This book was a cute royalty romance that was an unexpected find for me. It is the third book in a series but can totally be read as a standalone. This book gave me a huge Prince and Me movie vibe when I listened to it, and I think it might be a reason why I liked it even more because that movie was my childhood.

Luke Edgewood is a pretty grumpy introverted carpenter who loves wearing flannel shirts and can’t stand anything romantic. He ends up traveling to the island of Skamar to help with some restoration work and has a very unpleasant meeting in a coffee shop with Ally, a princess of Skamarian Islands, who tries to find her own feet in royal adult life and not to make any more messes that she already had. Aliana escapes to the secluded mountains to take charge of the orphanage’s renovations and when she learns that Luke is the one that was hired to do the construction working she decides to hide her royal identity, trying to enjoy the anonymous life and the fact that Luke treats her like a real person without any ulterior motives. And Luke himself ends up intertwined with all the romantic and cheesy romance tropes he was trying so hard to avoid.

I genuinely liked the relationship and dynamics between them, seeing Luke helping Ally along the way to try to discover who she really is and find her place in the world. I also appreciated the fact that when the identity reveal happened, there was no silly miscommunication that I hate so much. He took this as an adult, and thus, there was no ugly drama involved. I loved their fishing and tree climbing moments and how they both encouraged each other to be their best selves.

I also loved that while Luke was this sarcastic and grumpy man, he had this soft spot for children around him and was always so patient and supportive with his family, no matter how annoying his sisters were. I loved their sibling banter a lot!

This book is a sweet and heartwarming cozy romance book that fills you with coziness, laughter, and hope. It's also a perfect fit for the fans of Hallmark movies – because there were a lot of references, which I would have appreciated much more if I were a fan of those movies.

My only complaint would probably be the fact that I would want to have more of their background histories instead of those little glimpses we get.

Overall, this book is a definite recommendation from me!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction publisher for an audiobook copy in exchange for my honest review!

🎧 It’s a pretty typical cheesy romance. Love the idea of a southern boy falling for a “Scottish” princess. And the narrators represented that well. I love a full cast of narrators, except for the sister who sounded like Fran Drescher. It’s a great concept of the MMC being teased by his sisters that he’s in a hallmark movie, and he then hilariously keeps stumbling into hallmark tropes over and over again.
Why only 3 stars? This book would’ve been a lot better if it was about half the length. Everything was over described and there were a lot of pointless/repetitive storylines. It also felt like a very male centered world, where females need to cater to men. Mentions of god and macho crap frequently. And the FMC was a little bit of a doormat.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC!

This book is a total Hallmark movie read with a European twist! It had a princess in hiding, a dreamy small town hero, orphanage full of adorable children, a small European country and lots of forced proximity and a tiny bit of enemies to lovers (my favorite)!! The audio book was great and had a whole cast of narrators, 7 to be exact! It made for a very entertaining listen with the narrator switching for the different characters.

I had to read this book because my husband’s name is Luke, so that was a fun little extra for me! Now he will be known as my loyal Luke. 😍

Thank you to Thomas Nelson, the author Pepper Basham and Net Galley for the advanced copy of the audio book!

O my goodness this upcoming release by Pepper Basham is like stepping into a Hallmark movie, but one that takes place in Europe instead of a Christmas Tree Farm 😉

Luke’s commitment to simplicity and solitude is tested when he finds himself entangled with a Grace Kelly look-alike who, spoiler alert, just so happens to be a princess 🤫. From restoring an orphanage to navigating the expectations of being a royal, this book is a delightful blend of romance and adventure.

With all the makings of a romantic comedy this is definitely a book that will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside!

I listened to the audiobook and loved the cast of narrators, they really helped the book. The storyline was interesting but it felt so slow. It’s cute, like a Hallmark movie, but again- it felt so slow. I expected to like this one a lot more than I did, but I’m sure it will be a favorite for some.

I wanted to like this so bad. It was really cute and sweet, but it was just a little slow for me. I got about halfway through and just couldn't finish it.

This was cute!! A very easy, clean romancey read. It felt a bit like a hallmark movie. The characters were fun and the story had a nice pace!

I do wish I had known this was a part of a series, it took me a little bit to figure out who all the side characters were. It was definitely readable without having read the other two, but I wouldn't say it's standalone.

Thanks to Netgalley for the copy to review!

Luke travels to the small island of Skymar to help rebuild an orphanage. While there, this grump falls into his own Hallmark style romance with a sunshine secret princess, complete with a meet cute, enemies to lovers, and forced proximity.

Pros:
- Swoon worthy MMC and relatable / sympathetic FMC
- Absolutely beautifully described settings
- A+ for the movie references (both romantic and suspense)
- Healthy and supportive communication between the MMC and FMC
- Realistic and positive representation of faith / religion
- Realistic and positive representation of recovery
- Great audio cast with an impressive range and believability


Cons:
- Without having read the first two in this series of stand alone novels, I was very confused about who all these characters were. It takes until 30% through the book before we learn which of the people he's talking to are his sisters and why we care about them. I made it through the end of the book without understanding who all the side characters were because there is very little to no explanation given.
- I call this the "Secret Jesus" book because - other than the publisher - there is zero hints or explanations that this is a Christian novel. While I enjoyed this aspect of it, I didn't look at the publisher again when I went to read it and it was a bit of a shock later in the book when faith based plot points were peppered in.
- The audio was a bit hard to understand at times - with the thick accents of some of the side characters.

