What a beautiful story! I don’t always read sweet romance books but when they are so well written as this one you tend to forget about the lack of spice. I loved grumpy Luke and the texts he would get from his sister and cousin! I’m going to have to go back and read the other stories by Pepper Basham! I loved these narrators and the accents they did so beautifully!

Thank you for the ALC for my honest review!

Loyally, Luke. By Pepper Basham is a sweet romance between honest carpenter Luke and Ellie /Eliana Princess of Skymar.
This book really is like reading a Hallmark movie which Luke hates. He's a flannel wearing action movie loving tough guy. Except he has a big heart for his sisters and orphans. He is honest and straightforward and the kind of things girls really want in a partner.
Ellie is the fifth daughter of the royal family of Skymar. She's a recovering addict with a bad reputation she's trying to rebuild after years of hard work. Life in the spotlight had left her with a few wounds and trust issues.
Luke and Ellie are thrown together working on restoring an old orphanage. They start out fighting and then become friends and then more.
They have some impossible circumstances to overcome.
This is a very sweet little rom-com and an enjoyable listen.
I like the different voices in the audio version it gave each of the characters a little more personality to follow.
The text conversations between Luke and his sisters adds a lot of joy and laughter to the story
Thank you to netgalley for this audiobook. This review was given voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

If you’re looking for a good choice to make in your life, choose to listen to this audiobook as soon as possible. It was ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTFUL 🤩. From the full cast of narrators (6!!!) with incredible accents to the various styles used (narrative, texts, emails, “gossip” articles), all of it made for a listening experience that was pure bliss! I didn’t want it to end!!

As an avid cheerleader for the first book in the series, I surprise myself when I say I might have enjoyed this one even more. It seamlessly continues on the series, and it was so fun to get more of Izzy’s and Penelope’s story in this book (including a wedding!)

Beyond being just a wonderfully sweet and swoony romance story, it held some elements that were a bit deeper and thought-provoking than is common: the impact/power the online world can have over past mistakes never being forgotten, the importance of involving other trusted people in big life decisions, and how healthy communication is so important!

😇: Christian publisher (); brief mentions of Christian themes and active faith in the characters
😍: a few descriptive kisses
🤐: no language!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for the complimentary audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

2.5 ⭐️

Luke Edgewood travels to the small town of Skymar to complete a construction project. As much as he tries to resist, Luke falls into his own version of a Hallmark movie the minute he meets Ellie.

I have not read the other books in the series and, while I didn’t feel like I missed anything, I may not have connected to the characters as much because of this. I enjoyed the banter between Luke and his sisters at the beginning of each chapter and I thought the female narrators did a great job. The main male narrator, however, felt like he was trying too hard to be the stereotypical American cowboy. I found myself rolling my eyes at the dialogue and the accent a few times.

If you’re looking for a very sweet, innocent love story that checks the Hallmark tropes list, this may be for you. It just wasn’t my cup of tea (or in the case of Luke, coffee).

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson, and Zondervan Fiction Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this multi narrator audiobook.
While it's a cute Hallmark centered book where the sisters are always harassing their brother. They are always expecting something Hallmark like to happen around him while he's away in Skymar working. Lots of texts going back and forth between them. It was a clean book with some funny experiences.

While the female voices were great and kept the story going, the males voice and use of a fake jokey sounding accent took me right out of the story. I was trying to figure out if it was real or they were being funny but it was just how the character talked and that's why I gave it 3.

I fell into a Hallmark movie… The unworthy heartthrob meets a Cinderella. The book is a quick read but not much substance. If you need that light romance novel fix this book is it but don’t expect any new twist…

Luke Edgewood is a grumbly hero who makes his way to Skymar to work on some building renovation projects. He has some sisters who are obsessed with Hallmark movies and romance in general. Luke tries to duck their efforts to find him a love of his own. While in Skymar, Luke meets a princess in disguise 🥸 and his life really does start to resemble a Hallmark movie.
Loyally, Luke is a sweet romance with all the feels.
I have to admit I rolled my eyes a few times. Maybe I’m not as much the romantic as the book is intended for.
I enjoyed the multiple narrators and liked listening to the audiobook.
Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing for the opportunity to enjoy this book.

Love, love, love this book! I was able to read an ebook ARC and love the audiobook narration that was done by this ensemble group. Great job putting this one together! Pepper Basham is the Queen of Christian Rom Com books and this one is her best yet!

