ARC Review: The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle

“The witty banter and slow-burn romance made me devour this book”
~ Under the Covers

Recommended 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.