The Royals Next Door is such a great summer read. It's definitely got the light romcom element that makes for good weekend reading but it also has more serious issues that give it a little more bite than maybe a traditional romcom has.

I enjoyed the nods to the Harry and Meghan real life royal romance; the subtle comparisons ground the novel in reality but rather than get taken away with their story, it just provides a background for our main characters, Piper and Harrison--a school teacher and a bodyguard. Their slow burning romance starts with a funny first encounter and continues into a friendship and romance that is at times antagonistic hilarity and swoony sweetness. The added storyline of both of their family backgrounds adds that extra bonus of pathos and the villains in this story get the exact comeuppance they deserve.

Between the small town island plot points, the royals, the family strains, and the romcom-ness of it all, The Royals Next Door has a little bit of everything that will have you zooming through the pages with smiles and swoons.

Piper is a sweet teacher who’s life is all over the place. The most exciting thing that happened in her life is the royal couple moving in next door. As exciting as she is about her new royal neighbors, she’s also come face to face with a stubborn sexy bodyguard, Harrison. He is very broody, and known for being hot in the tabloids. But Piper only sees him as the annoying bodyguard who keeps showing up on her door step. As time goes on she starts looking forward to their bickering and trips into the town. She couldn’t be falling for this broody body guard could she?

If you are a fan of Megan Markel and Prince Harry, then you’ll definitely enjoy this romance. This book was definitely based off their relationship. The entire story isn’t about them but the royal couple from the story plays a huge part in the plot. Honestly I haven’t read a book in a long time that made me really excited to write a review. Most of the books I’ve been reading have been good but nothing that’s made me really fall for the characters! I liked that the characters had to overcome the struggles of mental health issues. I feel like I’m learning so much by reading so many characters with different types of mental health issues that I wasn’t even aware existed. Piper and Harrison are just great to read about. Harrison is so broody and serious but Piper is this ray of sunshine that really opens him up. I love their bantering , and just the entire theme of the story. He’s very very swooooooooon worthy! He’s this strong built bodyguard with tattoos and a sexy accent. I mean what else could we want? Overall I just really loved the book. Couldn’t get enough of it especially if you like royal books :)

*4.5 stars* 

This was such a delightful read! I'll admit when a hot bodyguard is mentioned, I'm SOLD! I didn't want to put it down either. I loved it from the witty beginning.

Picture this...your new neighbors happen to be royalty that are pretty much Meghan and Harry (who this was based off of) and along with them comes a hot, grumpy bodyguard who hides from his feelings while rocking a suit/aviators. Did I mention he has tattoos and can bake?!!! I was swooning. BIG TIME.

Our main character,Piper, is a quirky, romance reading, school teacher living on an island where she helps take care of her mom. The mental health rep in this was wonderful! 

The chemistry between Piper and Harrison was H-O-T! There were some moments I was literally yelling, KISS HER!!!!!! Then one specific scene was 😍🥵🙌🔥!! The build up was SO flippin' good. 

This was just what I was looking for and I highly recommend it if you want a light hearted romance!! Especially if you're a goner for a broody bodyguard! Fantastic Summer read too!

Piper lives a quiet life on a small island in the Pacific Northwest. She's a school teacher by day and romance reader/podcaster on her off time. She also just happens to live with her mom who struggles with mental illness (bipolar disorder and dependent personality disorder). Piper is completely surprised when The Royals end up moving right next to her! Their bodyguard - Harrison Colt - isn't exactly the friendliest person, but Piper can't help but needling him. When they continually run into each other, their relationship starts to turn to more than just acquaintances. But will Piper be able to handle all the stress/media frenzy/constant being hounded by the media if she decides to take her relationship further with Harrison who is essence linked to the royals?

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked up The Royals Next Door, but it is definitely up there as one of my favorite reads this year. This book was funny, sweet, sexy and also so inspirational and swoony. I would be laughing out loud one moment and then falling so hard for Piper and Harrison.

I loved the slow burn between these Piper and Harrison. There were more than a few moments where I was yelling at them to finally get together. But the slow burn totally paid off and Karina Halle definitely knows how to write her steamy scenes 🔥.

One aspect of The Royals Next Door that I absolutely loved was the mental health representation. I feel like there's such a stigma still attached to mental illness and books like The Royals Next Door are slowly showing us the readers that you shouldn't be ashamed of having a mental illness or seeing a therapist. In fact it should be talked about more often and not shunned as it so often is.

