This was my favorite of the series!

So fun to finally get Luke's story after the previous ones. We know he's down to earth, but also loyal hence the title.
Ellie is a royal intent on reforming her old ways and she's committed to that.

I much liked this book's narrative style instead of the epistolary one of books 1 and 2. Of course, with Luke being a man of few words, it only made sense.

I really loved all the sweet moments between Ellie and Luke at the orphanage during the construction.

I highly recommend reading this one and the other two before.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

"Loyally, Luke" for me is a highly anticipated read of 2024 and I got to so excited when I saw I got approved for the arc!

This book is so delightful and delivers such heartfelt moments, hope, laughter, and swoon worthy romance! The story features tropes like adorable orphan children, small town charm, the spirit of well bound community and lovely characters!

Luke Edgewood, our main male character, and the highlight of the book for me if you ask me, is portrayed as a gem, a good man who is a quiet and steady hero. Luke's interactions with children, mentoring boys and listening to emotionally overwrought girls, are precious. And his relationship with his sisters??? It is characterized by such genuine care, thoughtfulness, and being a listening ear that captured my heart.

The book so well showcases Luke's wry sense of humor, careful craftsmanship, and endless patience with his sisters. Luke aims to strike a balance between being a fixer and a friend, and he is loyal to home and family. And the funny thing is, despite being practically allergic to romance, Luke falls in love with a princess.

Ellie, the female main character, is a prodigal princess trying to repair her reputation and rediscovers her true self with Luke's encouragement.

Luke and Ellie as a couple are hilarious, with a meet cute that is both humorous and unique. They balance each other well despite their different worlds, initial misunderstandings, forced proximity, and Ellie's hidden identity.

The last book of the series brings bittersweetness as the Edgewood Trio's story comes to an end, but it is satisfying to see the characters get their happily ever afters. Cameo appearances of previous book characters add to the loveliness of the story.

Overall, such a lovely book I do recommend it! Thanks for Netgalley and the publisher for sending an arc my way in an exchange for an honest review!

This was a sweet little romance that drew attention to all the romance tropes! It was pretty wholesome and tame! Just something to make you say awww!

The third book in the Skymar series, but can be read as a stand-alone.

Princess in hiding falls for an American carpenter. A very Hallmark movie vibe, and they also reference the movies in the story a lot. Sweet romcom. It has a lot of emails and texting in the story. Sounds like the two previous books may have more of that, but I think this one used the perfect amount.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Loyally, Luke to come out May 14, 2024.

I’ve read 3 chapters so far and I actually can’t continue.. each one opens with texting.. everyone is texting one another and I’m actually getting so confused.. that is kind of what’s throwing me off.. once a chapter starts I have no idea who’s the one narrating it.. I was intrigued with plot but I find it’s all over the place...

*I received a complementary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.* Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the ARC

I had originally thought that this was a standalone read but as I got into the book, it seemed like the sister and cousin had their own books as well, and they did, so I may go back and read those later. Anyway, I really liked how wholesome Luke was, but I will say, the movie did very much mimic a Hallmark movie in a lot of ways and the plot didn't feel particularly original. I felt like the actual relationship could have been more developed between Luke and Ellie and at the same time, I felt that the book read a bit slow, despite not having detailed relationship development. I think I would have given this book a 3.5 if I could but that's not an option. I liked the characters, I just wish we got a more in depth relationship development.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

Wow — what an absolute beautiful book. I was very intrigued just by reading the synopsis.

I want to thank Thomas Nelson and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC.I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."I have read both the preceding books- Authentically Izzy and Positively Penelope. This is the third in the series. I would not recommend reading this until you have read the other 2. While they are stand alones in plot, the relationships of Izzy, Penelope, Luke and Josephine are established in the first and continue to be defined in the second and third. Luke Edgewater goes to Skymar to help with a construction project. He is only planning to be there for a few months. Ellie, who is helping with the reno project at the orphanage with Luke, is actually a princess.It is part Roman Holiday, part Hallmark movie and part pure magic. Yes, royal in hiding who falls for a commoner is a well worn trope. But it is still a good one. It is told in segments of POV of both Luke and Ellie, as well as texts with Luke, Izzy, Penelope and Josie. There are also texts with Ellie and her friend Maeve. It is a lot of fun! And in the hands of Pepper Basham, a satisfying and delightful one. I hope there is another book to come- Just Josie perhaps?

