Thank you Entangled Publishing and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This was the most pleasant fairy tale. I usually do not like to read historical novels but the description of this one really caught my eye and it certainly lived up to my expectations. The end was predictable but the story line building up to it really kept you reading on and on. It was quite different.

According to his mother, Rafe Dorchester, the Duke of Rockford is getting married. This is news to him, but when she basically blackmails him into agreeing, he knows his days as a bachelor are over. And to make matters worse, she tells him she has a list of potential brides for him, but her list only has one name – Lady Francesca, daughter of Lord Palmerton. She informs him that he is to call on her tomorrow and his mother expects them to announce their betrothal at her ball. He agrees to meet her because he has no choice but Rafe is a romantic and longs for a love match, like his parents and his grandparents had, he is sure that when he meets the right woman, it will hit him right away and he will know. And he was right, but the woman he meets is nothing like he expected and he is hit, but it is by his beauty and it is with a brick!

Charlotte Browne is making her way to Marshalsea Debtor’s Prison to hopefully free her elderly friend and servant, Stevenson. Stevenson was imprisoned for a debt that his employer, who happens to be Charlotte’s stepfather, Lord Palmerton took out in his name and refused to pay. She is sure he did it to punish Charlotte. Charlotte’s father died when she was just a baby and her mother remarried a few years later to a widower with two small children of his own. When Charlotte’s mother died not long after, Lord Palmerton kept Charlotte rather than sending her to an orphanage, but she is little more than a servant and is not allowed to leave the house. He is petty and cruel to her and hurts the people she loves to punish her. But her task has been far from easy, and when she is accosted by a thief who tries to take the money she scrapped together to free her friend, help comes from an unexpected source, whom she accidentally hits with a brick! Rafe chases off the thief and insists on going with her to free her friend. He uses his title to get them in and even pays the fee when she discovers she lost her coin. He is perfect and clearly not for the likes of her, but a girl can dream. Later when he arrives at her home to call on her stepsister Lady Francesca, they meet again and another servant calls her Lady Charlotte, and before she can stop herself, she elaborates on the lie by claiming to be Francesca’s cousin. And so begins a romance that can only end in heartbreak…

This book was a well-written and nicely-paced page-turner, but it was not what I was expecting! I thought this was going to be a lighthearted, warm, and fuzzy Cinderella retelling. And while it was a twist on Cinderella, it was anything but lighthearted. The story is filled with lies, secrets, threats, toe-curling kisses, wonderful secondary characters, a truly evil villain, surprising twists, and a shocking revelation before a nail-biter ending that leads to their HEA. Rafe was a truly wonderful hero, I felt so bad for him, he wore his heart on his sleeve and was hurt again and again by Charlotte. Hurting Rafe was the last thing Charlotte wanted to do, but more than her happiness is at stake, she wants to tell Rafe the truth but knows it will only end up hurting more people if she does, so she tries to push him away, but finds that she can’t hurt him to save others, leaving her with no opinions that do not end in heartache. I honestly didn’t think this story was going to be so angsty, there are moments of levity that keep it from being too heavy, but the villain in this story is so vile and so powerful, that he sets the tone for most of the book. That being said, having that much angst during the book, made the ending that much more magical and satisfying. Overall, I enjoyed this story, angst and all, and would happily recommend the title to anyone who enjoys historical romance, fairytale retellings, or just plain old “good vs. evil” stories! This book is the third book in the series, but each book is a standalone title and they can be read in any order.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

Meet Rafe, the handsome, single duke.
Meet his enterprising mother who is determined he will marry.
Meet Charlie, who passes herself off as a lady of means, but she has no means of support.
Meet the duke’s grandmamma, who was my favorite character. She has a lot of sage advice.
I’ve always loved the Cinderella story in all of its myriad of angles and interpretations.
This one fits the bill nicely.

