Thank you NetGalley & Laura Lee Gurke for letting me read this book prior to its June release!

It was a pretty enjoyable read, I love the chemistry & “She’s all that” vibes that are throughout the book. I love that Evie is an accomplished, intelligent women & that the Duke is so kind to her and doesn’t belittle her intelligence.

I will say the first half of the book was pretty slow for me & a bit difficult to get into.

Overall, a good book and an enjoyable read!

I enjoyed the story except for being a little confused on what time period it was set in. There should be a date on first page to start the book off otherwise I enjoyed.

This review is totally my own. Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this ARC.

Sweet, uncomplicated romance between a handsome duke and a bookshop owner. Sparks fly from the moment Max, Duke of Westbourne, and Evie Harlow meet in her shabby bookshop--although not sparks of romance, at first. She judges him to be a feckless aristocrat, and he thinks she's a diamond in the rough with a bit of an attitude. He makes an ill-advised, slightly drunken wager with a few acquaintances that he can turn Evie, whom they've judged to be a prim stick-in-the-mud, into the belle of the ball within six week. (If you are getting She's All That vibes, you aren't wrong.)

Thankfully, Max immediately confesses his wager to Evie and frames her proposed metamorphosis as an opportunity to take some much needed R&R from her daily work. Evie agrees, and as they begin to work together to make her more society-ready, they begin to generate the good kind of sparks. Of course, there are obstacles to their inevitable happily-ever-after: Max has some hang-ups, Evie is stubborn, and an unnecessary villain complicates their romantic trajectory.

Max and Evie are lovely, both as individuals and as a couple. They definitely have chemistry on the page, although sometimes it was more combustible than hot romantic chemistry. I got the lust between them, but the love felt a bit rushed. Still, it was a nice little romp with a much-welcome late Victorian setting (what a difference a few decades makes in freshening up historical romance plots!) and two charismatic leads. Definitely a book to pick up if you want a brisk romance with a good dose of humor and charm.

This book had its ups and downs for me. There were parts that were compelling and tension-filled, but also parts that were slow and without finesse. Overall, it was a cute read with a great premise, but I was ultimately not wowed by it.

This book has a She's All That/My Fair Lady set-up. It was fun to read a book with this premise set in this time period! Evie is a bookshop owner who is a little plain and definitely overworked. When Max, a duke, enters her store with some of his friends a bet is concocted to see if Max can make her over to be the belle of the ball. Of course, when Max and Evie get to know each other, feelings develop, but can they exist in each other's worlds?

Again, this premise is really cute. I appreciated how up front Max was about it the entire time. Thank goodness for no hurt feelings/big blowup about the bet! I also really liked Evie and her no-nonsense attitude. She was confident and capable. Max ran a bit hot and cold for me. I thought she and Max had great chemistry when the author was building the tension between them. Unfortunately there were also long periods of time when they weren't together and it made the book drag for me. I felt like I was constantly on a roller coaster where the book was either totally engaging or boring me.

This was a cute read. I wasn't blown away, but I was sufficiently entertained, and I would give the series another shot.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed reading this one. I have a soft spot for a heroine who happens to be a fellow booklover. The aspect of marrying outside of the social class was refreshing. Overall, I liked the writing style and the pacing. I did find certain parts to be a little lackluster, but for the most part, the story was spot on.

ARC provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley, and I have given my honest and voluntary review.

Evie Harlow runs a quaint bookshop in 1890s London, until Maximillian Shaw, Duke of Westbourne offers to save her from disaster: to win a bet with his friends, he’ll turn her into the diamond of the season. Max thinks he’ll find Evie a husband and save her from her dull spinster’s life while he pursues the darling of the season.

More My Fair Lady than Cinderella, this story has a duke whose unsuitable first marriage failed and a heroine who is settling for the hand she was dealt. Each has negative thoughts about marrying outside of their own class.

Good pacing and good character arcs. A few random POV changes to Evie’s conniving former flame took me out of the story. I often struggle with how condescending makeover stories can be, but this one handled it well. It was less about needing a physical transformation but rather needing an opportunity and not being afraid to take it.

