The Heir and the Spare

Negligent Chaperone #1

by Maya Rodale

All of London is raving about the newly arrived American, Emilia Highhart. She has beauty, charm, wit, and a hint of the exotic. Unfortunately, grace is decidedly not one of her virtues. Staircases, doors, even floors have proven her enemies, often leaving Emilia prostrate and mortified in a pile of muslin. Nevertheless, at her first ball, her dance card soon fills with the names of highly suitable men. But Emilia's eyes are on just one man—the one her aunt points out as the entirely unsuitable Lord Phillip.

In fact, he isn't Lord Phillip. While Phillip, the heir, goes about spending the good family's funds, his identical twin, Devon, the spare, must attend society functions as Lord Phillip—all because of a few blasted minutes' age difference. Soon, both twins are vying for Emilia. And, under the not-so-watchful eye of Lady Palmerston, aunt and chaperone to the young lady, Emilia is unknowingly courted by two different men with the same face! But only one of them is the love of her life.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Regency, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Regency Romance

293 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 7, 2007

About the author

Maya Rodale is the best-selling and award-winning author of funny, feminist fiction including historical romance, YA and historical fiction. A champion of the romance genre and its readers, she is also the author of Dangerous Books For Girls: The Bad Reputation of Romance Novels, Explained. Maya reviews romance for NPR and has appeared in Bustle, Glamour, Shondaland, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post and PBS. She began reading romance novels in college at her mother’s insistence and has never been allowed to forget it.

Sign up for her newsletter at www.mayarodale.com/newsletter

Reviews

[Pepa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Me ha gustado, pero creo que le ha faltado chispa y profundidad al romance. Me ha parecido que el peso de la historia gira en torno a los hermanos y no a la protagonista y uno de ellos. Esa es mi sensación.
Tiene eses gusto a lo tradicional que me gusta, con un toque hot... pero lo cierto es que hay cosas que me han chirriado algo. Demasiadas confidencias entre gente que apenas se conoce y una mayor explicación del problemón que hay entre ambos. Jope... que es un señor problema que llega a circunstancias muy fuertes... y la autora pasa por el tema de puntillas. También me ha faltado una mayor explicación de la actitud paternal y el giro del final me ha dejado tiesa. Tal cual
Muy entretenido, eso sí. No me importaría leer algo más de ella.
No sé si el segundo será el del hermano... con la imagen que me ha quedado de Phillips... mucho tiene que cambiar para que la autora me haga perdonarlo

[Nisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I would like this book. The premise was enticing enough. Twins, a good one and a bad, both chasing the same girl. The confused girl who doesn't realize that she is in love with only one of them.

It could be so much better. The story is just so draggy. I finally finished it, but it was so mediocre. There was no banter and the plot was just so lame by the end.

Philip, the bad twin, appears, but he doesn't get much of a part, as a villain or anything else. I think its because he's the hero for the next book, she doesn't want to write him to be completely irreprehensible.

The worst is Emilia. I love her name but she really is a ninny. For a bluestocking, she doesn't think enough. Supposedly, she feels betrayed and doesn't understand if the men really want her for her or something of the likeness. And even when Devon was obviously trying to say sorry, she's dumb and ignores him.

Devon isn't really that bad. I kinda liked him. But even he had his angsty faults.

The worst was the ending. After their father dies, he leaves Devon as the heir, which should not have happened. Devon and Emilia should be happy together, not needing a title to complete their lives, especially since he already built his in America. There was an obsession on tying loose ends and the end and leaving one hanging for Philip's story.

Overall, its just not as fulfilling as a plot like this could be. It just wasn't enough. There is not enough banter or real love-creating interaction between the H/H and its just too tedious to complete.

[Rose May · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: This review, and all my reviews, comes from my blog - Romantic Rose's Bookshelf (http://romantic-rosesblog.blogspot.com)

Book 1 in the Negligent Chaperone Series

So the heroine’s clumsiness was a little bit very annoying. Maybe other people find clumsy heroines endearing, but I find them very false. Nobody trips THAT often. It’s just… unrealistic and lends the book a very silly edge. Unfortunately, that’s how most of this book came off. Silly and unrealistic. The premise is that our heroine, Emilia Highhart, falls in love at first sight with a man who she believes to be the heir to a dukedom, named Philip. It’s actually not the heir but his younger twin, Devon Kensington, who has just come back from America after several years to see his dying father. At the ball, seeing no reason to announce his actual presence in England (as everyone believes he is dead) he masquerades as his older brother and catches out heroine as she falls into his arms - and in love.

