Member Reviews
Loyally, Luke is part of the Skymar series. I didn't realize this when reading and it isn't necessary to have read the others to enjoy this one as it is considered a standalone. I thoroughly enjoyed Luke and will definitely be checking out the other Skymar selections.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.
I have absolutely adored this whole Skymar series from Pepper Basham. And though I've always scoffed at the term "book boyfriend", I have to say, Luke Edgewood has defined that term for me. I was hesitant to read this one at first because I had so adored Luke as a side character, I was worried he would not do as well as a main character, but sure enough, he shined through in this story as well. This story takes Luke "across the pond" once again to help Lewis Gray with a construction project, when he's also called in to be the second opinion for a construction issue at the local orphanage because he can be fully un-biased. While this one had less of the epistolary feel than the first 2, it still had several epistolary "scenes", all of which had me either laughing or crying. But for those who are not fans of that style, this one has it only minimally. I enjoy both styles and maybe would have preferred a bit more of the text/email feel to it, but it had enough to satiate me. Overall, this one was a super fun read - full of romance and great banter, character development, a solid faith thread and all the hallmark-y vibes while making fun of the hallmark-y vibes. Though it was fun and hallmark-y, there was definitely still depth in the storyline and in the character development and romance as well, so don't discount this one as solely a fluffy read (even though it has the fun light-hearted feel of a fluffy read). Though reading the first 2 in the series is not essential to the enjoyment of this book, it does deepen the appreciation for the characters and the background story arc. I enjoyed catching up with both Izzy and Penelope in the background as well as getting to know Luke in the front and center. If you enjoy a good rom-com and enjoy some epistolary in the storytelling, this series and this book are ones I would definitely recommend. Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of this book. I was under no obligation to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.
I'll start by saying, purely from a book standpoint, this was a good one. Good story, likeable characters, beautiful setting. It's clearly part of a series, as it talked about other character's and their lives like I should know about it already.
Personally, I struggled to get through it. It was just a bit slow for me. While I can still appreciate it as a good book, it took me a long time to get through it. But that's just my own experience. ๐คท๐ปโโ๏ธ
I can still easily recommend it for a light, romance read. Princess and commoner. Longing. Technically hidden identity and forbidden love. The small town vibes and side characters!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Readers who have read the previous two books in the series will probably like this installment. I found the texting all the time was irritating. Not what I was expecting.
3.5โญ๏ธ Let me start off by saying, this book was very sweet. It took me a minute to get into it, and it was a bit too long, but I enjoyed it overall. Pepper Basham has such a fun way of writing her stories and characters. The inner thoughts that her characters have when they are fighting their attraction for each other is so funny, and she writes it so well that itโs not cheesy and annoying.
Luke and Ellie try to steer clear of having a Hallmark romance while having a Hallmark romance. Which is why I felt like it was never cheesy and actually a lot of fun. They acknowledged the fact that a lot of the things happening were very clichรฉ of a Hallmark romance. But like I said, the author writes in a way where it never seemed clichรฉ or cheesy.
I think where this story fell flat was that is was so long. I felt like this book could have been 100 pages shorter and we wouldnโt have missed out on anything. So I found myself skimming at times and wanting the story to wrap up. But all in all, it was an enjoyable read with a quirky cast of characters that wiggle their way into your heart and make you smile.
Read if you enjoy:
- Forced proximity
- Hidden Identity
- Forbidden romance
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book was so adorable. Like there was just such a sweetness to it that just left me constantly swooning. I honestly havenโt read many royal romances but I adored this one. Luke Edgewood is *chefโs kiss*. He was honestly just such a top notch stand up guy. He was kind, thoughtful, wise and encouraging. I loved how he made Ellie better and pushed her to believe and see the best in herself. And Ellie was fantastic. She was tough and strong and had been through so much and her story of redemption was beautiful. These two were just such a wonderful example of partners who make each other better and are willing to make sacrifices for each other.
