Blog Tour: The Swedish Prince: Karina Halle
The Swedish Prince
Karina Halle
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Release Date 3/22/18
**A standalone romance inspired by the classic film, Roman Holiday.**
I never believed in fairy-tales.
Never held out for Prince Charming.
Growing up poor in small-town California as the oldest of six siblings, I knew I would never ride off into the sunset with anyone. That was even more apparent when a senseless tragedy took the lives of my parents, forcing me to become the sole guardian of our dysfunctional household at the mere age of twenty-three.
Then a fateful encounter literally brought Prince Charming to my doorstep.
At first I thought Viktor was just your average businessman passing through, albeit obscenely handsome, six-foot-five, blue-eyed, and mysteriously rich.
But soon I discovered the truth behind Viktor’s façade.
Beneath his quiet, enigmatic gaze and cocky charm, is a man who is running away from who he really is. A role he’d rather not fulfill.
He is Viktor of House Nordin, His Royal Highness, The Crown Prince of Sweden.
Yet uncovering Viktor’s secret was only the first step.
I didn’t expect to fall in love with him.
I didn’t expect to have my whole life turned upside down.
When you’re from two different worlds, can your hearts meet somewhere in the middle?
Or do happily-ever-afters only exist in fairy-tales?
Maggie McPherson is a young woman just trying to keep her life and that of her five siblings she is now responsible for together...and it is a never ending job. She is tired, overwhelmed, and feeling hopeless. She would love to be able to run away from her life sometimes. One day at work, she has a not-so-meet-cute with a big, burly man that leaves her embarrassed. And then their paths cross again and their story really begins.
Viktor's life has recently changed. Now he is heir to the throne of Sweden and drowning in pain, loss, responsibility, and stress. It was a job he never wanted and feels stuck. So when he is given the opportunity to escape for awhile, he takes it. He actually gets his chance to run away and ends up in her hometown.
They are from two different worlds but kindred souls with both still reeling from loss and overwhelmed with their out of control lives. They can see the strength in each other, but not in themselves. And together they get a reprieve...they flirt, laugh, talk, listen, and find escape...and passion like they have never known.
With her he can be himself, breathe, laugh, and experience the real world. With him she feels special, strong, and cared for. I adored the Swede Viktor with a heart as big as he was. He was witty, charming, and a bit naughty. And Maggie was tenacious and worthy, even if she did not see it. Their witty and flirty banter was fun. They had such chemistry and such a connection and understanding.
But that whole "separate worlds" things is a killer...
Will they have to choose between love, duty, or family?
This is a modern day royal fairy tale of a sweet, hardworking American commoner meeting her incognito Prince Charming. It takes them from California to Sweden...from tragedy to hope...from loneliness to trying to hold onto a soul mate. There are plenty of complication and chaos in their lives from her wild siblings, his royal single friends, his parents, and the paparazzi. So there is some angst and drama surrounding this couple that just really want to find a way to be together.
It is funny, heartwarming, passionate, emotional, and swoony. I enjoyed getting both of their points of view. This is longer than many typical romance books these days, but I was engaged and delighted so it went by quickly. I was glad to see an epilogue too giving us a bit more to the story.
I am hoping we get books for The Prince of Norway, Magnus, and The Kind of Denmark, Aksel. I also really liked her responsible but edgy brother, Pike.
I was gifted a copy.
“Do you need any help?” Callum asks Viktor as he sorts things.
Callum has never asked to help me in the kitchen before.
Viktor smiles at him appreciatively and I’m aware of how charmed they are of each other. It warms my heart.
“Well let’s see,” Viktor says and takes off his suit jacket, hanging it on the back of the chair, and starts rolling up his sleeves. His tanned, muscled forearms pop against the white fabric as he folds it around his elbow. Hot damn. Forget about warming my heart, this is warming up other places.
“What are you good at Callum?” he asks.
Callum taps his finger against his chin in thought. “Math.”
“That’s great. I meant in the kitchen.”
“Slicing things,” he says with a big smile. “Or stabbing things.” Evil giggle.
Viktor’s eyes widen briefly. “Okay, so we’ll keep you away from the knives.” He looks at me for help.
I shrug. “Beats me, he’s never wanted to help me in the kitchen.”
“Because you’re not James Bond,” Callum says.
“Well sorrrrrry,” I tell him. I can’t blame the kid. Viktor in his suit in our kitchen is probably the most exciting thing to ever happen to us.
“Have you ever grated parmesan, Callum?” Viktor asks him while rummaging through the drawers and finding the cheese grater. He raises it up triumphantly while I silently shake my head, no way. A cheese grater is just a knife with scales.
“Nevermind,” Viktor says quickly, placing the cheese grater far away from him. “How about you just sit there and sing me songs. I rather liked your rendition of Dancing Queen.”
Oh god. Now that I know “Dancing Queen” was sung to his actual mother the night before she became queen, by ABBA themselves, Callum’s version seems even more crude.
“I forgot the lyrics,” Callum says with a shrug. “But I can rap.” He clears his throat like he’s about to sing an opera. “I like big poops and I cannot lie.”
I roll my eyes and give Viktor a warning look. He asked for this.
“Can I help with anything?” I ask coming around the table beside him.
“An apron would be great,” he says. His hands are already floured from handling the fresh pasta so I grab an apron hanging in the pantry – one that has chickens all over it, my mother was obsessed with chickens – and bring it over to him.
We smile at each other as he lowers his head so I can slip the top strap over his neck. With his head at my height, I take a moment to run my hands through his hair under the guise of fixing it.
My god. This is what heaven feels like. His hair is so thick and lush and silky, the ultimate sensory experience. I get a whiff of his shampoo, something woodsy and herbal that makes me want to drool. How I want nothing more than to just grab a few strands between my fingers and give it a sharp tug. I want to see the easy-going expression on his face become something raw and wild.
He sneaks a glance up at me and I realize how inappropriate I must be touching him like this.
“Your hair was a little messed,” I say quietly, then I go behind him and tie the straps around his lower back. Damn, if Callum wasn’t sitting right there and watching this whole scene, I’d start running my hands up and down his back, feeling every hard, taut muscle, and then climb him like a jungle gym. He’s just so tall, his shoulders so broad and wide, that I feel like I take up no space at all next to him, like Viktor commands every atom in the room when he’s around.
But Callum is watching, very intently I might add, and whatever intimacy I had conjured up by putting an apron vanishes.
Karina Halle
Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.
Halle is represented by the Root Literary and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.
Halle is represented by the Root Literary and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.
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