L'Aristocrate

Game of Chance #2

by Susan Stoker, Emma Valieu (translator)

Ancien soldat et membre d’une famille royale, Callum Redmon est conscient de ses responsabilités. Ainsi, quand le coup de cœur de son cousin se plaint d’un harceleur, Cal accepte avec réticence à rencontrer la jeune femme et sa mère. Il est d’abord tenté de considérer cette affaire comme une farce, mais ses sentiments pour un autre membre de la famille se mettent en travers de ses résolutions.

Depuis la mort de son père, dix-sept ans auparavant, Juniper Rose est soumise à ses cruelles belle-mère et belles-sœurs. Elle rêve de s’échapper, mais pour cela, elle doit renoncer à sa maison et aux souvenirs de son père bien aimé. Qu’à cela ne tienne, trop, c’est trop, et quand Cal lui offre un moyen de s’évader plus tôt que prévu, June n’hésite pas.

Cal habite dans le Maine, avec ses frères d’armes, un endroit idéal pour un nouveau départ en toute sécurité. Mais alors que l’amour gagne le cœur de Cal et June, le danger se rapproche inexorablement.

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Audiobook, Military Fiction, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Suspense

398 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2024

About the author

Sign up for my newsletter here:
http://www.stokeraces.com/contact-1.html

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, Susan Stoker has a heart as big as the state of Tennessee where she lives, but this all American girl has also spent the last fourteen years living in Missouri, California, Colorado, Indiana, and Tennessee. She's married to a retired Army man who now gets to follow her around the country.

Follow SUSAN:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorsstoker
www.facebook.com/authorsusanstoker
Instagram: www.instagram.com/authorsusanstoker
Twitter: www.twitter.com/susan_stoker
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/susan...
Amazon: http://amzn.to/238Jw8c

For all upcoming books click here: http://www.stokeraces.com/coming-soon...

Reviews

[Chris C - A Midlife Wife · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much love for this one! The ending is amazing.🥰
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s no secret that I love a great romance. When I started reading this, however, I did have some eye-rolling going on. A retelling of Cinderella? Plus blending in some Beauty and the Beast? Are you kidding me?

Once I got through the initial unease and dismay, the story very quickly turned into something so much more than that! I am so glad that I continued on!!

This author can write amazing scenes that just consume you with emotion. She digs down deep and knows how to write characters with their deepest secrets and fears laid out in the open yet still accepting of others. I’m not even sure I’m describing that properly.

The story is emotional in many ways. Heartbreaking and touching; even a little tough to read in spots. But the romance and their love is all-consuming.

The author also balances the connection and emotion with great secondary characters. A group of people that you would love to meet and be around.

This book has everything in terms of a wonderful blooming romance. But I have to tell you that you must go through a little crushing emotion to get to a fantastic ending. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but let me just tell you that Stoker is probably going to be a new favorite author for me.

Definitely hunting down past stories that I have missed. She is an amazing storyteller that gets you right in the gut!

* copy received for review consideration
* full review - https://amidlifewife.com/the-royal-by...

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is pretty much the exact same book as the first one in the series. Boring, underdeveloped characters. Insta-love (BORING and a fake trope).
June is in her early 30's, lives with her evil stepmother and evil step-sister. They treat her like an indentured servant. And she just...took it. There's nothing written about June to make you feel like they emotionally or mentally abused her to the point where her self esteem was so low that she couldn't escape. She just simply didn't escape. The excuse she gave was that she promised her Dad (who died when she was 15) that she would take care of his house. I mean, seriously. SERIOUSLY. What a lame ass excuse. Make it more interesting and make it so that she was broken into thinking she couldn't leave, instead of her being a weak-ass person simply taking it. The H, Callum, kept saying how brave and strong she is. Um, no sir, she's not. She's stupid. (And I am not one to usually think that about anyone in her situation...but nothing about her personality made sense with her situation!).
The evil stepmother and sister are evil incarnate (especially the stepmother). That's all they are, evil. No personality besides being evil. Evil and stupid. So, even the villains are boring.
There is some dialogue that is pretty much verbatim from the first book. Such lazy writing. I'm done with this author, I'm annoyed that her books are in my 'you should read!' lists on my kindle, because no...no one should have to read this! lol
It's such a shame because this COULD be so good--or at least fun to read! It has all the right ingredients! But give these people a personality other than 'nice'. When their only personality is being nice, they're boring. And both of them have a history that should make them anything BUT boring. Not worth wasting your time on. Even if you're a fan of insta-love (um, why?), this is has boring characters and if you read the first book, you pretty much read this one.
I should add this to the one-bed shelf, but I don't want this book to be in my algorithm for any tropes I enjoy.

