3.7 Stars
One Liner: Entertaining

Maximillian Shaw, Duke of Westbourne, agrees to help his cousin Lady Delia as she rushes to Rome. This takes him to a quaint little bookshop run by Evie Harlow. However, his first visit leads to a second as the Duke wagers with his friends and needs Evie’s support to win the bet. He will turn her into a belle of the season and help her find a match. With her beauty, how hard could it be?
Evie has since long given up her dreams to keep the bookshop running. She is infuriated by the Duke’s offer but soon ends up accepting it when a disaster strikes. It’s not easy being among the ton, but Evie enjoys it.
However, as our lead pair start to fall for each other, they may have to make a lot of decisions and overcome a few scandals to get what they want. Can they do it, though?
The story comes in the limited third-person POV of Max, Evie, and Rory.

My Thoughts:
I love that beautiful cover! The gown in purple is so gorgeous. The premise is just as fun, and my hopes were quite high.
While the Duke’s chapter starts well, Evie puts her in a not-so-appealing position. For a heroine who’s supposed to be strong, capable, and independent, her opening scene is the weakest. Thankfully, it gets better.
The writing is easy to read. The story flows well, despite the regular shifts in POVs. Since all of them are in the third person, there’s no confusion anywhere.
The plot is quite straightforward, with a bit of everything to add to the drama. That keeps the story moving ahead, and the pacing is more than decent. Though most of it is predictable, and we know who the villain is, the story is still enjoyable, with traces of humor.
Other reviewers compared the book to She’s All That movie. Since I haven’t watched it, I could read this without any comparison or prior assumptions and enjoy it for what it is.
There isn’t much angst, intense drama, or excessive miscommunication. This is quite a relief, as I’m bored of these tropes anyway. The banter between the characters is fun to read. They do have some chemistry, which makes things better.
Of course, a few doubts remain, and some suspension of belief is necessary towards the end, but this is the first book in the series. So even if the next ones have other main characters, Evie and Max are likely to play minor roles and fill the gaps. Still, I wish there was an epilogue.

To summarize, Bookshop Cinderella is a lighthearted entertainer and a great pick between heavy reads. The lovely gowns and food are a bonus. The book has 2.5ish steam (one scene).
I’ll be sure to pick book two in the series when it’s available.
Thank you, NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing/Forever, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Bookshop Cinderella is a dishy read. Max, the handsome love hardened duke plays fairy godmother to bookshop owner Evie.
The pages of their story curl up as the intensity builds between the two.
I so wanted Max to deal effectively with the rotten sod Rory.
Nothing ends at midnight but can Evie and Max combine their worlds?
Say bibbety bobbety boo as you read.

The story has it cute charm about it, but it’s the plot that’s not connecting. The story moves has a steady line. I was looking for the highs and lows of a intriguing story. The characters seems to mature and in depth for the plot. Perhaps if there was mystery or a spy plot that the two have found themselves involved in would bring excitement to the story. The entertainment part of the book was when the two main characters shared dialogues together. I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley for this novel.
I absolutely loved this novel and flew through it. I wish I didn’t have to wait a year for the next novel in the series. Evie is our main character and is a bookseller. Max is the duke and Dalia’s brother. Dalia employs Evie to help with research for her job at the hotel she works for. Evie and Max hit it off in a big way. Max goes to Evie’s bookstore to get the information she has for his sister who is traveling for a month. Max makes a wager against Freddie Helen’s brother who he wishes to marry and make his duchess. Max bets her can make Evie the bell of his ball in 2 months and will write a letter of recommendation to reinstate Freddie and his friends to Eden if he loses. Max talks to Evie and agrees to prove the boys wrong. The more time they spend together the more they start to fall in love. Evie has a childhood friend named Rory who she has a crush on but he doesn’t return her affections until he believes she has come into money after learning she is staying at a hotel and has new clothes. He decides to try and get her to marry him to get some money and decides to follow her and Max. Rory leaks the story and gets Evie’s new maid to help him get a letter Max wrote to Evie and proposes to Evie after she leaves the hotel and Max. Max ends up losing the bet after dancing with Evie and declaring his feelings for her. They have sex and she leaves that night not knowing that people think she is his mistress. Max goes to see her and proposes she says no but five days later she goes to the hotel to see him to accept after learning what Rory did and finally learning he was a snake. This book is definitely one of my new favorites of 2023. A definite most read of fans of Bridgerton.

