REVIEW: A Nordic King by Karina Halle

In A Nordic King by Karina Halle, Aurora left behind the bad memories of a life she wasn’t proud of back in Australia and has worked hard to earn a reputation as an accomplished nanny in Europe. Her last gig admittedly didn’t leave her feeling good about herself–what is it with lecherous aristocratic men?–but she now has the chance to go to Denmark to become a nanny for two young girls. Aurora just didn’t know that she would be taking care of two princesses. Or that she would be residing in the royal palace. Quite a change from her more than humble beginnings in life. But she’s ready for the challenge–and to help Freja and Clara work through the worst of their grief over losing their mother two years ago.

‘He almost fools me into thinking he’s not a king of a prosperous country at all. That he’s just a normal single father, trying to take care of his daughters in a big, empty, lonely house.’

One huge, devastatingly handsome challenge Aurora wasn’t counting on is King Aksel. Her boss. Her angry, sexy, alpha-all-the-way, did she mention sexy?, boss. From the very start they argue and disagree about darn near everything. But little does Aurora know that Aksel doesn’t want to be around her not because he doesn’t like her, but because he is too attracted to her. As her employer, not to mention the king, he has to put his family name and his country first. Giving in to the incredible chemistry between them would only cause problems. But Aksel is only human after all, and it doesn’t take long for he and Aurora to give in to their desires. Just when things are looking brighter than ever for either of them, secrets from both of their pasts comes back to haunt them, leaving them to wonder if they will be able to fight for a way to truly be together after all.

“You love me,” he whispers, closing his eyes and rocking back and forth slightly on his feet. “You love me. I am *home*.”
Tears spring to my eyes. “Home?”
“I’ve waited forty years for my heart to have a home,” he says softly, his voice breaking with emotion. “I’ve waited for you.”

Sweepingly romantic and hella sexy, A Nordic King is a prime example of why I love Karina Halle’s raw, emotional writing so much. The fact that this was a modern day royal romance as well had me saying: Yes, please!

‘I surrender completely.
I want to give him everything.
I want him to take me, take me over, devour me.
Rule me.’

The minute I started reading Karina Halle’s book Love, In English a few years ago, I was completely sold. And I’ve been a fan ever since. (Although I’m still working my way through her backlist as she’s quite a prolific author.) A Nordic King was just what I look for in her work. From the flawed but totally likable characters to the achingly beautiful moments between them, this is the type of romance that draws me in deep and just won’t let go. I so enjoyed the dialogue between Aurora and Aksel as I have with most of the dialogue in Halle’s books. It showed the range of feelings they went through as they got to know each other, including humor, flirting and dirty talk (yowza!!), and of course the poignant, heartfelt moments that made me sigh.

Now with Aksel and Aurora, as adorable and smoking hot a couple as they made, there was about a fourteen year difference in age–Aksel being around forty and Aurora was twenty-six. I got used to it part-way through the book but it did give me a moment’s pause at the beginning. I did think they made a solid couple, though. Aksel was broody and could be kind of a jerk at times without meaning to be, as he was mired in the guilt and grief over losing his wife a couple years before. But I loved that Aurora didn’t take any of his crap from day one. She stood up for herself, believed in what she could bring to Aksel’s daughters’ lives by being their nanny. And she stood up for him, showing him that he deserved love, too.

Aksel’s daughters, Freja and Clara, were so much fun and just absolutely darling. They were still hurting from losing their mother, something Aurora understood all too well with her horrible childhood in Australia. So I loved the bond the three of them created. The girls added some much needed comic relief, particularly with a barnyard animal escapade that turned into the addition of a much loved pet to the family, which had me laughing out loud quite few times.

A captivating forbidden romance that will delight and have you swooning, A Nordic King was one scintillating tale that I can’t wait to read over and over again. Highly recommended.

Book Info:

Publication: September 21st 2018 | Karina Halle |

A STANDALONE ROYAL ROMANCE

When I first applied for the job I thought it would be like all the others: working as a nanny for an aristocratic family.
Then I got the job and found out how wrong I was.

Now I’m the new nanny for two adorable little girls who happen to be princesses.

Their father is the widowed King of Denmark.
And my new home? The royal palace in Copenhagen.
Adjusting to my new life isn’t easy but the hardest part hasn’t been the girls who still grieve over the loss of their mother.

It’s their father.
Cold, mysterious and moody, with an icy stare that seems to penetrate your soul, King Aksel may have hired me to take care of his daughters but he wants as little to do with me as possible.

Yet the longer I share these palace walls with this man, the more that I’m drawn to him. His chiseled face and sexual swagger are only part of the package. It’s in the long, intense glances at the dinner table, the way we’ll brush up against each other in the halls, the rare glimpses of the man deep inside, like the sun passing through clouds.
But no matter how I feel about him, we can never be together.

You think it’s bad enough being in love with your boss?
Try falling in love with a king.

A Standalone Royal Romance Spin-Off