#Review: THE DUKE'S THE SECRET CINDERELLA by Eva Devon

 

4 of 5 stars

Rafe Dorchester, Duke of Rockford, has always done everything the proper way. He's an honorable man and takes his responsibilities very seriously. When he literally runs into Charlotte in a seedy part of town, he's pleasantly surprised that she has no qualms about telling him exactly what she thinks about his "help." He's intrigued with the young woman and goes with her to help release a friend from prison. Rafe doesn't want the encounter to end and asks her name. Charlotte doesn't know what made her lie about her identity to the handsome duke except for the fact she panicked and never thought she'd see him again.  When Rafe appears at her door, she's in for the shock of her life. Now, what should she do?

This story was loosely based on the fairytale, with the stepfather/guardian being the villain in the story instead of a wicked stepmother. While I understood Charlotte's reasoning for lying about her identity, the fact that she kept up the pretense for so long instead of confessing the truth was a little irritating. Rafe was a duke and could certainly protect her from her stepfather, but she never trusted him enough. There are a couple of good twists and turns in the book before the couple has the HEA. One criticism is the fact throughout the book, Charlotte's love for the servants in the household is demonstrated over and over again, but in the epilogue, there isn't even a mention of them. That was definitely a misstep, in my opinion. However, I look forward to reading Francesca's story next.

I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy, and all opinions are my own.