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elisabeth_julia's review against another edition
5.0
This light-hearted romantic fairytale swept me off my feet!
I greatly enjoyed Halle writing something that’s not too heavy this time and she steps away a bit from the usual brooding damaged love-interest that requires fixing. Don’t get me wrong, I have a soft spot for dark brooding damaged men (in books! Mind you. They’re no fun in real life!) but this Swedish Prince was nice for a change.
Victor is everything you’d want and expect from a prince. He’s charming, good looking, has great manners and is oh so dreamy. Maybe he doesn’t have the edge of Karina Halle’s usual male characters but he doesn’t need to. He is the prince.
I feel like this should be a Hollywood rom com movie including all the smut. Why do we only get filthy rubbish like fifty shades on the big screen? I just don’t get it.
Anyway… I got side tracked a little there. Back to the book: The beginning starts out a little cliché but then it really started to surprise me. It begins as a classic Cinderella style fairytale (prince falls in love with poor small town hotel maid) but it didn’t end up being too predictable. In contrary. I thought that the plot was actually quite believable and realistic and everything seemed possible, which made it an even more engrossing read. I totally devoured this book. I needed to know what happened with Maggie and Victor on the next page, and the next page, and the next.
Now Karina Halle has my blessing to also write about The Norwegian Prince and the Danish King. Ahhhhr, who am I fooling! I demand Karina Halle write a whole Scandinavian Royals series! Now please thank you.
I greatly enjoyed Halle writing something that’s not too heavy this time and she steps away a bit from the usual brooding damaged love-interest that requires fixing. Don’t get me wrong, I have a soft spot for dark brooding damaged men (in books! Mind you. They’re no fun in real life!) but this Swedish Prince was nice for a change.
Victor is everything you’d want and expect from a prince. He’s charming, good looking, has great manners and is oh so dreamy. Maybe he doesn’t have the edge of Karina Halle’s usual male characters but he doesn’t need to. He is the prince.
I feel like this should be a Hollywood rom com movie including all the smut. Why do we only get filthy rubbish like fifty shades on the big screen? I just don’t get it.
Anyway… I got side tracked a little there. Back to the book: The beginning starts out a little cliché but then it really started to surprise me. It begins as a classic Cinderella style fairytale (prince falls in love with poor small town hotel maid) but it didn’t end up being too predictable. In contrary. I thought that the plot was actually quite believable and realistic and everything seemed possible, which made it an even more engrossing read. I totally devoured this book. I needed to know what happened with Maggie and Victor on the next page, and the next page, and the next.
Now Karina Halle has my blessing to also write about The Norwegian Prince and the Danish King. Ahhhhr, who am I fooling! I demand Karina Halle write a whole Scandinavian Royals series! Now please thank you.
ameserole's review against another edition
3.0
Kind of annoying. Kind of cute.
The Swedish Prince was a bit predictable. It also had some annoying characters and some weird ass stuff just thrown in there. It follows Maggie and Viktor and their kind of cute romance. Both characters suffer from some tragic family event in their lives and they somehow find love between the mess - sort of instantly.
Maggie, was living in NYC and about to finish school with a Journalism degree. Well, until one night when she gets a dreaded phone call about her parents, and dog, being brutally murdered. She leaves school instantly and goes hope to help raise her siblings. She doesn't get the greatest job ever, she's a maid for a hotel, because she has no degree. However, that doesn't stop her from working hard to save as much money as she can to help her little siblings out. The oldest brother Pike, about 19 years old, is working as well since he isn't in school and didn't go to College either. However, life still sucks and her younger siblings definitely give her hell.
Then there's Viktor who is grieving over his older brother's sudden death. He found him and still hasn't dealt with what happened. He's also the crown prince and heir to the throne now. Of course he starts acting out - which causes his parents to send him away with a secret identity. Then he meets Maggie, unexpectedly, and the two start a little cute romance.
From then on, you meet her siblings and his parents. Out of them all, April was the one I liked the least. She was acting out so much, like a teenager, but she took it to the extreme. Yeah, she didn't want to live in the house where her parents died.. but they didn't have the money to move. They were poor and she was just making matters worst. Until the end, she got a little bit better but that's about it.
Overall, it was cute. Predictable, but cute. They got their happy ending and that's all I can really say. I'm glad that they could lean on each other and deal with what happened in their pasts.
The Swedish Prince was a bit predictable. It also had some annoying characters and some weird ass stuff just thrown in there. It follows Maggie and Viktor and their kind of cute romance. Both characters suffer from some tragic family event in their lives and they somehow find love between the mess - sort of instantly.
Maggie, was living in NYC and about to finish school with a Journalism degree. Well, until one night when she gets a dreaded phone call about her parents, and dog, being brutally murdered. She leaves school instantly and goes hope to help raise her siblings. She doesn't get the greatest job ever, she's a maid for a hotel, because she has no degree. However, that doesn't stop her from working hard to save as much money as she can to help her little siblings out. The oldest brother Pike, about 19 years old, is working as well since he isn't in school and didn't go to College either. However, life still sucks and her younger siblings definitely give her hell.
Then there's Viktor who is grieving over his older brother's sudden death. He found him and still hasn't dealt with what happened. He's also the crown prince and heir to the throne now. Of course he starts acting out - which causes his parents to send him away with a secret identity. Then he meets Maggie, unexpectedly, and the two start a little cute romance.
From then on, you meet her siblings and his parents. Out of them all, April was the one I liked the least. She was acting out so much, like a teenager, but she took it to the extreme. Yeah, she didn't want to live in the house where her parents died.. but they didn't have the money to move. They were poor and she was just making matters worst. Until the end, she got a little bit better but that's about it.
