This book gave me all the 'She's All That' vibes butin a historal setting, and i am LIVING for it!
From the beginning there was a ton of chemistry from Max and evie, and it hooked me. The relationship made me swoon and laugh plenty.
The book was fun and enjoyable for a historical romance.
The story line was solid and the plot was incredible.
The characters were very well devoloped and realistic.

It was a quick read for me that had me wanting more with every page. i cannot recommend this book enough. its become an instant favorite for me!


Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the ARC

Evie Harlow and Maximilian Shaw... It felt a bit more like "she's all that" than Cinderella. And who doesn't love a good makeover? Or that song "Kiss me" because it would have totally been appropriate for this book. The yearning in this book was heavy, especially on Max's side, but it didn't feel anguished in a certain way... Which I thought it might be... It seemed like there were some overnight realizations that happened and some things felt a bit forced. I read this book fairly quickly so the pacing was good, which is usually the case for Laura Lee Gurkhe's books. I can't pinpoint why I didn't love this book as much as I did her other books. Maybe because there wasn't as much struggle or conflict even though it felt like it was trying to be. In any case, I did enjoy the grand gesture moment and there are some good supporting characters who I enjoyed reading and I am still looking forward to the next book in the series.

Steam: 🔥
Heart Flutters: ❤️

Bookshop Cinderella is the first in Laura Lee Guhrke’s latest series, Scandal at the Savoy, and a great example of how you subvert some dated, yet beloved tropes for a modern audience, keeping what is beloved about them, while unpacking the more problematic aspects. With parallels to the narratives of Cinderella, Pygmalion/My Fair Lady, and even She’s All That, with just a bit of original flair, the story has a lot to offer.
I really liked both lead characters. Evie is relatable, in her lack of prospects, not to mention her vocation as a bookshop owner. I appreciate that any lingering dreams she may have are tempered by a sense of the reality of things, and she doesn’t let herself get too caught up in this sudden attention from Max or his cousin, even if it is coming from a good, sincere place.
Max is also pretty easy to like, even if he does have his own shortcomings. He had a disastrous first marriage where he married for love (or what he mistook for love) instead of for practical reasons, and as much as he’s attracted to Evie, I appreciate that he does try to behave honorably by her for most of the book. He even has fairly good intentions with the bet, and he lets her know about it right away, not proceeding with his plans without her full cooperation.
I really liked the dynamic between the two, and they had great chemistry together. I did wonder how it would work out, as while I could see him slowly bending on his conviction about marrying outside his class again, I wasn’t sure if Evie would be so keen about it. However, her transition toward accepting the challenge felt believable, and culminated in a sweet moment between them.
I really enjoyed this book, and can’t wait to see where this series goes. I recommend it to fans of Victorian-set historical romance, especially if you enjoy cross-class romance.

I don’t normally go for the type of book, but I am so glad I did and fell so in love. I loved the FMC so much!! The storyline was very enjoyable and I found myself not being able to stop reading! There were some difficulties getting into the book in the beginning but as the story went on it became easier.

If you’ve seen the movie She’s All That it’s giving those vibes but make it historical! Evie is a middle class Londoner who has pulled her fathers rare books store out of debt and is supporting herself, until the Duke of Westbourne sweeps in and offers to ~Cinderella her~ for the season. I love that the two of them are both on a journey of realizing that what they thought they wanted is not what will make them happy and coming to terms with that. And if you’re wondering does it bang, the answer is YES.

This book gave me She's All That vibes, but make it historical!

Lots of fun to read, Max and Evie had a ton of chemistry from the start. It dragged a bit in the middle, and I think Rory deserved a bit more then he got. Overall an enjoyable read for historical romance fans!

Bookshop Cinderella Arc Review

This book was an absolute joy to read. I was in the mood for historical romance goodness and boy did it deliver! It was the most perfect, genially crafted and absorbing historical I’ve read in a while. My absolute regards to the writer. I was not familiar with her work but it has now become a life goal of mine to rectify that.