This book is filled with so many nuggets of wisdom and I feel like everyone was so thoughtful and logical and it was just really refreshing. There wasnโt any unnecessary drama and everything about the story felt normal and flowed well. And I loved the ending!
Luke is the third sibling to spend time in the country of Skymar, though this can easily stand alone. Told through the dual perspective of Luke and Ellie, including texts, the running joke of being like a Hallmark movie was fun at first but did get stale. I appreciated how Luke lived his faith, had a close relationship with his sisters and cousin, and was a man of integrity. The message of accepting forgiveness, forgiving yourself and knowing your true worth in Godโs eyes was well done. References to and quotes from Star Wars, Princess Bride and other movies were fun additions. Overall this was an enjoyable sweet romance. Recommended.
I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of Blue Ridge Mountain-born Luke, meeting a real princess, Ellie. Only he doesn't know that. Full of tropes and predictable rom-com themes..on purpose...it was fun to see the guy who hates those things really embrace them in the end. This is the perfect complement to the first two in Basham's series. I enjoyed the clean story but with characters who make real mistakes and aren't perfect Christian stereotypes. The modern flow of the language...in this story, through a lot of texts...was part of what made this story. I look forward to exploring more of Basham's work!
Thanks to #NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this ARC.
I enjoyed reading Loyally Luke, the third book in Pepper Bashamโs Skymar series set on a fictional European island in the North Sea. Iโve been looking forward to reading Lukeโs romance story and it was worth the wait.
Luke is a down-to-earth American guy whoโs a carpenter by trade and likes the simple things in life. He has a dry sense of humor and tolerates the ridiculous nonsense thatโs regularly spouted by his younger sister, Penelope. Sheโd love to see Luke star in a real life Hallmark-style royalty romance with all the tropes. Luke canโt stand sappy romance movies and he has zero interest in moving in high and mighty royal circles.
Ellie is a princess who has been offline for a few years to recover from a bad reputation she gained in the gossip columns. Ellie wants to please her parents, the King and Queen of Skymar, and return to her life as a working royal. Ellie is quietly working on a charity project in a remote part of Skymar and renovating an orphanage where sheโs a patron.
Luke is only in Skymar for a few months and he ends up working on the orphanage project with Ellie. Like Ellie, heโs loyal to his family. His home is with his family in a small Blue Ridge Mountains town.
Luke and Ellieโs meet cute is hilarious. Luke has no idea that Ellie is a celebrity and real life princess. A delightful romance develops as Luke and Ellie become more than friends and are challenged to consider if they could have a future together.
This is Lukeโs story and itโs fun to read a romance thatโs more slanted toward the male viewpoint. The group chats in the epistolary style are amusing and there are fewer epistolary story elements than in the other Skymar books. I read this series out of order โ Positively Penelope (book 2) then Authentically Izzy (book 1) before reading Lukeโs story (book 3). The stories are standalone romances but Iโd recommend reading the books in order, if possible, to gain a fuller appreciation of the banter and humor in the family group chat conversations.
I recommend Loyally Luke to contemporary romance readers who like different worlds and undercover princess royalty romances with epistolary style content and a relevant faith element in the story.
Many thanks to Thomas Nelson and Net Galley for the advanced reader copy. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
When Luke Edgewood travels to the small European country of Skymar, his first encounter with a local is with a Grace Kelly look-alike, and it is not pleasant. When they pick up each otherโs coffee, he finds her arrogant and rude. However, his youngest sister believes the encounter to be a meet cute example. When Luke discovers that the woman, he met was a real princess, he is even more astounded when he and Ellie are forced to work together to restore a castle-like orphanage in a secluded mountain town.
Luke was a delightful character with plenty of sarcasm and wit. His relationship with his sister made for some great conversations which were quite entertaining, especially his understanding of Hallmark movies. I also enjoyed seeing how he and Ellieโs chemistry develops as his down-to-earth personality grounds her. A sweet read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book was by far the best in the series! The balance between correspondence and "in person" interactions was absolutely perfect. While this story did feel a little long at times but it was still really well done!
