Unfortunately, I was unable to finish this book. I could not not connect to the writing style. I DNF’d around 15% so I cannot give an honest review.

I am thankful to have read this book and I can see why everyone fell in love with these characters as they are adorable. The story was fun and sweet and I enjoyed my time with it. It was on the slower side which is not my favorite but overall I liked it

Beauty and the beast feels!

Petunia (Pet) De Vere is a personal assistant and troubleshooter to Johnny Marchmont, the husband of Princess Rose of Albany. Pet’s biggest issue is their personal protection officer Matthias Vaughn who is her total opposite, he’s a stickler for following the rules and Pet is all sunshiny and bright. But that all changes when she’s asked to fake a relationship with Matthias to get the tabloids off of Pet and Johnny. Maybe they had more things in common than they thought because it was hard to pretend to date when they both wanted it to be real.

Codename Charming is a charming sequel to Battle Royal (Palace Insiders #1) because you want more of everyone at St. Giles.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

thank you net galley for the arc! i honestly really enjoyed reading this book. the slow burn part kind of made me disinterested at some parts but overall I really enjoyed the book!

CODENAME CHARMING – Lucy Parker
Avon
ISBN: 978-0063040106
August 15, 2023
Romantic Comedy

England – Present Day

Petunia “Pet” De Vereen enjoys her job as a personal assistant to the Royal’s newest member, the husband of a princess. Unfortunately, Johnny is a klutz, which means that Pet is often on the receiving end of his blunders. Luckily for Pet, royal bodyguard Matthias Vaughn is often around to prevent her from getting hurt. But after a vicious paparazzi member insinuates that Pet is having an affair with Johnny after an inadvertent photo, it is suggested that Pet and Matthias pretend to be dating. This will mean appearing affectionate in public and going to events together. Will it work?

Matthias is what one would call a burly bodyguard. He is big and muscular and rarely smiles. But Pet senses that beneath his stern exterior lies a man who might be able to pull off the job of pretending to be her boyfriend. She doesn’t know him well, but since they will have to be alone together, it gives her a chance to dig a little to find out what makes him tick. Soon, their alone time is stirring up an attraction between them. Will their pretend romance turn into the real thing?

It's a fun romance for Pet and Matthias in the rollicking CODENAME CHARMING. Though at times they aren’t looking for the trouble, it finds them. This includes a run-in with a foul mouth bird that Johnny mistakenly thought had been stolen. It’s up to Pet and Matthias to return it to a royal suite before its owner misses it. Alas, it wasn’t as easy as they thought when they end up stuck in a closet after the husband returns early to the room, with romance on his mind with the lady who is not his wife accompanying him. Will Pet and Matthias be discovered? Will their ears be forever burned by what they overhear while the couple gets amorous? But one thing that happened during that time is that it amped up the sexual attraction between Pet and Matthias. Will it lead to a tryst of their own?

If you love silly romances, then CODENAME CHARMING is the one for you. Pet is the ever-faithful royal employee while Matthias is the best royal bodyguard a kingdom can have. But there is plenty of behind-the-scenes pomp and circumstance that goes on as readers will soon discover. There is always a delicate balance between keeping the press happy and maintaining privacy for the royals. Pet and Matthias show the madcap ways the staff keeps everyone happy—and a royal household running smoothly. Along the way, we learn more about Pet and Matthias’s backgrounds. One is Pet discovering that she has a doppelganger nearby. Will this lead to her finding out who her father is? Will our fearless couple find love and their own happily ever after?

A charming and witty romance, don’t miss CODENAME CHARMING.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

I genuinely loved this book. It follows Pet and Matthias, two people in staff for the Royal family. The chemistry was palpable. I loved the tension. I’m usually not a fan of slow burn, but this one was done right. The reasons why it wasn’t a five star for me are 1. It was too long. A lot of unnecessary things happening that could’ve been condensed by several chapters and 2. They kept calling this man ugly. Like KEPT calling him ugly. It was overdone. I get that they’re supposed to be contracting in appearance, but I wasn’t a fan of how hard they went in on his looks. Overall, great book and great message about finding family and love when you fighting to feel worthy of it.

Petunia De Vere is the personal assistant to royal bumbling (but loveable) Johnny. The only problem is his stoic and rigid bodyguard. Matthias Vaughn is a protector, and his charge is protecting the royal Johnny. However, whenever Johnny has a clumsy moment, it seems like his assistant Petunia is always caught in the middle of it. One clumsy moment, someone gets a picture of Matthias that looks compromising with Petunia, and it gets out to the press. The two pretend to date for a while, until the fallout from the picture fades.

