What a beautiful story! I don’t always read sweet romance books but when they are so well written as this one you tend to forget about the lack of spice. I loved grumpy Luke and the texts he would get from his sister and cousin! I’m going to have to go back and read the other stories by Pepper Basham!

Thank you for the ARC for my honest review!

This is possibly the sweetest book you’ll read all year! I was looking forward to reading Luke’s story, and it didn’t disappoint. From the meet-cute intro to the HEA, it was so fun to see the sly winks at the Hallmark tropes while watching them play out with Luke and Ellie. I recommend reading these in order.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the complimentary review copy of this title.

This was such a sweet, adorable, cute (can I use anymore words?) book! All the talk about princess and love and royal things made my heart burst!

I loved Luke and Ellie and was rooting for them the entire time! This book was a little slow in the beginning but the banter between Luke & his sisters kept it flowing!

Isn’t this what we all want? To find our Happily Ever After?

If you’re looking for a good choice to make in your life, read this book as soon as possible. It was ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTFUL 🤩. I so enjoyed all various styles used (narrative, texts, emails, “gossip” articles); all of it made for a reading experience that was pure bliss! I didn’t want it to end!!

As an avid cheerleader for the first book in the series, I surprise myself when I say I might have enjoyed this one even more. It seamlessly continues on the series, and it was so fun to get more of Izzy’s and Penelope’s story in this book (including a wedding!)

Beyond being just a wonderfully sweet and swoony romance story, it held some elements that were a bit deeper and thought-provoking than is common: the impact/power the online world can have over past mistakes never being forgotten, the importance of involving other trusted people in big life decisions, and how healthy communication is so important!

😇: Christian publisher (); brief mentions of Christian themes and active faith in the characters
😍: a few descriptive kisses
🤐: no language!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for the complimentary ebook in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Loyally, Luke is the third book in the Skymar series. I haven’t read the previous books but I think that’s not necessary to understand this one. I enjoyed reading this story but I didn’t love it and I don’t know why. I couldn’t connect with the characters and the story was too long for that ‘plot’. I liked the text messages at the beginning of each chapter. Maybe I should read the two previous books to like this book more? I don’t know
Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for this arc.

LOYALLY LUKE is almost here!

The series that started with AUTHENTICALLY, IZZY and continued with POSITIVELY, PENELOPE concludes with the love story of my favorite of the Edgewood siblings, Luke, as he falls in love with his unlikeliest match, a princess.

As with the first two books, this one features text threads among the siblings and lots of time in the charming fictional country of Skymar, but it deviates a bit from the epistolary format of the first two book to suit Luke's less effusive nature. I am not typically a reader of royalty romance, but this book won me over instantly with its memorable and hilarious meet-cute, genuine and believable characters, and especially with the development of Luke's inner life, which made me love him as a hero even more.

I was fortunate to receive approval on Netgalley for both the ebook and the audiobook, and I switched back and forth betwee them. I'm not usually one for full cast recordings, but I actually love the way these audiobooks allow each of the siblings to have their own voice, not just in his or her individual book, but across the trilogy. Being able to hear Luke's voice immersed me that much more in the world of the story.

LOYALLY LUKE comes out on Tuesday! If you're new to the series, I think you can read it on its own and still enjoy it, but I wouldn't recommend against binging the first two this weekend...

I’m afraid this one is a flop for me. From the get go I struggled to get into it, finding this wordy and frankly, kind of boring. There is nothing to hook your attention. Sure we get tons of details about things that don’t matter, but no real insight on the characters - it’s very surface level. Even reading the onslaught of information I was wondering why half of it even mattered. Plus the weird strings of text messages don’t make sense half the time, there is no context with the siblings and the drawn out texts (over and over again) are rather unnecessary as they don’t add to the plot, and don’t seem like real messages you would send/receive.

I’m also over the constant exclamations from the siblings on how Luke will find his romance while visiting, how it’s like a book or a movie. Going on and on about having a meet-cute. I’m sick of characters making everything a trope.
- magical snow globe of romantic tropes
- It’s the inevitable enemies to lovers trope!
- Where is your love for tropes?
- The usual trope of “save a business”
- We’ll stick to as many tropes as we can, right?

See what I mean? It’s too much. And you know what else is too much? The! Excessive! Use! Of! Exclamation! Points!

But then there is also stuff like this:
She made a soft purr of a sound, encouraging him to continue investigating the contours of her lips, to drown in the scent of her hair.

I’m bowing out at 40% because if I can’t get into this book by now, it’s not going to turn around for me. I tried, but there’s too much drivel… I could not tell you 3-4 specific, memorable scenes that have happened, and I’m not buying the relationship aspect either. Sadly, nothing here has given me any reason to keep reading.

