From the Back:

One of PopSugar’s Top Summer Reads of 2021!
An ordinary summer goes royally awry when a prince and princess move next door, bringing their handsome bodyguard with them, from New York Times bestselling author Karina Halle.
Piper Evans: elementary school teacher by day–avid romance reader and anonymous podcaster by night. She has a quiet, reclusive life, taking care of her mother, who lives with mental illness, avoiding her regrettable ex, who bartends in town, and trying to make inroads in the tight-knit island community that still sees her, five years in, as an outsider.
And she’s happy with how things are–really–until British royals rent the property next to hers and their brooding bodyguard decides she’s a security threat. Piper quickly realizes that one person’s fairy tale is an ordinary woman’s nightmare as a media frenzy takes over the island and each run-in with Harrison Cole is hotter and more confusing than the last. But beneath Harrison’s no-nonsense exterior lies a soft heart, one that could tempt a woman who’s sworn off attachments into believing in white knights.
But when Piper finds herself smack in the middle of a royal scandal that rocks the island she’ll need more than Harrison’s strong arms to shield her–she’ll have to do a little rescuing herself. With careers, hearts, and friendships on the line, Piper and Harrison will have to decide what they’re willing to give up for a chance at their own happily ever after.

My Thoughts:

This book was on my tbr for a long time. And then I finally read it while I was in the hospital during visiting hours as I sat with a family member. It wasn’t until the fourth or fifth day that I even had the mental energy to read–and this book really helped. The relatively low stakes and likeable (albeit, messy) characters made me feel like I was okay, and things could be okay. While personally, it didn’t end up being that way, the book was still pretty good. I really enjoyed it.

Piper is great. Harrison is fantastic. And I love the way she and he get at her ex! That was priceless. I think this was also really filmic. Now, this feels a lot like it’s a take on Megan and Harry, and I’m not mad about it. I just really want to see this as a limited series on Netflix or Peacock. Obviously, the steamy scenes were good, too.

If I have one complaint, it’s that it isn’t a series. Maybe I’m being spoiled by Kindle Unlimited, but I wanted to see a few more books by this author about these or other characters in the area. It sounds like it’s a place perfect for a bunch of crazy characters.

What are you reading? Do you like something less stress, or want something a little heavier right now? Would you read this? Let me know in the comments below.