The story of Luke and Ellie was all the best parts of a romantic Hallmark Channel Movie! I enjoyed the Penelope and Izzy were still very much present in this book as much as the others. I really hope this is not the last time we will be in Skymar!
This is a satisfying end to the series, left me with a smile on my face.
I think you need to read Authentically, Izzy and Positively, Penelope before reading this book, because they give you the background on why they are all in Skymar and the family dynamics of these various characters.
This one has Luke arriving in Skymar and having a "meet cute" (not so much according to Luke) with Eliana, who just happens to be royal in disguise. When they find themselves together again, you know sparks are going to fly.
The first two novels in this series are mostly epistolary, but this one is a really nice mix of both. I did like that, especially since I had the audiobook version. This made the book flow better for me than with the epistolary format (which I love, don't get me wrong)
I adored that Luke got his happily ever after, and as with all of Basham's books, there's a pervasive feeling of hope throughout. As the characters grow and change, the reader learns right alongside them. I was happy to see that, although this series is ending, Luke will make an appearance in an upcoming book.
If you're looking for a series that makes you smile and sigh contentedly at the end, this is definitely one to pick up.
โ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ | ๐ฝ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ: ๐ธ-๐ต๐๐๐ & ๐๐๐น๐พ๐๐ท๐๐๐
๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ข๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐?! ๐๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐๐๐ญ, ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ฌ๐ฒ ๐ซ๐๐๐. ๐๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ-๐๐จ๐ฆ/๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ค ๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ค ๐จ๐, ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก-๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ง ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ, ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ก ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ. ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ข๐จ๐๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง; ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ, ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ฅ๐๐ฒ๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ฃ๐จ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐.
๐๐จ๐ฒ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ, ๐๐ฎ๐ค๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฒ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ก๐ข๐ซ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ง ๐จ๐ซ๐ฉ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ค๐ฒ๐ฆ๐๐ซ, ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ. ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง ๐ฎ๐ง๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ง ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฉ, ๐ก๐โ๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐ฉ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐งโฆ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ.
๐ป๐๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐
๐
๐๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐, ๐ฏ๐ฝ๐๐๐ถ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐น๐พ๐ธ๐๐พ๐๐, & ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข๐ถ๐๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐
๐! ๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐พ๐๐พ๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐.
Loyally Luke is a fantastic ending to the Skymar trilogy! In the first two books, we've gotten to know Luke on the surface. He's the steady, calm brother of Penelope and Izzy, and he is most certainly not interested in falling in love, especially with someone that could have walked off of a Hallmark movie set. But that is just what he does. It was so fun to read his thoughts and interactions with his sisters and cousin in the epistolary parts of the novel. It was equally fun to jump into the mind of Ellie. She tries so hard to show her maturity and that she is ready and responsible enough to become a working royal in Skymar. But she didn't count on Luke, and the situations they find themselves in. I appreciated how well they "clicked", and especially their own personal journeys of growth and maturity. I also laughed out loud quite a bit! This book was so fun to read, and I couldn't put it down. I also appreciated the more serious spiritual moments, and felt they were realistic to the characters. This book had more of a half and half ratio of epistolary to "regular" novel writing style, like Penelope's book, and I enjoyed that. If you're looking for a funny, heartwarming romance in a charming setting, this is a book you need to read! Though I would recommend reading books one and two first.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy. I was not required to write a positive review; all thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book is a heartwarming romance that masterfully combines humor, depth, and a touch of whimsy. Basham has a unique way of writing characters that feel like old friends, and Luke, the protagonist, is no exception. His journey, filled with personal growth and romantic gestures, resonated with me on many levels.
Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction "I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own." I read/listened to this book and I absolutely feel in love with Luke and Ellie. I didn't even know that this was book series but it doesn't matter because it is Luke's story. But lets be real most of all I loved the text messages. I loved the references to faith it was not in your face for those that don't need it but it was perfect for those of those that do. I cant wait to go back and read the prev two stories of Skymar now.
