Happy Friday Sweet Friends :)
I pray today finds you all doing well, and I'm so thankful you've taken the time to drop on by The Preppy Book Princess today for another book review.
I'm Kirby, and I'm delighted to welcome you today to my little corner of the internet.
Before I dive into today's review, I need to make a quick announcement. Due to medical reasons, The Preppy Book Princess will be on hiatus from April 13th through May 13th, unless otherwise stated. I will be sharing my usual three posts next week, and will then be having to take a few weeks off.
I look forward to sharing more fun reviews with you all after that. :)
Now with that being said, let's dive right into today's review.
Today's post is an exciting one for me because I'm going to be sharing my review of another one of the titles from my 2024 Most Anticipated Releases Post.
And this one is especially exciting because this book was probably the one I was the most excited about reading for this entire year.
If you'd like to check out my reviews of the previous titles in the series, you can do so using the links below:
Otherwise, keep on reading down below for today's full review.
Loyally, Luke by Pepper Basham:
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Genre: Christian Fiction/Contemporary
Series: Skymar
Synopsis:
A flannel-wearing man’s man inexplicably finds himself living out all the rom-com movie tropes as he falls in love with a true-blue princess. Luke Edgewood isn’t a romantic. Or, at least, he’s always felt certain things like rom-coms were invented as punishment for average guys. Besides, he’s always preferred to be a behind-the-scenes guy who lives a quiet life being a good friend, neighbor, and brother. So when he travels to the island of Skymar to work a few months on restoring abandoned buildings, he never expects to find himself directly in the middle of a romantic, trope-filled story. From a meet-cute that was anything but cute and an aging orphanage in need of as much tender care as the children it houses, Luke begins to wonder if he and his heart may be victims of some sort of hidden-camera movie moment.
Only a few years out of university and attempting to find her feet in royal adult life, Aliana Roselynn St. Claire, youngest daughter of the king and queen of the Skymarian Islands, pours her energies and talents into charities and art throughout her beloved Skymar. Her parents do not seem very interested in her love of interior design but lavish her with praise over her support of Skymar’s largest orphanage and place her in charge of the renovations of the dilapidated building. Happy to escape her mother’s strong encouragement of building a romantic relationship with Ally’s lifelong acquaintance, the earl of South Waithe, she escapes to the secluded mountains to take charge of the orphanage’s renovations. When Ally learns the man she’d literally run into at the coffee shop is the one who has been hired to help with the orphanage’s repairs, she’s determined to keep her royal status as secret as possible.
From fundraisers to fake dates to sleigh rides and snowball fights, Ally and Luke begin to discover that the wrong first impressions may lead to a romantic possibility with rom-com flavored magic included. But when Ally’s true identity is revealed and royal expectations bring Luke out of his preferred anonymity into the spotlight of the royal life, will their budding relationship fall prey to a very unhappily-ever-after ending?
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
I've been anxiously awaiting Luke's story for so long, and alas it's finally here. Authentically, Izzy and Positively, Penelope have easily become two of my favorite books of all time, and I couldn't wait to see how Skymar was also going to go about changing Luke's life in ways he never could have expected. In fact, I was so excited for this title that I picked it as my number one most anticipated release for this year. After finishing it, I can wholeheartedly say that Pepper Basham has given readers another adorable, swoon worthy romance full of heartfelt moments, adorable meet cutes, Hallmarkesque vibes, and a lovely faith element that draws the whole story together.
Luke has watched the country of Skymar change his sisters' lives in ways he never could have expected, and yet he's honestly not expecting the same from his work travel to the country. When the opportunity comes to help restore a beloved orphanage, Luke's not prepared for the effect it or the lovely woman helping with it will have on his heart. Ellie's known nothing but living in the public eye her entire life, and finds it refreshing when the new carpenter knows nothing about her royal heritage. When their heartwarming friendship starts to grow into something more, reality sets in when her status is revealed. Can a royal princess and a flannel wearing carpenter truly ever find happily ever after outside of the Hallmark movies that Luke's little sister is always raving about?
Loyally, Luke was a wonderful read that spoke of family, faith, friendship, and romance, and gave a wonderful illustration of the message that above all, God says we are beloved no matter what anyone else may think. Pepper Basham's writing continues to be witty, engaging and endearing, and she's truly becoming one of my absolute favorite voices within Christian fiction.
I will say that I still enjoyed the previous two titles a teensy bit more than this one, and that was primarily because I found this one to get a little repetitive in the middle, and I wished it had been written more in the epistolary style like its predecessors.
Still a fantastic story however, and a lovely wrap up to the Skymar trilogy.
Final Rating: 4/5.
Thanks so much to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to advance read and review this title.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Thomas Nelson) via NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review.
Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a wonderful rest of your weekend :)
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