I love, love, love Lucy Parker novels. Set in England and written by an Australian, they just feel different than romance novels written by American authors. You can’t help but use descriptive words like cheeky, brilliant, and gobsmacked when faced with this well-written romance. OK, I’m over that moment of British humor, but really I did really enjoy Codename Charming. Pet was a favorite side character of mine in the previous novel and she and Matthias’s romance was set-up with the gift of a charming little teddy bear.

Once she and Matthias were fake-dating, you really got to see inside of his surly exterior. He was just a big ol’ teddy bear, just like the little one he gave her. A little dusty and mangled, but he had a heart of gold. That was truly when this novel shone, those sweet quiet moments between the two of them. However, I did love the crazy slapstick comedy that Johnny added to the mix.

I have to mention that if you’re a fan of Battle Royal as I am, you will get your fix of Sylvie and Dominic with a couple of wonderful chapters. I love seeing a glimpse into the future of past favorites, and theirs is rainbow bright. Dominic and Pet also have some great brother-sister moments that provide that family insight that one of the subplots in this novel really needed to round out Pet’s character.

Codename Charming was aptly named. This novel was charming, fun, and romantic. Surprisingly it also had a lot of depth. Pet had insecurities that were addressed in this book as did Matthias. Their support of each other through these moments also helped cement them as a couple in my eyes. It can’t all be rainbows and butterflies can it? Life happens, and you need someone strong by your side. They both got that in the other in Codename Charming. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

This is everything I love about a romance novel.

Set at the Palace, Pet (Petal) is a personal assistant to the Duke, Johnny, who is constantly getting himself into trouble. Matthias runs security for his wife, Rosie, the Duchess.

Grumpy-sunshine, bodyguard trope, fake-dating, just all of my favorites. I didn’t read Battle Royal, and I will now be going back to do so but I don’t think it takes away from this story - Pet and Matthias are perfectly imperfect together and have a lot of ground to cover. Both come from less than ideal backgrounds and helping each other heal, even if the relationship started as a divergence for the press, was a really sweet part of this story.

Petunia works as the personal assistant to Johnny, a member of the royal family, which means she has to spend a lot of time with Matthias, Johnny’s grumpy bodyguard. When a tabloid starts a rumor of an affair between Johnny and Pet, she starts fake dating Matthias to get the press to leave Johnny alone. But the more time Pet and Matthais spend together, a real attraction begins to build.

I love a good royal themed romance so I was very excited for this book. Unfortunately the story and the characters never quite caught my attention and the many subplots were challenging to keep track of.

Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

4.0 ⭐️/5
1.5 🌶️/5

- grumpy/sunshine
- opposites attract
- coworker
- dual POV
- found family
- size difference
- fake relationship

Petunia “Pet” De Vere is the sunshine to Matthias Vaughn‘s grumpy. Mathias literally thinks of Pet as a “human sunbeam” . On the outside they look like an unlikely duo; Pet is barely 5ft and petite and Mathias might closely resemble a 7ft wall of muscle. Pet is go with the flow and Mathias is stick to the plan. Pet has tried to befriend Mathias since she started working for the royal family member, bumbling Johnny Marchmont, husband to Princess Rose, least favorite granddaughter of the king. And Mathias, due to tragic backstory, refuses to let anyone close to him. He is strictly business all of the time, no fun diversions, please and thank you.

I love how the friendship and relationship between the two slowly evolve as Mathias lets down his exterior walls. Pet is so very protective over not only Mathias’s physical person (she’s thwarted two of his attackers; once getting stabbed!!) but is in tune with any emotional or personal insults that are flung his way. And of course they’re secretly but mutually pining after each other, but think there is no way the other person could ever feel the same way.

The first 10-15% of the book was slow for me, and I had a hard time getting into the story because there was so much information to sift through. I felt this had more to do with the fact I did not read Battle Royal. I think those who did read Battle Royal would enjoy the continuation of Sylvie and Dominic’s story. Once the foundation of Pet and Mathias was laid I was hooked and invested.