It’s been a while since I read a LLG book, so I was very happy to pick up Bookshop Cinderella. Contrary to the title, this book is more of a Pygmalion/My Fair Lady retelling. Evie runs her late father’s bookshop and creates versatile cultural menus on the side for the Savoy Hotel. When Evie becomes the subject of a wager, Max, the Duke of Westbourne, approaches her with a proposition to win the bet: he will launch her into society as the diamond of the season.

We’ve all read some variation of this story before, but Bookshop Cinderella actually managed to surprise me. For once, we have an affable and easygoing Duke. I think this is the first time I’ve come across a Duke who’s not starchy, cold, or grumpy?? LOL. I honestly love how chill Max was, especially in contrast to the heroine who is stressed out and needs a vacation. I’m a sucker for a supportive hero who helps the heroine destress and forget about her troubles.

The main thing that I love about this book is the build up of friendship and attraction. It takes Max and Evie some time to realize that they are attracted to each other. The romance kicks off with savage banter first and foremost. Evie may not have had the best impression of Max at first, but she eventually becomes friends with him when they work together to win the bet. Max’s handsomeness doesn’t have an effect on Evie until after she gets to know him. It’s the same thing with Max, although the attraction on his side happens first. All of this contributed to a solid foundation for the relationship development. It made the chemistry and the tension between Max and Evie that much more potent. It was honestly such a breath of fresh air from all the insta-love/insta-lust romance books.

In retrospect, I shouldn’t have been surprised because LLG usually writes her stories this way. I think it’s just been so long since I’ve read one of her books, and I really need to catch up on her newer releases. I did notice that her writing style is a bit different here. For instance, there are lots of run-on sentences, which are not my favourite. Surprisingly, this did not bug me because the sentences were still somehow clear and her story-telling is as immersive as I remember it being. It could be that she has a new editor now that she has moved to a different publishing house.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I liked both of the characters, the romance, and the story overall. And I am looking forward to whatever else LLG has in store for this series!

This was such a fun historical romance. It's a bit of a modern take on She's All That, but make it historical and improve the characters.

Evie Harlow runs her family bookshop. She has managed to bring it out of debt and proven an amazingly good bookseller. But despite loose family ties to the nobility, she knows she has no prospects for marriage. When a Duke and his compatriots visit her shop, she chides them to treat the books respectfully.

When the others speak poorly of her, Max, the Duke of Westbourne bets he can turn Evie into the belle of the ball who will dance every dance at his ball in six weeks.

I loved the Savoy hotel, the dancing, the characters, and the plot. Max has such a fascinating and deep backstory that added so much, and Evie was so relatable. There's also just a touch of mystery and the perfect amount of conflict.

This was such a great book, and I was especially pleased to buddy read it with friends. I hope more folks will start reading and enjoying historical romances like this. If you have been flirting with the idea of reading more historicals, this is a great one to start with. It's the first of a new series, Scandal at the Savoy.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

