I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Overall I did like this book.
Rafe's mother has decided it is time for him to marry.
Charlotte is little more than a servant in her stepfather house since her mother died when she was a child.
A chance meeting and Rafe is in instalust if not instalove.
I liked rafe a lot. He falls for Charlotte fast and is determined to win her. He is also just a really good man who cares about making the world a better place. I do think that he was a little one dementional, the flawless duke.
I understood why Charlotte lied but she frustrated me a whole lot more.
This is a Cinderella retelling with an Ever After ( Drew Barrymore) feel especially the meeting between rafe and Charlotte.
3.5 stars.

Fell in love with the cover, wasn't as happy once I was done with the book, unfortunately.

This one was a puzzle. I got the impression that Rafe, having grown up a duke in a very buttoned-up environment would be stiff and unfeeling. After this lead up, his character switches gears completely and is a super softie romantic forward thinking guy who proceeds to fall ass over tea kettle in love with Charlotte after meeting her on the street. It's a pretty great meet cute, and he swoops in to save the day for her.

But it quickly devolved from there, for me, as her lies stacked one on top of the other without any rhyme or reason. There were so many chances for her to come clean about who she was, but they kept slipping by, making this feel more like a suspense than a romance at a lot of points. Misunderstandings based on deceit always feel a little off to me, and her reasons for lying in the first place made no sense here.

Overall, I wanted more humor, it would've really helped balance out the book. And the pacing felt off, it was either moving very fast (instalove) or too slow (the black moment seemed to drag on).

There were a few times I got kicked out of the story because of disbelief. She runs out of a party - which would cause quite a scene, he follows her, and NO ONE follows them? For the length of time necessary for them to sneak away and have a lengthy love scene in a grotto? He's a duke! This felt too inane and I couldn't get into it, I kept waiting for someone to catch them.

It's also odd that no one in the duke's family is an adversary, they're all absolute cinnamon rolls, apparently the only aristocratic family to not have any jerks. It took the sugary sweetness to overdone levels, especially compared to her awful family.

All in all, I love Eva Devon but this is not one of my faves. I love how sweet her heroes are, but I just wish this book had better balance between the two MCs.

A huge thank you to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my review.

I read this and as I was listening to book #1. I received an EARC for book # 2 and also received an EARC from Netgalley and Entangled publishing for this book also. I really enjoy Devon's writing style and her characters
This book obviously gives away a lot in the title, but there is quite a surprise ending which brought tears to my eyes.
Charlotte has been raised as a servant in her stepfather house since her mother died when she was 5. She also is a maid to her stepsister, though they have formed a loving relationship.
There is a meet cute with a Duke, who is fascinated by her, and she dreams of a happy ending. However, wicked stepfather has a way of threatening her and wants the Duke for his daughter, Francesca, though the Duke does not want Francesca and she is in l9ve with his friend an Earl.
The story comes to an exciting end, though I do get quite angry with Charlotte for not confiding in the Duke, and the Duke not seeing what is in front of his eyes, but of course then there wouldn't be a story!
Though this is a series, each book is a stand alone, and none of the characters interact. There are just a lot of Duke's around.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the book. I highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series (haven’t read the second but heard great things) and I was so excited to read this one. The cover is gorgeous and I love Eva Devon’s writing. However this story for me fell a little flat. There were just too many contrivances for the story to work and honestly I don’t even think it needed that.
I’m not sure why Charlotte has to pretend to be a cousin and lie about her name when her stepfather had legally adopted her so she could have just introduced herself as a ward or stepsister. It didn’t seem like the family went out in society so I don’t see how it could’ve made a difference.
At one point it felt like the heroine was just lying to lie (and to give the plot some conflict) but the hero was actually a really kind, sweet guy who didn’t deserve to be treated like that.
I also didn’t like how the heroine let everyone steamroll over her but she only became “feisty” to the duke, who was nothing but nice to her. This trend of “feisty” heroines reading their love interests the riot act in an effort to seem feminist is so tired. I blame bridgerton but it’s a shame that those trends have somehow seeped into perfectly good romance writers.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️,5/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️,5/5
CW: domestic abuse

Holy mother of Angsty Cinderella retellings.

I just binged this and I couldn’t put it down. It was like watching a trainwreck happen and I have so many feelings about this that I don’t even know my final rating yet.

I wanted to shake Charlotte all throughout the book and I wanted to hug her so tightly so that she wouldn’t be afraid anymore. Then I wanted to scream at her for not trusting Rafe, while also, again, wanting to give her another smothering hug. I couldn’t deal with all the lying, but I do understand it.

Let’s start at the beginning, and it is a great one. I don’t know how Eva Devon does it, but her book openings seem to grab me immediately. They pull me in like Winnie the Pooh to honey. And I will not go anywhere until all the honey is gone.

Rafe is the embodiment of a cinnamon roll and swoonworthy MMC. It’s pretty much love at first sight for him and he knows he wants Charlotte. He just wants love for the small things and I just wanted to give him so many hugs too.