Add The Royals Next Door to your TBR and pre-order this book before it releases on August 31, 2021. I for one cannot wait to re-read this wonderfully romantic book.

p.s. Not only is Piper a romance podcaster but she's also an unapologetic romance reader and I for one loved her even more for that!

i have no desire to read a book with even the remote reference to Meghan Markle so i didn't get far. that was the best premise for a book, i am not interested.

When schoolteacher Piper Evans discovers that royalty will be moving next door, she doesn't realize that also includes a grumpy, broody, and *very handsome* bodyguard, Harrison Cole. While the royals are in town, Piper will be seeing a lot more of the handsome bodyguard. But, while the handsome bodyguard protects royals, Piper doesn't expect the large and annoying crowd of paparazzi. Let's hope that handsome Harrison Cole is there to save her. And maybe woo her as well.

I enjoyed The Royals Next Door. It was fantastic, light, and simply adorable. This was exactly what I needed. I gave The Royals Next Door four stars, enjoying the fun, bright, and loving side of Piper and the brooding yet handsome Harrison. I think that they were absolutely perfect for each other and even though they come from completely different worlds, they really fit well together. I loved that Harrison was just a little grumpy and kind of hid his emotions, I feel like it was done so well and I absolutely fell in love with him.

I really enjoyed how royalty was represented in The Royals Next Door. Although I really don't know anything about royal families, I really enjoyed how friendly the British royal family that rent the house next to Piper's and how they were so different from what people would usually assume about when it comes to royal families. Although in this circumstance, this is a fictional royal family. Nonetheless, I loved how kind the people and the royal family and really anyone introduced were so kind and friendly.

The Royals Next Door was a cute romance and I'm so glad I got the opportunity to read it. I know for sure that I would own this once it is published.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Berkley for inviting me to read The Royals Next Door and for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

Three and a half stars. The Royals Next Door is a romance that includes humor as well as having lots to say about mental health and community. There’s the sizzling relationship between Piper, a local school teacher, and Harrison, the bodyguard for Piper’s new royal neighbors; there are mental health issues with which several characters contend; there’s the small town community; and, my favorite “character”, The Garbage Pail, which serves as Piper’s car. There’s not a lot in the way of a plot, beyond the romance. Instead there are multiple interactions between characters that allow the author to get across her messages about people with emotional/mental conditions and their caretakers as well as support for (of all things!) romance novels and their readers. This is a good book but not one I feel the need to rave about.

Karina Halle borrows some facts from real life to mold a new royal couple that just happen to move in next door to a "normal" school teacher on a tiny Canadian island. What follows is a delightful love story! Piper and the incredibly attractive PPO tasked with keeping the royal couple safe strike up a love/hate relationship that is crackling with attraction from the very first meeting. Eventually they give into this attraction and the relationship turns to pure love, but not without some typical hijinks and miscommunications along the way. This book was an incredibly fun, light, and fluffy read, and highly reminscent of Christina Lauren books. I highly recommend!

I have been a Karina Halle fan for a long time. This story was sexy and fun but would be remiss if I did not mention that this story at its core felt like a Prince Harry and Megan Markle fanfic story.

Overall, I enjoyed this story but hoped to have more of a connection between the protagonists as I felt like their romance got lost amidst the Megan and Harry similarities. 3.5 stars! ~Ratula

The Royals Next Door is a charming little summer read for any romance or royal enthusiast. I'm not a great follower of the royals, but even I could tell this was based on Harry and Megan. If you don't come for the royals, stay for the romance references. Any book that acknowledges the need for pegging and alien ice lord barbarians in the romance world is up my alley. No shame in any romance reading game.

Piper and her mom live on a small island off the west coast of Canada, tucked away in the former servant's quarters-turned standalone house on the property of a much larger house available to rent. The last thing they'd expect is the Duke and Duchess of Fairfax to roll up with their security and be the ones to rent the house that's been empty for so long. Harrison is their personal bodyguard and, not knowing Piper's tiny home shares a driveway with the new royal residence, he gets off to a rough start with Piper. The two butt heads immediately as Harrison is a no-nonsense type of guy, only focused on his job of protecting his royal charges, while Piper is...a bit of a mess. She certainly can't find her license and registration among a sea of tic-tacs and she may or may not have bits of icing in her hair when they meet... But of course, opposites attract and it isn't long until Piper and Harrison make excuses to see each other while knowing their romance is bound to fail due to their duties.

This was such a fun read. It was sweet and lovely and but also had a lot of realism to it despite the aspect of royalty. Piper deals with C-PTSD and anxiety while also caring for her mother who has her own mental issues. I like that Piper is our only narrator since we get to live through her coping mechanisms and really get a feel for her not-so-unique (in a good way!) perspective on things. The genre of romance always shines when real-life elements like anxiety or feeling like an outsider come in. I enjoyed that the conflict wasn't this over the top, lack of communication-based conflict, but something much more down to earth. This was my first book by Karina Halle, but certainly not my last.

