The Royal, by Susan Stoker

Synopsis:

Former military man and member of a royal family Callum Redmon can’t deny his sense of responsibility. So when his cousin’s latest love interest claims to have a stalker, Cal reluctantly meets with the young woman and her mother. He wants to write off the situation as a complete farce—if only his feelings for another member of the household could be as easily dismissed.

Since her father’s death seventeen years ago, Juniper Rose has been at the cruel beck and call of her stepmother and stepsister. Her fantasies of escape mean leaving behind her father’s beloved home, but enough is enough: when Cal offers her a way out sooner rather than later, June takes the leap.

Cal’s home in Maine with his military brothers seems like the safest place to start fresh. But as Cal and June’s fairy-tale romance blossoms into something real, they find that the dangers stalking them may have been real all along.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: This is the second book in the Game of Chance series, which uses fairy tale tropes. It can, however, be easily read as a standalone. It mentions other characters, but it's not necessary to have read the first book to follow this one. You'll likely want to go back and read the first one after this, though.

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. Cal and June are perfect together, and I thoroughly enjoyed their journey to love and self-acceptance.

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, and this book is no exception.

Comments

The Secret Hook-Up, by Pippa Grant

Synopsis: You’d think nearly dying trying to get out of a too-tight gown in a dressing room and being saved by a strong, competent man was a good thing. Not so much, though, when that strong, competent man is your ex. Your secret ex. And the reason you need a gown is because you’re part of a charity auction. The charity auction where he gets into a bidding war to win you. And now, because you’re one of few female coaches in professional baseball, and he’s the captain of the local professional hockey team, and he paid a ridiculous sum of money for you…The entire city is shipping you. You can’t leave your apartment without getting a knowing wink from strangers. Your bosses want to use the publicity to have you jointly launch a new community outreach program. That’s bad enough. It truly is. But even worse? Duncan Lavoie, the green-eyed, curly-haired, dimple-cheeked, hot-as-lava hockey player wants a second chance. And he’ll play dirty to get it. The Secret Hook-Up is a laugh-out-loud rom...

Webster's defines resting book face as follows: (a) the look a person gets when someone interrupts them while they're reading a really good book; and (b) the vacant stare of a reader who is mentally lost in their book world when reading isn't possible. Okay, fine. It's not in Webster's. But it should be.

The Body in the Backyard, by Lucy Score

Synopsis: Her self-absorbed news anchor ex-husband careening back into her life was not on this amateur psychic detective’s bingo card. Not only does Griffin Gentry show up unexpectedly at Riley Thorn’s door—the real shock is that he’s begging her for help. Riley’s hot private investigator boyfriend Nick Santiago refusing to take the job is…well, less of a surprise. Too bad for Nick that his octogenarian business partner overrules him and takes the lead on Griffin’s case. But when a dead body makes it clear someone really is out to get Riley’s ex, the mile-long suspect list means all hands on deck at Santiago Investigations. Even the wrinkly, retired ones. It’s only a matter of time before Griffin brings the danger directly to their doorstep. And with Riley and Nick busy interviewing suspects, that leaves their elderly roommates to wreak havoc in the surveillance department. Can Riley block out the chaos to focus her psychic visions long enough to narrow down the list of suspects? Or ...

Resting Book Face

Search This Blog