I absolutely loved this story. I personally play video games and I dont let everyone know that I do, because of the fear of judgement. But I have also made some amazing friends online from those games.

This was a Cinderella Story with gaming involved. I did appreciate that she had both of her parents and so the twins took a different role that evil stepmother.

I loved Henry as a character. He was so sweet and loving. it took me a minute to get used to the girl narrator having a luna and henry voice while the guy narrator also had a luna and henry voice.

However, I loved this book so much.

I struggled with suspending my disbelief in this book. I understand it's a fairytale retelling but it really fell short in trying to achieve any sort of believability in the real world. I just don't believe anyone would stand to do the amount of work she did for the twins in exchange for horrible room and board and not getting paid at all. I find that really unbelievable. The story development was also way too quick. It felt really rushed and like okay this single scene will get us to where we need to go in the story next but it wasn't quite enough. I also couldn't stand the number of times a 25 year old was squeaking. It was at least 10 times. I found the female narrator really irritating and it made Luna sound even more like a 13 year old (when she already read that way in the book). I liked the videogame aspects and that they were friends online first while also meeting in person by chance. The other aspects just really ruined it for me. The instalove in the beginning of the book was also pretty unbelievable.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

As you may guess from the title, this is a retelling of Cinderella. Luna finds herself homeless after her apartment floods. She ends up working for a place to stay and the twin bakers overwork her severely. Henry is about to inherit his family's successful company and meets Luna on a train. They have a great conversation, kiss, then separate before learning each others' names. He searches to find her.

This is an overly sweet, campy, outlandish story. First, Luna moves 150 miles away to help her friend plan her wedding. No job, plans to stay with her friend's family. 150 miles is not that far- you can drive up for appointments. Heck, I once commuted 90 miles each way to work for about six months! I commuted 75 miles each way for years- in major city traffic. So moving 150 miles simply to go to bridal appointments is insane. So we start out with a premise that is rejected by my very logical brain. And, unfortunately, it didn't get any more believable after that. I can suspend belief for fiction, but this was too much for me.

I am obviously not the target audience here.

Also, I opted to read this because it said it was book 1 in a series. Not far in, I felt like I was missing something and that it was not book 1. After some research, I discovered not only was there a 0.5 in this series, it is also spun off of a different series. Several of the characters are from the other series. So while it is book 1, it doesn't feel like a book 1.

I received an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: Luna has decided to take a big step in her life and move to the small town of Brookhaven to be close to her best friend to help her plan her wedding. However, life in Brookhaven is not so great and her only saving grace is playing video games nightly with her best online friend, MidKnight. In a fun twist, the mystery man Luna met on the train has come to Brookhaven's festival to look for her, making her unable to ignore her attraction to him. The only problem, her heart is now being pulled in two different directions and she can't tell which path is the right one.

Thoughts: I loved this one, especially since it was one of the best Cinderella retellings I've ever read. It was not the traditional story, but elements of the story pop up randomly and brought a huge smile to my face. I loved the theme of "Being Brave" throughout, and although it took Luna until about the very end to admittedly be very brave, she showed signs of growing to be brave as the book continued.

A major theme in this book is video game play, which is not my cup of tea, but didn't deter me from reading at all. I love the banter between Luna and Henry and the support they give to each other as their relationship evolves. I'm so excited to read the other books in this series as they are released!!

I was able to listen to the audio version of this book, and I'm so glad I did. Renee Dorian and Joe Jameson did a wonderful job of not only bringing Luna and Henry to life, but all of the side characters as well. The pacing was easy to follow along. I highly suggest listening to this one!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for a #gifted audiobook copy of this book.

Cinder Luna by Marie Soleil is the first book in the Once Upon a RomCom series. I absolutely loved this audiobook. The narrators did a fantastic job bringing these characters to life. I love fairytale retellings and this one was such a fun read.

