This is an interesting and complicated story loosely based on Cinderella. The idea is very similar. A neglected and abused girl is rescued by an honorable hero. Emma is governess to Lord Markham’s ward Daphne. Ash, an Agent of the Crown, has come to England to investigate the murder of Daphne’s parents. Ash’s investigation and friendship with Markham allows him to spend a lot of time in the Markham household and therefore with Emma. There is an attraction, but Emma is uncertain. There is plenty of drama in this one. The villain is arrogant, deceitful, and somewhat insane. The other characters are kind, helpful, understanding, and caring. Happily ever after? This is a fairy tale; Ash even finds her slipper. This is a sweet story, with huggable characters (all but a couple of them), and a wonderful epilogue.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Part of the series, Happy ever Regency, the sixth book, ‘How to Return a Lady’s Slipper’ focuses on Miss Emma Glass, who has been traumatised by her past, but is resolved to care for her daughter. She finds fulfillment in her role as governess to Lord Markham’s ward whilst caring for her own, yet she can never truly escape the traumas that she experiences. Until she meets Hugh Lawrence, the Due of Ashhaven, Ash, has been working for many years in service to the Crown and his latest investigation is in assisting Lord Markham to discover the truth behind the gruesome murder of a doctor and his wife, which left their daughter, as his ward. Despite Emma’s fears, she finds herself drawn to Ash as he is to her, yet as the investigation proceeds, the two find themselves questioning any possible future.
This was a book with a great storyline. Ashhaven is an interesting character as he brings tremendous strength to the book and he is a determined man, yet one filled with compassion for Emma. I must admit that I found Emma’s permanent state of fear, difficult to read, as her hesitancy and almost paralysed state, meant that the book seem to have moments where it stalled. There is plenty of action and intrigue in this book, and I found the romance did add to these features.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

A soul-stirring book that touches on several touchy subjects, but the author, Bree Wolf does it with grace and tenderness. Emma Glass is plagued by something that occurred in her past, but she just can’t seem to be able to discuss the traumatic event with Hugh, the Duke of Ashhaven.
The Duke finds Emma’s slipper at a ball and things start to come together for the two souls.

The plot is a very interesting one. The characters are strong, but it just seems to drag along a bit. It just needs some more spice and more interaction. It is sort of boring, but overall I liked the book and would share it with a friend.

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

Loved this storyline! Emma was btoken, but kept going for her daughter. When she met Ash, her life changed. This story has some twist and turns. Tho I wanted to yell at Emma sometimes to get tough, I really loved this story!

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have loved the last two books in the series and was excited when I got this one, however this failed to live up to its predecessors.
Emma was boring and annoying. I get that she had a traumatic past but the constant panic and fear about everything. The only reason I see Ashaven caring for her would be because he has some need to rescue a damsel in distress. Ashhaven was sweet and could have done better with someone who had some spirit. I found myself more interested in the supporting cast of characters that emma.
A generous 3.5 stars.

I do usually quite like Bree Wolf's books, and I enjoyed the first tomes of her Happy Ever Regency series, but I must say this book didn't convince me.

I did not like the characters, especially Emma — although I understand she had a traumatic past, I can't understand how she can be so weak and afraid all the times; and then of course, towards the end she decides to be brave! That didn't make much sense. Neither did the fact that she escaped the ball to then come back. Neither did her lies. Neither did her romance with Ash—both barely knew each other before they fell in love, which didn't make it credible, and the fact that a Duke (of all peers!) would marry a former maid doesn't seem to shock anyone!

I also felt that the plot could have been clearer and more concise, it dragged on for a very long time (about 50 chapters!) with not much happening all along.

However, what I did like was hearing about the characters of the previous books of the series.

*I received an ARC and this is my honest review*

This is the sixth book in the Happy Ever Regency Series. While it is a stand alone story, we do get to enjoy characters from the previous stories who attend the house party. Each story reminds you of a fairy tale. This story is a variation of Cinderella.
Hugh Lawrence, the Duke of Ashhaven, is trying to solve the mystery of who murdered Daphne's parents. Miss Emma Glass was hired by Lord Markham as a Governess for Dahne. Emma has a secret of her own and a distrust of all men.
Hugh is strong, solid, and dependable.
Emma is traumatized by her past.
One is a Duke, one a maid/governess.
A Great Story!

