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.

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