I LOVED Luna!! Her inner monologues were amazing and I connected with her so much. I kept thinking “same Luna same” when listening. She was super sweet! Henry was adorable. He is such a cinnamon roll MMC. There connection was super cute. I also enjoyed the gamer aspect to the plot. This was a quick cute listen! I loved all the characters in this book. I am definitely a fan of Marie Soleil’s writing and want to read the rest of her books. If you want a cute, quick, cinderella retelling than this is for you!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

HAPPY READING

This was entertaining. I had a genuine smile on my face. The narrator for Luna was engaging however the narrator for Henry, at times, seemed rigid. It did not take away for the Cinderella retelling and I’m looking forward to Adam’s story.

I will start by saying that I enjoyed the narration of this audiobook. If I was judging just the narration of this audiobook, I'd give it 5/5 stars. The narrators did an excellent job of conveying emotion and action, and were excellent actors in any given scene. The only issues I had at all with the narration stemmed from the text itself. The narrators did a great job working with what they were given from the text. They did a great job of keeping up Henry's slight British accent, although it did trip them up a few times. But still, with neither of the narrators being slightly British (I assume) they did a great and consistent job at talking with just hints of the British accent that Luna fell for so hard. Luna was textually supposed to have a high voice, and so this was the only time that I've ever heard a male audiobook narrator using a falsetto voice for a female character and been A-OK with it as the female narrator also had to raise her pitch to create Luna's voice. They really made the audiobook an excellent listening experience.

As for the book itself... you can't see me right now but I'm shaking my head. I don't even know where to begin.

First I think that if what you're looking for is a smooth, easy romance, this is a great book to pick up. This is tagged as a slowburn romance, and it is absolutely not. The main characters kiss within several hours of meeting each other. But the romance progresses at a steady rate, the characters genuinely seem to have chemistry, and the banter they share is funny-- at times it even made me laugh out loud. As promised this book has zero spice, nothing more then some mid-to-high level necking, and Henry spends the novel respecting Luna and the other female characters which was very nice.

However.

The identity shenanigans were not stretched out nearly as much as I wanted them to be. There was so much promise, between Luna and Henry being online friends who didn't know each other's real names, and then both of them meeting each other on the train and falling for each other pretty hard. The "Who do I like, this irl person who is cute, or my online bff who I know super well" could have been the main source of tension, confusion, romance, but instead it had to battle with the Cinderella retelling aspects of the story for visibility. I honestly got into this book for the identity shenanigans, and the fact that one aspect of the identity confusion is resolved almost immediately, and another part is resolved halfway through the book before we even get to the gala (the ball) was disappointing to me. There was still a straggling identity confusion that stumbled all the way to the end of the book, but by that point it had only become a hinderance to the romance..

My major critique of this book stems from a single interaction at the beginning of the book which shook me so hard that if I was the kind of person to DNF a book, I would have done so at 10%. Without spoiling the book at all, there is an innocuous line pretty early on between Luna and a side character that felt incredibly sexist, and which was never mentioned again. Luna is the one who states the line, which felt like a betrayal. It was a here and gone again line, it might not have even dinged someone else who was reading this, and maybe the author didn't even notice the wording, but it hit me like a gut punch and I just can't understand where a line like that has any business existing in 2024.

This is a SUPER cute modern-day, gamer girl Cinderella retelling! The gamer girl in me really enjoyed seeing Luna and Henry's friendship evolve virtually and in real life. I was patiently waiting for someone to figure it out and was both so giddy and anxious for the other to find out.

I especially loved the 2 narrators; Renee Dorian was the perfect Luna and Joe Jameson's accent for Henry. I highly suggest listening to this one because RD and JJ were AWESOME.

Check out Cinder Luna if you like the following:
-Instant Attractions
-Online friendship
-Cinnamon roll MMC
-Cinderella retelling
-Hidden identities
-Small town
-Closed door romcom (only kisses!)

Thank you, NetGalley, Marie Soleil, and Dreamscape for an ALC of this title. I look forward to more books in the Once Upon a RomCom series.

Rating: 4.5/5
I received an ARC audio for my honest opinion.

This was such a cute modern retelling of Cinderella, and it’s the first book in the Once Upon a Romcom series. This book was packed with comedy, closed-door romance, friendship, and of course video games.

