Tag: Cinderella Sisterhood

Guest Review: The Scandalous Flirt by Olivia Drake

Posted November 3, 2017 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: The Scandalous Flirt by Olivia DrakeReviewer: Tracy
The Scandalous Flirt by Olivia Drake
Series: Cinderella Sisterhood #6
Also in this series: Abducted by a Prince
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: October 31st 2017
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 352
Add It: Goodreads
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three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars


Scandal begins with just one kiss. . .

Aurora Paxton was once the belle of the ball, the most sought-after debutante of the season―until a scandalous mistake ruined her. Shunned by her family, Rory was banished to the country to live in disgrace. Now she’s been summoned back to London by her stepmother, who is being blackmailed by the least likely person Rory can imagine: Lucas Vale, Marquess of Dashell.

Lucas is someone Rory’s known for years―a man as devastatingly handsome as he is coldly disapproving of her. What in the world could he want from her or her family? Rory intends to find out as soon as she comes face to face with her old foe. What she never expects, however, is that the icy aristocrat has a soft spot for her―and a secret plan to redeem her status. Could it be that Lucas has been in love with Rory all along. . .and has finally found a way to win her heart?

Aurora Paxton had it all.  Beautiful, vivacious – having the time of her life during her first season.  That all came to a crashing halt when she was found in a compromising position with an Italian diplomat, Stefano.  When her father demanded that Stefano marry Rory, Stefano admitted to having a wife back in Italy.  Rory was devastated that the man she thought loved her had lied to her.  Then her father and stepmother banished her from London and off she went to live with her aunt in Norfolk.  That was eight years ago.

When a Lady Milford shows up at her aunt’s house unexpectedly and tells Rory that her stepmother needs her help, Rory is skeptical as her aunt dislikes her intensely.  Then Lady Milford mentions that not only is her stepmother being blackmailed but that Rory’s sister, Celeste, is getting married to a duke in a month – a man that Rory thinks is way too old for her sister.

Rory heads to London and after talking with her stepmonster…uh, I mean stepmother, she heads off to work as a companion to the Marchioness of Dashell, the current Marquesses mother who is bedridden.  Rory’s stepmother believes that the Marquess, Lucas Vale, is the one that stole the letters and is blackmailing her. While working as a companion Rory will be able to search the house for the missing letters. Rory remembers the Marquess as being a stuffy prig and he proves he still is – for a bit. The longer that Rory is in the household the clearer she sees that Lucas isn’t as stuffy as she originally believed.  When Rory determines that Lucas isn’t behind the blackmail he agrees to help her find the true culprit which pushes the pair together.

The Scandalous Flirt is a book inspired by a fairy tale.  Lady Milford has enchanted slippers that supposedly bring the wearer to their true love. When Rory heads back to London Lady Milford hands over the shoes for Rory to wear.  Now, I know that the whole premise of the fairy tale is that the enchanted slippers were supposed to bring Rory to her true love but that was mostly Lady Milford and the stepmother pushing Rory toward Lucas.  Yes, Rory wore the shoes but really, I didn’t feel they had anything to do with it and they were only mentioned a couple of times in the book.  Lucas had been smitten with Rory eight years earlier and with them in close contact constantly they were bound to get closer.  Since this is based on a fairy tale I just wish that it had been more fairy tale-ish.  But that’s me. 🙂

While I liked Lucas by the end of the story, he wasn’t a soft man and for most of the book I was on the shelf as to whether I actually liked him or not.  I did believe he truly loved Rory and was happy they ended up together in the end.

Rory and I had a love hate relationship.  There were things I liked about her, definitely, but sometimes her stubbornness and I-am-woman-hear-me-roar ways drove me a bit batty.  I understand she was a feminist and that was awesome but there were occasions in the book where what she thought of as feminism was her just being reckless and yes, I’ll say it, stupid.

The romance wasn’t typical in this book but it was good.  I liked Rory and Lucas together and they played well off of each other.  I was happy that Lucas went for the poor, scandalous girl in the end.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

three-half-stars

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Guest Review: Abducted by a Prince by Olivia Drake

Posted January 22, 2015 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: Abducted by a Prince by Olivia DrakeReviewer: Tracy
Abducted by a Prince by Olivia Drake
Series: Cinderella Sisterhood #3
Also in this series: The Scandalous Flirt
Publisher: Macmillan, St. Martin's Paperbacks
Publication Date: April 29th 2014
Add It: Goodreads
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three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

She's not waiting for her prince. He's not looking for a bride. But sometimes the most unlikely love stories end in ‘happily ever after'...
SHE WAS STOLEN AWAY
Ellie Stratham gave up her childhood dreams of a fairy tale romance long ago. To repay her late father's debts, she's forced to serve her spoiled cousin, Lady Beatrice. But Ellie has devised a secret plan to escape her life as a drudge. A plan that is thrown into jeopardy when she's abducted by a mysterious stranger.
BUT CAN HE STEAL HER HEART?
A notorious seducer of women—and a scoundrel to boot—Damien Burke has earned his nickname as the Demon Prince. But his plot to kidnap Lady Beatrice to make her brother return a priceless heirloom backfires—and he ends up with their penniless cousin Ellie as his hostage. By the time Damien realizes his mistake, he and his fiery-willed captive are trapped in a remote castle during a wild winter storm. And he soon finds that the true hostage may be his own heart.

Tracy’s review of Abducted by a Prince (Cinderella Sisterhood #3) by Olivia Drake

Damien Burke was at Eton on what he thought was a scholarship when he was attacked by bullies. The boy in charge of the group was Walt Stratham and he took something precious from Damien. Damien believes that that item will lead him to whoever his parents are – whether they be paupers or royalty. He has waited years for his chance to get the item back. Damien now owns a gaming hell and Walt has lost a ton of money. Damien tells Walt that he needs to return the item or he will hold his young sister for ransom. Well, Walt’s an idiot and doesn’t return the item and Damien kidnaps Beatrice. Only, it’s not Beatrice he takes but her cousin Ellie.

Ellie is furious that she’s been taken in Beatrice’s place but due to weather and other circumstances she can’t get back to her family in a timely manner. This gives her time to first: look for an escape – none – and second: to get closer to her kidnapper. She lusts after Damien and ends up giving him her virtue as she knows she’ll never marry and has no need of it. She believes she’ll live on memories for the rest of her life. Ha!

Without giving too much of the plot away we see Damien and Ellie together but while Damien wants Ellie to be with him permanently she still believes that she needs to be on her own and wants to leave. This causes all sorts of issues and makes Damien and unhappy man. Ellie was kind of rude about the whole situation but Damien deals with it. He’s not letting something like Ellie’s actions stand in the way of his love.

I didn’t read the first two books in the series but that ended up not being an issue. Yes, there was a character in the story, Lady Milford, who I would have liked to have known more about but it wasn’t a necessity.

The story was very cute and I liked it a lot but quite frankly Ellie had me confused. She cared for Damien and once they were together could pretty much live her life as she wanted but yet she insisted that she be on her own. Yes, this was what she’d dreamed of for forever – to get out of her uncle’s house and be her own person, but Damien was letting her do that and more. I couldn’t see the issue but Ellie put her foot down, and pretty hard too. That didn’t stop her from caring for Damien but it put a damper on the relationship in my mind.

The story was sweet and it was a very readable book. If you want a bit of a fairy tale love story then this would be the one to read.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

 

This title is available from St. Martin’s Paperbacks. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

three-half-stars

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