Also for reference, this is a Christian romance. This is not mentioned in the blurb, but it should be. Use that information as needed.

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.

I reccomend this book for a sweet, fun, relaxing, light hearted read. A sweet story of redemption and 2nd chances and having comapssion. I thought it a fun spin of the author to play on the hallmark trope. As in the chararacters joking and having fun with either the idea of: I refuse to be a Hallmark movie by Luke or his relatives trying to say Yes! The transition to friends then romance was genuine. I found the storytelling descriptive. I was happy Luke finally got his book. Not necessary but may feel more complete if read in series order.
Some highlights are
*tight knot family
*steady hero
A favorite quote "I reckon the best kind of love is simple in one way. Choosing each other over and over again."
Overall a light, airy and relaxing read with the story being told thorugh text, email and dual pov

This was an AMAZING end to the series!

I am a fairytale girl but like Luke I understand that’s not real life.

We follow Luke who has an opportunity to help with building projects in Skymar and doesn’t know who he falls for. It’s Princess Diaries and all the heartfelt rom-com movies you can think of.

Luke and Elle have my heart. ♥️

I laughed and smiled through this entire book, I listened and read along.

I am going to truly miss this family and world.

I loved Luke! And i loved his interactions with Elianna.. There was magic! This was a delightful tale of wit, unexpected love, and magic moments.
Many thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Loyally, Luke is part of the Skymar series. I didn't realize this when reading and it isn't necessary to have read the others to enjoy this one as it is considered a standalone. I thoroughly enjoyed Luke and will definitely be checking out the other Skymar selections.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

I have absolutely adored this whole Skymar series from Pepper Basham. And though I've always scoffed at the term "book boyfriend", I have to say, Luke Edgewood has defined that term for me. I was hesitant to read this one at first because I had so adored Luke as a side character, I was worried he would not do as well as a main character, but sure enough, he shined through in this story as well. This story takes Luke "across the pond" once again to help Lewis Gray with a construction project, when he's also called in to be the second opinion for a construction issue at the local orphanage because he can be fully un-biased. While this one had less of the epistolary feel than the first 2, it still had several epistolary "scenes", all of which had me either laughing or crying. But for those who are not fans of that style, this one has it only minimally. I enjoy both styles and maybe would have preferred a bit more of the text/email feel to it, but it had enough to satiate me. Overall, this one was a super fun read - full of romance and great banter, character development, a solid faith thread and all the hallmark-y vibes while making fun of the hallmark-y vibes. Though it was fun and hallmark-y, there was definitely still depth in the storyline and in the character development and romance as well, so don't discount this one as solely a fluffy read (even though it has the fun light-hearted feel of a fluffy read). Though reading the first 2 in the series is not essential to the enjoyment of this book, it does deepen the appreciation for the characters and the background story arc. I enjoyed catching up with both Izzy and Penelope in the background as well as getting to know Luke in the front and center. If you enjoy a good rom-com and enjoy some epistolary in the storytelling, this series and this book are ones I would definitely recommend. Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of this book. I was under no obligation to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.

I'll start by saying, purely from a book standpoint, this was a good one. Good story, likeable characters, beautiful setting. It's clearly part of a series, as it talked about other character's and their lives like I should know about it already.

Personally, I struggled to get through it. It was just a bit slow for me. While I can still appreciate it as a good book, it took me a long time to get through it. But that's just my own experience. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I can still easily recommend it for a light, romance read. Princess and commoner. Longing. Technically hidden identity and forbidden love. The small town vibes and side characters!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Readers who have read the previous two books in the series will probably like this installment. I found the texting all the time was irritating. Not what I was expecting.

3.5⭐️ Let me start off by saying, this book was very sweet. It took me a minute to get into it, and it was a bit too long, but I enjoyed it overall. Pepper Basham has such a fun way of writing her stories and characters. The inner thoughts that her characters have when they are fighting their attraction for each other is so funny, and she writes it so well that it’s not cheesy and annoying.

Luke and Ellie try to steer clear of having a Hallmark romance while having a Hallmark romance. Which is why I felt like it was never cheesy and actually a lot of fun. They acknowledged the fact that a lot of the things happening were very cliché of a Hallmark romance. But like I said, the author writes in a way where it never seemed cliché or cheesy.

I think where this story fell flat was that is was so long. I felt like this book could have been 100 pages shorter and we wouldn’t have missed out on anything. So I found myself skimming at times and wanting the story to wrap up. But all in all, it was an enjoyable read with a quirky cast of characters that wiggle their way into your heart and make you smile.

