This is the second book in the series and hooks you from the first page. We met Cal in the first book and now we have his story. Cal never thought that he would fall for a woman when he first saw her but he did. Cal knew instantly that June was meant to be his and he was determined to talk to her. Their road is rocky with lots of obstacles in their way. Will they make it through it all and have a Cinderella happy ever after? I was given an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A departure from her military romances, this is no less entertaining or intriguing a read

June and Cal are well portrayed in a take on the Cinderella story, with an interesting take on the fairytale.

I loved how sweet Cal was, and how assured he was with the exception of his one hang up. I loved how respectful of this June was and how she helped him overcome this.

June was down but not out and despite having been downtrodden for a number of years she was ready to finally live her life. Cal gave her the opportunity to stretch her wings and I loved how he was so determined to make sure she got all the opportunities she deserved, willing to give her up to ensure this.

A fun read and I’m looking forward to reading more in this series

The ARC was provided by the publisher via @netgalley and I happily give my honest opinion.

Cal has his arm twisted to go to try to help his cousin’s friend who is being stalked. He finds June there being treated like a servant by her family and no sign of a stalker. It soon becomes apparent that June’s stepsister thinks she can land herself a Prince by pretending to be in danger. Luckily Cal isn’t stupid and sees the set up for what it is. He also sees the amazing woman who has been abused for years but who is still so strong and kind. He offers to help her get away and have a fresh start. They bond on their trip back to Maine and when he lets her stay with him their attraction grows. He thinks she deserves more than him. He thinks he is broken after being tortured and disfigured while in the army. She thinks she os plain, boring and fat and not good enough for him. They are both so wrong! They are perfect for each other. She wants him just as he is, loyal, brave and passionate, not his family or money. He wants her just as she is, sweet, caring and loving. They have a great life starting for them, but the past rears it’s ugly head and tries to tear them apart. Luckily they are too strong for that. This was a sad, loving, sweet and passionate story. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Susan Stoker's "The Royal" presents a captivating modern-day Cinderella narrative that skillfully blends stepfamilies, suspense, and a sweeping romance, proving that true love can overcome any obstacle. Cal Redmon, a former military man and a member of royalty, finds himself reluctantly involved in a potential stalker situation surrounding his cousin's love interest. As he navigates this predicament, he also grapples with his own struggles, concealing past traumas that have left him feeling ashamed and guarded.
Juniper Rose, trapped in a nightmarish existence with a manipulative stepmother and stepsister, yearns for an escape from her oppressive life. Cal, seeking solace with his military brothers in Maine, offers June a chance for a fresh start, igniting a fairy-tale romance that evolves into something profound and genuine. Both Cal and June are flawed characters, each battling their inner demons, and in each other, they find the strength to heal and grow.
"The Royal" is a delightful twist on the classic Cinderella tale, delivering a heartfelt story of two individuals who rescue each other from their painful pasts. The chemistry between the characters is palpable, and Stoker's portrayal of the men's protective nature and the women's kindness adds depth and warmth to the narrative. Overall, "The Royal" is an enchanting and emotionally resonant romance that leaves readers satisfied and yearning for more from this captivating cast of characters.

Beautifully written Cinderella tale

This realistic spin on the Cinderella tale has all the charm of the source material while still giving us a unique, contemporary romance about two people who, regardless of their family connections, are really just perfectly suited to each other.

Cal loves his family, but prefers to live as far from the limelight as he can. He can't say no when his mom asks him to check on an acquaintance who's claiming to be stalked, even though once he meets her and her mother he immediately surmises that he's been set up. The only bright spot is that he meets the very ordinary June, who is finally ready to leave her abusive situation and only needs a little help to find her way free.

Most of the book is all about how these two navigate their trust issues, insecurities, and assumptions as they forge their lives together. It's a beautiful story. I adored so many of the details and got lost in the overall experience. It was wonderful to see Riggs and Carlise again, get to know Bob, JJ, and April a bit more, and to really settle in to their small hometown in Maine.

