This was an enjoyable, witty, fresh take on the Cinderella fairy tale, with a devilishly handsome rake as Prince Charming and a Cinderella that takes charge of her own destiny. Both hero and heroine have had difficult childhoods. Gregory was completely ignored by his self-centered parents, which led him to reject the pursuit of love in favor of a perpetual bachelorhood filled with affairs with married (and thus "safe") paramours. The downside of this way of life is that he is perpetually being pursued by infatuated ladies of the ton and their disgruntled husbands, who keep calling out Gregory for duels. Our heroine Julia had dreams of making a good match, but they have been squelched by a previous disappointment in love and by a step-mother who treats her like a servant, forcing her to put aside her own dreams to support her step-sister's chances at the marriage mart.

When Julia meets Gregory, she sees a chance for both of them to escape what have become intolerable situations. She proposes a marriage of convenience, and Gregory quickly agrees. The balance of the book revolves around them learning that they can move past hurt and disappointment, and they are capable of loving both each other and themselves despite past traumas. Along the way, there are many hilarious moments, including witty repartee between our main characters, and several bits involving Julia's interactions with Gregory's former lovers, who have formed a nostaligic fan club to celebrate his positive impact on their sense of self-worth and their attitudes toward their marriages. It's refreshing to see how these women are not demonized, nor are they catty with Julia--rather, they congratulate her on her good fortune on winning what they see as the ultimate prize!

I was not familiar with this author previous to reading this book, but I look forward to her next publication. This is an auspicious debut!

It was a interesting story. Some language may not have been used in that era, but the banter between the two main characters was very humorous. The heroine was very independent minded and a forward thinking woman. The hero was compassionate but had a wounded soul as his parents had ignored him and tore him down when they did see him. This gave him the impression that he was unloveable. How they get together was intriguing. Her past came back to haunt them. But love conquered and they have their HEA. It was a cute take off on Cinderella.

Cinderella and the Duke, Lydia Drake's debut novel was charming and did not have issues regarding pacing and plotholes that other first-time authors encounter. This book was engaging from the first to the last page and the 3rd act of separation lasted a mere week and 3 days.

Julia lives with her evil stepmother Constance and her beloved step-sister Susannah. After spinster Julia saves rake and Duke, Gregory, from fighting a married couple at a ball, they share a kiss, and then Julia runs away to protect her reputation. Gregory visits her the next day to thank her and return her shoe. Julia proposes a marriage of convenience to save them both from their situations.

I loved how snarky and witty Julia was. She's never had a London season so when Gregory meets her, he immediately sees what a treasure this beautiful and intelligent woman is. I love that he saves her because he doesn't think she will ever meet a man who can match her. And they are a really fun character together. They both also have similar issues of being rejected by family and don't feel lovable. So through each other, they fall in love and heal.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and loved that Julia makes her own rules. I also loved that Susannah was a strong supporting character instead of a caricature. I really hope this author continues to write and do more with this series. Can't recommend this book enough if you need a couple of hours of suspended reality. It's also steamy and there are several love scenes.

What I Liked:
🥿Fairytale retelling are everything to me. If I see one, I read it plain and simple. This one didn’t disappoint!

🥿Julia was everything you would want in a historical romance. She’s smart, witty, and knows her worth. She fights for what she believes in, whether that family or love. It’s impossible not to like her. You really can’t blame the Duke for falling! 😉

🥿You know what’s better than a Duke who’s a rake? A rakish Duke that also has a kind side for those less fortunate than himself. Also helps with they bring the spice. 🥵

What I Didn’t Like:
🥿 I would have liked to see conflict in third act resolve itself differently. I’m going to be spoiler free, so I won’t go into detail, but regardless I felt that if it was a little more intense, the final payoff would have been greater.

Final Thoughts:
🥿I loved everything about this story and hope that The author continues the series. Perhaps with Susannah and another Duke. 👀

What I liked most about Julia is that she is not a Cinderella waiting to be rescued, but rather she not only rescues herself but also helps Gregory in the process. Two nice characters for a story that, although already familiar, was really enjoyable to read.

