I love CInderella retellings, so I had really high hopes for this book, but I just couldn't bring myself to like it. The majority of the book just felt... empty? June leaving the house she grew up in happened really early in the story and felt pretty anticlimactic, and from there it felt like I was reading a ton of filler material before we could get to the next part of the plot. I don't always mind filler, but only when I've gotten to know and love the characters enough that I'm happy just to see them eating their dinners together, but we just weren't given enough of the interesting material to get to that point before every slowed to a crawl. Basically, it felt like I was watching a livestream of some random person on Youtube going about their lives, rather than someone I'm actually interested in, and my ADHD brain couldn't handle it.

The Royal by Susan Stoker
Game of Chance #2

Cinderella met her fella and left the wicked steps in her dust…or…was it the prince who found his princess so they could live happily forever together? Great modern retelling of a favorite fairy tale with twists and turns aplenty.

What I liked:
* Juniper “June” Rose: Cinderella of the story, lost her father in her teens, lived with her wicked stepmother and stepsister for almost two decades, never lost her kindness, loved her father, ready to escape when the prince arrived, willing to take a leap of faith
* Callum “Cal” Redmon: prince of obscure country, retired Delta Force, survived brutal torture with his team, in the tree business with his ex-military buddies, lives in Maine, sent by his family to DC where he meets his princess, aware, listens to his gut, insightful, rather taken with Juniper
* That I could absolutely detest and despise the wicked steps Elaine & Carla AND their henchman, Tim
* The way the relationship developed between June and Cal and the way they managed to communicate and grow together
* Finding out how Riggs, JJ, and Bob were doing along with Carlise and April
* Attending the fun wedding of Riggs/Chappy and Carlise and seeing Baxter again
* The way the Hill’s House community came together when a life was on the line
* The genuine niceness of June and Cal and feeling they belonged together
* Thinking about if/when JJ and April will end up together
* The lead into the next book that will be Bob/Kendrick’s story
* The plot, pacing, setting, conclusion, and writing

What I didn’t lie:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about how self-centric and evil some people can be and the impact they have on others
* Thinking about what Cal and his teammates endured and the horrible years June spent with her steps

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

DNF, this book was probably good at what it wants, it just wasn't interesting enough for me personally. Which is most certainly a shame. I think it ight've worked better for me if it wasn't advertised as a modern Cinderella. It didn't feel very Cinderella-esque as far as I read.

This is the second in a series that I wasn’t sure about, not really liking the first, but I really liked this one.
A modern day take on a Cinderella story, it’s full of action, suspense, and romance.
The story can get a little over the top at points as far as believability, but that’s part of what makes it a page turner.

The Royal is the story of a prince who thinks he's a beast and the woman who proves to him that he is really a beautiful human being. Cal grew up wealthy and in the public eye. He joined the military to do something good with his life but ended up a POW known around the world for the torture he endured. He has spent years hiding and keeping everyone at arm's length. When he gets strong armed by his family to help out a friend of his cousin, he finds himself both the object of unwanted attention and struck by sudden love. Can Cal overcome his fear that no woman can accept his scarred body and broken soul? June is a modern-day Cinderella. She lives with her evil stepmother and stepsister and spends her days waiting on them hand and foot. When she sees Cal, she is drawn to him immediately, but she believes that no man could ever want her. Can she develop the confidence to believe that Cal loves her just the way she is?

Cal has a huge growth curve in this story. He has a lot of reasons to worry that he is no longer desirable, and his fear comes out in honest ways. The author chose to make this an instant love story so Cal has to adjust pretty quickly whereas I think in real life his self-acceptance might take a smidgen longer, but it was still believable (mostly). June feels worthless so her journey is about finding her footing and believing that she has value. I think that the addition of Cal's friends was really good. It allowed both Cal and June to have a sounding board and it showed how they fit into bigger picture of the group. The author did a nice job showing June become part of the friend group and part of the town. Seriously, June is Cinderella!

