Okay,
First, That cover is gorgeous.
Second, that blurb was very interesting.
Are you guys surprised I picked this up?
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My Rating [ 4/5 ] 🌟🌟🌟🌟
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The Royals next door is a story that follows our small town teacher Piper, and her disastrous day at school. I really loved her character and the way the author portrayed the flaws and the strength she had. And not to mention our broody bodyguard, Harrison, who may or maynot have started the interaction by insulting her. I really liked their dynamic and their back and forth. There were open conversations, little bit of fight, some extra bit of possessiveness and a whole lot of chemistry! The writing style made sure the characters has some humor along with the heavy topics and I really loved Piper's mom!! This book had all the cliched enemies to somewhat friends to I'm kinda possessive but I'm not sure to Yes I'm not leaving this person trope, BUT it was done really well! And even though I kind of expected that ending, it was a really sweet deal! I think this book deserves more hype and everyone should read it. Just for Harrison atleast 🤣
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Thank you @netgalley for the Review copy!

This is my first book by Karina and I am definitely a fan! Her writing sucks you in from the first sentence and keeps you entertained for the entirety of the book.

What I love most is the main character Piper. I’ve read some books lately with really flat heroine’s so it is refreshing to have such a well thought out female character. She’s funny and sharp and a little messy, and all over the place in the best way. The fact that she’s a romance lover is just the cherry on top. She’s sex positive and unashamed of it which is so refreshing. I just really love her voice in this book.

I am a little bummed to not get Harrison’s point of view at first but Karina does a good job of making him sexy and mysterious while still revealing this tenderness in him. He and Piper have amazing chemistry, they have this kind of snarky banter that translates to major sexual tension… so even without getting his POV, you can still tell there is something between them.

Besides the romance and the pretty solid steamy scenes, Halle touches on mental health quite a lot in this book. It’s written in a way that fits well with the story and never seems out of place. I love how openly it’s discussed and how often therapy is mentioned, It’s not a common topic in romance and I appreciated seeing it.

Lastly, I have to mention this is a low angst kind of story. The themes of mental health keep it from being shallow but it’s still a fun entertaining read. And these characters actually COMMUNICATE. Can we get a standing ovation?? So often writers use miscommunication as the source of conflict and it makes me want to pull my hair out. Especially as these are usually adults. So thank you Karina Halle for writing two characters that actually speak what is on their minds.

If you’re looking for a fun, smart and sexy read, The Royals Next Door does the trick.

Are you a fan of the Royals? I love all things Royal. Back when magazines were a thing, I used to read every issue of Hello and OK to get my fix.

Well, as a fan of the Royals, The Royals Next Door was just the cutest book. It is the story of Piper, a single elementary school teacher living on an island in British Columbia, taking care of her mother who suffers from mental health issues and really just caught in a lonely rut. Until the duke and dutchess (total fan fic for Harry and Meghan) move next door with their hunky security officer. This book is the best summer romp. There is romance with some serious 🔥 and a new book boyfriend. There is humor and sarcastic wit. There is a protagonist who is quirky and just so lovable and charming. There is a very real and honest portrayal of the impacts of mental health issues - not just with respect to a person suffering from mental illness but also the toll that it takes on family members. Oh, and there is a diatribe defending romance novels. What more do you need? It was also just so fun to ponder what it would be like to befriend Harry and Meghan because I just know that if I ever did meet them, we would become besties, obvs.
I just loved this book and after a long day of work, it was the absolutely best way to escape the stresses of real life. A perfect book to read as the days of summer are waning.

I really wanted to love this book based off the premise, but in the end It was a bit too cheesy, even for me. As someone who lives in the greater vancouver area, I loved the representation of Salt Spring Island, and I thought the author did a great job describing the atmosphere. The fact that the royals were clearly based off Harry and Megan, in this case, was just to corny for me. Romance novels already are cheesy, but this just ripped it over the edge. I found it also came off a little preacher when the author touched on the racism in the media (yes I agree that is what happened in real life, but in the book there was no evidence so it felt very snobbish). I also found it was a lot of telling instead of showing, which isn’t a witting style I prefer. All in all, I think people who LOVE romance novels could enjoy this, but for someone who already only likes well written romance novels, this was a bit too lacking in substance for me.

This book was so sweet and I read it in less than a day!

This book has everything I love. A little bit of enemies to lovers. A little royalty. A mysterious and hot main man with a sweet side. A leading lady who is funny and a little bit of a disaster, because aren’t we all? A teeny bit of royalty. And side characters that I loved and some I loved to hate.