[Mindy Lou's Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Royal is a loosely based Cinderella story with a bit of a twist. Rarely do we get a hero who is ashamed to show his body, and to the point he has hidden so much of himself from life. He went through something terrible when his unit was captured, and the evil done to him when they found out he was a prince, is beyond what most could recover from.

Juniper is living in her own nightmare with a step-mom and step-sister. She's wasted so much of her life after her dad's passing, being their servant. You get the impression that she's finally woke up from a nightmare and realizing she has to make a change. This is where Cal comes in and sweeps Cinderella off her feet, but you get so much more in Cal and June's story. You have two flawed characters, saving each other from their own demons.

I'm enjoying this team of men and the women they fall for. The guys are just so protective and caring, you can't ask for more in a hero. The women are kind and loving and the perfect fit for each of the men. We get a sneak peek into the next book and I am so intrigued by the heroine, I can't wait for to read their story!

[Kait · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time reading this and I loved it even more than I did the first time. This is a standalone but I HIGHLY recommend reading the series in order as you get so much more out of them!! (I only gave this 4.5⭐️ when I originally read it but after reading it following The Protector, solid 5⭐️!)

Anyway, I loved Cal so much and to see him be loved by someone who doesn’t care about his scars is beautiful. He deserves the world and I love that June wants to give him it. They’re so good for each other. The way he helps her out of her situation was amazing! I love that they both have issues but actually work towards figuring them out instead of just accepting it. And of course the end made me sob.. again.

Also, I would literally sell my soul for Bob's story! March is way too far away 😭😭😭

June 2023 review: 4.5⭐️ for this gem of a story!

No joke, I dropped everything I was doing when I saw I was approved for this ARC! I’ve been dying to get Cal’s story since being introduced to him in The Protector and this did not disappoint.

~A former POW, Cal no longer enjoys the spotlight or any form of attention. When family asks for his help to protect a woman from a stalker, of course he drops everything to help. He didn’t expect to be attracted to what he thought was the help. June never thought she’d be in the position she’s in at 32 but here she is trying to make the best of her situation until she has the means to leave.~

I love how Cal never saw himself as anyone’s Prince Charming (even though he’s an actual prince) yet the second he meets June and learns some of her story, he’s willing to be anything for her. SWOON! 😍

I won’t lie, at first I was confused as to why June stayed with her “family” so long but putting myself in her shoes, I probably would have done the exact same thing. I love that she took a leap of faith and made moves to take back her life.

The ending scenes though.. 😭 My heart was beating out of my freaking chest!!

I am so excited for Bob's story!

*I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review with my honest opinion.*

[Susan in Perthshire · Rating 1 out of 5]

Amateurish, unromantic, unbelievable and boring. A 32 year old woman stays in her family home - that her stepmother has swindled her out of, and then puts up with being treated as an unpaid drudge for 14 years by her step mother and step sister who are beyond mean and abusive. Seriously? This might be credible in the original fairy story but today? No.