First, ‘The Spare’, our hero Devon, was good. He was very real, his character made sense, and he alone salvaged the book for me. He was sweet, tender, and pretty romantic. His hatred for his brother and unhappiness with his life are both very realistic and you find yourself really pitying him some even as he grows. The whole heir v. spare conflict was explored pretty well, I thought. It would’ve been a little better if the heir, Philip, wasn’t so evil though. I mean, I understand trying to make Devon seem like the really, really good twin, but it again lent a silly edge to the book (NOBODY is completely evil, and I would've liked to see more character development for Philip).

Unfortunately, our heroine Emilia was not so good. Ridiculous and singularly dull, she was often unreasonable and not-so-bright. She got upset over little, unimportant things, which is one of my least favorite traits in heroes or heroines. As far as the supporting characters, they were as bad as the heroine. Irresponsible, flat, totally typical and way too modern and forward-thinking for a historical romance.

The plot was pretty boring. The story dragged on terribly, and but for occasional bits of brilliance supplied by Devon I would’ve thrown the book down in frustration. When we discovered that Devon works for Emilia’s father and, in fact, the father had recommended Devon for Emilia I wanted to cringe. Why do authors have this tendency to intertwine everything? Why can’t the hero and heroine just meet for goodness sakes, like normal people do?!?!

The ending really bothered me when - *****VERY BIG SPOILER ALERT***** Devon was found to truly be the heir to the dukedom. I hated that because it seemed REALLY false and way to much like a fairy tale. I understand the notion that we want Devon to be the heir because he’s so much nicer and cuter and he’s the hero but he’s not the heir and we’ve dealt with it. Furthermore, putting that in the story made me feel like Rodale felt the only way the story had a happy ending was if he became the duke. That’s not true. *****END OF VERY BIG SPOILER ALERT***** Their love for one another should’ve been enough for a happy ending and Rodale definitely did not convey that.

“Sexy”ness rating: Hawt.

Overall Rating: C-

Bottom Line: The hero gives it the high rating it received. This book was dull, the heroine was clumsy and unreasonable, and the secondary characters were as two-dimensional as Flat Stanley.

[Claudine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trigger Warnings: Sexual Assault, Attempted Rape, and Sexual Assault. Why, you may ask, am I listing this three times? Because 1) The Evil Twin kisses the heroine in an attempt to compromise her, and forces the issue when she tries to resist; 2) The Evil Twin concocts a scheme to enter the lady's bedchamber in a second attempt to compromise her, since she had formerly rejected his advances and his proposal. Whether he planned to rape her or merely be discovered in her chamber is up for debate. And 3) After the Good Twin and our heroine are married, the Evil Twin chases and physically assaults our heroine, clearly with the intention of raping her.

A good enough storyline with a nice mistaken-identity/miscommunication plotline, which sort of dragged on for a bit once Emilia became aware of Devon as Devon and not thinking he was Phillip. Unfortunately, the novel completely lost me when Phillip attempts to rape Emilia, and Devon doesn't seem to care? I mean, he's upset that she is injured, but he is fairly blasé about Phillip's part in the matter. They even sort of reconcile after the fact, which is the complete worst part. If Phillip was meant to be a villain, then his actions were inexcusable. Devon should have called him out, not reconciled with him. Sure, they're family, but when it comes down to it-- who would want to claim kinship with a fucking rapist? Are you goddamned kidding me?

If Phillip was meant to be the protagonist in the next novel, maybe don't portray him as the sort of man who beats and tries to rape his brother's wife in a fit of rage. Because his remorse and guilt are more because of the potential consequences-- he's afraid that he's seriously injured Emilia, and probably that she might die. But what he should have felt bad about was violently attacking her at all. Ugh.

I cannot adequately put into words my complete and utter disgust.

[ChloeLeeNH · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book... short though it was... it had enough of the antagonistic edge in it to keep it interesting and you really rooted for the h/h. I liked the spin on the twins. I shall have to see if there are others like that from this time period.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some funny moments, but there was just too much head-hopping and unrealistic behavior for me to get into this book.

[Pamela(AllHoney) · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of London is raving about the newly arrived American, Emilia Highhart. She has beauty, charm, wit, and a hint of the exotic. Unfortunately, grace is decidedly not one of her virtues. Staircases, doors, even floors have proven her enemies, often leaving Emilia prostrate and mortified in a pile of muslin. Nevertheless, at her first ball, her dance card soon fills with the names of highly suitable men. But Emilia's eyes are on just one man - the one her aunt points out as the entirely unsuitable Lord Phillip...