Luna just wants her life to be as she has always dreamed; to find romance, to design the graphics for a video game and really to see her happily ever after. However, with every step she takes to get there ends with more twists and turns than she would ever expect. Until she moves to a cute small town Brookhaven.

This book has everything that I love in romcoms, the characters are fantastic, and the pace of the book is fast and the way that author writes is so engaging that you will not get bored while reading it. I loved all the twists and turns that happened in the book, and I found a few of them to be really funny, I even laughed out loud at work a few times while listening to this audio. I enjoyed that the author didn’t go on and on about gaming parts of the book or overly explain anything, instead she made it easy to understand for people that are not gamers at all. The plot was such a fun read and was different from any other retellings that I have read of Cinderella, that was so refreshing, but you will still get the vibes of it. I loved the characters, I think Luna is smart, pretty, and I loved that she knows what she wants in life but is in a rut to speak of due to unseen circumstances in her life. I could relate to her a lot and it was easy for me to connect with her. Henry is a heartwarming gentleman, who is to take over his father’s company, but he is also an avid gamer and has even made his own video game that will show the company and the world, only if he can work through some small issues he is having. Lucky for him he has a longtime friend in the gaming world who he can talk to. Little does he know that his friend is the same woman that he met on a train and instantly made a connection with. You will watch the chemistry between them get stronger and stronger, and you will see the moment that Luna figures out who her longtime gaming friend is.

I thought the narrators did a great job bringing these characters to life and adding more charm to this book. I loved that Joe Jameson was Henry because let me tell you his British voice will leave you swooning.

Overall, this was a fast read, that is so cute that I hope everyone will read it once in their life. If you enjoy any of these tropes you should definitely give his book a go: Slow burn, Cinnamon roll MMC, Instant attraction, Hidden identities, girl next door, closed door/kissing only.

I want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the opportunity to review this book.

I Cinderella retelling + video games and was 100% sold! I loved the unique spin Marie Soleil took on this classic tale and especially enjoyed the gamer elements! My only downside is that the characters read a bit young for their age but overall this was a super sweet start to a fairytale retelling series!

✨Cinderella Relelling
🎮 Video Games
💖 Romance
🫶 Friendship
👾 Game Development
🚊 Missed Connections

This was a super cute series debut and I can’t wait to see what happens in book 2!

Method Read: 🎧
Renee Dorian & Joe Jameson did a fantastic job narrating and really brought the story to life!

Thank you Dreamscape Media for the ALC!

A Swoony Cinderella Retelling with a Modern Twist

"Cinder Luna," by Marie Soleil and narrated by Renee Dorian and Joe Jameson, is the first book in the Once Upon a RomCom series. It is a delightful closed-door romantic comedy that takes the beloved story of Cinderella and adds a twist with hidden identities. Luna, our protagonist, is not who she seems, and her journey to her happily ever after is filled with unexpected twists and turns. Set in the charming town of Brookhaven, Luna's story is a modern twist on the classic fairy tale, complete with swoony kisses!

The slow-burn romance between Luna and the cinnamon roll MMC, Henry, is not just captivating; it's heartwarming. Their chemistry is undeniable, from their instant attraction on a train to their online gaming connection. The dual POV allows readers to deeply connect with the depth of their emotions and the complications that arise when Luna's true identity is revealed.

The audio narration by Renee Dorian and Joe Jameson is not just good, it's exceptional. Joe Jameson's beautiful swoony British-American accent adds an extra layer of charm to the story. Their performances bring the characters to life in such a way that you can feel confident in your choice of this audiobook for a delightful listening experience.

Marie Soleil's writing style is engaging and keeps the reader engrossed from start to finish. The incorporation of video game/gamer elements adds a unique and refreshing twist to the Cinderella retelling. Even for readers who are not familiar with gaming, the story is designed to be accessible, and the gaming aspect enhances the overall experience. My only confusion was with the location of the story. At times, I felt like we were outside of the Bay Area and other times, I thought we were in a small village in England - a bit of an odd mix.

