A Nordic King
Written by Karina Halle
Narrated by Jeremy York and Stephanie Wyles
4/5
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About this audiobook
When I first applied for the job I thought it would be like all the others: working as a nanny for an aristocratic family.
Then I got the job and found out how wrong I was.
Now I'm the new nanny for two adorable little girls who happen to be princesses.
Their father is the widowed King of Denmark. And my new home? The royal palace in Copenhagen. Adjusting to my new life isn't easy but the hardest part hasn't been the girls who still grieve over the loss of their mother.
It's their father.
Cold, mysterious, and moody, with an icy stare that seems to penetrate your soul, King Aksel may have hired me to take care of his daughters but he wants as little to do with me as possible.
Yet the longer I share these palace walls with this man, the more that I'm drawn to him. His chiseled face and sexual swagger are only part of the package. It's in the long, intense glances at the dinner table, the way we'll brush up against each other in the halls, the rare glimpses of the man deep inside, like the sun passing through clouds.
But no matter how I feel about him, we can never be together.
You think it's bad enough being in love with your boss?
Try falling in love with a king.
Contains mature themes.
Karina Halle
Karina Halle is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of Disarm and Discretion in The Dumonts series as well as The Pact, The Offer, The Play, and more than fifty other wild and romantic reads. A former travel writer and music journalist, she currently lives in a rain forest on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and their adopted pit bull. There they operate a bed-and-breakfast that’s perfect for writers’ retreats. In the winter, you can often find them in California or on their beloved island of Kauai, soaking up as much sun—and inspiration—as possible. Visit Karina online at www.authorkarinahalle.com.
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Reviews for A Nordic King
142 ratings6 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fairytale that went on for too long. Loved the narrators. Thought the kids' voices were THE BEST I've heard so far.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Nordic King is a stand alone romance that features a widow father of two children and a nanny that come together. I haven’t read Karina Halle in years, but this title really worked for me and after reading some raving reviews I just knew that I needed this book in my life for sure. I have such a weakness for royal characters in my romances and A Nordic King had everything that I really look for in a set up of a story.Aksel, is the King of Denmark, he has two little girls, and at the beginning, we see his wife, the woman he does love, having an affair…a woman who really only wanted the crown and never him. And through a set of unfortuante circumstances, she was killed in an accident and now its just up to Akel to raise his daughters on his own and run a country. But he also bears a huge weight on his shoulders of the guilt he feels. Our delightful heroine, Aurora, moved from Australia to Europe and became a nanny. When she is called in for a new job, she has no idea that it will be for a royal family. She shapes a strong bond with the two little girls that she will be taking care of…Clara and Freja. But upon the first meeting of their father Aksel….he wants her gone because he finds her too beautiful and too much of a temptation for him. But his daughters have him wrapped around their little fingers and yields in allowing Aurora to stay. There are sparks and flames that fly between Aksel and Aurora, a sizzling chemistry but when their pasts collide with their present…will the love they have be forsaken ….. “I’ve found love, love that I’ll wear better than any crown.”What an incredible romance and honestly I didn’t want to put this one down. I love books that I can’t put down and you never want this book to end. I will admit that I have read Karina Halle and it was years ago and it was more dark than I was ready for. But after reading a fantastic review from one of my closest blogging friend Michele @ Harlequin Junkie….I knew I had to pick it up. Plus I am a sucker for royals and most especially single dads…and what a father Aksel is. Aksel is one of those fathers that will do anything for his children. I love how they really can get him to agree to just about anything…show some tears and he caves hehe Its pretty amusing in many ways seeing how much he loves his little girls and will do anything to make them happy. They are spoiled but I love Clara and Freja…they are so darling. They have gone through a lot though losing their mother and never finding a good nanny that they like…at least until they meet Aurora who has a Aussie accent….teaches them about gods and goddesses and accepts them for who they are.Aurora has been burned in the past from being a nanny, and Aksel knows about her history as a nanny. Even though he feels a strong attraction to Aurora and wants to act on it he also doesn’t want to scare her or make her think that he is anything like her previous boss who pretty much was sexually harassing her. What I found most interesting was that these two both have painful pasts….taking actions that they both regret. Neither of them are perfect and have made some mistakes, but they have learned and grown from their history and become better for it. “Is that the only thing that’s important to you?” he asks, his voice low and rough. “The job?” “No. The girls are everything to me,” I take in a deep breath. “As are you.”Now I did want to focus on the relationship that Aurora has with the little girls and how crucial these girls are to the story…but that they don’t distract from the romance. Clara and Freja are definitely in need of some maternal guidance….they have never really had a strong influence of a loving mother. They were both young went their mother was killed. They are a bit spoiled at times, but they aren’t brats. They are willful and independent at times but adore their father. They form a strong bond with Aurora…who is kind and gracious towards them and doesn’t look down at them…treats them as her equal and they respond in kind. And lets be honest…they become a bit of matchmakers, its very obvious that they want their father to be with Aurora.The romance that develops between Aksel and Aurora is so sexy yet sweet. They definitely have their “Hot” moments, but there is so much endearing qualities to their story it really balances out. I surrender completely. I want to give him everything. I want him to take me, take me over, devour me. Rule me. I want every single part of him, deep inside. I want to see how much of him I can take, how he feels from the inside, what it’s like to be thoroughly fucked by the King of DenmarkThere is some fun bantering especially in the beginning of the story. Aurora is no door mat and she gives back as good as she receives and doesn’t let “his highness” go all over her despite the fact that he is her boss. She doesn’t want to give into what she is feeling for him though, because of the fact that he is her boss and a king and he is out of her league. She knows her past and fears what would happen if the truth would ever come out. But I love how she acts on what she feels eventually and what a slow burn romance this one turned out to be and I wasn’t expecting that from this author. But I was more than happy for it to happen. We see them slowly fall in love before any sexy times happen and once they do start having sex…it only becomes a more emotional experience for the reader. She’s not just a nanny. She’s Aurora. She’s my reckoning and saviour all at once. She’s her namesake, those northern lights that brighten the darkest winter skies. She’s my homecoming. And I’m in love with her.I fell in love with both of these characters and their endearing love journey and they both surprised me in the end here….I liked that once the truth comes out and its not all super angsty like you would expect. They talk and communicate with each other and become more open with each other and boy I LOVED that. That they are both mature adults and understand the importance of forgiveness and acceptance. I am a king. And I belong to you in ways I never thought possible. More than I belong to my people, more than I belong to the people, I belong to you.Overall A Nordic King is a sensationial romance that brings together a family of loss and hurt and betrayal….there is a fresh and renewed feeling to this story that gives off a feeling of passion, laughter and true partnership and a love worth fighting for! BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN. “You love me. I am home.” Tears spring to my eyes. “Home?” He nods, just an inch, brow forever furrowed. “I’ve waited forty years for my heart to have a home… I’ve waited for you.”