Lucy Parker has such a sly humorous writing style, and some funny moments or one liners just snuck up on me. Romance-wise the kisses between Pet and Mathias gave me some butterflies. While not super steamy there is definitely some spice that these two get into. One thing I loved was how forthright Pet was about sex. It’s such a relief for me to finally not read a virgin trope or someone who has hang ups surrounding sex.

Recommend if you want to read about a fake relationship full of chemistry that turns into friendship and into a relationship. Enjoy a lovely group of characters, including a jealous parrot, an eccentric, oracle-like duchess, and black cat/golden retriever relationship.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the advanced e-copy. This review is provided voluntarily and is my honest opinion.

#CodenameCharming:⁣
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Thank you @avonbooks partner for my gifted copy.⁣
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Y’all remember when The Killers sang, “how did we end up like this? It was a only a kiss.” Well, now I know how they ended up like that thanks to Codename Charming. ⁣
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I LOVED Battle Royal last year and basically vowed to read anything by Lucy Parker. Queue today as Codename Charming affirms my choice in the matter. I cackled out loud for several minutes (I haven’t done that in quite some time) at the banter. Pet was the best. I just adored her. Matthias was the brooding type we all know and love. He gave me Luther from Umbrella Academy vibes. I had high expectations and they were knocked out of the park. The banter, the small details, the steam.. it was another perfect read. ⁣
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Lucy Parker, I don’t know what you put in your romcoms, but these two are absolutely some of my favorites I have EVER read. If anyone takes a rec from me this year in the romance department, it’s to grab Battle Royal and Codename Charming. (Out tomorrow 8/15)

Lucy Parker is one of my favorite contemporary romance novelists and I enjoyed the previous book in this series, but for whatever reason Codename Charming didn't really hit for me. I did appreciate that the hero was so insecure about his looks; it was kind of like an inversion of the heroine of Pretty Face, and it was interesting to see this explored in a man whose successful career is built on the opposite requirements of Lily's in that book--but who, despite that, and despite having every other traditional measure of alpha masculine appeal, still struggles with not being handsome on a social and personal level to the point where it affects his self esteem and makes finding a relationship difficult. However, even with the appealing ensemble of characters and the lure of a family mystery reveal, the pacing of both the plot and the relationship development here just felt too slow, and I ultimately stalled out about 60% of the way through. It's also very possible that after reading Spare earlier this year, I may have cooled on the "palace insider" concept, so maybe I'll go back and finish this one when I'm more in the mood for that sort of thing (like after watching the Red, White and Royal Blue movie, perhaps). In the meantime, I'm excited for the new London Celebrities!

This was a cute read! It’s about a woman in the Palace in England named Petunia (Pet) who works for the Royal couple Princess Rosie and her new husband, Johnny. He’s sweet but nervous and clumsy, and he’s accidentally put Pet into “interesting” situation. The tabloids are convinced that Pet and Johnny are an item.

To prove to the tabloids that this is untrue, Princess Rosie asks Pet to enter into a fake relationship, called Codename Charming, with one of the bodyguards, Matthias. He’s enormous and not particularly good looking. As their fake relationship progresses, people around them in the palace just how fake it really is.

This is a well written and amusing book that I recommend, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

I love the fake dating trope. That with a smattering of behinds the scenes of royal life, this was a solid read. I thought that it was a bit wordy in parts that seemed to slow the story. But the ending was so lovely. It brought a tear to my eye. I will admit I haven't read the first book in this series, Battle Royal. I think for the most part it's ok. The references to earlier stories a mentioned in enough detail that you have an understanding of what has happened. At the same time you feel like you are missing a little something. That is nothing negative on this book. If anything I am inspired to go back and read the first and get to know all of the characters a little better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This rom-com is full of fluff, downright hilarity, and so much Tension! I ate this book up, I read it in about 5 hours; I stayed up incredibly too late because I simply could not put this book down! It has the perfect blend of comedy, romance, and serious situations, and I'm absolutely obsessed! Pet and Matthias are too cute, and all of their interactions filled me with joy. I also sincerely appreciate that there wasn't a third-act breakup, that happens way too frequently in fake dating romances, and it's always for stupid reasons.
The one thing I didn't love about this book was how quickly everything happened. The plot, I think, takes place over about a week, and I just assumed it would take longer for them to fall like they did. I understand that as far as the press goes, it sort of had to move quickly, and the mentions of feelings already existing before the start of the book was a nice touch, but it still felt very quick. Although there was tension and longing, part of me wanted it to be more drawn out so that they could really feel the full force of their feelings, but that's really just a personal thing. And hey, I still ate this book up like nobody's business. Also, him calling her Button is the cutest thing in this world, I will take no comments.

