Bookshop Cinderella

by Laura Lee Guhrke Narrated by Marisa Calin

Overview

Fans of Lisa Kleypas and Julia Quinn will adore this opposites-attract romance featuring a dashing duke, a shy bookshop owner, and a wager that will change their lives forever.

Evie Harlow runs a quaint little bookshop in London, which is the biggest adventure an unmarried woman with no prospects could hope for. Until Maximillian Shaw, Duke of Westbourne, saunters into her shop with a proposition: to win a bet with his friends, he'll turn her into the diamond of the season. The duke might be devilishly attractive, but Evie has no intention of accepting his ludicrous offer. When disaster strikes her shop, however, she's left with little choice but to let herself be whisked into his high-society world.

Always happy to help a lady in distress, Max thinks he's saving Evie from her dull spinster's life. He'll help her find a husband and congratulate himself on a job well done. But as shy Evie becomes the shining star he always knew she could be, she somehow steals his heart. And when her reputation is threatened, can Max convince her to choose a glittering, aristocratic life with him over the cozy comfort of her bookshop?

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The best in historical romance!”—Julia Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of the Bridgerton series

"Laura Lee Guhrke has a lively style that sizzles."—Jane Feather, New York Times bestselling author

"Packed with chemistry and fun, this is a fairy tale treat.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"It has been a while since Guhrke’s last superbly written historical romance, but her latest artfully constructed literary confection is well worth the wait. George Bernard Shaw himself would appreciate Guhrke’s clever riff on his classic, Pygmalion, not to mention her sprightly prose and sparkling, champagne-fizzy wit."—Booklist, Starred Review

"A promising start to a cheery new Victorian romance series."—Kirkus

"A great mix of wit and attraction as opposites clash and romance blooms."—Library Journal

Kirkus Reviews

2023-04-12
A bookstore owner is swept into a new life by a duke.

Evie Harlow doesn’t have much, but she does still have her late father’s bookshop, after years of hard work to pay off his debts, and her dreams of romance with a childhood friend. Those dreams take a different turn when Maximillian Shaw, Duke of Westbourne, pops into her store on an errand for his cousin, with whom Evie helps plan elaborate dinner parties at the Savoy Hotel. That night, at the Savoy’s famous American Bar, when he hears some young fops disparaging her, he’s rather surprised and tells them she has “the potential to be an incomparable beauty,” then backs that assertion up with a drunken wager that he can introduce her to society and transform her into the belle of an upcoming ball. It isn’t until the next day, explaining his offer to Evie, that he realizes it might not sound quite as complimentary to her as he thought. But Evie, after a bookshop emergency, agrees it would be nice to have a short vacation staying in the Savoy, being taken to the opera, and given a whole new wardrobe. As her transformation begins, dance lessons and other circumstances bring her and Max closer, but early experiences with high society made her wary of it, and Max has his own reasons for keeping her at arm’s length. As the ball draws closer, though, they may not be able to resist at least one night together. Evie and Max develop a charming chemistry that starts slow and then ticks all the historical romance boxes without feeling clichéd. Guhrke’s slightly spicy new series, set against the Victorian backdrop of the opulent Savoy Hotel, is full of rich detail and side stories that will thrill historical romance lovers. Enjoy it with the newfangled drink that got the duke soused enough to bet on Evie: “something...called a ‘Manhattan.’ ”

A promising start to a cheery new Victorian romance series.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940176951684
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	06/20/2023
Series:	Scandal at the Savoy , #1
Edition description:	Unabridged

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