Overall - this was a really good, funny, and heartfelt book. I really enjoyed it but would have liked some more obvious explanations of who the side characters were, who was married to who, who was dating who, etc.

I think this had Halmark feet. Flannel wearing American meets royal. They have a meet cute in the coffee shop, I love the MMCs sister. Every time he talks to his sister she’s talking about how his life is a Romcom. I think this was a cute, easy read.

This book was fun. It took a little bit to get used to all of the voices because I had to use context clues on who was who, but it ended being a lot of fun. I liked the gruff but also secret romantic heart in luke.

Very conflicted on this review. I grabbed this audiobook based on the cute cover and premise of the book without realizing it was an ultra “clean” romance. It was a cute book, but really didn’t have that deep of a story line. The breakup was barely a breakup and of course the HEA was seen a mile away. I also struggled with the MMC’s obsession with “the kisses”… It was however, light and fun, so still an enjoyable read. 3.5 rounding to 4 as this was partially my own issue 🤣

Loyally, Luke by Pepper D. Basham

Narrated by: Christopher Ashman, K.C. Sheridan, Kathleen McInerney, Natalie Duke, Gary Furlong, Caitlin Davies, and Mhairi Morrison

FIVE STARS


This book was adorable!

Luke is making it through life, through a series of events he is in Skymar with an opportunity to bid on and work on a project fixing up the county orphanage. As the only boy raised with three girls he overcompensates a bit on the "masculine" part of things. Some found it annoying, it just was what it was to me.



Ellie is a princess trying to get her life back on track after a series of poor choices. The Royal family has a place in Skymar where they can live normally and they also care for the orphanage. Ellie is trying to get back to active royal status and is in charge of overseeing the renovations.



Luke and Ellie do NOT get off on the right foot and her royal status goes unknown for some time which gives them a chance to get to know each other.



This book had a host of narrators, all who were perfect. Christopher Ashman, K.C. Sheridan, Kathleen McInerney, Natalie Duke, Gary Furlong, Caitlin Davies, and Mhairi Morrison were all awesome!



Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, and the author for the opportunity to listen to and review this book.

If you’re looking for a Hallmark movie written into a book, this is it. The author not only references Hallmark movies, but names every romance trope that she’s about to introduce… #meetcute, #forcedproximity, #enemiestolovers, #oppositesattract. It’s cheesy and predictable, but overall a wholesome love story about a small town guy who falls in love with a foreign princess while visiting the fictional country of Skymar.

I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was a very cute romance and I enjoyed all the different narrators for this audiobook. It probably won't be on my favorite romance books of 2024 list, but I still am giving it 4 stars for being cute and taking me away from the stressors of daily life. i will also be definitely looking out for more books by Piper Basham in the future!!
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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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The book would appeal to the ones who love hallmark movies for sure. While I did like the characters, I wasn't a fan of the writing. It felt like the book wanted to over explain the plot while also having every single trope in the romance genre crammed into one book. I disliked the text conversations between Luke's sister. I just couldn't care about the romance (the ending was sweet I will admit) or the plot. It was just too similar to things I've already read/watched. It makes me sad since it sounded like a book I would have enjoyed a lot but it didn't hit the mark. This is the 3rd book in a series, while you don't have to read book 1 & 2 before this I would recommend it since it would help get the character context and prevent spoilers.

I did really like the narrators, they did a great job with the book. It did help differentiate all the characters.

thank you Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

This is book #3 in the series and I didn't get a chance to read the other books in the series yet but I can't wait to go back and read them. This story reminded me of a Hallmark rom-com movie with a castle remodel and royals!

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A very romantic fairy tale. Luke and Eli love story is full of touching moments, touch almost all the trope in romcom and have a happy ending. Even if Luke fights all the romance and he is not made for royally, he can’t help but fall in love with his very and real princess. The audiobook with the eight narrates, each one for an important character, makes the narration dynamic and original.

So when I started this audiobook, I did not realize that it was the third in the series! But I did not feel like I was missing any key or vital information to understand or enjoy this book. Thank goodness for interconnected stand-alones!

This book felt like a breath of fresh air. It was such a fun, light romance with just enough drama to be entertaining and make me want to keep reading! I loved the sibling/cousin relationships highlighted throughout the book. Luke had his own little cheerleading squad and I was here for it! Ellie’s growth throughout this book is so tender and I was excited to watch her become the women that God meant for her to be!

The book follows the story of Luke and Ellie as they navigate a renovation project for an orphanage. They have VERY different backgrounds, but are able to find common ground and help each other grow and move beyond past hurts and trauma.

The audiobook has a fantastic cast and the consistency with accents and personality for each character was so immersive!

All opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for this audiobook copy.

I was so happy to listen to the audiobook of this third Edgewood family story! I love the fictitious setting of the Island of Skymar with it's loyal inhabitants. I love the teasing between the siblings and how they encourage one another. Read Authentically, Izzy and Positively, Penelope first, then dig into Luke's story!

I received this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The audiobook, "Loyally, Luke" by Pepper Basham, was the first time I had experienced so many narrators tell a story, and at times I found it a little confusing. Although the plot intrigued me, I found it to be all over the place, and I was unable to finish the audio version. The synopsis for "Loyally, Luke" sounded like a story I would love, but unfortunately, the execution fell flat. Regrettably, this one just wasn't for me.