Highly enjoyable. I really enjoyed the setting, it was fun to have a romance set in a royal setting where is wasn't the royals love story. I liked the underlying theme of found family.

Codename Charming
Palace Insiders Series - Book 2
By Lucy Parker

Avon - August 2023

Contemporary Romance


Things were going well for Petunia DeVere. She had recently reconnected with her brother Dominic, and was now very close to him and his new wife Sylvie. She also really enjoyed her work as personal assistant to Johnny Marchmont, the newest member of the royal family. He was as sweet and naive as could be, which were dangerous attributes when combined with clumsiness and the paparazzi who always wanted to bring down, well, anyone.

Which was how Pet found herself in her current predicament. The newest rumor was that Johnny was stepping out on Princess Rose with Pet. It was an absolutely ludicrous story. Johnny and Rose were devoted to one another, but truth didn't matter in the tabloids. So Codename Charming was implemented. Pet would need to show the world she was in a relationship with someone else. That someone else being Matthias Vaughn. Johnny's quiet, somber, seems to have no interest in Pet, hunky, hulking bodyguard.

Matthias knew they were acting for the public, but had always been fascinated by the brilliant personality that was Pet. She adeptly handled Johnny, calming him and preparing him for the spotlight he now lived in. Spending their time off together was simple enjoyment. The only problem would be when he was forced to end the fake facade.

Codename Charming was another romance that entertained from beginning to end. Both have an unspoken attraction to one another, and it was pure enjoyment to see them realize just how unfake this assignment was. It had been awhile since the first Palace Insiders story was released, but although there are visits from previous characters, this story does stand on its own. Although I highly recommend also reading Battle Royal

Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com

I wanted to like this. I thought that the description sounded good but the romance was SO slow. Nothing really happened. I think this book was a lot longer than it needed to be. Like several pages were used to describe him touching her elbow and how it made her feel and what it could mean. I skimmed a ton and still probably could have skimmed more.

Characters appeared to have some depth, but their pasts were touched on in a way that made it not the main part of the story.

There’s lots of slight touches, kissing, and “almost” scenes, but no action till 88%. The one scene we got was really wordy without really giving me anything. Explicit but not good.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this digita l ARC.

Codename Charming is the second in Lucy Parker’s Palace Insiders. I was intrigued by the royal-adjacent romance that didn’t star any royals, even though I skipped the first in the series, Battle Royal. I was excited by the grumpy/sunshine premise and the fake dating and this book did not disappoint.

I am going to mention first off, however, that while Codename Charming has comedic moments (more than many books being sold as romantic comedies these days, honestly), it does touch on some more serious subjects, including grief. Both characters have very deeply woven backstories that show up in different ways as they are navigating their way to a happily ever after. Particularly Matthias, who has a lot of guilt due to surviving a knife attack that he lost his best friend to. And while I do believe that Codename Charming does a good job of balancing the serious with the not-so-serious, none of the serious stuff is mentioned in the description of the book, and it took me by surprise.

Codename Charming starts off with a funny situation, and manages to keep up the energy for the beginning, before it starts to delve into what can rightfully be called the traumatic incidents of our main characters’ pasts. It is when the book starts having Pet and Matthias work through some of their baggage that it started to drag a little for me. While I think that Pet was really crucial for some self-discovery on Matthias’s part, I don’t know how much Matthias was necessary for Pet’s backstory and the whole subplot about her absent/unknown father felt a little unnecessary, as it didn’t really pay off emotionally like I would have expected. I did enjoy seeing Matthias’s growth and how Pet fit into that, though, and especially enjoyed how she was protective of him even though he was the bodyguard.

Pet, Matthias, and the rest of the characters in the book are great. I really love Pet’s boss, Johnny, who is bumbling and wonderful and a large source of amusement. Dominic and Sylvie from Battle Royal show up, as Dominic is Pet’s previously estranged brother who she is beginning to build a relationship with, but I did not feel like I needed to have read the first book in order to appreciate their addition to Codename Charming.

That all being said, this was a really sweet romance and I did love the development of the relationship of Pet and Matthias. They were adorable together and I loved watching Matthias’s stoicism crumble in the face of Pet’s cuteness and competence. The quiet moments between Pet and Matthias were my favorites, and I really wish there could have been more of the everyday, instead of the dramatic scenes coming fast and furious. Sometimes, it just felt like a lot!

In Codename Charming, Parker has created an amazing cast of characters and a fun setting, but with a plot that’s a little all over the place. It’s definitely an enjoyable read, with genuinely amusing moments, as long as you go in aware that there are some heavier topics.

