Chasing Glass Slippers

Happily Ever After Mountain #3

by Cassi Hart

Cindy
Forced to rely on my hateful step-mother and working every day at a dead-end job, I’m left with little hope of a better future.
One night, desperate for something different, I agree to attend a party with my best friend. There, I meet the gorgeous and successful Henry. We’re instantly drawn to each other and bond over our mutual love of fashion, but the night ends too soon. I run, but Henry gives chase, and before I know it, I feel something I thought I never would again…love. Henry doesn’t know that I’ve lied to him, though. I’m not who thinks I am, and it’s only a matter of time until he learns the truth. When everything is finally laid bare, will I lose the future I’d only just begun to dream of?  
Henry
My life is boring and mundane…until I meet her.
Cindy is beautiful, unique, and talented. She’s the only thing that’s real in my artificial world. But she’s keeping me at arm’s length, and I’m certain she’s hiding something. I can’t bring myself to care, though, not when I feel alive for the first time since my parents’ death. Cindy reignites a fire in me that I thought was dead forever, and I’m not letting her go. When her secret is finally revealed and the foundation of our relationship is rocked to its core, will I have what it takes to save the woman I love?  

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Novella, Contemporary, Abuse

51 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 25, 2023

About the author

Cassi lives to write brazen OTT, insta-love, short stories, about possessive alphas and the women they love. Stories that will leave you satisfied, and maybe blushing a little. Cassi loves pedicures, being pampered in any way possible, her darling golden Princess, amazing coffee, and traveling to anywhere warm.

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Reviews

[april ♡ probably reading smut - safety reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

This is a modern Cinderella retelling. I wasn't a huge fan of it, but it's cute in places!

SAFETY:
Ages: 21h, 25H
Virgin/celibate: virgin heroine, unknown for hero
OM/OW drama: none
Tropes & Keywords: fairytale retelling
HEA?: yes!

[kymagirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cindy (h21) toils away as a barista in her abusive step-mother’s coffee shop, unable to works towards her fashion design dreams. She sneaks out from home to attend a birthday party for Henry (H25), who happens to be the editor of a fashion publication. He’s impressed with her designs and finds himself drawn to her. As they secretly see one another, their relationship heats up until a small lie and her family threaten the happiness that Cindy and Henry have found. Sweet Cinderella inspired romantic quickie with a side of heat and a little bit of drama.

[Oriana Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sweet and romantic Instalove romance 🥰🥰 Cindy lives with her stepmother and stepsisters and gets treated like a live in maid and a cheap worker. She one night sneaks out and goes to a party where she meets Henry. Henrys birthday party is boring and tiring but everything changes when he meets the mysterious Cindy. They fall head over heels for each other, but her horrible family tries to ruin it for her. Great fairy tale retelling of Cinderella with a sweet HEA😍😍😍😍

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Safety and Spoilers

Safe. H stops one of his friends from aggressively hitting on the h. No ow drama. h’s mom tries to get H to date her daughter.
I’m not sure about the h’s past I don’t think a lot was mentioned. h was a virgin.
h’s stepmother and stepsisters were emotionally abusive and used her as their slave at home and work.
No cheating. Little drama at the end because h lied about going to school. Resolved quickly.

