Leider so gar nicht originell ( )

Meh. Fizzled. ( )

Now that I'm concurrently reading four books I'm dying to be reading, I'm really confused by myself and why I read this all the way through. There were just many parts that weren't necessarily realistic--The instalove, whyyyy, the impassioned speech at the end that, while lovely and inspiring, was totally out of character and had no precedence--and a lot of fluff. Nice, but not particularly riveting. ( )

Super cute, I loved all the characters. ( )

The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle is a 2021 Berkley publication.

Piper Evans is a schoolteacher living with her mom who has some mental health concerns. She’s quiet, a little removed from the community after a public breakup with her fiancé. Her world is turned upside down when a pair of British royals move onto the adjacent property.

The first problem Piper encountered is the royal couple’s bodyguard, Harrison Cole. Harrison takes his job very seriously and considers Piper and her mother possible security threats.

Piper encounters Harrison on a regular basis and must tamp down on her attraction to him. She knows she must be careful around him because he is the type of guy she apparently has a weakness for- which nearly always leads to trouble…

What a cute story!

Obviously, the royal couple depicted in the story is based on Harry and Meghan which is going to appeal to royal watchers for sure. But, while the royal couple is an asset to the story, the primary focus is on Piper and Harrison. Both these characters are funny, and I loved, loved, loved the chemistry between them.

The author does call some attention to mental health and personality disorders, which is a part of life for many, but it is incorporated into the story without being heavy handed.

I also loved Piper’s love of romance novels and that she had podcast dedicated to them. I also loved her speech about romance novels and am in 100 percent agreement. Go Piper!!

This is my first book by this author, and I really enjoyed it. I thought it was poignant at times, but mostly it’s a funny, light, feel-good story that also reminds me of why I love romance novels too, and why I’m better off for it.

Yes, I too have been on the receiving end of the ‘judgement brigade”- but they should read this book and let Piper set them straight because she said it much more eloquently than I could.

Overall, entertaining and very enjoyable! I will definitely read this author again!

4+ stars ( )