Category: Fairytale Retelling

Marry Me by Midnight by Felicia Grossman

On By TracyIn Fairytale Retelling, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Marry Me by Midnight (Once Upon the East End #1)Marry Me by Midnight by Felicia Grossman

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Once Upon the East End, #1

Release Date: August 8, 2023

After the death of her father, heiress Isabelle Lira finds herself being pushed out of the family business, the only way to maintain her position is to marry a man who she can control. But she can’t marry just anyone, she needs a respectable, well-placed Jewish man from a good family. She decides to host some events and invites several eligible Jewish men to attend, but she needs someone to check out these men to determine who will be the best man to fulfill her requirements or at least dig up some dirt on him making him easier to control. Enter Aaron Ellenberg, a custodian at the synagogue.

Aaron is a poor orphan who dreams of a better life, a life with a happy family. He is a genuinely nice person who just happens to be smoking hot too. He agrees to check out Isabelle’s suitors and report back to her. Falling in love was never part of the plan and clearly could never be, but the more time they spend together, the deeper they fall and the more hopeless it appears. But the heart wants what it wants, the question is, will they be brave enough to defy expectations and follow their hearts or will they stay true to social strictures and give up on any hope of a HEA together?

This was a well-written, nicely paced novel with a reverse Cinderella twist, featuring wonderful characters, steamyish love scenes, hard choices, and ending with HEA! I need to point out that this book is the reason I love reading historical romance, I love learning about the differences people dealt with in the past, and it gives me hope that we as a society will eventually learn to live without prejudice. I am not Jewish, and therefore cannot asset to the accuracy of the traditions, etc, but I thought the information given was interesting and I felt the author did an excellent job of explaining the issues that the Jewish communities faced in a predominately Christian society, including the prejudice, discrimination, and hatred they faced because of their faith, as well as the laws that affected their everyday lives and their business dealings. I had never read this author before, but this was the first book in new series, so I will certainly look forward to reading more from her in the future.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

The Beast and the Bookseller by Eva Devon

On By TracyIn Fairytale Retelling, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Standalone Title, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Beast and the BooksellerThe Beast and the Bookseller by Eva Devon

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone Title

Release Date: June 5, 2023

Miss Elizabeth Sharpe is the only child of the owner of Sharpe and Son, a bookshop that opened in 1665 and that has been passed from father to son ever since. It has also boasted the patronage of the Dukes of Montrose for just as long. But now it appears that that connection may be coming to an end, as the Duke, a man who is known by all as a recluse, is coming to the shop in person to meet with Elizabeth’s father. This cannot be good and to make matters worse her father is not fit company for the duke, nor has he been for some time. Her father has taken the loss of Elizabeth’s mother and any hope for a son very hard, losing himself in drink and leaving the bookshop in Elizabeth’s hands. Elizabeth hopes that her father will see how capable she is and leave the shop to her, but if she cannot convince the duke to continue to give them his business, there will be no bookshop to inherit. Elizabeth is shocked to learn that the duke has not been receiving his weekly orders as she believed her father was performing that duty, the duke has demanded that Elizabeth perform the task herself or he will take his business elsewhere!

Garrett Edward Matthew Maximilian, the Duke of Montrose is annoyed that he had to interrupt his busy day to leave his home – something he rarely does – to visit his erstwhile bookseller. When Mr. Sharpe is nowhere to be found leaving his daughter to clean up the mess he made, Garrett is surprised by Elizabeth and instead of taking his business to another shop as he planned, he demands that Elizabeth take over the task of delivering his books from now on if she proves herself, he will continue to patronize the shop. Not only does she succeed in the task, but she also excels, and soon the two form an unlikely friendship. Garrett has a lot going on in his life, he is on the brink of avenging his mother, but the task takes him to a dark place and Elizabeth becomes a light in his life, keeping him sane and even happy. But when a well-meaning outing goes awry, their lives will change forever, but will their forever be happy??

This was a delightful Beauty and the Beast retelling with a dash of Pride and Prejudice thrown in for good measure. I loved Elizabeth and Garrett together, they have both known pain, yet they have reacted very differently to it. The story steadily unfolds and the reader is sucked into a tale filled with loss, books, new discoveries, changes, steamyish love scenes, great secondary characters, pain, and finally a very sweet declaration scene promising HEA. I was disappointed that there was no epilogue, because I really felt it was needed, considering the major changes they would both be dealing with, but overall it was an emotionally gripping story that was an enjoyable read.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*