3.5 stars

James Hunter is the new Personal Protection Officer for Magnus, the Crown Prince of Norway, and his family. When James arrives, there are two things he is not prepared for: how remote the estate is and seeing Laila, a woman he used to work with and hurt badly.

I didn’t like James too much when the book first started. He seemed arrogant and a jerk. But, the second half…? It totally changed for me. There’s a point in the story where James is such a support person for Laila. It made me see him in a whole new light.

Overall, this second chance romance is enjoyable. Great secondary characters like Magnus and Lady Jane. There are some cute moments and emotional, scary events. (The oldest boy did annoy me, though.) All of these events made me like James more and more. We all have our own issues and past and he is no different.

Thank you to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Much like the first book in this little series, it was full of fun, heart and complicated emotions. And I feel like Karina handled them so well once again. She’s said herself that this is more emotional and a little spicer than The Royals Next Door and again it was written so well, I can could see her growth as a writer in even just a few years!

Thanks to Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to Berkley for an advanced copy of The Royals Upstairs.

The Royals Next Door was so fun, so I was excited to read The Royals Upstairs but this book completely missed the mark for me.
I liked the Norwegian royalty aspect but the characters were too shallow and I couldn't stand Laila. There wasn't much of a plot and lots of sex scenes with little chemistry.

I was initially drawn to this book because of the premise. A royal bodyguard and royal nanny romance sounded good. I didn’t love this as much as I wanted to though. The main characters had chemistry but I feel like something was missing. I wasn’t necessarily a fan of how the flashbacks were done either. Overall, still a super cute read!


Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Love that this wasn’t completely about the royals but the bodyguard and the nanny. Having read a few of her other series about royalty it was entertaining to catch up with Magnus and Ella. They are James and Laila’s employers, also friends, family and matchmakers. It’s basically a second chance romance with the royal children as comic relief, imagine a mini Magnus and mini Ella. I enjoyed the Royals Next Door, which is where we know James from as the replacement bodyguard. The books aren’t actively connected, they can be enjoyed separately or in order. Halle’s books are charming, silly, heartfelt and addicting. My copy came from NetGalley and I wrote my review voluntarily.

Well, I really enjoyed the Royals Nextdoor. This book has a sequel felt a little different. We met James and the first book as the second bodyguard to the prince of England. In this book, he’s starting a new job for the prince of Norway, where he runs into an old flame, Laila, who is the nanny. The two had a relationship and secret when they previously worked for the prince and princess of England and Laila is not excited to see James after the ways things ended between them.

Well, I really enjoyed getting to know James better and learning about Laila’s backstory, this one was more sexually driven than book one. It felt out of place to me that this introverted and shy Laila would flip a switch whenever it came to James and be craving him and filthy in a heartbeat. It felt out of character but maybe it was due to her feelings toward him? She’s been in love with him since they’re first hook up and despite trying to work with him and ignore her feelings, the two become involved again pretty quickly.

While I loved that James helped her through a hard time in her life, offering compassion and a friend, he was so abruptly cold when he realized he was feelings for Laila in the same way she felt for him. I get that they both have troubled pasts and trauma to overcome, it just seemed like a grown man could have expressed himself better rather than throw their relationship away not once, but twice.

Thank you for PHR audio for the ALC, and Netgalley for the eARC from Berkley!

Second chance romances often walk a fine line, and this book, unfortunately, stumbled into some common pitfalls. The narrative was heavy with flashbacks, which, while adding depth to the backstory, tended to overshadow the current romance arc. The reasons for the original breakup were well-crafted to be believable yet not beyond redemption, but the modern-day romance seemed to tread water without moving forward. The first half of the book was captivating, drawing me in with promises of renewed love and character development. But as the story progressed, the romance began to echo their initial affair, and the characters' growth appeared stunted. There were attempts at evolution and change, but they fell short of convincing, especially when history seemed to repeat itself. The timeline of the present-day separation was another aspect that broke the immersion for me, with weeks flying by in a single paragraph, leading to an all-too-convenient resolution.

you had me at royal bodyguard and royal nanny set in scotland! this was a fun, fast read with second chance romance, forced proximity and so much angst/sexual tension. a perfect cosy read.

I got this book as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. And honestly I don't even remember requesting this one! But I really enjoyed it. It's not a complicated book the characters are engaging and the romance is spicy.

A lot of times I really wanted to slap James and Laila for their hesitation in admitting their true feelings. I felt like the end was a little drawn out and we kept having things keeping them from just talking to eachother.

But... I really loved the whole royal family in this book. Elle and Magnus are so fun and interesting. I love the revelations that come from them later in the book. I learned in the acknowledgements that they had their own earlier book and I'm definitely going to need to look that up and give it a read.

This was my first book from this author and I really enjoyed it. I thought it would just be a fluffy romance in a royal adjacent world but the book is really well written. There are some complicated issues that come up with the protagonists during the book and regarding their pasts. It could have been a breezy read but she put more depth into pages and what was happening.

I remember enjoying book one, but this one took me out of the story with poorly executed flashbacks with little discernible difference in tone other than a signal that it’s set “two years ago.” The characters also failed to grip me.

3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

Even though I hadn’t read the books before it, I could get into the story. But I just didn’t connect well to the characters. Maybe I should have read the book before this but it says it can be read as a stand alone.

The characters were a little too dull for me. I didn’t feel I got to know them too much. The writing was good I just really felt the disconnect between them. Halle always writes great romance but this one felt a little too forced. I was entertained by the side characters. And some of the deeper topics were written very well.

