Series: Once Upon the East End #1
Traits & Tropes: class difference; gender reversed Cinderella; beta hero
Publication Date: 08.08.23
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; London, April 1832
Heat Level: 2
Rating: 4/5
Narration Rating: 5/5
Isabelle Lira is perfectly capable of looking out for herself but she’s being boxed into a corner by her late father’s business partners who are trying to push her out of his surety company. They leave her little choice but to marry quickly to someone who can be an ally to her outside the powerful Berab family’s wide network of influence. But finding the right man won’t be easy, so she’s decided to host a series of elaborate festivals, inviting every eligible Jewish man in the city to attend.
Aaron Ellenberg has long dreamed of having a family of his own, but he ekes by as the synagogue custodian and knows he’s not exactly anyone’s definition of a catch. But when beautiful Isabelle offers him funds in exchange for quietly investigating her suitors, he sees his chance at starting a new life.
Unfortunately for Aaron, working for Isabelle stirs up caring and passion between them that neither expected. A future for them is impossible given their disparate stations and the fact that they live in the real world, not a fairytale, but if Isabelle can be courageous in standing up for herself, the possibilities may be more endless than she believes.
I’ve got some mixed feelings about this book, but the last quarter or so picked it up for me and left me satisfied with the ending. The narration was also excellent and helped keep me invested in the story. I did have a hard time keeping all the characters and their different factions straight, but it was very interesting to get a glimpse into a culture that is different from my own and one I know fairly little about. It also didn’t help that quite a few of Isabelle’s conversations, especially those with Aaron, seemed to be had in riddles, so I was sometimes a bit confused, especially as I was listening to this story while doing other things.
I absolutely adored Aaron. He was quite possibly the sweetest, purest, most caring, hero I’ve ever read, and I think this could’ve been showcased a little more. I just kept feeling like he deserved all the love, kindness and acceptance in the world, rather than the machinations he got from Isabelle. It definitely took a long time for her to grow on me. She was incredibly focused on her own problems and how everything would affect her, but she seemed to give no thought at all to what helping her would mean for Aaron and his future. One more disappointment I had was with the steam here. Not that it was absent, but that it was very abruptly curtailed. After some seriously steamy foreplay, dirty talk, begging, etc., we just fade out and skip right over the grand finale. Not gonna lie, I was definitely left feeling shortchanged by this after such a delicious build up, especially given the fact that I had pegged Aaron as a virgin and was looking forward to seeing how that played out and now, we shall never know.
I was rather unsure about this book for a while there given how much I didn’t care for Isabelle’s stubborn, single-minded manipulations. When she finally began to think outside the box and the pacing picked up toward the last quarter or so of the book, I really began to enjoy it. I really loved how thoroughly this was a gender-reversed Cinderella and I loved the small twist at the end. I was left with a positive, warm feeling upon finishing this book and that’s my whole reason for reading romance, so I was very satisfied with this one. This was my first read from this author but now I look forward to continuing this series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/1058683682
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5279603940
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