*eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

i liked the premise of this but i didn't find the characters clear or defined enough to really root for them or the relationship. i also found the world-building confusing, as it seemed the author was trying to remove supernatural elements but didn't make the world-building robust enough to make sense.

This book was a play on the classic Cinderella story which was a fun idea. I actually went into this one blind and didn’t realize it was lgbtq+ so I wasn’t quite expecting the storyline I hadn’t noticed the “her” in the title until I downloaded the book. I love the Cinderella storyline though and all variations on it!

This was so damn sweet and I loved this interpretation of Cinderella. I loved that the princess herself was the one to swoop in and save Cynthia from her step-family.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the arc of Her Princess at Midnight
2 /5 stars
I wanted to like this novella, but unfortunately, my heart broke like a glass slipper when it came to this Cinderella retelling. Erica Ridley's understanding of the Cinderella story appears to only come from the 1950 Disney film, which leads the story to read as a copy-paste rather than something original. Instead of mice, Cynthia has magpies named Gus and Jack, as well as a cat named Morning Star. This could have been a clever way to reference the Disney film, but because this is a novella, every word has to count, and there is not enough time to create little jokes with the reader.
The romance between Cynthia and Ammalia was boring. There is no conflict for the two to come over, nor is there much chemistry. The two of them get together and live happily ever after without the glass slipper or fear of the stepmother coming into play. I wish there were something that made me root for them, but instead, the one thing that could be called a conflict, the prince, is quickly swept aside by a time skip in the last few pages.
If you are looking for a sapphic Cinderella retelling pickup, Ash or Cinderella is Dead.

A rewrite of Cinderella where she finds her princess. I thought it was much too short. I received an ARC from NetGalley and WebMotion for my honest review.

I would like to thank netgalley and WebMotion for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Not fleshed out enough.

3.5 stars


What a thoroughly delightful little novella!! It was a little rushed towards the end, but that's to be expected with a novella so short. Still, I really enjoyed the hour I spent reading this & would recommend it to others!

Have you ever wanted Cinderella to not marry the prince? Have you wanted something else to happen? If so, this is a quick Cinderella story where Cynthia falls in love with the Prince’s sister, instead of the prince.

The story sets up Cynthia to see both the prince and princess as they ride through town, and but she only has eyes for the princess. The story wastes no time from that point to get them together, and while not hot and heavy, as this is a very clean romance, at least hints of the same, as they both make eyes, and lust after each other, as cleanly as they cane.

Fun read, a little rushed at the end, but satisfactory. It all turns out well in the end, as fairy tales should.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This comes out the 10th of November 2023.

"Cynthia didn't want the prince or any man. She wanted Princess Ammalia, who was the only royal Cynthia cared to spend time with."

A sapphic Cinderella retelling where she falls in love with the Prince's sister instead? Sign me up.

This was really great! I usually am not a fan of insta love, but what else can you expect from a fairy tale novella? This was well written, captivating, and overall a super easy read.

My only criticism is that I wish it was longer and we got to spend more time with Cynthia and Ammalia. Although the author managed to make me care for the characters a lot, considering how little time we actually spent with them.

4/5 stars

I absolutely love Erica Ridley’s historical romance stories, so I was thrilled to see she had another sapphic novella. This was a fast but fun take on the Cinderella story, with Cinderella falling in love with the prince’s sister instead! I thought that the ending was a particularly witty and fun take on the story, much better than stepsisters cutting their toes off at least!

The romance was steamy and intimate, I loved the glimpse at the characters we were given and now I’m just holding out for more sapphic tales from Ridley in the future!

Releases 10th November 2023

Her Princess at Midnight a cute, fun, and endearing little read that I enjoyed so much more than I thought I would. It’s a whirlwind romance so be prepared to be swept up and transported into Cynthia and Ammalia’s sapphic regency fairytale romance!

It’s only short, definitely more of a novella, but I genuinely loved every moment of it.

With a romance this short there is bound to be an element of instant love and we do see that here so be prepared but don’t let it overly deter you! Cynthia and Ammalia definitely have an instant connection but I loved seeing them tentatively explore this here and watch their chemistry build as they tried to navigate their attraction to each other and gauge the other’s intentions. I really, really loved their chemistry. I was actually really impressed with how much romantic tension and chemistry was built so quickly here - I’ve read other books 5x the length where there hasn’t even been half of this romantic spark!

If you’re looking for a short and sweet read with genuinely likable main characters, a familiar and comforting plot line with a twist and some sapphic tension then this is the one for you!

My one and only criticism is that I loved Cynthia and Ammalia so much and I just wanted more of them (but I do absolutely adore the little glimmer we get into their life at the end and I love knowing they’re off doing good and being madly in love with each other - the perfect happily ever after in my books!)

Thank you NetGalley and Webmotion for the chance to read Her Princess at Midnight in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cute, fun and easy read! I love historical romances and even more so when they’re LGBT+, so I had a great time with this book. I love Erica Ridley’s writing and will be checking out more of her work!