This is a relationship-centered story, but the author never lets us forget that there's danger lurking in the wings. Once all the dust settles, we get a delightful HEA for our Prince Charming and his Cinderella, as well as a brief look into the start of the next book in the series. I loved the whole story and highly recommend it for all romance readers. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

The Royal is the second book in Stoker's Game of Chance series. The book we get to know Cal more and we meet Juniper Rose his future Cinderella. While I enjoyed most of the story and the characters I felt like the two books in this series both involved stalkers felt redundant. This was more about the characters finding themselves than the suspense. This is a quick read and a quick romance with a reluctant grumpy male to her sunshine. I will be reading the next in the series. 3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review.

The second book in Susan Stoker's Game of Chance series - The Royal - is a retelling of Cinderella with a dash of Beauty and the Beast. Except it's just one evil stepsister (plus the evil stepmother) and these two are Evil with a capital E!

I enjoyed the first book of the series - The Protector - but I wasn't 100% sold on the retelling aspect as I've seen it used so much recently to various successes. After reading the teaser for The Royal at the end of the first book I was SOLD.

Stoker has a talent for creating loveable and - most importantly - relatable characters. Her main male and female characters are presented in such a realistic way with 'flaws' and hardships. You can't help root for June and Cal throughout the book. Stoker is also really great at building relationships and suspense that keep you flipping the pages as fast as you can.

I'm now sold on Stoker's retelling series and patiently/impatiently await the third in the series!

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

The Royal by Susan Stoker is an enticing sequel to a brand-new series, packed with suspense, intrigue and of course, romance. The Game of Chance series is a little different than Ms Stoker’s usual military books, but no less exciting with edge of your seat and nail-biting anticipation. As the characters are introduced, the reader is left with the knowledge that there are more wonderful stories to come and plenty of thrilling entertainment to anticipate too! I thoroughly enjoyed Callum and Juniper’s story and anxiously await the next in the series.

This took me a long time to get through. A Cinderella re-telling with elements of Beauty & the Beast, I found the writing to be repetitive and was put off by how everything was "told" vs "shown". There was some definite angst that the couple went through, but I never felt enough connection to the character's to care. Will definitely be trying this author again, as her plots are great, but only if I can care about the characters enough.

Stoker branches out into a retelling of a fairy tale classic with this story. I can’t recall if she has done this in the past, but this seems like a new strategy.

Cal is sort of royalty. We met him in the first book of this series. He is coerced into investigating a potential stalker situation (the ugly stepsister) and meets Juniper Rose (Cinderella). The curvy woman is described in a manner I’ve seen often lately, and I continue to hate it: “women who carried some meat on their bones.” Can we stop describing women as “large boned”? We know what that means. Sorry, personal peeve.

Juniper Rose is 32 and somehow has never escaped the clutches of the stepsister and stepmother until she gets rescued by Cal. Then the dire things happen that happen in suspenseful books.

Spoilers! Spoilers!

The plot didn’t do it for me. This 32 year old woman couldn’t leave? Really? 18 year-old kids do it. And no way to get back her house even though it was coercion that caused her to sign it away to a woman who hired someone to kill her? The synthetic marijuana story, while it could have happened, sounded like a “Reefer Madness” movie story. And the “marry Cal” plot…well, there are other fish in the sea. After all, they just met. Hadn’t even been on a date. This seems a bit much.

This book took the most intriguing character in this entire series and disappointed. I’ve never given Susan Stoker a three star rating in my life, and I hate it, but I’m afraid this is it.

Stoker’ books are my absolute favourite. This book was everything rolled into one!! Drama, chemistry, plot, amazing cast and characters and swoon worthy ending

4⭐️ this was super cute. We’ll written and easy to get through. A great summertime read for those looking for a “Cinderella retelling”.

The storyline was a little predictable but I didn’t find that to be super annoying at all. There were inner dialogues that I found a little repetitive, so I skimmed over a couple paragraphs, but again, not a super overwhelming flaw of this book.

Cute. Easy. Pick this book up for a quick read by the pool this summer 😎

4.5 stars. I enjoyed Cal and June’s story. This was a true Cinderella story- with June being at the mercy of her step mother and sister and Cal being a prince. But, this was so much more. June had lead a sheltered life and was always put down by “her family”, while Cal endured torture while a POW and trying to really figure out how to live after. This was a good story with some suspense but made you root for the hero and heroine.