Emma one goal is to protect her daughter. When she becomes ill, Emma vows to do whatever she needs to save her precious child. Baron Markham isn’t usually a rescuer, but when he comes upon the distraught mother, he vows to take care of the child and in turn, Emma. Accepting a position as governess for the Baron’s ward, Emma is thankful to have a safe place for her child, but is frightful that it will not last.
Hugh, Duke of Ashhaven, is on a mission for the Baron and for justice. Their target: Lord Amhurst, a man known for his depravity. Neither Hugh nor Baron Markham are aware that Emma has a tie to Lord Amhurst and is very, very afraid of him.
There is the underlying mystery concerning the death of Daphne’s parents, which Ash and Emma vow to protect the children as they work together to bring the murderer to justice.

How to Return a Lady's Slipper is part of Bree Wolf's Happy Ever Regency Books series, each book being a loose retelling of a fairly tale. The choice for this one is Cinderella and it is as unlikely as it gets, but a fun read. The protagonist is an agent for the Crown, Ash, investigating the heinous murder of a doctor and his wife, leaving only their small child untouched, probably because the murderers didn't know she was there. The female protagonist, Emma, is a governess to that child, who had been rescued by Lord Markham shortly after the tragedy when the child's mother told him of her existence right before she died. He has raised her as his own, by himself, until the night he came upon Emma, wet and freezing, clutching her own small child. Despite her lack of education and having no idea of her background, he hired her to become Daphne's governess and so the two little girls were raised together. Now Markham has asked his good friend, Ash, to look into the murders so that they aren't constantly looking over their shoulders. In doing so, Ash, although he's a duke become instantly attracted to Emma, who is a governess with no past. The situation is ripe for intrigue and drama.

Emma is frightened...all the time. She is worried she will be discovered by her daughter Susan's father. She is afraid, well of almost everything. She is beautiful but nervous and very twitchy. What attracts Ash to her is probably his need to take care of people. The plot is complicated, but well done. There are other romances, and other people involved to throw fire into the mix. The pacing is good and the uncertainty keeps one reading just to see what will happen next. They seem like an unlikely pair, but as Ash points out, he is a duke and can do as he pleases. Kind of an arrogant point of view, in a very not arrogant man, but it works. How to Return a Lady's Slipper is about the battle between deceit, hatred, and murder, versus kindness, love, and justice. It is a good read and recommend it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of How to Return a Lady's Slipper by Dragonblade, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #netgalley #howtoreturnaladysslipper

This romance has a good plot with all the intrigue one could hope for as the Duke of Ashhaven seeks to unravel events of the past. The prologue to this book draws the reader in and had all the hallmarks of an enticing book as Emma Glass hides away on Lord Markham's estate with her young daughter. Unfortunately, the story is so slow-moving and drawn out, that I kept losing the plot and had a hard time concentrating. The last quarter of the novel does pick up the pace and ended on a successful note. This book also eclipses other novels in the series, which confused me at times as I was sure I had previously read a number of the passages and knew that I had already read the characters' stories and found myself going back to the preceding books to figure out what was going on. I have always enjoyed this author's books but was somewhat disappointed in this one. I received a copy of this romance through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Miss Emma Glass wants nothing to do with noblemen. From experience, she knows that deceitful minds hide behind their most charming smiles, and thus, she keeps to herself, her sole focus her precious little girl, Susan as well as the means necessary to ensure her future.
Dedicated to fulfilling her role as governess to Lord Markham’s young ward, Emma finds relief in seeing her own child grow up in safety, far away from the threats of a society she herself barely escaped...if not unscathed. Nightmares still haunt her, and yet, Emma is willing to endure anything she must to ensure her daughter’s well-being. Until she finds her heart reawakened by a most inconvenient and utterly unsuitable man, a nobleman. After long years in service to the Crown, Hugh Lawrence, Duke of Ashhaven, returns from the Continent upon a friend’s request. A most gruesome murder has occurred, one which his friend trusts no one else to solve but him. Tender emotions spark in his heart whenever he glimpses Miss Emma Glass, governess in his friend’s household, for she reawakens hopes he had never dared admit even to himself.
This is the sixth book in the series but is easily read on its own. Well written with characters of depth, I really liked Ash who jumped at shadows & as the girls said she worried about everything, I did gradually like her more as the story progressed. I found it to be well written & it flowed well but did stall on occasion. Not my favourite book by the author but still very enjoyable. I did love the epilogue, which rounded off the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This is an unusually long book. With forty nine chapters a prologue and an epilogue it is quite wordy. It is a good story nonetheless.
Ash and Emma make a lovely couple endearing us to them. I liked the idea of this book but I would have preferred it not to be so lengthy.
Bree Wolf writes a delightful romance.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley and I have written this review voluntarily.