I am always a sucker for any fairytales retelling, and while Beauty and the Beast is my favorite, I like a good Cinderella story and while the details with an awful stepfather were well crafted, I felt like the masquerade and lies went on for too long, making of Charlotte merely a pawn in her step-father scheme, showing her as a doormat with few to no bone, the one hurting Rafe again and again to finally see the resolution of everything with a last minute twist.

For a woman who appears so straightforward and blunt, I also found Charlotte quite meek, I understand her position was not easy but why bore all those abuses for years and years after, and to never leave, just bend.
After all, she was mistreated, worse than a servant, always subject to the whims of her “guardian “.
And when an escape gate shows in front of her, she is blind to the possibility of being rescued.
What I did not understood as Rafe from the beginning demonstrated how kind and fair he was to anyone.
In some way, her stepsister showed more mettle to go for what she wanted, as she was pressured as Charlotte, with less physical abuses.
Rafe is a delight, kind, caring, compassionate. Falling fast and hard, but not enough for Charlotte to trust him with her secrets and lies.
When he proved by his actions again and again he was no man to be angered without reason, a man with a heart, trying to better the existences of those mistreated by life.
In fact Charlotte was in some way the villain in Rafe’s life, she led him on a wild chase, breathing hot and cold, never giving him a chance to be the knight she needed and he was willing to be.
3 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen lovemaking scene

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

Charlotte Brown has made mistake after mistake in a short period of time. She’s told the Duke of Rockford that she’s a titled lady and now finds herself backed into a corner of her own making. The duke’s handsome mien and genuine kindness caused Charlotte to completely use her head for a second and now she’s in too deep to admit that she’s a nobody living on the charity of her horrible stepfather.

Rafe Dorchester, the Duke of Rockford, has avoided marriage for long enough and now intends to abide by his mother’s latest ultimatum and find a wife. But when he goes to call on the lady his mother believes will make a good wife for him, Rafe is instead attracted to her cousin, Lady Charlotte and can’t help but direct his attentions her way in the hopes of finding a great love like the one his parents and grandparents shared.

I tend to be a sucker for a good Cinderella story, and I quite enjoyed this one. In fact, this is probably my favorite of this author’s works that I’ve read thus far. There were definitely still issues with the heroine for me as some of her actions just didn’t make much sense and virtually all of her problems would’ve been solved quite quickly had she but confided in the duke, but that would’ve made for quite the curtailed story. If you can buy into the whimsy of this book and suspend a bit of that disbelief, it becomes a fun and fast-paced romp. There’s a villain who is easy to root against and a hero one can’t help but fall for, or at least I couldn’t, given his sincerity and genuine desire to find a lasting love like the one his parents had shared. All in all, though Charlotte could be a bit silly, her and Rafe’s story was quite entertaining and I even enjoyed the narration, despite the fact that this is typically not my favorite narrator. If you’re looking for a quick read that manages to be light-hearted while also providing a truly evil villain, look no further than this story.

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

This was a really solid 3.5 for me. A historical romance with a fairy-tale retelling twist will always get me, but I wanted a tiny bit more depth in the "Cinderella" part of this story. I did absolutely fall in love with both the FMC and MMC, they were both fierce but sweet and their chemistry was well written. The surprise reveal in the ending actually got me, I didn't predict it like I normally do. I would recommend this as a fun quick read (I finished it in about 2 hours) and I will definitely be reading more Eva Devon!

When Charlotte meets Rafe while on her way to pay for the release of a good friend from debtors prison she pretty quickly realizes what a great guy he is, however, he is a duke, and she is no one importance. She never expects to see him after this, so, of course, he shows up on her doorstep to meet her stepsister Francesca... One small lie, leads to a few more and before she knows it she is a lady, her sister is her cousin, and her father is off in another country. Rafe has pretty much fallen instantly in love with Charlotte and wants nothing more than to make her his wife.
I liked how Rafe was the first to fall in love, their chemistry was great, and I really enjoyed how they interacted with each other. I loved the relationship Charlotte has with her stepsister and how she is with all the servants. Even going so far as to sell precious items to raise money to get her friend out of prison. The stepfather is extra evil, and while I saw part of the reveal coming, some of it was also a surprise. The ending was especially heartwarming, and I can't wait to see what Eva Devon comes out with next.