[Amie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marvelously sweet romantic story about a girl who worked at her step mother’s coffee shop as a barista at a party that her friend invited her to she met a man who has his own fashion magazine.
The girls father past away and left her with a step mother and two step sisters. The father left everything to her step mother. The step mother bought a coffee shop and forces the girl to work there, she worked very long hours. When she didn’t work she designed and make her own clothes.
The man’s father left him an inheritance when he pasted away. He wanted to be like his father with out using any of his inheritance so he started his own online magazine for men and the online magazine grew and they put in print. His magazine became one of the top magazines around.
They met at a birthday party that was thrown for him by his friend and the friend’s girlfriend, he got her away from a couple of guys that wouldn’t leave her alone. From the moment their eyes met they were hooked. That night they danced, talked and laughed.
The go out several times, during one date she tells him that she’s a student of fashion which wasn’t a lie but at the time she’s no longer able to go to school because of her step mother and step sisters. She has been trying to tell him but she was scared. He has told her that he loves her but she has yet to say anything like that to him.
They don’t see each other for a while so the text and call each other every day. She comes to his office and she helps him with his work as they do so they talk a bit. They kiss and she takes him to the couch that’s in his office, there he gives her oral sex and then they have sex. The rest of the time till early in the morning they made love and slept a bit then she left.
She was working when her two step sisters came in waving a paper at her, a picture of her with the man was in it and her step sisters knew it was her. The chime on the door of the coffee shop went off and he was there, the step sister told him that she was a fake, that she was lying to him. She tried to talk to him about it but he wouldn’t listen. She week back to her step mother’s, to her room and locked the door behind her.
He still wanted to be with her even though she lied to him. Her friend stormed into his office and started going off on him about what he did to her, she told him about the girl’s father dying, she step mother making her stop taking her classes so her daughters could go to school and the way she is treated at her work also at home even the hours that she worked for little to no wages.
He goes hunting for her, going to both her work and the step mother’s brownstone. At the brownstone he meets her step sisters as well as her step mother, they try to tell him a bunch of lies. He goes through every floor finding her in the attic. When she opens the door he notices a couple of dresses she made as well as a bunch of empty boxes of crackers. She gathers her and her things and they leave. They tell on another that they love each other and when he takes her out to eat he asks her to marry.
Ten years later they’re married and have an eight year old son. The are in Paris for fashion week and they are applauding her for her clothes. The go for a ski weekend while they’re there and their friends and they’re kids are coming. Their son’s nanny takes him to sign up for ski lessons. While their in the room they accidentally hit he laptop and it comes on to an email from her step mother wanting money from her. The step mother is broke and has lost the coffee shop but she has already told her no. The kiss as they go to the bed where they make love. They decide to have another child.
The characters a fantastic that’s a great page turner which is easy to read. A Wonderful happily ever after ending.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nova · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am voluntarily reviewing an advanced reader copy of this book.

Cindy at one point in life had it all, a father that she adored and a stepmother and sisters that seemed perfect, but when her father died everything changed. Not only did she lose her dad but her dreams as well, working in the coffee house her stepmother bought and pays her peanuts she can only dream of the fashion career she once wanted, although she still designs clothes no one ever sees them. That is until a friend convinces her to sneak out attend a party, where she meets Henry, the owner of The Everything a fashion magazine that can either make or break a designers career, not only that the heat between them is nothing she has ever felt before and he wants to see her again. But she lied when she met him, can he forgive her and give them a chance or will he turn his back on her when she needs him most?

Henry was at a party just for him, a party he didn’t want but when his best friends and people he counts as family Marcus and Lauren wanted him to celebrate. He is just wondering how soon before he can leave when Cindy enters his sights, it’s her outfit that catches his attention first especially when he doesn’t recognise the designer and as he owns a fashion publication that just won’t do, he needs to know more and follows her. When he finds two guests being rude he has the situation handled within seconds, and soon finds out that she designed the dress, taken a back at the creativity and realness he feels from her, he needs to see her again, he never expected to find love on his birthday but that’s what he got. But when he discovers her lie will he forgive and forget or end it there and then?

Enjoyable retelling of Cinderella, Cindy trying not to loose sight of her dreams finds Henry when she needs him the most. Sweet fairytale that will leave you with a smile. 4* read.

[Rebecca Grove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cindy has a dream of becoming a fashion designer. She studied at college for two years when her father died. Her stepmother took his legacy and bought a coffee shop and sent Cindy's stepsisters to college. Cindy was told there was enough money for her college and that she would have to work in the shop. Now Cindy feels stuck because she works long hours at the coffee house with no pay and her stepmother and stepsisters make her do all the housework. Then one night her best friend tells her about a party being held by the owner of the top fashion magazine. She encourages Cindy to sneak out in one of the dresses that she designed to hopefully catch the eye of Henry. Their plan works and she meets Henry, sparks flying. Cindy has to leave at midnight because her stepmother has figured out that she snuck out.

Henry is tired and bored of the same old, same old. He was hoping to see some original designs at his party but he was disappointed until he saw Cindy. He sees the original and beautiful dress that she is wearing and has to find out more about it. He follows her and they have a great conversation. They have a lot in common and sparks are flying. Then Dana gets a phone call and has to leave. Henry can't get her out of his mind.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[SpeedReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️’s | Modern Cinderella, with a twist

• Story/Plot: 📖📖📖 /5
• Characters: 🫂🫂🫂
• Drama/Angst: 😰😰😰
• Steam: 🔥
• POV: Dual
• HEA? ✔️
• Would I re-read? No, but I’d read next one
• Epilogues? Yes, 10 years later

This was definitely an interesting take on a modern Cinderella. The FMC designs cloths with scraps, is forced to work at a coffee shop & sneaks out to go to a party she was invited to where she meets the MMC, who runs a fashion magazine. She’s 21, he’s 25.