While, this book is light and fun, it manages to show some serious things as well. Such as, being a caretaker for a parent who has a mental illness. How therapy can help us find closure and strength in themselves they’ve never known. And how romance books is full of women empowerment.

Though, some people may argue there was a little too much going on in this book or not enough drama, I still loved it and it was just what I needed after my last heavy read!

If you like romance positivity, enemies to lovers, protective body guards as romantic interests, with a little bit of characters who remind you Meghan and Harry mixed in on the side? Definitely try this out.

4/5

• r e v i e w || THE ROYALS NEXT DOOR [thank you to the tagged publisher for the free book] •

“An ordinary summer goes royally awry when a prince and princess move next door, bringing their handsome bodyguard with them, from New York Times bestselling author Karina Halle.”

What a CUTE book! What would life be like if a royal couple moved next door. You’d hope they were just as charming as the two were in this book…. and have a good looking bodyguard with them. I really liked that the author had the relationship between Piper and Harrison (PPO) build doing mundane things like shopping at Costco (the Royals gotta eat) and going to the local bar. I also enjoy reading about a teacher finding love. This comes out next week and is a perfect book to top off the end of summer!

🥰really liked || 🔥 descriptive
🤟cute, fun, forbidden
📚The Royal We
🎶I’m Yours by Jason Mraz
📺The Royals

This book was amazing and dealt with so many issues! Whether it was the mental health issues Piper and her mother suffered or the stigmas romance readers faced Karina Halle did an amazing job discussing these things. I really enjoyed Piper and Harrison's rocky road to their relationship. Also Piper was such an amazing and well developed character I really enjoyed seeing her individual growth as well.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle

Thank you @netgalley and @berkleyromance for this FUN eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Plot summary? Think Harry and Meghan move in to a private estate to get away from the drama and they have a hunky mysterious/moody body guard with a sweet but sassy local teacher living next door…

So so fun. And refreshing because I was waiting for this story to follow the typical ups and downs of a “romance novel” but it stood on its own unique two feet as being absolutely adorable and addicting and fun book. I’m completely enamored with Harrison and I’m itching to get massive cinnamon buns and lavender lattes like our heroine Piper! Bonus: Piper is a voracious romance reader with her book podcast! So you know, bookstagrammers - we can relate.

🔥Most definitely on the steamier end of the spectrum of romances I read, so be aware if that’s also not your thing!

This one comes out next week (8/31!) and my biggest complaint is that it wasn’t out for you all SOONER because it’s honestly the perfect summer read! Sneak it in while you’re still sipping drinks pool side and or sneaking off to the beach Labor Day weekend!! I absolutely flew through it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Royals Next Door is fun rom-com book. The story itself is not focused on the royals themselves, but Eddie and Monica definitely gave me Harry and Meghan vibes. Instead the book focuses on Piper, a local school teacher with a secret podcast relating to her passion for romance books, who falls for Harrison Cole, the royal PPO (personal protection officer aka bodyguard) moving in next door with the royals.

I certainly enjoyed all of the romance bits....there's some STEAM people! I also appreciated (1) Piper's unapologetic stance of reading, enjoying and talking about romance novels (2) the depiction of mental illness through Evelyn (Piper's mom), and (3) the discussions about belonging to a community; those subject matters added substance to the primary romance storyline.

Love this cover. This was my first book by Karina Halle and it won't be my last. Easily recommend this book for anyone looking for a relatively quick sexy summer read with a satisfying HEA/epilogue! Thank you to the Berkley and NetGalley for providing me an ARC.

The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle is a slow burning, feel-good, forbidden romance. I love these things in a romance, it's basically the perfect cup of tea for me. Yet, I didn't feel that spark, the longing, and angst that I normally feel while reading about Piper and Harrison.

It's evident that Piper was attracted to Harrison but Harrison, of course, fought it for obvious reasons. I really wanted his voice and thoughts while reading so I would have loved to have gotten his POV. Piper is a multi-layered heroine. I was pulled in from the start by her quirky antics! She's a school teacher and an avid romance reader. Living next door to the royals becomes an adventure that she soon won't forget!

Karina did a wonderful job of incorporating mental health into the story. It was done in a respectful manner in which you could tell she dedicated time into researching so that she could portray this part of the story as authentically as possible. Another highlight from the story that was portrayed authentically is Piper's fight against the stigma placed on the romance genre.

The Royals Next Door was a cute summer read that will have you longing to visit the mountains and small coastal towns of Canada. As always, I'm looking forward to what Karina writes next!