I love an independent woman who knows her own mind and Evie is one of these women. She’s a business owner as well which is unique in these regency romances and a nice change. Her relationship with Max is delightful and they have great banter and chemistry. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.

I first saw Bookshop Cinderella when Tessa Dare recommended it on her Twitter. When I later found it available on NetGalley, I snapped it up. I am glad I did.

Bookshop Cinderella is a sweet and sexy historical romance about Evie, a single woman who inherited a rare book bookshop from her deceased father, and Max, a duke who has a plan to marry a compatible member of the aristocracy to perform the duties of duchess, including producing heirs. He has eschewed marrying for love due to his first marriage, which was a love match, disintegrating. His wife passed away after she left him.

Due to a drunken bet made with three obnoxious young lords, Max approaches Evie and offers her a holiday at The Savoy while helping her to transform into a “diamond”. What follows is Evie learning about how to value one’s self and Max learning that to cut off the possibility of love leads to a grey-tinged life.

There is a good amount of sexual tension and pining with this couple, and it is a lot of fun. There was more telling than showing than I like. Delia, Max’s cousin and a late participant in Edie’s transformation, is a great character. I hope we see her in as a main character in a future book.

Thank you to Laura Lee Guhrke, Forever and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

When Miss Evie Harlow took over her deceased father's bookshop in London, the work helped her cope with her grief...now her life is feeling a bit monotonous. Then Maximillian Shaw, Duke of Westbourne, enters her life, bringing the unlikeliest of propositions: to win a bet with his friends, he’ll play Fairy Godfather and turn her into the belle of the ball. Evie has no intention of accepting his ludicrous offer until a disaster strikes her shop, leaving her with little choice.

This is the first book in the new Scandal at the Savoy series. I have been waiting for Laura Lee Guhrke's return from hiatus, and this story was worth it! I read it in a single day.

Evie's bookshop lets her live life on her own terms, not beholden to family; but to make ends meet she does extra research for clients. Max enters Evie's shop on behalf of his cousin, for whom Evie was providing information for a benefit event. When Max's acquaintances insult Evie, he comes to her defense, sparking the outlandish wager. Unlike other similar retellings, Max puts the plan to Evie, suggesting she let him foot the bill and treat it as a holiday from her repetitious routine.

I was quickly hooked into their story and really enjoyed Max and Evie's interactions. I liked how Max nudged Evie out of her comfort zone, and Evie helped Max move on from his past.

Tropes: Working Heroine, Widower, Class Difference, Fairytale Retelling-ish/Rags-to-Riches, Lessons

Steam: 1 (one full scene and one interrupted scene)

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

Bookshop Cinderella by Laura Lee Guhrke
Publication Date: June 20, 2023
Historical Romance

Cinderella is a bit of a stretch here. It’s more like Bookshop Historical “She’s All That” except the story fixes the masochistic tones to the 90’s cult classic. The woman being “made over” is totally in on the bet and stands to benefit from it far beyond the physical transformation.

Evie is a headstrong woman who goes against societal expectations and took over her father’s bookshop upon his death. She thinks she is in-love with her childhood sweetheart Rory, the human equivalent of a giant, large waving red flag. She’s headstrong and independent yet likes this guy?! Enter the Duke of Westbourne. His cousins send him to Evie’s shop for research for their next culinary soiree. He sees Evie and Rory interacting and is just as perplexed by their interactions. Some of his acquaintances see him “slumming” it in the shop and proceed to make fun of it and Evie longafter. They place a bet with a deadline. Evie agrees to help the Duke win the bet and in exchange she stays in a nice hotel, stands to earn some extra cash and undergoes a physical transformation.