La cosa che piú mi é piaciuta di Julia, é che non é una Cenerentola in attesa di essere salvata, ma anzi non solo si salva da sola, ma nel frattempo aiuta anche Gregory. Due bei personaggi per una storia che, per quanto giá conosciuta, é stata veramente piacevole da leggere.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

I love a good fairytale retelling! And this definitely qualifies as good. It had everything I loved best about a good romance: well-rounded characters with foibles that you can't help but like, the growth of love alongside the lust, focus on the relationship more than the sex scenes - check, check, check. It threw in a few surprises and still had a happy ending.

My only 'complaint' is that I didn't feel the plot device used to wedge the couple apart before they found each other again fell kind of flat.

I am so impressed with Lydia Drake's debut novel! 4.5 stars rounded to 5

Julia is the snarky heroine that I long for in books. Her sense of humor aligns with mine so it's easy for me to relate to her. Julia has one night to try and entice a match so she's not relegated to a life of spinsterhood. After
Julia and Gregory have a fairytale-ish meet cute they agree to a marriage of convivence. They will convince the ton it's a love match so wives quit pursuing Gregory and Julia can escape life with her stepmother. They agree to one night to consummate the marriage and then Gregory will high tail it off to the continent. They can't seem to keep up their ends of the bargain and call it quits. Once feelings become involved, both Gregory and Julia fall back into old roles and fears.

This book has an element of insta-love but I loved it. They were together from practically the first page. The bantering between Gregory and Julia was so fun and really helped the relationship progress. They genuinely liked each other and enjoyed each others company. Julia never judged Gregory for his past relationships and was so empathetic when she found out his upbringing. He feels comfortable with her and is able to show his vulnerabilities and sweet side with her. The amount of sexual tension the first half of the book was delicious. When they finally gave into it they couldn't get enough of each other. There were some wacky elements like married "mourners" who visit Julia because they want to discuss Gregory's bedsport.

I'm looking forward to seeing more in the series. The secondary characters were charming so I hope they get their own HEA's in forthcoming books. Thank you to Lydia Drake, NetGalley, and Entangled Publishing for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Tropes included: fairytale retelling, spinster heroine, marriage of convenience, love is for anyone but me, falling in love after the wedding, dueling duke, rake hero, Cinderella, hero falls first, hero with a ward

#netgalley #entangedamara #lydiadrake #cinderellaandtheduke

4 Stars!! Cute book with a Cinderella type theme. I really enjoyed this book, even if I thought the reason the main characters couldn’t have a love match marriage was pretty lame. Basically Gregory was like ‘whaa, my parents didn’t love me so I have to sabotage our love too’. Other than that, he seemed like a great guy that I could see myself falling for, even if he was a giant man-ho. The main female character, Julia, was easy to love and the witty banter between her and Gregory was on point. The stepmother was a major ‘female dog’ and I didn’t like her at all. Plenty of ‘sexy times’, insta-lust and love, spinster woman who wants to have freedom but has been burnt before and a sexy man who is a really good guy though he hides it well, all with an HEA ending. I’d love to read about the secondary characters too since this was a pretty entertaining read.
*I received this at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

I love it when the woman is strong, knows her own mind, is intelligent and witty and HE LOVES HER FOR IT!

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

I am a sucker for a Duke! A regency romance always hits the mark for me and this one was no exception! Based on the story of Cinderella, Julia and the Duke of Ashworth meet one evening, share a sensual kiss, and after a lost slipper is returned agree to a mutually beneficial marriage.

This was a fun story. I hated Julia’s stepmother, loved her stepsister, and felt for both MC’s insecurities. And I really enjoyed Julia’s sense of humor and her fiery attitude when talking to those who wronged her! I’d definitely read more of this debut author!

