This was like Princess Diaries meets Sweet Home Alabama, with a male narrator who reminded me of Ted Lasso. Loyally, Luke is a really sweet, royal+normal romance that incorporates different text message threads and gossip rag articles to supplement the story. It made for a fun listen, which I had no problem enjoying despite not having read the prior books in the series. I look forward to checking out the other books now and recommend this for a fun and light summer read!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for gifting me with an ALC to review! All opinions are my own.

This one is squeaky clean & takes an interesting approach with the removal of the fourth wall, so to speak. I find that approach distracting, but I am sure some readers will appreciate the immediate intimacy that it can create with readers. The narrators were good, but as one living in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, I struggled with the lack of authenticity. I don’t suppose that will be a problem for 99% of the readers & that this book will be a hit with many!

This is the third book in this series and I have loved every single one. I love the development of the characters and their love stories. I have laughed through each story and enjoyed the hater between the siblings.
Can’t wait to read another book by this author.
Thanks for the advanced copy.

This was such a cute story! It did read a little juvenile like they were maybe 18-19 just out of high school instead of adults. I hadn’t realized it was a Christian book but it was pretty light in the religion thankfully and they didn’t go too heavy on praying and God. It was mentioned but not often. The story of Luke, a carpenter, helping a princess under cover renovate an orphanage in her home country (made up Skymar) felt similar to Do Your Worst and it was a fun little enemies to lovers story at the beginning. It felt like they fell for each other quite quickly but they were very sweet and cute going through her ‘list’. I still felt unclear on why Luke was so against royals? But it worked out in the end. The constant references to action and Hallmark movies was a little much. The insistence that their story sounded so similar to a romcom was a little too meta and mentioned too often. Same with the Notting Hill quote in the end. It’s just…cmon. The full cast of this ALC was incredible and I loved hearing all the different characters acted out. It made the story a lot of fun and makes me want to listen to the other audiobooks in the series. While this book was a little too twee for me it was still a cute love story about love being a choice and making compromises.

Thank you NetGalley and
HarperCollins Christian Publishing for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

My favorite Pepper Basham book to date!! Good guy Luke is a totally swoon worthy main character!!! Luke knows a thing or two about girly movies, but also likes a good adventure movie like Rambo, Mission Impossible, and others.

This is a lighthearted and humorous story with laugh out loud moments and with many sweet and romantic ones as Luke works on an orphanage with and develops a friendship with Ellie, a real princess. There is an attraction but how can a country boy from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina have more with a real princess? Sweet romance with a foundation of faith.

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”

Dear Reader,
My name is Luke Edgewood, and there are few things in life that I require. Mainly black coffee. And flannel. And lots of solitude. And my dogs, Chewy and Indie. What I don’t need is romance, so I have no plans to change my thirty-year-old bachelor status anytime soon. Nope. Bah humbug. The End.

Or maybe not. Because I’ve met a Grace Kelly look-alike who is annoying . . . until she isn’t. But she is impossible. As in, nothing can happen between us because she is a literal princess. Basically, the whole situation has turned into an ooey gooey magical snow globe of romantic tropes complete with cute kids and an actual ball. Now, even my sentences are starting to sound like mush. Ugh. Send high levels of testosterone my way—I’m going to need it.
Loyally, Luke

“‘What’s a Hallmark movie?’ She 𝘸𝘢𝘴 perfect. ‘You don’t need to know. Ever.’” 👏🏻 🤣🤣

Five stars! Presh. Absolutely precious. This is like a Hallmark movie on the written page. It’s a sweet, hopeful, grumpy-meets-sunshine story that will grab your heart.

I read the first book in this series, Authentically, Izzy, and just reread my review. And I was BEGGING for a book about Luke anddd here it is! I loved the banter between the siblings and the real life tropes mentioned throughout. It’s like a story within a story. Although this is Skymar #3 it works just fine as a stand alone.

