Review: The Unlikely Spare by Jax Calder (Unlikely Dilemmas #3)

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Neon Rainbow ARC Reviews.

Is this what love is? The idea that someone can see every bit of you, even your pettiness and sharp edges and spectacular failures, then shrug and say, "Yes, still you."

I'm not entirely sure if The Unlikely Spare is the final book in the Unlikely Dilemmas series, but if it is, dare I say that Jax Calder has ended the series on a truly impressive high. If you've followed the series, then Prince Nicholas Alexander should be more than familiar. He's the twenty-four-year-old younger half-brother of the Prince of Wales. Becoming the spare and a working royal was unexpected, all thanks to a series of scandalous events that forced him and Prince Callum up the line of succession. Nicholas knows how to turn up the charm during events and gatherings he has little choice but to attend, but this Prince Charming appears to have a target on his back. It's this threat that has Eoin O'Connell becoming a part of his close-in security. The twenty-eight-year-old is a Detective Sergeant with the Metropolitan Police, and while he isn't exactly thrilled with this assignment, going undercover to find out who from the inside has their sights set on the royal family is a necessary evil. Nicholas and Eoin don't seem to like each other all that much, but will an overseas royal tour and intensifying danger lead these two to a point of no return?

My interest in Britain's royal family came about because of the late Princess of Wales, Diana. I was fascinated by and with her, but I remember my brother telling me that there was more to the royal family, and that learning more about them may make me see them in a more realistic light. So, I read books and watched documentaries, and I discovered more about the royal family's and Britain's history, quite a bit of which was not all that stellar. So, I have whole lot of appreciation for the story that Jax Calder created in The Unlikely Spare. It is, by no means, meant to be a dissertation on British colonialism, but Calder did her research, making the foundation of the romance and suspense here a strong one. From the very first chapter till that highly satisfying epilogue, I was hooked, which is saying something since I tend to put my e-reader down every now and again, distracted by whatever or whomever. That wasn't the case here, all thanks to two intriguing main characters and a story that made me think bolstered by a romance that made me smile and swoon. After this five-plus-starred read, wherever Calder takes readers next, I'm a go.

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Read my reviews for the Unlikely Dilemmas series:

The Unlikely Heir (book one) - 4.5 stars - My Review

The Unlikely Pair (book two) - five stars - My Review

The Unlikely Spare (book three) - five-plus stars - My Review (posted above)

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Date Read: 24 August 2025

Learn more about Jax Calder.

Purchase The Unlikely Spare on Amazon.