Read if you enjoy:
- Forced proximity
- Hidden Identity
- Forbidden romance

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was so adorable. Like there was just such a sweetness to it that just left me constantly swooning. I honestly haven’t read many royal romances but I adored this one. Luke Edgewood is *chef’s kiss*. He was honestly just such a top notch stand up guy. He was kind, thoughtful, wise and encouraging. I loved how he made Ellie better and pushed her to believe and see the best in herself. And Ellie was fantastic. She was tough and strong and had been through so much and her story of redemption was beautiful. These two were just such a wonderful example of partners who make each other better and are willing to make sacrifices for each other.

This book is filled with so many nuggets of wisdom and I feel like everyone was so thoughtful and logical and it was just really refreshing. There wasn’t any unnecessary drama and everything about the story felt normal and flowed well. And I loved the ending!

Luke is the third sibling to spend time in the country of Skymar, though this can easily stand alone. Told through the dual perspective of Luke and Ellie, including texts, the running joke of being like a Hallmark movie was fun at first but did get stale. I appreciated how Luke lived his faith, had a close relationship with his sisters and cousin, and was a man of integrity. The message of accepting forgiveness, forgiving yourself and knowing your true worth in God’s eyes was well done. References to and quotes from Star Wars, Princess Bride and other movies were fun additions. Overall this was an enjoyable sweet romance. Recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of Blue Ridge Mountain-born Luke, meeting a real princess, Ellie. Only he doesn't know that. Full of tropes and predictable rom-com themes..on purpose...it was fun to see the guy who hates those things really embrace them in the end. This is the perfect complement to the first two in Basham's series. I enjoyed the clean story but with characters who make real mistakes and aren't perfect Christian stereotypes. The modern flow of the language...in this story, through a lot of texts...was part of what made this story. I look forward to exploring more of Basham's work!
Thanks to #NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this ARC.

I enjoyed reading Loyally Luke, the third book in Pepper Basham’s Skymar series set on a fictional European island in the North Sea. I’ve been looking forward to reading Luke’s romance story and it was worth the wait.

Luke is a down-to-earth American guy who’s a carpenter by trade and likes the simple things in life. He has a dry sense of humor and tolerates the ridiculous nonsense that’s regularly spouted by his younger sister, Penelope. She’d love to see Luke star in a real life Hallmark-style royalty romance with all the tropes. Luke can’t stand sappy romance movies and he has zero interest in moving in high and mighty royal circles.

Ellie is a princess who has been offline for a few years to recover from a bad reputation she gained in the gossip columns. Ellie wants to please her parents, the King and Queen of Skymar, and return to her life as a working royal. Ellie is quietly working on a charity project in a remote part of Skymar and renovating an orphanage where she’s a patron.

Luke is only in Skymar for a few months and he ends up working on the orphanage project with Ellie. Like Ellie, he’s loyal to his family. His home is with his family in a small Blue Ridge Mountains town.

Luke and Ellie’s meet cute is hilarious. Luke has no idea that Ellie is a celebrity and real life princess. A delightful romance develops as Luke and Ellie become more than friends and are challenged to consider if they could have a future together.

This is Luke’s story and it’s fun to read a romance that’s more slanted toward the male viewpoint. The group chats in the epistolary style are amusing and there are fewer epistolary story elements than in the other Skymar books. I read this series out of order – Positively Penelope (book 2) then Authentically Izzy (book 1) before reading Luke’s story (book 3). The stories are standalone romances but I’d recommend reading the books in order, if possible, to gain a fuller appreciation of the banter and humor in the family group chat conversations.

I recommend Loyally Luke to contemporary romance readers who like different worlds and undercover princess royalty romances with epistolary style content and a relevant faith element in the story.

Many thanks to Thomas Nelson and Net Galley for the advanced reader copy. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

When Luke Edgewood travels to the small European country of Skymar, his first encounter with a local is with a Grace Kelly look-alike, and it is not pleasant. When they pick up each other’s coffee, he finds her arrogant and rude. However, his youngest sister believes the encounter to be a meet cute example. When Luke discovers that the woman, he met was a real princess, he is even more astounded when he and Ellie are forced to work together to restore a castle-like orphanage in a secluded mountain town.
Luke was a delightful character with plenty of sarcasm and wit. His relationship with his sister made for some great conversations which were quite entertaining, especially his understanding of Hallmark movies. I also enjoyed seeing how he and Ellie’s chemistry develops as his down-to-earth personality grounds her. A sweet read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.