I thought the ending was a touch weak. I was expecting something "more" but I can't really say what. I did want the see the bad guy really get everything they deserved and that happened off the page so boo. I really disliked the preview of the next story that was tacked onto the end. It is a different tenor than this story and it was jarring.

This is a contemporary love story that takes place in Washington DC and Maine. There is a bad guy right out of a Disney film, a small town that welcomes June with open arms, and an alpha male that fears he is a monster (kind of a Beauty and the Beast thing going on). I would recommend this to anyone that likes a modern Cinderella story. I will read more from this author in the future.

Yet another wonderful romance by Susan Stoker. I loved the characters - Callum and Juniper are so well-written, and I loved following along on their journey together. This was a fun romance with a splash of action and just enough drama to keep it interesting.

Cal is a man who is still suffering the aftereffects of his past as while serving his country not only was he tortured but the emotional trauma has taken a toll as well. As a result, he doesn’t allow people close as he doesn’t believe he can give others what they need but that doesn’t mean he isn’t willing to help. Agreeing to help his cousin brings June into his life and is the first person in a long time to make him feel.

Ever since the passing of her father June’s life has been difficult due to her stepmother’s actions and callous treatment of her. She has been working towards finding a way to escape the situation she finds herself in but she never expected that help would come in the form of Cal, a sexy stranger who was originally sent to help her stepsister.

This is a heartwarming romance with some suspense about two people who have been hurt by the challenges that life has thrown at them. They are both cautious when it comes to the feelings, they have for each other as they are afraid it is too good to be true but if anyone deserves happiness it is these two.

This book is a retelling of Cinderella and i enjoyed it.

Callum and June meet when her wicked stepsister lures him to her family home because the stepsister wants to marry a prince. (Because of course she does.)

He's not interested. But he is interested in June, in helping her start a new life, and in figuring out a way for them to stay together.

So... she leaves with him and goes to start a new life with him in Maine.

He has reasons he feels they can't be permanent, and so does she...but watching them work it out was enjoyable. I can't lie I understand her reluctance, but by the end I believed June was willing to have a life with him.

This story was predictable but it was also a lot of fun.

I enjoyed and recommend this title.

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

I shall start by admitting that I was not able to finish the book. I read roughly 5 chapters and could not keep going. I'm not sure if it was the subject or writing, but I just did not enjoy reading it.

As usual this is an interesting story that makes you flip pages as fast as you can. Callum and Juniper's journey is filled with romance, suspense and healing. I loved the twist with the steps, they are so vile. There is nothing about this story I didn't like. Can't wait for the next one.

A blending of Cinderella and Beaty and the Beast with some military and family trauma mixed in!
Such a great follow up to The Protector and I cannot wait to see more of what this group of friends gets up to in the future books of the series.
I loved the dynamic between the two main characters, the will they won't they aspect of everything and the way that they grew together, moving past their traumas to be the best that the other could need or want.
Would absolutely recommend.

I absolutely loved this book. I thought I would as I enjoyed the first novel in the series but while I liked the characters more in the first book (I mean who doesn't love a big hunk of a man with lots of fluffy blankets and books) I definitely enjoyed this book a lot. I cannot wait for the next installment.

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Cal has major trauma from being a prisoner and is very conscientious about his scars. When he gets called to look into a stalking he meets June and finds an instant connection with her.

In an effort to save June he takes her back to his home town where his friends and everyone embrace her. All of Cal’s friends notice she is perfect for him but can he let go of the past and let love in?

Before their happily ever after June finds herself in a life and death situation . Will Cal be able to convey how much he loves her or will it be too late?

This was definitely a modern day cinderella story! It was an interesting take on romance I haven't read before, so if you're an avid romance reader looking for something new, this might be a great one for you! Small town and found family vibes, billionaire romance, and romantic suspense were the main tropes.

I wanted so badly to love this, but I mostly wanted the characters to get out of their own way. The persistent self-esteem issues for both characters bothered me a bit and the negative body image was difficult to read at times. I got a little lost in the weeds a couple times, and they kept pushing each other away when a simple conversation would have fixed everything!

