Bookshop Cinderella
by Laura Lee Guhrke
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: June 20, 2023
Reviewed by PJ
Evie Harlow runs a quaint little bookshop in London, which is the biggest adventure an unmarried woman with no prospects could hope for. Until Maximillian Shaw, Duke of Westbourne, saunters into her shop with a proposition: to win a bet with his friends, he’ll turn her into the diamond of the season. The duke might be devilishly attractive, but Evie has no intention of accepting his ludicrous offer. When disaster strikes her shop, however, she’s left with little choice but to let herself be whisked into his high-society world.
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?
PJ's Thoughts:
I enjoy a good makeover story but I'm not much of a fan of makeovers that are the result of a bet or heroes who don't see the qualities of a heroine until after the change. Thankfully, Laura Lee Guhrke's Bookshop Cinderella takes a different path that hit all the right makeover bet notes for me.
I love that Max saw the important qualities in Evie from the start and only took the bet to show young entitled men how wrong they were. I appreciated that he was upfront with her about the bet and gave her the choice whether or not to participate, making them fully informed partners in the quest.
Evie is the kind of "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" heroine I love reading about and Guhrke does well. It was so much fun to watch her grow in social confidence as the makeover process progressed without ever losing the qualities that made her special and unique. Even more fun was watching Max, a man who after having his heart destroyed by a cross-class marriage and being determined to only marry within his class the next time, finds himself falling for Evie.
If you're looking for a fresh, fun, Victorian romance with sparkling banter, endearing characters, and a hard-won happily ever after, give Bookshop Cinderella a try. I happily recommend it.
Have you read Laura Lee Guhrke?
Do you enjoy cross-class romance?
Do you have a favorite bookshop you enjoy visiting?
One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, June 22 will receive a print copy of Bookshop Cinderella.
*U.S. only
*Must be 18
Thank you to Forever Romance for the giveaway.