In fact, he isn't Lord Phillip. While Phillip, the heir, goes about spending the good family's funds, his identical twin, Devon, the spare, must attend society functions as Lord Phillip - all because of a few blasted minutes' age difference. Soon, both twins are vying for Emilia. And, under the not-so-watchful eye of Lady Palmerston, aunt and chaperon to the young lady, Emilia is unknowingly courted by two different men with the same face! But only one of them is the love of her life...

I found this to be a fun and delightful little romp. It had a nice pace with plenty of witty banter.

[Scarlett Villar · Rating 4 out of 5]

ese asunto de los gemelos... muy buena historia.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Booooooooring.

[The Book Coyote · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was not very good. She kept bringing up ideas and then dropping them, pulling things out of nowhere, and on top of that, the writing itself just wasn't very good. The clumsiness is cute - but I would have liked it better if she'd spent the time developing her character's internal conflicts rather than her external ones. Perhaps she'll get better, as this is her first book, but I can't say it's a very strong debut.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Quite good for a debut effort. The writing style was entertaining, the characters appealing and parts of the plot were original. There were a couple of rough spots, but I look forward to reading more from this author as she matures.

[PATRICIA KUNA · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good book. Emilia was looking for someone to love. She falls in love with two men, Devon and Phillip. Not knowing that they are twins. Devon has played his twin for years because of the scandals Phillip has caused. So who will win Emilia's heart. I liked the characters and the story. Finally Devon and Emilia find that love that is meant just for them. Maya gives us great characters who are so reliable and make us want to find love for ourselves. I will read more of her books

[Desi · Rating 3 out of 5]

leído en Julio 2011

Entretenida pero hasta ahí

[LaGail Lenoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

quick book for the summer....

[Pilar Descalza · Rating 1 out of 5]

Narración muy enrevesada y con soluciones peregrinas. Resulta largo.

[Julie]

These characters simply don't work at all for me. I am bored.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this whole series and I do think this one could have been fleshed out more like the 2nd but don’t think it’s worthy of some of the hate from other reviews.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Should have called it the minute I realized lying twins were involved. I hate that shite! Love isn't difficult enough without some guy with a massive infuriating complex pretending he's his disgusting twin! Double UGH.

[Neus Gutiérrez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cómo una portada taaaan bonica... puede contener semejante bodrio.
Mira ya el tema gemelos según como se aborde lo llevo mal, pero es que aquí la ridiculez y el momento QUE TE PASA lo llevamos al extremo. Tenemos prácticamente a Caín y Abel, un padre horrible que al final no resulta serlo, un amor a primera vista de UIJU que maravilla -que nadie se cree- y una historia insufrible donde no pasa nada y al final todos son felices.

No podía soportar al protagonista con toda su bondad y todo su momento héroe y mártir. Pero es que el gemelo malo, era imbécil. No es que tuviera maldad, es que era un malcriado que necesitaba una hostia y que alguien le dijera alguna vez que NO. Pero no, lo convertimos en el diablo y generalizamos en bueno/malo todo el libro, para luego quererte vender la moto y darte la segunda parte.

Y es que la historia de amor es un blug :) y la prota es tonta de remate.
No gracias.

[Romancing the Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Heir and the Spare by Maya Rodale is a splendid debut novel and the first in a series.

Phillip and Devon are twins and the sons of a duke. Phillip is the heir and Devon the spare. Devon was always forced to pretend to be his brother and following a duel where he was almost killed, he fled to America. Five years later, he's back in London but only a select few know he's home.

Emilia is an American heiress who is in London to find a husband. At her first ball, she trips on some stairs and falls into the arms of a handsome man and quickly falls in love. But is it Phillip or Devon?

I met Ms. Rodale in an online chat where she was discussing this book and I was intrigued. When I came across it at the library, I snatched it off of the shelves. I'm glad I did. I enjoyed the plot and the characters (many of the secondary characters were a hoot and I hope they appear in future novels). While the mistaken identity and good twin/bad twin themes have been used in the past, Ms. Rodale finds a fresh and interesting spin.

http://www.romancing-the-book.com/200...

[PepperP0t · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful, witty, charming but clumsy American Emilia Highhart's having a London season in hopes of ending it with a titled husband. It's common for scapegrace Lord Philip of the rather tarnished reputation to avoid the balls and his traveled identical twin Devon usually goes in his stead.