I loved Pet and Matthias! It was such a sweet, funny, and even wacky slow burn.

Pet is assistant to his Royal highness Johnny, and Matthias is his bodyguard. When rumors spread about Pet and Johnny having an affair, Matthias and Pet start fake dating to put a stop to those rumors.

These two and their sweet tension had me impatiently rooting for them throughout this slow, slow burn.

Sweet, sweet Matthias is a bodyguard and his nature is to keep those he cares about safe, and boy does he care about Pet!

And Pet is soo protective of Matthias too, his feelings, his heart, his everything. Swoon!

Both Matthias and Pet have been hurt by others and are hesitant to give love a chance, but their pull, connection, attraction, and affection are just undeniable.

I enjoyed this so much. It felt a bit wordy at times, but it was filled with funny shenanigans, sweet moments, and lots of longing between our two leads.

Happy Monday y’all! I hope everyone had a great weekend- I was sick all weekend, which meant lots of time for reading! One of the books I read this weekend was Codename Charming by Lucy Parker which comes out tomorrow and is the sequel to Battle Royal. I really enjoyed Battle Royal and loved Pet as a character, so I was super excited to read Codename Charming! Thank you so much to Avon and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of this one! Make sure you grab a copy when it comes out tomorrow, August 15th!

Codename Charming 4/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads: 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…

Codename Charming was such a fun, cute read! I loved Pet and Matthias as main characters, and it was so nice to see some of the characters from Battle Royal back again. Johnny and Rosie were the cutest- I loved how much of a disaster Johnny always was, but he had so many great people in his corner, that he was always able to get back from anything. The whole fake dating plan was so out there, but at the same time made so much sense, and of course, I love fake dating, so I was so excited about it. Pet and Matthias didn’t seem as though they should be compatible, but they were so incredibly cute together! They’re both so considerate and think about each other before they think of themselves. Watching them fall in love with each other and act on that love was an amazing way to spend a Sunday. I really liked Codename Charming and I highly recommend picking it up when it comes out tomorrow!

Pet is the personal assistant to clumsy Johnny, who is married to Princess Rosie. Pet loves her job, even if she occasionally clashes with Johnny's no-nonsense bodyguard, Matthias. But when the princess asks Pet and Matthias to fake a romance to put an end to some scandalous rumors, fake feelings turn into real ones rather quickly.
I loved this romance, especially since both characters had childhoods that were rather lacking when it comes to affection. My only objection is to some rather crude language.

Cute but not great. Good lead characters and a sweet romance. The plot is scattered and a little over-written. Some scenes lacked flow and readability. Not a bad book, but also not an author I would seek out again.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Highly enjoyable. I really enjoyed the setting, it was fun to have a romance set in a royal setting where is wasn't the royals love story. I liked the underlying theme of found family.

Codename Charming
Palace Insiders Series - Book 2
By Lucy Parker

Avon - August 2023

Contemporary Romance


Things were going well for Petunia DeVere. She had recently reconnected with her brother Dominic, and was now very close to him and his new wife Sylvie. She also really enjoyed her work as personal assistant to Johnny Marchmont, the newest member of the royal family. He was as sweet and naive as could be, which were dangerous attributes when combined with clumsiness and the paparazzi who always wanted to bring down, well, anyone.

