A Cinderella for the Duke by Abby Ayles

A Cinderella for the Duke Reviews

• 
  Debbie

  2.5 rounded up to 3 stars
• 
  Lori Quick

  A Cinderella for the Duke was a wonderful read, and I enjoyed it a great deal. Lady Louisa Fraser goes to spend time with her aunt and two cousins in the country. She basically becomes a servant in the house. Henry Vaughan, the Duke of Rowland, must get himself a wife or wait until he turns 30 to get his inheritance. To watch these two characters meet and grow has been great fun. Anyone that loves the Cinderella story line will enjoy this book.
• 
  J. W. Garrett

  “True beauty is born through our actions and aspirations and in the kindness we offer to others.” –Alek Wek
  
  I was absolutely intrigued by this story idea. I absolutely adored the 2015 movie Cinderella [directed by Kenneth Branagh] and had to go and watch snippets of it as I read this story. Rating: Clean.
  
  In writing a Cinderella story… the author has to remember to maintain the integrity of the characters… to capture the essence of their goodness or badness, and still stay on course for the happy-ever-after. There will be points of reference that the reader will look for in relation to the fairy tale. I feel that Abby Ayles did that with this story. With the afterglow of Branagh’s film still surrounding me… I dove into this story.
  
  “Kindness is loving people more than they deserve.” –Joseph Joubert
  
  What I liked: I loved the character of Lady Louisa. She was a perfect Cinderella. Even though she was visiting her mother’s sister… Aunt Lady Hendrickson, her innate goodness shone forth from the page. No matter what happened, Lady Louisa was determined to do the right thing and bridge the gap between the families. As she suffered the indignities thrust upon her from her aunt and one of her cousins, she never faltered in maintaining her goodness and showing kindness back to her relations.
  
  “The line between good and evil is permeable and almost anyone can be induced to cross it when pressured by situational forces.” –Philip Zimbardo
  
  Aunt Hendrickson was the perfect antagonist for the goodness displayed by Lady Louisa. I couldn’t help but picture Cate Blanchett’s portrayal of the evil step-mother from the movie. This was one unhappy lady. In her younger days, her family tried to betroth her to an earl. She felt herself in love and refused to have her family dictate her marriage choice. She and Hendrickson eloped and her family disowned her. Her sister stepped in and saved the family honor by marrying the Earl of Gilchrist, thus becoming the countess. They later fell in love and had a son, the now Earl of Gilchrist and Lady Louisa. However, life was not so kind to Lady Hendrickson and, in her disappointments, became jealous and angry at her sister for having a better life after she married her earl. Go figure… she wanted what she wanted and when she got it, didn’t want it after all and instead wanted what her sister had. Bitter, angry and near destitute [because she wouldn’t live within her means], she now needed to marry her two daughters to best advantage in order to save them.
  
  After the death of Hendrickson, the dowager Lady Gilchrist felt bad about the continued break with her sister. Lady Louisa, wanting to console her cousins [she knew what it meant to lose a father], convinced her mother to let her travel to Mentheith House. Her hopes were to try and do what she could for her family and see if she could mend the breach.
  
  “It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness.” –Leo Tolstoy
  
  Cousins: Miss Hendrickson [Elisabeth] and Miss Mary were opposites. Elisabeth possessed the perfect evil step-sister persona. She was self-centered, beautiful, self-absorbed, entitled and she and her mother both wanted her to marry the bachelor Duke of Rowland who had recently returned home from traveling abroad. Miss Mary was just there, no one paid any attention to her.
  
  “Goodness is about character – integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people.” –Dennis Prager
  
  Ella… em… Lady Louisa: Every attempt at kindness was met with harsh remarks, vailed taunts and insults and a total disrespect to her station. Every gesture of kindness by Lady Louisa was repulsed. She was taken advantage of and was subjugated into a near servant status within her own family. Because Lady Louisa wanted to help her cousin Mary [and still hoping to mend the breach between her mother and her aunt], she stayed, took the abuse and worked especially hard as she helped the financially strapped family. Her mother had offered to give her sister the portion her family had withheld due to her elopement; however, pride was a powerful motivator and Lady Hendrickson refused the offer, resenting her sister even more.
  