*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

I loved this story. It was such a wonderful break from reality. A wonderful contemporary romance to read on the beach. Especially, if you are a fan of keeping up with the British Royals (I am not one of these people but enjoyed this book immensely). My favorite part was the section where the author blew the stereotype of romance books OUT OF THE WATER. Also, Harrison was such a strong and steamy character I couldn’t get enough of the chemistry between him and Piper. The only thing that bothered me was Pipers confidence issues. But other than that I’d be able to read this book over and over again.

This is my first Karina Halle book and will not be my last! The cover is what first drew me to this book and I’m so glad I did!
I love the small town Island Vibes, and all of the characters involved in the story.
I like the Hollywood talk, the paparazzi, the mental health rep and the sexy romance.
I was rooting for these characters from the very beginning and I absolutely adore the end of the story!
Super cute, super fun romcom that you must read

“Where did I find this man again? Oh right. The royals next door.”

Piper Evans is an Elementary school teacher in a tight-knit community; the kind where everyone knows everyone’s business. She lives with her mother, who is dependent on Piper for just about everything, in a small side house that was once a “servants quarters” right by a mansion. Piper also anonymously hosts a podcast called Romancing the Podcast where she gets to gush about all her favorite romance novels but that side of her is kept a secret--unexplored.

While driving home from an awful day at school, Piper runs into an extremely abrasive bodyguard, Harrison, who tells her she is not allowed to pass. She challenges Harrison during their hilarious confrontation and he insists on escorting her home--you know to make sure she’s not a psycho or something.

Harrison isn’t just any bodyguard; he is THE bodyguard of Prince Eddie and Duchess Monica (...cough Prince Harry and Meghan cough...). Confronted with NDA’s, a media frenzy, and a mom who is she is trying to protect; Piper learns that one royal couple’s relaxing getaway is one woman’s nightmare. Luckily, their bodyguard is as delectable as he is barbed.

This book was a refreshing palate cleanser. I read myself into a rut but this book was so charming, funny, and sexy that it lifted me out of it. The witty banter and slow-burn romance made me devour this book but it was Piper’s growth that struck a chord with me. Her mom lives with BPD (borderline personality disorder) and when we meet Piper she is constantly sheltering her mom and sacrificing her own life for her. I appreciated their relationship but felt that the book could have gone deeper with it to make a real impact-- it was just a little too neat.

Piper keeps her romance podcast a secret because she feels she has to hide that part of her to have this perfect image in order to avoid the judgment of her small town. There is commentary in the book on romance/sex shaming that I thought was brilliant of the author to include.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Royals Next Door and look forward to more books by Karina Halle.

This was such a fun book to read. With secondary characters ripped straight from the headlines and given a slightly less angsty life, the main characters Piper and Harrison are wonderfully fresh. The opening scene of the book is unforgettable. Highly recommend for romance readers who aren't afraid of a few sex scenes.

As a Canadian, I grew up hearing about the royal family a lot – I watched the modern royal weddings, saw the Queen’s holiday addresses every year and saw the Queen’s face on my money every day. Naturally, I’ve always really enjoyed stories featuring royalty – so I was very, very excited to read The Royals Next Door.

The writing style took a bit for me to get into – I found the style at the beginning a bit inconsistent, but towards the middle it evened out. In particular, some of the dialogue was a little clunky at times. The author did a great job describing the setting of the book – a small island off the coast of British Columbia (close to where I grew up!). I could basically smell the pines and salty air.

Piper was a fun main character – she was a huge lover of romance novels (relatable) and was a schoolteacher by day and a romance novel based content creator by night. In the start of the book, she was very isolated from her community – though that began to change when two members of the royal family moved next door. While she did grow to be more confident and less hermit-y, she didn’t have as much character growth as I would have hoped for. I found her to be a little on the one dimensional side in some regards.

Piper and Harrisons relationship was spicey for sure – but sometimes their chemistry felt a little half-baked. I wanted more lingering glances and build up than I got. Once they were together, they were definitely cute – but their relationship felt more like friends with benefits than an actual relationship – even once they were out in the open. I think a lot of this came down to Harrison’s character – he was very one dimensional for me – he was broody, liked baking and was dedicated to Eddie. Outside of that, I really couldn’t tell you anything about him, which I think contributed greatly to his and Piper’s lack of sparks. They weren’t bad together or anything – they just weren’t quite where I had hoped they would be by the end of the book.

