This was a sweet read, funny and entertaining, but something about it didn't fully draw me in. I kept setting it down after a few pages, instead of being drawn into the story. I did enjoy the protagonist - Piper is a fiesty, fun character who is trying to figure out her life after leaving her fiance when he cheated and being a sole caretaker for her mother on a island where everyone knows the business of their neighbors. She's written as a clumsy, not well put together person, completely at odds as the potential love interest with the classy security guard who moves in. Things went a bit awry with the new neighbors. It felt like they were supposed to mimic Harry and Meghan to an extent, not an exact parallel but reminiscent of current events. Harrison, the body guard, is simultaneously always on duty but also the person who runs over the laundry when their dryer breaks. Harrison and Piper have an acerbic chemistry, and you're not quite sure they actually like each other until they actually find themselves together alone, and then the sparks fly. If you like the royals, or royal adjacent things, try this fun title for a summer beach read!

What a fun read! I enjoyed the story, Piper's growth as a character, and swoony Harrison. I devoured it in one day and wished there was more to enjoy.

It took me two tries to read this. The first time I was not excited about the first scene. As a teacher, I questioned that scene, as most teachers don't leave their purses out where students can get to them. Then I tried again. The second time, I read past that part.. It was worth it. I liked the plot and most of the characters. The Royals were too reminiscent of the real Royal soap opera. If I ignore that, I enjoyed the characters and was cheering the couple on. It was a fun read.

I have to admit right off the bat, that I really wasn't crazy about this book. While I'm somewhat fascinated with British royalty, this book made little effort to disguise that it was playing off of Prince Harry and Megan. The concept was cute, and the writing adequate but it would have been better if the royalty had been from some made-up locale, it was too real to get into as fiction.
That said, the writing was reasonably good. I'd like to see this author write another that wasn't quite so pulled from the headlines.

Cute, quick read with a fun twist of the romance NOT being about the prince (for once) but instead about someone in his inner circle. Steamy bits are playful played out and not in a manner I have read in a long while.

Love Halle's books!! This one was so much fun. The snarky, witty, dialog between Harrison and Piper made me giggle out loud. But my favorite part was during the School Board Meeting where Piper talked about small communities...that really hit home since moving to a tiny community, but I digress. Loved all the supporting characters, Piper's Mom was a hoot! And Liza! I want a Liza! Thanks for letting me preview this wonderful book.

While it was a sweet, sizzling, sexy romp this book was more than a rom com. It was an honest look at mental illness, childhood trauma, and commitment. I loved the absence of a miscommunication crisis and the happy ending.

I enjoyed this fun romance inspired by Meghan and Harry. A royal couple move next door to Piper, a teacher who lives with and takes care of her mentally challenged mother. This causes a seismic shift in Piper's life including signing NDAs, dodging paparazzi, and dealing with Harrison, the royals rigid but handsome personal protection officer. Harrison has never met anyone like Piper and is bemused by her ability to get into trouble easily. Of course, opposites attract so the story has a great ending. Recommended.

I enjoyed Karina Halle's When Sea Meets Sky, so I was excited to read this fun royals romcom that takes place on an idyllic island. The premise is hilarious (A Megan and Harry-type royal couple escapes the media frenzy on a small island), and the main character is lovely and definitely has a strong head on her shoulders. However, I was missing the heart of the story. I didn't feel that invested in the growing romance, and the many of the paragraphs were overwritten and kept taking me out of the story. While this is an OK beach read, it didn't have the same intensity as Halle's earlier works.

Predictable but fun. Perfect light reading. Deals well with issues around anxiety, friendships, and relationships.

Received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest opinion.

Following the storyline of Megan and Harry, a royal couple flees England to get some peace and privacy from the press in Canada. The couple moves in next store to a local teacher, Piper, who has a few secrets that she would like to keep private. Piper and Harrison, the royals bodyguard, get off to a rough start but have a mutual attraction. After the two start secretly dating, the press finds out and Piper is in danger of losing her job. This is a cute romance that parallels a real life storyline.

