Wow! This book is so good! Whenever I picked up "Codename Charming", I was whisked away with this fake romance to something more (slow-burn romance!) novel!

Lucy Parker is a phenomenal writer! Her storytelling jumps right off of the page, her characters feel like such real people, and I could envision each moment.

(Possible Spoilers!)
Matthias and Pet both work for the Royal Family! Both are, understandably, protective and guarded in many ways due to their pasts. Watching their fake romance become a real one was really special. They truly understand one another on a deep level, bring out the best in each other, and are truly perfect together!

I look forward to going back to read the first book in this series, and I hope this series continues as well!

If you enjoy Contemporary Romance, I highly recommend this book! I look forward to reading what the author writes next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC of this book! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Codename Charming by Lucy Parker is full of undeniable tension, chemistry, and romance, as well as a cast of lovable yet meddlesome characters. The intimacy between the Pet and Matthias was worked towards so gradually that it felt so natural and special to follow along with. While the romance was particularly emotionally intimate, Parker has a knack for putting her characters into elaborately wacky scenarios that kept throwing them together. I laughed out loud while loving every minute.. I will be returning to Lucy Parker’s work!

Even though this book contained plenty of sweet and precious moments, the story overall felt a little stiff and I wish there were more tender moments with Pet and Matthias. This book also felt much longer than it needed to be.

Codename Charming by Lucy Parker is a wonderful romance that includes Parker's trademark humour and heart. Readers met Pet and Matthias in the previous book, Battle Royale. Their book was worth the wait. I liked that the hero is so handsome and attractive to the heroine but not necessarily to others who find him intimidating. The fake dating storyline works well for them as their are both attracted and in denial about it (fear of rejection, fear of complications, etc). Ultimately a sweet romance about two wounded people who open up to each other and trust in each other. Another winning contemporary title from Lucy Parker.

A perfect mix of adorableness and secondhand embarrassment that was such a fun read. I can't wait to read more by Parker!

This was super cute! However I did struggle with the writing, but very cute, great execution and I recommend you try it out!

I really like the first quarter of the book. After that there was too much baggage dumped on the reader. I didn't like the characters enough to care about a too long backstory.
I loved the baking book, but this falls very flat for me.

I'm not sure what it was, but something about this book made it super easy to put down. I'd read a handful of pages and then my mind would wander off, and that would happen every time I picked it up. The third person POV certainly didn't help, as that seems dated in the current contemporary romance landscape. I do generally like Parker as an author, but this heavily relies on the book before it and yet doesn't hold its weight. I tried to get into it on several different occasions, but ended up leaving the book unfinished.

It's a lovely, funny, and a tender romance, but at the same time packed with the vibrancy, fun, witty banter and sexual tension. Also I loved how the author portrayed some of the heavy topics really well too.

Quick Summary: A charming BBC-esque gen-fic story

My Review: Codename Charming by Lucy Parker is book 2 in the Palace Insiders series.

About the Book: What do you get when you pair up a woman with a sunny disposition and a penchant for getting into trouble with a royal bodyguard who comes across as a bit of a grump and a protective nature towards his charges?

My Final Say: Essentially, this book was about two people with difficult pasts. Their experiences with struggle and loss largely shaped who they became. In the end, it was their differences, their similarities, and their unique qualities that helped them to understand and support each other.

About the Narration: I was granted the opportunity to read the e-ARC of this book, as well as the chance to listen to the audio version of this title. The audiobook narration made the story that much more entertaining.

Rating: 3/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Series: Yes (This could be read as a standalone. I was able to follow the storyline without any problems.)
Status/Level: 💬

Sincere appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (Avon and Harper Voyager), and to NetGalley, who provided access to this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have shared are my own thoughts and opinions and have not been influenced by the aforementioned in any way.

Royals need a lot of support from personal assistants to bodyguards. Johnny Marchmont, sweet and well meaning husband to a princess is not the most coordinated guy in the world so an untimely stumble caught in pictures puts him in an unfavorable light, looking like he is carrying on with Pet, his personal assistant. Big bodyguard Matthias will do whatever it takes to keep his charge and those around him safe. When rumors fly about Johnny and Pet, Matthias and Pet are asked to fake a relationship and love ensues. Humor, joy, and love make this a fun and happy read.