The use of a real principality, German speaking Liechtenstein was so ridiculously interpreted as to take all possibility of the story seeming to be credible, away. Research is a good thing. And what’s with the prince from a German speaking country having a British accent and swearing as if he was from Ireland? If I read ‘fecking’ one more time, I would have screamed. When the Irish say it, it’s attractive, when anyone else does it, it sounds utterly stupid!

Sorry, I hate being so harsh, but this isn’t even a book you could enjoy on holiday.
I clearly read a different book to the 4/5 star reviewers who thought this book was so marvellous. I gave up after three chapters and a skim read at the end - in utter despair.

[tawny•dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love modern day fairy tales and retellings. But this is not it. I’m clearly in the minority here, as I’ve seen so many 4+ star reviews, so take this with a grain of salt.
The book is just plain poorly constructed and written. We have a Prince from Lichtenstein who somehow ended up working with U.S. spec ops…..ok, suspending disbelief here, but no way any royal figure of a country is allowed to do this. What a bad look for the royal family- he would be spec ops for his own country, not a foreign government. Maybe just acknowledge that he ran operations with this group of Americans and bonded, but fine, ok move on. Also, his dialogue can be at times odd which isn’t bad per se, but as a member of the royal family, he would speak English perfectly, British English, yes but not Irish English. The amount of times he says “feck” drove me nuts. But again- fine. Maybe he went to Trinity College on Dublin. Fine. But, his cousin wants him to investigate the stalker of an American nobody-woman and the royal family wants him to do this for his cousin?! Absolutely never. Come on. Like 10 more min of brainstorming and we could have made this better. Ok. I pushed though because hey, it’s romance and we suspend disbelief all the time in this genre. Fine. But, then we meet June. June who acts like she has been hidden from the world her whole life. She latches onto Callum immediately- insta-love to THE MAX-and has a childlike aww of him. I needed way more than 2-3 days of them being near each other for her actions to get in a car and drive out of state with him to be justified. He’s a prince though, so, definitely not at all a predator. Ahem. Okkkkkk. The bulk of the book is sexual tension. The comments Callum makes about her body are really cringy. I absolutely love the attempt at empowerment and body positivity but comments like how her thighs are made for miniskirts are the types of things that creepy men whistle and yell at you as you walk by. Ick factor was alllllll over this book. And Callum being in love with June because she was intuitive enough to slip him some aspirin the first time they met? June is not a stable, functional adult. He rescued her by taking her out of a situation she could have gotten out of herself, but she doesn’t know how to stand on her own two feet. Sooooo what changed? I guess that’s where the Cinderella story doesn’t stand up to the rest of time. I really wish we had seen June be a bit street-smarter, maybe have met with a lawyer in the past, or secretly doing online classes, something to show that she has her own agency, so that she wasn’t so co-dependent on Callum. The book gave me the icks and i just couldn’t love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

[Ta || bookishbluehead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before we go into this, let me just say: I’m not a fan of modern day Cinderella retellings and I don’t like 3rd person narration. So these are two factors that weigh heavily in my opinion of this book. But I enjoyed the first book and Cal was one of the most intriguing side characters, so I thought I would give this book a try anyway.
This story didn’t disappoint. We have Cal, who struggles a lot with his past and what happened to him, when he and his friends were kidnapped. June is the sunshine to his grumpy, even though she had a lot of hardship in the past. Both characters struggle with their imperfections and this struggle is absolutely believable, but there didn’t seem to be more to June, it felt like something to her character was missing.

What I still don’t understand is, why she stayed all this time with her stepmother and -sister. Her reasoning for that didn’t make any sense to me.

The plot is pretty shallow, there never really is a lot of danger for the characters and we mostly get to see how June and Cal interact and fall in love, which was nice and relaxing but I wouldn’t have minded a little more action.

Overall I enjoyed this book, I had fun with it. The next book will be about Bob and I feel like he is the one of the four that we know the least about.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Joanne Lui · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Stoker does a great job of weaving elements of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast into her usual brand of romantic suspense. June is such an easy character to root for, but her brand of sunshine is lovely and not cheesy. And it’s rare for books to address body-image issues in men, and Cal’s are heartbreakingly believable. Not your typical prince or fairy tale!

