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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Oh my gosh this so such a cute story. I loved every second of it. The secrets and the love between most of the characters. I also loved the epilog so much. The reveal of the secret at the end was just mind blowing. This is just one of those happy books, that just make me so happy.
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Duke’s Secret Cinderella is the third book in the Never A Wallflower series by Eva Devon. Cinderella is not my favorite fairy tale to be retold; however, I found this romance was sparkling, fresh, and enchanting. Rafe Dorchester, Duke of Rockford, has been given an ultimatum from his mother, and he has to wed…now! Charlotte Browne has been reduced to a servant in her evil stepfather’s household. One little lie starts Charlotte down a slippery, passionate slope with Rafe. Rafe and Charlotte face seemingly insurmountable odds to find their happily ever after.
I liked the premise. However , I felt the lies between the couple took too long to be resolved. I did love the truth that is revealed at the end. The plot flowed well, and the pacing was good. I related to and empathized with both Rafe and Charlotte. The couple had a romantic, passionate relationship that lit up the page. The antagonist was very effective; he was horrible to poor Charlotte! Both Rafe and Charlotte shone brightly as characters. Eva Devon does a wonderful job of creating characters I can fall in love with. The Duke’s Secret Cinderella was entertaining and romantic; this is another excellent book from a fantastic storyteller!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
*This review is based on a complimentary ARC received from NetGalley*
3.5 STARS!!!
1 thing about this book - 10 year old me would have LAPPED THIS UP.
There is something about fairy tale retelling-s that is so timeless and compelling. Perhaps that is why I hold them to a higher standard as compared to other novels.
This book is well written and engaging - but the plot is predictable though there IS a twist at the end.
What I liked - Charlotte! A great main character, torn between wanting the world and wanting to be safe.
-Francesca, Matthew and George made great side characters.
What I did not like - Charlotte was amazing, which resulted in Rafe being kinda insipid in comparison.
-The stepfather. He just did not make a very convincing villain. He was disgusting (and there are details of physical abuse), but not Cindrella-stepmother level scary. Which kinda takes away from the plot.
-Honestly, I would have liked the book to be more angsty, since it kinda teeters between humor and angst, never finding purchase anywhere.
What I loved -this quote - "...it went straight from his heart to her heart and back again."*Chef's kiss*
My thanks to the author, the publishers, and NetGalley for the ARC!
3.5 STARS!!!
1 thing about this book - 10 year old me would have LAPPED THIS UP.
There is something about fairy tale retelling-s that is so timeless and compelling. Perhaps that is why I hold them to a higher standard as compared to other novels.
This book is well written and engaging - but the plot is predictable though there IS a twist at the end.
What I liked - Charlotte! A great main character, torn between wanting the world and wanting to be safe.
-Francesca, Matthew and George made great side characters.
What I did not like - Charlotte was amazing, which resulted in Rafe being kinda insipid in comparison.
-The stepfather. He just did not make a very convincing villain. He was disgusting (and there are details of physical abuse), but not Cindrella-stepmother level scary. Which kinda takes away from the plot.
-Honestly, I would have liked the book to be more angsty, since it kinda teeters between humor and angst, never finding purchase anywhere.
What I loved -this quote - "...it went straight from his heart to her heart and back again."*Chef's kiss*
My thanks to the author, the publishers, and NetGalley for the ARC!
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5/5
I absolutely devoured this book!
It is loosely inspired by Cinderella, except we have an evil step father and a BFF instead of an evil step sister. Charlotte has been kept as a servant in her mother's house on the charity of her awful step father. But he has gotten one of the other servants locked up in a debtor's prison, so she dresses as a lady and sells the last jewel from her mother to save him. But along the way, she runs into Rafe, a duke, and accidentally hits him with a brick (and leaves a lasting impression).
I found this to be a delightful romance and was thoroughly invested. It's a plot driven novel, but nothing too heavy. I loved the steamy scenes too! They were well written without any of the weird words authors seem to use nowadays when describing it. I really liked the sisterly bond between Charlotte and Fransesca, and how they both took care of each other and loved and encouraged each other.
If you want a historical romance with a smart and capable heroine, a cinnamon roll, sweetheart for a hero who is desperately in love with her (and not a self proclaimed alpha male), this one's for you. This was the first book I read by Eva Devon and you can bet that I'm going to check out all her works from here on out because DAMN!!
Thank you to Entangled publishing and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC!
Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5/5
I absolutely devoured this book!