Oh man, I love Susan Stoker. No matter how unrealistic her men are, I still want one for myself. Cal is no exception. Even if he is a prince.

June is a sweetheart and I loved her and Cal together

I really liked how Cal saw the truth about the situation he was sent to investigate. I liked that June had the courage to take the offer to change her circumstances. The chemistry between Cal and June was great, and I loved that they saw the other person completely, despite their fears. I loved the Hill's House residents – so funny but so protective when required. Cal is so down to earth despite his royal background and June is such a lovely caring person despite her step family. This is a really enjoyable and engaging romance.

* ARC REVIEW *

Release date: August 8th

I really enjoyed this book!

Trope: strangers to lovers, whirlwind romance

Pros: an FMC with a curve body, twist at the end, openly communicating about POW and how it affects the individual

Cons: I don't really have a lot of cons. My only con is how quickly they meet,love, marry. Just not realistic in my opinion and not my thing. Not that my opinion matters 🤣

Cal has had it rough. Hard to get out of his own head and thoughts after his torture when he was active military. Each day is one step in front of the other, be there for his team as they were for him. No mirrors, just a small one to shave. Juniper lost her dad and her step mother and step sister are evil, as in remnants of Cinderella. Cal is coerced into going into DC to check out a stalker situation and so it begins, I like Juniper, little miss sunshine doing good and seeing good. The perfect foil for grumpy tortured soul Cal. Most of the book was relationship building, but we get to see the other members of the team (win) and a disastrous deed takes place close to the end. I was totally surprised with how it took place, it was like dude.... where are you going to go now? I like this series and looking forward to book 3 and 4. Thank you for the arc! I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. #TheRoyal #GameofChance #SusanStoker #Montlake #NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story of Cal and June is a typical Cinderella story, with a little bit of murder, mayhem and mystery thrown in.

Things I liked:
- Cal and June are adorable.
- Cal is an MMC who is vulnerable and not confident in his ability to maintain a relationship, but still maintains his sweetheart attitude to June. I also love that he hates he’s from royalty and generational wealth.
- June’s character development and growth. She starts as a total pushover and ends with so much more confidence.

Things that I didn’t get:
- The ‘wicked stepmother/stepsister’ vibe escalated very quickly from general irritation to murder…a bit too quickly methinks!
- Slightly too sexy to the detriment of the plot at times.

It was a fun read, just a bit more than okay for me!

--ARC REVIEW--

🔶The Royal , by Susan Stoker🔶

Susan Stoker takes on a Cinderella retelling and adds to it her signature style of romance that includes an alpha (ex) military hero and a badass heroine.

June finally escapes her step-family after years of unpaid servitude with the help of Cal Redmon. Cal is a prince of a European country, but lives away in a small town in Maine(US) with his friends, where they set up their lumberjack business after they got out of the military. As a POW, they were tortured to an inch of their lives, and Cal has a myriad of scars to prove it. He rarely interacts with the outside world, let alone reveals any inch of his scarred body to them. Then he meets June, and is floored by her kindness and loyalty. He helps her escape her step-family and brings her to his home in Maine. The more they are around each other, the heavier their attraction grows. But true to the author's writing style, danger inevitably follows them to Maine, putting June's life in danger.

Like most Susan Stoker novels, I finished this in 24 hours. I loved the overall story and the loose fairytale retelling. My heart broke for Cal and what he went through as a POW. I loved the heartwarming chemistry between June and Cal and how they find peace from their traumas in each other's arms. What I didn't love were some of the cheesy dialogues that grated on my nerves.

This book comes out 8-Aug-2023. Pick it up if you love
🔸 Fairytale retelling
🔸Alpha heroes
🔸Smart, intelligent FMCs
🔸 Small town romance
🔸 One-bed/forced proximity

The Royal is the second book in the Game of Chance series by Susan Stoker. I read the first book in the series, The Protector and liked it. This book fits well into the series and as with the first book, the H & h fall in love very quickly, but have many doubts about themselves that they need to work through on their way to their HEA. I absolutely hate June's step mom and sister and I hate that we didn't "get to be there" when they got theirs. Both June and Cal have great back stories and I highly recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley and Susan Stoker for an advanced copy.