The characters well very well developed, realistic and so much fun. The duke is omg, everything you want in a romantic heroe: charming, kind, sexy as hell, mischievous and so amazingly in love with our main girl. And as for Evie, I adore her to no end. She strikes me as such a relevant protagonist for a historical romance of this time: she’s clever, intelligent, sassy, self assured and fiercely independent.

One thing I really like is that the romance really takes it’s time. It it not enemies to lovers, it is enemies to friends to lovers. Their relationship was a blast, it made me laugh, swoon and bite my nails at times.

Overall this is an insta-fav for me and I do strongly recommend that you all get your hands on it as soon as it comes out. Thanks a million to the author, Forever Publishing and Netgalley for this arc.

I buddy read this with Julie and we both really enjoyed this one! There are a lot of little things that remind you of Cinderella. This is the first book that I’ve read by this author but will not be the last!

This is a really cute romance with so many sweet moments. One of my favorite aspects of this whole entire story is something that I can’t quite talk about because of spoilers. I will say that I loved the communication for the most part. You will have moments that it’s terrible because it seems to happen a lot in romances. There is one big aspect that came out and I loved how it was for everyone involved.

I really loved how much Evie was so open to experiencing new things. The differences between Evie and Max are huge because they come from two different worlds. Evie is struggling to hold onto her bookshop but Max is a Duke! There are a few enemies-to-lovers moments, in the beginning, but nothing that really sticks around. In fact, I loved the way Max was just so sweet and caring when it came to Evie. Things don’t really start off that great but I loved where their relationship takes them. Their romance was just so beautiful and I loved how Max fed so much confidence into Evie.

This is a really quick read! The writing was fast-paced and the romance really keeps you from wanting to put it down. There are a lot of great secondary characters in this one as well. I really hope that Delia has her own book coming soon because she was a character that I found really fascinating. Max’s sisters are also thrown into the mix and I would love to get to know them better too! The plot was fun and engaging, even if I knew what was going to happen for the most part.

Overall, this was a really fun read. I loved the romance and the relationships that were formed throughout. Max and Evie had such a strong connection and it was a great seeing them grow with each other. If you like Cinderella vibes, books, and a sweet romance then I think you will enjoy this one!

Many thanks to Forever and Netgalley for an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Bookshop Cinderella was an interesting storyline that I really enjoyed. It was a little slow at the start but started to pick up in the middle. This is my first book by Laura Lee Guhrke.

Thank you @readforeverpub for the #gifted eARC of BOOKSHOP CINDERELLA!

BOOKSHOP CINDERELLA is a cute little historical romance. It reminded me a lot of SHE’S ALL THAT, except that the FMC knows about the bet from the beginning.

Maybe because I am familiar with SHE’S ALL THAT, but I found this book to be incredibly predictable and I had a hard time picking it back up. The tension and banter were good but I wanted more. And I kind of hated how the third act break up was resolved. I feel like it could have been handled differently and still had the same outcome.

Other reviews enjoyed this one more than I did, so if you enjoy the historical romance genre, then check this one out.

BOOKSHOP CINDERELLA comes out June 20.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5348293916
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CtUFoU1LV0F/

✨ PRINCEMAN REVIEW ✨

What's your favorite Rom-Com Movie? For me, it was always the movies with Freddie Prince Jr. So, when Bookshop Cinderella was advertised as 'She's All That' meets historical romance, I knew it was the book for me!

📝 Evie is running her family bookstore after the death of her father. With no marriage prospects in sight, she's set on living this quiet, modest life forever. But when the Duke of Westbourne shows up with his rowdy friends, who were making fun of Evie, Max knows he must partake in a bet that's worth far more than 100 pounds. If Evie can become 'desirable' by the end of the season, he can prove the others wrong about Evie. She really can be the diamond of the season.

What I 🤍:
🎥 She's All That Historical Romance Spin
🧠 Intelligent, Book-Lover Heroine
😍 HE Falls First
😂 Hilarious Banter
👗 Regency England
💰 Class Difference

This was such a fun story watching a smart, bookish woman learn her worth and value. A lot of times, women in historical romances are in control by a male influence, so it was refreshing to read about a woman living on her own. Max was a great romance interest. He's been crushed by love before, so it was adorable watching him fall for a woman he didn't expect coming!