It is loosely inspired by Cinderella, except we have an evil step father and a BFF instead of an evil step sister. Charlotte has been kept as a servant in her mother's house on the charity of her awful step father. But he has gotten one of the other servants locked up in a debtor's prison, so she dresses as a lady and sells the last jewel from her mother to save him. But along the way, she runs into Rafe, a duke, and accidentally hits him with a brick (and leaves a lasting impression).
I found this to be a delightful romance and was thoroughly invested. It's a plot driven novel, but nothing too heavy. I loved the steamy scenes too! They were well written without any of the weird words authors seem to use nowadays when describing it. I really liked the sisterly bond between Charlotte and Fransesca, and how they both took care of each other and loved and encouraged each other.
If you want a historical romance with a smart and capable heroine, a cinnamon roll, sweetheart for a hero who is desperately in love with her (and not a self proclaimed alpha male), this one's for you. This was the first book I read by Eva Devon and you can bet that I'm going to check out all her works from here on out because DAMN!!
Thank you to Entangled publishing and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC!
Eva Devon has become one of my favourite historical romance authors hands down. And this cinderella retelling doesn't disappoint.
Charlotte has no real family and her stepfather has no real love for her. with both parents passing away she is reliant on him and his money. Although she lives in her mother's home, she knows he can take that from her in a heartbeat.
while attempting to save the cook's husband from prison( something her stepfather organized) she runs into Rafe Dorchester.
Rafe Dorchester is looking for a wife and images his dismay when he runs into the beauty he was entrapped with on the street at the home of the young lady his mother has recommended for a wife
And from there the story gets more interesting
I love the twists and turns that Eva can intertwine into her stories. This one had to be captivated and want more
Charlotte has no real family and her stepfather has no real love for her. with both parents passing away she is reliant on him and his money. Although she lives in her mother's home, she knows he can take that from her in a heartbeat.
while attempting to save the cook's husband from prison( something her stepfather organized) she runs into Rafe Dorchester.
Rafe Dorchester is looking for a wife and images his dismay when he runs into the beauty he was entrapped with on the street at the home of the young lady his mother has recommended for a wife
And from there the story gets more interesting
I love the twists and turns that Eva can intertwine into her stories. This one had to be captivated and want more
Charlotte is an orphaned woman living in London under the thumb of her horrible stepfather. When her stepfather leaves one of her beloved servants in a debtors prison she decides to wear one of her step sisters gown and get him out. On her way to help the servant she crosses paths with Rafe, Duke of rockford. Rafe who is progressive and under orders from his mother to meet and find a bride finds himself immediately drawn to Charlotte and decides to help her. When he later goes to meet the one woman on his mothers suitable brides list he finds himself running into charlotte, who out of fear pretends to be a lady and her step-sisters cousin.
This was a really sweet romance. Charlotte is show to be very kind and considerate and clearly loves the people in her life dearly. I loved the fact that in this retelling of Cinderella the step-sister isn’t mean or ugly but is another sweet young woman who is in a truly awful situation. I like Rafe, he is very dedicated to his values and his family which I find very endearing. I loved Rafe’s mother and grandmother, both women were fun, especially his mother with her one name long list of acceptable ladies. This was a fairly light and breezy read if nothing particular new of special.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This was a really sweet romance. Charlotte is show to be very kind and considerate and clearly loves the people in her life dearly. I loved the fact that in this retelling of Cinderella the step-sister isn’t mean or ugly but is another sweet young woman who is in a truly awful situation. I like Rafe, he is very dedicated to his values and his family which I find very endearing. I loved Rafe’s mother and grandmother, both women were fun, especially his mother with her one name long list of acceptable ladies. This was a fairly light and breezy read if nothing particular new of special.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This is the third in the Never a Wallflower series. This has Cinderella themes in it but with a nasty stepfather. Charlotte has caught the eye of a Duke but her stepfather wants his daughter to be the Dukes match not her. But no matter what Charlotte does he seems to fall harder for her. But he knows something is off with her family arrangement.
Her stepsister is sweet and is also verbally abused by her father but the stepbrother is just as nasty as his father.
Rafe the Duke was such a good soul working to make society better. And she wanted the HEA but knew it wasn't for her. She was basically a servant in her stepfathers house.
Read if you like:
💞 He falls first
💞 Cinderella style story
💞 Big plot twist
Thank you entangled_publishing and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.
Her stepsister is sweet and is also verbally abused by her father but the stepbrother is just as nasty as his father.
Rafe the Duke was such a good soul working to make society better. And she wanted the HEA but knew it wasn't for her. She was basically a servant in her stepfathers house.
Read if you like:
💞 He falls first
💞 Cinderella style story
💞 Big plot twist
Thank you entangled_publishing and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.