No one does class difference, women who work HR then Laura Lee Guhrke. Her Girl Bachelor Series is what got me hooked on her books and is still one of my favorites. Bookshop Cinderella follows that same formula with a nod to the film “She’s All That”.
This is a somewhat lighthearted romp set in 1896 so Evie our heroine owning and running a bookshop that she inherited (and saved from bankruptcy/foreclosure) from her father is not considered scandalous. She also does party planning research for Delia, who is the cousin of our hero Max, Duke of Westbourne. Before I go on I just want to say that I loved the character of Delia and really hope that Ms Guhrke is planning a book for her. Delia is effervescent in her seemingly zest for life. She’s about 30-31 and has already had (and I assume buried) 3 husbands and “works” for Cesar Ritz (of Ritz-Carlton) and the famous chef Escoffer. It just feels like there’s a very rich story in her background.
Anyway, back to our MMCs Max is a sweetheart although he had a heartbreak 10 years ago that has scared him a bit and Evie is at 28 is feeling a bit stuck in her life now that financially she is doing okay. She’s the niece of a Baron and has a bit of finishing school polish but has a somewhat unfavorable view of the aristocracy. Max meets Evie doing a favor for Delia and the plot begins with a bet a la “She’s All That” except Evie knows about it. Anyway I will let you read the synopsis to get the basic plot. I did enjoy this book very much, I like the premise, plot and the relationship between the 2 main characters. I like that it had a bit of angst but did go overboard with it. I would say that it’s only flaw is I could have used more interactions with both Max and Evie. The story takes place over 6-8 weeks but I feel that they really don’t spend that much time together. In the book it seems like they go a week or 2 without seeing each other. Which just seems strange in a romance. And although there is a few kissing scenes and a bit of petting, the one and only full sex scene doesn’t happen until late in the book. I do want to highlight that Ms Guhrke’s description of Evie’s very first kiss:
“The moment Max touched her lips with his, she felt a pleasure so exhilarating, so dizzying, it was as if she were soaring high in the sky like a bird in flight. Her heart lifted, her blood sang through her veins, and when she closed her eyes, any conscious thought went spinning into oblivion.”
made me long for the days of my youth and the excitement of the first kiss with someone new. I also like that she didn’t make Max a rake. He truly is trying to control his attraction toward Evie as he doesn’t want to repeat the actions that brought heartbreak in his youth.
All and all I enjoyed this book very much and if your a Guhrke fan you will too.
I was kindly given an ARC of this book from NetGalley for my honest and unbiased review

We've been waiting for a new Laura Lee Guhrke for a while, and Bookshop Cinderella does not disappoint! We just really love the combo of LLG’s understated writing and late-Victorian/early-Edwardian settings. Give us telephones, typewriters, hotels, suffragists, broadening social mores, and professional women PLUS all the HR goodness of dukes who need heirs, the ton, the Season, etc.!

So this is your basic My Fair Lady plot: Max makes a bet with some feckless younger gentlemen (he makes it very clear that they are not his friends!) that he can turn Evie, prim and proper bookshop proprietor, into a social success. What did we particularly love about this makeover wager? First of all, Max only makes the bet because he's a little older and a little wiser than his companions, and he knows a beautiful woman when he sees one. He also just can't keep his mouth shut when they start ridiculing her. Second of all, Max never considers trying to trick Evie into going along with his plans. He tells her not only about the wager, but about all of the background and conversations. Finally, we thought it was great that Evie wasn't 100% convinced by Max's argument - but when her bookshop has to close for renovations due to a minor disaster, she doesn't have anything better to do, anyway.

The book is well-paced and moves briskly. Every time the relationship conflict verged into romance miscommunication LLG pulled it right back out - you get just the perfect amount! Also, the grand gesture was so much fun! It was the cherry on top of on an already-perfect book.

We are so looking forward to this series, which seems like it will share the same setting: the Savoy Hotel. (We might have to look into plane tickets to London just to have a drink at the American Bar in the Savoy...)

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

Okay, this is a new title from Laura Lee Guhrke! I’m a big fan of her Guilty Pleasures series and was really looking forward to read this ARC 😆 The book premise is about a wager. The bet is to see if the FMC who is a commoner and a bluestocking (more of a bookshop nerd) can be the belle of the ball. It’s also set in Edwardian era, so it’s also something different vs. your typical Regency/Victorian romance.

