Karina Halle

Working as a motel maid in small-town California, while trying to take care of my five orphaned siblings, I never expected much from my life. Until a chance encounter with an undercover royal, the charming Prince of Sweden, changed everything. "The Swedish Prince is a romantic comedy that is the perfect blend of humor, sexy and heart, and I loved everything about this endearing story of a prince who meets his queen." - USA TODAY 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? WARNING: The Swedish Prince is oh-so sweet, enchanting and funny, but it does contain foul language (lots of the F word) and graphic sexual scenes (lots of dirty talk). Reader discretion is advised for those who are sensitive.

The Swedish Prince

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

When I picked up The Nordic King last year by Halle and LOVED it so much, I love the heartwarming humor that Halle has portrayed in these books and in The Swedish Prince it was done so well and I had a fun time with this book. Not quite as much as The Nordic King, however, it was such a charming read and one of my favorite royal/maid set ups. 

Our story begins with Maggie, who had been going to NYU and working on a journalism degree, when she gets a phone call that her parents have been murdered and she is the guardian for her siblings and so she throws her dreams out the window and heads back home on the west coast to take care of her family. Its now been a year and Maggie is working herself to the bone as a hotel maid. Its not the most ideal situation and they are barely making it by financially, but her siblings need her. Then she runs into a naked viking who tempts her more than anything in a very long time. 

Viktor has his own pain too. Viktor is the younger son, but then his brother commits suicide he becomes the heir to the throne, a job that Viktor never wanted and now there is pressure for him to be someone he never imagined he would be including grieving for his older brother and not living up to his parent's expectations. His parents cause an intervention and send him away for one month, anywhere outside of Europe, to have a vacation and get his head on straight. So he heads to the states traveling all over, but when his vehicle breaks down, he finds himself in a small town and being intrigued with Maggie, a beautiful hotel maid who has her own mix of pain and family drama. As the interest between them grow, a love develops and Maggie and Viktor will need to make a choice to be together or lose everything they have together. 

The Swedish Prince is a story that I had some great delight in reading, and Karina Halle has the type of reading that sweeps you off your feet. I love royal romances and Halle did a great job with this one. I liked seeing that both of these characters had been grieving over a great loss to themselves personally and so you really see the emotional intimacy between them really grow and it was simply beautiful. I love that Viktor saw the lovely and strong woman that Maggie is and looked beneath her maids uniform and we see so much growth in both of these characters. We see Viktor find love but also find himself in the process and settle into being the kind of leader he needs to be and then we see Maggie learn the true value of family and sacrifice. I love how devoted she is to her family even if its not her dream job but we see her come into her own strength and discover what she is capable of and find true value in her own self worth and confidence. 
You…you Victor, you are a prince in every way shape and form. You embody the word, you are selfless and kind and proud and smart and noble and you care, more than anything, you care. You’re the prince that every girl had a fantasy about but you’re more than that, because you’re real. You’re so real. And you’re here right now and you’re with me and I can’t…I can’t thank you enough
I truly enjoyed seeing this love story develop and this book was a story that gave me all the happy feels. The romance that develops is so endearingly sweet with the right balance of serious tones and laughs and you can easily settle into this book with a smile on your face all the way through. I really admired seeing these two find what they need in themselves and in each other and their relationship. There was something so vitalizing about their relationship, it definitely had a “Harry and Meghan” feel to it at times, it just came alive and I enjoyed seeing them work around being in their own “secret world” with no one but Maggie’s family knowing of who they are. 
I could kiss you for a thousand days and it still wouldn’t be enough,” he says. “I could gaze at you for a million days and it wouldn’t be enough. I could touch you, taste you, be so deep inside you that you’re fused to my skin, do this forever and it still wouldn’t be enough. Forever with you isn’t enough.
Then we are introduced to some fun times with Maggie’s family, my heart aches for their loss of their parents though especially since they were murdered by a ex con who had it out for their father (who was a prison guard) but the descriptions of their parents just made the reader admire what this family has suffered through. I simply adored this family so much and seeing the various level of grief that each child is going through but how they stick together no matter what is going on and loved that and I felt like Karina Halle handles family relationships so well done, there was a sense of vibrancy to their bonds and you just want to gravitate towards them. 

Overall I found The Swedish Prince a fantastic story and it portrays the powerful storytelling ability of Karina Halle, its a tale of pain and loss but also courage, strength and a passionate love worth fighting for!!! MAGNIFICENTLY PENNED!

cris 🫀

3.5
—
The Swidish Prince nos cuenta la historia de Viktor, el próximo rey de Suecia, que se ve obligado a asumir el trono después de una trágica pérdida de su hermano Alex. Debido a los nuevos cambios Viktor ha tenido un colapso nervioso, por lo tanto el rey y la reina deciden enviarlo a Estados Unidos como unas pequeñas vacaciones para tratar de que asimile todo. En este viaje es donde Viktor de manera inesperada conoce a Maggie, una de las mucamas del hotel en donde se queda. Maggie pasó de estar viviendo su sueño de ser periodista en NY a tener que regresar a su pueblo natal debido a la trágica muerte de sus padres. Ambos sin esperarlo y en un encuentro bizarro, se conocen el uno al otro, y a partir de ese momento sus vidas quedan entrelazadas.

