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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoy how Devon writes her male characters- she truly understands how being noble, taken seriously, would be enacted. At the end, it’s very clear that what is romance to women is being listened to. Her female characters are witty, intelligent, and resourceful. This was a quick read, but enjoyable.
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was excited to read the book (I read the previous ones in the series) and am so disappointed I didn’t enjoy it more. I really loved our male and female MCs; I also appreciated the book’s attention to issues of class and social equity. But what made this book just ho him for me was the pacing. We meet the villain early on, and his threats loom over nearly the entire book. For all but 2-3 chapters, we knew the villain was going to do something horrible to not only the FMC, but also possibly to other characters in the book. This made it impossible for me to enjoy the book. I couldn’t relax and get into the romance, because I was constantly wondering, is the FMC going to be harmed now? What about the other characters? To have the threat hanging over almost the entire cook was too much. It meant we didn’t get to the betrothal ball until the epilogue, and we never saw the wedding at all. If the pacing has been quicker, with the threat contained earlier, we could have seen more of their relationship and gotten more of the happy ending.
Dnf at 35%. It's not terrible, and the Duke's friends add some great humor, but this reads like a rip-off of the movie Ever After with Drew Barrymore. Very few elements were changed from Ever After to this book, and I can just watch the movie instead of spending hours on a copycat novel.
This book is a reimagined fairytale Cinderella with many heartfelt and wrenching moments. I cried, yelled and loved! Even though Charlotte has gone through the wringer she still had genuine empathy for the people around her and gave as good as she got. YES, it's definitely swoon worthy but the spark and tension is enough to cause a fire. Charlotte and Rafe's first encounter and tension is sublime gave us the lost heel scene without actually realizing it was the lost heel scene. Devon did a wonderful job on the villain's story and approaching the difference between the protagonist and antagonist story and what got them at their ending scenes. I did have a few moments where I wanted to throw my book because Devon did wander from the usual path its always the usual love, fight, and HEA but nope she gave us her twists and now her deviation from propriety has ruined me and I find scandal far more appealing.
Eva Devon tends to be a hit or miss writer for me (when she is good, she is really enjoyable!) and this book was unfortunately a miss for me. Charlotte Browne meets the Rafe, Duke of Rockford when she goes to rescue a fellow servant at her step-father's home from debtor's prison. He mistakenly takes her for a lady, a belief that is reinforced when he calls on her cousin later that day and again sees Charlotte in her non-servant garb. Charlotte cements his false impression by lying to him about her identity. Over the course of the book, Charlotte's lies entangle more people and get more complicated. She is not helped when her evil step-father returns home and decides to try and shift her falsehoods to his advantage.
While the premise has promise, this Cinderella-esque story feels very surface-level. I didn't really connect to any of the characters, and several plot points feel incredibly far-fetched, even in a fairytale inspired story. Rafe is essentially insta-obsessed with Charlotte. Her thoughts and opinions on their relationship are essentially ignored, which is portrayed as acceptable because she isn't saying what she really wants, but still comes down to her consent not being seen as necessary. The ending was fantastical and felt a bit drawn out as well.
Rating this 2.5 stars, rounding to 3 because I know the author can be better. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.
While the premise has promise, this Cinderella-esque story feels very surface-level. I didn't really connect to any of the characters, and several plot points feel incredibly far-fetched, even in a fairytale inspired story. Rafe is essentially insta-obsessed with Charlotte. Her thoughts and opinions on their relationship are essentially ignored, which is portrayed as acceptable because she isn't saying what she really wants, but still comes down to her consent not being seen as necessary. The ending was fantastical and felt a bit drawn out as well.
Rating this 2.5 stars, rounding to 3 because I know the author can be better. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this book except that it is boring.
This retelling of Cinderella was ok. I would have liked more connection between the characters. I felt they had chemistry but it was weighed down with all of the lies through out the story. By the end I couldn't see how they could ever work out as a couple.
I liked this book however there was something in the story and didn’t click with me, you know that I love Cinderella and that trope, retelling is always one of my safe places to read but something in the story didn’t work for me,
I want to start saying that cinderella is my favorite retelling trope, specially in HR, it always serves angst and in this aspect the story served just as i expected it, it had everything for me to like but i couldn't love it, specially as i loved the previous one, there was something that didn't let me fully connect with the story, however i liked the characters and their moments together.