Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

CW: anxiety, complex post-traumatic stress disorder, caregiver stress, cheating (past relationship), PTSD, side character with dependent personality disorder and borderline personality disorder

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f friends to lovers
-bodyguard romance
-close-proximity/neighbors
-royalty adjacent
-a stern, tatooed bodyguard
-a romance loving school teacher
-skinny dipping fun

This was a fun read that emphasized the importance of mental health. I really appreciated the discussions about therapy and self-care. This book covered some great topics without being preachy.

This was a fast read, but I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two MCs. Their sexual tension was palpable. I adore a good gruff LI and this book had that in spades. They both slowly opened up to each other and learned about each other and themselves.

That this involved royals that were clearly inspired by Harry and Meaghan was fun, but I agree with Sil's review, this wasn't a deep intropsection, because that isn't this book's story to tell. This was ultimately fun and lighthearted and I really appreciated the discussions about loving romance and the shame still involved with society. The steam was exxxcellent.

Rating: 3.5
Steam: 3.5

I feel like I'm in the minority with this one, but I didn't love it. It was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, but it just fell flat for me. I never connected with the characters. I never bought into the romance. The small town didn't have a small town feel to me. I wanted to love it, but I didn't.

The Royals Next Door was a cute book! It didn't wow me, but I had such a good time reading it. You know I'm a sucker for romance books with bodyguard trope + grumpy/sunshine. This has it! And it delivered tbh. The tropes made me go all swoony inside.

When royalty moves next door, Piper's life fully changes. She's a schoolteacher, kinda hermit and a romance podcaster, but now she has actual royalty living next door! With them comes a broody, grumpy annoyed-at-her bodyguard, Harrison.

For the most part their relationship had to be a secret, because the media, the consequences to the royals, and her mother's wellbeing. But everyone knows immediately these two have something going on lmao. I just needed a little something more, more high stakes between them, because there are a lot of empty spaces between their scenes where they don't meet for a bit and you're wondering how can they fall so fast when they haven't spent that much time together lol.

Also idk why but I find it kinda ehh to use the inspiration of Meghan Markle to write a book about two white people. It's just me! Maybe many people don't see it that way but idk why I do...

Overall, this book is cute and I recommend it if you want a royals, bodyguard, annoying at first sight, grumpy/sunshine, soft for her only romance.

The Royals Next Door

Genre: Romance
Rating 4 star

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for the free copy of The Royals Next Door. This book publishes on August 31st!

I really enjoyed this story! The banter between the two main characters was fun and steamy! I also enjoyed the unique perspective of living next to royals! This was a cute, light read that kept me entertained the whole time! Mental health is addressed in this book, but it's done in a very empowering way!

If you enjoy romance books, I would recommend this one! It's light, fun, and a unique storyline!

This post will be published on our Instagram and Goodreads account on August 31st!

Piper Evans is sort of a hermit and loner. She spends the most time with her dependent mother and her second-grade class. She does not really put herself out there to find new friends. And her past relationships have been with emotionally unavailable men. But she also has some spunk, can be a bit mouthy, and has a caring heart.

The biggest excitement on Salt Spring Island seems to be the possibility of a young royal couple moving next door for some privacy.

Harrison Cole is security for the royal couple. He is stoic, controlled, worldly, and a workaholic. He is devoted to his job and has no time for distractions or dalliances.

He and Piper antagonize each other from their first meeting. But as she helps him with a few things, he starts to lower his guard a bit and they become friendly. But no matter how handsome he is or how sexy that British accent is, Piper knows nothing more can come of it. He is the definition of emotionally unavailable. And their lives could not be more different. But that buzzing of attraction and chemistry is hard to ignore.

These two push, pull, and go around in circles. Bless Harrison's heart, but he tries to resist...in some ways to protect her and in others to protect himself. But he also makes her braver so she challenges him. And once things go past the boiling point, further resistance is even harder. It is hard to keep anything a secret and the townspeople and paparazzi are just itching to find any kind of story or scandal they can.

This is a slow burn, snarky, opposites-attract, not-quite-forbidden-but-not-recommended, rom-com, love story between a broody Brit and an awkward homebody. It's about friendship, family, home, and community. These characters have many opportunities for growth, change, and empowerment. They truly are a catalyst for change that has a ripple effect.

This author is hit or miss for me, but I couldn’t pass up a romantic comedy where the heroine’s new neighbors are Meghan and Harry-inspired royals and her love interest is their bodyguard. That’s just catnip for me as a reader.

