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amberreadsalot 's review for:
The Duke's Secret Cinderella
by Eva Devon
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.