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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
tense
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:
Yes
I loved this book. I went into this book a bit hesistant but it was such a great cinderlla inspired story with a twist. I realy loved both main characters and thought there love story was unique and something i had a not read before. I also really loved the dyamnics the leads had between the step sisters in this story and also the villan in this story really turned this story on the head and i loved it i def need to read more by this author in the future
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC of this novel!
I feel I need to begin this review by saying that Ever After is one of my favorite movies of all time, so it should come as no shock that I absolutely loved this book! A little Bridgerton, well actually a lot Bridgerton, a bit Ever After, a lot of heart. The Duke is just so lovely, and while I wish Charlotte had come clean sooner, you know it never happens that way, especially not with how manipulative her step father is! All in all, this was good fun, with just a bit of spice. Definitely recommend if you're a fan of either Bridgerton or Ever After and don't mind the lying... Will definitely need checking out additional novels by this author!
I feel I need to begin this review by saying that Ever After is one of my favorite movies of all time, so it should come as no shock that I absolutely loved this book! A little Bridgerton, well actually a lot Bridgerton, a bit Ever After, a lot of heart. The Duke is just so lovely, and while I wish Charlotte had come clean sooner, you know it never happens that way, especially not with how manipulative her step father is! All in all, this was good fun, with just a bit of spice. Definitely recommend if you're a fan of either Bridgerton or Ever After and don't mind the lying... Will definitely need checking out additional novels by this author!
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
A pretty straightforward fairy tale retelling, there are a few updates to this one. First, Charlotte (our Cinderella stand-in) is oppressed by her evil stepfather, loves her beautiful stepsister, and is indifferent to her craven stepbrother. When she bumps into Rafe, she doesn't lose her shoe - but he does assist her in rescuing a fellow servant, since she's lost all of her money. During this short but intense encounter, they learn that they're both interested in social justice and have a complementary sense of fair play.
When they run into each other later, Charlotte decides to lie and claim to be:
1. A Lady;
2. Her stepsister's COUSIN;
3. The daughter of a lord she's never met.
It's because she's embarrassed? Which, OK, fine. But the deception goes on for much too long. Once these two fall in love, shouldn't Charlotte be able to trust in his good nature to at least hear her out before they break up? The final denouement is also just a little too pat.
But y'know, if you're into Cinderella and nice dukes who would never abuse their power, you could do worse than to pick this one up!
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
When they run into each other later, Charlotte decides to lie and claim to be:
1. A Lady;
2. Her stepsister's COUSIN;
3. The daughter of a lord she's never met.
It's because she's embarrassed? Which, OK, fine. But the deception goes on for much too long. Once these two fall in love, shouldn't Charlotte be able to trust in his good nature to at least hear her out before they break up? The final denouement is also just a little too pat.
But y'know, if you're into Cinderella and nice dukes who would never abuse their power, you could do worse than to pick this one up!
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
hopeful
lighthearted
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:
N/A
Some fairy tales are just meant to be adapted as historical romances, and the story of Cinderella never fails to be a perfect basis for the ton.
I loved both Rafe and Charlotte. After losing her mother, and all her mother's possessions in the process, Charlotte was left at the mercy of her stepfather - a man who kept far too many secrets from his family and from society. But when Rafe mistakes Charlotte for a lady, he'd much rather court her than her step-sister. Unfortunately for both of them, Charlotte's wicked step-father will do whatever it takes to come out on top.
Charlotte had a horrible lot in life. I felt bad for her, and I felt even worse the more we learned about her step-father. Thank goodness that Rafe could see through all the plots to get to the real Charlotte. She was tenacious and caring, always concerned about everyone else's wellbeing. It's clear right from the very beginning that Charlotte is made of stronger stuff than most ladies in society. She's willing to risk danger for the one's she loves. Fortunately for Rafe, that soon extends to him.
All of Devon's characters - both main and secondary - created such a whimsical story that very much had all the fairy tale elements. I absolutely loved the ending, and I wish I could read this book for the first time again just so I could relive that big reveal.
Devon combined her fantastic storytelling with an amazing cast of characters. The story did a great job at taking the original Cinderella story and turning it on its head. I adored the ending and thought Devon gave Rafe and Charlotte the perfect happy ending.
[A huge thank you to Entangled for providing a review copy of The Duke's Secret Cinderella. All opinions are my own.]
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5/5 stars
2/5 spice
A nice twist on the classic Cinderella story. Charlotte and Rafe are so perfect for each other... true soulmates.
Tropes:
Class differences
Fake/Secret identity
Soulmates
Dual POV
Knowing this was a Cinderella retelling or at least inspired by that classic fairytale, you go in with a bit of expectations. And I wasn't disappointed. Charlotte had an evil stepfather and stepbrother but at least has a stepsister as an ally and friend. She was raised as a servant from the age of 5 and treated so badly... it's a wonder she has any fire in her spirit.
When Rafe, the Duke of Rockford, meets her he's instantly enchanted. And even though she was raised as a servant she still had the skills to pull off pretending to be a lady. But the more they saw each other the harder it was for her to keep up the ruse and that she wasn't available for marriage... because how can he marry a servant girl?
I loved how everything came together. The tension, the passion, the betrayal, the secrets, the love... it was all there. There is some spice but this is more of a slow burn, which worked perfectly for this historical romance.
I was given an ARC by Netgalley and Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered freely.
Trigger/Content warnings:
Abuse, Death of parents (discussed), Manipulation, Violence, Graphic sexual content
2/5 spice
A nice twist on the classic Cinderella story. Charlotte and Rafe are so perfect for each other... true soulmates.