Piper Evans is a 2nd-grade school teacher by day, romance books enthusiast by night. She hosts a podcast where she reviews and talks about romance books, ranging from contemporary, historical, paranormal, and anything else. After having to deal with one of her students throwing up a buzz and news surrounding her small town in Canada, she didn't expect The Duke and Duchess of Fairfax to be flying into town and staying there for a while. Piper didn’t expect them to move in next to her, which causes her to encounter their handsome yet grumpy bodyguard, who finds her to be a threat. Making her way through, Piper finds herself becoming aroused and interest in Harrison Cole, the bodyguard the Royals brought with them and sees for herself that behind all that gruffness lies a soft heart. However, a personal conflict between the two threatens Piper’s relationship with Harrison and her job as a teacher, in which she will have to use her voice to defend what she believes for herself.

I found this story to be a refreshment from what I was reading. Not only is it the first book I’ve read with a bodyguard as a lead, but it was my first Karina Halle book. This story satisfied me entirely, made me grin the entire time, had me laughing, and had me feeling even more ridiculously single. Sometimes I think about my taste in men, specifically in books, and I conclude that it’s men like Harrison Cole that I have a very sweet and warm spot for. Men who are grumpy and cold but later reveal themselves to be soft all around, wishing for nothing but a person they can fill their love with. Harrison Cole was just that (and yes, his first name is Harrison, not Cole). While he doesn’t have a past that some may consider very tragic, Harrison has had to put himself on the line for himself, his family, and then the Royals. He has a past he wants to move on and walk away from, never to cross again.

His character development towards Piper worked smoothly, not too fast but not too slow either. His soft spot started showing the more time he spent with her, and his true feelings and intentions were becoming more and more evident throughout their moments. He wasn't rude and possessive, and honestly, it was a good break from some of the possessive men I have been reading about. One side of him is that he is big, tall, tatted, and muscular, always wearing his aviators, carrying a cold stare no matter who was talking and will do what he can do to protect the Royals he’s vowed to protect. The other side is that he loves to bake, volunteered to go grocery shopping for the Royals, and did laundry. It may sound dumb, but this was the first time I read about a guy like Harrison who did his laundry. He even asked if Piper would make fun of his “masculinity” because, sadly, that’s how society views it. He’s had minimal people in his life. While his relationship with Piper started on a rough road, I loved reading about how he started switching his attitude with her, from asking her to go grocery shopping with him to secretly buying her a peony bouquet, to helping her mother bake. He was never cocky but always sweet, and while he had a job to fulfill, he was determined to make time for Piper any way he could.

On the other hand, Piper just broke my heart, but in a good way. For starters, she’s a romance reader and hosts a podcast on romance novels. She even goes as far as to read smut in her podcast, and it’s all done to express the beauty of romance as a genre and as a novel. She’s a second-grade school teacher in a small town where sadly, everyone knows everyone and every little thing that goes around. Adding on to that, Piper suffers from C-PTSD, which is something I didn’t know about (I just knew about PTSD), and she has anxiety. While her anxiety differs from her C-PTSD and is unclear on every page, she mentions she takes antianxiety medications. Sometimes, the way she acts is also showing an example of either mental illness impacting her. To add more pressure to that, her father left her and her mother at the age of 14, walking out like she was nothing. She’s been taking care of her mother, who has BPD/DPD and uses her income to help the two of them. I’ve never met anyone with BPD and/or DPD, so reading about a neurological disorder like this one provided a new insight into something I’ve become more interested in learning about.

On the author’s note, Karina Halle mentioned how some of Piper’s motives and personality traits were inspired by her own self, such as anxiety and C-PTSD specifically, and mentioned how she hopes romance will start to become more diverse in terms of mental health and illnesses. This is something I found beautiful to read about because I wholeheartedly agree that books with correct mental health representation are a way to end the stigma around them. I can’t tell you how common it is to hear prejudice against people with mental illness ranging from depression to autism. People assume they’re just emotionless robots, incapable of showing love and being in love. I found the representation here to be well done because it wasn’t something that became drama-infused, such as becoming a problem with the characters that only contributed to the stereotypes.

