Always happy to help a lady in distress, Max thinks he’s saving Evie from her dull spinster’s life. He’ll help her find a husband and congratulate himself on a job well done. But as shy Evie becomes the shining star he always knew she could be, she somehow steals his heart. And when her reputation is threatened, can Max convince her to choose a glittering, aristocratic life with him over the cozy comfort of her bookshop?
Comment: I have read several books by this author by now, and the majority has appealed,which is why, when I saw the blurb for this Bookshop Cinderella I was very excited. The story seemed to have key elements I knew I'd love. Sadly, this one didn't impress me as much as I wanted.
Evie Harlow has a bookshop which is what she has left from her father but things aren't great and she compensates by doing some extra tasks, such as helping Delia, an aristocratic woman who organizes special nights at the Savoy. Due to a sudden trip, Delia sends in her cousin Max, the duke of Westbourne, to Evie's shop to get some papers and their first meet isn't the greatest. Following this, the duke and a few other guys agree on a bet, that Evie could be a successful introduction at a ball, and the duke decides to share this idea with her, which she refuses. However, her shop has a problem and Evie decides to use the time for this experiment, which she thinks she would never be able to have otherwise, but are they ready to spend so much time together and commit the mistake of falling in love?
The idea of this story certainly made me imagine many sweet, romantic possibilities and I was all for a plot in which class differences and social expectations would be taken out of the way by true love, but the pace of the story simply slowed me down in what I thought would happen.
When these two meet, it felt the story would go on to have a lighter mood, a quiet acceptance by them as their interactions would increase. However, I was quickly unimpressed by how unrealistic things were. I mean, of course they had to be this way, how could a duke and a working girl have common ground in any other way, but while I can't explain properly, the dynamics between them never convinced me of their chemistry,even though I liked their conversations.
I think my issue was mainly with the pace, things happened in a way I struggled to see in my head. I liked it that Max told Evie about the bet instead of allowing this to become an issue between them, but the way this happens, that she goes on to live at the Savoy for a while and how they dance so she can practice, these things seemed cute at a certain angle, but it all happened very quickly and I just could not be convinced that proximity alone would have made such an impact on them. I also like their conversations and how they shared some things about them, but the falling in love process felt rushed.
Since the plot included several unlikely scenarios, I think the progress of the relationship felt less powerful. I mean, there are many historical romance stories out there, some I have read, with anachronism and unrealistic situations and sometimes these issues don't bother me when it comes to the enjoyment of the book, but in this case I just could not separate my experience from imagining the main characters' meeting that way,or seen through that lens, and then all the social things they share... no, better saying, how others see them interact and it's as if it's not a big deal.
I have liked this author's work and, in general, I like her "voice". However, I think things here didn't quite match some of her most meaningful efforts when it comes to express the characters' developing emotions. Some things just felt like they had to be on instead of being organic to what Max and Evie were going through... and I say this knowing that they do discuss important issues about themselves and about where things are going between them.
The story has an HEA, obviously, which means Max and Evie do talk about their relationship, do admit they like one another and that their feelings are everlasting. There is a very flashy scene, in fact, regarding this, which is absolutely not heard of when it comes to an historical, but in the fantasy context of this being a romance novel, it was meant to be seen as a romantic gesture. The problem, for me, is that I was rather indifferent to them by this point. I liked it that they found happiness, but I wasn't moved by what they had faced.
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