Which was how Pet found herself in her current predicament. The newest rumor was that Johnny was stepping out on Princess Rose with Pet. It was an absolutely ludicrous story. Johnny and Rose were devoted to one another, but truth didn't matter in the tabloids. So Codename Charming was implemented. Pet would need to show the world she was in a relationship with someone else. That someone else being Matthias Vaughn. Johnny's quiet, somber, seems to have no interest in Pet, hunky, hulking bodyguard.

Matthias knew they were acting for the public, but had always been fascinated by the brilliant personality that was Pet. She adeptly handled Johnny, calming him and preparing him for the spotlight he now lived in. Spending their time off together was simple enjoyment. The only problem would be when he was forced to end the fake facade.

Codename Charming was another romance that entertained from beginning to end. Both have an unspoken attraction to one another, and it was pure enjoyment to see them realize just how unfake this assignment was. It had been awhile since the first Palace Insiders story was released, but although there are visits from previous characters, this story does stand on its own. Although I highly recommend also reading Battle Royal

Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com

I wanted to like this. I thought that the description sounded good but the romance was SO slow. Nothing really happened. I think this book was a lot longer than it needed to be. Like several pages were used to describe him touching her elbow and how it made her feel and what it could mean. I skimmed a ton and still probably could have skimmed more.

Characters appeared to have some depth, but their pasts were touched on in a way that made it not the main part of the story.

There’s lots of slight touches, kissing, and “almost” scenes, but no action till 88%. The one scene we got was really wordy without really giving me anything. Explicit but not good.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this digita l ARC.

Codename Charming is the second in Lucy Parker’s Palace Insiders. I was intrigued by the royal-adjacent romance that didn’t star any royals, even though I skipped the first in the series, Battle Royal. I was excited by the grumpy/sunshine premise and the fake dating and this book did not disappoint.

I am going to mention first off, however, that while Codename Charming has comedic moments (more than many books being sold as romantic comedies these days, honestly), it does touch on some more serious subjects, including grief. Both characters have very deeply woven backstories that show up in different ways as they are navigating their way to a happily ever after. Particularly Matthias, who has a lot of guilt due to surviving a knife attack that he lost his best friend to. And while I do believe that Codename Charming does a good job of balancing the serious with the not-so-serious, none of the serious stuff is mentioned in the description of the book, and it took me by surprise.

Codename Charming starts off with a funny situation, and manages to keep up the energy for the beginning, before it starts to delve into what can rightfully be called the traumatic incidents of our main characters’ pasts. It is when the book starts having Pet and Matthias work through some of their baggage that it started to drag a little for me. While I think that Pet was really crucial for some self-discovery on Matthias’s part, I don’t know how much Matthias was necessary for Pet’s backstory and the whole subplot about her absent/unknown father felt a little unnecessary, as it didn’t really pay off emotionally like I would have expected. I did enjoy seeing Matthias’s growth and how Pet fit into that, though, and especially enjoyed how she was protective of him even though he was the bodyguard.

Pet, Matthias, and the rest of the characters in the book are great. I really love Pet’s boss, Johnny, who is bumbling and wonderful and a large source of amusement. Dominic and Sylvie from Battle Royal show up, as Dominic is Pet’s previously estranged brother who she is beginning to build a relationship with, but I did not feel like I needed to have read the first book in order to appreciate their addition to Codename Charming.

That all being said, this was a really sweet romance and I did love the development of the relationship of Pet and Matthias. They were adorable together and I loved watching Matthias’s stoicism crumble in the face of Pet’s cuteness and competence. The quiet moments between Pet and Matthias were my favorites, and I really wish there could have been more of the everyday, instead of the dramatic scenes coming fast and furious. Sometimes, it just felt like a lot!

In Codename Charming, Parker has created an amazing cast of characters and a fun setting, but with a plot that’s a little all over the place. It’s definitely an enjoyable read, with genuinely amusing moments, as long as you go in aware that there are some heavier topics.

