Nilufer Ozmekik's Reviews > Codename Charming
Codename Charming (Palace Insiders, #2)
by
by
The highly anticipated sequel has finally been released, offering a heartfelt, dramatic, and extremely entertaining romance with amazing tropes including grumpy meets sunshine, workplace romance, fake dating, and opposites attract!
Petunia De Vere is the personal assistant of Johnny, a gold-hearted, naive, adorable, enthusiastic, and clumsy member of the royal family who attracts accidents like a magnet. Matthias, an ex-soldier, is strict, rigid, a man of few words, and Johnny's bodyguard, taking his job extra seriously. His intimidating looks make Gulliver take a walk in Liliput and help him scare off those who plan to harm the royal family. Pet and Matthias couldn't be more different, and now they find themselves in a position they barely enjoy. Due to a tabloid's gossip implying a secret affair between Johnny and Pet, Matthias and Pet reluctantly agreed to fake dating to shut down the gossip mill.
Both characters carry emotional baggage, including parental abuse and grief. It was nice to see how they opened up about their secrets, lowering their barriers to confront their true feelings.
There were some parts that made me guffaw aloud. The parrot heist was the highlight of the book, bringing me so much laughter and fun.
The only thing that bothered me and held me back from giving it five stars was the extra slow burn romance progress! There were many unnecessary subplots in this book related to the royals and their family secrets, which slowed down the pace and distracted our attention from the main plot about Pet and Matthias' love story. I wish I could have only focused on the romance and entertaining parts.
Overall, it was still a well-written romance with adorable, strong, tough characters. I laughed so hard at some parts that I fell down from my couch, so I'm giving it my well-deserved four stars.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for sharing this entertaining book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Petunia De Vere is the personal assistant of Johnny, a gold-hearted, naive, adorable, enthusiastic, and clumsy member of the royal family who attracts accidents like a magnet. Matthias, an ex-soldier, is strict, rigid, a man of few words, and Johnny's bodyguard, taking his job extra seriously. His intimidating looks make Gulliver take a walk in Liliput and help him scare off those who plan to harm the royal family. Pet and Matthias couldn't be more different, and now they find themselves in a position they barely enjoy. Due to a tabloid's gossip implying a secret affair between Johnny and Pet, Matthias and Pet reluctantly agreed to fake dating to shut down the gossip mill.
Both characters carry emotional baggage, including parental abuse and grief. It was nice to see how they opened up about their secrets, lowering their barriers to confront their true feelings.
There were some parts that made me guffaw aloud. The parrot heist was the highlight of the book, bringing me so much laughter and fun.
The only thing that bothered me and held me back from giving it five stars was the extra slow burn romance progress! There were many unnecessary subplots in this book related to the royals and their family secrets, which slowed down the pace and distracted our attention from the main plot about Pet and Matthias' love story. I wish I could have only focused on the romance and entertaining parts.
Overall, it was still a well-written romance with adorable, strong, tough characters. I laughed so hard at some parts that I fell down from my couch, so I'm giving it my well-deserved four stars.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for sharing this entertaining book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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Reading Progress
February 3, 2023
–
Started Reading
February 3, 2023
– Shelved
March 19, 2023
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Finished Reading