The audiobook is narrated by a full cast and is utterly fantastic!! This book. This series. Ahh juat so enchanting and lovely.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins Christian Publishing, Thomas Nelson, and the author for the ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

A fairytale love story that is sure to make you smile! I loved listening to this one as an audiobook because it was set in a different country, so the characters had great accents that lended a sense of authenticity to the story. Secret royalty and flannel wearing carpenters that touched on so many romantic tropes, but not in a cheesy or over done way complemented the deeper story lines of forgiveness, redemption, and hope. The religious nuances were perfect and gave the reader a deeper sense of connection to the characters. Highly recommend if you like a feel good, Christian, closed door rom-com.

This book was straight out of a Hallmark movie! Luke and Ellie bring out the best in each other; watching Ellie's journey and seeing how she came out of her shell with Luke warmed my heart! Being in the public eye wasn't easy on the princess, but she realized that she had to do what was best for her and that her growth outnumbered anything the press might have to say.

The writing style was fun and easy to listen along to, however, I think that some of the dialogue sounded too scripted and not natural enough, but I am not sure if this was just because I listened to the audiobook or if it would have also come across that way in the physical copy.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a feel-good romance full of bright, loving characters, and for a little Hallmark-y cheer!

Review posted to Goodreads 5/24, review posted to @evelynlainebooks TBD.

The description of this book sounded really interesting! But I sadly didn't find the characters very interesting...So then, I DNF'd.

I was also really excited for the # of narrators but it didn't do the book any favors. Perhaps this would've been better physically or ebook.

I also didn't realize it was a Christian romance, LOL. oops.

“Sometimes love means embracing the good, the bad. . . and even the impossible.”

Be still my hallmark loving heart! 😍 The Hallmark Chime! 🫠 This book! Gah! I don’t have words, and what I have to say has probably been said and better too! But my friends if you want to laugh, and swoon, and feel a sugary rush of sweetness then pick up this book by Pepper Basham, in any format because it’s all wonderful! I have read it, I have listened to it! I love love love the audiobook!!! Grab your favorite socks to knit on and just sit back and enjoy this delightful narration. It’s read by multiple narrators give the main characters Luke and Ellie fantastic voices, but we also get to hear Luke’s sisters voice come in when text and emails are read. It’s a lot of fun!

Here is the gist. Luke is a no nonsense, honest guy, who doesn’t need much. Give him rich strong black coffee, quiet cabin in the woods, and flannel and he is happy. Till he isn’t. And he is happy with his bachelorhood. Till he isn’t. And he can do without an uppity high class Grace Kelly princess in the flesh in his life. Till he can’t. And he most definitely is not living a Hallmark Movie life. Till he is! ✨ Chime ✨ Luke is a knight in shining flannel and he will make you melt like hot butter in a skillet!

Ellie may be a princess in real life but that hasn’t kept her from some real world consequences of poor choices in her youth. She’s been working hard to repair her reputation but it’s hard to build back up than to tear something down. Ellie is very relatable despite her royal status and I love her for that. I love her and Luke and the whole Edgewood family.

If you are looking for a good arm chair travel itinerary then definitely add the whole Edgewood family books to your TBR list.

Read this if you love:
💕 Handsome men in flannels
💕 Scottish flare
💕 Hallmark movies (or don’t then you can sympathize with Luke 😉)
💕 Off limits or forbidden love
💕 Fun movie and pop culture references
💕 Sibling banter
💕 Royal Romance
💕 Kissing book

Thank you to the author and publisher for sending me a copy of the book and audiobook to read and review. All thoughts are mine.

Book: Loyally, Luke
Author: Pepper Basham
Rating: 4.5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

I will start by saying I picked this book because my husbands name is Luke .. also book one of this series, the FMC's name is Izzy, & that's my sons nickname. 🤣 So it was fate.

I'm super glad I did because I absolutely loved it. It was just what I needed at the time.

The story was entertaining, sweet, fun, and full of amazing and charming characters.

I ended up finishing it in a couple days because I just couldn't stop listening to it.