Grade: B

Content warnings: Matthias was in foster care as a child as his parents died in a car accident when he was young (only referenced, not on-page). Pet does not know her father and was emotionally abused by her stepfather and neglected by her mother (also only referenced, not on-page). There is an on-page mugging with a knife attack and a description of a past mugging gone wrong with a knife attack, causing the death of a friend of Matthias, and while it is not named as such Matthias displays some of the characteristics of somebody with PTSD as a result of the incident. Prior to the events of the book, Pet’s boss Johnny was attacked by a stalker who ended up hurting Pet, so there are mentions of that incident and her subsequent hospital stay.

Title: Codename Charming
Author: Lucy Parker
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.8 out of 5

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...

Parts of this read were quite funny—the parrot, in particular—including Johnny’s accident-prone self. I enjoyed the two main characters, but some of it felt a bit forced or off—like Pet’s propensity for impractical footwear in a job that seems to require quick and safe movements. The quirky royal family were fun to read, too, but in the end this just ended up being an okay read.

Lucy Parker live in New Zealand. Codename Charming is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review.)

This book is the perfect Beach read. It's full of funny moments that keep the pacing good. If you like royals, and fake dating-this us the book for you! Thank-you to #NetGalley and #AvonBooks for an ARC of this story.
The story is about Pet or rather Petunia and Matthias. Both of them work for perhaps the most clumsy, nervous member of the royal family-Johnny Marchmont. Johnny's clumsiness leads to several incidents that sic the paparazzi onto him. Matthias is a part of Johnny's royal bodyguards.
The book opens with an incident and Pet tries to cheer up
Johnny by going and getting a video game and snacks.
Matthias accompanies her. As they make their way back-
Matthias stops a crime from happening with an assist from Pet.
The next day finds a scandal. Johnny's clumsiness leads to a photo that makes it look like he's ogling Pet. The team decides to install : Codename Charming. Since the video of Matt and Pet stopping the criminals went viral. The palace decides to seize upon it and create a staged photos of Matt and Pet dating.
Matt and Pet begin their fake relationship and they have chemistry. They get to know each other and discover they truly care for each other.
There are some hilarious scenes in this book that I throughly enjoyed.

Codename Charming by Lucy Parker 🌤️

Pet is the personal assistant to Johnny who recently became a royal. Her job has its challenges including Johnny's giant and intimidating bodyguard, Matthias. Pet and Matthias are polar opposites in nearly every way. Matthias's focus is doing his job and being the best bodyguard he can. Which proves challenging when chaos ensues wherever Johnny goes and often times Pet ends up involved. When a clumsy moment leads to a questionable tabloid photo it's decided that Pet and Matthias need to fake date.

This was my first book by Lucy and I'm excited to read more. I quickly realized afters starting this is a follow up to her first book and there were a couple of moments where I didn't get the references being made. This can most definitely be read as a standalone though! If anything, it's made me want to go back and read her first book in the very near future.

I loved the premise behind this one! Matthias is the big, grumpy bodyguard while Pet is the sweet, sunshine-y personal assistant. It hints at being a bit of a beauty and the beast retelling, but I only saw that relevance in the characters appearance and personalities, not the story. Pet and Matthias end up having to fake date which of course leads to fun fake dates and fake kissing. It was really cute seeing them get to know each other through this and Matthias slowly softening up to Pet.

I wanted a little bit more on the romance for this one. It was super slow burn, which I loved and think worked perfectly for Pet and Matthias. However, I wish there was more dialogue between them. I feel like dialogue in romances are where I get truly convinced of the chemistry where a few times in this we were told they had a conversation about something instead of actually reading them having it. I think if I were to have read more of those impactful moments between Pet and Matthias I would have enjoyed this one a bit more. And don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed it! I just wanted more convincing on the romance.

Tropes:
🌤️ grumpy (him) / sunshine (her)
🕶️ bodyguard romance
❤️‍🔥 slow burn
👏🏼 no third act breakup
🤭 fake dating

dual POV
3.5/5 stars ⭐️
1/5 spice level 🌶️