Prince's Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Passion: 🔥🔥🔥 (One Open Door Scene)
Read If ➡️: You love Early 00's Rom Com Movies mixed with a Cinderella Story
Read 📅 : Anytime of Year
CW ⚠️: Death of Parent (Off-Page), Death of Spouse (Off-Page) Classism, Judgment based on Looks

This is the first in the Scandal at the Savoy Series, and I can't wait to read the next one. At first, this story was a bit slow for me because there were a lot of characters and events that needed to happen in order for the plot to get moving. Then, about a 1/3 of the way through, I was hooked. I also wish there would have been more to the story after they got together. Either a few chapters or an epilogue would have been satisfying. Hopefully we hear more about Max and Evie in the next book within the series.

🙏 Thank you so much to Laura Lee Guhrke and Forever Publishing for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book. My review will be posted shortly to my Instagram Blog (@LifeWithPrinceMan).

it would have been so easy for this story of a duke who bets his friends that the girl from the bookshop can be a beautiful success to go wrong. I had initial fears of secrets and lies and the stress that goes with keeping that bet under wraps. BUT Guhrke handled this trope exactly as it should be. I appreciated Max and Evie's friends to lovers story so much. I appreciated that their conflict wasn't overly dramatic and that they clearly communicated what they needed in order to make it work.

Bookshop Cinderella is a swoony and charming romance.

I was delightfully surprised at how much I loved this book. This was one of those books you start reading, and before you realize it, you are halfway through it. I just got so wrapped up in Evie and Max’s world and their love story. Bookshop Cinderella is obviously a remake of the classic Cinderella fairy tale. I love the unique and Victorian spin Laura put on the classic tale. It had banter, wit, and romance in spades. It just soothed my romantic soul. There is such a nice smooth pacing to this book. Things move along in the story at a perfect pace to keep me entertained, and I devoured all the high London society drama. I loved all the spot-on period details. It added richness to the overall story. I have to give a shout-out to Delia, Evie’s friend and Max’s cousin. She is such a delight! She has this larger-than-life personality that you can’t help being drawn to. I loved every scene she was in because of all the chaotic fun energy she brought.

Evie is a strong female protagonist, and I loved just being with her in this book. She is smart, witty, and a bookish wallflower. Evie owns her late father’s bookshop and struggles to keep things afloat. On the side, Evie does research for themed parties, and that side hustle is what leads her to cross paths with the slightly broody but very charming Max. I loved how she befuddled Max right from the very beginning. She keeps on his toes with her sharp wit, and I loved watching Max come undone by Evie’s charms. For his part, Max is everything I would want in a hero. He is sweet and swoony. Throughout the story, Max is also struggling with his own personal demons linked to his first marriage and has decided that his next marriage will not be one of love. Well, readers, we all know fate has other plans for him.

I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out what trope would best describe the romance between Evie and Max, and I really can’t think of one. There is this pretty women vibe to their love story. Max sets out to win a bet against his friends by giving Evie a makeover and introducing her to society. Evie must be asked to dance to every song at Max’s ball to win the bet. Max also quickly realizes that Evie is a kind and caring person who needs a vacation. I adored everything about these two. It was sweet watching Max slowly coax Evie out of her wallflower shell, and the scenes where he teaches her how to dance are swoonastic. One of the major hurdles these two have to overcome is the class barrier. Max’s first marriage was to someone who was not titled, and it ended badly. Max swore he would never marry someone who wasn’t titled, but he eventually realizes he is in love with Evie. Evie isn’t 100% sure she wants to be a part of the upper-class world or if she wants to become a duchess. Watching this inner journey of both characters realize that there is nothing they can’t do if they work and support was heartwarming. I loved Evie’s grand gesture at the end of this book. It was charming.

Bookshop Cinderella is a satisfying Victorian romance that is hard to put down.

Thank you, Forever, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I loved the premise of this novel. I loved the Cinderella retelling aspect and most importantly I loved that Max told Evie of the wager right from the get go. To have her knowledge about it all made the journey to the ball and the ball itself all the more enjoyable, because it was not the knowledge of her finding out about the wager that would lead to the possible third act breakup. Which was very refreshing.