Pepper Basham did it again! What a fun way to end this series with Luke Edgewood, brother and cousin to Izzy and Penelope (check out Authentically Izzy and Positively Penelope to read their stories that are equally as fun!). Luke is a non-sensical, flannel wearing, hammer yielding, country boy from NC who finds himself in Skymar, a country off the coast of Scotland, to help remodel a castle turned orphanage. Of course since he is not interested in or looking for anything remotely relating to romance, and then he meets a girl... but not just any girl. One who happens to be a princess. Something that everyone knows except him.

I loved the story and as I listened on audio, the narrators brought Luke and Ellie to life. The hilarity of the situations reminded me of my favorite rom-coms of the 90's (Notting Hill was a big one that came to mind!) and made me smile and laugh. Yes, it is "hallmark-y" - it will give you the warm fuzzies and I think we all can use a break from the craziness of this world to enjoy that!

Thank you Net Galley, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the ARC of this audiobook to listen and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

LOYALLY LUKE is almost here!

The series that started with AUTHENTICALLY, IZZY and continued with POSITIVELY, PENELOPE concludes with the love story of my favorite of the Edgewood siblings, Luke, as he falls in love with his unlikeliest match, a princess.

As with the first two books, this one features text threads among the siblings and lots of time in the charming fictional country of Skymar, but it deviates a bit from the epistolary format of the first two book to suit Luke's less effusive nature. I am not typically a reader of royalty romance, but this book won me over instantly with its memorable and hilarious meet-cute, genuine and believable characters, and especially with the development of Luke's inner life, which made me love him as a hero even more.

I was fortunate to receive approval on Netgalley for both the ebook and the audiobook, and I switched back and forth betwee them. I'm not usually one for full cast recordings, but I actually love the way these audiobooks allow each of the siblings to have their own voice, not just in his or her individual book, but across the trilogy. Being able to hear Luke's voice immersed me that much more in the world of the story.

LOYALLY LUKE comes out on Tuesday! If you're new to the series, I think you can read it on its own and still enjoy it, but I wouldn't recommend against binging the first two this weekend...

Loyally, Luke by Pepper Basham 📚
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub Date: May 14, 2024

I saw this & the title and cover reminded me of Gilmore Girls’ Luke Danes. Then I read the synopsis. Luke wears flannel & likes his solitude. ✔️✔️

After I got hands on a copy, I realized this was the third in a series, so I had to read those first.

Authentically, Izzy introduces us to the Edgewood siblings and follows bookworm Izzy’s adventure of self-discovery overseas in Skymar. (3.5 stars.)

Then in Positively, Penelope, we follow theatre girl Penelope to Skymar when she gets an internship at the Darling House and finds herself torn between brothers Matt & Alec Gray. (4 stars

Finally, in Loyally, Luke, his meddling sister secures him a short term construction job in Skymar. Happy & content in his solitude, Luke isn’t looking for romance, until meeting an infuriating woman he secretly nicknames Grace Kelly. She annoys him tremendously…until she doesn’t. But she, (Ellie)has a mission in Skymar, to polish her tarnished reputation and get back to work as a working Royal.

I found this entire series to be charming. Much of the interaction between siblings Izzy, Penelope, & Luke is via their correspondence and I loved this take on getting to know the characters.

I also loved how much angst was present with Luke & Ellie and they got to know each other more and more.

#LoyallyLuke #AuthenticallyIzzy #PositivelyPenelope #PepperBasham #Skymar #NetGalley #BookReview #ARCReview

I kinda struggled with this one not gonna lie, it wasn’t really what I expected. I will say though I did enjoy the different narrators, they did a good job!

CW: cancer (recounted), death of parents (mentioned), alcoholism (mentioned), gaslighting, classism

I would like to thank NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for providing me with a free audio e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Luke Edgewood has no need for what he calls “the fru-fru” of Hallmark movies in his life. But, when he gets tasked to spearhead a major renovation for an orphanage in Skymar, Luke’s life turns into one.

Loyally, Luke is a heartwarming novel that left me grinning from ear to ear. Readers who love Basham’s swoon-worthy romance in the previous two books of the Skymar series will have their fill of swoon as Luke falls in love with a Skymarian princess, Ellie, and he doesn’t even know it.

Since I have listened to each book in the series on audio, I definitely noticed that Basham and her team went all out with the narration/production. Narrated by a full cast of narrators, each of the narrators brought their own narration styles that made the characters come to life from the page in Basham’s least epistolary novel of the series. However, I do note that the only downside to having this many narrators on hand is that you don’t get that duet narration between the love interests as you would have if you were listening to Authentically, Izzy or Positively, Penelope.