Cinder Luna is a captivating journey into a modern-day fairy tale. The blend of romance, mistaken identity, and subtle references to the original Cinderella story make it a must-read for fans of contemporary fairy tale retellings. What truly sets this book apart is its incorporation of video game/gamer elements. Luna and Henry's online gaming connection not only adds a unique and refreshing twist to the Cinderella retelling but also serves as a significant part of their relationship. Even for readers unfamiliar with gaming, the story is accessible, and the gaming aspect enhances the overall experience. I highly recommend this audiobook for anyone seeking a swoony, feel-good romance with a touch of gaming adventure.

I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley to review.

This Cinderella retelling is very much a fairytale but told in a contemporary setting. I loved finding the parallels to Cinderella. Though it doesn't follow the story exactly there are so many things that nod to the fairytale like evil step-sisters (her bosses) who overwork Luna and almost keep her from attending the ball. And a Fairy-God Mother character who gets her ready to go. Actually there are two that kind of fill that roll. There is a pumpkin carriage ride which isn't quite as romantic as one might hope. A lost shoe. The handsome 'prince' really is wonderful and they do the classic fairytale thing of falling in serious attraction at first sight. Add to that a hidden identities trope and you have yourself a fun story. Cinderella was always my favorite fairytale growing up so this was just a fun, sweet, read for me.

I'm not really a gamer like these characters so I couldn't personally relate to that part but I can see how it gave the perfect opportunity for the hidden identities to work. And I thought the very end was on the sappy side but I enjoyed the story so much that I didn't really care. Romantic fairytales usually have a sappy ending, right?

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the dual narration. The high pitched voice for Luna was a bit jarring each time she started her chapters but it fit the character really well. And Henry sounded pretty swoony.

This retelling is cute and enjoyable. I look forward to reading the next one which looks like it might a Beauty and the Beast story.

No sex, language or violence
*I received a complimentary ARC through NetGalley and voluntarily chose to review it.

Dual pov, insta love, gamers, hidden identity, modern cinderella retelling, miscommunication

I am a sucker for fairytale retellings, especially ones that are slightly nerdy. Luna and Henry being gamers, and friends for years, was a nice new take on the backstory of the characters and is what ultimately brings them closer together. Even though I usually am not a fan of the miscommunication trope, it works here because of the retelling aspect and it’s not overly used.

Even though I had an idea of how this would end, due to being familiar with the cinderella story, I was still on the edge of my seat for the last 20%. This author was able to make the trope her own and I cannot wait to read or listen to the coming books!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an early listen of this book. All thoughts are my own, I do not accept money for reviews.

Adorable. Charming. Delightful. Straight up cuteness! That’s how I would describe Cinder Luna and the way I feel about this book.
This is my first book by this author and it well definitely not be my last. I was completely hooked from the moment I picked up this book and legit didn’t even notice time passing I was so invested and absorbed in the story.
A fun modern (and realistic) twist on Cinderella, I absolutely loved this book. All the Cinderella vibes were so creative and imaginative. Luna and Henry were ADORABLE. I know I’m repeating my word choice, but it is what it is and that’s super-duper cute in my opinion.
I loved the gaming and representation of females in the gaming world. The author used correct terminology and really brought the gaming world to life.
I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Renee Dorian and Joe Jameson and I felt like both did a fantastic job of brining Luna and Henry to life including capturing the sweet, kindness of Luna and Henry’s very attractive accent. It was such a fun story to listen to and simply put, it made me smile. I definitely enjoyed the narration and recommend the audiobook version.
I fell for the cast and am already super invested in Henry’s siblings' lives. Adam and Lily’s stories are set to be just as addictive in my opinion. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Audio for my ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 4.5/5

I loved this audio from start to finish.
The narration was great as well, voices truly fit the characters!

Bravo!!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC audiobook for an honest review.

This was a totally cute modern day take on the Cinderella tale. Several different tropes were woven into the writing: love at first sight, secret identity/pen pals, love interests from two different worlds. Our couple Henry and Luna are both enjoyable characters and you can't help but route for them (even though it's quite apparent the happily ever is the endgame...) This had an interesting addition with the "gamer world" as part of the storyline.

