I honestly had a hard time getting into this book in the beginning. There was a bit of a disconnect in my mind with the story revolving around a royal family in present time, because that’s not really something I follow. However, towards the middle, the main characters became a little more “friendly” with each other, and I found myself drawn in. I’m so glad I didn’t tag this as a “did not finish” because it really was so cute!

When NetGalley graciously gave me a copy of Codename Charming in exchange for an honest review, I dropped everything to read it. I have long been a fan of Lucy Parker and I have been anxiously awaiting this book since the moment I finished Battle Royal. (Which I also adored.)

I was not disappointed. Parker is very good at balancing Grump/Sunshine relationships, so that neither party is a caricature, and both have emotionally satisfying arcs. Pet and Matthias are wonderful together, which to me, is an absolutely critical element in a good romance.

My *only* issue is that at times, the humor veers into slapstick. This isn’t my personal preference so your mileage may vary. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this and I recommend it to anyone looking for a romance that deftly balances emotional growth with humor and charm.

This has been my most anticipated sequel for a while. It didn’t really disappoint. I love these characters and this world so much. There were a couple of moments, that thoughts and descriptions seem to overtake the action a little bit. I did adore this book and I hope we get more.


I voluntarily read an early copy.

If I were to hold up and example of why romance readers love the genre, this book would be the master class. I had not read a Lucy Parker before, and that was major oversight on my part. This nearly clean, but still very sexy, take on the "fake relationship" trope was a delight from start to finish.

The characters are well developed and have appropriately complex backstories, without any of it being trite. The main premise actually gets very little press when compared to the multiple entwining plots that are all playing out among the hilarious, and often disastrous, backdrop of the royal Marchmont family. Everything comes together neatly for many HEAs, but in a believable way. (Having everyone act out of character just to tie up the loose ends is a huge pet-peeve of mine, none of that here!)

All the romance genre highlights are hit: the clever use of tropes, well-written chemistry and the subtle odes to romantic classics weave together into a book I devoured in one sitting.

When Lucy Parker releases a new novel, we're always ready. Her novels entertain us with snappy dialogue, plunge us into London (and in this case a royal family), and always guarantee a good time. In Codename Charming we get to watch Pet and Matthias go from pretending to be annoyed (or actually just a little flustered) around each other to becoming friends while faking a relationship that we all know will never be fake at all. Both Pet and Matthias come from less than wonderful upbringings and both carry wounds from earlier years; the difference is that Pet is a ray of sunshine while Matthias is perceived to be a grump (he's actually a huge softy) and while these wounds could prohibit them from falling for each other, it's really their disbelief that the other could possibly want them that is the real obstacle. Typical.



Playing in the background is a royal family that is a hot mess in the most hilarious ways and a nefarious media circus always trying to put them in the worst light--which is how the "fake" romance comes to be. While this is all going on, we get to know more about our main characters and their friends, as well as see more of Pet's brother and sister-in-law and how their dueling bakeries are doing (happy to report all is well there).



As usual, Parker not only has us invested in what's going on with our main characters, she's building interest in secondary characters, making us hopeful we'll get another book in this series.

I’m so happy I got to see the gang again! This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2023! I kept refreshing NetGalley hoping I got approved - happy to say I did! Pet and Matthias’s story was so nice to see like who doesn’t love a body guard romance? There was so many funny parts in this story. Johnny specifically just couldn’t seem to stay out of trouble no matter how hard he and everyone else tried. I will say I didn’t connect to Pet And Matthias nearly as much as I did with Sylvie and Dominic, but I don’t know if I anyone could top them tbh. I absolutely love the story and adored how hilarious all the characters were.

Thanks Avon and NetGalley of the eARC! Please check this book out August 15, 2023!

Normally Lucy Parker is an automatic 5 star read for me... but this one wasn't quite. It almost seemed like Parker was spoofing herself? The silly things that happen in all of her books were EXTRA silly this time. (i.e. the flying squirrel situations)

But, it still made me smile, and I was happy to keep reading.

Do you ever just want to love a book but quickly learn that it is not working out for you? That is how this book hit me. It just didn’t work for me. I was really sad too because I read that it had lots of sex and swearing, which I am always in the mood for. The character names just made me cringe and so did their interactions. I just disliked all of them. This was my first book by this author, but I have heard fantastic things, so I will try another. I think this was just the case of the wrong book for the wrong person. With the many five-star reviews, I am sure this book will do well and many people will enjoy. Sadly, that was just not me.

I loved this book! Lucy Parker is already a favorite author of mine, but this book exceeded my already high expectations. This book is second in a series, but could be easily read as a stand alone or out of order. Full of both love and humor, this is the story of a PA and a bodyguard, both working for a royal couple, who are asked to fake a romance to distract the paparazzi. . Parker deftly manages both the "fake romance" and "beauty and the beast" tropes, without falling into the worst of rom-com pitfalls. The "fake" dosen't drag on too long, and the quintessential (and often aggravating) break-up crisis near a book's end does not appear. The romance is swoon-worthy; the humor is genuinely funny. Refreshing and wonderful.

