Cinderella's Royal Seduction by Dani Collins was not the book I had on tap to read next. I'm currently traveling, and like a dodo, I didn't download the book I was planning to read and couldn't get the airplane wifi to work. So, I went trolling through my Kindle for a book that was already downloaded and here we are. For a completely random pick out of my digital TBR, this one was pretty good.
Cassiopeia “Sopi” (seriously) Brodeur oversees the Lonely Lake Spa tucked away in the Canadian Rockies. She's been running the property since her father's death, as it was something he purchased for Sopi's mom. Unfortunately, her stepmother Maude, and her two vacuous stepsisters have decided they're bored with Europe and have come back to Lonely Lake. Even worse? They've cancelled all their bookings because Prince Rhys Charlemaine from one of those tiny made-up principalities that exist in Presents Land, has decided to visit. As a getaway. Except, of course, it's really not. Maude plans on shoving her daughters in his face thinking he'll want to marry one of them.

Rhys is a very eligible bachelor, so it doesn't take long for the spa to fill back up with single women vying for his attention. He's learned to expect this type of behavior, even as he's bored by it. The only reason he's visiting the spa is because Maude approached him about selling, and having an already impressive real estate portfolio, he's naturally curious. Also, even though he was in no rush, he knows it's time to find a wife. He's the spare, but his brother, who is blissfully married to the love his life, just found out he has testicular cancer. The chances of them producing an heir is slim to none, which means in order to keep the line of succession intact, it's falling on Rhys. Royals are obsessed with this kind of thing normally, but it's a heightened concern for Rhys. His parents died in a military coup, his brother and him struggled in exile for years, and only recently returned to the country to reclaim the throne. A sign of weakness, such as a failure to secure the line of succession, is something that cannot happen.

Before we know it Rhys and Sopi cross paths, sparks fly before he even knows her name, and once he finds out who she really is, he realizes that Maude is trying to swindle her inheritance out from under her. He also knows he's found the woman he wants to marry, but he's royal and she's a nobody - which, you guessed it, isn't going to fly given the precarious situation in his country.

This story leans hard into the Cinderella trope to the point that the only thing missing are seamstress rodents. Sopi is at the beck and call of her intolerable step-family and a jack-of-all-trades at the spa, doing everything from housekeeping, waitressing, to stepping in to help out with spa services. However she's not a saccharine doormat, there's fire and backbone in her.

Rhys baggage is really interesting, a man haunted by what happened to his parents and to him and his brother when they were mere children. As far as Presents go, this one is definitely kinder and gentler. The setting is unique and the hero isn't a raging Alphahole you want to take a baseball bat to upside the head.

But, c'mon, it's still a Presents. The story loses it's footing for me around the halfway point when the marriage of convenience plot heats up and there's pretty icky broodmare overtones. Yes, Rhys is royal. Yes, getting married and getting a woman knocked up is a big deal. Doesn't make it any less icky. He has an attraction to Sopi and certainly his sense of justice to thwart her stepmother kicks in, but it's not like he's declaring his love right away. The importance on getting pregnant, quite frankly, turned me off. Maybe because it's the 21st century and I like to think of women as more than their uteruses. Look, I understand WHY Rhys wants kids right away. The author sells that very well. Doesn't mean I still didn't find it icky.

Things end on a high note with a suitably emotional ending and Rhys having to reconcile with his past trauma. This is a really good example of what Presents can do so well, which is sell readers on a heightened, intense fairy tale - which this one does in spades.

Final Grade = B-

Dani Collins’s Cinderella’s Royal Seduction is a fairy-tale retelling with a heroine replete with temper and a prince who exhibits alpha-diminishing humility. I loved it. It’s funny, heartfelt, and possessed of baroque love scenes. The HP’s connection to fairy tale is well recorded; so much so that I was afraid, on first opening Cinderella’s Royal Seduction, it would be trite, tired, formulaic. What I found was anything but. It was delightful, fun, fresh. Much of this may be attributed to Collins’s heroine and hero characterization and how it allows the narrative to subsume the fairy tale, instead of being ruled by it.

Cassiopeia “Sopi” (the worst thing about the novel is the poor heroine’s dimimutive) Brodeur is at the housekeeping beck and call of her evil stepmother and sisters at Lonely Lake Spa in the Canadian Rockies, once her beloved mother’s business-child. Though run-down and in constant need of repair, it’s beautifully situated and lovingly cared for by Sopi. Her evil stepmother machinates a visit from Rhys Charlemaine, Prince of Verina, second-in-line to the throne and, unbeknownst to nasty stepmom, horrid daughters, and Sopi herself, due to his brother’s, the king’s, cancer diagnosis, in need of a wife to provide the stability of an heir to their kingdom.

The first night of his visit, Rhys, in all his muscled birthday-suit glory, swims in the deserted spa pool. Sopi, eyes wide with wonder at his beauty, is hidden by the towel rack, amazed she “had not only seen their special guest, the prince of Verina, in a private moment. She’d seen the crown jewels.” This is how Collins wins you over, with wit and chuckles.