The Skymar world intrigued me, but the book didn't quite hit the mark. It got bogged down in texts and emails, which made it hard to get into. The "manly man" trope was too much, and I didn't really connect with Ellie, to be honest.

Even though I'd read quite a few good reviews on the series, starting with the third book left me feeling lukewarm. My fault, I know... I'm a sucker for an opposites-attract romance, but this one only gets three stars. It did get better as it went on, but the slow start had me struggling. Still, it had its cute moments, which bumped it up a bit.

This was a wonderful 3rd book in the series but could also be just fine as a standalone read.

If you're looking for a contemporary rom-com with loveable characters, a happily ever after, no swearing or sexual content, and lots of fun banter between siblings via text messaging ... this book (series!) is for you!

Luke is a solid, dependable, guys guy who was raised with a bunch of girls. Ellie is a prodigal princess trying to restore her public image while making a difference in her community. Seeing how these two meet and fall in love was a fun journey.

I am in the small minority of people who had trouble getting into this book. I haven't read the earlier books in the series, so that could certainly be why! This book has lots of fans on GoodReads and I'm sure there are wonderful reasons for them. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

☆ small town
☆ undercover princess
☆ opposites attract

Usually I love opposites attract but this just didn’t do it for me.
I don’t love the over the top “manly man” thing. I feel like it can be done sometimes but this felt so aggressive and forced. It was just too much for me.
I couldn’t bring myself to like Ellie. There was just something that rubbed me the wrong way. Like a “pick me” vibe, I guess.

It all felt very off and wasn’t an enjoyable read.

Loyally, Luke is a romance novel written by Pepper Basham.

Summary: Luke is in the tiny country of Skymar for a job. He’s left his construction company in the U.S. in capable hands, and while he doesn’t mind this temporary assignment, he’s looking forward to getting back to his comfortable life.

But when his in-country liaison turns out to be a princess, it complicates things. A lot.

Can he complete the job without losing his heart in the process?

My Thoughts: First, I wish this book had been more clearly billed as part of a series, because even though it isn’t labeled as such, it really is, and I was quite lost as to who all of the characters were. It felt like I had just stepped into the middle of something, which was disorientating as I read it.

Second, I really did not like the structure of this book. There are a ton of text messages flying back and forth between the family members, and while some of them are quite funny, I really felt like this broke up the story. Not a fan.

Overall, I liked the story line quite a bit, and if it had been written just as a novel without all the texting, and had explained who all the people were at the beginning, I could have enjoyed it a lot more.

I liked the plot, the main characters, and the setting, but there really were too many distractions which kept me from loving this book.

I would not recommend reading this book first, and just know the story is broken up with a lot of texting. If you are OK with that, the story was nice overall and you might enjoy it if you like light romance novels.

I would like to thank Thomas Nelson for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you!

did not finish. this must be a book within a series that i didn’t read. i couldn’t follow the storyline without background info + also nothing grabbed my attention to keep reading

Thank you so much Netgalley and of course Pepper Basham for the ARC! 💐

I will be honest and say that when I first read the book details I expected more from the story, it was boring and the plot fell flat for me. There was no conflict, something to keep me interested. I still continued until the end of the book but the last few chapters I just skimmed through. I loved the hero and his family and the fact that he had a relationship with God was beautiful, this was the only thing I liked.