This is my favorite book of the year so far. It is fun and funny and quirky and I love the two main characters. I especially love that the characters showed a lot of flaws but had amazing parts of their personalities that allowed others to overlook their flaws. The scene with the school board is a teacher’s dream scene. Take them to task for butting in where they don’t belong. The sex positivity was on the money! And you can’t go wrong with some royalty on board.

The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle is a cute romantic story inspired by Harry and Meghan. The royals escape to Canada for an extended vacation and their bodyguard Harrison falls in love with Piper, the neighbor next door. This is a great summer read,

My first five star read of the summer!!! This is my first book by Karina Halle, so I was a little unsure going in what to expect. Such a fun, sweet story about the underdog and being unique during extraordinary circumstances. Just the right amount of steam, it was funny, engaging, and an utterly lovely story. I actually looked for companion books to see if this was a series, that's how much I wanted to stay with this group of characters. Bravo! And I will definitely be picking up more books by Ms. Halle!!!!

I really liked the authors portrayal of mental illness in this book. The relationship between Piper and Harrison was fine. I didn’t really care about it as much as I should considering it is a romance book. I was much more interested in the friendship between Monica and Piper. I thought the cover of the book wasn’t great. Did the cover designer even read the book? The book was about so much more then that. I loved the relationship between Piper and her mom. It was very complicated but I also thought Piper was super patient with her mom.

A fun, lighthearted romance inspired by the real life story of Harry and Meghan. Piper lives on a beautiful island in western Canada. She's a teacher at the island's public school, and lives with her mother, who struggles with mental illness. Soon, the royals (Eddie and Monica) rent the estate next door to their modest caretaker's cottage, and Piper's quiet life is drastically changed with an invasion of the international press and jealousy from the local residents. Suddenly, there is a very bossy royal bodyguard (Harrison) telling her what to do and where to go. This is a great book that is, at its heart, all about believing in yourself and living by your own values.

*Disclaimer: won’t buy because I am a HS librarian

Sooooo.....a couple of things. First, I agree with the author and MC about romance, while remaining firmly in the reading closet about my romance habit. Don’t know why. Well, maybe that’s not true. I’m just embarrassed. But this book helped.

Second, the plot and the characters are better than the writing, in general. I mean, some of the scenes were lovely, especially those where Piper’s mom get real with her and those where Harrison is so swoon-inducing. But the pacing was weird for me and I felt like some things were forced...like the depth of feeling in such a short time. That always bugs me.

However, it was a sweet romp with some interesting twists and I enjoyed it quite a bit. 💜📚

Received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest opinion.
Wow! This was a fun ride. I really enjoyed this story and all the characters, it was so much fun now I'm looking to take a vacation to Canada and the Pacific Northwest. I really liked how the characters grew out of their shells and came together. Read this one if you need a fun distraction with a little steamy on the side.

This was a breezy, fun read. The Royals are side characters in this romcom, but Harrison, their hot bodyguard is appealing and sexy enough that I wasn't mad at all. It was a nice change actually. He and Piper had nice, steamy chemistry and the Island setting made for a nice escape. The emphasis on therapy for multiple characters added depth. Overall, a sweet story.

Disclaimer: I got this in exchange for an honest review. Full review will be up on my blog!

link to blog: https://linktr.ee/AmaniSalahudeen/

Okay, so this is based on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. TW: This book discusses mental health issues. This was one of my highly anticipated novels of 2021 and it was SO GOOD!! Piper Evans is an elementary school teacher during the day, an avid romance reader and podcast host at night. She has a pretty close, tight-knit community on the island she lives on and she's content with that. Until the British Royals rent a house next door and suddenly she's thrust into a completely different lifestyle. When she uncovers a royal scandal, she can't rely on Harrison Cole completely=she's going to have to figure out a way out of this mess herself. With everything on the line, Harrison and Piper need to figure out what's worth the sacrifice when it comes to matters of the heart. This was such a cute, heart-warming novel and it's the perfect summertime or spring break book!