Piper Evans is a school teacher with a lot on her plate. When royalty moves in next door her life gets a whole lot more complicated. Despite living in a small town there isn’t a real sense of community unless you’ve lived there your whole life. So she’s kind of an outsider now residing next door to a famous couple and having to put up with their exasperating bodyguard.

Harrison Cole comes across as pretty uptight and cold at the beginning when Piper and he first meet, and their back and forth sniping at each other is pretty amusing. But after a while, I wondered when the spark of romance would hit them and they would jump each other’s bones. It takes a bit, but when it does happen whoo boy.

There are some dark undertones to this book. Harrison’s revelations of a past with drugs and alcohol, Piper’s mother’s mental health issues, and the ravenous, hounding tabloids just to name a few. But I would say those things don’t really overshadow what is supposed to be, and does come across, as a lighter romance.

This was a quick, easy read, and would recommend it for fans who enjoy opposites attract and bodyguard tropes in their romances.

If you are looking for a fun summer time rom com this one hits the mark.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Royals Next Door, the story flows at a good steady pace with lots of laughter throughout. Piper is a school teacher who is stuck in her life and when royals move in next door for the summer lots of changes are coming her way. The first couple encounters with Harrison were wonderful, I could see myself in those situations easily which makes the characters relatable. The author does an amazing job of touching on mental health and the many different aspects of it. I highlighted a lot of information to look up about the mental health issues she was talking about so I could learn more.

This one was a fun, sexy book.

I loved the Royals and how clearly they were based on Meg/Harry.

This one features a lot about mental health, specifically being the child/caregiver to someone dealing with complex disorders. I really loved seeing how Piper discussed her mental health and how she has worked through her problematic coping mechanisms.

The relationship between Piper and Harrison was lovely. They were somewhat opposites attract. Though they really complement each other.

This one moves quick and is a perfect summer read.

This was a sweet book. A cute escape from my normal dark reads. If you're looking for something very light, opposites attract, royal romance...this is it.

This was my road-trip vacation read (and my first by Karina Halle!), and it was everything I'd hoped it would be: flirty, fun, and swoony. (If Harrison doesn't make you swoon, I'm not sure anything will.)

The push-pull between the two main characters was *really* well written (holy chemistry!), as was the mental health rep and relationship between the female MC and her mom. I loved the island setting and even wanted a little more use of the small-town aspect, which felt a bit inconsistent.

Overall, though, this was a great romance. I definitely need to check out more books by this author!

RATING: A-/B+ (4½ stars)

I had so much fun reading The Royals Next Door! Karina Halle wrote the perfect summer read with this one. It was a fantastic slow burn/bodyguard romance- but with a twist.

Piper is an elementary school teacher on an island and when she's not working she's taking care of her mother or reading romance novels. Her life isn't all that interesting, until the royals move next door. With the royals come their head bodyguard, Harrison. Harrison is a little brash and he and Piper have an interesting first meeting.

With time, you see the relationship between Piper and Harrison start to shift. I loved watching them realize their feelings for each other and give in to them, even if things were a bit complicated. I also loved how Harrison treated Piper's mom and the relationship he developed with her.

Piper was a strong and resilient heroine. Between taking care of her mother, coming out of her shell in town, and standing up for herself when her job was on the line, I was proud of her and one of the best parts of this book was watching her growth. Harrison is one of those heroes you can't help but love. A tough exterior, but the softest middle. I also enjoyed the side story with the royals.

Overall I enjoyed this book so much! It was a refreshing read and such a great book for summer. If you're looking for a light and fun romance that still has some emotion and depth, pick this one up!

Well that was a damn delight!! Probably one of my favorite all time romantic comedy’s. Piper and Harrison have my whole heart. This book really has it all and I want everyone to read it. Well done. 👏🏻

"The Royals Next Door": 5⭐

(Unpaid Review: thank you to @netgalley, @penguinrandomhouse and @karinahalle for allowing me to read this eArc copy in exchange for a review).

Do you ever get that feeling that a book feels so amazing you hardly believe you have it in your hands? It's as if it was a dream? This book will make you feel that way.

Bloody fantastic! The writing was so fluid and fast-paced and absolutely lovely! Karina wrote such witty characters and such passionate encounters, I just couldn't believe it! I loved Piper and Harrison, one of my new favorite fictional couples ❤️ I loved everything about their relationship: the beginning was a little rough, Harrison was reserved but then, with time, it got so, so good and the banter between these two was just so thoughtful and incredible. It got me smiling and laughing on the bus when reading it on the way home.

