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.
Codename Charming
LUCY PARKER
SYNOPSIS
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 …
Buy Links:
Amazon – amazon.com/dp/B0BM9VMCWC
B & N – barnesandnoble.com/w/codename-charming-lucy-parker
Kobo – kobo.com/codename-charming
REVIEW
Quiet, super trope-y, and sweet, Lucy Parker’s newest release is sure to delight her fans. In Codename Charming, she employed a lot of themes I enjoy in a Romance novel — Beauty and the Beast, Opposites Attract, Grumpy/Sunshine, Workplace Romance (between equals), and Fake Dating. Throw in height difference and a little bit of a “fated mates” vibe and it’s hitting all my soft spots.
Life isn’t always easy … Neither is love. But they’re sure as hell worth fighting for.”
Pet and Matthias are so wonderful together all the way from Battle Royal that their attachment is truly believable despite the pretend beginning of their relationship. I love that they are both present in practically all the scenes in the book. The reader can really see the natural progression of their love story.
This book has Lucy’s signature wit and quirky characters, but perhaps it needs more of the first and less of the second. It could also use more humor and snappy banter and fewer subplots. While I like a slow burn, the pacing here could have been sped up a tad. I liked this story but it’s missing some of the verve that characterized Lucy’s earlier works.
ABOUT LUCY
Lucy Parker is an award-winning romance author who lives in New Zealand. A romance reader from a young age, she loves to write about people pursuing their dreams and falling hopelessly in love along the way—often with the last person they would expect! Her previous titles have been featured in Entertainment Weekly, Cosmopolitan, and Oprah Magazine, and were included in NPR’s Book Concierge for four consecutive years.
Follow Links:
Twitter – @_lucyparker
Facebook – @LucyParkerAuthor
Instagram – @LucyParkerAuthor
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