Tropes:
Class differences
Fake/Secret identity
Soulmates
Dual POV
Knowing this was a Cinderella retelling or at least inspired by that classic fairytale, you go in with a bit of expectations. And I wasn't disappointed. Charlotte had an evil stepfather and stepbrother but at least has a stepsister as an ally and friend. She was raised as a servant from the age of 5 and treated so badly... it's a wonder she has any fire in her spirit.
When Rafe, the Duke of Rockford, meets her he's instantly enchanted. And even though she was raised as a servant she still had the skills to pull off pretending to be a lady. But the more they saw each other the harder it was for her to keep up the ruse and that she wasn't available for marriage... because how can he marry a servant girl?
I loved how everything came together. The tension, the passion, the betrayal, the secrets, the love... it was all there. There is some spice but this is more of a slow burn, which worked perfectly for this historical romance.
I was given an ARC by Netgalley and Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered freely.
Trigger/Content warnings:
Abuse, Death of parents (discussed), Manipulation, Violence, Graphic sexual content
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Alcoholism
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I usually love this author but this book was a hot mess. It didn’t feel as well researched or written as her other works. If you enjoy a Cinderella story and can deal with deception, you might still like it, but I don’t hate either of those things and only kept reading out of love for the author. While the characters’ motives all made sense by the end of the novel, I couldn’t understand why they did what they did until the final two chapters. Which is okay, as long as things make sense, but it felt haphazard and like the author was just coming up with stuff, writing linearly with little planning.
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
As the name suggests, this is a Regency Cinderella story, kind of at least. The way the author choose to divert from the known Cinderella story and twisted this retelling into her own thing was highly enjoyable. We have a step-father for our Cinderella Charlotte instead of a step-mother and the single step-sister, Francesca, is a supportive character and not a bullying villain. Instead of meeting a Prince at a ball, she meets Rafe, a Duke, in a shady alley - yet he still thinks that Charlotte must be a Lady. This lie continues to be the main point that drives a lot of the story and drama in this book.
While Charlotte is a likeable character and absolutely easy to root for, it is Rafe that is an absolute highlight for me, when it comes to characters. This man really came into this book and said, with his whole chest, that he didn’t want a wife for duty’s sake and that the only woman he could accept as wife would be one he could be a capital S Simp for. That is my man. All the others can pack their macho nonsense up and go home.
Overall a Cinderella retelling that didn’t invent the wheel anew but did a fresh take on it, all while telling a cute romantic story with great main characters.
I was provided an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
2.5/5 life is full of disappointment
I think this is a case of it was the book but it’s also me. I think this will definitely have an audience because it’s well written and heartfelt, but unfortunately I am not that target for this one.
While I really loved the hero, I just couldn’t abide by all the lying. At least in the movie Ever After (which this book seems to use as some sort of influence) she had more of a reason to lie.
Here, Charlotte was lying about so many different things, not taking the plainly presented opportunities to tell him the truth, and not asking him for help from her terrible stepfather. She let her stepfather dictate so much, despite knowing that the duke would literally slay him like a dragon???
I skimmed over all the villainous monologues and stuff he was asking her to do because I don’t have the capacity to be that angry. And despite practicing self care, a lot of this book just made me so annoyed. Especially the fact that I wasn’t enjoying it, because I loved books 1 and 2.
Rafe was literally such a softie who just wanted to be loved for the little things and she jerked his chain so many times. I just want to give him a hug. (The prince in Ever After was a bit of a dick but Rafe was an angel.)
I think after this book, I’m going to stay away from Cinderella plots for a while. I’ve read some I loved, but that’s mainly because the heroine didn’t let herself get steamrolled and she didn’t really care about being nice. Altruism is all well and good until it’s self sacrificial to an alarming degree. Consistently trying to protect everyone but herself really just made me dislike Charlotte, even if that makes me a bad person.
The only person Charlotte could stand up to was Rafe, so while that provided banter, it just seemed like she was consistently dunking on him to get some self confidence.
Overall, I really wanted to love this one. The cover is beautiful and I still loved Devon’s writing.
⭐️⭐️.5/5
I think this is a case of it was the book but it’s also me. I think this will definitely have an audience because it’s well written and heartfelt, but unfortunately I am not that target for this one.
While I really loved the hero, I just couldn’t abide by all the lying. At least in the movie Ever After (which this book seems to use as some sort of influence) she had more of a reason to lie.
Here, Charlotte was lying about so many different things, not taking the plainly presented opportunities to tell him the truth, and not asking him for help from her terrible stepfather. She let her stepfather dictate so much, despite knowing that the duke would literally slay him like a dragon???
I skimmed over all the villainous monologues and stuff he was asking her to do because I don’t have the capacity to be that angry. And despite practicing self care, a lot of this book just made me so annoyed. Especially the fact that I wasn’t enjoying it, because I loved books 1 and 2.
Rafe was literally such a softie who just wanted to be loved for the little things and she jerked his chain so many times. I just want to give him a hug. (The prince in Ever After was a bit of a dick but Rafe was an angel.)
I think after this book, I’m going to stay away from Cinderella plots for a while. I’ve read some I loved, but that’s mainly because the heroine didn’t let herself get steamrolled and she didn’t really care about being nice. Altruism is all well and good until it’s self sacrificial to an alarming degree. Consistently trying to protect everyone but herself really just made me dislike Charlotte, even if that makes me a bad person.
The only person Charlotte could stand up to was Rafe, so while that provided banter, it just seemed like she was consistently dunking on him to get some self confidence.
Overall, I really wanted to love this one. The cover is beautiful and I still loved Devon’s writing.
⭐️⭐️.5/5
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
I enjoyed this and I thought that they were a cute couple. I do wish that they spent more time alone together before being in love. I also wish that we got to see more of them as an actual couple.
I received an arc through netgalley.
I received an arc through netgalley.