Jen's Review: "The Heir and the Spare" by Maya Rodale

"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.