***ARC Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley***

James and Laila were never expecting to see one another again, so discovering they are working together at a remote country estate is, well, less than thrilling for both of them. It's clear from their initial interactions that both are still hurting from the way their previous relationship ended.

I enjoyed the development of this book and the characters. Watching them navigate the relationship in the present as well as healing the damage of the past made me feel very engaged with the story and with both of the main characters. I think this connection with them deepens the emotions of the story, and let me really feel the emotions of the characters and the things they are feeling.

I enjoyed and recommend this title.

This and other reviews can be found on our blog: https://www.bookedallnightblog.com/

Karina Halle’s *The Royals Upstairs* is a delightful and engaging romantic comedy that intertwines the lives of two richly developed characters, James Hunter and Laila Bruset, against the backdrop of royal life in Norway. From the moment readers are introduced to James, serving as a protection officer for the enigmatic Prince Magnus, the narrative grips you with its unique premise and captivating humor. What initially seems to be a tactical error for James quickly unfolds into a humorous and poignant journey filled with unexpected twists, emotional depth, and undeniable chemistry. James's character wrestles with the duality of his role. On one hand, he is the stoic protector, tasked with warding off threats to the royal family, while on the other, he is burdened with the guilt of having broken Laila's heart in the past. The tension between duty and desire creates a compelling conflict that drives the narrative forward. Readers will find themselves rooting for James as he navigates the complexities of his feelings for Laila, all while managing the antics of the "demon children"—a term Halle uses affectionately to describe the unpredictable royal kids who add an element of chaos to the otherwise serene estate. Laila, on the other hand, is a strong and relatable character. Taking the nanny position to care for the royal children while also being near her ailing grandmother in Oslo showcases her resilience and dedication. However, her encounters with James reveal layers of vulnerability as she grapples with unresolved feelings and the complications of their past. Halle expertly paints Laila's emotional landscape, allowing readers to empathize with her struggles and triumphs as she attempts to strike a balance between her professional responsibilities and her personal life. One of the standout features of *The Royals Upstairs* is Halle's ability to blend humor with genuine emotion. The witty banter between James and Laila is electric, filled with playful jabs that highlight their unresolved tension. As the story unfolds, the stakes rise, and readers are treated to a masterful exploration of second chances. The chemistry between James and Laila is so palpable that it practically leaps off the page, making their journey toward reconciliation both thrilling and heartwarming. The setting of a royal estate adds an enchanting layer to the story, immersing readers in a world of opulence and tradition. Halle’s descriptions of the estate’s grandeur contrast beautifully with the chaos of the children, creating a vivid backdrop for James and Laila’s rekindled romance. The narrative flows seamlessly, capturing the essence of royal life while grounding it with the relatable struggles of love and forgiveness. In conclusion, *The Royals Upstairs* is a delightful read that perfectly balances humor, heart, and romance. Karina Halle has crafted a story that not only entertains but also resonates emotionally with its audience. With engaging characters, a whimsical setting, and a plot that keeps readers on their toes, this book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys contemporary romance with a royal twist. Whether you’re a fan of second-chance love stories or simply seeking an enjoyable escape, *The Royals Upstairs* promises to deliver—so grab your copy and let the enchanting journey unfold!

Fun light romance that has you pulling for the main characters. A bit of holiday escape that kept you turning the pages.

A royal bodyguard and a royal nanny get a second chance at love when they get hired to work for the same royal family. I LOVED Karina Halle’s previous book the Royals Next Door, but unfortunately I did not connect with these characters or their love story in the same way. I did enjoy the royal family and the Norwegian culture in this story!
Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This was so fun!!!

Like a bodyguard x nanny romance, my immediate thought was say less. Laila and James have the best second chance romance and I loved every second of this book! There was so many sweet and tender moments that had me kicking my feet!! I cannot recommend this enough

This was my first book by Karina Halle and I loved it! I think the characters had such good depth. I loved a good second chance romance and this was no exception. And the main character Laila had such good depth and very interesting. I loved her relationship with her grandmother. And the children's personalities were so good. Also the spice in this book was GOOD!!!! Overall, it’s an enjoyable story with some laughs, steamy spice, second chance and a good happily ever after.

The Royals Upstairs
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“It’s all for you, love. I’m sitting here for you, because of you.”

Thanks so much to @berkleyromance for the free book! #BerkleyPartner #Berkley

When I saw this cover and read this title I had a preconceived idea about this book. Wow, I was wrong. Let’s be real, we all judge a book by its cover, but I never could have correctly guessed the contents of this story.
To my surprise, this book was set in Norway. It was cold, full of fjords, snowman building, and even an ice cave.
The story follows Laila, a nanny for the prince’s children, and James, one of their bodyguards. As I said, this story was nothing like I assumed it would be and that is honestly a great thing. I had a fun time with this book!
I really enjoyed the Norway setting because it felt so wintery! The characters were all very pleasant too! (except for one of the children. he was really annoying if I’m being so honest)
I will say there were wayyyyy more spicy chapters than I expected for a book that was barely over three hundred pages. So perhaps it took away from the plot a bit, but I still recommend this book!
I really enjoyed the flashbacks because when it comes to second-chance romance, that is one of my favorite qualities. I don’t read a ton of books that contain royal characters. If you aren’t into that either I would still recommend this! This is not your traditional royalty romance book.
Since it’s so short it’s a great choice as the end of the year approaches making it a perfect book to catch up on your reading goal. It definitely is on the cheesier side, but was still a very enjoyable, quick rom-com!