I love the sisterly bond between Charlotte and Fransesca, and how they both take care of each other and love and encourage each other. Even though that there are some dire consequences to all of their actions, they stick by each other.

I think the biggest issue I had with this was the pacing. It just goes from 65% to the finish line and all the revelations are in like the last 90%? Something was a bit off about it and that is why I am giving it only 3,5 ⭐️. It felt a bit too rushed at the end although I did like the epilogue a lot!

Thank you to Entangled publishing and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

I really love this author!! She doesn’t disappoint! Charlotte and Rafe are so wonderful! I loved that this was a Cinderella retelling and its historical romance! Amazing! Charlotte is a servant in her mothers home to her step father & his son and daughter(both adults). Both Charlotte’s parents are dead. She’s so kind, strong, big hearted, and longs for freedom and love! Rafe, Duke of Rockford, works hard to try and make a difference in the world around him. He had a big heart and wants a love match for himself. So when he’s on a rough part of town, he runs into a young woman that hits hims with a brick! Charlotte is on her way to free a fellow servant but Rafe ends up helping her….he’s already taken with Charlotte. When Rafe call upon Charlotte’s step sister Lady Francescca, he thinks Charlotte is a lady! He invites the ladies on an outing with him. Thius starts the sweet, steamy story of Charlotte and Rafe! I loved the low burn, the twist and turns, and how our hero falls first! Just a wonderfully amazing read! I can’t wait for more from this author!

As a quick read in the Regency Romance genre, The Duke’s Secret Cinderella is an ok selection. It opens to the classic problem of a mother forcing her son to get married so he can get starting on producing a “heir and a spare” and the less classic problem or a female lead—Charlotte—poised as a “lady” with her step sister’s dress on her way to liberate a fellow house servant from debaters prison. The cover is great, the plot fine, but most of the conversations are unbelievable. Almost all of the characters claim that they are different than society and thus are unique in their bluntness and honesty, yet when everyone in the book remains outside of the social norms of the regency high society customs, it feels more like the author doesn’t know what they are rather than the characters are unique in not adhering to them. Readers who enjoy Julie Klassen or Julia Quinn may enjoy this.

This was my first Cinderella-trope romance novel and it was ok. I don't know what I was expecting--obviously I knew the general outlines of the story and that it'd end happily ever after, but I found this story oddly convoluted.

Charlotte meet-cutes Rafe outside a debtors' prison where he helps her out, expecting never to see each other again.. To everyone's surprise, Rafe shows up on her doorstep to meet her relative as a possible wife. From there, you can imagine where the story goes.

It took until about a quarter of the book to figure out who Charlotte was in relation to her relative and what the big deal was. The villian of the story wasn't well-developed and there were quite a few veiled references to their horrible lives, but not much detail.

Rafe's mother and grandmother were also the most progressive people in regency England, which I found to be a bit hard to believe (and I'm willing to stretch my imagination quite far with romance novels).

Rafe and Charlotte were a lovely couple and you could believe their attraction. I struggled a bit with how quickly they fell in love, but it's a book. I really enjoyed Rafe as a main character--he wasn't a typical rake, he was actually a good guy, but a little boring (which may be why most of the male main characters are bad boys--it's hard to write a good guy who's interesting).

Overall, a fun read. I'll be reading more by Eva Devon in the future. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

This had real stress to it, and was written in such a way that made me nervous that things might not work out and I was into it. The pacing was great, the issues were great. Even the Cinderella spin was well done. The duke was a bit much at times, a little too lovey doves and flowery, could have used a touch more spice. But otherwise really liked.

Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

Rafe + Charlotte

◆ Historical Romance
◆ Duke/ Servant
◆ Hidden Identity
◆ Matchmaking Mother
◆ Villainous Stepfather
◆ No cheating
◆ HFN [with an epilogue](view spoiler)

Recommended: YES

This is a great beginning to a new series, I hope. Sexy, hot, and you don't want to put it down. A definite must read. Get your copy today I enjoyed reading.

I wish I could have enjoyed this more but as the story continued on, and Charlotte didn't tell Rafe the truth, despite his obvious infatuation, I grew more and more agitated . It started to become cruel and unnecessary and just disrespectful towards Rafe. Also the fact that she was a foreign, rich princess was so ridiculous to me. Surely, someone would have come searching for her, the British crown surely would be aware that a foreign princess is being cared for by some upstart and would have intervened? Truly beyond baffling. I like fantasy as much as the next girl, but this was just plain ridiculous to me.

I thought this story was beautifully written. I loved the retelling of Cinderella. I was hooked right at the beginning and couldn’t put it down until the very last page.

I enjoyed this and I thought that they were a cute couple. I do wish that they spent more time alone together before being in love. I also wish that we got to see more of them as an actual couple.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Charlotte told the Duke of Rockford that she’s a lady when she’s really just Charlotte—treated as a servant with a wretched stepfather and no prospects. Rafe Dorchester, Duke of Rockford, has avoided marriage but when his mother gives him an ultimatum to find a duchess he decides on pert Lady Charlotte.