Battle Royal, the first in the Palace Insiders series, was my favorite romance of the entire year in 2021. Thus, I was highly anticipating Codename Charming.

And I think that, with some edits, it really could have been fantastic. Lucy Parker is undeniably talented. But as is, this was a fairly middle-of-the-road romance for me.

A few reasons why:
- Too many hijinks. They felt out of place for these characters/this story.
- Beauty and the beast AND giant man/tiny woman felt like too much - I think their pairing would have felt more natural just playing up one of those (especially when you've got strangers to friends to lovers and fake dating as well).
- The moment that really got at my heart just involved Pet, not Pet and Matthias. That to me made this one feel more like contemporary fiction than romance.

Of course, YMMV, and if any of those ^ sound attractive to you, you may very well love this one.

I'm going to be really honest the nickname Pet was really throwing me off, especially how she served others. It felt like a PG version of petplay. I don't think this book was for me.

A sweet grumpy-sunshine slow burn by Lucy Parker. Pet and Matthias are adorable together in this fake dating romance.

Battle Royal by Lucy Parker totally caught me by surprise and I absolutely loved every moment of the story that featured Pet. When I found out Parker was releasing a sequel focusing on Pet, I knew I had to convince the NetGalley Spirits to grant me access to the title!

Woot woot! Wishes come true and I was granted access to the title! Then, I did the worst thing possible, I dragged my feet to read the book. Why? Because I knew once I read it, I would have to wait far too long for another novel by Lucy Parker.

However, I don’t recommend waiting. I was all about Codename Charming! What a delightful read. The same humor, sizzle, and spice that was in Battle Royal was featured in Codename Charming. Pet was as endearing as always and downright graceful even when her employer manages to have gaffes left and right. Don’t even get me started on brooding and stoic Matthias. Oh my! He sounded alluring through the pages.

I’m also thoroughly obsessed with all things Royal so I was engrossed in all the elements royals based. There was even a bit of mystery in this installment in the Palace Insiders series!

Plain and simple, I loved it.

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for a copy for review consideration.

Codename Charming is a fake romance between a bodyguard, Matthias Vaughn, and Pet De Vere, a personal assistant for Johnny Marchmont, a royal. If you read the first book in the Palace Insiders series, you'll remember Pet as she's the sister of the male protagonist. The story between Pet and Matthias actually started at the end of the previous book, but it's quickly recapped in Codename Charming. After a photo of Matthias and Pet is caught by the paparazzi, they come together in a fake relationship to help alleviate the pressure the press is putting on Johnny. If you've read a romance book before with a fake relationship trope, you know exactly what's going to happen.

I found Codename Charming to be slower to get into and it's a slow burn for the romance. If you're looking for spicy scenes, they don't come until close to the end and there aren't many. I enjoyed the friendship between Matthias and Pet that built the framework for their relationship. Also I want to participate in the wand game towards the end. Forget about paintball this is the game to play.

If you're a fan of royal romances definitely check out Codename Charming.

I really like this book and this series, and the stories continue to be funny and thoughtul and also dealw ith real serious likfe stuff instead of being only happy!

Codename Charming was super charming! I really enjoyed this book. It gave me a beauty and the beast vibes and I loved that

This book has a wonderful cast of lovable characters including our heroine, Petunia who the assistant to Johnny, a member of the role family, and the hero Matthias his Johnny’s bodyguard. Petunia gets wrapped up in a minor scandal that has a solution of Petunia and Matthias fake dating.

I loved watching how Petunia and Matthias’ relationship unfold and how the may not have appeared to be perfect to the world, they were perfect for each other and fit seamlessly together.

I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who loves cute romances or cute rom coms. This had a little bit of everything - fake dating, Royal smiley, found family, cute banter, slow burn, and a colorful and fun cast of characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Lucy Parker for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was cute but too similar to the first one, grumpy sunshine and royal intrigue. The first one was great but this didn’t hit as well. Seemed to retry the same ground

This is the second book in the Palace Insiders series, but can be read as a standalone. It was a cute, quick read about the personal assistant to the accident-prone prince of England who fake dates the prince's bodyguard to quell false rumors.

This gave all the grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, fake dating to real feelings vibes. I just wish we had more time with Pet and Matthias as a real couple. The overall premise was good, but the ending felt rushed.