When I saw the title and cover for the book, I was dying to read it. I love a good fake relationship trope. Sadly, I just couldn’t get into the romance as much. There were so many silly hijinks going on, and it felt like it took away from building the relationship.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

I am a huge Lucy Parker fan and I thought that this was a cute follow on to Battle Royale. The leading lady, Pet, is the sister to the lead in the previous book. Her leading man, Matais is no prince charming, but there is a thoughtful sweetheart under that big body and grumpy exterior. I love these sunny/grumpy pairings and that despite all the out wayward appearances (size and temperament) they have a lot in common baggage-wise.

This was funny and sweet and there is a nice tie-in to the author's London Celebrities series at the end. I am giving this 4.5 stars because I really liked it and rounded up to 5 since it made me want to go back and read Battle Royale.

ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. This is an unpaid review.

This is a really lovely book that hit all the right chords for me.

Pet and Mathias check all the opposite attract boxes both in size and temperament. It gives off all the Grumpy/Sunshine vibes even though Mathias is more serious than grumpy.

The Fake Dating angle is pushed on them by their employers. It could have felt sinister, but instead played out like good-natured meddling. And while I am a HUGE fan of fake dating, at time the internal monologues of whether or not the other one likes them can grow tedious. I never felt that way during this book. The characters approached the situation with emotional intelligence that I found refreshing.

The setting of the palace was enjoyable. Rosie and Johnny were both delightful and his unintentional antics were silly but mostly humorous. Mathias and Pet's backstories were very interesting and provided compelling secondary plot points for both characters, but especially for Pet.

For me, the best thing about this book was the two wounded souls searching for a place to belong and finding it in one another. I felt the longing, magnetic pull of Pet and Mathias the entire time. Experiencing them fall into another (emotionally and physically) was equally spicy and sweet that left a nice warm, satisfied feeling in my heart.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read the book early! I was not asked to give a positive review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

An easy to read enjoyable grumpy vs sunshine fake dating storyline with sizzling chemistry and heartwarming moments. I really liked this book but feel that I would have liked it even more if I'd read Battle Royal first and knew all the characters backstories and relationships before starting Codename Charming. In saying that, it was still a great book with an easy to follow plot with lots of mishaps and fun moments that kept me interested throughout and keen to see how everything would turn out in the end. I look forward to reading more books by Lucy Parker.

Obsessed. This book was so highly anticipated for me, and it still blew my expectations out of the water. Matthias and Pet are so lovely together. It’s everything I hoped for and more!

I have not read the previous book in this series (Battle Royale), but I enjoyed this one nonetheless!

Codename Charming is the story off Petunia "Pet" De Vere, the perpetually sunny PA to the epically clumsy Prince Johnny Marchmont, and Matthias Vaughan, his stoic and taciturn PPO. When the tabloids begin snapping photos of Pet and Johnny in truly innocent situations and insinuating that they're having an affair, Princess Rosie suggest the perfect diversion: Pet and Matthias pretend to have their own budding relationship to send the paps off the scent.

The pair reluctantly agree to the charade, but it quickly becomes clear that the attraction between the two is more than manufactured. As things continue to heat up, they both work on trusting each other and themselves to take the leap.

I liked a lot about this book. First - I love that both Pet and Matthias are competent and confident at their jobs. I hate the trope of "she's such a klutz" or similar, and I really enjoyed that in this book, all the other facets of the main characters lives beyond romance were totally solid and stable. Each of them have dealt with past trauma, which informs how view the world, but they are mature adults who have taken steps to heal themselves.

Also - the chemistry is off the charts, even from the beginning. Even still, this is definitely a slow burn, as circumstance and their own fears of intimacy force the pair to be intentional about next steps. But in every brief touch and stolen glance, you feel from the first minute that these two have something between them.

I'd say my only complaint is that the tonnage of side plots did feel a little distracting to me, and sometimes dragged down the story, BUT on balance I really loved this one. Four stars. Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC.

I haven’t read the prequel, but I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to read a highly talked about grumpy sunshine moment! Thankfully, this was stellar as a stand-alone, but I will still add the prequel to my list.

Pet is the personal assistant to a royal family member, Johnny. Matthias is Johnny’s bodyguard. A tabloid rumor of an affair sparks a fake dating relationship between Pet and Matthias. Opposites attract, workplace romance, and grumpy sunshine? Sign me up please!

Overall, this was an adorable read full of laugh-out loud moments. The parrot moment had me on the floor 😂🦜. I wish the romance had been a little more fast-paced, but of course, others may love the slow-burn progress.

4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Lucy Parker books is always going to make me smile, and Codename Charming absolutely did that!

I was so excited to see Pet's romance after meeting her in the first book. I loved her ability to look on the bright side of life even after being dealt so many crapy things in her life. She didn't shy away from standing up for Matthias and not letting anyone say a bad word about him, so in that way she really was just as protective as him.
Who does't love a bodyguard trope and Matthias was just so likable. I feel like he really was an example of the adage an action speaks louder than words, because although he did have some lovely sweet words it was all about his actions for me. He was so thoughtful and did so many things both big and small that showed how much he adored Pet even before she realized it.

The fake dating trope was so fun, and I loved the added twist of having to fool the paparzzi!
I loved that the witty humor I've come to love and expect from her books was there in this book, but it also hit on some serious topics for both Pet and Matthias.

My only critique really is that at times some of the descriptions or explanations (even when explaining funny moments) just seemed a bit too long. I found myself skimming those parts hoping to get back to the dialogue between Pet and Matthias. I feel like it took me a minute to really get absorbed into the story but once that happened it was such a wonderful escape!

