The Royals Next Door

A school teacher by day, an anonymous smut and romance podcaster by night, Piper Evans is a hermit more or less. She lives with her mother in their small house on the island, away from the business and the hustle and bustle. That is until her world is turned upside down by a pair of sunglasses and a black suit. Oh and the Duke and Duchess of England.

Harrison Cole, personal protection officer to Monica and Eddie, the Duke and Duchess, is a guarded man. There's no funny business with him, his walls are higher than the fence that has been put up to shield Piper's new royal neighbors from the press. However, the more he learns about Piper, the more he's willing to relax to the world. He's willing to let go, and have the kind of fun he hasn't had in a while. She transfixes him.

Piper Evans is a ball of fire, a mess in her words. She has a lot of trauma, including her mother and her own mental health issues. She's afraid to let people in because she's been hurt before. But Harrison validates her and her existence. Piper learns that she doesn't need to hold back, that she can be her whole self, and that her whole self is a lovely, beautiful mess.

This novel is about love and letting go.

I appreciated this novel's mention of trauma and mental health struggles. Most of the characters have some sort of issue that they have dealt with in their life. Harrison has PTSD, Piper has anxiety, Mrs. Evans has BPD and DPD, and Monica has dealt with lots of racism. These topics are not easy to discuss. And I'm glad they were brought to light. However, I wish they played a bit more of a role.

I loved the tension between Harrison and Piper, it was definitely a slow burn. However, the conflict didn't seem to be strong enough. It didn't shake or test them, they seemed to skirt around it scuff-free. I would have liked to see the two of them have more of a challenge that tests their relationship.

Karina Halle's Piper was a thrill to read. Her stream of consciousness was enjoyable to read. She was fucking hilarious. And Halle did a great job in creating chemistry and banter between Harrison and Piper.

I didn't dislike this novel, I liked it. However, to me, it fell flat. There was not enough at stake between the two. The conflict was a bit weak and resolved too quickly. It was only really ahead in the last half of the novel as well, very rushed. However, I appreciated and liked the characters. Not bad but not my favorite. As the shelf I put it on, it was meh.