"The Royals Next Door" is a story of friendship. It's a story of love and family bonds that will get you swooning. The perfect summer read and definitely one I'll be sure to reread soon! 🥰

Thank you Karina, for bringing this lovely story to life.

This was a very lighthearted fairy tale but Karina Halle. One of the most lighthearted I've read from her. The Royals (obviously based on Harry and Megan) move in next door to Piper on this secluded, small town island. Island life is very big here and everyone seems to be very laid back. Except for Harrison, the main bodyguard of the Royals. The story opens up with a hilarious show down between Harrison and Piper and it continues throughout the story. I liked the idea of the bodyguard rather than a royal match. Piper is also the caretaker of her mother who has mental health issues and Piper as well is learning how to cope with hers. It is refreshing to have a character speak so openly and willingly after these issues and also a great learning experience. It was a fun, enjoyable, fast royal read. The island life was also pretty hilarious if not providing most of the tension throughout the story.

Thank you Berkley Romance and Netgalley for the free review copy.

Well… this wasn’t a win for me unfortunately. Maybe 3 stars??

What worked for me:
- I liked the first 25% of this book and thought there was a lot of potential
- The setting was wonderful
- It’s great to see mental health addressed in romance
- Parts of the Royal Family elements were fun

What didn’t work for me:
- The book sadly went downhill for me as I read it and I eventually found myself trying to speed read through the end
- A lot of the interactions and dialogue felts very unrealistic
- I knew this would be very “ripped from the headlines” but this was even more than I expected, to the point it felt excessive
- Also... PPO officers don’t work for the Royal Family, they work for the Metropolitan Police, ughh, okay, had to be “that person”, sorry
- The steam was too much for me - for sure that’s personal preference, but I found it a bit cringey at times and had to skip over some of the scenes

TW/CW: mental health (C-PTSD, BPD, DPD). Language. Very open door.

MIght be my fave romance of the year so far?!?! I looooved this. Banter/chemistry was hot right off the bat and I just loved everything about this story. The steam was off the charts & I couldn't get enough. Loved so much - will definitely be recommending to romance fans!

I really enjoyed this! It was exactly the refreshing book I needed to get me out of a reading slump. It was such a feel good book that I 100% recommend!

This was a bodyguard romance with a twist and I enjoyed it so much! It also has the grumpy/sunshine trope but I would have loved it if we got to read from Harrison's perspective too.

Thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

*full review to come

The Royals Next Door is incredibly cute. I absolutely loved Piper, she was messy in all the best ways! Harrison was the perfect mix of flirty but grumpy. I loved their “meet cute” and watching their relationship blossom. Harrison was totally swoon worthy. The multiple times he stuck up for Piper and was in her corner I cheered so hard.

Not only was there romance but I liked the added bonus of learning about the Duke and Duchess. The drama of having them move to the island kept things fun.

Piper’s mom does suffer from mental illness and I liked how the author addressed it, openly talking about therapy, medication, and other ways she helped her mother deal with stressors. It was also nice to see Piper strengthen her relationship with her mother throughout the book.

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley, and Karina Halle for this e-arc in exchange for my review. The Royals Next Door is out 8/31.

I was up for some royal frivolity and instead I got something that left a really bad taste in my mouth. In the post-Oprah-interview world, one can't really brush off Meghan Markle's plight as simply the racism of the British press. The way this book uses Meghan's story but ignores the coordinated efforts of the royal family and the press to absolutely crush her is gross! It feels so exploitative in general.

Apart from that, this book is designed to annoy me specifically as a reader. Single POV on the chirpy female character, with a grumpy and taciturn man who gets no POV. Add to that a slow burn. I'm realizing in the wake of Ted Lasso that the sunshine/grumpy dynamic isn't easy to achieve. Roy Kent is grumpy, yes, but he's also funny and has quirks to his character. This grump was so, so boring in comparison.

Add to that, lazy writing! I was gobsmacked that the best idea the author could come up with to get the neighbor of a royal and a royal bodyguard together was to get them both on a Costco run, because for some reason having the access to some of the wealthiest people in the world makes getting a Costco card a challenge?!?! And the big conflict at the end blew over so easily that it never seemed like conflict at all. There just weren't any stakes.

There was an attempt to build a mental health-related storyline into the plot, but I didn't love it for reasons that are kind of personal to my experience with some of the disorders depicted.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.***