I've been so intrigued by Cal since he was introduced in the Protector. This book did not disappoint. It's a contemporary Cinderella x Beauty and The Beast retelling.

Just like his friends, Cal was a former POW. He had his own trauma and he preferred to live in isolation. However isolated he was, he's still a member of the royal family. Therefore, when the family asked him to protect a woman from her stalker, he accepted the request, even though he would not have accepted that if there's a way out of it.

The moment he reached the woman's estate, he unexpectedly had this instant attraction towards June. Not gonna lie, I am a believer of love or attraction at the very first sight! Imagine me swooning as I read through their interactions! There's this instant connection between the two. It's like they're just meant to be together. I really loved that!

At the beginning, it felt like June was being saved by Cal. However, as the story progressed, both of them were there to heal and support each other, together with the friends at Maine. I am actually very happy to see the everybody again! Most importantly, there's a happy ending to Cal's and June's fairytale.

Pick this up! It's much more than just a romance novel. It has enough suspense to keep you on your toes! Of course, it's steamy too.

I cannot wait for the next book! :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing the ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a re-telling of Cinderella. Cal isn’t big on being Royal. Cal has women who only see his lineage, and not the man he is. Duped into spending some time with June’s family, he stumbles upon a woman he really sees and values. The journey for June and Cal is one that has many battles for them to overcome. Great ending!

A great version of a Cinderella story. I'm loving this series and Cal is a great hero. June is amazingly resilient and so perfect for Cal. The story is a fast read and covers personal insecurities so well. I enjoyed every minute of this book. I love the bond between Cal and his friends. I love how they all play a role in each of the books in the story. I'm anxiously awaiting the next story in the series. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Cal melted my heart!

I knew Cal Redmond prince of Lichtenstein would break my heart. But in the process of his finding his HEA with his own Cinderella would melt and mend it too. Cinderella is Juniper Rose (June) a curvy, thoughtful, and underappreciated woman living with her stepmother and stepsister who are as ugly and nasty as any rendition of this classic fairytale. Cal is a retired Special Forces soldier who endured excruciating torture during his time in the service leaving him with physical and emotional scars.

Cal and Jun had traumatic pasts that they needed to get past, and only with each other’s help were they able to begin the road to recovery. I love that Susan Stoker’s characters are written so perfectly for each other. They are not perfect people and often make mistakes, but they love and trust each other with all their hearts. The secondary characters are quirky and friendly making the small town of Newton, ME a place I’d love to live in. The emotional ride Ms. Stoker gave me while reading this story will stay with me for a long time. I love that about her books, her characters are real with problems and difficulties to overcome, and accomplishments to celebrate. And no one better to celebrate with than close friends whom we consider family. I can’t wait for the next story in the Game of Chance series! I received an arc of this book from NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

This is book two in The Game of Chance series and it is Cal and June’s story and it is definitely a must read. Cal was in the military and also a POW along with his friends but because Cal is a prince he was tortured and abused more to prove a point and he still suffers from the trauma today and lived a quieter life with his brother’s from the military in a small town and now he had been asked by his family to check out a possible stalker and even though he didn’t really want to do this he would for his family but when he arrived he saw a woman that completely captivated him and he wanted to get to know her. June had loved her dad so much as he was all she had as her mother died when she was so young and then her dad met a woman who had a small daughter and she became her stepmother and stepsister and then her dad died leaving June completely devastated and alone with a void in her life and during her grief her stepmother tricked June into signing the house and inheritance over to her leaving June with nothing but being the help by cooking, cleaning and everything else that needed to be done but June vowed that one day she would walk away from it all once she had enough money. Cal quickly realised that this was a set up and there wasn’t a stalker and he knew what they wanted but it wouldn’t work and after spending time with June he was determined to try and convince her to leave with him and go to Maine and start living her life how she wanted to. Cal and June have a strong attraction and chemistry between them but danger is just around the corner watching and waiting for the right time to strike but will they be able to eliminate and deal with the threat and those responsible before it takes away Cal and June’s happiness and future. Wow I absolutely love this book and your heart breaks for everything that they have had to go through and you could feel there pain and they were so perfect together in every single way. We are only the second book in this amazing series and I am so hooked and addicted and I can’t wait to read the next book in this series,

I must confess, I have a soft spot for retellings of classic fairy tales. There's something so satisfying about seeing all the familiar elements come together in a new way. That's why I was drawn to "The Royal" by Susan Stoker, and I wasn't disappointed!

