Wednesday, July 3, 2024

Loyally, Luke by Pepper Basham

 

Luke Edgemont doesn't believe in meet-cutes, romance tropes or Hallmark movie moments. So when he finds himself on the island nation of Skymar in the middle of all three...with a princess, no less! ...he's not sure what to do. Because he's just in Skymar temporarily to help renovate an orphanage and then he's going home to America. And there's no way he could ever be with a princess; he's a flannel-wearing carpenter who's a bit of a grumpy introvert, not the suave Prince Charming type. But the more time he spends with Ellie the more danger he's in of falling hopelessly in love with her. And that's just asking for a broken heart.


My thoughts:  I loved Basham's previous novel, Authentically, Izzy, about Luke's cousin, but I love this book even more. Luke's such a great character. I loved the banter between him and Ellie, and his sweet interactions with the orphans. His texts with his sisters are pretty funny, too. And all their movie references from Rambo to The Princess Bride totally made me laugh. This is a delightfully charming romance with humor, heart, a little faith, some fishing, a Cinderella-like ball, and a very cute happy ending. My kind of romance. 

Happy Reading!

27 comments:

  1. You had me at Princess Bride references. lol This one sounds so sweet and fun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Princess Bride references were a lot of fun. :D

      Delete
  2. Sounds really cute! I hadn't heard of this one before, but it sounds like a sweet read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought it was a lot of fun. I liked her first one, Authentically, Izzy, too. That's a more epistolary romance, which I always enjoy.

      Delete
  3. I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Luke is such a fun character. This was my favorite story in the series. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. humor and banter in romance is the best. I need a royal romance for my Bingo challenge. Thanks, Lark! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really enjoyed Luke and Ellie's relationship. They made a fun couple.

      Delete
  5. Seems the rom coms are still going strong. My romance reads have been hit and miss, but I'm hopeful for some good ones to come.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are SO many rom coms out there these days...and not all of them are super awesome. I've read a lot that were only 3-star reads...light and fun but not very memorable.

      Delete
  6. I like a book that can make me laugh.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do, too. Especially when I'm running tired or feeling stressed.

      Delete
  7. Light reading always good for the spirits.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Lark, I am glad you liked this book and it sounds like Luke is a big part of why this novel is so good. A well drawn character means so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Luke was great! I liked him in the first book, too. It was fun to have him get his own story in this one.

      Delete
  9. I'm not a fan of celebrity/royalty romances, but this does sound fun. And hooray for Princess Bride references!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I get that. I can't do romances about billionaires. ;D

      Delete
  10. I loved Loyally Luke! I have a hard time trying to decide if it was my favorite or not!! Great series.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really loved Authentically, Izzy, but I think I loved this one just a little bit more. :D

      Delete
  11. I love the idea of doubling (tripling!) down on romance tropes! Tropes can be so fun when authors really embrace them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought Basham did a really good job of playing off those tropes. Totally made me laugh. :D

      Delete
  12. Coming back with a question after looking at this (and the other Skymar books) on Goodreads -- I see them tagged there as Christian fiction. Does that feel accurate to you? How much is faith/religion a part of the story? That's not a genre I would normally consider reading, so I'm wondering now how it feels while reading it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Her books feel like cute, humorous and clean rom coms. The focus is definitely on the romance and relationship between the two main characters. There is some talk of faith and prayer and God and second chances in it, but it's never in your face. And it doesn't take over the plot or anything; and it's not at all preachy, which I don't like. And her characters are so great. Luke especially. Does that help?

      Delete
    2. It does! So long as it doesn't feel preachy or overwhelming, I shouldn't have a problem with it. :) thank you! These books do sound really cute.

      Delete
  13. I bet I would like this one! It sounds like my kind of romance. I still have Authentically, Izzy on my wish list and keep thinking I need to see if I can get my hands on a copy. I want to read that one too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Authentically, Izzy is a very fun romance, especially if you like epistolary novels like I do. And Luke is in that one as a side character, too.

      Delete