Did I fall for Max? Yes. Am I a hero-centric reader? Also yes. But I feel like Max's wish to bring a little joy and much needed reprieve from all her hard work, beyond the wager itself, made me fall for him even more. Because to him it was not about winning the bet but proving to Evie that she was not only more than who those jerk young men thought she was, but how she had perceived herself and been lead to think of herself via the actions of the peers she had known in her past. AND the dance lessons were everything. I always love when there is an aspect of teaching involved in a story. Oh and the crochet matches! How she was able to prove to herself that she was not as terrible at sports as she had lead herself to believe. And all of this because Max believed in her. Believed she was capable of anything she aspired to.

I will admit I had a bit of difficulty at the outset of the novel. Unsure if it was getting used to the timeline, the writing itself, or the chapter length, there was something that had me not being drawn immediately back to the book when I had to put it down when life got in the way. But I was pleased to say that I was not only eventually pulled back into the story, but found that I had a hard time putting it down. When I got to the last chapter, I was getting anxious about what was about to happen that I found myself just pausing and holding onto the book, taking a deep breath and then continuing on until I got to their HEA.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Maximillian “Max” Shaw, Duke of Westbourne meets Miss Evie Harlowe when he enters her bookshop to collect some research for his cousin Delia. The men with him are unkind to Evie, prompting Max to stand up for her, he makes a wager that he can turn Evie into the belle of the season. He approaches her with the wager and offers to take care of everything, but she refuses. But when her shop is flooded, she decides to reconsider and her life will forever change.

Max was once in love and married, but his wife was not prepared for life as his duchess and things end badly. But Max knows he has to marry and has even chosen his would-be duchess, but that was before he met Evie. He finds Evie lovely, and smart, she is also the last woman he should consider. But eventually, the heart wants what it wants, however, he will have his work cut out for him in convincing Evie that they can have their own HEA.

This book isn’t what I was expecting, not that that is a bad thing, but I was thinking more Cinderella and this was a mashup of “She’s all that”, and “My Fair Lady” and even has a bit of “Pretty Woman”. The book starts slow and takes quite a bit of reading to get the story “started” and even then Max and Evie spend quite a lot of time apart and don’t even get me started on the ending. However, when they are together they are great (until the ending), the book also has some wonderful secondary characters, witty dialogue, low-steam love scenes, low angst and ends with a HEA but no epilogue. So for me, this book was good, but not a book I would read again. This is the start of a new series and I will be looking forward to the next book in the series.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

Historical romance will always have a special place in my heart - and this is such a great example of the genre. I was so excited about the twist on Cinderella - a fairy tale inspired story and the FMC is a bookseller?!?! Yes please! As noted in other reviews, this gave me Victorian-era She’s All That vibes - only he tells her about the bet upfront. I am so glad that the bet wasn’t a huge point of contention/secrecy in this storyline.

I will say I felt like there weren’t many surrounding characters who got good development time, so the story felt a little one-dimensional at times. And I struggled with the conflict being the class difference and her adamant statements about never being a duchess. She got over all of that pretty quickly all things considered. Still a really solid and enjoyable read!

Thank you to NetGalley & Forever pub for the ARC & finished copy!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

To my mind Bookshop Cinderella is a mashup of the original story and the 1980's romcoms where the guy makes a bet and transforms the girl into a diamond. There's a cousin who's offered her a place to live so she could take care of the children, sounds just great. There's a stepfather who disapproves of her and everything she does. She's working her fingers to the bone with multiple jobs and barely gets by; she's independent, proud and lonely.. It is 1896 so the more progressive attitude towards working for a living had lightened up but not completely gone. Her finishing school nightmare colors her view of the ton. The male lead happens to be a Duke & he's not a bad or entitled as she thinks a duke would be. He's nice & it's only fitting that Max falls in love with Evie.
#netgalley #BookshopCinderella #LauraLeeGuhrke #HachetteBookGroup #historicalromance #romance

Bookshop Cinderella is Victorian-era She’s All That. That’s not a critique – it’s just a fact. Men making a bet that one of them can turn a wallflower into a bombshell is never my favorite trope, but this book turns it on its head enough that I was able to enjoy it. Miles, our duke/hero, seems genuinely upset that his acquaintances don’t realize that Evie is beautiful as immediately as he does, which earns him a few points in my book. And Evie is aware of the bet from the jump, and she’s able to benefit from moving in Society while Miles provides a secret makeover.