Grade: B

Content warnings: Matthias was in foster care as a child as his parents died in a car accident when he was young (only referenced, not on-page). Pet does not know her father and was emotionally abused by her stepfather and neglected by her mother (also only referenced, not on-page). There is an on-page mugging with a knife attack and a description of a past mugging gone wrong with a knife attack, causing the death of a friend of Matthias, and while it is not named as such Matthias displays some of the characteristics of somebody with PTSD as a result of the incident. Prior to the events of the book, Pet’s boss Johnny was attacked by a stalker who ended up hurting Pet, so there are mentions of that incident and her subsequent hospital stay.

Title: Codename Charming
Author: Lucy Parker
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.8 out of 5

Petunia De Vere enjoys being the personal assistant to lovable, bumbling Johnny Marchmont. But the job has its share of challenges, including the royal's giant, intimidating bodyguard, Matthias. Pet and Matthias are polar opposites--she's spontaneous and enthusiastic, he's rigid and stoic--but she can sense there's something softer underneath that tough exterior...

For Matthias Vaughn, protecting others is the name of the game. But keeping his royal charge out of trouble is more difficult than he imagined because everywhere Johnny goes, calamity ensues, and his petite, bubbly assistant is often caught in the fray. Matthias hates the idea of Pet getting hurt and he's determined to keep everyone safe, even if it means clashing with his adorable new coworker.

When a clumsy moment leads to a questionable tabloid photo, the press begins to speculate that Pet is romantically involved with Johnny. To put an end to the rumors, the royal PR team asks Pet and Matthias to stage a fake relationship and the two reluctantly agree. But as they spend more time together outside of work, they begin to wonder what real emotions this pretend connection might uncover. Especially when a passionate kiss leaves both of their heads spinning...

Parts of this read were quite funny—the parrot, in particular—including Johnny’s accident-prone self. I enjoyed the two main characters, but some of it felt a bit forced or off—like Pet’s propensity for impractical footwear in a job that seems to require quick and safe movements. The quirky royal family were fun to read, too, but in the end this just ended up being an okay read.

Lucy Parker live in New Zealand. Codename Charming is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review.)

This book is the perfect Beach read. It's full of funny moments that keep the pacing good. If you like royals, and fake dating-this us the book for you! Thank-you to #NetGalley and #AvonBooks for an ARC of this story.
The story is about Pet or rather Petunia and Matthias. Both of them work for perhaps the most clumsy, nervous member of the royal family-Johnny Marchmont. Johnny's clumsiness leads to several incidents that sic the paparazzi onto him. Matthias is a part of Johnny's royal bodyguards.
The book opens with an incident and Pet tries to cheer up
Johnny by going and getting a video game and snacks.
Matthias accompanies her. As they make their way back-
Matthias stops a crime from happening with an assist from Pet.
The next day finds a scandal. Johnny's clumsiness leads to a photo that makes it look like he's ogling Pet. The team decides to install : Codename Charming. Since the video of Matt and Pet stopping the criminals went viral. The palace decides to seize upon it and create a staged photos of Matt and Pet dating.
Matt and Pet begin their fake relationship and they have chemistry. They get to know each other and discover they truly care for each other.
There are some hilarious scenes in this book that I throughly enjoyed.

Codename Charming by Lucy Parker 🌤️

Pet is the personal assistant to Johnny who recently became a royal. Her job has its challenges including Johnny's giant and intimidating bodyguard, Matthias. Pet and Matthias are polar opposites in nearly every way. Matthias's focus is doing his job and being the best bodyguard he can. Which proves challenging when chaos ensues wherever Johnny goes and often times Pet ends up involved. When a clumsy moment leads to a questionable tabloid photo it's decided that Pet and Matthias need to fake date.

This was my first book by Lucy and I'm excited to read more. I quickly realized afters starting this is a follow up to her first book and there were a couple of moments where I didn't get the references being made. This can most definitely be read as a standalone though! If anything, it's made me want to go back and read her first book in the very near future.

I loved the premise behind this one! Matthias is the big, grumpy bodyguard while Pet is the sweet, sunshine-y personal assistant. It hints at being a bit of a beauty and the beast retelling, but I only saw that relevance in the characters appearance and personalities, not the story. Pet and Matthias end up having to fake date which of course leads to fun fake dates and fake kissing. It was really cute seeing them get to know each other through this and Matthias slowly softening up to Pet.

I wanted a little bit more on the romance for this one. It was super slow burn, which I loved and think worked perfectly for Pet and Matthias. However, I wish there was more dialogue between them. I feel like dialogue in romances are where I get truly convinced of the chemistry where a few times in this we were told they had a conversation about something instead of actually reading them having it. I think if I were to have read more of those impactful moments between Pet and Matthias I would have enjoyed this one a bit more. And don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed it! I just wanted more convincing on the romance.