  “My parents taught me honesty, truth, compassion, kindness and how to care for people. Also, they encouraged me to take risks, to boldly go. They taught me that the greatest danger in life is not taking the adventure.” –Brian Blessed
  
  It wouldn’t be a Cinderella story without a handsome Duke, a masked ball and a love-struck His Grace chasing a mysterious lady as she ran from the ballroom. This was a delightful story. I couldn’t put it down as I watched the story unfold before me. I knew the Cinderella story and was delighted as our author kept her story true to the character of the fairy tale.
  
  Cover: beautiful cover… too bad there wasn’t a model wearing a green dress as the story indicated the mysterious lady wore green. Other than that, it is a gorgeous cover and very appropriate for the story.
  
  What I didn’t like: Where do I start… Edit, proof and edit again. OMG! This must have been the wrong galley sent to the publisher or simply a rush to publish without taking a final check. The editing was horrid. Maybe it was my copy or my reader or something… there were sentences that
  
  wrapped to the next line leaving a gape in the text. This was all throughout the story.
  
  So many uses of country vs county, I was confused. I always thought it was county seat not country seat.
  Missing words… ‘…desire to have wife…’
  Missing letters… Louis instead of Louisa… lap vs lapse… he vs she… know vs now… later vs latter… serval vs several
  Wrong word used: complement vs compliment… patience vs patient… transpiration vs transportation… peak vs pique… in vs end
  Modern word blip: late 1890s meant a popping sound; mid 1940s point on a radar screen.
  Extra words… in attempting to edit… word wasn’t removed after edit:
  ‘Had she just not just promised the Duke…’
  ‘It didn’t seem like we were not enjoying yourself…”
  “every everyone resolving in her departure…”
  “even asked questioned…”
  
  There were no gaps or breaks between paragraphs. Dialogue was run together. Two people speaking within the same paragraph. No breaks to indicate who was speaking. Mistaking characters: saying it was Miss Mary wearing the dress when it was Miss Elisabeth.
  
  This story ended at 79% on my reader with a free offer of an extended epilogue. It was cute and only 2 pages. There was also an excerpt [4-chapters] of another book ‘Engaging Love’ and an excerpt [4-chapters] for ‘Saving Lady Abigail.’
  
  Although I had volunteered to read an ARC [advance reader copy], this was a free offer on Amazon. This is my honest review. This could have easily been a 5-star review. I wanted desperately to give it 5-stars… [3.5-stars]
  
• 
  Mrs Caroline Trevor

  Amazing
  
  A classic fairytale brought to life within a romantic story. This has a great base with a chance encounter between the main characters. Lady Louisa so dislikes the Duke of Rowlands face he shows when out in public and tells him so in the first public occasion they dance at together. The Duke of Rowland is on the hunt for a wife and so holds a masquerade ball so the mystery of a mask might help him find love but when he does find her she ends up running the other way and he doesn't know why. Will he ever find her again.
• 
  Kaye

  FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE!!!
  A great spin and refreshing new view. There's enough manipulation in this one to rock the house. You're definitely going to love this page turning bombshell. You get everything you've come to expect from Abby and still be pleasantly surprised. Twist and turns abound and out maneuvering old bats is a must. Its truly a sight to behold when one is caught and out done by a master. LOL. What can I say? Heck, I loved it. The characters and scenes were intriguing, complex and realistic with a broad range of personalities that balance out beautifully. The scenes were so vividly detailed and descriptive that it gives the illusion you were right there in the middle of ground zero with them. The race is on in this whirlwind of activities and adventures. Abby did an incredible job bringing this read together flawlessly and without a hitch in sight. Smooth flowing with all the suspense and drama you can handle. Yep! You get your heart pounding, pulse racing and nailbiting moments as the main characters strive to achieve their HEA. One fantastic tale Abby, thanks for sharing this remarkable read with us.
• 
  Terri

