ARC REVIEW: Loyally, Luke – by Pepper Basham

Title: Loyally, Luke
(Skymar #3)
Author: Pepper Basham
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
First published: May 14th 2024
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Finished reading: April 9th 2024
Pages: 384

“Sometimes the best people to come into our lives are the ones we least expect. The ones who we can’t see fitting, but they change everything. Even the things they don’t plan to change.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

REVIEW

WARNING: another unpopular opinion!!

I confess that I was quite worried about this one… I made the mistake requesting a copy of Loyally, Luke without realizing it was actually book three of a series; a series I of course hadn’t started yet. Still, I loved the sound of the blurb, so I decided to read the first book before this ARC to avoid spoilers. And surprise, surprise! I somehow didn’t get along with the first book at all… The fact that it was actually Christian fiction took me by surprise, and I wasn’t a fan of most of the characters. I did like Luke though, so I still had hope for this third book. And while I enjoyed Loyally, Luke slightly better than the first book, I’ve come to the conclusion that this author simply isn’t for me.

First of all I have to stress that part of the issue most definitely has to do with the fact that Christian fiction and me usually don’t get along, as I’m not a fan of religion in my stories. While I can’t deny that it’s not too overpowering in Loyally, Luke, it still was too much for me personally. I confess that had I known it was Christian fiction beforehand, I probably wouldn’t have requested it… I guess that teaches me to investigate better before hitting that button. I do have to say that I really enjoyed the fictional Skymar setting and its descriptions really made it come alive for me. It made me wish I could visit or even move there; it sounds beautiful!

Like the first book, Loyally, Luke is part epistolary, although mostly in the form of texts this time around. Initially this was such a great touch, although it could be come a bit tedious over time as there is a LOT of this writing style incorporated into the plot. I did like the growing connection between Luke and Ellie, and their banter was great. I was less charmed by some of Luke’s sisters and their meddling behavior; like in the first book, it was just way too much and really started to grate me. Certain aspects were also considerably repetitive… I mean, we get that they can’t be together in the long run, but do we really have to read about it over and over and over?!

As for the characters… Like I said before, I mostly liked Luke and Ellie, but especially Luke’s sisters were extremely frustrating. In fact, most of the background characters were so much easier to warm up to! I can’t deny that the growing connection between Luke and Ellie was great though, but I could have done without the repetition and overdose of romance tropes. Also, how many times does Luke have to repeat turning to his manly movies and actions because he feels threatened by romance? It really got old fast.

As a whole, I did like Loyally, Luke better than the first book, but I won’t be continuing this series. I’ve come to the conclusion that this author’s writing simply isn’t a good fit for me, and I will be leaving the Skymar visits up to readers that will appreciate it more. If you like Christian fiction, a royalty angle and lots of romance tropes, Loyally, Luke will be a great fit for you.