While this is the third in the series this and all the other can be read as standalone.

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 have to admit, while I'm generally a fan of fairy tale re-tellings, this one didn't do it for me. It started off with a forced get-married-fast for our hero, the duke. Rafe is basically the perfect duke: he works on social welfare and tries to better everyone's lot in life, he has wonderful homes for orphans that he tends to personally, etc. etc. But he isn't married and having kids yet. So his mother drops the bomb that she'll take away the orphanage that means the most to him and give it someone who'll be terrible with it unless he marries someone from her list, pronto. Her list of one person, who is someone she's never met, the daughter of someone she's never met, despite being a dowager duchess and presumably personally knowing everyone worth knowing or worth marrying her son to. And she doesn't care if he's happy or in love, despite claiming she's doing this because of how much she loved his father. So right off, I had issues on the whole plausibility scenario.

When Rafe meets our heroine, Charlotte is pretending to be a Lady instead of a regular person (basically a maid) in order to get her friend and fellow servant out of debtor's prison a little faster. I was ok with this, she figured she was never seeing him again and the idea was to get some respect at the prison. Except of course, who is it he's supposed to court? Her stepsister Francesca. Things devolve from there, lies follow lies and it could have turned into a farce of grand proportion except for the evil stepfather. In this re-telling Charlotte and Francesca get along like true sisters and both are abused by the evil stepfather (Francesca's actual father). Charlotte tries to protect Francesca and the few servants in the house, and I admired her for that. But she never seemed like an even character. She's either standing up to Rafe and talking to him like an equal (which is great) or racing to try and stay one frightened step ahead of her stepfather, but never doing the obvious- trusting that Rafe loves her enough to tell him the truth and get his help.

Clearly we're supposed to see that she hasn't been beaten down and broken by her stepfather completely, but while I liked Charlotte, it was almost two different people with her. Rafe was supposed to be a mature and powerful duke, but I found him too naive about the world to really be appealing for me. All that said, the scenes between them showed they had great chemistry from the beginning and there was nothing slow about the burn between them. The end solution really came out of left field, but then, so many of the plot elements didn't work for me that this was just one more to add to the list.

Overall, a good try, but this one was a miss for me. Uneven writing and pacing, uneven characters, unbelievable plot elements, never let this book develop into something I enjoyed.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley

The Duke's Secret Cinderella was a good book. It didn't have the wow factor you would expect from Eva Devon, but it was romantic, humorous, and a good read. The main character, Charlotte, introduces herself to the Duke of Rockford as Lady Charlotte and the cousin of the lady he is there to court. The Duke, Rafe Dorchester, instantly takes a liking to Charlotte instead of her cousin. But this can not be! I liked the interactions between the characters but the premise of the story was weak in my opinion. I am a huge fan of Eva Devon's work but this just wasn't her finest.

I received an advanced review copy from Entangled for an honest review.

It is true that a person in power can either do a lot of good or a lot of damage. Such is the case of a stepfather who was greedy for wealth who showed her hatred and cruelty vs the duke who seeks to better the lives of his people and gave her love. A strong heroine who doesn’t let the evil in her life take away her ability to love and the hero who loved her, unconditionally. Excellent fairy tale retold with several twists.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and leaving my review voluntarily.

I enjoyed Rafe and Charlie’s story a lot. The humor was just right. The suspense of the story was entertaining down to the last page. The chemistry character level between Rafe and Charlie was romantic and exciting. The writer did a wonderful job of bringing issues in the book, that were in plain sight in the streets of London. The heat that the couple generate is an inferno for love.