But of course, fake dating doesn't stay fake for long. Someone always catches feelings! The romance was a little bit of a slow burn for me, with a little extraneous (and maybe not necessary for the story) plot thrown in, but I really enjoyed the humor and the emotion between Pet and Matthias. Great writing, relatable characters, fun times! I really enjoyed this one!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

We met Pet and Matthias in Battle Royal. He's a huge royal bodyguard, and she's now working as personal assistant to a princess's husband (who is the most accident prone man). They've each been harboring a twinkle, a little crush, on the other since the previous book. And now, for romance reasons, they have to pretend to date. And maybe get a little carried away kissing in public. And there's a very amusing incident with a parrot.

I was here for both of these characters. They're delightful. Matthias is buttoned up and professional and could snap a man in half. Pet is bubbly and super competent and dresses in vintage clothing. They're each dealing with issues of the past and of family, and maybe some of that is wrapped up a little quickly, but I'll give it a pass.

The really sweet thing about this story is how Pet and Matthias help each other fill the gaps in their lives. They care. So much. And not just about each other.

I spent the entire epilogue crying happy tears.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was a bit underwhelming for me. I found it hard to enjoy the relationship between Pet and Matthias. I love the idea of grumpy x sunshine, fake dating, and throw in some forced proximity due to working arrangements, but I just could find the chemistry or excitement I want from these elements. Maybe the slow burn was just a little too slow for me with all of the outside events that impact their growing relationship.

I am not sure if it is the setting, the writing style, or the events surrounding their story, but I just could not get into this book and I found myself putting it down and picking it back up to read little by little. Overall, it is not a bad book, it is just was not for me.

Petunia (Pet) is wee like Thumbelina. She works as a personal assistant for a bumbling, accident prone royal. Matthias is a gigantasaurus bodyguard for the royal family. No this isn’t dino-smut. Matthias is a human, but so large that everyone treats him like a scary monster…everyone but Pet.

The tabloids create a fake scandal that Pet is sleeping with her royal boss- so the team whips up a fake romance between Pet and Matthias to trick the press. We all know what happens next as you can’t have a fake romance without actually falling in love- It’s required by law.

This was a enjoyably cute, low steam romance. It’s a sequel to Battle Royal and it def helps to read that first for context. I was hoping for a big “bodyguard saves damsel in distress from near death” scene or vice versa but alas, nada which was a bit of a missed opportunity. I also had a hard time picturing these two getting it on bc of their size difference. Pet was constantly being lifted off the ground and I applaud her acrobatics and bravery. Spoiler alert: her wee pelvis was not injured by his giantness.

Smut- 1.9 star
Romance- 4.3 stars
Story- 3.9 stars
The physics that must be utilized for these two lovebirds to makeout- 5.9 stars

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

I’ve long waited for Matthias & Pet’s book & Codename Charming has some great moments that pulled at the ole heartstrings.

Starting with the fact that Matthias is a security guard for royals & becomes VERY protective of Pet, their royal assistant, & including the fact that to everyone else, their romance is beauty & the beast but to Pet, he is beauty & strength & dependability.

& it didn’t quite pull at my heartstrings that Matthias has chest hair but I liked it, okay?

Codename Charming also has a fake dating, opposites attract (but really they have compatible backgrounds) premise, a slooooow burn, some humor, & a story of two people creating this world where they can feel comfortable, together.

Add to that an investigation into Pet’s father’s family & a meddling set of Royals & you have a cheery romance that is—as the title says—charming.

4⭐️. Out 08/15.

CWs include: an emotionally abusive father; knife attack flashback; attempted knife attack in current book. Death of friend & feelings of responsibility. An unknown father that Pet discovers in book.

[ID: Jess, a white woman wearing a pale purple shirt, holds the ebook & a handful of white & pink flowers]

There's just something about a Lucy Parker book that puts on a smile on my face. Was this my favorite of her books? Not by a long shot (as evidenced by the fact that it took me 5 days to finish it). The first half felt a little lagging and slow, even for being a slow burn. But it's really Pet (short for Petunia) and Matthias who stole the show for me. WIth their simmering attraction and the forced proximity by way of a fake relationship to convince the notoriously diabolical British tabloids that Pet is not having an affair with her married boss who happens to be married to an actual member of the British monarchy, these two silently pining fools were delightful and endearing and so so sweet. Even if the romance felt a bit lacking, especially in the first half, the grumpy, taciturn Matthias and the bubbly and vivacious Pet were the true highlights of the story.