5 stars

How delicious a new author.

The banter between Julia and the Duke at the start of the book was tantilising. Gregory who normally moves through wives like a knife through butter suddenly finds he doesn't want to do that with Julia. He states he wants one night and then he's off travelling. I liked his ward, his friend Huntingdon and the governness Miss Wilmsow. I wonder if there will be a second book for perhaps her sister Susannah.

Julia was fiesty and I loved her responses to her step mother and the duke. Great start

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

The beginning third was very, very good, but the following two-thirds were less solid. There was very good banter, and some very well done steamy scenes, but overall I didn't feel much substance.

Cinderella and the Duke is my first historical romance (thanks for pushing me to try it @torilovesheas) and wow. It was funny, and cute, I really enjoyed it!

Julia Beaumont loves her stepsister Suzanna but that doesn’t mean she isn’t desperate to escape Suzanna’s mother, Constance. Luckily Julia has the opportunity to attend the Weatherford Ball hosted by one of her best friends, she never expected when she went searching for a husband to find the Duke of Ashworth instead.

As desperate as Julia is to escape Constance, Gregory Carter is just as desperate to avoid marriage. He finally finds his worthy opponent in Julia though. She’s sassy, full of wit and not afraid to take matters into her own hands.

As someone who hasn’t read histrom previously or watched Bridgerton, I LOVED this book! The pacing was amazing, the banter between Gregory and Julia was perfection and the humor was to die for. Cinderella and the Duke is easily a five star read, and my first of many historical romances. Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the eARC.

The writing style of this novel immediately set it apart from other Historical romance novels. From the opening, it’s funny and irreverent in a way histroms tend not to be, and it really pulled me in right away (though some of the details bordered on the silly now and again rather than downright funny). I liked the heroine. I’m a sucker for a Cinderella story and Julia’s “evil stepmother” is a very good reason for her needing a husband. She manages to convince Gregory to a marriage of convenience and the rest is history!
I love a marriage of convenience story and these two heroes had sparks! They were both quick and their banter was great. I immediately ran to see what else this author has written and it is apparently a debut. I’m very impressed and looking forward to future novels from Lydia Drake!

After reading Cinderella and the Duke I look forward to reading more of Lydia Drake's future books!

Drake's pacing was excellent and overall the book can be summed up as a trope-y version of Tessa Dare's easy humor and banter.

While it stuck to many of the traditional Cinderella plot points, there were changes, such as one (1) little stepsister with whom Julia (Cinderella) has a loving relationship. The stepmother stays the villain, (view spoiler).

That being said, I find it infinitely strange that there is a club of women who have had affairs with the hero, and, despite Julia claiming it made her love her husband more, it firmly fell into the realm of "ew" and not "aw." Gross. Also this man DEFINITELY has syphilis. Swipe left on that.

My only other complaints were random side characters not feeling fleshed out or fully explained, but I can only assume this is in preparation for books to come.

Pros:
Humor
Fun tropes

Cons:
The Clap

I loved this story!

Julia Beaumont loved her step sister Suzanna but her step mother treated her like a slave. She had finally managed to go to a ball with Suzanna so she had one night to find someone to take her away from the life she had. She’d been stuck away for ten years so was now firmly on the shelf which suited her step mother perfectly.

Gregory Carter, Duke of Ashworth was known for his rakish ways, all the married ladies loved him and their husbands hated him. He’d only been back in society a short while and had already had two duels.

He knew the moment Julia came to his rescue at the recent ball that she would be trouble. He found her amazing, a goddess and instantly wanted her. I loved the banter between them and all the simmering passion waiting to explode. Gregory was known as an amazing lover and proceeded to show Julia every sensual pleasure he knew and he knew a lot! He didn’t think he was good enough for her and due to his upbringing didn’t believe someone could love him.

The more Julia got to know him, the more she knew he was more than what he showed to the ton and although they had originally agreed to have a marriage of convenience, they both were frightened to admit that they were changing their minds.

