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I thought this was an interesting premise. I’ve rarely come across a story where someone (a common, regular person) falls in love with a bodyguard of the royal family. It’s usually the main character falling in love with a member of the royal family. Or if it’s going to be a bodyguard situation, the other part of the love story is in the royal family. So, I was very intrigued to see how The Royals Next Door. All and all, it was a fine story.

The story centers on Piper Evans who is an elementary school teacher and someone who hosts an anonymous romance book podcast. She takes care of her mother who suffers from mental illness. Her life is pretty average. That is until British royals rent the property next to hers and their brooding, yet very attractive bodyguard comes with them.

I thought Piper was a great main character. I enjoyed her internal thoughts and her determination. Especially towards the end of the book when things aren’t working out in her favor. The podcast isn’t a major factor in the book, until the end, but it does allow for Piper to have a great outstanding moment.

The issue I’ve had with Piper and Harrison’s romance was that it was quite boring. Yes, they shared a few moments of banter, and they sort of had this sunshine/grumpy thing going on. But it still felt uneventful. I found myself enjoying Piper’s other relationships more. I thought the relationship with her mother was endearing and insightful, even though her mental illness could have been handled with much better care. Even her relationship with her fellow teachers was much more interesting than her relationship with Harrison. Piper had so much personality, and Harrison seemed to have very little personality.

It was very clear that the royals in this book were inspired by Harry and Meghan. And that was fun. I thought they were interesting despite them not feeling very royal at all.

Final Thoughts

The Royals Next Door is a book that has a weak romance, but a great main character who shines.