Evie is portrayed to be a self-sufficient bluestocking and have endured bullying in her past. However, the impression I have on her is not as substantive as the the way the story illustrates her. I felt she just adapts too well. There was not much hardship during her transformation (normally you’d expect some struggles). Therefore, you can’t really sympathize with her. Max is, well, too nice 😂 There wasn’t any significant fault on him - very trusting on Evie from the get go. The downside is that there’s not much growth in his character.

I found the book to be a bit slow to start. The early banter was mostly flat and didn’t get really good until the 40-50% mark. After this point, it gets better. However, soon Max distances himself from Evie because of the typical reason (doesn’t want to fall deeper). At this point I just wished that they had more interactions as the chemistry just started to get better ☹

However, I do enjoy how there’s really no miscommunication trope between the couple. Max came clean about the wager right from the start, so there’s no conflict like Evie feeling deceived because she was entered into wager without knowing until the end 🙂 Overall, this book is quite a light & enjoyable book.

Bookshop Cinderella is a delightful fairy tale that is packed with chemistry and fun. This enchanting story is sure to captivate with its charming characters and whimsical plot. Guhrke's writing is engaging, making this book a must-read for anyone who loves a good romance novel. So why not treat yourself to a magical journey through the pages of Bookshop Cinderella? You won't be disappointed!

The first few chapters were a bit rough for me personally but once they started interacting I really enjoyed this. I liked that he told her from the beginning that he had a bet about her and that she was in on it. It let them have pretty open and honest communication.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This book gave me all the 'She's All That' vibes butin a historal setting, and i am LIVING for it!
From the beginning there was a ton of chemistry from Max and evie, and it hooked me. The relationship made me swoon and laugh plenty.
The book was fun and enjoyable for a historical romance.
The story line was solid and the plot was incredible.
The characters were very well devoloped and realistic.

It was a quick read for me that had me wanting more with every page. i cannot recommend this book enough. its become an instant favorite for me!


Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the ARC

Evie Harlow and Maximilian Shaw... It felt a bit more like "she's all that" than Cinderella. And who doesn't love a good makeover? Or that song "Kiss me" because it would have totally been appropriate for this book. The yearning in this book was heavy, especially on Max's side, but it didn't feel anguished in a certain way... Which I thought it might be... It seemed like there were some overnight realizations that happened and some things felt a bit forced. I read this book fairly quickly so the pacing was good, which is usually the case for Laura Lee Gurkhe's books. I can't pinpoint why I didn't love this book as much as I did her other books. Maybe because there wasn't as much struggle or conflict even though it felt like it was trying to be. In any case, I did enjoy the grand gesture moment and there are some good supporting characters who I enjoyed reading and I am still looking forward to the next book in the series.

Steam: 🔥
Heart Flutters: ❤️

Bookshop Cinderella is the first in Laura Lee Guhrke’s latest series, Scandal at the Savoy, and a great example of how you subvert some dated, yet beloved tropes for a modern audience, keeping what is beloved about them, while unpacking the more problematic aspects. With parallels to the narratives of Cinderella, Pygmalion/My Fair Lady, and even She’s All That, with just a bit of original flair, the story has a lot to offer.
I really liked both lead characters. Evie is relatable, in her lack of prospects, not to mention her vocation as a bookshop owner. I appreciate that any lingering dreams she may have are tempered by a sense of the reality of things, and she doesn’t let herself get too caught up in this sudden attention from Max or his cousin, even if it is coming from a good, sincere place.
Max is also pretty easy to like, even if he does have his own shortcomings. He had a disastrous first marriage where he married for love (or what he mistook for love) instead of for practical reasons, and as much as he’s attracted to Evie, I appreciate that he does try to behave honorably by her for most of the book. He even has fairly good intentions with the bet, and he lets her know about it right away, not proceeding with his plans without her full cooperation.
I really liked the dynamic between the two, and they had great chemistry together. I did wonder how it would work out, as while I could see him slowly bending on his conviction about marrying outside his class again, I wasn’t sure if Evie would be so keen about it. However, her transition toward accepting the challenge felt believable, and culminated in a sweet moment between them.
I really enjoyed this book, and can’t wait to see where this series goes. I recommend it to fans of Victorian-set historical romance, especially if you enjoy cross-class romance.

