REVIEW: Codename Charming by Lucy Parker

In Codename Charming by Lucy Parker, Petunia “Pet” De Vere thought she was prepared when she took a job as PA to Johnny Marchmont, the new prince consort. Oh, was she woefully wrong. She turns out to be less of an assistant and more of a person-wrangler, trying to keep the wonderfully kind but shy and very accident prone royal out of trouble. After Johnny’s latest fiasco–which of course was attended by the press–has paparazzi believing Pet is hot for her boss, the palace’s PR team proposes she and Johnny’s bodyguard, Matthias Vaughn, pretend to date. Knowing it has heartbreak and catastrophe written all over it, Pet warily agrees to the plan known as Codename Charming. Along the way, though, the friendship she’d already been cultivating with Matthias and their fake dates get mixed all together, until she isn’t sure she’s just playing at romance anymore. It might actually be the real deal.

“Life isn’t always easy, Pet,” Rosie said. “Neither is love. But they’re sure as hell worth fighting for.”

Two years of protection detail for Johnny has Matthias ready for just about any disaster that could happen. Or so he thought. When the latest incident gets smeared all over the tabloids as well as putting Pet in danger–again–he finds himself saying yes to a ridiculous plan that will hopefully take the attention off Johnny and Pet and instead, put it on Matthias and Pet. But there’s a problem: since he first set eyes on her, he’s known he could very easily fall for a brave, sweet woman like Pet. And Matthias is pretty sure, after his turbulent childhood, he’s not going to be able to give her the lifetime of love and happiness she absolutely deserves. Although, as they navigate one farcical predicament after another, his feisty but optimistic cohort might just have him believing they can have their own love story after all.

“Welcome to Team Marchmont,” he said drily. “I suggest you invest in a portable fire extinguisher, a lock-pick kit, and a crash helmet.”

When an author pens a rom com that has me chuckling within the first few pages, I know it’s going to be a fun ride–and that’s exactly what Lucy Parker did with Codename Charming. There were enough outlandish situations to keep the laughter flowing, but it was the sweet romance and superb cast that sent this novel straight to my heart.

‘From the moment they’d agreed to Codename Charming, life had become a tenuous balance of shattering emotion, intense feeling, and just plain fun.’

Content Warning: View Spoiler »Murder, mugging & assault, cheating (secondary cast), child neglect/verbal abuse (historical, not detailed). « Hide Spoiler

I had a load of fun reading Lucy Parker’s first book in the Palace Insiders series, Battle Royal, so I was looking forward to Codename Charming even before reading the synopsis. And it definitely lived up to expectations. We still had Parker’s wonderfully descriptive writing as well as all of the quirky cast we met in book one (although you can read this as a standalone), but the romance–this time between Petunia, aka Pet, and Matthias–was a tender, heartwarming slow burn. It had a Beauty and the Beast feel to it, along with Grumpy vs. Sunshine, workplace romance, and fake dating. Whew! A lot packed into one story, but Parker pulled it all together easily.

Matthias and Pet were two characters (along with newlyweds Rosie & Johnny) who I honestly just wanted to hug. Both had traumatic childhoods that still somewhat haunted them. Although neither let their past turn them bitter or uncaring. Instead, Pet and Matthias were two of the most giving, kind, capable people in the palace–a fact that was thankfully noticed by the royals they worked for. So of course, when Matthias and Pet were asked to fake a relationship as a way to take the pressure from the press off of poor Johnny (wow, did he accidentally cause some chaos!) they begrudgingly went along with it.

And talk about sparks. Pet and Matthias had a connection right from the first time they met but they both thought it would be one of friendship, not passionate romance. With each comical problem they faced down together (the stolen parrot!!!!! O.M.G.), the pair slid one more step closer to becoming a true couple–something that scared them both, given their trust and abandonment issues. But cinnamon roll hero Matthias and our delightful five-foot-nothing powerhouse heroine Pet had each other’s backs, along with a boatload of respect. How could their HEA be anything short of magical, right?

QOTD: Pet and Matthias both had very cool artistic types of hobbies. Do you have any hobbies you enjoy that help you relax?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: August 15th, 2023 | Avon Books | Palace Insiders #2

Following Battle Royal, beloved author Lucy Parker pens another delicious romantic comedy about a fake relationship between a grumpy royal bodyguard and the charming, sunny assistant who melts his cold, hard exterior.

Petunia De Vere enjoys being the personal assistant to lovable, bumbling Johnny Marchmont. But the job has its share of challenges, including the royal’s giant, intimidating bodyguard, Matthias. Pet and Matthias are polar opposites–she’s spontaneous and enthusiastic, he’s rigid and stoic–but she can sense there’s something softer underneath that tough exterior…

For Matthias Vaughn, protecting others is the name of the game. But keeping his royal charge out of trouble is more difficult than he imagined because everywhere Johnny goes, calamity ensues, and his petite, bubbly assistant is often caught in the fray. Matthias hates the idea of Pet getting hurt and he’s determined to keep everyone safe, even if it means clashing with his adorable new coworker.

When a clumsy moment leads to a questionable tabloid photo, the press begins to speculate that Pet is romantically involved with Johnny. To put an end to the rumors, the royal PR team asks Pet and Matthias to stage a fake relationship and the two reluctantly agree. But as they spend more time together outside of work, they begin to wonder what real emotions this pretend connection might uncover. Especially when a passionate kiss leaves both of their heads spinning…