I love all the lord of the rings references, the children in the orphanage, and how miscommunication was kept to a minimum.

You get:
• Sweet romance
• Hilarious characters
• Meddling sisters
• Royalty
• Meet cute
• Forced proximity
• Small town

Now I have to go back and pick up books 1 and 2! Available as an ebook, paperback, or audio book.

REVIEW: Loyally Luke ⭐⭐⭐

I didn't realize two things when I received Loyally Luke as an ARC. First, I didn’t know that this is actually the third book in a series, but thankfully, it can easily be read as a standalone. The other thing is that I didn’t realize this was a Christian Fiction book. Nothing is wrong with that; I just thought this book would be more romance fiction.

I liked how Pepper Basham wrote this book. There were chapters from different characters' points of view, plus some news articles and texts throughout. The audiobook made this even better because it had a whole cast of readers. It made the story so much more enjoyable and genuine. I also really liked both of the main characters, Luke and Ellie. They both had so much personality and were confident in who they were. Both of them had very fun and sweet moments throughout the story.

There were a few things that I wasn’t super keen on. The story itself was very slow and drawn out. Along the same lines, the romance was a super slow burn (or spark even). They eventually kissed, but that’s it. At first, I liked some of the romance cliches in the story because Luke was so anti-rom-com, yet things kept happening to him like a rom-com. Unfortunately, after a while, it got to be too much. A few things were fine, but it got too repetitive. The last thing I wasn’t a huge fan of was that this is a Christian Romance. I am not religious, and I don’t usually like reading so much about religion in the book. That’s just me, though.

Overall, I still enjoyed Loyally Luke. The audiobook narrators brought the story to life. This book may be great for other readers, but it isn’t the kind of book I usually gravitate towards.

Thank you, Netgalley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing | Thomas Nelson Fiction, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

Narrated by Christopher Ashman; K.C. Sheridan; Kathleen McInerney; Natalie Duke; Gary Furlong; Caitlin Davies; Mhairi Morrison. The accents were so well done that you could feel the difference between the characters and highlighting with ones were Irish and European, and the descriptions of Grace Kelly vibes leaving the best princess in hiding life were so good that they keep painted in my mind.
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This is a beautiful, cosy hallmark royal romance in the most dreamy Irish alike small town.
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Listening to this book was like spending time with a big family. The chats, emails and calls between his sisters and her friends were a plus that I enjoyed a lot.
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Luke Edgewood is in Skymar to work on a small renovation project, but as soon as he sets foot in the country he runs into a woman who could be Grace Kelly's twin. After a small misunderstanding, he hopes that the rest of his stay will pass without any notes.
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but when he is asked to review a project at a local orphanage he finds two surprises, the orphanage is an old castle in need of a lot of care and the person in charge of supervising the work is none other than Grace Kelly look alike woman.
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No matter how beautiful she is, or how attracted he feels, he is not looking for love, especially when she seems to be hiding from the world and she looks like she's trying to heal her heart. Imagine his surprise when he discovers that she is actually a princess in hiding of the public eye.
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I really enjoyed how these two cute characters meet and establish this kind of friendship that envelops them in something more, the scenic view .
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Thanks to HarperCollins Christian Publishing and Pepper Basham for give a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion.

I didn’t realize it was the third book in a series until I was 25% through, but it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone. This book was a cute romance read. If you like series where each character gets their own book, you’ll probably want to start with the first book.

While I enjoyed this book, I don’t think I’ll actively seek out the first 2 books unless I’m in the mood for a quick HEA read.

It was like reading a hallmark movie (HM movies are referenced a lot in this book). It was a little predictable, but still a cute read. There was some repetition when they kept referencing typical romance/HM movies.

Meet cute! 🥰

They meet over a coffee mix-up ☕️

There’s some forced proximity.

*thank you netgalley and publishers for a free audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review*

This book was just fine. I like the characters and the story, but it wasn't anything strikingly excellent. I found his sisters annoying and the constant "oh we can't do this" even though the Queen was a commoner before she married the King a lot hypocritical. Overall, a charming closed door romance. I wish I had more to say on it, but it was just fine.