I received a free ARC of this book on NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinions.

[Jen ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

June (32) has been a "slave" in a sense for her stepmother and stepsister, she's basically Cinderella's reincarnation. Her father died when she was fifteen (poisoned actually by her witch stepmom), and after her father's passing, the witch pretended to be nice to her until she was eighteen, only to fool her into signing away the house and her inheritance. She was young, naive, and trustful, so she was taken advantage of. Since then, she's been living with the awful mother and sister; she cooks, cleans, and does all the household chores.

Cal (late thirties) was a scarred POW (prisoner of war) inside and outside. They were rescued three years ago, but the scars were hideous and made him grumpy. He also has royal blood but is still far from the line of succession. And he doesn't want to do anything about that royalty; he was happy living his life in a small town in Maine.

However, his cousin called him one night to check out June's stepsister's claim that she has a stalker. So he went to her house, only to figure out immediately that the mother and daughter were just plotting some scheme to seduce or trap him. This was also where he saw June and got intrigued by her.

Two days have passed of him staying in that house and learning everything he could about the so-called "stalker" and June, and Cal had enough with the bullshit of the two (mother and daughter). After he overheard them and their scheming, he asked June to come with him back to his town after finding out that she was also planning to leave (finally, thank God!). To which she agreed to, and that's how they became roommates.

This was an okay read. Some of the things got repetitive along the way, like how much June is "fat" and "ugly" or how Cal is damaged and is not good enough for June. It was okay to mention it in the beginning so that readers would have a background on the MCs, but it's downright annoying when they use this excuse to pull away from one another.

June is an overall good person; despite what she went through for the last 17 years, her positivity never dimmed, and she would always look for the silver lining in everything. Though, like I said, the constant reminder of her weight or her average (or below) looks was so irritating. There are a lot of things a person can offer, and it's not just all about their physical appearance. She's a good, caring, loving, and amazing woman. People would be lucky to have known and befriended her; there's not a single mean bone in her body, and I'm actually amazed by her character's resilience and outlook on life.

As for Cal, I could only imagine what he went through, and it was a horrible incident that also made me admire him even more. How much he took the brunt of the torture just to save his buddies. It was agonizing to know what happened to them, but I also felt relieved that they were saved and that those guys who tortured them got killed. But the effect of this incident made him hold back in life; he became reclusive, always wanting to hide his body because he could not accept how hideous the scars were. Then he would use this as an excuse to say that June deserves someone better—a guy who wouldn't hold her back. Or how much he was so damaged and would only ruin June's sunshine.

There was no third-act breakup, but Cal stayed away for a week despite them living together. He found every excuse not to be with her because he's falling so fast and hard, and he wants to protect his heart. And of course, June thought there must be something wrong with her because he doesn't want to spend time with her anymore. I'm just glad that she didn't walk away and that she listened to those people who knew Cal better. She waited patiently for him until he finally realized how wrong he was for avoiding her. She forgave him quickly after they talked things out. I don't have a problem with her forgiving him immediately because Cal didn't act like an asshole towards her while he was busy staying away from her. He still talks to her and is still kind, even when he's pushing her away.

As for the drama with the witch stepmom and stepsister, I felt like the resolution was quickly wrapped up. They should've been punished more for what they did to June. It just felt so anticlimactic.

Overall, this is neither bad nor good, just so-so. It was insta-lust, and then they were in love within a few days. There was some suspense and a little heartbreaking moment. Though there are dragging scenes, I still enjoyed the story. I would've wanted an epilogue years later, but the story ended in a HFN (they were married and are planning to have a baby; the wedding was spur of the moment after she woke up in the hospital).

