Karina Halle's "The Royal Rogue" is Here!

I am so excited that Karina Halle's "The Royal Rogue" is finally here!  Though it is a complete standalone, it is technically the fourth book in Ms. Halle's loosely connected Nordic Royals series and features Princess Stella of Denmark, who was a secondary character in book #3, "A Nordic King."

It feels like I've been waiting FOREVER to finally read Stella's story (and Amazon didn't help with that perception since technical problems meant that the book took two extra days to be available for sale), but actually, it's only been about a year since the release of "A Nordic King."  Because of the technical problems, I wasn't able to finish reading "The Royal Rogue" prior to publishing my original post, but I have since finished the book and updated my review below.  I am happy to confirm that this story was just as amazing as all of the previous books in this series, which I have loved.

About "The Royal Rogue"

Every family has a black sheep – even the royal ones.

In the royal family of Denmark, that black sheep is me. To the public I’m known as Princess Stella, but I feel anything but royal. As a single mom, divorcee, social outcast, and forever forgotten about under the magnetism and power of my older brother, King Aksel, I’m used to being an outlier. Though it doesn’t matter when my whip-smart nine-year old daughter, Anya, is my whole world anyway.

Then that world of mine gets turned upside down.

I meet Prince Orlando of Monaco, whom the media has dubbed “The Royal Rogue” for many good reasons. I can’t stand that arrogant smirk on his face, the lewd words that leave his lips – pretty much everything about him. I especially can’t stand how infuriatingly sexy he is and how he manages to get under my skin like no one else.

It’s been a long time since a man could make me feel that way, so you can’t really blame me for throwing my willpower out the window and succumbing to a brief but torrid affair with him, full of hot, dirty sex and nothing else.

Until that nothing else turns into something more, in the form of a big surprise.

I thought I got that wicked royal rogue out of my system but there’s a link between us now that neither of us can ignore.

A baby.

My Review

"The Royal Rogue" by Karina Halle was totally worth the wait.   This book gave me all the feels, and I loved it. 

Ms. Halle is a master of creating realistic, well-developed, endearing characters and I always find it easy to empathize with whatever they're going through.  I was intrigued by Stella when she was first introduced in King Aksel's book, and now that I have gotten to know her better through this story, I absolutely adore her.  Stella had a tough go of it with her first husband, and it made me incredibly happy to see her finally get an HEA of her very own with Prince Orlando.  As for Orlando, he is a totally swoon-worthy hero, much kinder and more loving than his bad boy reputation would suggest.  He is a perfect match for Stella, and even though he makes some mistakes along the way, the important thing is that he gets it right in the end.

This book also featured some fantastic secondary characters, and yes, I'm including Snarf Snarf the pig here.  I love Snarf Snarf so much and am thrilled that he made another appearance in this book! The scene when Orlando meets Snarf Snarf for the first time was laugh-out-loud funny and easily one of my favorite parts of the book.  I also loved Stella's daughter, Anya.  She's sweet, funny, and adds some much needed lightness and humor to the story.   Orlando's sister Matilde is pretty awesome too.  She gives Orlando the real talk that he needs, right when he needs it.  (Maybe Matilde can get a book of her own at some point in the future?  I wouldn't mind checking in on all of these characters one more time!)

Even Orlando's "girlfriend," Zoya, was an interesting, complex character that I ended up liking in the end.  At first, I couldn't get over how selfish she seemed and how easily Orlando let her manipulate him, but it was a nuanced situation, and I could understand why he felt pulled so strongly in two different directions. 

Finally, the love scenes in this book were H-O-T, but also surprisingly romantic.  Orlando really seemed to care for Stella from the very beginning, even when they were supposed to be having a purely physical, short-term fling.  Orlando looked out for Stella's needs and desires first, no matter what, which I really appreciated.

Overall, "The Royal Rogue" was another phenomenal read by Karina Halle, and I can't wait to get my hands on her next book!