Review: Codename Charming!

Review: Codename Charming by Lucy Parker

Following Battle Royal, beloved author Lucy Parker pens another delicious romantic comedy about a fake relationship between a grumpy royal bodyguard and the charming, sunny assistant who melts his cold, hard exterior.

Petunia De Vere enjoys being the personal assistant to lovable, bumbling Johnny Marchmont. But the job has its share of challenges, including the royal's giant, intimidating bodyguard, Matthias. Pet and Matthias are polar opposites--she's spontaneous and enthusiastic, he's rigid and stoic--but she can sense there's something softer underneath that tough exterior...

For Matthias Vaughn, protecting others is the name of the game. But keeping his royal charge out of trouble is more difficult than he imagined because everywhere Johnny goes, calamity ensues, and his petite, bubbly assistant is often caught in the fray. Matthias hates the idea of Pet getting hurt and he's determined to keep everyone safe, even if it means clashing with his adorable new coworker.

When a clumsy moment leads to a questionable tabloid photo, the press begins to speculate that Pet is romantically involved with Johnny. To put an end to the rumors, the royal PR team asks Pet and Matthias to stage a fake relationship and the two reluctantly agree. But as they spend more time together outside of work, they begin to wonder what real emotions this pretend connection might uncover. Especially when a passionate kiss leaves both of their heads spinning...

-summary and cover via Goodreads

Review: This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2023, and I am happy to report it lived up to all my expectations! I loved BATTLE ROYAL (which is about Dominic and Sylvie), but I knew I would end up loving this one more, and I was right! Pet was a favorite character from the first book, and from the scene at the end of it (no spoilers, but if you’ve read it you know what I’m talking about), I knew Matthias and Pet’s book would be fantastic. They are absolutely adorable together. I just love them so much!

I also loved getting to see characters from the first book again, and meeting new ones as well. They are all so well written, and unique. The ending was wonderful. I highly recommend this book, I totally and completely loved it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.