Because their relationship was based on honesty long before their romantic entanglement, it added a nice spin to the “She’s All That” story. It was sweet and charming but overall it didn’t wow me and I wasn’t in love with either character. The Duke was reluctant to get involved with an outsider again failing his failed first marriage and I don’t really understand why he would have even accepted this bet or interacted with her at all given his very strong feelings. It seemed kind of out of character so I didn’t completely buy into the story.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing an ARC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Bookshop Cinderella by Laura Lee Guhrke was a delightful read for me. I’m always intrigued by historical romances that have a fairy tale theme. Our heroine, Evie Harlow, runs a quaint bookshop in London and is resigned to being an unmarried woman, having no beau. Enter Maximillian Shaw, a duke. He has taken on a bet with his friends that he cannot turn mousy little Evie into the belle of the Season in London. He thinks he will be able to find a husband for Evie and win the bet.

I loved the machinations that the author used to bring this story to her readers. I was intrigued by the characters and was not sure that the ending would be the one I expected or wanted to happen. I would read more novels by Ms. Guhrke because I thought this book was very well written.

Laura Lee Guhrke’s first book in her new “Scandal at the Savoy” series is the perfect feel-good read!

“Bookshop Cinderella” is a “She’s All That” meets Julia Quinn opposites-attract romance that alternates between Evie Harlow’s and Maximillian Shaw’s points-of-view.

Chapters written from Evie’s perspective were very enjoyable to read! As a bookstore owner, Evie is very knowledgeable and independent during a time period when women were supposed to be neither. Because she is a woman ahead of her time, she is treated like an outsider by members of high society and made to think that she will live out the rest of her life as a spinster. That is, until she meets Maximillian Shaw, the Duke of Westbourne.

Years after the devastating death of his first wife, Max is in search of a new bride, preferably one that he won’t get too attached to. When he stumbles upon Evie and her shop, he makes her an offer—he’ll make her the diamond of the season and they’ll both share the winnings from a bet he made with his friends. The more time he spends with Evie, the more he realizes that there is no escaping love.

I absolutely loved Evie and Max’s chemistry! Little moments in the book where they snacked in the kitchen with one another, practiced dancing together, and snuck looks at each other during fancy dinner parties made my heart flutter. I also appreciated that Max never attempted to change Evie to meet society’s expectations. Instead, he loves her for who she is and makes her aware of the beauty she always possessed. I hope that Evie and Max will make an appearance in the next “Scandal at the Savoy” book!

Heat Factor: The one obligatory scene.
Character Chemistry: He sees her beauty where others are oblivious to her charms.
Plot: Max makes a bet that he can make Evie the toast of the ton.
Overall: It’s fine.

I was all about Laura Lee Guhrke’s books back in, like, 2008. I distinctly reading all of the Girl Bachelor series and thinking they were so fun and fresh. Victorian romances featuring working-class heroines? SIGN ME UP!

However, this spring I’ve been reading nothing but new historical romances (with the occasional foray into the Land of Old School), and the world of Histrom looks different these days. Most of the other books I’ve read recently having been Doing Something: exploring the impact of radical politics on how one should live one’s life (The Viscount without Virtue and The Portrait of a Duchess), writing queer stories in historical settings (The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen and Something Spectacular), or getting the historical romance out of England (Hotel of Secrets in Vienna and Alliance with His Stolen Heiress in the Dominican Republic). Since those were literally the last six books I read (except for Mara, Daughter of the Nile—also historical, also not in England—which was published in the 1950s), Bookshop Cinderella felt kind of…flat. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a perfectly serviceable romance novel, but Guhrke is not straying from the formula that worked well for her 15 years ago: working girl meets a lord.

Though “Cinderella” is literally in the title, I would not really call this a Cinderella retelling. Other reviewers have compared it to She’s All That, and I would say that’s pretty accurate: popular man makes a bet that he can make a nerdy outcast the belle of the ball. Other men might think she’s an ugly old spinster, but he can see that she’s actually a beautiful woman who just needs the right clothes and a little boost to her self esteem. However, in this case, the woman knows about the bet and goes along with the plan, despite her hesitations.

Evie and Max have some cute interactions. They have dancing lessons. Evie gets to go to the opera and eat pâté and try champagne. In short: Max teaches Evie about pleasure. (Sidenote: I’m not a super fan of the 27-year-old never-had-an-orgasm heroine, but I get that this is a beat of the particular part of the subgenre that Guhrke writes in.) (Sidenote #2: I thought the whole running thing about pâté was a little weird. Is pâté really that good? Is pâté really that fancy?)

