The second book in Lucy Parker’s Palace Insiders series, Codename Charming, is a light-hearted rom-com that perfectly deploys the grumpy-sunshine and fake dating tropes. Unbelievably fun on every page, it’s another all-around winner from Parker.

Petunia “Pet” De Vere is the personal assistant of Johnny Marchmont, a goofy, lovable British royal who stops just shy of being a himbo. He’s the perfect boss for Pet, who is very proficient at her job and happy to adapt to whatever Johnny throws at her. But when a blundering moment between them goes public, the tabloids assume there’s more to their relationship than duty. Johnny is a happily married man, so the palace higher-ups ask Pet to fake a relationship with Johnny’s stoic bodyguard, Matthias Vaughn, in order to immediately quash rumors of an affair.

Matthias is the opposite of his charge. Johnny goes with the flow, affably making his way through life and duty, and Matthias is there to pick up the pieces and provide a stalwart wall of support. He grew up in the foster system, and always felt like he was merely tolerated in the places he lived, rather than accepted. His history, however painful, has made him well-suited for his profession, where his serious reserve is a major asset. Having proved his indispensability time and again, Matthias agrees to the fake relationship with the very perky Petunia.

Matthias and Pet are enjoyable characters with rich backstories. They’re refreshingly mature, understanding how they fit into the narrative of the royal institution and Johnny’s life. When they gamble on a real relationship, they not only have to face the normal fears that come when you let love in, but also balance them with their individual duties. No matter what happens between them, they must maintain their professional focus given that their lives unfold, at least partially, in the public eye. 

As usual, Parker surrounds her couple with a robust cast of fun supporting characters who never overshadow the two central figures. Even if you aren’t a professed Anglophile, Codename Charming is a breezy read that’ll have you smiling and dreaming of fish and chips—and maybe a quiet bodyguard who’s over the moon for you.

If every story has already been told, then writers have the supreme challenge of telling old tales in new ways. Kate Goldbeck’s debut novel, You, Again, is the perfect example of how to do this successfully. A fresh take on the iconic rom-com When Harry Met Sally, You, Again is funny, deliciously awkward and uniquely romantic. 

What happens when Ari, a struggling comedian who doesn’t believe in love, meets Josh, a hopelessly romantic chef? Well, naturally, they find out they are sleeping with the same woman. While both figured that they’d never meet again, New York City has other ideas, and a series of maddeningly funny run-ins ensues. Until one day, five years after their initial meeting, when heartbreak has them both reeling and they form an unexpected friendship. But over time, the lines start to blur and Ari and Josh’s commitment to being “friends without benefits” slowly crumbles.

You, Again provides a clever and highly satisfying rendition of enemies-to-lovers, especially because it isn’t a solitary disappointing encounter that makes Ari and Josh enemies, as is often the case. Oh no. These two consistently enrage each other for years before life delivers them both humbling heartaches, allowing them to extend a bit of grace. This progression from mounting hostility to a weary truce makes their friendship and its inevitable romantic turn all the more satisfying in the end.

Josh and Ari are both flawed and funny messes who can’t seem to get out of their own way. And it’s very fun to watch them be messy. The magnetic push and pull that Goldbeck constructs between the two makes it obvious that keeping their relationship purely platonic won’t last. Ari, with her unapologetic and hilarious goading, and Josh, with his stubborn and oftentimes infuriating sense of righteousness, are perfectly crafted to first infuriate, then delight each other.

In one of the novel’s best scenes, Ari, riffing on the title of Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly, asks, “Is it possible to wallow greatly? Somebody write that book.” Well, congratulations, Goldbeck: You did it. You, Again wallows in fantastic, funny and romantic fashion.