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.

A little bit Cinderella and a lot more “My Fair Lady”. I really enjoyed this story of a shop owner who falls in love with a Duke. Of course, it doesn't start out that way and there are many obstacles along the way but I did cheer for an HEA and was not disappointed. This was well written by an accomplished Historical Romance author. I highly recommend this book!

Gosh, I love Laura Lee Guhrke. Her historical romances always satisfy. If you're looking to fall deep into another world, with all the delightful tropes of Romance, her books are for you. This particular one I love because the heroine is a smart, hard-working bookshop owner. From the very beginning, and throughout, she holds her own. Because her life has been difficult, because she has had to run a barely surviving bookshop on her own, she doesn't take many risks. When a Duke comes, and offers her a Cinderella story, she discovers how much more to life there is outside of working all the time. I also love the hero of this story because he never hides the bet he makes about turning the mousy bookshop owner into someone men would want to dance with at a ball. I was worried this was going to be some love story based on a lie, which I never like, but the Duke tells her exactly how they can both profit (and really, mostly her) from her wardrobe transformation, and attendance at fancy events. The two have a lot of chemistry together, and some steamy scenes, but most importantly, they just seem to really listen to each other and care about each other a lot. It's very sweet. There's really nothing to complain about this book except maybe that I wish there were more!

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

This was ok. I liked the premise, but the dialogue was pretty boring and there weren't any real sparks between the two leads. For fans of historical romance, it's a good palate cleanser.

I received an e-arc from Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review!

Thank you!

This was such a fun story to read. I was excited to get an e-arc ahead of time. I literally could not put the book down since it was a Victorian time take on Cinderella with a twist! I loved it! Who doesn't love Cinderella stories? Oh and bookshops!

The main character Evie Harlow is her own person who runs her own business which is a bookshop was fun to see in this time period. She wears what she wants and is okay with being called a 'spinster.' She does what she wants compared to what society wants her to be. I loved this!

So when Max comes into her life with the deal, things change for her! It was fun to see her get a taste of fun and dress shopping and eating new foods. I loved her reaction to seeing the electronic lift for the hotel. I did love the connection that Evie had with the dressmaker Vivienne being on your own and working away.

I will say there were a few giggle moments when I was reading this story. One was from Evie to Max "And how do you know so much about women's clothes?" Plus there was another moment regarding to 'red satin garters' which made me chuckle at how that went down. Another moment was when Evie was talking to Max and she said "I enjoyed defying their expectations." Go woman power!! Loved, loved that!

Another thing I liked was when Max was teaching Evie how to dance. I love this. I love dancing so this made my day or night (when I was reading it)! The movements, the moments and the music during this part of the book was so fun.

Other than Max and Evie, there was Evie's friend who she grew up with named Rory. I think Evie had a slight crush on him but in time realized he was not worth her time. I did not like the Rory character because he seemed fishy to me. I just wanted to point that out on how I felt about Rory.

There's one more character that pops up which is Max's cousin, Delia who is such a joy! I loved her gumption and experience she has. I wonder if there's a story about her?

It did feel like a friendship to a slow burn with Evie and Max which I enjoyed. Does their relationship have a happy ending? You need to pick this quick, light, fun and sweet romance book up to read to find out what happens to Max and Evie.

I really really liked it! I look forward to more from this author!

I love romance novels. However I'm super picky about them. Unfortunately this one just didn't do it for me. The story was good, but the writing style just put me off.

This was a fun historical take on the "She's All That" movie. Take a frumpy girl and turn her into a stunning beauty.

Evie is running her father's bookshop since his passing and is seemingly happy as a spinster - until the boy next door comes home and sparks her attention. He's a nerer'do well, so thankfully her head is turned towards Max, the Duke of Welbourne. He's in the bookshop on behalf of his cousin, Delia, to get some research for a fancy dinner. His two friends poke fun at Evie and her plain, unwealthy ways. In the end, a bet is placed to see if the Duke can make Evie the belle of the season. The rest of the story follows Max and Evie's romance as he tries to make her fit into his world. The characters were fun and the secondary cast was interesting, too. This is titled as the first of a series, I'll be interested in reading more.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a digital, temporary ARC in return for my review.

i received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Evie Harlowe runs a quaint little bookshop, but when the Duke of Westmore propositions her help to win a bet with his friends to make her the Diamond of the Season, she can't resist to his offer especially after her shop is damaged. She has no choice but to be whisked into the high society world of the ton, and let the duke transform her into the bell of the ball.

After a very slow beginning for me, I found myself really getting into this book. What a fun historical take on She's All That, I hated that Evie was made to feel ugly by those young men who made the bet but was extremely surprised at how much Max didn't act stuck up or snobby. He truly cared for Evie and tried to make her life better especially when he saw how hard she worked. He was a super sweet hero, and I loved the subtle moments between them like when he was teaching her how to dance. There was a gentleness and a kindness to their relationship. They were friends and lovers. If you want a good guy hero who doesn't really screw up badly then you may want to give this a try.

Overall, an engaging read just wish it had picked up a little faster. If it's going slow in the beginning for you stick with it because it gets better a little over 25 percent in.

Max and Evie start their romance to counter a bet. They learn to work together to come out as winners. Through the time they learn to get to know each other and along the way Max teaches Evie the wonderment of firsts.

I thought this was a nice, easy read. I recommend.