But even with the cute interactions, I thought that Max and Evie’s chemistry was…fine. Even with the little twist that Evie learns about the bet, the set-up didn’t feel fresh, just…fine. Max is a duke who was traumatized by his unhappy first marriage…fine. Evie owns a bookshop that is mildly successful but is wanting something more from life (or is she?)…fine.

On the other hand: there were villain POV sections, and I friggin hate those.

As I said earlier, this is a serviceable romance novel. I think that readers who are looking for something familiar and mostly read town and gown Regencies and Victorians will probably like this. But I find that I’m looking for something a little bit extra these days.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report. (June)

Laura Lee Guhrke really outdone herself with this book. I absolutely loved reading this novel and by the first few pages, I was immediately hooked. When I first read the description, I was immediately intrigued by the Victorian Era Historical Fiction theme surround a female bookshop owner. Even with Charles Dickens' classics and some historical bookshop owners being written about in the past, I cannot recall reading much about female bookshop owners and I like where Guhrke was going with the plot. The book kind of reminded me of Pride and Prejudice mixed with the movie She's All That because of the fact that the plot surrounded Victorian Era social class differences and a bet to help character development. I loved watching how Evie blossomed into a beautiful character that managed to come out of her shell and see how great she really was. I will say, I did not like that the book cut off where it did. I wanted to see more of a wedding setting and maybe a final payback scene where the scandalmongers and Rory get what they deserve. I guess the author's next book will have more on the subject later (fingers crossed). Overall, this was an awesome read.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this. Evie is happy with her quiet life until a Duke walks into her shop and her life will never be the same. He wants to transform her looks and make her the talk of the ton. The more time evie spends with the Duke, the more the love for him grows. I enjoyed this book.

A historical romance between a woman who owns her own book shop, and a wealthy Duke? Sounds delightful, and a delightful read it was. Thank you Netgally and Forever books for my DRC.

I love the main character Evie and her determination to live life on her own terms. Yes, she was a little naïve at times, but she persevered nonetheless. She also did this while letting Max, the Duke, know his place. It was entertaining to see the evolving feelings between the two and how they handled them.

Witty banter, smart characters, and a floundering London book shop, make this a gem of a tale. If historical romance, interest you I highly recommend you give this book a whirl.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this story and this is my freely given opinion.

This is a late Victorian historical romance about a wealthy, widowed duke who was rather traumatized in his prior marriage to a woman who was not of his social status. He fell in love with a wealthy, new-monied American girl and pursued her vigorously, and when he tried to introduce his new Duchess to London Society, she was shunned, and treated terribly, and it tore their relationship apart, and she left him to go back to America. When he went after her, it was only to find out that she was killed in a carriage accident. He was left with a bitter, broken heart, and the desire that when he next took a wife, as was his duty, it would be choosing with his head, not his heart, from a list of women from his social status, suitable to being a Duchess.

This is how Maximillian Shaw, the Duke of Westbourne finds himself spending the Season at the Savoy, with the plans to pursue and court the beauty of the season. His beloved cousin lives and works there as well, and incurs his aide while she has to travel, to help her with planning a banquet, by gathering research from a local bookseller, Evie Harlow. She is a down on the heels bookshop owner nearby, alone in the world, and running her small store by herself. She adds to her income by doing research and typing out manuscripts. Otherwise she is eking out a living, feeling rather alone in the world. She has hopes though, when a childhood friend returns home and appears to show an interest in her.

Max and Evie's first encounter is less than friendly. Max witnesses her interaction with her friend/love interest, and is not taken in by the man's charm and slick manipulation of Evie, and does not hide his disdain. He also has been tasked with babysitting his love-interest's immature brother and friends, who have been sent down from Oxford and more interested in drinking, gambling, and raising hell than behaving, and when they follow him into Evie's store, she is less than pleased by their disrespect and mess they make, and voices her displeasure.