Thank you to Entangled and Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for a review.

Cinderella is one of my favorite stories and whenever there is a retelling I instantly want to read it. This historical romance was no different. The author does a great job at creating a setting the reader wants to travel to and a world that immerses the reader. Charlotte, the main character, and Rafe, the love interest were so great together and I loved watching their relationship flourish. Charlotte was such a fun and strong character and I loved reading about her. I loved the relationship between Charlotte and her stepsister, and how they were friends and there was no ill will between the two and they were friends. I loved the change of making the evil stepmother a stepfather, I don't see that change in other retellings. I also read some other books by this author and I really loved them so I really like this author. Overall I loved this book and I would recommend it to all historical fiction lovers and lovers of fairy tale endings.

My thanks to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a new to me author, and the third in a series. Other books do not need to be read first to follow along. This was a quick easy read.

It follows Rafe, a Duke whose mother is anxious for him to marry and Charlotte, a poor Cinderella with a cruel stepfather who forces her to be a servant in her own home. When they meet she's tells him she's a Lady instead of the truth and he falls for her. There are some fun moments when they meet and as they get to know one another.

This story has a few discussions of class, entitlement and women's rights. Otherwise it is pretty white and heteronormative.



#TheDukesSecretCinderella
#NetGalley

Fairy tale retellings are always a tricky trope for me to read, but I loved Eva Devon's twist on this well known story. The elements that she chose to reinvent resonated with me. I loved Charlotte's determination to protect those she cared about even if it meant losing a love that she had longed for since the death of her parents.

I loved the dowager duchess and her role in spear heading her son into marriage with a 'list' that only had one name, to supporting him when the woman he chose was not the one on her list. It was refreshing to have the FMC be the reluctant one in the relationship (for her own reasons - although she cared for him deeply) and to have the MMC and his family be the characters that were trying to bring about the match. I also loved Rafe's grandmother's character, and how she plays a major role in a revelation near the end of the novel. The characters in The Duke's Secret Cinderella had me championing them as I read/listened to the audiobook. Particularly I loved the dichotomy of how Charlotte and Francesca where able to be versions of their true selves when not under the thumb of their stepfather/father. They were characters I would love to befriend in real life.

All-in-all I truly enjoyed The Duke's Secret Cinderella. Eva Devon's writing has a way of drawing me in and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

Romance and More Romance.

A wonderful romantic Cinderella story, Rafe the Duke of Rockford knew it was Charlotte he wanted for his wife but her evil step father told her to put him off so that he would look at her step-sister. In order to protect those she loved, she needed to sway the Duke away from her and the secret of her being a maid and not a lady weighed heavily on her mind.

I loved the take on the evil step-father and how her step-sister was her best friend. They both tried to protect each other. The love interest within the story was great for both of them and oh what an amazing twist at the end. I really did not expect this but wow what an ending!

For all you romantics out there, this is such a heart warming must read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. These are my opinions.
This is a wonderful take on the Cinderella story. Instead of a wicked stepmother, Charlotte has an evil stepfather. She loves her stepsister Francesca who tries to make her life easier. When one of the servants in the house is thrown in jail Charlotte pawns her mother's pearl to get him out. She is set upon by a thief and the Duke of Rockford rescues her, but not before Charlotte hits him over the head with a brick. There was wonderful chemistry between Charlotte and the Duke. There a a few twists in the story that make for a very enjoyable read. Another 5-star read from Ms. Devon.

I love love love Eva Devon and had really been enjoying this series but this one felt a little half baked to me. Still very sweet and enjoyable but it felt like all fluff no substance. 3.5 but rounding down.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a lovely story with a kindhearted girl and a well meaning duke who just wanted to help people. Though the twist came later than I liked, it made the book more enjoyable- there’s little I love more than smart, self- rescuing princesses. Their love story was fun to read, and I look forward to seeing more from this series.