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Okay i just couldn't finish this one. This female character was just so annoying. For me she just felt so childish and I just couldn't connect with her?
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Was boring. DNF
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good book told from the alternating points of view of the two main characters. It is sometimes sweet, sometimes steamy, sometimes funny, and sometimes heartbreaking. It is also a story of healing and hope. Aurora is an Aussie woman who has lived in Europe for the past seven years, working as a nanny for various wealthy families and leaving her painful past behind. When she leaves her current post because of a handsy employer, her contact at the placement agency has a new position for her to apply for. All Aurora knows is that it is for a high-ranking Danish family. She doesn't know until she arrives in Copenhagen for her interview that she'd be caring for two Danish princesses. Her first meeting with the girls was sweet and heartbreaking as they quickly burrowed into her heart. Widower King Aksel struggles to handle his duties as king and his life as a single father. He also feels intense guilt over the death of his wife. The book opens with the events that made him a widower, so the reader knows why Aksel is the mess he is. First impressions show him as brooding, intimidating, and rude but devoted to his daughters, Clara and Freja. They have him wrapped around their tiny fingers. I enjoyed watching the relationship between Aksel and Aurora develop. Their first meeting did not go well. Aksel took an immediate aversion to Aurora, mostly because she stirred up feelings he didn't want. He spent less than five minutes with her, told her that she was unsuitable for the job, and that was it. But he was forced to change his tune in a terrific scene when Clara and Freja let him know that Aurora was their only choice for a nanny. Nothing he said would change their minds, so he caved. His second meeting with Aurora wasn't much better. He was dismissive of her qualifications and ensured she knew she wasn't his choice. I loved seeing Aurora push back and call him the jerk he was. Aurora settles in as the nanny, and her relationship with Clara and Freja is wonderful. There are terrific scenes of them together as Aurora brings light and laughter back into their lives. Her relationship with Aksel is still strained, though it doesn't stop her from letting him know when she thinks he's messing up. Under the antagonism, the sparks of attraction flare in both. Aurora, of course, knows that nothing is possible between them. She is the nanny, and he is the king, and that is that. Aksel is still burdened with guilt over his wife's death and feels undeserving of happiness. It doesn't help him that he's never experienced the feeling of being loved by anyone. The relationship between Aurora and Aksel is a slow burn. They first must get past the antagonism, which happens slowly. Because both are devoted to doing the best for Clara and Freja, they first connect over issues involving them. Aurora doesn't hold back giving any of her opinions which often takes Aksel off guard. It isn't too long before they form a solid friendship. But each of them is hiding the fact that friendship isn't enough. The girls' acquisition of a pet is hilarious in their choice and how they got it. It lightens some darker moments and shows how much Aksel wants to make them happy. A lost pet moment is the catalyst that breaks through Aksel and Aurora's resistance to each other. Aksel wants more though he fights hard against his growing feelings. They disturb him, and he doesn't know how to deal with them. When Aksel finally decides he wants to see where those feelings can go, he runs up against his insecurities. There is a painful scene where he pulls a dirty trick to find out if Aurora feels the same way. It was cruel and unnecessary, though I understood what made him do it that way. I loved that Aurora called him out on it. That confrontation opened up the next stage of their relationship. The emotions stirred up exploded into a passionate encounter, and from then on, they could barely keep their hands off each other. They also spend more time together, with and without the girls, getting to know each other. I loved the trust that built between them and how they were each able to share the painful parts of their pasts. The relationship progresses very well, with them looking toward the future. Then a bombshell drops about Aurora’s past, catching them all off guard. Aurora is mortified and ready to disappear out of their lives, but Aksel has different plans. I loved how he dealt with the publicity, the backlash, and the person responsible. He was every inch the king but also a father and a man in love. I loved when he told Aurora, "I've waited forty years for my heart to have a home," he says softly. "I've waited for you." The press conference was terrific and redeemed his earlier jerk status. The follow-up epilogue was fantastic.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Although an interesting story idea, I didn't find the characters all that believable. I wanted more romance. Fell short for me.