A lovely regency romance, well written with engaging characters. Emma and Ash kept you wanting more. Emma has suffered in the past from the nobility and strives to protect her daughter but she finds it very hard to resist falling in love with Ash, the Duke of Ashhaven. A lovely happily ever after.

2 stars

A sweet Cinderella story of overcoming fears & allowing the heart to love again. I enjoyed the story, but my low rating is mainly due to my dislike of the writing style, and several annoying plot holes (addressed in detail below).

[What I liked:]

•There is such a warm sense of family among the Markhams, the Caswells, Ash, Emma, Abigail, and the rest of their circle. It’s a touching & believable chosen family set up.

•The Cinderella retelling is cute & charmingly worked into the story, without it taking over the larger narrative arc. I thought that part was cleverly done.

•The pacing is decent, both in terms of the mystery being solved & the development of the romance. I like stories where there’s not insta-love, & there is some nuance & build up to romantic relationships.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•I had a hard time liking Emma. She’s so fearful, blames herself for everything, etc. I understand how much her trauma impacts her, which is definitely realistic, but a heroine with such a lack of agency was hard for me to connect to, especially initially.

•The writing is a bit melodramatic & exaggerated, especially the inner monologues of Emma & Ash. It felt emotionally overwrought to me at times.

•The prose is very wordy and it felt stilted to me, such as using “indeed”, “in truth”, and “truth be told” in every other sentence, both in the dialogue and the narration. Because it felt so awkward to read, it often pulled me out of feeling immersed in the story. (It’s not due to poor grammar, it’s just the style is not what I prefer.) The writing could have been tightened considerably, and repetitious phrases eliminated or reduced. There are zero contractions used in both dialogue & narration, which felt overly formal & not very smooth; again, that’s just a stylistic choice that’s not my preference, but it made the prose hard for me to read.

•There are some plot points I had a hard time believing. Why hire a person as a governess who isn’t educated, one you met five minutes ago off the street? Why didn’t Pierce just give her a maid position, or at least make sure she was trustworthy before entrusting his daughter’s upbringing to her? Also, Emma’s had three years of kindness & friendship; why does she suddenly start to trust her friends now? That wasn’t adequately explained.

•How did Pierce end up as Daphne’s guardian? Did he know her parents? Did she not have any other relatives? This isn’t totally unbelievable, but it would have been nice if the connection was explained.

•Why was this crime being investigated by a bunch of peers? What about the regular police detectives? How did Ash become an agent of the crown? Why was he abroad for so many years, didn’t he need to take care of his extensive estates?

•Charlaine’s backstory is very unclear, and her presence in the story felt random. How did she end up in England after losing her whole family in Jamaica? How did she become Lord Markham’s ward? Is she supposed to be a second governess of sorts?

•What did Emma do for the years between leaving Amhurst’s employ & Markham finding her? An unwed mother with no references from her employer would have found it nearly impossible to find a job (other than prostitution), but this isn’t addressed at all. Did she end up in a workhouse?

•There are some anachronisms: birth certificates were not a thing in England in the 18th C.; Ash assumes Emma only wears her hair up because she’s practical, but that was the norm at the time & it would have been inappropriate for a grown woman to wear her hair loose.

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

DNF 25%

Unfortunately this book was just missing the special something that usually draws me into historical romance. I could not keep any of the men's names straight, and often couldn't even figure out what was happening in a scene.

I will try again at a later time.

*This eARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.