An American Cinderella

Lakes delivers a perfectly timed contemporary political spin on the timeless classic Cinderella. This was a nice mesh of classic tale and current DC dirty underbelly blackmail. The only thing it didn't have was a dash of magic to turn a pumpkin into a carriage. Harry and Megan's wedding is ramping up on the news every day and this story falls right into a fairytale letting the reader imagine themselves being swept up by a foreign prince as well.

I liked the altruistic nature of Aria and her love of country and her father's memory and legacy. A difficult set of ideals to hold onto in the current political climate, nevertheless she has until her stepmother begins to manipulate her career for her own personal gain, landing Aria in a impossible and potentially illegal position. Aria finds herself back in the first job she had as a rookie in the DC political machine, having been replaced by her worthless step-sister at her plum spot reporting to her favorite senator. Enter big Henry crashing into to an unaware Aria lost in thought at the Washington Monument. He isn't entirely truthful about well anything about himself aside from his interest in Aria and his fondness for rugby, his family and country.

I like Henry from the start. I could see the appeal of meeting a pretty girl who doesn't know your station and doesn't treat you as such, only as everyone else. He doesn't out right lie about himself only over generalizes his family business. I enjoyed the sweet getting to know you period and the inevitable attention and steamy times. Lakes gave Henry and Aria good chemistry and plenty of opportunities to grow to love each other. It's a whirlwind but not insta-love.

The story is strong and I could feel the frustration and helplessness from Aria in protecting her father legacy from scandal. It only takes one news cycle to ruin a life's work in DC. I was satisfied with the way the story wrapped up and stayed true to the original tale within modern constraints and no magic. Lol

If I had to pick one thing that I didn't enjoy it was the over descriptiveness of some areas of the book. I would encourage anyone who enjoys a good happily ever after to 1-click right now.

I loved this book, it was a quick read and even though I had a good idea how it would play out, I couldn’t put it down. It has many of the classic elements of Cinderella, even if they’re disguised in the modern world.

Once again I’m blown away by yet again another amazing story. So well written. The authors writing style is one that just pulls you in. It’s almost upsetting when you finish because you just want the story to continue.