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Book 12 - Codename Charming by Lucy Parker

I’m a Lucy Parker fan, and this book didn’t disappoint. Her writing style is chatty/wordy, which might aggravate me if she wasn’t so talented and funny. Petunia (Pet) is the pint-sized personal assistant to Johnny, the accident-prone husband of Rosie, a down-the-line member of the royal family. Matthias is the giant, glowering security guard. Johnny and Pet are photographed in what appears to be a romantic moment, so to steer the paparazzi away from that incorrect narrative, Pet and Matthias stage Codename Charming, acting in love to give the paparazzi a different shiny object to focus on. As Pet and Matthias realize the act comes way too natural, Pet is also trying to find out information on her father. And Matthias is working through grief from a violent loss. Despite the heavy themes there’s a lot of humor in the book, including a fun paint-ballesque scene (using wands instead of guns). The writing sounds very British to me (even though the author lives in New Zealand), with fun slang and a less-than-traditionally-gorgeous hero. (8.25)

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