I don’t normally go for the type of book, but I am so glad I did and fell so in love. I loved the FMC so much!! The storyline was very enjoyable and I found myself not being able to stop reading! There were some difficulties getting into the book in the beginning but as the story went on it became easier.

If you’ve seen the movie She’s All That it’s giving those vibes but make it historical! Evie is a middle class Londoner who has pulled her fathers rare books store out of debt and is supporting herself, until the Duke of Westbourne sweeps in and offers to ~Cinderella her~ for the season. I love that the two of them are both on a journey of realizing that what they thought they wanted is not what will make them happy and coming to terms with that. And if you’re wondering does it bang, the answer is YES.

This book gave me She's All That vibes, but make it historical!

Lots of fun to read, Max and Evie had a ton of chemistry from the start. It dragged a bit in the middle, and I think Rory deserved a bit more then he got. Overall an enjoyable read for historical romance fans!

Bookshop Cinderella Arc Review

This book was an absolute joy to read. I was in the mood for historical romance goodness and boy did it deliver! It was the most perfect, genially crafted and absorbing historical I’ve read in a while. My absolute regards to the writer. I was not familiar with her work but it has now become a life goal of mine to rectify that.

The characters well very well developed, realistic and so much fun. The duke is omg, everything you want in a romantic heroe: charming, kind, sexy as hell, mischievous and so amazingly in love with our main girl. And as for Evie, I adore her to no end. She strikes me as such a relevant protagonist for a historical romance of this time: she’s clever, intelligent, sassy, self assured and fiercely independent.

One thing I really like is that the romance really takes it’s time. It it not enemies to lovers, it is enemies to friends to lovers. Their relationship was a blast, it made me laugh, swoon and bite my nails at times.

Overall this is an insta-fav for me and I do strongly recommend that you all get your hands on it as soon as it comes out. Thanks a million to the author, Forever Publishing and Netgalley for this arc.

I buddy read this with Julie and we both really enjoyed this one! There are a lot of little things that remind you of Cinderella. This is the first book that I’ve read by this author but will not be the last!

This is a really cute romance with so many sweet moments. One of my favorite aspects of this whole entire story is something that I can’t quite talk about because of spoilers. I will say that I loved the communication for the most part. You will have moments that it’s terrible because it seems to happen a lot in romances. There is one big aspect that came out and I loved how it was for everyone involved.

I really loved how much Evie was so open to experiencing new things. The differences between Evie and Max are huge because they come from two different worlds. Evie is struggling to hold onto her bookshop but Max is a Duke! There are a few enemies-to-lovers moments, in the beginning, but nothing that really sticks around. In fact, I loved the way Max was just so sweet and caring when it came to Evie. Things don’t really start off that great but I loved where their relationship takes them. Their romance was just so beautiful and I loved how Max fed so much confidence into Evie.

This is a really quick read! The writing was fast-paced and the romance really keeps you from wanting to put it down. There are a lot of great secondary characters in this one as well. I really hope that Delia has her own book coming soon because she was a character that I found really fascinating. Max’s sisters are also thrown into the mix and I would love to get to know them better too! The plot was fun and engaging, even if I knew what was going to happen for the most part.

Overall, this was a really fun read. I loved the romance and the relationships that were formed throughout. Max and Evie had such a strong connection and it was a great seeing them grow with each other. If you like Cinderella vibes, books, and a sweet romance then I think you will enjoy this one!

Many thanks to Forever and Netgalley for an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Bookshop Cinderella was an interesting storyline that I really enjoyed. It was a little slow at the start but started to pick up in the middle. This is my first book by Laura Lee Guhrke.