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.

I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to read Loyally Luke. It's a fun story, with some 'unlikely' romance,' 'fairy godparents,' and enough humor to get through the awkward situations.

The lessons on forgiveness, both forgiving others and accepting forgiveness/forgiving yourself are beautifully woven into the story. I appreciated the way that was so natural and shown to be hard, simple, and necessary.

Luke is so cool. I would definitely want him as a friend. And I don't say that often about book characters. Even the ones I really like. He's patient and wise and compassionate. And his faith is a driving force in his life. But at the same time as he has those good qualities, he's not perfect. He has his fears and faults.

Ellie had made some poor choices and spent several years recovering from them and trying to restore her trust in herself, as well as earning her family's trust. Stepping out to take on this new, more public role was a truly scary thing. She does it well, stumbles and all. Her healing journey is a great example of overcoming our past and not being controlled or limited by it.

I recieved an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and chose to review it here. All thoughts are my own.

This was a most satisfying conclusion to the Skymar series, following brother Luke Edgewood as he traveled to Skymar to complete a renovation of a cabin and got drawn into a much bigger project at a children's orphanage/castle. His enemies-to-lovers relationship with the princess of Skymar is delightful and unexpected even if it is a little predictable if you read a lot of romances. I liked seeing a romance through the man's point of view primarily, that was different. All in all, it did not disappoint and the entire series was a lot of fun.

2⭐️

I tried really hard to give this one a shot but I was not expecting this to be part of an interconnected series as it was promoted as a stand alone. It wasn't until I checked other reviews that I realized that this is a story being told be a different pov.

Beyond being a bit lost in the story and not having the background. I couldn't connect with the writing style. Much of it is wrote in text messages and felt very choppy.

I might try this author again and see what the first book of the series is like. People seem to absolutely love this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for those advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own." Thank you Thomas Nelson for the opportunity.
Luke Edgewood, the third unmarried Edgewood, has made it to Skymar to help with a couple construction projects. Little did he know what he was getting into. There would be royal run-ins, fun with children at the orphanage and many other humorous moments. Will he end up a with his movie script love story?
Pepper Basham is so good at interweaving humor with sweet moments and then also mixing in Faith elements. I enjoyed this book so much and I can’t wait to read/listen to it again when it releases.
I would recommend this book to all those readers of Christian fiction books who love fairy tale type stories. One might even consider it a flipped story. The faith element is more on the light side so if they bothers you this might now be the book for you. I loved it

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson fiction for giving me this book in exchange for my honest review. I read through 78% of Loyally Luke before deciding not to finish it. While this is marketed as a standalone story I was extremely confused by the relationships that were most likely thoroughly explained in previous stories. While being confused by the characters, I also found that most of the exposition happens in text messages. These text messages were pages long and the texts themselves paragraphs in length. The story is adorable and the “list” of things Ellie wanted to do is a fun addition but the pacing of the story felt extremely slow. I love the character of Ellie while she wrestled with her growth, but got really annoyed by Luke. I appreciate being given this ARC, but will not be sharing it on my social media accounts.

This was such a funny and cute romance!!! The perfect end to the skymar series 🥹🥹

I’ve been waiting for Luke’s story and it did not disappoint!!! It was so fun jumping from female pov of the last books to his, it really made it so much more fun!

All the movie’s references made it for me.

"Loyally, Luke" by Pepper Basham is a delightful romantic read. Luke Edgewood's bachelor life takes an unexpected turn when he meets a Grace Kelly look-alike in the picturesque country of Skymar. Despite their differences, their chemistry is undeniable, leading to a charming tale filled with cute kids and secret journals. While the storyline may rely on familiar romantic tropes, it's still a heartwarming and enjoyable read.

“ Loyally Luke” was such a fun and sweet read. This is the end of the Skymar series ( which I highly recommend to read the others first). Luke was hilarious as usual , along with Penelope and Izzy. I appreciated all the “Rocky” , “Lord of the Rings”, “Roman Holiday” and Hallmark references. I definitely feel this could be a movie idea for Hallmark haha. Ellie and Luke were so cute together. Their first time meeting was also quite funny. Definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a sweet book that will keep you smiling. I am ready to watch all the Hallmarks and “Princess Diaries” until I can find another sweet series like this one.


Thank you to netgalley for sending me a copy of this book. I was not required to write a review.