The Royal (Game of Chance Book 2)

This book. The painful pasts. The evil. The acceptance. The feels. I loved it all. Cal and June’s fairytale adjacent, healing romance with a side of crazy relatives was so good. Cal and June are portrayed as real, relatable people who have flaws, but are really just trying to do their best as messy humans. I have a soft spot for the people who are a bit uncomfortable in their skin because they don’t feel like they fit in or are worthy, like Cal and June. So I really love when they finally see their truth and they get swoon worthy HEAs. I especially loved the way they both gently, lovingly, and beautifully helped each other come out of their self-imposed prisons and begin to shine. Cal is of royal blood and he also co-owns a tree service company with his three best friends. He is a former special forces soldier and POW who has terrible scars from his time in captivity. June lives with her stepmother and stepsister but she is emotionally abused and treated as a servant. Cal comes to June’s house at the urging of his family to investigate June’s sister’s “stalker.” He quickly determines there is no stalker but also quickly starts to fall for June’s goodness and light. This creates the perfect swoony setup for rescuing a princess and helping her start a new happy life but not everyone is happy about it. The story was well written and included witty dialogue, three dimensional characters who grow, and an engaging storyline. The suspense was well balanced with the romance creating a perfect contrast. The story will give you all the feels - laughing, crying, swooning, cringing, teeth gritting, knuckle biting, and cheering through sweet moments, steamy scenes, chuckles, supportive friends, messy families, painful pasts, dangerous situations, uber protective men, and all the love. I can’t wait read the next book in the series.

3.85⭐️ The Royal was a good listen and a good story. Insta-love is always an interesting trope and this one was good. He is a Royal, far down the line, who served in the military, was a POW, and was tortured for his status. She is a step-daughter/sister, never travelled, has been at the whim of her family for so long, and is finally brave enough to leave.

The Royal is the second installment in Susan Stoker’s Game of Chance series. She introduces readers to the romantic journey of Juniper “June” Rose and Callum “Cal” Redmon. Theirs is one of opposites attract. Through circumstances out of her control, June ends up in a present day Cinderella syndrome wherein she caters o the whims and demands of a stepmother and stepsister. June is miserable. Cal is a former special forces. Readers met him as a secondary figure in the first book. Cal was severely mutilated during his captivity as a POW. This experience leaves him with not only physical scars but emotional ones as well. Cal is a member of a European royalty and is rich. Nevertheless, he works with his former team in the small business in Maine. Destiny brings Cal and June together when he goes to DC to deal with her stepsister’s alleged stalker. It does not take Cal long to realize the stalker is a ruse and June needs to get away. Cal and June are attracted to each other. When he returns to Maine, he takes her with him. Will they find happiness? Can he overcome his emotional scars? Will the vengeful stepmother send someone to harm June? To discover what unfolds, you must read this book.I enjoy the way Ms. Stoker’s blends romance, suspense, camaraderie between and amongst a band of brothers, and life in a small rural community. Ms. Stoker creates the perfect recipe for this captivating romantic suspense. She blends in strong, multi-dimensional, and likeable lead characters, chemistry, and a splash of intimacy, some passionate and erotic scenes to make this a captivating romance story.

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.

Ok story. Too much sex. Author seemed to use sex as fill for the story. Expected more story from author after leaving wash. DC.

Like all of Susan’s books this one was amazing from start to finish. I loved that the characters weren’t perfect but perfect for each other. I liked her version of Cinderella. As always the supporting characters are fun and one big happy family

A modern day twist to Cinderella . June finds herself an unpaid slave/housekeeper/cook/cleaner to her stepmother Elaine, and her step sister Carla. She once owned the house she lives in left to her by her late father, but her conniving evil step mother tricks her into signing it over . June’s father died suddenly of a heart attack one year after marrying Elaine. He was a very fit man . Not old as June was only 15 when he died, but she was too grief stricken to question any outcome. Elaine and Clara treat June like dirt, and between them make her life hell. Not enough Elaine plots for her unpleasant daughter to catch her a prince!!! In steps Cal, and member of a royal family, who is retired from the Delta force following horrendous torture at the hands of mercenaries when on a mission!! He is dreadful scared both inside and out but all the dreaded two see is a cash cow, and title. However a special force guy he is and he immediately sees straight through the sheared, but on leaving takes June with him. The story unfolds and is full of drama, self doubt, intrigue, despicable characters, and very heart warming ones too. Old team members make appearances and we catch up on their progress. The elderly are described with love and humour and the whole story is extremely rewarding to read and dive into. It is as a ever by this great author, well written, edited and flows easily. It is not overly descriptive or repetitive and a pleasure to read throughout. Now for Bob’s story.

Read it through in one go. Simply no chance putting the book away and kind of devastated I have to wait until march next year to get the next one. The guys are so freaking perfect and their ladies simply awesome. Not to say the evil people are really distasteful. Story heartbreaking but so good.

It was like Cal & June were destined to meet. He had been tortured so much worse than his team mates when they were Pow's. It was like they saved each other and what they go through at the hands of her evil Stepmother and Stepsister is beyond belief. Full kudos to Susan Stoker for another AAA read. Highly Recommend to Anyone and Everyone who has been looking to a top notch read.

I found Cal’s angst a bit annoying at times but overall I enjoyed the book. The story itself was quite good with lots of interesting characters and layers. I absolutely loved the climactic ending- really exciting and well worth the wait.