HeirRating: 3.75 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novella


Cyril was supposed to live a quiet life. It’s all he wanted. Despite his power and his intelligence, Cyril just wanted to run his little teashop and be free of the politics associated with the House of Arlen. But his mother had ideas and almost overnight his life has been turned upside down. Now he is Heir to the House of Arlen, a title that bypassed three other siblings. Crushed by attention and the loss of his independence, Cyril finds the only saving grace is his bodyguard, Sinclair.

An Alpha of his own pack, Sinclair has bound himself to the new Heir and done so happily. Though he realizes Cyril questions his ability to lead, Sinclair knows the younger Arlen is perfect for the job of Heir. And he’s determined to make sure Cyril believes it. For Cyril, being in such close quarters with a long-time crush is both maddening and wonderful and he knows that Sinclair feels the same way. But before they can think of romance, Cyril must confront his enemies and survive long enough to accept the title he was born to wield.

Heir was a fast-paced novella that does a decent job setting the stage for a future series. Cyril is the star of the show and we’re given a fair amount of information about his reluctant rise to power. He is a sympathetic character and the author does a good job of making readers care about him right from the start. It’s easy to like Sinclair, but when compared to Cyril, he’s more of a blank slate. I wish we were given a bit more character development where he was concerned, but he’s still somewhat relatable. The novella is fairly well written, although there were a couple of minor typos.

My only real complaint with Heir was the pacing. We’re dropped into a story that already seems in progress and, as a result, we’re constantly trying to play catch up. Everything seems to happen too quickly and over too short a time and combined with the novella form, I always felt a step behind. I wanted to know more about the politics surrounding the Greater and Lesser Houses and while the author doesn’t ignore these subjects, nor are they given the development they need.

Overall, Heir was an enjoyable start to a new series. Cyril is a great character and very easy to champion as a reader. Sinclair is more of a mystery, but there is no doubt these two men click on a lot of levels. The pacing of Heir leaves a lot to be desired and really keeps the book from fully evolving. But I did have some one fun with this one and I’m looking forward to seeing what the rest of the series has to offer.

sue sig