This was only my second Lucy Parker and I am eager to read more. It had been a bit since I had read the connected book Battle Royal, but I had no problem jumping back into this world. This was silly and fun to the point where I sometimes got a little bored. I did find some of the takes in this book odd, but overall it was quite sweet!

i love LP’s British romances and this was a much anticipated sequel to Battle Royal. It’s a unique Royal twist on a few of my favorite tropes (he falls first and fake dating) with a fun secretive twist. I appreciated the lack of conventionally dreamy MMC. The goofiness of some of the storylines was endearing and fitting for this couple but I would have swapped it for more steam. Thank you for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is out in August!

Sigh... I'm a big Lucy Parker fan and was really looking forward to this book. I loved "Battle Royal" and was eager to read about Pet and Mathias. However, this story appeared to be more committed to advancing a specific agenda than spinning an entertaining and romantic yarn.

The story started out OK but it just didn't capture my imagination as Parker's previous stories had. I had trouble connecting with Mathias and Pet or really caring that much about their potential relationship. There was a lack of the kind of entertaining snarky dialogue prevalant in the author's other books and the "funny" scenes just weren't that funny. The character of Johnny, who I had found sweet and charming in "Battle Royal" was, for me in this book, a bit annoying and daft. I grew bored during the parrot scene and basically skimmed the story until the end.

There were some highlights such as glimpses into Dominic's and Sylvie's relationship and the introduction of Matthias' cat, Miriam,

For me, when there's proselytizing for a certain way of thinking within a story that I'm reading for fun, it diminishes the quality and the level of enjoyment for the reader. Or, at least, for this reader.

Many, many f-bombs and graphic sex.

This was a really adorable and fun story. It reminded me a bit of Beauty and the Beast. Its the story that is part of a series and I have not read any of the previous books. That said, it easily stands aloe.

In this book we meet Rosie who is a princess and her husband, Johnny. Johnny is a very clumsy and good looking guy and his PA is Petunia or Pet. Pet is an adorable and sweet person but she tends to get a bit reckless sometimes in saving Johnny. The press thinks there is a romance between Pet and the prince. The princess knows its riduculous but wants to stop the rumors so she comes up with a plan. Our beast is Matthias and he is also security detail for Johnny and the princess plots that Matthias and Pet enter into a fake romance. And thats when this book became so much fun.

This was a fun story about a fake romance among the royalty. Pet was such a fun character and Matthias was the perfect partner for her. I totally loved this book so much and could not put it down.

I think this will end up one of my favorite romances for the new year. It was a book that managed to have a really good romantic story line, with a fake dating premise. But, the background characters and subplot were also interesting and well done. I have not yet managed to read book one in the series, Battle Royal, but this one can stands alone. Definitely think one of my next reads will be it, though. Will be recommending to other romance lovers who want a HEA with no major angst.

I've been waiting for this book!!
On the whole, I was satisfied with the twists of the plot. Nevertheless, I felt it was less cohesive than Battle Royal..
I liked the dual viewpoints, loved more of Mabel's zingers, and wish I had that crazy duchess in my family. But I felt that we were being told more than shown in the story. Still, it's worth reading!
Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for a fair review.

In Palace Insiders #2, Petunia 'Pet' De Vere, personal assistant to Princess Rose of Albany, and Matthias Vaughn, bodyguard to the princess's lovably accident-prone husband, Johnny Marchmont, are pressured into a fake relationship to distract from ugly rumors that Johnny is a serial cheater whose roving eye has turned to Pet. Much is made of their apparent differences--tiny & enthusiastic vs. physically imposing & taciturn--but the author slowly reveals the deep compatibility of the couple as they deal with high stress public events, past trauma, and family secrets. The revelations reminded me of Mariana Zapata's much-adored Kulti, though Codename Charming is fast-paced and steamier.

If you enjoy Lucy Parker and bodyguard romances, make sure to check out one of her earlier books, Artistic License, published under the pen name Elle Pierson.

This is such a charming (see what I did there?), warm, hot, and moving story of two people finding each other and found family in the strangest of circumstances. I couldn't put it down! Absolutely delightful.

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for this eARC, one of my most anticipated of the year!

I loved Battle Royal, and this was similarly perfect. Pet and Matthias (a royal assistant and bodyguard) were the best at fake but not really fake dating, and the tensionnnnnn that Lucy Parker created was incredible. Also, crafts are a surprisingly important part of the story. I hope there are more of these, maybe Benji?

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
This book is absolutely charming! I was so excited to read Pet and Matthias' story. I love a good fake-dating trope and a grumpy hero. Pet is a delight as always and does not disappoint! Codename Charming is witty and adorable as well as thoughtful and steamy. Highly recommend!