Overall, it was cute. Predictable, but cute. They got their happy ending and that's all I can really say. I'm glad that they could lean on each other and deal with what happened in their pasts.
cm87's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
chandlerainsley's review against another edition
2.0
despite my rating, this was not awful.
it was just... very very lackluster. i think a lot of romance can fall victim to, like, a select handful of bad plot issues and this definitely did.
sex does not make a relationship. sorry. you can have the longest slow burn in the history of slow burns but if the characters are pretty flat, fall in insta love, and then once they do bang that's ALL they do.... yeah it's just a no. and this happens SO often it's kind of embarrassing.
getting it on does not solve problems, it doesn't grow your interpersonal relationship, and it definitely doesn't overcome cultural differences. the couple of main conflicts in this book are solved with a brief 5 second conversation and then the characters fall in to bed together. meh.
and in general, the characters were nothing special for me. the only thing i'll probably remember is viktor's gross swedish dirty talk.
anyway i'm going to go promptly forget this book now, BYE!
it was just... very very lackluster. i think a lot of romance can fall victim to, like, a select handful of bad plot issues and this definitely did.
sex does not make a relationship. sorry. you can have the longest slow burn in the history of slow burns but if the characters are pretty flat, fall in insta love, and then once they do bang that's ALL they do.... yeah it's just a no. and this happens SO often it's kind of embarrassing.
getting it on does not solve problems, it doesn't grow your interpersonal relationship, and it definitely doesn't overcome cultural differences. the couple of main conflicts in this book are solved with a brief 5 second conversation and then the characters fall in to bed together. meh.
and in general, the characters were nothing special for me. the only thing i'll probably remember is viktor's gross swedish dirty talk.
anyway i'm going to go promptly forget this book now, BYE!
chlob93's review
I’m not sure why, I feel like it’s dragging on quite a bit, 50% in and it’s only been a week??
laughlinesandliterature's review against another edition
5.0
This book was a cute fun read. It has more depth in it's romance characters which is something I've come to expect from this author. If you like Roman Holiday then you'll love this flip and twist on that story. 5 out of 5 stars.
shannonldonahueart's review against another edition
5.0
I have never been someone who loved the books about Royals. I love a good fantasy, but a Royal just always seemed way too far to reach for even in reading. Of course Harry and Meghan have changed that. Just like I was totally enamored with the Royal Wedding I was enamored with the characters in this book.
The hero Viktor is complex and flawed, like all the best heroes are. It would be easy to fall back on the fact that he is royal, rich, good looking and make those his most compelling personality traits. I have certainly read my share of those books. But our Prince here is so much more than all of those things. Karina Hale does an amazing job of humanizing this royal and making you understand the life he is living and what makes it so hard. In this trope (royals) I often find myself mumbling "pooor little rich boy", But that wasnt the case here at all. I really enjoyed getting to know him and rooting for him.
Maggie is wonderful. She is strong and scared and doing the best that she can in a completely shit situation. I really really loved her and rooted for her from the very first page. I wont spoil things here but the beginning of the book starts with you getting to know her just a little, then something happens and she is thrown into a completely different situation. In doing that you learn so much about her as a character. As you move through her life with her it becomes 100% easy to see how Viktor can fall in love with her.
If you enjoyed the movie The Prince and Me but wanted a bit more from it then you will ADORE this book! I did!
The hero Viktor is complex and flawed, like all the best heroes are. It would be easy to fall back on the fact that he is royal, rich, good looking and make those his most compelling personality traits. I have certainly read my share of those books. But our Prince here is so much more than all of those things. Karina Hale does an amazing job of humanizing this royal and making you understand the life he is living and what makes it so hard. In this trope (royals) I often find myself mumbling "pooor little rich boy", But that wasnt the case here at all. I really enjoyed getting to know him and rooting for him.
Maggie is wonderful. She is strong and scared and doing the best that she can in a completely shit situation. I really really loved her and rooted for her from the very first page. I wont spoil things here but the beginning of the book starts with you getting to know her just a little, then something happens and she is thrown into a completely different situation. In doing that you learn so much about her as a character. As you move through her life with her it becomes 100% easy to see how Viktor can fall in love with her.
If you enjoyed the movie The Prince and Me but wanted a bit more from it then you will ADORE this book! I did!
adifferentreadingview's review against another edition
3.0
Very steamy, cute story. It’s supposed to be kinda like Roman holiday but I like the different issues explored within the story like mental health. I also like that they didn’t start their relationship on a “lie”- having them be honest and not building something on top of a lie was nice and made the love story feel stronger.
erinremen's review against another edition
5.0
Without a doubt this is some of her best work
This book might have a lot of really serious issues that are seamlessly woven into its characters lives, but it does not define it. It is lighthearted and funny at times. Serious and heartbreaking the next. Yet overall is a tale of people , like most of us , who have suffered something that they struggle to deal with , to grow with and to ultimately accept and move on from. These two characters bring so much joy to each other's lives that it leaps of the pages. Their suffering when apart is felt in our own hearts and when that HEA comes, the real life fairytale, we all tremble with joy right along with them. Well done Miss Sweden!
This book might have a lot of really serious issues that are seamlessly woven into its characters lives, but it does not define it. It is lighthearted and funny at times. Serious and heartbreaking the next. Yet overall is a tale of people , like most of us , who have suffered something that they struggle to deal with , to grow with and to ultimately accept and move on from. These two characters bring so much joy to each other's lives that it leaps of the pages. Their suffering when apart is felt in our own hearts and when that HEA comes, the real life fairytale, we all tremble with joy right along with them. Well done Miss Sweden!
littlesnelson's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the overall story but for whatever reason found the dirty talk weird, it just didn't fit the characters imo. I still liked the book enough to continue with the series.