No tengo mucho que decir de este libro, simplemente me gustó y estuvo bastante entretenido. Me encantó conocer a Viktor, el epítome de lo que un príncipe debe ser; encantador, guapo, caballeroso y con un sentido del humor. Amé leer como poco a poco caía por Maggie, como siempre se mostró abierta con ella y como realmente nunca le importó que fuera una “plebeya”, jamás le prestó atención a la clase social de la que provenía, y eso no le impidió amarla.

Maggie por su parte es una guerra, una mujer sumamente fuerte. Tuvo que dejar todo para convertirse en la tutora legal de sus siete hermanos. Los hermanos de Maggie son divertidamente encantadores, sobre todo Callum que se robó el libro con sus escenas, fue muy divertido de leer. El hermano que más me llamó la atención fue Pike; me hubiera gustado mucho conocer un poco más acerca de él.

Este libro es largo pero se pasa tan rápido que no te das cuenta, perfectamente lo puedes ver en tu cabeza como una película rom-com de netflix. Sobre todo porque Viktor y Maggie son una pareja muy dulce, se puede apreciar la química que tienen y lo mucho que se aman, además la interacción que tienen de siempre hacerse bromas es súper linda de leer. 

Es una lectora fácil y entretenida que te tiene mortificada de cómo la autora va a resolver el problema EN EL ÚLTIMO 10% DEL LIBRO. Pero la verdad vale la pena, te saca risas y te aporta algo de emoción. Ya quiero conocer al resto de los príncipes nórdicos.

"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 ... He is Viktor of House Nordin, His Royal Highness, The Crown Prince of Sweden"--Back cover.

shar

Alison James

Great book! Had a perfect balance of spice and plot.

Nikki

the author wasn't kidding when she said this was instalove...

Amanda J 

WHY DONT PEOPLE TALK TO ONE ANOTHER!!!! also, got the worst conflict out the way soon

Loredana

Maggie is a young girl returned to her small hometown due to tragic events. She is now working in a small hotel. One day as she is doing her work she walks in on an handsome man naked. She quickly escapes with shame but their paths are to meet again.

Well... I love the Wild Heir which is part of this serie too but this one.. I didn't hate it though. The story just didn't stick with me for no exact reason, half way through it I just wanted it to end ! It was to long for me, there is two part to this book and divide it into two distinct book would have been a good idea.

It's not really a furnished review but like I said the story didn't stick with me.

Helena Cristina Nogueira Pereira

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads.


Despite never having watched Roman Holiday (I know, I know) I was ridiculously excited to read The Swedish Prince because, you know, new Karina Halle book! It did take me a little longer to finish this book than it normally would, but that had nothing to do with how much I was enjoying it. ApollyCon had me pretty well distracted and busy, so my reading time was pretty much nil for several days last week. But, when I did get a chance to read, I couldn't wait to get back into Maggie and Viktor's story. It had Karina's trademark mix of sexy, angsty and swoony and delivered some pretty big feels along the way. 

The Swedish Prince wastes no time before jumping right into the heart of the story. The prologue basically broke my heart and I needed the rest of the book to put me back together. It totally did, too. There was something special about Maggie and Viktor. Of course, I am also a total sucker for Cinderella-ish stories, so this one was right up my alley. I loved the pacing and the feels between them and everything just felt so REAL. This book definitely has some heavy and angsty moments, but there were plenty of smiles and swoons to be had as well. I shipped Maggie and Viktor so freaking hard. I desperately wanted, no needed, them to figure out a way to make things work. 

As always, Karina's words are just so damn gorgeous. I love her writing and the way she basically pours her heart out on every page. I think that's why her characters always find a way under my skin and into my heart as well. Viktor and Maggie — and her siblings, for that matter — were no exception. I know this is a standalone, but I wouldn't be sad to see more from these characters down the road. The Swedish Prince was more than just a romance. There was a focus on family relationships and obligations and growth. It was a great read and one I'll be thinking about for a long time to come.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

FAVORITE QUOTES

"Oh please. This is all about your vagina, there's no need for your heart to join the party."

"I could kiss you for a thousand days and it still wouldn't be enough. I could gaze at you for a million days and it wouldn't be enough. I could touch you, taste you, be so deep inside you that you're fused to my skin, do this forever and it still wouldn't be enough. Forever with you isn't enough."

There is a vacancy that grows in your heart after someone you love leaves you. When they leave, they take everything with them. All the furnishings, the all the artwork, even the flooring, until you are stripped bare. Cold. I am one big empty room that echoes with the loss of him.

"Always more, never less."

The Swedish Prince

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