Sit back, enjoy and lose yourself in this beautiful Cinderella and the Rake romance with a HEA.

What a find this new author is! I loved everything about this story, romance at it's best. It had it all, fun, witty, romance, amazing characters, a page turner and lots of sensual passionate steam.

The book is only out in December and I’d definitely put it on my recommended reading list for the festive period, you won’t be disappointed. I’ve read this twice already and each time I love it more. Bring on her next story, I cannot wait!

Thank you, NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for giving me the opportunity to find this new amazing author.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this story and all thoughts and opinions are my own

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

*giggles* This book gave me all the feeeeels! I especially love Julia and her rambunctious, sassy, witty personality! She is funny, capable, loving, kind and all in all, amazing — different from any other historical romance heroine I've read before. I agree with Gregory that she's a literal goddess, perfection! She matches Gregory's wit gracefully, and she's never portrayed the damsel-in-distress or woe-is-me-oh-heartbroken-soul type.

Gregory, while not perfect and wrapped in his upbringing insecurities, is SUCH A GREAT CHARACTER. Ugh, he might be stupid with all the thoughts of his unworthiness to Julia, but he is the very best. I fell in love with him just as much as Julia did.

The dash of Cinderella fairytale was a nice touch, too! It all came full circle and I love those parts.

There's slow burn, friends-to-lovers, marriage of convenience, and some other wonderful subplots that make this book worth my time! I'm proud to give it a 5-star rating.

This book comes out on 27 December 2022, be sure to read it!

I LOVED this book. The banter between Julia and Gregory is funny and the chemistry between them is sizzling. I found Gregory's fan club hilarious and appreciated Julia's reaction. I also love that Julia and her step-sister have a close and loving relationship versus the contentious one most often portrayed in Cinderella-esque stories. Watching her sister grow alongside Julia and Gregory's relationship was a satisfying secondary story arc. Gregory falls first which is also a great story choice (IMHO) and his never wavering support of his bride is admirable. As a reader, you can feel their reluctance to separate and want to yell at them as they continue to fail to voice that reluctance to each other. 4.5 stars, rounded to 5.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. The opinions herein are entirely my own.

Such a cute story. Loved these characters and their witty banter. I laughed out loud several times. I didn't want the book to end. This is my first book I've read from this author and it won't be the last.

Huge thank you to Netgalley for providing me an ARC ahead of the December 27th release!


Content Warnings: Sexual situations, toxic relationships [both familial and non-familial], verbal and emotional abuse, death of a parent, child neglect, child abandonment, classism, infidelity [conquests the LI had before meeting the MC], and sexual harassment.

Julia has one night, and one night only, to find herself a husband or be forced to be her stepmother's lady maid for the rest of her life. Julia would rather be in a loveless marriage to an ancient man than be forced to withstand being at her stepmother's beck and call. Sadly, at twenty-seven, no one at the ball seems very interested in Julia...that is until she runs into the devilishly handsome Duke of Ashworth. A man whose kiss almost makes her forget that being unmarried and found kissing him would ruin her chance to escape the clutches of her stepmother.

Gregory is growing tired of bedding married women and then being challenged to duels by their uninspiring husbands...but what else is a man who doesn't wish to marry do? Never one to even attempt looking at the unmarried women he's pleasantly surprised with how fast Julia gets under his skin. She's a gorgeous, fierce, and intelligent woman who isn't afraid to challenge him...which has him desperate to know more about her.

After a passionate kiss that leaves them both longing for more Julia flees the ball only leaving Gregory with the memory of their firey embrace...and one of her shoes.

I absolutely adored this story! Seeing Julia challenge and take no s**t from Gregory from the very start had me cheering for her to flip his world upside down. We get two people who, whether they realize it or not, are perfectly matched in passion, wit, and charm.

What starts as a marriage of convenience turns into so much more...I really hope we get more stories out of this world by the author...because I desperately need more! 💜