Book info:
- Murder / attempted murder
- Death of a parent
- Torture (off page, POW)
- Drugging
- Abuse (verbal, emotional)
- Body shaming
- No third act breakup
- HFN (married and trying to have a baby)


Additional Note:
- Non-virgin MCs
- June has been with 3 men in her life (Cal included)
- Cal has been celibate for 3 years since they were rescued. But in his chapters, he mentioned that he has been with women and that he prefers all his lovers to be "curvy." I don't think he's a manhoe, though, but still, the reminders pissed me off a little bit. I also don't want to think (but I can't help it okay??) that if he isn't scarred, maybe his ways won't change. 🤷‍♀️

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This surprisingly really hit me in the feels with what happened in the end. Cal and June made a quick-connection but it flowed really well and I enjoyed how their relationship developed. I didn't think things could end up *that way* with what happens (no spoilers ) and hence the feels. I'm really happy with how supportive Cal's parents were.

[Amanda Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is shaping up to be one of my favorites. I was intrigued by Cal in the first book of this series and was excited to see his story would be a modern take on Cinderella. I was not prepared for the depth of emotion this book would make me feel.

Callum Redmon is not your typical Prince Charming. He is a broken man who has seen the ravages of war and lives with them every day on his body and in his mind. My heart hurt reading the description of his torture and it shattered into a million pieces when he described how much physical and emotional trauma he was still suffering because of it. Cal is a member of a royal family and has never been with a woman who wanted him for anything more than his title. Now, he feels like no woman would want him because of his injuries, so he has been living the quiet life in small town Maine with his teammates.

Juniper Rose has been living a life of solitude at the beck and call of her stepmother and stepsister since her father’s death many years ago. She has been tucking away money in the hopes of one day leaving, but has many things holding her back.

June and Cal meet when he comes to her home to investigate her stepsister’s alleged stalker at the request of his cousin. Cal is immediately drawn to June when he first sees her. There is an immediate connection between the two that you can feel when reading. They are kindred spirits.

Things happen and Cal eventually asks June to return to Maine with him to get away from her situation. They are very attracted to each other but are both insecure and it takes some time for them to act on it. The evolution of their relationship was beautiful and heartbreaking to read. Cal and June save each other on so many levels. This is one of the most satisfying HEAs I have read in a long time.

No Susan Stoker book would be complete without some suspense, and it was really well done here. Danger follows Cal and June back to Maine and there are some harrowing moments, but it all turns out in the end. I loved seeing Cal’s teammates and the town come together to help. I am excited to read the rest of the books in this series. I plan to reread this one when it releases because I loved it so much.

[Romancing the Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susan Stoker novels always hit the spot…

Whenever I need a reset, I grab one of these to read or listen to, and five years later I’m still devouring them when I need something reliable.

📕 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: The Royal by Susan Stoker

📙 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Game of Chance character series. Book 2.

📗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀: Listened in the Kindle app. 🆓 on KU to read and listen.

📘 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Military romance

📔 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: Fairytale vibes, opposites attract, scarred hero, suspense.

📖 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Cal is sent on a bogus security mission for a social media influencer, only to find the threat has been made up to get him - a prince - to visit their home. Instead of falling for the influencer, he’s drawn to their housemaid who has spent years living in their basement.

🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: I always rate these as a normal book, but if I was to rate it based on vibes it’d probably be much higher. Susan Stoker books are always predictable, but in the best ways… and I’ll never put them down.

The Royal was a step away from her normal alpha military men, as Cal was a prince and scarred and more charming than alpha. But I loved his inner POV and the end made me tear up. I’m going right back into the next one, because I get addicted to her series so easily and the read-and-listen is such a great bonus.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 3.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐

𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 3/5 🌶🌶🌶

[Sheila Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Royal takes the modern day Cinderella story to a whole new level of hot romance, wicked suspense and HEA, Susan Stoker style. Cal is a damaged Prince Charming and June rescues him from a daily life of despair. He introduces the fair maiden to a group of loyal friends who accept and love her like she always deserved. However, what would the story be without an evil step-mother and step-sister. I'd love to see the authors take on some other classic fairy tales. Another winner from a great writer!