Lucy Parker is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers! Codename Charming’s name is extraordinarily suitable for this delightful sequel to Battle Royal. I was so excited to see that this was Pet and Matthias’ story, and was giddy when I realized that it included the fake dating trope. As with Battle Royal, Codename Charming is the novel equivalent to sitting down with a cup of hot chocolate on a cozy day- it’s warm, sweet, and has a surprising amount of depth and complexity. It’s easily my favorite romcom of the year!

I loved Battle Royal, and especially loved Pet/Dominic's story in Battle Royal, so I was so excited to see Pet get her own story in Codename Charming. Like Battle Royal, Codename Charming did not disappoint and was filled with as many heartfelt and emotional moments as steamy moments.

I really enjoyed the dual POV narrative style of the book and the fantastic cast of supporting characters. I also loved getting a peek into Sylvie and Dominic's life post Battle Royal.

There is a single line in the book where Pet mentions recurring pelvic issues. I was so thrilled to see this in the book, as it's something that is extremely underrepresented. However, I wish that we heard a little more about it. Either through how it affects her or through discussing it with Matthias.

3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This is the second in a series, but you don't have to read the first book to follow and enjoy this one (I hadn't, and now I'm looking forward to doing so). The romcom story follows two palace staff who have to fakedate in order to throw off the tabloids who are convinced one of them is having an affair with the princess's well-meaning but accident-prone husband. There are lots going on, with a surprisingly complex plot of different storylines that really brought palace life to life.

I sure hope Lia gets her own story someday. As a secondary character, she stole the show whenever she appeared.

The book has it all in the name! A fast paced, charming romance filled with royals, bodyguards, and a quirky cast of characters. I especially like the Auntie who is possibly fencing castle artifacts?! So enjoyable and laugh out loud funny!

Codename Charming is a fake dating romance between Pet, the assistant to the husband of a British Princess, and Mattias, his bodyguard. In order to squash tabloid rumors of infidelity, Pet and Mattias are instructed to fake a romance to distract from the false rumors surrounding the Princess's new husband.

Little did either know that fake would be easy to accomplish and even easier to turn into so much more. It read fast. It has all of the charm that we expect from Lucy Parker. It would be so good on audio. However, I struggled with everyone's negativity about M's appearance. No one seemed to hold back from comments and rude remarks about it and no one stood up for him until 95%. Maybe we were supposed to feel that way, but it felt mean.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! This is a super sweet, soft, sequel to Lucy Parker’s Battle Royale, but can totally be read as a stand alone, and I loved it! Petunia (Pet) and Matthias both work for a royal couple, Pet as their assistant and Matthias as a bodyguard. They are forced or coaxed into fake dating to help the couple’s public image, and romance ensues. I did read Parker’s first book in this series, Battle Royale and loved it, and though this is different, it still showcases Parker’s great writing style. Parker is subtle and very charming, giving readers a slow build romance that is masterful. This is a beauty and the beast retelling as well, and I thought that element of this story was well done. The plot is not quite as fast moving as Battle Royale, but it still moves at an ok pace and ends up being very thoughtful and sweet, really charming me into loving both characters by the end. I recommend this book for fans of Lucy Parker, fake dating trope, beauty and the beast retellings, and sweet contemporary romance.

I had read Battle Royal before Codename Charming was announced and, while it seems obvious that Pet and Matthias would be the couple, I've had authors make some interesting couple choices before, so I was extremely happy to see they were the focus.

And I was not disappointed. Codename Charming is adorable. I just really loved it. Pet and Matthias are so sweet together and I loved reading the story of them getting together. While both Battle Royal and Codename Charming deal with heavier aspects, especially emotionally abusive family and grieving, both books have a certain feel to them. Ultimately, they are about finding love and happiness.

I love this book and I can't wait to see where Lucy Parker goes next!

Loved it. From end to end, I absolutely loved it.

I've been eagerly awaiting a follow up to Lucy Parker's Battle Royal, as it was one of the first books I read when I returned to reading after a many-year slump. When I found it on Goodreads I immediately requested an ARC, and by some grace was approved...what a knockout of a sequel! By far one of my favorite books I've been able to review, and a charming (ha) follow up to the delightful original in this series.

Can't decide which side character I want to see have a story next!

Thanks to NetGalley, Lucy Parker, and the publisher for this ARC! Codename Charming comes out on August 15th 2023!