  It’s a Cinderella story with a little twist. Lady Louisa is sent to her estranged Aunts house after the death of her Uncle to be of some assistance to the Aunt and her two daughters whom she has never met. Louisa’s mother hopes this might bring and end to the rift between them but her Aunt and oldest cousin are horrible people. The youngest daughter is as much a victim of the other two as Louisa soon becomes. They use and abuse Louisa and scheme and manipulate when they find out the Duke of Rowland has returned home after years in the West Indies and must find a wife. Louisa’s Aunt wants her oldest daughter to snag the Duke and does everything she can to keep Louisa out of the way. But in spite of all of their plotting and scheming, they always come together. And there is also another love story unfolding at the same time. It is truly swoon-worthy. I loved it. I think I may go back and read all of her books again as the characters carry over into each book and I love to see what is happening in their lives since I last read their story.
• 
  Reena

  Another great read from Abby Ayles!
  
  In "A Cinderella for the Duke" we follow Lady Louisa, a character in the previous books by Ms. Ayles, while she matures. Although shy and reserved, during her stay with her aunt her daughters, Lady Louisa discovers her strengths and, through some twists and turns, her happily ever after.
  
  Ms. Ayles has taken a classic fairy tail and adjusted it in a clean and sweet regency romance. It was a truly captivating story I couldn't put down. I highly recommend it for all fans of regency romance.
• 
  Sharon

  I loved the story! I realized rather quickly that this book was patterned after the fairy tale of Cinderella. I do think the lady on the cover should have been wearing a green dress. You will find out why when you read the story. Lady Louisa journeys to her aunt's to offer comfort to her aunt and cousins after the passing of her uncle. She is treated like a servant. Does Louisa stay and take this abuse? Or does she give up and go back home? What would make her stay? Did she manage to become friends with one of the cousins?
  
  The Duke of Rowland has recently arrived from the Indies. His uncle had informed him he had to marry to receive his inheirtance or wait until he was 30. The Duke knew there were many ladies who would like to be a Duchess and he didn't care who he married. He intended to get married and return to the Indies while his wife stayed at home and did whatever she pleased. Did he do this or did he change his mind? What happened to make him search for a certain lady? Did he find her or was she forever lost to him?
  
  Come along with Lady Louisa during this trying time and see how she prevails.
• 
  Candy Briggs

  Lady Louisa was going to meet her aunt and two cousins. She felt she was on the shelf and really was not interested in any prospects. Her aunt's husband had died recently and she was here to help. She meets Hugh Vaughan, Duke of Rowland when she is walking into town and he was racing his horse down the path. Her aunt was a very bitter person.
  This was an interesting novel. There is a lot going on thru out the tale. The characters were true to life and very vivid. I found Colonel Jasper was a kind man, who was looking for a place to stay and put down his roots. The Duke just wanted to marry, have an heir and then go back to living his life in the Caribbean. The author never disappoints as far as her writing goes. This story is well written, even paced and moves smoothly. It is a very good read and I felt lucky to be able to read this.
  I received this ARC from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.
  
  
• 
  Crazychriss889

  Gorgeous characters. Loved Cinderella. Not that fond of the duke as he isn't the one who apologizes to the lady even though he was at fault. He does that after she apologizes. But I guess that was too late for me.
  
  Liked the plot. Thought it was quite interesting and intriguing. Not sure about the Cinderella masquerade Ball. Don't really buy that the MCs didn't recognize each other.
  
  Main issue? Editing and spelling. There were just wayyyy too many spelling mistakes, esp. towards the end...
• 
  Anna Beason

  Oh so good
  
  I love historical novels and Abby Ayles is an excellent writer. This book was so good you don't wanna stop reading. You will love Lady Louisa and Rowland and Mary and Jasper. The mother sure reminds me the step mother in Cinderella. Please get this book. And enjoy reading.
• 
  Sharon Wagner

  Wonderful book!
  