What I love most about Loyally, Luke is how Basham is able to get you swept in the heart of the story. Feeling the characters’ emotion from the book’s narration to the book’s main themes of grace and hope, it’s hard not to get invested in these characters and in this story. As it may be the last book of the Skymar series, Basham also takes time to nicely wrap the character arcs from the other Edgewood family members as they all get their HEAs.

That being said, you need to read Loyally, Luke if you’re looking for a Christian romance full of heart and an audiobook narration that will get you completely swept away.

So, I couldn't really get into this story and I am so very sad about it. I think the issue was the narrators voice was not as exciting as I'd like. I understand that it is a Christian read which I have nothing against, but I honestly good not get into this one. Perhaps, I should actually READ the physical book rather than listening to it.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I received an ARC from #netgalley as an audiobook. This is a clean romcom, with light religious notes. My first positive of this book include the narrators! They had different narrators for different characters which I prefer. Nothing annoys me more than one narrator trying to do both female and male voices. Next, I always enjoy a rugged, flannel wearing male MC (who doesn't!?!) The best part of the book was the irony of the MCs making fun of "Hallmark Movies", when they were in one themselves! Made me chuckle a few times to myself. I do enjoy a feel good "Hallmark Movie". I did have a few negatives of the book which is why I rated it 3 stars instead of 4. First, I thought it was a little long. About half way through the book I speed up the audio to 1.5 speed. Last, I wish there would have been more details regarding the diary, to add a little drama to the story line.
I also have not read the first 2 books in this series, and it is not needed for this book. I did add the first 2 books to my TBR list ;)

In this multiple narrator audio book, Princess Eliana is working "undercover" with Luke, an American carpenter, to renovate a Skymarian orphanage. Princess Eliana dropped out of the spotlight after a scandal three years ago and plans to take up the mantel of a working royal once again, so falling in love with a foreigner is not on her agenda - but it happens anyway.

I really enjoyed the narration of this audio book, though a couple of the female voices were very high pitched and thus annoying.

This is the third book in the Skymar series but the first book I've read. The story is a stand alone, but the characters of the previous books do make a few appearances and I truly believe I would have enjoyed these cameos more if I had read the other books.

I enjoyed the progression of Luke and Ellie's relationship and I had fun with them tackling eliana's "bucket list". I loved some of the side characters, especially the children and the ending was very well tied up. The relationship between Luke and his siblings/friends is #goals. But in the end, the story was just fine.

This is obviously a royalty romance novel, the second one I've every read, and I'm realizing that I just don't enjoy the trope. I also don't enjoy reading tabloids in real life so the tabloid snippets in the story really grated on my nerves.
I also cringed at all the Hallmark movie references.

This is also a Christian romance and definitely not for everybody. I thought the references were not too often or overly patronizing, but I am a Christian...

A solid 3 star read!

When I requested this book, I did not realize it was part of a series, so this might have been partially my fault. However, sometimes with Romance series being the way they are, you can usually follow along quite easily, this was however not the case for this book. I felt lost with all the characters at the beginning of the book early on, not exactly knowing who was who. Another thing that bothered me was the texting that each chapter started with, which also didnt seem to add much to the current storyline.

Sadly this book was not for me and I DNF'd it at 12%.

Thank you Harper Collins for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

If you are in the mood for a sweet cheesy Hallmark movie with every romantic trope ever created, then you will love this cute, wonderful Christian romantic comedy in book form.

Luke Edgewood, takes a job rebuilding an orphanage in the European country of Skymar. Luke is a gorgeous flannel wearing manly lumberjack type gentleman, who teases his three sisters mercilessly, but loves them with his whole southern heart. When Luke has a run-in with a beautiful but grouchy woman before he begins his construction job, of course this same woman is his new boss on the construction project. To make this even more of a Hallmark trope, his new boss just happens to be a princess, Princess Ellie of Skymar, the bad girl of the country that is trying to repent for past sins.

I won’t spoil the rest of the story, but if you need a happily ever after pick me up, this sweet story does not disappoint. The characters are adorable and Luke’s relationships with his meddling sisters are very entertaining. Sometimes you just need a sugary sweet book to cleanse you from all the not so nice books out there.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for this delightful Advanced Reader Copy. This is a book that I can definitely recommend to anyone who loves a wonderful pure book of sweetness. #NetGalley #LoyallyLuke

This is a sweet romance with all the tropes we love - but it is also seemingly aware that it has all the tropes and pokes the adequate amount of fun at itself. This is a fun read that you won't blush at recommending to your mother.

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. The audio version was well-done with multiple cast readers, which even made the texting portion of the book easy to listen to.
I look forward to exploring more of Basham's work!
Thanks to #NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this ARC.