications it brings – Lexi’s grandmother is the Queen of England and the deaths leave Lexi next in line for the throne she’s never wanted. Now she must face a skeptical public, conniving relatives, dark secrets, and the potential of giving up a career she loves and a relationship on the cusp of something new.
This is a highly addictive story of love, ambition, duty, and betrayal. I don’t want to say too much about how things pay out because it is really interesting to see the story unfold. Secrets were like an onion – each layer that peals away exposes another lie, secret, or complex motivation. It also makes you really think about the gilded prison of the monarchy. It is like a messy, soapy drama that I simply could not put down but also deeply relatable emotions about love, fear, loss and regret.
🎧 Audiobook Thoughts: (15hours, 6 minutes) Shakira Shute is just superb in this narration – and she has a heavy lift to deliver an elderly British queen, Australian men & women, teenagers, and adults – across a wide range of characters. I absolutely loved her performance.
Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
🎧 Audio performance: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🔥 Spice: 1/2 🌶️
Book Smart Kate 