This is a fun story, even though you’ll inevitably be waiting for something to go wrong (don’t worry, it will!). The romance is cute. I liked Evie and Miles together, though I can’t say I really felt the chemistry between them jumping off the page. Still, they seem to bring out the best in each other. He pushes her to dream about reaching for more in life, and her forthrightness brings his ducal arrogance down to Earth, letting his kindness shine.

There’s a bit of a side plot involving a childhood friend of Evie’s who has grown into a grifter who is constantly manipulating people for money. I suppose I can understand what Rory provided for the plot. He’s a counterpoint to Miles and moving past him shows how far Evie has come. But I hated the two or three short moments in the book when we were suddenly in his POV. It wasn’t necessary. I think readers will understand just how slimy Rory is without showing us his inner thoughts.

Evie Harlow is the owner of a bookshop in London - she believes herself to be relatively happy in her life, despite being unmarried with no prospects. Through his cousin, she meets the Duke of Westbourne who, in order to win a bet with some acquaintances, offers to turn her into the diamond of the season while also footing the bill. While Evie initially refuses the Duke's offer, she soon finds herself unable to refuse.

This was my first Laure Lee Guhrke book but I don't think it will be my last! I really liked it - I was happy that Max was honest with Evie from the outset regarding the bet and I really liked Evie's character. I would say it's a pretty loose retelling of Cinderella/She's All That - mostly just the class difference is the big similarity. I sometimes struggle with Cinderella retellings/class differences, they aren't usually my favorite due to the power imbalance but I didn't have that issue with this one! I liked Evie and Max's relationship - I would almost call this friends to lovers although not quite - I thought their banter was great and loved them together!

I also clocked her childhood friend, Rory, from the very beginning! I knew he was slimy and up to something - I actually thought he was going to play a bigger part and was worried that Evie was going to fall for his act but I'm SO glad she didn't!

Read this for:
- Forced Proximity
- Dancing Lessons
- Slow Burn
- Opposites Attract
- Class Difference
- Dual POV

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the eARC. I received a free early copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.

When a book is a fairytale retelling and an author can make me forget, even for a little bit, that I already know the story, then she has done her job and done it well. Max is of course, our Prince Charming, but this time he is a Duke who has been tasked by his cousin to seek out the help of her friend Evie for an upcoming Epicurian Club menu. As our Cinderella, Evie is the epitome of a working girl whom has fought to keep her father’s bookstore in working order since his death. But when Max comes to Evie’s shop, his “friends” slander Evie’s looks and countenance and make a bet that Max can’t make Evie the darling of a ball since he claims to “know an attractive woman when he sees one”. Thus begins our fairytale story with Max serving as both Fairy Godmother (paying for Evie’s stay at the Savoy and a new wardrobe), and love interest.

This is a very sweet retelling and I loved Max from the beginning, commenting at Rory and playing royalty to a T. For a character that typically is so boring in the fairytale, Max’s personality is anything but. My favorite parts of him were when he first starts feeling attracted to Evie and his internal dialogue made me laugh so much. It’s these early glimpses that lead the reader to believe that he is truly falling for Evie. Evie is no slouch either, and she miraculously takes on challenge after challenge that becoming belle of the ball throws at her.

I was so glad to see that Evie is let in on the bet. I don’t think I could have kept reading if the third act breakup was her “discovering” she’s been duped. I liked that she was a take-control type of girl that was willing to open herself up to the advantages that being a peer entailed without changing her heart. The final scene lasted a bit too long in my opinion, but fans of a grand gesture will be pleased. I would’ve liked to see more of a relationship between Anna and Evie. Her character felt secondary to the story for someone who was supposedly Evie’s best friend. Perhaps we’ll see more of her in the next book? This was my first Laura Lee Gurkhe and I will definitely read more from her. I received this advanced copy from Forever and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.