In this story, we meet Callum "Cal" Redmon, a 37-year-old military veteran who faced both physical and emotional trauma. Although he's technically a prince and part of a royal family, Cal prefers a simple life in a small town where he runs a business with his military brothers. One day, his cousin asks him to help his model friend deal with a stalker. Despite his initial reluctance, Cal agrees to investigate, not realizing that it would change his life forever.

When Cal meets Juniper "June" Rose, a curvy 32-year-old woman, he's immediately smitten. They quickly discover that they have a lot in common, both struggling with their challenges. Together, they find the courage to confront their demons and embrace their future.

June is a strong and resilient woman who isn't afraid to challenge Cal when he's feeling insecure. Cal, in turn, is an honorable man who will do anything to protect his loved ones. It's beautiful to witness their journey as they overcome their struggles and find their happy ending.

This Cinderella retelling by Susan Stoker is a sweet and steamy insta-love romance. It's both modern and traditional to the original story, which makes it a great choice for those who want to read something completely new but still enjoy a classic tale. The characters are well-developed, and the plot is easy to follow.

Overall, "The Royal" is a winner!

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing an advance copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another great read by Susan Stoker. I can always count on this author to deliver a fast-paced, captivating story with well-developed, likeable characters that I genuinely want to root for. This book is no exception. This is a Cinderella story, and it's well done in a way that only Ms. Stoker can do it--with her usual admirable gentleman not just rescuing the damsel but then supporting her as she finds her own strength to stand up for herself. I'm a total sucker for these types of stories.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing an ARC for review.

This was a wonderful modern day Cinderella story with a suspenseful twist.
I loved Cal’s story and how much he overcame mentally throughout the book.
The couple was cute and I couldn’t put the book down towards the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and Susan Stoker for this ARC read in exchange for an honest review.

Callum might be European royalty and rich as Croesus but from time to time is compelled to leave the seclusion of his life in the wilds of Maine to fulfill family obligations. One such event drags him to Washington D.C. where he rescues modern day Cinderella June and brings her back to his small town. June's evil stepsister and stepmother however are not content to sit back and let June have the prince and so begins this modern tale of Cinderella and her prince.
June is an excellent cook and housekeeper but has no marketable skills so safely ensconced in Cal's guest bedroom, she lands a job at a nearby senior center taking care of the residents.  As she makes friends and charms his friends, Cal finds himself drawn to her against his will.  Even as he's trying hard to resist her, trouble has followed them to their remote corner of the world. 
June's stepmother has hired an assassin to scare June and eventually kill her so the stepsister can win the prince and become a princess. The outcome of course is a foregone conclusion but it's an interesting twist getting there. 
If you are invested in the series, you get to meet all the characters from the series and see each one progress on their own paths to romance.

We meet Cal Redmon who is a prince of Lichtenstein. He is talked into going to Washington DC to investigate a stalking situation which we find out it fake very soon. This sends Cal packing back to Maine to the dismay of Elaine and her daughter Carla.

June has always dreamed leaving her stepmother Elaine and stepsister Carla where she is treated like the hired help. When Cal arrives she finds her window to leave and takes advantage.

This retelling of a modern day Cinderella story has some twists and turns for both of our characters. Both characters are cute and are needs of finding their perfect love. Their found family makes this book.

Cal is one of the broodiest heroes I have read in a long time, but this man deserves to be broody. After being a POW and tortured he turned to a reclusive life in a small town with his friends and former teammates. They all work and live around each other, but Cal is definitely more reclusive than the others. He has some deep trauma that he is still working through, but he also has to balance his life with his family being royal and all the things that go along with that. A
June exudes kindness and is genuinely a kind person. My heart hurt for her so much, her life consumed by giving to others and stifling. After losing her father she is left alone in the world and begins to take care of her step mother and sister. They truly are the most awful people and treat her so poorly. I was desperate for June to flee this terrible situation, and Cal showed up just in time for that to happen.
I am not usually one for fairy tale retellings but this one worked. And worked so well! Cal is sort of an unlikely prince and is so far from the crown that he is able to live a quiet life, but of course he is still a Prince. His wealth and privilege comes out in some unexpected ways, but in other ways he is just a typical guy working with his best friends! June feels completely out of her element with a Prince and her new found freedom. But this pair navigated not only small town life, a relationship; which was new to both of them, they both were also working on some past hurts and trauma. I love how Cal’s teammates rallied around this pair and not only supported Cal but June. And June showed her strength and fought for Cal. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Susan Stoker book if there wasn’t a fair amount of suspense and mystery! I tried to slow down and savor this book, but I was so eager to see how June and Cal would get their HEA, and friends she did not disappoint! I loved this book and the tease for book #3 is pretty epic ...but March of ‘24 will be here in time, right?!?! LOL