Loyally Luke has caused me, an avid reader, a big problem. Until now, while I have enjoyed every book of Pepper Basham’s I have read, the Mistletoe Countess was in an unassailable place in my heart. But reader friends, there’s something about Luke and Ellie. I hope you feel it too. They are magnificent.

Basham has done a very difficult things in terms of literary talent. She has brought two true opposites together and made them make far more sense together than they do apart. We have all round good guy, building contractor Luke Edgewood. He’s recruited to help with several building projects on the island of Skymar. The main work is to repair a dilapidated orphanage where he works under the eye of Princess Elianna St Claire, the youngest daughter of the king. Luke doesn’t care about royalty or celebrity, he just wants to do his bit to make life better .

His not caring about the nonsense of public life means he can speak to Ellie like a normal person, something she sorely needs. A series of poor choices has ruined her reputation and she now wants to quietly rebuild while working to improve conditions at the same orphanage.

The chemistry is undeniable. But rather than just the predictable physical attraction, their feelings are engaged at a soul level as Luke sees straight into Ellie’s heart and makes her feel safe. Except their homes are thousands of miles apart.

SHARED DELIGHT

I hope you love the story as much as I did. And the best news – there’s a Christmas novella coming later too. Hats off to Pepper Basham, she’s written a truly wonderful series.

Along with reading an early copy, I received an audiobook from the publisher via NetGalley. The audiobook is outstanding. The story is brought fully and gloriously to life by the talented voice artists involved. The opinions are all my own.

Loyally, Luke by Pepper Basham was my first book I’ve read in this series and by Basham and it did not disappoint!

I found it easy to fall into the world of Skymar, so this can definitely be read as a stand-alone! I loved how sweet Luke is and I like how the relationship with Ellie develops over time.

It’s full of laugh out loud moment’s and some of the sweetest scenes. Loyally Luke is a clean Christian romance but I don’t think the religious aspect is a big deal so if you don’t normally read in the genre I think you will still really enjoy this book as a nice clean romance.

I listened to this book on audio and the fully voiced cast blew me out of the water! I absolutely loved all the actors and it really helped immerse me into the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

As an audiobook this was an absolute standout. It was impeccable and I loved the way it was done with a cast!

The accents were great and definitely made it more immersive. And the story in itself was such a joy to listen to. The characters are so endearing, I’m excited to go back through and read the previous books in the series.

I *loved* this! It truly felt like a warm hug, as so many others have said. After meeting and getting to know Luke in the first 2 books, I could not wait to read his story (all the teasers on social media did not help my patience). It was just wonderful! There were threads of faith seamlessly woven throughout, and there was plenty of humor to keep me smiling. I loved Luke and Ellie's whole relationship: the banter, the swoon, the maturity, and the tough decisions. They couldn't have been sweeter together. It was great to see more text conversations between the Edgewoods. I enjoyed watching glances of Izzy's and Penelope's stories continuing on. I'm sad to leave this delightful family and their Skymarian adventures, but I look forward to future series from this author!

The audiobook version was fantastic! The narrators are very talented. They did a great job switching between Appalachian and Scottish accents and, when necessary, differentiating between all the characters.

Luke is in a small European country for a short term construction job and then he gets appointed to reinstate an orphanage home. His sisters love to watch hallmark movies and love to live in a fantasy world so of course he hates them. But guess what he has? a complete magical love story.
His supervisor at work is a pretty woman who is in fact the princess of the country. Ellie has a difficult past and she is trying to start working as a royal again but she has to prove herself to her people first, so she is working very hard for that.
I loved how sweet and magical this story was, it felt like I'm watching a hallmark movie. I loved both the main characters, I was rooting for them the entire time. Luke's conversations with his sisters were always very delightful.
The backdrop is very cozy , there's a ball, there's magic in the air the entire time. I absolutely enjoyed this book.