Read If You Like:
🧊he’s a bodyguard
🧊flashbacks
🧊second chances
🧊workplace romance
🧊set in snowy Norway

I really enjoyed this book! As a fan of Karina Halle, I was thrilled to see her latest release, and it didn’t disappoint. The characters are well-developed and engaging, though I felt they lacked some chemistry, which held me back from a full five-star rating. That said, the setting within the Norwegian monarchy was unique and added an exciting twist. If you’re into second-chance romances with a royal flair, this one is definitely worth a read!

Pretty good book. I am wanting to read more books by this author soon. I love how the story played out and hope others enjoy this book as well.

this book was cute but not a favorite. i liked the dual timeline but at times it felt a little too much and too much detail. overall, it was just a nice palette cleaners story and a good book to read between genres

⭐️ 3/5

“𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒚. 𝑮𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒇 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆; 𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚’𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒖𝒑𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. While this one wasn’t my favorite, I loved the premise of a royal contemporary romance! I enjoyed how it started with an enemies-to-lovers dynamic, but what frustrated me most was James’ character. It felt like there was a constant tug of war with what he wanted, and it seemed ridiculous how often he would pull back from Laila, only to flirt with her or grab her attention whenever it suited him. As for Laila, her indecisiveness also made it difficult for me to fully immerse myself in their love story and chemistry. That said, the book was unexpectedly very spicy and well written, though at times it felt like there were more spicy scenes than actual plot development. Still, I’m looking forward to more of Halle’s work, as I do enjoy her writing style.

I found the relationship between Royal Nanny Laila and Royal Bodyguard James very intense. It made me want to urge them to be together already! LOL As I learned about the pain and loss that both Laila and James had experienced, the story made more sense to me. I appreciated how the royals treated them like family, not just as employees. This story was heartwarming and sad and evoked many emotions in me. I was happy with how it ended, as I love happy endings.

Read if you like:

Royal Bodyguard
Royal Nanny
Ex-Lovers
Forced Proximity
Workplace Romance
Dual POV
Dual Timelines
Angsty
Med-High Spice

Thank you NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review! I love this royal romance! It is a unique take to a royal romance where a nanny and a protection officer for the royals fall in love! James, the protection officer, accepts a new job and moves to the quaint countryside to protect the Prince. He stumbles across his former fling, Laila, who is the nanny. They previously had an assignment together and when things got too serious, James broke it off. Now James and Laila have a second chance at love and to make things right between them.

Many thanks to @prhaudio and @berkleyromance for the free digital and audiobook copies; below is my honest review.

James really should have read the fine print before he accepted a job as a protection officer to Prince Magnus of Norway. He thought he'd be in the middle of the city, surrounded by action. Instead, he finds himself guarding the royal children at the secluded royal country house. And to make matters worse, the nanny is Laila. He fell hard for her during a previous assignment and pushed her away. Now, they must work together to keep the rule-adverse children from trouble. While he's hoping for his second chance, she is firmly in her enemies era, but neither can deny their electric connection.

This was a very cute premise with a charming found family comprised of the royals and their staff. It was great to see the royal family portrayed as empathetic and caring towards their employees, and I liked how Halle created action using their roles as bodyguard and nanny. Both James and Laila had a lot to work through personally, and the story wraps up in a sweet bow. However, I didn't feel the emotional connection between James and Laila as much as I wanted. 

The audiobook is fun because it features Scottish and Norwegian accents. Alex C. Stewart and Cassandra York's performances are great. There are no notes!

The only other book I've read by Karina Halle was The Royals Next Door which I found to be great fun so I knew I had to read The Royals Upstairs too. I loved watching Laila and James get a second chance at love and I loved the setting in Norway. If Karina writes more bodyguard books like this I am definitely there for it!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 10 September 2024

I loved all of the Norwegian scenery and the snowy places. This relationship between a nanny and a personal protection officer was quite entertaining to me. The unexpected turn of working for the same royal family after their previous relationship had failed added an exciting tension to their already evident chemistry. All in all, it's a fun novel with a wonderful HEA that was long overdue, some humor, some spice, and some characters who keep going till the second opportunity.

Cute romance book. Loved that I learned more about Norwegian culture including new words through this book. I also enjoyed how personable the royal family was and how they interacted with their staff.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it.

I had a hard time getting into this book and DNF at 20%. I haven't read anything else by this author and not sure if it's who they usually write, but I had a hard time getting past some unrealistic scenarios they were introducing as they started world building.

This book was surprisingly good!! While I enjoyed the first book it wasn’t one that I was overly excited for but this one hooked me in from the beginning. When he calls her love are you kidding me?! I loved the history between James and Laila and the growth they had. The healing. The realization. The love. All good good good!

Infinite thanks for the copy in exchange for my honest review!