Tropes:
🌤️ grumpy (him) / sunshine (her)
🕶️ bodyguard romance
❤️‍🔥 slow burn
👏🏼 no third act breakup
🤭 fake dating

dual POV
3.5/5 stars ⭐️
1/5 spice level 🌶️

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish this book. I could not not connect to the writing style. I DNF’d around 15% so I cannot give an honest review.

I am thankful to have read this book and I can see why everyone fell in love with these characters as they are adorable. The story was fun and sweet and I enjoyed my time with it. It was on the slower side which is not my favorite but overall I liked it

Beauty and the beast feels!

Petunia (Pet) De Vere is a personal assistant and troubleshooter to Johnny Marchmont, the husband of Princess Rose of Albany. Pet’s biggest issue is their personal protection officer Matthias Vaughn who is her total opposite, he’s a stickler for following the rules and Pet is all sunshiny and bright. But that all changes when she’s asked to fake a relationship with Matthias to get the tabloids off of Pet and Johnny. Maybe they had more things in common than they thought because it was hard to pretend to date when they both wanted it to be real.

Codename Charming is a charming sequel to Battle Royal (Palace Insiders #1) because you want more of everyone at St. Giles.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

thank you net galley for the arc! i honestly really enjoyed reading this book. the slow burn part kind of made me disinterested at some parts but overall I really enjoyed the book!

CODENAME CHARMING – Lucy Parker
Avon
ISBN: 978-0063040106
August 15, 2023
Romantic Comedy

England – Present Day

Petunia “Pet” De Vereen enjoys her job as a personal assistant to the Royal’s newest member, the husband of a princess. Unfortunately, Johnny is a klutz, which means that Pet is often on the receiving end of his blunders. Luckily for Pet, royal bodyguard Matthias Vaughn is often around to prevent her from getting hurt. But after a vicious paparazzi member insinuates that Pet is having an affair with Johnny after an inadvertent photo, it is suggested that Pet and Matthias pretend to be dating. This will mean appearing affectionate in public and going to events together. Will it work?

Matthias is what one would call a burly bodyguard. He is big and muscular and rarely smiles. But Pet senses that beneath his stern exterior lies a man who might be able to pull off the job of pretending to be her boyfriend. She doesn’t know him well, but since they will have to be alone together, it gives her a chance to dig a little to find out what makes him tick. Soon, their alone time is stirring up an attraction between them. Will their pretend romance turn into the real thing?

It's a fun romance for Pet and Matthias in the rollicking CODENAME CHARMING. Though at times they aren’t looking for the trouble, it finds them. This includes a run-in with a foul mouth bird that Johnny mistakenly thought had been stolen. It’s up to Pet and Matthias to return it to a royal suite before its owner misses it. Alas, it wasn’t as easy as they thought when they end up stuck in a closet after the husband returns early to the room, with romance on his mind with the lady who is not his wife accompanying him. Will Pet and Matthias be discovered? Will their ears be forever burned by what they overhear while the couple gets amorous? But one thing that happened during that time is that it amped up the sexual attraction between Pet and Matthias. Will it lead to a tryst of their own?

If you love silly romances, then CODENAME CHARMING is the one for you. Pet is the ever-faithful royal employee while Matthias is the best royal bodyguard a kingdom can have. But there is plenty of behind-the-scenes pomp and circumstance that goes on as readers will soon discover. There is always a delicate balance between keeping the press happy and maintaining privacy for the royals. Pet and Matthias show the madcap ways the staff keeps everyone happy—and a royal household running smoothly. Along the way, we learn more about Pet and Matthias’s backgrounds. One is Pet discovering that she has a doppelganger nearby. Will this lead to her finding out who her father is? Will our fearless couple find love and their own happily ever after?

A charming and witty romance, don’t miss CODENAME CHARMING.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

I genuinely loved this book. It follows Pet and Matthias, two people in staff for the Royal family. The chemistry was palpable. I loved the tension. I’m usually not a fan of slow burn, but this one was done right. The reasons why it wasn’t a five star for me are 1. It was too long. A lot of unnecessary things happening that could’ve been condensed by several chapters and 2. They kept calling this man ugly. Like KEPT calling him ugly. It was overdone. I get that they’re supposed to be contracting in appearance, but I wasn’t a fan of how hard they went in on his looks. Overall, great book and great message about finding family and love when you fighting to feel worthy of it.

Petunia De Vere is the personal assistant to royal bumbling (but loveable) Johnny. The only problem is his stoic and rigid bodyguard. Matthias Vaughn is a protector, and his charge is protecting the royal Johnny. However, whenever Johnny has a clumsy moment, it seems like his assistant Petunia is always caught in the middle of it. One clumsy moment, someone gets a picture of Matthias that looks compromising with Petunia, and it gets out to the press. The two pretend to date for a while, until the fallout from the picture fades.