Iโve been eagerly awaiting Lukeโs story in this series. He was a manโs man complete with flannel work shirts and strong black coffee. One of his sisters described him as a Tootsie Roll Pop with a hard shell but a soft, sweet center. Luke was very close to his sisters and like-a-sister cousin but he considered it cringeworthy the number of texts and conversations he has had to endure with them that included girlie talk of rom-com movies, dashing heroes, and royal romances. When Luke was called to oversee a construction project in the small European country of Skymar he was thrilled to have an opportunity to use his specialized carpentry skills in the restoration work until he realized that he would have to work alongside the royal princess of Skymar who was the patron of the orphanage. Thankfully Luke was not tempted by how good she looked in her jeans and sweater as she swung her hammer. Nope. Not even a little bit. No matter how excited his sisters were that Luke might actually get to live out his own real Hallmark-like romance, Luke was determined to hold onto his man card and resist with all his might. The author has created such interesting and complex characters who are so unique and yet familiar. I love the way she wove their stories together and used humor and love for family as part of the mix. As a bonus, Basham is a master at writing swoony kisses and this book was so romantic. I loved it! Highly recommend! I received a complimentary copy of the book. All opinions expressed are strictly my own.
I have been so looking forward to Lukeโs story. From the very first time he was introduced, I knew his book would be a favorite. Luke is the quintessential manโs manโฆhe loves Rambo, Star Wars, working with his hands, a romantic cynic, and an adamant Hallmark movie hater. He is a flannel wearing, straight talking, nonsense kinda guy. But heโs not all business and grump; he loves his family, his work, his home, and the mountains. He is quick to lend a hand and come to the rescue. And his generous, willing heart lands him smack dab in the midst of his worst nightmare. Where love and chance are abundant, the impossible becomes possible, and romantic entanglement is nigh on inevitable.
From a disastrous meet-cute to forced proximity, hidden identity to opposite attract, to bells chiming and fairly-odd godparents, Pepper lays it on thick. Poor Luke doesnโt stand a chance.
This story was a charming as they come. With light faith themes, lovable characters, more pop culture references than you can shake a stick at, Pepper always delivers fun and swoon.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy, all opinions are my own.
Bravo, author Pepper Basham, on sharing the love story of Luke who is the practical, solid rock of his family. A man who secretly would love to find the right woman, but outwardly is a bit crusty and is adamantly opposed to the mushy Hallmark romance movies. I have enjoyed getting to know him through the other two books in the series and was so happy to read his love story.
There are just so many wonderful things to love about this book. The humor throughout was perfect. This includes the airport (not) meet cute, an incident with a royal guard, and the texting between Luke and his sisters. Ms. Basham portrayed Luke just as I thought he would be, a feat not easily achieved when he was written as a secondary character for the other two books.
Even though it seems Luke and Ellieโs romantic relationship wonโt work out, Luke doesnโt let that deter him from being so thoughtful and helping her complete items on her list of simple things to do. I enjoyed how others were part of the equation of helping them with their HEA.
Things to love:
flannel
Skymar
royals
second chances
multiple romance tropes
friends and family
Skymar school and its students
I loved this third book the Skymar series and heartily recommend reading it. In order to enjoy this book fully, you should begin with Authentically, Izzy. I hope you will enjoy this book and the rest of the series as much as I do.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
This book was even more fun than books 1 & 2. Luke is a flannel wearing construction worker who has no use for love stories in any way, shape, or form. Ellie is a Skymarian princess whose past has been splashed all over the tabloids and has spent the last 3 years trying to repair her reputation in order to become a working princess. Their first meeting is disastrous. They unknowingly end up on the same renovation project. Of course, with commentaries through texts from Penelope & Izzy, their story seems to run in the lines of a Hallmark story (or at lest according to Penelope). Will they truly fall in love or will Luke run away screaming? Will Ellie's royalty get in the way. Will Luke & Ellie become the people God ment them to be?
I received an ARC copy from Netgally & the publisher. All opinions are my own.