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely and exciting combination spin of a Cinderella story and military romance. Cal was introduced in the previous book with his team mates turned co-owners in Maine. June is introduced in this book as a modern Cinderella whose life is horrible with her step mom and sister. The chemistry and openness between Cal and June is immediate and well developed. The attention to emotional and physical connections played a role in this story and was beautifully shared along with friendships and other relationships. The book develops the town and its members more which I loved, especially the senior citizens. The danger was built up and then executed so well that I had tears! Great ending and story. Can’t wait for the rest of the friends to get their stories ❤️

[Shelley C · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Royal👑

Cal is convinced by his cousin to investigate a case of a possible stalker for a wealthy family. Cal not wanting to refuse outright goes to see what he can do to help and steer the woman towards the police to further investigate. But upon arrival he sees June and later discovers more about who she is and how she’s connected to this wealthy family😢

I absolutely adored Cal and June. Each had their own obstacles and insecurities to overcome but together they forge a path to their future. That is until the past rears it’s ugly head and possibly shatters their future dreams❤️‍🩹 Grab some tissues as you’re going to need them❣️

Can’t wait to find out more about Bob especially after that MASSIVE reveal at the end😳 I received an advanced copy via Netgalley and willingly leave my honest review😍

[Katie Friday · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 5%
I don’t know why I keep trying Ms Stoker’s books. It could be this series particularly, why does it hate women so much? Every female character that isn’t the h is a monster. The same can be said for the other books in the series. Like Mean girls from a 2000’s movie. Ms. Stoker needs to get with the times.
She also writes her heroines so pathetically I can’t like them even a little. The hero will go on and on about how brave and strong the h is. She’s not. She’s meek with zero backbone. Her obedience seemingly praised. That’s not a good character trait. Allowing herself to be constantly walked over waiting for a literal prince to save her. Ugggg pass.

[Alskha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Waaaay too cringy

[Denise H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was AMAZING! I absolutely loved Cal and June! This series is quickly moving to the top of my favorite Stoker reads list.

We get to learn Cal’s backstory in the first book – The Protector, and I knew from reading that book that he was going to be someone special. Learning the rest of his story and seeing him all googly-eyed over June and the amazing way he treated her…*sigh* I was a total goner for him. He had such a heart of gold and after knowing what he and his friends had suffered as POWs, him taking the brunt of all the abuse to spare his friends; my heart seriously broke for all he endured. Yet there was joy in seeing him and June find their way to each other and the closeness and love they shared through everything. He was definitely her prince in every way. And, oh my gosh – the ending!

It was also amazing to see June’s resilience no matter what her stepmother and stepsister threw at her. She did her best to stay quiet, keep her head down and just survive. It was sad to see everything she had to endure from her horrible family day after day. But she was so strong to not let any of it break her physically or mentally. To still be a sweet, kind, and loving person and keep her positive personality through it all, and hanging on to the wonderful memories with her father to get her through the hard times and times of doubt. She had such inner strength and determination to survive her family and break free.

It was definitely the stuff fairy tales are made of for Cal to sweep June off her feet and take her to his home and help her start a new life for herself with the assistance of his close friends/family. They both had their own trauma and nightmares to deal with but as time went on and they became closer they had each other to lean on for support. It was heartwarming to watch them help heal each other as well as come to terms with their struggles for themselves.

This book was just so good. There’s humor, friends/family drama, suspense, lots of emotions, romance, and steam (and did I mention steam…whew!).

Thanks to NetGalley and Susan Stoker for the ARC.