i dont think this book was for me. i decided to pick it up even tho i’m not a big fan of retelling unless it’s done well aaaaand, it wasn’t done very well : i couldn’t tell if the author wanted to stir away for the original story or if she wanted to copy it as much as possible (which didn’t always make sense).
this wasn’t bad per say, the characters are pretty relatable and i liked how they both had difficult pasts which both affected them in different ways.i also liked the fact that cal doesn’t want to show his body (bit of a beauty and the beast retelling) which feels new and different from other romance books.
i did expect way more suspense/danger/action considering the authors other books.
all the characters kinda fell flat at some point, i wouldn’t know how to explain it but it was hard to be emphatic.
i saw a lot of people saying it was more “telling” than “showing” which i agree with, but it doesn’t bother that much considering how common that is in contemporary romance.

This was was written for a high schooler or teenager not an adult.
I am sorry but I found the writing and story line to be weak and not well developed.
Characters acted in a manner that was not age appropriate and verbiage was lacking as well.
The writing was choppy and difficult to follow. Example I would finish a paragraph and continue to the next and became totally lost and confused on what just transpired. Not a smooth transition from scene's or dialogue.
I am not posting a review as I found this so poorly written I could only push through about 1/2 - 2/3 of the book and did not finish it.
Do not feel comfortable rating or reviewing this somewhere as I couldn't finish it.

4 ⭐️
Wow, another great read from Susan Stoker!
The Royal was loosely based off Cinderella, but also a touch of Beauty and the Beast, AND the suspenseful stalker vibes, which was so interesting to read.

After reading the first book in this series, The Protector, I knew I HAD to keep reading about these group of friends finding love. ❤️

This book was Cal’s story and was emotional in so many ways. June was the most perfect character for him and exactly what he needed— vice versa for her too. I liked how the author addresses Cal’s body-image issues, because it felt raw and real and it doesn’t get addressed as much as it should in real life.

The relationship between Cal and June was so intense and true. There was some push and pull but I loved the communication between them and how much trust they put into each other despite their insecurities and rough pasts. June was an absolute sweetheart despite all the shite that was thrown her way.

There’s the suspense of “what’s going to happen? When will it happen?” throughout the entirety of the story. Be prepared to cry a little (or a lot), because the past always finds a way to rear its ugly head.😭

The friends of Cal were amazing as always too. Protective, supportive and full of love. I absolutely love this growing group and I look forward to reading about the others! By the way, that ending with the next character’s story. 👀 Omgomgomg!

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me access to this arc!

This book was honestly so captivating, I couldn't put it down, I had to know what was going to happen next. With it having short chapters I just kept telling myself one more chapter and before I knew it I was at the epilogue.

This is the second instalment in Stoker's Game of Chance series, with another one already on its way! Following the story of June and Cal in Maine, meeting Cal's friends and the residents at Hill House and seeing everyone as a big family in the small town of Newton was so cute.

I definitely got strong Cinderella vibes and I am not complaining at all, the fact that the characters joked about them being Cinderella and Prince Charming just made it that much better.

I loved seeing Cal slowly become more comfortable with himself all thanks to June, as well as June realise that she is finally free and can make a life for her sell all thanks to Cal was perfect, they were made for each other, showing that no matter how long it might feel the right person will find you there'll be nothing that can come between you.

This was such an easy read and I can't wait till the third book comes out!

Release date is August 8th and I strongly suggest you get your hands on this book, got a feeling you'll thoroughly enjoy it!

I loved this book and I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. I was hooked from the very first page and I loved the chemistry and attraction that these two had and the banter between them was really amazing. I loved watching there relationship grow while reading this book. This is a book was amazing and I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

Cinderella meets her Prince...