Overall, this wasn't my favorite, but I am probably not the ideal reader for this, which I only noticed once I was bout 30% of the way through.

A great continuation of this new series. I really liked that neither character was physically or emotionally perfect and that they fell in love anyway.

I love how brave June was and how much she trusted Cal. But I also loved how patient Cal was with her. But my favorite was how they both were super intuitive and could read each other and other people so well.

This modern day Cinderella type story was really good.

I'm excited for Bob's book next!

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review

June is practically living in Cinderella's shoes. Father is dead and she is living with a cruel stepmother and stepsister. In steps Callum, an actual live prince to help her out. It isn't an easy road to happily ever after for them, but their story is worth it. Both are resilient and have obstacles they must overcome to achieve their happiness.

Despite having many Susan Stoker books on my Kindle, this is the first one I've actually read. It's not a bad place to start. While this is book 2 in the series, I didn't feel like I'd missed anything by not reading the first (although I WILL go back and read it because I absolutely need to know more about Baxter). Cal and June are pretty broken people. Both have self-esteem and image problems. This a modern Cinderella I can get behind (not a huge fan of retellings). Definitely suspenseful, but had some quirky funny parts that had me laughing. Learning to love yourself is always difficult, but the journey was amazing to watch.

This is the second entry in the Game of Chance series by Susan Stoker. It is a modern take on Cinderella featuring Juniper Rose and former POW Callum Redmon. As a member of the Royal family, Cal is used to people trying to take advantage of his potential connections. Juniper Rose, however, is one of the few people that can look past both Cal's scars and his royal status to see Cal for who he is. But Juniper Rose has troubles of her own, namely a conniving stepmother and stepsister that want Cal for his wealth, even if they are horrified by his scars. They've already stolen everything from Juniper, will they succeed in stealing Cal? And ultimately is Cal saving Juniper or is Juniper saving Cal? It's always a nice change when reading a romance novel to not have the perfect hero/heroine, and especially in this case it's the hero with body image issues.
Like most of Stoker's romances, this story pulled me in from the first page. I definitely recommend reading this series in order, even though the book can be read as a standalone. I'm excited to see where this series goes next.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
SPICE: 🔥🔥

Callum Redmon is no ordinary veteran. He is also a royal prince. But none of that matters as he hides in a small town in Maine to recover from his rather traumatic military service.

When his family member solicits his input on a security threat, he crosses paths with Juniper "June" Rose. June has been looking for an escape from her stepmother and stepsister, her only family since her father died a long time ago. Cal offers her an out: come with him to Maine. She jumps on the opportunity, and life seems to be all good..until they realize that danger followed them home.

This was a fun, action-packed Cinderella/Beauty and the Beast retelling. I enjoyed the nice balance of swoony romance and adrenaline-inducing suspense, which is well punctuated by the chemistry between our main characters.

Susan Stoker adds depth to the story with Cal's struggles from the trauma he endured during his military service, and I love that while he sweeps June away from her evil family, she rescues him from his mental struggles.

This can be read as a standalone, but the books in the series seem to be intertwined as characters from previous and future books make their appearance.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Susan Stoker, Montlake, and NetGalley for providing an ARC. **

The Royal by Susan Stoker is a 5 ⭐️ read.
Cal is a real life prince and ex-military man, he is used to woman trying to date him for his money and title but after being held as a pow and suffering from torture at the hands of his kidnappers. Cal got out of the military and along with the 3 other men who were held captive with him he started a tree clearing business in a small town in Maine. When his cousin asks him to help out a friend of his who has a stalker, Cal sees right through it and leaves.
June is stuck living in her fathers house with her evil stepmother and stepsister, she’s been taking care of them for 17 years since her father passed but she’s finally had enough and is planning to leave, she just never expected a real life Prince to whisk her away.
I love Susan Stoker’s books, she writes a great Hero and a kick a$$ heroine, I really enjoyed this story and will admit to shedding a tear or two.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley.