Book Review #bookreview #cinderellaandtheduke #lydiadrake #entangledamara #netgalley #ARCreader #historicalromance
I can always be charmed into reading a fairy tale retelling romance, and what a perfect way to make your writing debut! Lydia Drake as beautifully inserted herself as a must watch and read author with her debut novel Cinderella and the Duke. Drake tone and writing style easily fits in with other top authors of the genre while being unique to herself. This novel had a beautiful ease to in that made the writing accessible and fun, the pacing is very well done and the romance is sweetly and beautiful crafted. I truly applaud Drake's work and I am so excited to watch her writing grow throughout her career! What a wonderful addition to the historical romance community!
Lydia Drake has beautifully used the bones of the Cinderella fairy tale and made her own unique distinctions to weave together Julia and Gregory's love story. Julia as a heroine is smart and strong, I love that she is not some meek heroine, but rather she is growing into herself and learning to become more bold. Gregory as a hero has some past tragedies that have shaped him and make him close off his heart for protection. But these two are willing to take a chance on the other and enter into a marriage of convenience. It was so charming to watch these two people, who are extremely attracted to the other, dance around each other and their wants for their relationship. I love that they both are a bit cautious and protective of themselves but as they slowly get to learn more about the other they grow more open and aware. This novel is really the exploration of two strangers who enter into a relationship based on attraction and then grow to love, respect and trust the other. Their road is not always easy, they both jump to conclusions quickly, they both don't always ask for what they want or need, but watching their journey of trust and understanding is really gratifying and shows how these two are building a solid foundation for them to build a deeper marriage together instead of their initial plan to live separate lives. Drake does a lovely job building up the tension and sensuality between these two and I like that they both want a physical relationship but that they take a little time to fully dive into it, I also love that we see that their physical trust and attraction in the other opens them up to being bolder in their asks of the other.
Cinderella and the Duke is a wonderful debut and definitely worth the read! I can not wait to see what else Lydia Drake gifts us with, I am looking forward to witnessing her growth as an author.
Thank you to Entangled: Amara and NetGalley for an eARC, all thoughts and opinions are my own.