I recently saw a tweet a friend of mine posted on her Instagram story, in which it stated, “I dream of never being called resilient again in my life. I’m exhausted by strength. I want support. I want softness. I want ease. I want to be amongst kin. Not patted on the back for how well I take a hit. Or for how many.” I saw this, and I immediately thought of Piper and her mother. Towards the end, Piper’s mother confronts Piper and tells her that she needs to stop worrying too much about her and worry about herself. Piper, being who she is, doesn’t tell her mother anything because she’s worried her mother will have an episode where she breaks down or doesn’t take the reality easily, in which Piper’s mother says, “you mean well and you always have, but you can’t protect me forever.” This reminded me of my relationship with my parents. I think about it, and I realize that it upsets me more thinking about my parent’s death than my own. They wish I could live forever, while I wish they could live forever.

The tweet above reminded me of Piper because Piper calls herself (and feels it too) strong to endure everything she has gone through with her mother that she has normalized her own pain. She didn’t realize how much she was carrying on her shoulders until her mother told her.

But aside from the sadness, Piper made me feel a lot of joy as well. She was an outgoing, outspoken, loving, and a sweet person. Her love for romance novels reminded me (even more) why I love the genre, whether it’s a book or media, and why it shouldn’t be a shame to love them. There was an instance in the novel where she had to defend her love for it, and I found the entire chapter to be beautiful. It was chapter 20, specifically, and it reminded me of the importance of standing up for what we love and believe is right. Her podcast is one I wish we could have access to if needed. It reminds me of the beauty of falling in love with two people falling in love (figuratively, I mean). Not only that, but her love for books is noticeable on different pages, and I love how Karina included “book about books” moments in between for us to find ourselves within. She spends time reading, she goes to a bookstore to buy books, and she knows what she’s looking for. She’s the friend I hope I can have one day.

I gotta say, the romance in this is one of my favorites. It’s a slow-burn hate-to-love relationship, and I found myself loving every moment between Harrison and Piper, even from the beginning. Harrison is definitely that typical bodyguard with his long and cold stare, straight stature, muscled body, and unfriendly look. While Piper isn’t exactly “sunshine,” she’s much more chirpy and overall talkative than Harrison, to the point where she finds herself rambling. Their relationship started rough, as Harrison (for some reason) found Piper to be a “potential threat” because she lived next to the Duke and Duchess, so he had to make sure she was someone they could trust. They have a snarky banter, and while it is slow-burn, the two have sexual tension before the actual moment they finally let go and hungrily seek each other out. I found myself anticipating the moment they would finally kiss and admit their feelings to each other, and I gotta say, I wasn’t disappointed. After their first moment, I found myself waiting for every other “forbidden moment” they had together full of stolen glances, kisses, hand-holding, physical touch, and everything in between. After this moment, Harrison came back to the house the next day and helped Piper and her mother bake a pie crust, in which the two’s longing for each other was felt, and I found myself grinning like a fool at the two.

Lastly, I want to mention that, even though it isn’t stated, I’m sure Prince Harry and Meghan Markle inspire the story behind Prince Eddie and Monica. I’m not gonna lie, I don’t really keep up with them and haven’t kept up, but I’ve seen enough to become aware of what’s happened. A lot of the story elements behind Prince Eddie and Monica are replicas of Harry and Meghan: Meghan being a woman of color, Monica being a Black woman; Meghan leaving her acting career, Monica leaving her music career; the British Royal Family not approving of Monica just like Meghan wasn’t approved; Monica facing racism, sexism, prejudice, and more insults, just like Meghan; Monica’s child already being criticized because she’s not white and is “too dark,” just like Meghan’s child being considered “too dark.” I actually liked this approach because it was easy to follow along with the story and see it as a real-life situation because of how similar it is.

In conclusion, The Royals Next Door was a refreshing read, and I’m happy I gave it a chance. It may be my first Karina Halle book, but it’s definitely not going to be my last. While it may seem cheesy to some, I found it to be cute and sweet. Sometimes that’s all you really need. I somehow managed to read this book in one sitting from 12:15 AM to 5:19 AM, and I regret nothing.

The Royals Next Door was entertaining, sexy, very readable and had fabulous Canadian content.

Piper is a school teacher who lives in a small island off the coast of Victoria, BC with her mother who she cares for. Piper loves her steamy romance novels, although her own personal life is going through quite the dry spell.

Her small town life is turned upside down when the Duke and Duchess of England move in next door. The Royal family shows a lot of likeness to the current Royal Family in England, which made it a blast. Likewise, I loved the incredible Canadian references and how Karina Halle normalizes mental illnesses and neurodiversity.

Although the plot was somewhat predictable, the characters were lovable and The Royals Next Door was filled with fabulous humour and super steamy sex scenes.

Four Stars!