That night Max and the boys, while getting a bit tipsy on Manhattens at the Savoy, start discussing the charms or lack thereof of the prim and prissy Miss Harlow, as she is labelled by the boys. Max defends her, seeing intelligence and beauty that the more immature dolts miss, and this leads to a wager where Max would introduce her to Society and if she can charm men into dancing with her all night at a gala ball he is hosting in a few weeks time, he would win a few quid. Max thinks this is an easy win, and also gets the boys to agree to behave with the promise of getting them letters to be accepted back into Oxford, which would earn him brownie points with the woman he is courting.

But when he approaches Evie with his scheme and explains how it came to be... well, it did not impress her much at all, and she turns him down flat. Unfortunately after she ejects him from her bookstore, things take a turn for the worse and her very store and home are threatened. Thus she is forced to turn to Max and be part of his wager. This throws her into the elite world of the Savoy, and a bit of a My Fair Lady storyline. Max and Evie spend more time together, and develop a friendship that deepens into an attraction on both sides, despite Max not wanting to risk his heart again by having a relationship with another woman not of his class, and Evie knowing that she is not of his world.

A lovely My Fair Lady-esque story with two very likeable main characters, and a pretty feel good story in general. It ranges more on the sweet, with passionate kisses, and some steamy touching, until near the end. The focus is very much on the MCs, with the secondary characters being very much in the background and accessorizing the story. There is a bit of mean-girl's feel to how Evie grew up and was treated as a wallflower, and made to feel an outsider, and how her so-called friend used and abused her later on, but other than that, the story did not feel not super dramatic, and the story was very much on the MCs romance and Evie coming out of her shell.

4.5 stars out of 5

This is a well written historical romance. I loved the characters and was totally engrossed by the story.

I usually dont enjoy historical romance but this one was done right! I loved the Cinderella vibes. A shop owner who falls in love with a Duke. It was very Bridgerton and I enjoyed that. I highly recommend this book!

Bookshop Cinderella is the first novel I’ve read by Laura Lee Guhrke, and I really enjoyed it. It’s a fun and entertaining historical romance about a duke who makes a bet with his friends about turning a bookshop owner into the diamond of the season. Evie, whose bookshop has flooded, leaving her without her livelihood and a place to stay, reluctantly agrees to help Max win his bet.

The story definitely has some Cinderella vibes, but it more reminded me of the movie She’s All That and the play Pygmalion. I love the scenes where Evie, like Julia Roberts’s character in Pretty Woman, experiences new things, like riding in an elevator and going to the opera. Her wide-eyed wonder and enthusiasm are infectious. Max is very much Evie’s Prince Charming, but he’s also her fairy godmother. Providing her with clothes, lodgings, food, and everything else she needs, Max shows Evie a life she’s never known. It’s interesting to see how these two different people from different social classes connect.

Max and Evie come from very different worlds, and because of past experiences, they must work through the misgivings and reservations they have about societal expectations and prejudices. This causes issues in their budding relationship, as neither sees a successful future with them together. However, their feelings for each other are strong, and both have to decide whether these feelings are worth risking everything. I enjoyed their love story. It had a ton of chemistry and sexual tension, and their declarations for each other are lovely.

Evil’s friend Anna and Max’s cousin Delia are great secondary characters too, and I especially liked Delia. She’s fun and funny and so vivacious. I’m hoping we’ll see more of her and learn about her story in future books. I also like how supportive and kind Max’s family is. When he’s struggling, they all come to help him, and I found this part of the story really endearing.

I also love how fierce Max is in convincing Evie she is amazing. He does and says so many things that reveal how much he admires, respects, and cares for Evie, and it’s clear long before he admits that he loves her. I love how he boosts her self-confidence and makes her feel like the beautiful, wonderful person she is. And I’d love to have a dance partner as swoon-worthy as Max! Their love story is funny and romantic, and the banter is fantastic.

This was a unique historical romance and a great start to a new series. I buddy read the book with Leslie from Books Are the New Black, and we both liked the characters, plot, and romance. Thanks so much to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.