Spotlight & Giveaway: The Royals Upstairs by Karina Halle

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Karina Halle to HJ!

Hi Karina and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Royals Upstairs!

Hi! Thanks for taking the time to talk with me!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

The Royals Upstairs is about James, a grumpy royal bodyguard who takes a job for the Norwegian Royal Family, only to find out he’ll be working in force-proximity with Laila, the nanny, a girl whose heart he broke before.
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

Sorry, can we delete this question? I wrote this so long ago I don’t remember and haven’t had time to re-read it 

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• Part of this book is set in the tiny village of Todalen in Norway. The Halle family is from there and the house that Laila grew up in is based on the one that my father grew up in, which is still in the Halle family.
• Many characters in this book are named after my family, such as Ottar (my uncle) and Einar (my uncle-in-law). The kids Tor and Bjorn are named after my nephews (and a little bit based on them when they were kids, but I assure you they are very well-rounded adults now!)
• The (very fictional) royal family in this book are actually from my book The Wild Heir. That book featured Prince Magnus and Princess Ella in a marriage-of-convenience story, so it was so much fun to see them after their HEA, when they have kids. Also, all the fun side characters are in The Royals Upstairs, so there’s a real found family aspect to it.

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

As both of them have trauma that they haven’t dealt with, and both are employed in jobs that cause isolation, I think they both recognize a kindred spirit while also finding common ground in loneliness. They can be themselves with each other.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

Well, one that has me blushing is when Laila (whose room in the estate is beside James’) realizes she can hear James getting, uh, handsy with himself hehe. As for crying, there are plenty of those too, but one that was very heart-touching is when James accompanies Laila to visit her grandmother. And all the scenes with Magnus make me laugh.

Readers should read this book….

Readers should read this book if they’re looking for a fun and steamy escape to Norway while getting an inside look at a royal family (who will feel like found family by the end), and watching two flawed and damaged characters find love again.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I *just* handed in Realm of Thieves (my mafia romantasy with dragons) to my publisher, which means I need a palette cleanser from all the heavy world-building, so I’ve started a psych thriller dark(ish) romance! Realm of Thieves will publish next year along with the trad re-release of Hollow and Legend, and this year I have Goddess of Light, the final book in the Underworld Gods series. As for my psych thriller, I’m hoping to talk more about it once it’s done and hoping it will release during spooky season!
 
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: 1 Finished copy of THE ROYALS UPSTAIRS by Karina Halle, U.S. only

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Have you read any royal romances?

 
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Book Info:

He’s the royal bodyguard. She’s the royal nanny. The annoyingly hot attraction that simmers between them—that’s a royal pain.

James Hunter has made a tactical error. His new role as protection officer to Prince Magnus of Norway was supposed to be an exciting change. Instead he’s marooned on a royal estate in the middle of nowhere charged with chasing after demon children and dodging the machinations of meddling staff. And the crowning jewel in this little drama—the children’s nanny is none other than Laila Bruset. The woman whose heart he broke. The woman who still holds his.

When Laila took the job as a nanny for the Norwegian royal children in order to be closer to her ailing grandmother in Oslo, the last thing she expected was to have her life turned upside down—again. But as much as James gets on her nerves, he’s also getting under her skin, and the tension between them sizzles just as devastatingly as before.

As undeniable sparks turn James and Laila’s battle royal into a more serious game of hearts, nanny and bodyguard will have to decide just how much they’re willing to risk for a second chance at love.
 
 

Meet the Author:

Karina Halle is a screenwriter, a former music & travel journalist, and the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, & USA Today bestselling author of River of Shadows, The Royals Next Door, and Black Sunshine, as well as 70 other wild and romantic reads, ranging from light & sexy rom coms to horror/paranormal romance and dark fantasy. Needless to say, whatever genre you’re into, she’s probably written a romance for it. When she’s not traveling, she and her husband split their time between a possibly haunted 120 year-old house in Victoria, BC, and their condo in Los Angeles. She seems a bit boring in her bio but I assure you she’s a big ol’ goof in real life. For more information, visit www.authorkarinahalle.com.