A sincere thank you to Berkley Publishing Book and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

As soon as I saw the cover, this book jumped onto my most anticipated read list. It’s such a gorgeous book and I’m pleased to report that I enjoyed the book as much as the cover. Dealing with personal issues and current events, it was so much more than I anticipated. The author weaved her thoughts about a couple issues that are actually near and dear to my heart into this narrative in a seamless way. I read it in a single sitting and enjoyed it immensely!

On the surface, Piper and Harrison are fantastic characters. Her nutty disposition juxtaposed with his straight-laced uptigtht personality is fun to watch play out. Underneath their layers, there is so much character to these two. Witnessing them open up, not only to one another, but those around them was such an enjoyable treat.

This book, like its main characters has several layers. I won’t spoil anything for other readers, but if you’re looking for a fun slowburn romance with sexy buildup, I’d definitely recommend this one.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. From the beginning the scenery in Vancouver was great. The characters were from a spectrum of good, funny and medically challenged. The main character in the first half was Piper. There are parts that let a little reality sink in, for example, "Sicky Nicky". That made me laugh out loud. She was young, fun and taking care of her mother. Now her mother having mental health issues was a good message. I enjoyed that aspect.

Small island feel. Nosey neighbors, teachers board and royals! I liked the Harrison character the most. Strong, dependable, and sexy will say it is a great beach read so grab it

I wanted to pick this one up after seeing the cover on Instagram. I love illustrated covers and this was no different. It’s beautiful! I will say that I had a hard time connecting to the characters and I don’t think this has anything to do with the book. There are a lot of good things to say about this book.

There is something about royalty life that intrigues people and I can definitely see commonalities between the fictional characters in this book and the actual royal family. I always like reading about different fictional royalty families because authors do a great job of making them stand out from others. Monica and Eddie were good characters and it’s a shame what the media does to people. The media has a way of digging about and creating chaos that doesn’t even involve them. It’s utter madness but its something that is prevalent in our own world and not just the fictional ones.

The main character of the book and neighbor to the royal party is Piper. She is an elementary school teacher who’s hobby is all about romance novels and has her own podcast for it. It’s nice to read about bibliophiles. Her passion for romance is kept under the radar as with many people who read the genre. It definitely has it’s stereotypes and the book brings the conversation into light.

Besides all that, she also helps to take care of her mom who deals with neurological issues. It’s not often I read about mother-daughter bonds but I’m glad it was included because it’s very sweet.

The love interest, Harrison Cole, is a jack-of-all-trades and takes his job quite seriously. He may start off standoffish but he does open up. I can’t say that I ever liked him that much but I think that just stems from not being able to connect from the book in general.

When it came to the plot, it’s filled with romance, plot twists, and growing friendships. The romance is on the steamier side which makes sense for the topic that centers around stereotypes of the romance genre. I don’t have a problem with it but it’s just not what I like about romance books and I know others won’t have this issue. I did like the friendship more and I’m glad there was an epilogue to nicely wrap everything up since it is a standalone.

Overall, this was a good book and I can see a lot of people liking this one.

The Royals Next Door was a sweet romance read with lots of steam. I love all things royal and you could definitely tell the characters were based off Harry and Meghan. So much though that I was rolling my eyes a little with each similarity. I did like how there was mental illness displayed in characters. This little island seemed like it would be a cute place to travel too!

Man alive, I wanted to love this book! Everything about it appealed to me! I was so excited to dive into it and - it was a fun, lighthearted, escapist kind of read which - isn't exactly what I was looking for.

It read a little bit like fanfic to me. The humor was a little more slapstick than what usually works for me, and I really struggled to connect with the chemistry between Harrison and Piper. I don't know - it was missing something. Depth? Angst? I was looking for something more than what Karina Halle delivered with this one.

The Royals Next Door is a fairytale, but unfortunately it wasn't one I was able to really sink into. In the end, my heart and my brain refused to attach to the book and it was a DNF for me at 40%.

Thank you to the publisher for the early review copy via netgalley.

4/5 stars

The Royals Next Door was a really fun read and handled mental health the best out of anything I've read. The main character has anxiety and PTSD and her mom has BPD and DPD. As someone that was just diagnosed with anxiety and depression this year I loved reading a realistic approach to mental health without it focusing ONLY on mental health. The interspersed funny bits from this rom com kept it lighthearted while also not downplaying or degrading mental health.

Piper was a very believable character with a realistic but yet still very big amount of growth throughout the story. And Harrison was a charming male lead.

I definitely recommend this book

This book was such a win! I've been a long time reader of Karina Halle's independent work and I am so happy for her and for readers who will discover her with this new book. I loved the smart banter, slow burn, and royal fun. Any fans of the royal world or anyone looking for a summer read needs to pick this book up!