I thoroughly enjoyed The Royal. It's part of a series and this is the first book I've read in it, but it is a stand alone. Cal is Prince Redmon. He's a former military man, retired now, after he was a POW that did a serious number on his entire body and mind. He prefers to be left alone with his buddies (also former POWs) in Maine but he's tricked into a trap laid by Carla, who wants to be a princess and is the evil stepsister to Juniper/June. June is the long put upon older step sister who is the opposite of Carla ( and her evil mother) in every way. She has only stayed, being the unpaid servant to Carla and Elaine because they live in her house, her father's house. But enough is enough.

I really liked Cal and June together. Cal is fabulous and knows who and what he likes immediately. June is intuitive and kind (too kind, I would have poisoned Carla from day one). There is steam and drama and excellent storytelling.
Recommend.

I'm always a sucker for a Cinderella retelling and this was a great one! June has been a servant in her own home since her father's death, thanks to the emotional abuse of her stepmother and stepsister. Seventeen years later she's gotten the courage to try and leave when fate brings Cal Redmon to the house. He's been strongarmed into going there to check out a stalker situation for his cousin, who has been "dating" the stepsister, and while it takes about a day to see through that ploy, it takes less for him to become fascinated by June.

She's observant, calm, intelligent, and Cal wants to help her out. So when he leaves he convinces June to go with him. What starts out as just helping turns into more on both sides. Both have massive insecurities- both emotional insecurities and body insecurities- and are convinced the other won't want to be with them long-term. It was really interesting to see Cal so hung up on his body since we don't usually get men in romance books who are so unsure of their looks. Connected the way it is with the torture he went through and you can understand how painful and self-conscious he feels about it and you feel so bad for him. I was so happy June was able to see straight to the heart of him and what a great, caring guy Cal is. She seemed to instinctively know just the right things to say, even if Cal wasn't always quite ready to hear them, which I thought was great. She knows it isn't about the outside- her steps are gorgeous women and horrible- though she never quite internalizes that for herself.

This was more a book about finding yourself and internal healing for both Cal and June, and Cal freaking out about falling in love, than it was a fast-paced mystery or thriller the way some of Stoker's books are, so you have to go into it with a bit of a different expectation. You don't have to have read The Protector first, though all Cal's friends show up again so you see familiar faces if you did read it. I loved how protective the guys are of each other and how they embraced June once they were sure she was right for Cal. And we get a tease for the next book that promises major action ahead!

An enjoyable, lovely romance with Cinderella vibes that were just enough for me without being over the top, great friends turned family, and two damaged people learning to trust themselves and each other enough to fall in love and admit it.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

Modern Day Fairy Tale Stoker-Style

The Royal is the second book in Susan Stoker’s amazing romantic suspense series called Game of Chance. The story has amazing, well developed characters, intense chemistry and a fantastic storyline that is written from the third person point of view (primarily the hero and heroine).

Callum Redmon was immediately and inexplicably drawn to Juniper Rose when he was sent by his cousin to investigate a possible stalking case of his latest love interest. She was nothing like the other manipulative members of the household, and when he learns she wants to leave he offers her a way out.

For seventeen years ago, June has been living the life of a house slave for her stepmother and sister. She yearns for a better life and is preparing to leave when she hears of their horrible plans for Cal. She never expected her warning to be the beginning of her journey to a better life. Happiness and romance soon develops between them but will Cal and June get their fairytale happily ever after or will her evil stepmother and stepsister win in the end? Read it and find out.

Stoker did a phenomenal job creating a modern day Cinderella story, sprinkled with a few dashes of Beauty and the Beast. These elements combined with suspense and drama, kept the reader hanging on tight as they were drawn into this beautiful story of perseverance and love. I love the men of Jack’s Lumber and I can’t wait to read Kendric’s story.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced readers copy received from Netgalley.

OH MY GOODNESS, this story. I have cried while reading books but this one had me boo-hooing quite a bit. All in a good way, of course. The struggles of living one’s life after torture was so well spoken in this story. It is all about what is on the inside and how people conduct themselves, not the physical. I wish more people realized this and lived it. And the awkwardness of looks isn’t only in Cal’s mind, but also June’s. This is such a beautiful love story and the ending is epic. I just loved this wonderful story.