I think if you’ve read the first books then this will be right up your alley. If you haven’t read them make sure you do before you stay this one.

This charming second-chance romance is set in the heart of Norway's royal estate. James Hunter, a Scottish bodyguard, and Laila Bruset, a Norwegian nanny, are thrown back together after years apart, reigniting old feelings they thought were buried. The novel masterfully combines workplace tension and undeniable chemistry, making for a compelling enemies-to-lovers story. The Norwegian setting adds a fresh backdrop, enhancing the tale's allure. While the royal family plays a supporting role, James and Laila's journey truly shines. Halle skillfully balances humor, passion, and emotional depth, creating a delightful and heartwarming romance that fans of contemporary love stories will enjoy.

I WANTED TO LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH! And in this case, I don't think I overhyped it in my head resulting in me not loving it.

The Royals Next Door is one of my favorite romance books so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read before it releases and unfortunately it fell short for me. Probably because I struggle with second chance romances and this one fell into the typical traps - too many flashback chapters, which can overpower the present-day romance, making the reason they split believable but not unforgivable, and the present-day love being denied without becoming tedious.

I was hooked for the first 50% ish, but the last half of the book seemed to slowly fall apart - the romance felt repetitive of their first fling and the characters didn't feel like they had grow enough. Granted, there were actions taken to grow and change more, but it's tough to get behind a romance (especially when what happened the first time happens again). I also really struggled over the present-day separation timeframe - weeks has passed within one paragraph and there was a quick resolve.

I did like all the secondary characters and the visit from The Royals Next Door characters.

Thank you Berkley for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

I LOVED The Royals Next Door back in 2021. I think it was one of my favorite books of the year! It was so fun and different and flowed so well. When I saw The Royals Upstairs, I was READY to get invested in another one of her world’s. Sadly, this book did not work for me. I don’t know if it was my mindset or the character’s chemistry, but I didn’t love it as much as The Royals Next Door. It was still an enjoyable, sexy read but not a new favorite.

Synopsis:

“James Hunter has made a tactical error. His new role as protection officer to Prince Magnus of Norway was supposed to be an exciting change. Instead he’s marooned on a royal estate in the middle of nowhere charged with chasing after demon children and dodging the machinations of meddling staff. And the crowning jewel in this little drama—the children’s nanny is none other than Laila Bruset. The woman whose heart he broke. The woman who still holds his.When Laila took the job as a nanny for the Norwegian royal children in order to be closer to her ailing grandmother in Oslo, the last thing she expected was to have her life turned upside down—again. But as much as James gets on her nerves, he's also getting under her skin, and the tension between them sizzles just as devastatingly as before.As undeniable sparks turn James and Laila’s battle royal into a more serious game of hearts, nanny and bodyguard will have to decide just how much they’re willing to risk for a second chance at love.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Setting—I love a good book with royal characters but have never read one about the Norwegian monarchy! It was a nice change and a reminder to step outside my comfort zone.

The Characters—I really enjoyed all the characters and they kept me reading!

What Didn’t Work for Me:

The Chemistry—I didn’t connect with it at all, making it really hard for me to root for the characters to get and stay together.

The Structure—I loved the flashbacks and wish there had been more consistency with them!

The Tropes—I normally love a second chance romance, but I just didn’t feel it with these characters! I am so sad cause I LOVED The Royals Next Door!

Character Authenticity: 3/5 Spice Rating: 3/5 Overall Rating: 2.75/5

Content Warnings:

Death, dementia, grief

"The Royals Upstairs"
by Karina Halle

As usual, Halle delivers a steamy romance while providing moments of humor...

I really enjoyed this adventure with Laila and James.

As a huge fan of Karina Halle’s writing and a lover of royal romance novels, I had high hopes for “The Royal Upstairs” and couldn’t wait to dive right into James and Laila’s second-chance romance. But as much as it pains me to say, this one just fell a bit flat for me. While the premise was promising, I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters, which left me feeling a bit detached from the story as a whole. I neither loved nor hated James and Laila—either individually or as a couple. Therefore, I had no strong feelings regarding their precarious relationship one way or another. As a result, I struggled to finish this mediocre love story, which is so disappointing, especially considering the story’s potential and very talented author.

I was really excited to read this book because I had liked The Royals Next Door and I was super into it until I hit the 50% mark when I personally think everything went downhill. I was waiting for a moment to FEEL the chemistry and previously mentioned (multiple times) heat and lust that was felt between each character for each other and I never did. It was something that was only said and thought out, same thing with James and Laila falling in said love. I’m just a tad disappointed and confused because I felt nothing between these characters, fell flat for me along with the tiniest bit of character development when it came to James.

2.5/5 Stars

Thank you to ghe publisher for the early review copy.

I really wanted to love this one, but I just wasn't interested in their story. I felt like the chemistry felt very forced. She acted like she hated him when he first arrived and then just melted under his touch and started sneaking around with him again. His flaws and his apprehensions to them being together was well written though.

DNF at 62%. This book was not for me, unfortunately. I have enjoyed several of Karina's other titles but this one fell extremely flat. There was no emotional connection with the characters. The flashbacks felt unnecessary and I overall just did not enjoy this book.

This book was simply not my cup of tea. I do love a royal-adjacent setup, but the Male MC is exactly the kind of brusque, overbearing male character I strongly dislike. I found him too off putting to want to see anyone fall in love with him. He just pushed exactly the wrong buttons in me, and I didn't like any of the other characters enough to make up for my disinterest in him.

If you like tough guy heroes who give off a lot of implied aggression, this might be for you! But it wasn't for me.