The next day, Sopi must take over the masseur’s job when Karl rushes off to his now-birthing wife. The ensuing scene is cracking good fun, sexy, banterish, wonderful. Collins even manages to sneak a contemporary reference to the magical slipper in Sopi’s bedazzled pedicure. With the cares of the kingdom squarely on his tense, capable shoulders, Rhys’s attraction to and liking of Sopi’s firmly masseusing hands, permeates the scene with humour and sensuality:

“If I’ve been too rough — ”

“You haven’t.” He closed his eyes in pleasure-pain. “This is the best massage of my life. I have to cut it short before it turns into something else.” He thought he heard a small “Eep.” He definitely heard her swallow. “Stay mean,” he growled.

Guffaw from me at Rhys’s “stay mean”! Cinderella’s Royal Seduction maintains this splendid level of fun and never rescinds on the pathos so necessary to good romance.

Oh, there are emotional impediments to this engagement-of-convenience romance, especially on Rhys’s part, but Collins’s reins remain on her magnificent narrative, steering with humour, heartfelt relationship growth, elaborate fireworks-worthy love scenes and the true overcoming of emotional blocks to love and commitment. If you’re an HP fan, you’ll love this; if you’re not, then, it’ll make you one. With Miss Austen, we found in Cinderella’s Royal Seduction “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.

Dani Collins’s Cinderella’s Royal Seduction is published by Harlequin Books. It was released in January and may be found at your preferred vendors. I received an e-galley from Harlequin, via Netgalley.

*Big thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for giving me an ARC copy of this book in exchange of an honest review*

3.5 in fact.

This is the 2020 version of Cinderella.

Literally.

Sopi lives in a hotel/spa with her stepmother and two stepsisters. She's like the handyman of the place. One day, her stepmother invites Prince Rys of Verina, who needs to get married so he can produce heirs because his brother, the King, has a terminal illness. As soon as they meet, Rys and Sopi were attracted to each other. Soon he discovers Sopi's stepmother wants to sell the property without her knowing. Rys decided to buy it and give it to Sopi... As her wedding gift!

This is a book that could be a great one if there weren't so many mentions of the original Cinderella story. I mean, a stepmother, two stepsisters, the “Cinderella” treated as a maid and a prince? Seriously?

Taking that Cinderella stuff aside, this book has good and funny moments. The palace games and the intriguing stuff around Rys and Sopi's relationship and their background is excellent. The chemistry between hero and heroine is really hot. The burning-pages type. Together, they were intense and alluring; a genuine romance between them. And the secondary characters (except the step family, of course) brings more attractive things to the story. Specially Henrik and Elise.

A good story... If you get rid of the fairy tale stuff.

I enjoyed this story. The plot was easy to follow and the characters were interesting. I would have liked more story about the step mother and step sisters.
I received an ARC from Netgalley for my honest review.

Sopi truly lives the life of the fairytale storybook cinderella with a stepmother and sisters that totally ignore her. The luxury spa she works in was owned by her father and should have become hers on his death but instead the stepmother got it and all that he owned. She hears that Prince Rhys Charlemaine is coming to find a princess to marry. What she doesn't know is that her stepmother has plans to sell the spa and get the money while Sopi has been trying to find a way to get it back. Falling for the prince is not in her plans as she is untouched but in his arms she feels things she never thought she would. Will he choose her as his princess, what about the stepmothers plans. what happens when he makes a convenient proposal, and what about the stepmothers plans . So many questions but this is a book by Dani Collins and she always has a way of pulling you into her wonderful story, that you can't wait to find out what happens and then sad that the story ends. An awesome author and truly one you will look for always.

Cinderella's Royal Seduction by Dani Collins is the story of Rhys and Sopi.
This is a modern take on the Cinderella Story. Sopi runs a resort spa with her stepmother and stepsisters, but of course she is the one to do all the work. Things are pretty busy getting awfully busy with Prince Rhys who will be staying there. Sopi has the chance to enjoy Rhys's company which she takes but then a secret is uncovered.
Enjoyed their story.

Sopi's parents are both dead. Her stepmom treats her as a servant. The step sisters are horrible. Then one night she stumbles into Rhys. It is an instant connection; however she wants to marry one of the steps off to him. She wants a life without them in it. She gets what she wants! Just not the way she imagined.

Sopi runs a spa/resort with her (evil) stepmother and (evil) stepsisters. But really she does all the work while the prima donnas pamper themselves and live the good life. She's advised that a prince, Rhys will be staying at their resort and looking for a future bride.

Sopi and this prince meet in the most unusual way and sparks fly. They have several encounters and find themselves in one that things get very intimate.

Rhys needs a wife and finds that Sopi just might be the answer, especially when he uncovers something about Sopi, something she's not even aware of, that seals the deal.

But unbeknownst to Sopi her mother is selling the resort to the Rhys. Rhys eventually plans to have it turned over to Sopi but with the stipulation she marry him first.

This plays out to the cinderella story and surprisingly well too.

Sopi and Rhys eventually return to his country and the wedding plans begin. The development of their relationship is sweet and spicy. Loved the conclusion and really enjoyed Rhys brother and wife secondary story as well.