DNF, I'm not sure. There was just a lot going on all at once and I could not comprehend it. All the characters were introduced at once and I had no idea what was happening. It was like I was expected to know who everyone was within the first page. And the setting was incredibly unclear.

I love grumpy heroes and this one takes the cake! I love the way he loves the heroine and their banter is off the charts! Perfect balance of swoon, humor and spice. 🔥

I am a huge Lucy Parker fan and was thrilled to get an early copy of Codename Charming, book 2 of her Palace Insiders series, thanks to @netgalley, @avon, and @harpervoyager

✔️ Fake Dating
✔️ Coworkers
✔️ Grumpy/Sunshine
✔️ Forced Proximity (aka Trapped!)
✔️ Hurt/Comfort

I loved the grumpy/sunshine pairing of a stoic bodyguard who has cut himself off from emotion (Matthias) and a chaotic pixie personal assistant who is also dealing with a traumatic past (Pet). And I loved that they needed to fake date in order to stop the paparazzi from writing that Pet is having an affair with her boss (which she isn't). Coming up with mission codename charming happens early in the book and was one of my favorite scenes.

One of my other favorite moments occurred when these two were trapped together and fireworks ensue.

My only critique is that it felt like there were a lot of B storylines/mayhem that felt more distracting to the romance vs enhancing. But that is a small complaint; this book was delightful and perfect for those who love romcoms and like funny banter as well as off-the-wall situations (the parrot). 4⭐️

Steam 🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of Codename Charming by Lucy Parker

This was such a cute book! I absolutely loved it! The story moved along well without any big gaps or slow moving sections. I really liked the characters, I thought they were well fleshed out and were believable as a couple.

Picking up Codename Charming is like catching up with a friend you've been missing. I loved it!

In this follow on to Battle Royal, you're getting a royal adjacent workplace romance with fake dating. Between Pet who'a PA and Matthias who's personal security for Johnny Marchmont, the hapless husband of Princess Rose. When the paparazzi glom onto the idea that Pet and Johnny are having an affair, the royals come up with a fake dating scheme to divert attention.

There's a little bit of. a Beauty and the Beast thing going on here with Pet and Matthias being dubbed #tollandsmoll (lol) and the two find themselves actually falling for each other. But never admitting it, despite major attraction between them.

I loved the cheeky humor in this one. Lucy Parker drops some zingers in the first 30% that actually had me laughing out loud. But I think what really sets it apart is that there's a secondary plot that keeps this from being just a standard fake dating story.

A solid, sexy, slow burn for summer and beyond.

Thank you NetGalley and author for this ARC!

I enjoyed it a lot! Such a cute book. This book is a fun and flirty romantic comedy. I highly recommend this and will most definitely will be reading again.

An adorable unexpected romance and story of found family with tabloid drama and clumsy royal shenanigans.

What was meant to be a cover story for the press to make them stop lying about Johnny, turned into a real life romance between Pet and Matthias and it was adorable to read as they figured it out together.

4.5 I absolutely adored this book, just like I knew I would! Lucy Parker has a way of writing that just constantly keeps me engaged. I couldn't put this book down! I loved the romance in this! The way the main characters relationship developed gave me all the butterflies! Such a cute and fun read!

OK, this book was just stinking adorable. I really liked <i>Battle Royale</i> and so had high hopes for this one, and I was NOT let down. Pet and Matthias are THE couple.

I really liked Pet in the last book, and am so glad to see how she developed and bloomed into a beautiful character in this book. She had some things to overcome from her past, but she is a strong enough person that she could do it. And on her own, too, without anyone "fixing" her. Matthias was a lot of fun. The grumpy/sunshine trope is a fun one when done well, and though I see Matthias as more serious than grumpy, it was still immense fun to see him open up to Pet.

I loved the appearances from Rose and Johnny (even though the royals' subplots kind of slowed the pacing down a little?) and lord, that sweet Johnny and his inability to walk in a straight line without falling over is just adorable.

Overall, this was a really fun read, and I look forward to the next book from Lucy Parker.

Codename Charming convinced me to be a Lucy Parker fan for life, including purchasing the book that comes before this one. It is the perfect grumpy sunshine trope with the perfect amount of sweetness. I was rooting desperately for the HEA, and would follow these two into a whole new world of books. Recommend to any lover of contemporary romance.

She’s the sunny personal assistant to the new Royal and he’s the grumpy bodyguard, when a scandal threatens their favorite royals what better way to divert attention then to fake date...but it’s starting to feel very real. Petunia De Vere or “Pet” is the bubbly and sweet personal assistant to Johnny Marchmont, the new husband of the princess. Pet loves her job but there are definitely challenges but thankfully theres Matthias, a intimidating and strict bodyguard who just somehow always seems to catch Pet when she’s in danger. Matthias might seem scary but Pet knows that underneath that exterior is a very sweet and caring person. Matthias has made it his life’s duty to protect Johnny, and he can’t help but want to make sure Pet is protected and happy too. While Pet and Matthias might be polar opposites both of them just want to protect the people they care about. When the media starts spreading rumors that Pet is Johnny’s mistress ( which couldn’t be further from the truth) The Royal team decides to come up with a plan to squash the rumors once and for all, have Matthias and Pet stage a fake relationship, which they both agree too. Yet the more time Pet and Matthias spend together and “pretend” to be in love the more they are falling for one another. Can they take this relationship from fake to real? This was a really cute and sweet fake dating romance with a grumpy x sunshine and a tall x small trope. Pet and Matthias were both so sweet and caring for each other and their romance was just so cute. I had a blast with this one and would definitely recommend it for fans of fake dating romances!

*Thanks Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*