This was a sweet listen that was kind of cheesy but still made me smile. You can kind of tell who a future story might center around...fun potential plots!

3 stars

3.25 out of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. I felt that this one was just okay. I will still probably continue on in the series if there are more books because I am invested in the stories. I appreciated that the story was entirely closed door and exhibited really wholesome values. However, I had issues with how naive and young the FMC Luna acted. She was 25 (the same age as myself) and seemed to be emotionally about 18 or 19. I felt like I had to suspend my disbelief a bit at parts because of this. Secondly, the character is described to be tiny and have a high pitched voice. I found this to be fine and the narrator who portrayed it did a great job of exhibiting that but it seemed like that was leaning into the younger vibe the FMC seemed to have. The MMC, Henry, seemed fine and the narrator portrayed him exactly as described in the story. I do wish I had enjoyed this book a bit more but I love the retelling aspect about it. I also found Luna's extreme aversion to mice to be amusing. Overall, I feel this series has great potential to get better and I hope that continues in the next book in the series if there are any.

Cinder Luna is a dual POV retelling of Cinderella that is predictably cheesy but cute. This is a PG rated book. Very clean romance. Clean as in no sexy time, no mentions of drinking and no swearing. Kissing and kissing only. In my opinion I think this book will work very well with younger readers.

This book is based on two gamers but the author does a good job of describing the gaming world. The only knowledge of gaming that I know is from my time playing Animal Crossing but I got the gist.

The FMC and MMC have insta fall in love at first sight which some readers may love but for me that’s just not my style. Both characters are fine. Both our leads are fine I don’t really have an opinion on them except they are both very kind (which is great) Overall is book was fine.

I did like having both male and female narrators for audiobooks. I think both did a nice job.

This is 3 out of 5 stars for me. I think this book is perfect after you read something heavy and just need something light and fluffy after.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced copy of this audiobook.

WOW! I’M LITERALLY SWEPT AWAY! This book tops as one of my most favorite romances of all time! Sweet, funny, emotional, and beautiful! And above all, LOVING! I’m swooning, please send help. And where can I find my own Henry?! He has a British accent?!

Blurb: Luna and Henry first meet in the train and are instantly drawn towards each other. What they don’t know is how they’ve actually known each other for years on another platform. Luna is moving to a new city to help her friend’s wedding but she’s financially struggling and ends up being overworked by two evil shop owners. Luna’s only joy is online gaming. One day her best online gaming buddy “Midnight” asks her to help him with the new game he’s developing. Will this be the opportunity that paves way for her professional career? What about the gorgeous gentleman Henry and the matters of her heart?

Wow! To imagine that I wouldn’t have known about this book if I hadn’t requested the audio ARC! This book blew me away and made me fall in love with love itself in the most beautiful way! Why haven’t I seen this book on my feed before?

Lunar is such a sweet girl and my heart was yearning for an HEA for her. I was swept away multiple times by how loving Henry is. I loved how imperfectly perfect he is making his character more realistic emotionally. I was smiling, giggling and flat out laughing as Luna’s internal dialogues were sometimes hilarious. The family relationships, friendships, character arcs are so well written I was listening nonstop till dawn. I loved how the twists are unexpected and how the plot wove together. The narrations are SUPERB!! We all know how that’s the key for the success of an audiobook. I’m out traveling but I’m going to buy a physical copy of this book as soon as I come back! HIGHLY RECOMMEND this sweet, closed door romance with a Cinderella retelling to all my romance lovers.

Thank you Dreamscape Media for my audio ARC.

Thank you #netgalley
Cinder Luna!
Luna is this reserved yet spunky gamer who’s put her life on hold and been nervous to take risks most of her life , she has recently graduated and is a graphic designer hoping to one day help create video games because she is so passionate about them.
When one day she moves away to another place with no steady life ahead,
When she gets on the train to start this dream life that she cannot actually see ahead of her and due to her kindness she meets Henry and is taken back by him needing to know more about her .
Love at first sight?
Some twists and drama lots of family and a family business
Be prepared for the most lovely, fun compassionate read you ever read in awhile ! A must have for this summers tbr!