I will still check other future books from the author 🌹

This story was really cute. I’m a sucker for a royal/commoner romance. Luke and Ellie together are so sweet.
I have not read the previous books in the series, so I missed stuff that I would have caught/understood by reading the others. However, I don’t think it’s necessary to have read the others to enjoy this book.
I didn’t much care for how much of the book was text conversations between Luke and his sisters/cousin and Maeve and Ellie. I like that it gave a little more insight into their thoughts and feelings, but it felt like half of the story was texts.
This story is VERY clean. So if you’re wanting any kind of “spice”, I wouldn’t recommend it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the ARC.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The description of this book hit all my hot buttons, but the execution was challenging. The text messaging wasn't as successful as a device for moving the story along. I wish this author success in the future.

3.5 stars

I’m usually a sucker for an opposites attract, fish out of water type of romance, but this one was a little over the top for me. The author really hits you over the head with the fact that Luke is a manly man and he likes manly man things. There were so many references to action movies (Rambo in particular) that it just started to get annoying. Same with his hatred for romance movies. Then there’s Ellie who, despite being a princess, is very much Not Like Other Girls - she loves action movies too! She even gets all Luke’s references to obscure movies… like The Princess Bride (which is definitely a romance for the record)

A large portion of this book also felt disjointed, like it was jumping around with paragraphs missing. I kept flipping back and forth thinking I missed something but nope, just how the book was written. The book does pick up in the last 25%, I enjoyed the conflict and the resolution and found that section to be really enjoyable, it just didn’t really make up for the first 3/4.

This book does also have a fairly strong religious undertone which I didn’t count against it but it’s not really my thing so if you also don’t like that it’s something to keep in mind

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the ARC!

The synopsis of this made me feel so excited to get into the world of Skymar. Diving into this book it took a different turn. There was just so much writing dedicated to text messages and emails. At some points, I didn’t even understand the point of the email because it really didn’t bring anything to the story. In addition, there was no distinction on whose point of view we were in. The premises and story is a great concept, and I love the concept of this story. I felt like there was tooo many references to movies and how this was the main characters meet cute. I did like the banter between the characters.

Sigh! I loved, loved, loved Loyally, Luke by Pepper Basham! Having read Authentically, Izzy and Positively, Penelope, I couldn’t wait for Luke’s story, yet I didn’t want this series to be over! I think if you read this series and love rom-coms, you’ll feel the same! Disclaimer: Though the book says it is a stand-alone novel, don’t read it without first reading Izzy and Penelope. You won’t understand the dynamics among Luke and his siblings/cousin, and you’ll get major spoilers from the first two novels. The first two are so completely amazing,so you won’t regret reading them first! Really, the only negative reviews I’ve seen are from those who haven’t read the others because they don’t get it! I feel like I wouldn’t get it either if I didn’t know the other characters. So, to sum up this section of my review: read the novels in order!!

Izzy’s and Penelope’s novels are written mainly in the epistolary-style…mostly texts and emails among the siblings/cousins/other characters. Luke’s isn’t. Yes, there are still lots of texts, but it’s a way smaller percentage. It fits Luke’s personality perfectly.

I’ve loved getting to know Luke. Being brought up with girls, he’s been surrounded by girly stuff, so he’s gotta play the tough guy, macho movie watching guy, sort of grumpy guy role. However, if you really know him, you know that underneath it all, he’s really an amazing man. I love Ellie and her story because it paints a wonderful picture of redemption. She’s messed up in the past, but she’s spent time repairing the damage done to her and her family. I also love that her parents are loving and supportive although there are times when her mom plays the “We have to look perfect” card. I think we play that card with ourselves sometimes thinking that we have to look perfect in order for God to be happy with us. Nope. He knows us and loves us anyway.

I’m going to miss Skymar and all of the characters I’ve grown to know and love. As a dramatic bookworm, I’m totally a mix of Izzy and Penelope! And I need a Luke to come along…I’ve got a lot of projects that need to be done around the house. Okay, okay. That’s not why. He’s very swoony! I’ll miss the movie quotes and snarky comments. Most of all, I’ll miss the joy I felt reading this series for the very first time.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.