Skip to main content

Review: Loyally, Luke - Skymar #3

Loyally, Luke book cover on blue background

I'm so happy to finish a series as I feel like I've been such a slow reader recently and am only starting things or am partway through. Now I can say that I have experienced the full Skymar effect! Loyally, Luke by Pepper Basham was such an adventure, and it also met one of the prompts for the Clearly Christian Readathon from Galatians 5:22-23, where self-control as a fruit of the Holy Spirit is exhibited throughout the book.

Many thanks to the author for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Book Synopsis

Sometimes love means embracing the good, the bad. . . and even the impossible.

Dear Reader --

My name is Luke Edgewood, and there are few things in life that I require. Mainly black coffee. And flannel. And lots of solitude. And my dogs, Chewy and Indie. What I don't need is romance, so I have no plans to change my thirty-year-old bachelor status anytime soon.

But my youngest sister thinks that by accepting a short-term construction job in the small European country of Skymar, that I'm going to follow along in her footsteps and discover my own romantic adventure. Nope. Bah humbug. The End. This time, her rom-com-movie senses are totally wrong.

Or maybe not. Because I've met a Grace Kelly lookalike who is annoying. . . until she isn't. But she is impossible. As in, nothing can happen between us because she is a literal princess. Even though that's easy to forget when we're working together to restore a castle-like orphanage in a secluded mountain town and "forced proximity" includes a small closet, a secret one-hundred-year-old journal, and the tactile memory of an off-limits royal in my arms.

Basically, the whole situation has turned into an ooey gooey magical snow globe of romantic tropes complete with cute kids and an actual ball. Now, even my sentences are starting to sound like mush. Ugh. Send high levels of testosterone my way--I'm going to need it.

Loyally, Luke

Source: Amazon

Book Thoughts

This book feels like the ultimate culmination to a series that has offered witty epistolary dialogue, immersive narrative insights, and an utter self-awareness that gives readers the experience of stepping into a movie and its accompanying commentary all at the same time. It is difficult to express the sheer delight that embodies the Edgewood family as it is evident how loving and caring they are toward each other. Luke's story could not have played out any other way than for him to shine in his role as a noble and valiant brother, cousin, friend, and ultimately, prince. In fact, the commentary that Luke provides in his correspondence regarding the scenario he is in is probably the best book-in-book experience I've had in reading a modern romance.

Loyally, Luke is one of those books where you can't help but be amused by the journey because it blatantly points out tropes and cliché moments without actually feeling like you're in the middle of it; that takes some pretty amazing skills! Though there is plenty of chemistry and sizzle in this book, Pepper Basham keeps readers focused on the spiritual themes of self-sacrifice, self-control, and finding one's identity in God. Luke and Ellie are able to see and appreciate each other's qualities because of their time spent serving others, which makes their story all the lovelier. Readers looking for a satisfying conclusion to the Skymar series will have their expectations exceeded. Prepare yourself for an enjoyable foray into pop culture references, likeable characters, and Hallmark-esque self-deprecating humour that will sweep you off your feet.

Book Summary

  • Format of book: 📱
  • Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Recommendation: 👍

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Final Word - Bite of Betrayal #2

This is a book where the name Miles Morgan will have you wishing he was a real person after getting to meet his character.  The Final Word  is the next book in the Bite of Betrayal series by Laura Thomas , set in the English village of Bramble Downs. Combining the opera, a bakery, a book based on a Cinderella retelling, and sisters who have each others' backs through thick and thin, there is much to explore in Miles and Sophie's story! Many thanks to  Mountain Brook Ink  for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Content to be aware of : scenes of violence and death, domestic abuse, stalking Book Synopsis When aspiring author Sophie Brooks chooses to trade a vibrant Paris life for the tranquility of a quaint English village, she imagines her final days in the City of Lights will be magical. Sophie doesn’t anticipate a chilling encounter with an old flame—nor does she plan to find a new love on her very last nig...

Review: Muskoka Blue - Original Six Hockey Romance #6

I normally read books in their series order, but I was excited to have an excuse to jump to this book as its sequel is releasing this week! Muskoka Blue is the last book in the Original Six Hockey Romance series by  Carolyn Miller , but it takes us to the Muskoka Shores series , meaning it's not the last time I get to pay a visit to this scenic part of Canada 😊 Book Synopsis An ice princess with a broken heart. A pro hockey player with a secret. For Sarah Maguire, spending the summer at Lake Muskoka was supposed to be about finding the courage to put back the pieces of her shattered life—not falling in love with the charming yet unsophisticated hockey player from next door. Daniel Walton may have been praying for Miss Right to appear, but Sarah’s ice princess act just cries Miss Wrong. Dan’s summer plans hadn’t included befriending a redhead with a sassy tongue and cute accent, but as Muskoka works its magic he soon discovers that underneath the frost and prickles is the funny, ...

Review: Terms and Traditions - The Reluctant Romantics #1

With Christmas coming in just a few months, it's the perfect opportunity to read the new Reluctant Romantics series by historical and now contemporary author, Morgan Taylor Giesbrecht . Terms and Traditions introduces us to an unconventional office romance, church friends, and a family gathering that could rival the Addams family over the holidays. Many thanks to the author for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis Fake dating my millionaire boss was not on my Christmas list, but I’m not complaining. Stephanie: I’ve kept my crush on Nash Prescott under wraps for two years. We might be friends, but I’m still his PA. Until that fatal office Christmas party when my frayed emotions had me opening my big mouth and asking Nash to spend the holidays with me at my dysfunctional family’s cabin… as my fake boyfriend. I’m not sure what’s more surprising—that I didn’t pass out when I asked or the fact he said yes. But Nash...