  Absolutely loved this story! So exciting and intriguing. Heartwarming and romantic. Most of the characters were lovable and approachable. It was sad that Lady Louisa 's Aunt was So unhappy in her own life that an made it miserable for her one daughter and niece.Definitely read this book.
• 
  Ann Brown

  Enchanting
  
  I thoroughly enjoyed this version of the fairytale. Full of beautifully written characters .Engrossing story that I had to read in one go. I became completely involved with this story and would highly recommend it. I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of the book.
• 
  Treasa

  Loved it
  
  From the first book she appeared in I knew there was some spunk in the shy and reserved Lady Louisa. All it took for it to come out is her scheming aunt. I love Abby's version of Cinderella
• 
  Delbora

  An Interesting Story
  
  Lady Louisa traveled to visit her aunt and cousins as a favor to her mom. Upon her arrival she was immediately treated rudely and given servants quarters and servants duties even though she was the highest ranking person in the house. Her perseverance and outcome is a very interesting story that I truly enjoyed.
• 
  Suzette

  Selflessness
  
  A remarkable story of selfishness and the need to put others feelings before your own. Being genuine in love always.
• 
  Dee Jay Blaylock

  The story is good but I was distracted by the grammatical errors some of which left me searching for the right word in context and trying to make sense of the paragraph.
  
• 
  SUZAN C.

  Abby has once again written a heartwarming, engaging, and thought-provoking story in A Cinderella for the Duke. I've been reading Abby's books for awhile now and I find her characters - major or minor all play important roles in her stories. The characters are written with depth of personalities whether they are heroine or villain. As with this story, the title is quite fitting and reminds me much of the Cinderella story.
  In A Cinderella for the Duke, the main heroine is Lady Louisa who is known to be shy and quiet and tends not to go outside of her inner circle. But with her brother and best friend all out of range, she decides to take up her aunt's offer to reside with them for a short while. Due to a falling out between her mother and her aunt, Lady Louisa's kind heart thinks to mend the broken sisterhood. However, things are not always as they seem, especially in the world of titles and prestige.
  Lady Louisa's aunt, Lady Hendrickson is a bitter and deceptive widower. Holding onto a title that isn't even quite honorary, Lady Hendrickson feels the pangs of jealousy and envy that her sister married an Earl and feels that her niece is rubbing it in her face. A back story of the estranged sisters explains it quite well but of course Louisa's mom wants to mend the fence. Lady Hendrickson however, does not and probably never will.
  And here's where the Cinderella part comes in. Louisa is used and manipulated due to her kind and generous heart all the while she thinks she can bring the two families together. While Lady Hendrickson is referenced as the evil "stepmother" and the two sisters as with the Cinderella story, there is a kinder younger cousin who quickly becomes friends with Louisa. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but the ending is quite satisfying for all the "good" people in this story.
  Of course let's not forget the hero! The handsome and intelligent Duke of Rowland, Henry must find a wife in order to claim his inheritance. Althoug he is the rightful Duke, he has yet to receive his vast funding which is held upon by his uncle until he meets his uncle's "demand" and that is to find a wife. As we read that Henry is quite set to find love or at least someone he likes, he goes to lengths to please both his uncle and the "ton". When he meets Louisa, there is a bit of a timid friendship which develops over time. There are several misunderstandings between Louisa and Henry and it almost seems that these two will never get together.
  I won't spoil too much of the plots here but know that Henry, Louisa, and the supporting characters are brilliantly written and so fun to read! My favorite parts are the conversations between Louisa and Henry. They are both intelligent and kind beings but the misunderstandings get in the way just to make the story a bit of fun!
  
  I don't know why there are a few low ratings on this book - who cares if there are typos? Perhaps the editors didn't catch it? These things happen and I don't begrudge the typographical errors, I read for the enjoyment of the story.
  Thank you, Abby for the ARC!