I had a blast with this. I love the premise and I always love reading sapphic stories. The dialogue was quick and witty and I appreciated every minute of it. However, this was shorter than I had been hoping for. I really wish there had been more time to develop these characters and their personalities. It all felt a little rushed. That being said, I had so much fun with this and read it all in one quick sitting. Thank you!

A Twist on the Cinderella Story.
Cynthia and Princess Ammalia feel a connection on sight but will Prince Azzurro ruin all by insisting on marrying the beautiful scullery maid? A short story that is quickly read with many well known facets. Enjoyable but did feel slightly rushed. Previously published in the Pride Not Prejudice charity anthology with an all-new bonus epilogue.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

i didn’t really like the book.
it’s really slow and boring to me.
i just don’t think i understand it very well.
1/5

Her Princess at Midnight is a lovely sapphic retelling of Cinderella. Erica Ridley weaves together plot beats and moments to clearly lay out this reimagining in a new and more unique way. Ridley's writing is softly elegant, giving the tone to this story the charm of a fairytale that still has a rooted depth in reality. This novella is charmingly sweet, the chemistry between the heroine's is sensual, and the angst is low. This fairy tale is a delicious retelling, with clear characters and motivations that make this romance a perfectly charming escape. I would definitely recommend to anyone who loves a fairy tale retelling! Erica Ridley is a most read historical romance author and this story is a charming example of her work.

I wanted to love this because I adore Erica Ridley and I have always craved a lesbian Cinderella romance. That being said, it just didn't land for me. The characters are under-developed, the plot felt shoe-horned into the fairy tale, and it wasn't clear to me why the heroines loved each other. It felt like Ridley relied on the source material to do the heavy lifting of the relationship, as opposed to making me root for them to come together.

A Cinderella retailing with f/f romance. Cynthia lives as the servant to her step-mother and her daughters. When an Italian prince comes to the land to choose a bride all eligible women are invited to a ball. But Princess Ammalia sees the beautiful Cynthia and arrives at her house with a beautiful gown insisting her brother the prince must dance meet her at the ball. But it isn’t the prince that Cynthia has eyes for.

This is a delightful novella. My only complaint is that it is only 108 pages. I read it in less than an hour. Erica Ridley is better known for her traditional historical romances but she has written LGBTQIA before. I especially love The Perks of Loving a Wallflower (Oct 2021). The cover is beautiful and perfectly fits the book. Thank you to Erica Ridley, Webmotion and NetGalley for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

(4.5 Stars) 5

Now that is what I call a real twist of a fairy tale! There's still the awful step sisters and hateful stepmother. But instead of the prince it's the princess that catches the eye. Interesting twist for sure. Enjoyed the book.

3.25/5. Releases 11/10/2023.

Vibes: ~it's a Cinderella story~, light sapphic love, actual? royalty? in fairy tales? a la Ever After, and instalove

Cynthia suffers through drudgery, doing whatever her stepmother and stepsisters demand. Then an Italian prince sweeps into town, ready to search through all unwed maidens in his quest for a suitable wife. But Cynthia doesn't care about the prince; she cares about Princess Ammalia, his charismatic sister. And after they meet, nothing, including her stepmother and stepsisters, is going to stop Cynthia from finding the princess at the ball.

This one is a short book (basically a novella) and those are hard to balance; I always have to give people credit for swinging at a believable love story in such a short amount of page time. And in many ways, it works here. It's charming, the lovers are sweet. I would definitely recommend this to people looking for a quick, happy sapphic fairy tale read. For me... I kind of wanted a little more, and maybe unrealistically so (I missed this being around 100-150 pages when I requested it, which is on me). But overall, I'd say it's pretty solid, even if it doesn't go quite as hard as I prefer.

Quick Takes:

--I actually really liked that this was set in a solidly real world. It reminded me of Ever After, and honestly? The prince and princess being Italian made sense--they could be royals without quite as many implications and responsibilities as a member of the British royal family would have had at the time. Something about that just added to it for me; and I think it was especially useful for the novella format, as you don't need quite as much worldbuilding when it's set in... well, our world.

--Ammalia and Cynthia do kind of fall in love pretty quickly. While instalove often doesn't work for me, I'm not inherently against it; it can be done well, and indeed, it's kind of hard to avoid in a book this short (though it can be avoided). And shit, if you can have instalove in a million different m/f books, I'm certainly not going to knock a sapphic Cinderella retelling for having it. Cynthia and Ammalia have a cute chemistry, and honestly, I was down. Is this the deepest romance I've ever read? No. But were you looking for that from a quick, easy fairy tale retelling? I wasn't.

--I think where I struggled a little was that Erica Ridley's voice is very relaxing and nice, but it's not super distinct. I wonder a little what someone like Tessa Dare would've done with this concept--simply because she does have a very strong authorial voice, and I think that's really helpful when you're writing something a little shorter. Tessa's voice naturally does a lot of tonal work that I found somewhat missing here.

The Sex:

It's quick, brief, and pretty innocent--not quite closed door, but for all intents and purposes, closed door.

While I wouldn't say this novel thrilled me, I did find it pleasant. I would definitely recommend Olivia Waite readers try it out, especially if you're in the mood for a soft place to land.

Thanks to Netgalley and WebMotion for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.