Loyally, Luke by Pepper Basham - Book Review

Series: Skymar #3 

Publication Date: 14th May 2024 

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Small Town 

4 Stars 

One Liner: So sweet! 

Luke Edgewood is not the rom-com type hero, or so he says. He is a builder who loves his work and a supportive brother to his sisters. When Luke goes to Skymar to work on a project, he doesn’t expect to come face-to-face with royalty. 

Elliana St. Clare (Ellie) is a princess in hiding after things went awfully wrong the last time, and the press is still hounding her for juicy news. She finds peace in working with the orphanage, the same one which Luke has to renovate. 

Ellie wants to keep her identity a secret and plans to do what her parents want. But meeting Luke puts her at a crossroads. Moreover, Luke wants nothing to do with fame or royalty, so Ellie isn’t sure what to do. 

The story comes in the third-person POV of Luke and Ellie, with email and chat snippets between different characters. 

My Thoughts: 

While the story can be a standalone, I strongly recommend reading at least book #2 (like I did) to understand the character arcs better. 

You need to meet Luke in the previous book(s) to know that he is a cuddly teddy bear and a kind-hearted darling. Otherwise, he is more likely to annoy you with constant references to ‘manly movies’ and ‘hating romance’. 

Of course, since I was waiting for his book, I enjoyed this one a lot. Luke is so adorable, and his relationship with his sisters is perfect! In fact, the chats between the siblings are wonderful.  

Penelope is a side character here, but she is being herself, so it’s almost like she is one of the main characters; an extra dose of sunshine with a steady diet of Hallmark movies and romance tropes, which get constant references (this is a series thing) in their chats. 

The book has limited epistolary stuff, which works well for me. I know this is an ARC, but I hope they add appropriate scene breaks to indicate POV changes. The jumps will be too confusing to follow otherwise. 

Ellie’s dilemma is well done. She makes some wrong decisions but has the strength to acknowledge them. Her doubts, vulnerability, and hesitation come across clearly. Her dynamics with Luke are funny and cute. They do make a lovely couple! 

Naturally, there are a few faith-based elements that never overpower the story or sound preachy. This is exactly how I like faith in books (if it is present). 

We do have a sweet and happy ending. I did feel a little sad, but since there’s news that there will be a novella from the same series, I’m happy to meet the characters (Luke) again. Can’t wait for it! 

To summarize, Loyally, Luke beautiful, funny, sweet, and heartwarming read. It also has the flavor of a small-town community, so pretty much a package deal. No steam except for a few kisses and flirting. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas Nelson, for eARC. 

#NetGalley #LoyallyLuke