The Royal (Game of Chance 2) by Susan Stoker-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 8, 2023

Former military man and member of a royal family Callum Redmon can’t deny his sense of responsibility. So when his cousin’s latest love interest claims to have a stalker, Cal reluctantly meets with the young woman and her mother. He wants to write off the situation as a complete farce—if only his feelings for another member of the household could be as easily dismissed.

Since her father’s death seventeen years ago, Juniper Rose has been at the cruel beck and call of her stepmother and stepsister. Her fantasies of escape mean leaving behind her father’s beloved home, but enough is enough: when Cal offers her a way out sooner rather than later, June takes the leap.

Cal’s home in Maine with his military brothers seems like the safest place to start fresh. But as Cal and June’s fairy-tale romance blossoms into something real, they find that the dangers stalking them may have been real all along.

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REVIEW:THE ROYAL is the second instalment in Susan Stoker’s contemporary, adult GAME OF CHANCE erotic, romantic suspense series focusing on a group of former US Special Forces soldiers (Callum ‘Cal’ Redman, Kendrick ‘Bob’ Evans, Jackson ‘JJ’ Justice, Riggs ‘Chappy’ Chapman) who own and operate a tree service, search and rescue, Appalachian Trail maintenance company called Jack’s Lumber. This is thirty seven year old, Callum Redmon, and thirty-two year old, Juniper Rose’s story line. THE ROYAL can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

Told from several omniscient third person perspectives including Cal and June, THE ROYAL follows the building romance and relationship between thirty seven year old, Callum Redmon, and thirty-two year old, Juniper Rose. Callum Redmon is royalty; a prince who has chosen to live and work in America alongside his military brothers in the aftermath of his recovery from imprisonment and torture in the Middle East. At the request of his second cousin Carl, Cal has reluctantly agreed to work security for a young woman who claims to have a stalker but Cal begins to suspect this assignment is nothing but a ruse. Meeting house servant Juniper ‘June’ Rose gave Cal pause when he discovered June was a virtual slave of her step-mother and step-sisters, and within hours of arrival, Cal devises an exit plan for both him and the woman with whom he would fall in love. All is not well in the Rose household, and June is about to discover that ‘running’ away only places an even large target on her back. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Cal and June, and the potential fall-out as June comes face to face with her own stalker, and Cal struggles with the demons from the past.

The world building focuses on the imprisonment, torture and recovery for our story line hero. Callum Redmon, a prince by birth, was made to suffer by his captors for who he was, and what he represented. Scarred and slow to reintegrate into society, Cal struggles with his attraction and need for our story line heroine, battling between head and heart knowing he is no longer the man he had once been. As Cal and June dance around one another, June must prove Cal is worthy of both happiness and love, and a future together.

The relationship between Cal and June is one of immediate attraction but June struggles with issues of low self-esteem and poor body image; and Cal’s scars are a reminder of what was and what will never be. Saving June means taking out heroine away from the only family she has left but it also means protecting our heroine from the same people meant to do harm. The $ex scenes are passionate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top sexually graphic language and text.

The colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters include Cal’s former military teammates and co-workers, as well as their significant others. We are introduced to June’s step-mother Elaine, and her step-sister Carla Green, and several members of a seniors home who become a second family, and protector for our story line heroine.

THE ROYAL is a Cinderella-esque story of betrayal and jealousy, power and control, abuse and neglect, freedom, acceptance and forgiveness, healing and love. The character driven premise is heart breaking and emotional; the romance is provocative and steamy; the characters are broken but struggling to heal.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one THE PROTECTOR

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy