I really liked “The Countess.” But I can’t say I liked it so much that I wanted to read huge chunks of it a second time. It pains me to speak poorly of “The Heiress,” because I really did enjoy the parts that were new. Unfortunately, I can’t ignore how much of this book was a rehash of its predecessor.

The events in the first 2/3 of the book covered the same story as “The Countess,” only from the perspective of a different couple. Daniel is best friend to Richard, who in the last book was trying to confront the twin brother who had tried to have him killed and assumed his identity. That same twin had married Chrissy in Richard’s name, treated her like trash, then was killed. Suzette is Chrissy’s sister and sets her sights on Daniel as a relationship develops between Chrissy and Richard.

The entire first book is recapped. And frankly, it is done in a way that I think would be confusing for people who have not read “The Countess” and excruciatingly redundant for those of us who have. And it’s a shame because the new scenes we see between Suzette and Daniel are fantastic. And the last third of the book is entirely new. Those parts shine. I love Suzette, her frankness and her boldness. I love the way Daniel can appreciate her, despite her differences from the norms of propriety. Their love scenes are very sexy –and I think I would have been bowled over by a book of all new material about the two of them. Unfortunately, that isn’t what we got.

I’ve been looking forward to a book on Lisa and Robert, but I swear, if I have to go through the events of Dicky’s death and the “mystery” behind it one more time, I might just scream. I’m crossing my finger that any book we see on them, picks up AFTER this one has left off. 3 stars.