Overall, this was a fun beach read – I could see myself reading it with a pina colada somewhere warm and sunny. I think it’s one of those stories that in a week’s time I won’t remember much of it. If you’re looking for an excellent story featuring royals, check out Red, White and Royal Blue. 3/5

Settled in a quaint island in British Columbia, living a quaint life, working a decent job as a school teacher, and taking care of her mom with mental health issues, Piper is completely satisfied with her reclusive lifestyle. Until the neighbors next door turn out to be the British Royals, who are looking for some peace from the press. And, accompanying them is their full-time bodyguard, Harrison. The hot, broody, with a growing social media following, Harrison. Well, THAT is the last thing Piper expects.

Tbh, I have read only one other Halle book before, and heavens to Betsy, THE ROYALS NEXT DOOR delivered so much more! I loved the right amount of sexual tension, the build-up, all the flirting, the chemistry, but most of all, the multiple layers of Piper’s persona. Her character, her mother’s character, and the struggle with mental illness were portrayed accurately and with such sensitivity. The emotions that backed their mere existence solidified and validated that struggle. I personally enjoy a story where the lead characters learn from each other and become stronger together. Yes, this was still light and fun. Yes, this was still a rom-com. Yes, there was steam. But, I appreciated all the other aspects of the story that molded it into something deeper.

I definitely loved it more than I expected! And, I recommend to fans of Kerry Winfrey’s books but with a side of open door scenes.

The cover of this book captivated me and I knew I wanted to read it. It is also so much fun to read a book with royals living next door. Although the romance is between Piper and Harrison (the main bodyguard), it was a still a treat to see the relationships growing between the two houses in different ways. There is baking in the story (bread, cake, and pie) which is also a plus for me. The subject of community and how to welcome newcomers is brought into focus. Finally, Karina Halle includes characters struggling with mental health disorders and trauma from the past. As she points out in her Author's Note, the more we talk and read about people who have some of the same struggles we do, the sting of the stigma becomes less and less. This is my first book by the author and there are some pretty steamy scenes that were more open door than I prefer in my reading. If you like a higher level of spice along with other elements I have pointed out, then you will really enjoy this one.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book so damn much, Though, I can definitely see why a lot of people wont like it (there's a lot happening and fast), I think it brought out some of the best in romance tropes.

Hot Takes:
- Harrison is a broody, tattooed grumpalicious man and I was here for every single damn scene with that man. When he showed up at her door in a tshirt to she finally saw his tattoos?!?! UGHHHHHHHHHHHH
- Something I'm starting to seriously love sometimes, is a break from hot mess drama romance endings. This one didn't end in a romance conflict, just some Piper conflict that Harrison as sited with and it was adorable.
-Piper's relationship with her mom was so special. Her mom's mental health struggles were real and raw. I especially loved when her mom told her to "see me as a mother and friend, not my mental illness".
- The discussion around the role of community and how we as a member of it might need to do more ourselves if we feel like we aren't a part of the community we love in. Are we putting ourselves out there?!
- Yes, this was a Harry/Meghan story in the background, but I loved Piper and Harrison so much that I found I was barely paying attention to them.

Read If You Like:
-The Friend Zone, for two people who kinda start out hating each other, but end up having to be around each other and just want to rip each other's clothes off.
- Grumps
- TATTOOS!!!!!!!!

First of all, Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for the free book and Netgalley for the ARC of The Royals Next Door in exchange for an honest review.

Publishing Date: August 31st, 2021.

This book was exactly what I needed - a semi-royal romance with a ton of tension, banter, and steam. A close proximity romance that was a grump male and a romance reading sunshine female.

I loved the characters in this book so much, there was so much character development and depth, but it did not take over the plot. There are a lot of points in this book that touches on sensitive topics such as PTSD, anxiety, DPD, and DPD so definitely look into trigger warnings before you dive into this adorable bright romance.

The Royals Next Door was such a quick read for me because of all the fun banter and flirty dialogue between Piper and Harrison. The dynamic between them and the Royal family was so fun and I could not put this book down!

If you need a quick spicy romance definitely pick this one up!

Thanks to Berkley for an advanced copy of The Royals Next Door.

This was such a fun and wonderful book!

Piper lives on a tiny island in British Columbia and is a elementary school teacher who reads romance novels and has a podcast. Her summer vacation is slightly interrupted when British Royals move next door and Harrison the hot bodyguard keeps bothering her...

Harrison and Piper were both complex characters with great chemistry and a lot going on. I love that it also spoke about romance novels and the stigma on them.

The Duke and Duchess of Fairfax are loosely based on the Harry & Megan storyline, which was the meh part for me. But I liked how Piper became friends with Monica. This book touches on a lot of mental health aspects such as anxiety, C-PTSD, being a caregiver and military PTSD.

Overall, it was a fun and quick read. Perfect for a summer afternoon for any romance lover!