This premise relies on a lie and it made me uncomfortable because it was carried for so long. Rafe is adorable and there’s a lot of humor in this. The Cinderella tie-ins are well done, and they had good chemistry. Rage’s mother nearly steals the show. I just personally struggled with how long the lie went on. And then the resolution was a little out of left field. Some readers may happily just go along with the ride.

Charlotte Browne could just kick herself. What on earth possessed her to tell the Duke of Rockford that she is a lady? But something about the duke’s handsomeness and kind intelligence makes Charlotte blurt out the teeniest, tiniest falsehood. Now it’s too late to admit she’s just plain Charlotte of no particular importance—with cinder-stained hands, a wretched stepfather, and no prospects for marriage….

Rafe Dorchester, Duke of Rockford, has done what every self-respecting duke must do—avoid marriage at all costs. But the only thing stronger than the duke is his mother., Wheand she lays down the highest ultimatum, he’ll need to find a duchess. Immediately. Only, when he calls on a potential bride, he instead finds the pert, fresh-faced Lady Charlotte. Rafe was warned to never mix the business of marriage with pleasure, but when it comes to Lady Chearlotte…oh, business would be a splendid pleasure.

A fun Cinderella retelling with characters that were, mostly, realistic. This is a short read, easily finished in just under an hour. The plot is pretty standard for a fairytale retelling, and the pacing was slow in some places, but overall a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

An enjoyable historical romantic fairytale. Charlotte meets the Duke of Rockford in unusual circumstances and he is captivated. She is under the thumb of her wicked stepfather. He wants his daughter to be the next duchess. It’s a great retelling of Cinderella.

Rafe Dorchester, the Duke of Rockford, knows better than to ignore his mother’s ultimatum He reluctantly agrees to pay a call to the sole name on her list of bridal candidates. When Rafe arrives at the lady’s house, he finds the captivating blonde he had helped earlier. He is disappointed to find she is not the candidate on his mother’s list. Charlotte proves to be everything Rafe wants in a wife and duchess. However, the lady in question thinks otherwise. Can Rafe convince Charlotte to be his duchess? Or will her deceit destroy that possibility?
Charlotte Brown is nothing more than an unpaid maid to her cruel and power-hungry stepfather. She encounters Rafe on her way to rescue a beloved servant wrongly incarcerated. Charlotte never expected to find her handsome rescuer paying a visit to her home and her stepsister. She knows a duke would never choose a lowly servant, but she still alludes to being a lady. However, Charlotte soon learns that her falsehoods have dire circumstances. Will Charlotte tell Rafe the truth? Or will she pay the ultimate consequences for her lie?
Sometimes Rafe seemed too good to be true! He is aware of the power he wields as a duke, and he uses it for the common man. Rafe never once came off pompous, arrogant, or snobbish. He actually seemed to dislike his peers’ attitude.
I like the fact that Charlotte’s stepsister is an ally. Francesca helped where she could. She encouraged Charlotte to be the woman she wanted and grab whatever bits of happiness she could. What I adore the most about Charlotte is her dedication and loyalty to those she loved. She refused to abandon a servant of her household because of her stepfather’s cruelty. Charlotte shielded them from the brunt of his malice.
THE DUKE’S SECRET CINDERELLA is the third book in Eva Devon’s historical romance series, NEVER A WALLFLOWER. I am new to this author, so I have not read the previous two books in the series. The story can easily standalone. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the author’s past and future titles.
Generally, I skip over fairy tale retellings. There have been a few novels that I made an exception. The book’s premise captured my interest. It did not disappoint.
I have noticed a trend in historical romance Cinderella retellings. They all have a “good” stepsister (instead of the evil one) that the heroine adores. Well, the two retellings I have read, did. And honestly, I like it that way.

This book is a regency Cinderella retelling. It is a standalone in the Never A Wallflower series. Rafe has been avoiding marriage but his mother throws down an ultimatum forcing him to find a duchess. He, however, wants to find love. He meets Charlotte who tells a white lie so that he doesn’t realize she comes from a lesser station than he.

I’ve been on a regency romance kick lately so I was very excited to read this one early - it’ll be out on 2/21/2023. This Duke was completely swoon worthy - he was kind, compassionate and wanted to use his title to change the world for the better. I also loved how supportive the Duke’s grandmama was.

The writing style was great and the story was very simple but enjoyable, with a great little twist at the end!

3/5 ⭐

I chose this book out of NetGalley. “I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Tropes:
* He falls first
* Don't touch her or I'll kill you
* Charity (he helps and donates to a children's hospital)
*Big plot twist
* Obviously, it's a Cinderella retelling

I really liked the book, the characters were adorable. The only thing I didn't like was the miscommunication trope (all the book is based on a lie and it's reminded to the reader every 2 or 3 chapters).

Francesca and George have my heart. I love them so much. Rafe was so sweet and Charlotte was incredibly strong and brave (I loved her as a the main character)