[Wendy Hodges · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional and raw story about good people used for the greed of others.Cal suffered horrifically at the hands of capters, his life changed forever but pressure from family takes him to investigate a stalker, what he finds both sucks and changes everything. June has gone from beloved daughter to little more than a modern day Cinderella, but she isn't into the games that are now being played on someone else, she does what little she can to forewarn and help. June is caring, loving, and determined but also has her flaws. Two strong but very vulnerable people who learn scars aren't just on the surface and come in various forms, they work to make each other understand those that caused them are the ones at fault. The scars don't define the ones with them they still deserve love and life, maybe even more. This story brought tears for this couple, inspiration for the vulnerabilities they showed each other, June for pushing despite her own, Cal for having so much strength. Heartbreaking into heartwarming with every emotion possible evoked while reading, it's a story that haunted me into sleep after finishing and one I'm glad had a happy ending. I wanted to wrap them both up in a big warm hug and I wanted the bad guys to suffer. I was glad of Cal's friends and their support and of those that June made who helped at time when time was against them. The Prince and Cinders got their HEA and it was touching and romantic.

[ALR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cal Redmon has never been the same after his military group was captured by the enemy. While they were all tortured his royal lineage meant that he received extra attention by the enemy and this Prince Charming came home looking more like the Beast. He and his group have found some relief in their new life living in a more remote area of Maine so the last thing he wanted to do is help some spoiled girlfriend of his cousin, but duty calls. The last thing he expects to find is a real life Cinderella. June (Juniper) doesn’t know how her life has become so draining. The death of her beloved father flipped her life from heads to tails as she now caters to the whims of her spoiled stepmother and stepsister (see the fairytale reference). While their upbringing were totally different June and Cal were made for one another. Both have this inner stength that is amazing as each has had to overcome diversity in their own way. This is a super sweet soft romance with plenty of Disney-like vibes, and a quick read that will give you warm fuzzies, but there is a bit of action thrown in too. The supporting cast, from Carl’s military brothers to June’s elderly charges ( I loved Banks) is wonderful. If you’re in the mood for something light and easy with a lot of sweetness than this is your book. It is book two of a series but you do not have to read book one to enjoy this one, although I do recommend it. I received an arc copy of this book and voluntarily give my honest review. 5 stars

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Royal by Susan Stoker is a 5 ⭐️ read.
Cal is a real life prince and ex-military man, he is used to woman trying to date him for his money and title but after being held as a pow and suffering from torture at the hands of his kidnappers. Cal got out of the military and along with the 3 other men who were held captive with him he started a tree clearing business in a small town in Maine. When his cousin asks him to help out a friend of his who has a stalker, Cal sees right through it and leaves.
June is stuck living in her fathers house with her evil stepmother and stepsister, she’s been taking care of them for 17 years since her father passed but she’s finally had enough and is planning to leave, she just never expected a real life Prince to whisk her away.
I love Susan Stoker’s books, she writes a great Hero and a kick a$$ heroine, I really enjoyed this story and will admit to shedding a tear or two.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley.

[Dsbook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and this series. A modern take on the tale of Cinderella. Call was tortured and disfigured and Juniper Rose was treated terribly by her stepmother and step sister. I can’t wait for the next book in the series as the stories of these four friends are wonderful.

[Denise deGregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scars and all

I loved this book so much! Two broken souls piecing each other together. It kinda broke my heart just a little but in the most beautiful way, and of course as always I cannot wait until the next book in this series and definitely cannot wait for the last one, because as always, Susan likes to rip our hearts out on the last story 😀

Susan Stoker, another wonderful story, thank you.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Royal is Perfection! I loved every minute.

June and Cal’s happily ever after tale is absolutely everything. Susan Stoker has penned another heartwarming standalone story. Packed with wit, charm, heat, the finest of friends, and a page-turning adventure, The Royal is Perfection! I loved every minute.

[Enni (on hiatus) ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, the third person POV is not my cup of tea at all. This book fell a lot flat for me especially due to the POV because I felt like I could not get acquainted with the characters well enough and the book stayed too superficial.