At Emilia's debut, she loses both her footing and her heart when she's breathless after sighting Devon masquerading as Philip and falls into his arms. But Devon is just as smitten and despite the chaperone's protests sees Emilia again. Philip is also smitten with Emilia and calls as well.

This reader confesses to be confounded early by the logic of this read and an inability to recover so credibility was an issue. The premise of mistaken twins is a cute and not overly used trope but saddled with an unbelievable heroine of mammoth clumsiness one wonders if stupidity, infirmity or affectation is the culprit.
Rating: 2.75stars

[Bronwyn Rykiert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the debut book for Maya Rodale and it was great, just as the reviews on Amazon said it is hard to put it down.

Devon Kensington had just returned from 5 years in America and he has decided to go to a ball as his identical twin brother, Phillip, the future Duke of Buckingham and into his arms falls an American Heiress, Emilia Highhart who has come to London to find a titled husband. Later they share a kiss and she is smitten.

There is fun ahead when she finds herself seeing both Devon and Phillip and wondering how someone can be so different at different times. It takes her awhile to work out that there are 2 different people, especially since Phillip has put forward the story that his brother had died.

I thought it was written very well and the story flowed along easily. It is easy not to like Phillip as he is quite ruthless and the ending was quite fitting.

[Kasumi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me encantan las historias de gemelos. Si están bien llevadas, pueden dar mucho juego, pero en esta ocasión me ha parecido tan burda que apenas lo disfruté, con un hermano como el bueno buenísimo y el otro malo, pero por aburrimiento.

Tampoco ayuda demasiado la protagonista, tan torpe, que es un accidente andante a punto de ocurrir y no sospecha nada en ningún momento.

Vamos, que me pareció una historia para pasar el rato. Entretenida, pero poco más.

Lee el resto de la reseña en mi blog:
http://resumiendotodo.blogspot.com/20...

[Tracy T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy Maya Rodale's writing. This book was fun. I liked the hero and heroine very much. There was a lot of dialogue throughout the book. I love lots of dialogue, communication is so much better than just thoughts and feelings being expressed. She always writes with lots of dialogue. Her characters get to know each other besides just the attraction they have. There are a couple very nicely written sex scenes. The story line and plot was good and it flowed very nicely. Emilia's aunt, Lady Palmerston she was great Loved her character.
I totally recommend any of Maya Rodale's book!

[Kym · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book by Mrs Rodale. It was a very quick read and I felt it flowed nicely. I had no problems liking Devon. I found I stayed angry at Phillip. The next book is Phillips and while as I am looking forward to reading another by this author. I am wondering how I will come to like Phillip after reading The Heir and the Spare. I would highly suggest this to other historical romance readers.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new author for me, and I couldn't be happier. Ms. Rod ale uses a number of familiar tropes (identical twins, one good, one bad, meddling friends and the 'negligent chaperone' of the series moniker) and makes them seem fresh and exciting. She obviously loves this stuff of 80's soap opera fodder so much you can't help but love it too. Sure, the case of insta-love is pretty immediate, but the hero is heroic and the ending is very satisfactory.

[Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5 stars. The beginning intrigued me just enough to keep me reading. The middle was a little plodding, but the last third was very exciting.

The intimate scenes were hot without being vulgar.

Emilia didn't jive with me entirely. She had spunk, but not enough punch to make her standout to me. Devon was a great guy, but his character felt incohesive to me.

I liked Miss Rodale's writing style and will read more of her when I can. :-)

[Annii · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was not very good. She kept bringing up ideas and then dropping them, pulling things out of nowhere, and on top of that, the writing itself just wasn't very good. The clumsiness is cute - but I would have liked it better if she'd spent the time developing her character's internal conflicts rather than her external ones. Perhaps she'll get better, as this is her first book, but I can't say it's a very strong debut.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book but I thought there was too much Heir in it. lol! The first half of the book, the author wastes your time with their relationship (or lack thereof). I would've liked more interaction between the heroine, for lack of a better word, and the Spare. The ending was a little rushed too, imo.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the blurb an so gave this book a chance. So glad I did! I really loved the imperfections Emilia has an her an her aunts wit! Devon grows through out the story an I enjoy watching him grow into himself an get confidence. I felt bad for the twins an their loveless life an the ending just floors me! Talk about going out with a bang! I hope there are more books in this series!