Operation Cinderella [NOOK Book]

Intrigued Enough to Want More

Operation Cinderella is a romance loosely based on the Cinderella fairy-tale. I know, been there, read that way too many times. I wanted to not like this book after reading the first couple of pages of the first chapter. I will admit, the prologue had me intrigued and I wanted to know where the story was going to go.

Operation Cinderella is NOT your childhood Cinderella fairy-tale turned into a romance. It’s a little dark, diving into an issue people don’t generally want to talk about or discuss. Once you get past your first impression of the characters and see who they REALLY are, you’ll find that they can all be likable, at least Ross, Macie, and Ross’s daughter Sam.

While reading the book, I wasn’t exactly sure if Ross or Macie was supposed to be playing the part of Cinderella. For me, the ending pulled the story together and everything started to make sense.

I believe in the whole love at first sight phenomenon so I can totally believe that Ross and Macie fell for each other quickly. What I love about this book is that Ross and Macie aren’t who they appear to be. I love that through the course of the book, each of them were able to do some soul searching and “grow up” a little bit. By being around each other, they helped each other to come into their own and find the courage to be who they really are.

I can’t say I loved the book, but I did like it enough to want to give the next book in the series a try.

My rating is actually 3 1/2 stars.
Source: NetGalley
Reviewed for Read Your Writes Book Reviews Blog

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

My Review: I love it when I finish a book and I have a grin on m

My Review:
I love it when I finish a book and I have a grin on my face. This was one of those books.

Macie is an assistant editor on a liberal magazine out of NYC. She wrote a piece about prepping teenage girls with birth control BEFORE they become sexually active. When Ross Mannon saw the article, he was panicking over his 15 yo daughter's uncharacteristic behavior and it struck pure terror into his heart. As a conservative radio talk show host, he took that and ran with it, lambasting the magazine on his nationally broadcast radio show. The effects were immediately felt at the magazine as advertising was pulled, which sends Macie scrambling. Her plan....to expose Ross by going undercover within his household as a housekeeper/nanny for his daughter.

For Ross, he doesn't really know his daughter anymore. He hasn't had her for more than a couple of weeks at a time since he divorced her mother. He sure doesn't know what to do with this moody teenager who shows up unexpectedly on his doorstep to stay. He just knows that he needs help since he's very busy with his job and sees Macie as the perfect applicant. She's made sure that she presents a face that he will see as perfect...conservative, old-fashioned, raised in a small town with small town values. He doesn't question it, especially after her references check out.

On paper, these are two very different people... politically... but they connect in all the ways that matter. They have fun together and truly enjoy each other. There are several background stories at play here and one of those is Macie and her past. In her real life, she's goth and edgy, but a lot of it is a cover for something that happened to her during her teen years. Because she has to lose that armor, she begins to find herself again. I really liked that aspect of the story line and liked how it tied in with Ross's daughter, Sam's, story. If there is one thing that I could change with this story, I wish that the author had a moment between Sam and Macie about that. It really could have had an amazing emotional impact. But as the book is, it was really very good. I truly enjoyed everything about the story...the shoes, the magazine, the political background, Sam, Frannie, Macie's family...it was all really well-done and made for a great story!

Note: The touch of whimsy at the end of this book was just perfect. I definitely look forward to reading the rest of this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I had so much fun reading this book. Macie made me laugh through

I had so much fun reading this book. Macie made me laugh throughout. As the heroine, she has been through hell. She’s been trying to hide herself so she doesn’t have to deal with the past and never really living. She’s the editor at a magazine and thinks that’s her whole world. When she goes undercover to blow up the goody goody image of Ross, she finds out there is so much more to live than living. She learns that love really does exist.

Ross is in need of a caretaker for his 15 year old daughter, a housekeeper and cook. He hires Martha Jane (Macie in disguise as her old self) and is instantly attracted. Frannie (ex-wife) is an added bonus in this story I loved her and if Sam (daughter) telling her dad how it is and how it should be is any example, she’s going to be a spitfire just like her. I loved the secondary characters almost as much as I loved the main family. I can’t wait to read more about this couple and the secondary characters in the books to come.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I actually found this book pretty offensive. The takeaway I got

I actually found this book pretty offensive. The takeaway I got is that liberal feminists with multicolored hair, piercings and tattoos are damaged goods who just need the love of a conservative Republican -- a "do as I say, not as I do" Republican -- to fix them. And the epilogue was beyond dumb. Won't be looking for the follow-ups to this one.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Operation Cinderella by Hope Tarr was a fairly decent read. I lo

Operation Cinderella by Hope Tarr was a fairly decent read. I loved the cover and I liked the blurb; thus, I was excited about this story. Yet, after I finished reading I was quite disappointed. The book description provides a thorough summary of the story so I won't regurgitate it. However, here are my thoughts on Operation Cinderella.

I really wanted to like Operation Cinderella. However, it turned out to be only an 'okay' read for me. I felt that the story was bogged down with endless details. There tended to be more of a 'telling' as opposed to 'showing' in the story. With that, it lost much of my interest in the story. Another factor that made this read less enjoyable for me was the slow pacing. In all honesty, I had to push myself to keep reading until the end. The story wasn't pulling me in as much as I wanted it to. As for the romance between Macie & Ross, I couldn't feel a chemistry between them. I didn't feel any sparks. I felt that there was no buildup to their relationship and that it felt almost forced and unbelievable. Hence, when they declared their love for one another I couldn't feel it. As for characterizations, I felt that the characters were fairly well-developed. Yet, the characters did not leave a lasting impression on me.

Overall, I was not engaged in Macie and Ross' story as much as I wanted to be. Although, I really wanted to like Operation Cinderella it left a lukewarm impression on me. Unfortunately, Operation Cinderella was not as satisfying as I'd hope it would be.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy for an honest review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.