The Royals Upstairs

This juicy if underdeveloped contemporary from bestseller Halle brings together characters she introduced in The Wild Heir and The Royals Next Door. Scottish bodyguard James Hunter decides not to follow his employers, Prince Eddie and Duchess Monica, when they relocate from England to America. He takes a job near Oslo with another royal couple, Prince Magnus and Princess Ella of Norway, to protect their offspring. Unfortunately, he does not realize his former coworker Laila Bruset, with whom he had a passionate affair that ended badly, is nanny to these royal children. Laila returned home to Norway to be close to the grandmother who brought her up and does not want to get involved with handsome James again after he broke her heart. James hasn’t resolved the commitment issues that drove the couple apart the first time, which makes his renewed romantic pursuit of Laila come across as selfish. Both the leads feel somewhat flat, but the sexual chemistry between them is intense. Still, it will take a royal intervention to get them from hooking up to happily ever after. Fans of Lucy Parker and Sarah Mayberry will appreciate the aristocratic milieu but long for a little more depth. (Sept.)