The Wicked Heir

May 8, 2017
Michels’s third Spare Heirs Regency (after The Rebel Heir) is full of twists and turns. Lady Isabelle Fairlyn is a romantic who is determined to see the best in everyone; her twin sister, Victoria, is a cynic. After Isabelle makes the acquaintance of Fallon St. James over a display of poorly made cakes at a ball, she believes that they will remain friends even after she begins a romance with Kelton Brice. Unfortunately, Isabelle’s hopes are dashed when Victoria becomes betrothed to Kelton. Instead, when Isabelle is attacked by an enemy of her father, Fallon is the one who comes to her rescue. He takes her to his home, insisting that it’s the only place where she won’t be in danger. This device of ostensible imprisonment mostly allows Isabelle and Fallon to get to know each other in close quarters, and Isabelle enjoys the time she spends assisting with his household. Fallon and Isabelle gradually fall in love, but both know that their fragile connection will likely end once the danger to her life has passed. The evolution of the relationship between Isabelle and Fallon, as she gradually breaks down his defenses and he realizes the value of her love, is delightful. Agent: Michelle Grajkowski, 3 Seas Literary Agency.

June 15, 2017
An idealistic young woman blunders into a deadly power struggle between unscrupulous men in Regency London.Lady Isabelle Fairlyn is good to the core. She loves art and flowers and balls and handsome gentlemen with heartfelt smiles. She thinks of herself not as a person or a woman or even a girl but as a lady. Her naivete makes her no match for the men she tangles with, especially Fallon St. James. Fallon is the founder and leader of a secret club called the Spare Heirs Society. Meant to give younger sons purpose and a means of supporting themselves, the club manages a multitude of relationships and business concerns that exist in a grey area between moral, legal society and the darker side of London. When Reginald Grapling, a former member of the club, escapes from prison, he decides to use Isabelle to get revenge on Fallon and on Isabelle's father, who is one of Fallon's associates. Isabelle is an easy target. She is looking for love and is not being very subtle about it. Grapling steals her diary, learns what she is looking for in a mate, and pretends to have exactly those qualities. This is just one irritating aspect of an unnecessarily convoluted plot but by far the least frustrating from a reader's perspective. Michels (The Rebel Heir, 2016, etc.) has created a compelling and complex hero. We know what motivates him, we empathize with his loneliness, and we want him to put his demons to rest. But in the third book of her Spare Heirs series, Michels has created a heroine so flighty and silly that most readers won't want her dreams to come true. They'll just want her to stop talking. A tale that borrows much from Beauty and the Beast.

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