But of course, fake dating doesn't stay fake for long. Someone always catches feelings! The romance was a little bit of a slow burn for me, with a little extraneous (and maybe not necessary for the story) plot thrown in, but I really enjoyed the humor and the emotion between Pet and Matthias. Great writing, relatable characters, fun times! I really enjoyed this one!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

We met Pet and Matthias in Battle Royal. He's a huge royal bodyguard, and she's now working as personal assistant to a princess's husband (who is the most accident prone man). They've each been harboring a twinkle, a little crush, on the other since the previous book. And now, for romance reasons, they have to pretend to date. And maybe get a little carried away kissing in public. And there's a very amusing incident with a parrot.

I was here for both of these characters. They're delightful. Matthias is buttoned up and professional and could snap a man in half. Pet is bubbly and super competent and dresses in vintage clothing. They're each dealing with issues of the past and of family, and maybe some of that is wrapped up a little quickly, but I'll give it a pass.

The really sweet thing about this story is how Pet and Matthias help each other fill the gaps in their lives. They care. So much. And not just about each other.

I spent the entire epilogue crying happy tears.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was a bit underwhelming for me. I found it hard to enjoy the relationship between Pet and Matthias. I love the idea of grumpy x sunshine, fake dating, and throw in some forced proximity due to working arrangements, but I just could find the chemistry or excitement I want from these elements. Maybe the slow burn was just a little too slow for me with all of the outside events that impact their growing relationship.

I am not sure if it is the setting, the writing style, or the events surrounding their story, but I just could not get into this book and I found myself putting it down and picking it back up to read little by little. Overall, it is not a bad book, it is just was not for me.

Petunia (Pet) is wee like Thumbelina. She works as a personal assistant for a bumbling, accident prone royal. Matthias is a gigantasaurus bodyguard for the royal family. No this isn’t dino-smut. Matthias is a human, but so large that everyone treats him like a scary monster…everyone but Pet.

The tabloids create a fake scandal that Pet is sleeping with her royal boss- so the team whips up a fake romance between Pet and Matthias to trick the press. We all know what happens next as you can’t have a fake romance without actually falling in love- It’s required by law.

This was a enjoyably cute, low steam romance. It’s a sequel to Battle Royal and it def helps to read that first for context. I was hoping for a big “bodyguard saves damsel in distress from near death” scene or vice versa but alas, nada which was a bit of a missed opportunity. I also had a hard time picturing these two getting it on bc of their size difference. Pet was constantly being lifted off the ground and I applaud her acrobatics and bravery. Spoiler alert: her wee pelvis was not injured by his giantness.

Smut- 1.9 star
Romance- 4.3 stars
Story- 3.9 stars
The physics that must be utilized for these two lovebirds to makeout- 5.9 stars

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

I’ve long waited for Matthias & Pet’s book & Codename Charming has some great moments that pulled at the ole heartstrings.

Starting with the fact that Matthias is a security guard for royals & becomes VERY protective of Pet, their royal assistant, & including the fact that to everyone else, their romance is beauty & the beast but to Pet, he is beauty & strength & dependability.

& it didn’t quite pull at my heartstrings that Matthias has chest hair but I liked it, okay?

Codename Charming also has a fake dating, opposites attract (but really they have compatible backgrounds) premise, a slooooow burn, some humor, & a story of two people creating this world where they can feel comfortable, together.

Add to that an investigation into Pet’s father’s family & a meddling set of Royals & you have a cheery romance that is—as the title says—charming.

4⭐️. Out 08/15.

CWs include: an emotionally abusive father; knife attack flashback; attempted knife attack in current book. Death of friend & feelings of responsibility. An unknown father that Pet discovers in book.

[ID: Jess, a white woman wearing a pale purple shirt, holds the ebook & a handful of white & pink flowers]

There's just something about a Lucy Parker book that puts on a smile on my face. Was this my favorite of her books? Not by a long shot (as evidenced by the fact that it took me 5 days to finish it). The first half felt a little lagging and slow, even for being a slow burn. But it's really Pet (short for Petunia) and Matthias who stole the show for me. WIth their simmering attraction and the forced proximity by way of a fake relationship to convince the notoriously diabolical British tabloids that Pet is not having an affair with her married boss who happens to be married to an actual member of the British monarchy, these two silently pining fools were delightful and endearing and so so sweet. Even if the romance felt a bit lacking, especially in the first half, the grumpy, taciturn Matthias and the bubbly and vivacious Pet were the true highlights of the story.

Lucy Parker is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers! Codename Charming’s name is extraordinarily suitable for this delightful sequel to Battle Royal. I was so excited to see that this was Pet and Matthias’ story, and was giddy when I realized that it included the fake dating trope. As with Battle Royal, Codename Charming is the novel equivalent to sitting down with a cup of hot chocolate on a cozy day- it’s warm, sweet, and has a surprising amount of depth and complexity. It’s easily my favorite romcom of the year!