As for Cal and June, it all felt too instalove since I could not get proper insight into their feelings and thoughts. Normally, even if I don't like a book, I can still feel for the characters and their story because when I read their POV, I get a better insight into them. For me, a book written from single or third person POV needs to be extremely well written in order to offer thorough character insight to the main characters and I found that lacking in this book.

The whole Cinderella storyline felt a bit rushed and off to me and I cannot decide if it is due to the POV or the writing itself.

As for Tim, Elaine and Carla, I would have hoped for a better conclusion to their fate since they were integral to the book. Also Carla's camgirl exploit seemed like it was mentioned but the connection to the whole story (considering the whole concept) was way too loose.

This book gets 2.5 ⭐️ solely for the potential. I ended up rounding down because the POV did not work for me at all.

NetGalley ARC review

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cal & June are FANTASTIC!! I could not love them more! Omh!

So, Cal definitely owned a piece of my heart, right from the beginning, the back story we learned in Chappy's book. My heart ached for what they all went through, but especially Cal. He took the brunt of the torture as the POWs fought for their lives and sanity. And tho he came out of that experience bruised and battered, his heart remained made of gold.

And then we have June! Juniper Rose, tortured in her own way - less physically but just as bruised. I love her light, just as much as Cal. She lived through years of abuse and maintained the love her father raised her with through it all. ♥️

From the moment they meet, there is a connection I enjoyed, and I loved their whole journey! They each have things to work through because of their individual traumas, but their journey is written so well!

I love getting to know everyone better, and as always, the tease for Bob's book makes me want to dive in right away... but I'll have to wait! 😉

This story is emotional, fun, suspenseful, steamy... seriously steamy, actually. They might take their time getting there, but whew! 🔥🔥🔥

😍😍😍

[Serenechaosnyc · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the first in the series (The Protector), I fell in love with the team, all of whom were tortured as prisoners of war. But the one I was most enamoured with was Cal, the prince who protected his team by getting the torturers to focus on him. His story and his heroine were perfect. It started out as a contemporary Cinderella story with a stepmother and stepsister, both evil (naturally). The evolution of the story was well paced- Cal was there by request from his family to protect a schemer, the stepsister, who wants to be a princess. He meets June and falls for her but will her stepfamily leave her alone? (The answer is no). Some harrowing moments, many beautiful ones and of course, quite a few steamy ones make this an amazing story in this series!

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you’re wanting a pretty literal (down to the internalized and not-so-internalized misogyny) modern day Cinderella retelling, this is going to be the book for you. If not, it’s probably going to leave you wanting.

In theory, I liked the idea of a retelling with added suspense elements tied in, but the execution fell so flat for me. The female protagonist is basically praised throughout for her ability to fulfill traditional gender roles, and there’s a heavy dose of “not like other girls” energy in this book. I typically love a tortured male protagonist, especially when their inner scars are manifested in their outer scars. So I wish that idea would have been explored in a way that felt more narratively satisfying.

Without spoiling a main element of the plot, I’ll just say that the ways in which suspense is added into the book feels way too out of left field. I’m all for suspend-disbelief, but this plot jumped the whole dang shark. And not in a fun way.

Thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Ellie Sutliff · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not finish this book. There were too many just little things that gave me the ick. Like how June talked all the tim, "Well...duh" Like no one says that in real life. Also as horrible as the step sister was, i felt like it was kinda sexist how all they ever talked about were her boobs. Idk, I got like 70% through and was like, I cannot do this anymore. Also the miscommunication trope was very poorly executed in this book.

[Frances O'Sullivan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is what I get for giving the first book the benefit of the doubt!! I knew book one wasn’t great, but I enjoyed it and thought, book two? Yeah, why not?…… why not indeed! Nothing can convince me that this wasn’t written by a 15 year old imagining what a relationship between two 30 year old would be like. “Soliloquy’s of Cringe” is a more appropriate title for this book.