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.

I love fairy tale retellings and this romance was so different. I appreciated the differences and the twists and turns, especially at the end. Definitely recommend this book.

A wonderful rendition of Cinderella!! Rather than 2 wicked stepsisters and a wicked stepmother, Eva Devon uses an extremely mean stepfather who has the evil of the traditional trio wrapped into himself. Thankfully, Charlotte (the Cinderella character) wasn't broken by his meanness. And her stepsister was in her corner as well.
The relationship between Charlotte and Rafe (the prince) was enjoyable to watch unfold. While I'm not one for the subterfuge, it was understandable given the situation Charlotte and her step-siblings found themselves in. In the end the truth comes out: the stepfather gets his due punishment and Charlotte & Rafe get their HEA. It was great to read this, and I look forward to more works by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this ARC, which I voluntarily read and reviewed.

Charlotte is the poor relation. Or is she even related. All she wants to do is help the people she loves. Someone stands in her way. The Duke tries to help her out but she's caught off guard by the attraction she feels and lies about who she is. It's a chaotic mess from there. Can they work it out? Read and find out.

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.

I was not aware going into this book, that this book was like Cinderella Meets After Ever. Those are my two favorite stories! I cannot rave about this book enough! 5 stars! It was incredible. I love all the characters. I loved the angle this book took. I enjoyed reading about Rafe's and Charlotte's love story, it was cute and adorable. They were amazing people, who were kind and thoughtful. I absolutely adored the sister, she didn't deserve to have such a horrible father. I loved the twists and turns that happened, as well. It kept me interested the entire time, and I couldn't put the book down even to sleep. I just wanted more and more. I am so happy that Charlotte got her HEA. She didn't deserve the hateful life her stepfather put her through. This author can really write a villian and I'm totally here for it.

I also need another story from the stepsister and her love interest. I need it next, thank you!

“He wanted someone who recognise that love was in the little things. The consistent things”
Charlotte and Rafe are my life !!!! This was the best regency romance inspired by Cinderella I’ve ever read !!! This time we have a cruel step-father and a sweet and determined Cinderella, ready to face injustice for her friends and herself but with chain surrounding her entire being.
And a beautiful, hot and kind duke who’s not like the others and who feels understood by this very uncommon woman, he initially thinks is a Lady.
Yes, there is a huge amount of fake identity, that will be revealed later on in the story but the tension, the gazing between Charlotte and Rafe … oh, how I lived for those moments!!!
And yes this is spicy but not overwhelmingly so … and I loved that !!!
I honestly felt like I would easily get through the story because of the writing style and I felt enhanced in it and its characters !!!!
This book is set in a series of standalones and I truly hope the author will explore more of them !!!
“For in the dim of the light of the walk, we shall be in neither sin nor complete virtue”

I have to say that I absolutely loved this book, and could not put it down. It was a drop everything kind of read that wouldn't let me go.

Honestly this author can be a hit or miss for me, but I was enthralled the whole time. I honestly did NOT see the twist at the end coming, I truly thought I knew how it was going to play out then BAM! I loved it!! Wonderful job, definitely a must add to your bookshelf kind of read.

Well deserved 5 stars for this lovely romance The characterization, the plot, the plot, it all hits just right! The twists and turns are set up so well but aren’t made obvious until after the fact. The hero and heroine have wonderful chemistry and they are each extremely likable alone and together.

Oh...gosh. Where to start. I'm going to attempt a synopsis but... I can't promise it will make any sense. As this book ... didn't make very much sense!

We meet Rafe, Duke of Rockford at the beginning of the book, and his very formidable mother states it is Time to Marry. Despite coming from a line of love matches, she decides he must do his duty to the title no matter what. She's given him a list, and it has one name on it - the daughter of a minor lord with limited influence.

Why only the one name? No idea.

Meanwhile... Charlotte our heroine is the Cinderella in the attic, under the control of a very unpleasant stepfather (lo! Coincidentally! The aforementioned minor lord!). She is essentially a servant, looking after her stepsister, who is an ugly sister - she's really rather nice.

Charlotte meets Rafe on her way to Marshalsea debtors prison, where she is hoping to free one of the other servants who's been locked up by the Evil Stepfather.

Anyway... much deeply confusing lies, abuse and utter silliness transpire after their first meeting and suffice to say I found it rather like wading through treacle. There's very little in the book that places it truly in England in any century but certainly not the Regency period. The text is peppered with "gottens" which drives me absolutely bonkers.

All in all I couldn't find much to recommend this one.

What an incredibly beautiful book! I have read many good books in the past, but it is hard to find that one book that has it all: The slow, authentic developing story, the genuine love, understanding and the meeting of the minds. That is another form of intimacy, more genuine, solid en enduring than an instant sexual attraction, which is often mistakenly used in storytelling to paint a picture of a man and a woman falling in love. This book doesn’t make that mistake. It lets you get to know two people who are socially different - he’s a duke, she’s the stepdaughter of a man who uses her as a maid - but deep inside long for the same: love that is manifested in the little things in life, good, honest conversations and a marriage where man and woman are equals. Rafe and Charlotte both never expected to find such a partner, but then they meet each other and get to know each other and you cannot help falling in love with them!

From the first line in chapter one you are swept away in the story, and I couldn’t put it down. I had to, because I needed to sleep and work, but I started yesterday afternoon and finished it today, it is THAT good.
The secondary characters are splendid (but no space is wasted in meaningless characters and storylines). Rafe’s mother, the duchess, is a formidable woman, witty, smart and very capable in everything she does, even archery! I loved her immediately. His grandmother - you just want to hug her. Not much is written about his friends George and Matt, but I am hoping the next books will be about them; there is definitely a story there.

Rafe Dorchester, Duke of Rockford, is the perfect hero! Truly humble, trying to do good and force change upon a corrupt system. When he assists Charlotte in freeing her friend, a servant who was cruelly imprisoned for a dept her cruel stepfather made in his name, he thanks her for the knowledge of the corrupt debtors’ prison, so he can try to end the horrible practice there. He’s grateful! When you would expect Charlotte to be grateful to him for helping her out.
I also love that the hero is not lusting after the heroine all the time; like he only sees her as a lust object but he truly falls in love with her, and you fall in love with him.

Charlotte is a kind, lovable but fierce woman who cares deeply for the people in het life, and brave enough to take action when needed.

I love love love that the ending isn’t like so many endings in books like this, but it goes the way you would want to. And I like that things are being SAID throughout the book, instead of all kinds of problems that arise from not speaking up. The openness of the characters is refreshing! Of course not everything van be shared right away, but there is a good explanation for that and things are righted at the right time.
And I really liked that the intimate scenes aren’t forced like in so many other books, but believable.
All and all a perfect book and a must-read!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am new to Eva Devon, dipping my toe into several of the full-length books after enjoying a few novellas, and this was a great introduction! Having read several "Cinderella style" books over the years, I love that this book flipped the classic tale, both in terms of gender (stepfather, not stepmother) and added additional depth and details. This was a well-written story and I appreciated the twists at the end. Would recommend!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy*

Charlotte's vile step brother catches her in a compromising position with the Rafe, Duke of Rockford. He must marry after his mother's ultimatum....

A fun historical rom-com. Love Charlotte and Rafe together. Tons of fun banter and great chemistry. I enjoyed it a lot.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.