The MMC isn’t an alpha male and he’s nice enough. For such a short story, there’s wasn’t this epic insta-love, like usually happens. It wasn’t really a sweeping romance, it felt more casual. The FMC was nice, but it felt like the story dwelled a bit more than was necessary on “woe is me.” I would have liked more story between the two of them and their interactions. I also like a little more steam 😉

The story’s not bad and if you like Cassi’s stories, I’m sure you’ll like this one.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. The opinions above are 100% my own & 100% genuine!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short tale about an aspiring, down on her luck fashion designer.

Cindy was a design major until her father passed. She is forced to drop out because her stepmother shows her true colors - relegating her to a room in the attic and working for slaves wages at the coffee shop, it to mention treating her like a bug (I’m sure you remember the original Cinderella fairy tale).

Henry is a self-made fashion magazine owner. They meet when Cindy’s friend invites her to a party. She wears her own design and it - as well as Cindy - capture Henry’s attention.

They end up in a whirlwind romance until things come to a head one day due to a photo in a society paper and Henry becomes angry, feeling he’s been lied to.

You’ll need to read the story to find out whether or not Cindy and Henry find their way back to one another after that error in judgment.

Loved the characters, they were genuine and sweet. The plot was a lovely re-telling of the Cinderella story from my girlhood. I am voluntarily leaving my opinion of this happy-sad, cute little tale.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a super sweet over-the-top instalove romance novella with a fairytale inspired retelling. Cindy Evans is forced to live in the attic of her family home, act as a servant (and verbal punching bag) to her step-mother and step-sisters, and work a dead-end job instead of going to college. Henry Blanchard is wealthy, well-known, and very handsome. He’s successful in business but has zero luck in his love life. Until he meets Cindy and immediately knows this blushing beauty will be his forever. They have some obstacles to overcome, but Henry won’t stop chasing the woman he loves. Even if she did lie to him about her life because she was embarrassed.

This author always has such great novellas — over the top, sweet, steamy, etc.

Tropes: Contemporary romance, modern day fairytale, age gap, virgin heroine, happily-ever-after
Heat: 3/5.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jamie Bee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not Much “There” There

In general, I enjoy modern takes on classic fairy tales. As you might guess by this one's title, it is a very short contemporary take on Cinderella. This book only clocks in at 51 pages, and I sincerely believe that short-form fiction is more challenging to do well than long-form fiction, as you don't have an opportunity to develop much in so few pages. Such is the case here. It didn't really feel like a genuine romance to me. At least there's no instalove or instant attraction, as far too often happens in novellas, but the story just felt lukewarm, for lack of a better word. I wanted more to happen. I wanted to get a better sense of these characters and how they were developing their relationship. There’s little here to drive the story, little propelling it forward… and then it ends.

I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining short love story.

I liked this story. It was an entertaining take on the Cinderella story. The characters were interesting and likable for the most part. The steps (siblings and mom) were definitely greedy and selfish. Laurie was a wonderful friend to Cindy. She was supportive but definitely pushed Cindy to take control of her life. Without Laurie, Cindy would never have met Henry. She just had to make the decision to act and then do it. Cindy and Henry were sweet together. He stayed interested even after she seemed to not be as interested in him as he was in her. Laurie was also great at helping Cindy and Henry figure things out and move toward each other again. I liked how the story ended. I recommend giving this book a chance. I’m glad that I read it and maybe you’ll like it more than I did.

[Curvy Girl Book Nerd (Jen S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chasing Glass Slippers is a short and steamy, instalove, OTT, opposites-attract, girl gets her billionaire,Cinderella style romance. Cindy is an aspiring fashion designer forced to work as a barista in her evil stepmother's coffee shop. She has been treated like a servant by her stepmother and stepsisters ever since her father died. Henry is a wealthy editor for a fashion magazine. The two meet at his birthday party and have a real connection. But she lies and says she is a fashion student. What will Henry say when he finds out? The couple had great chemistry. I was mad at Henry initially for not hearing her out, but he redeemed himself, and we got a great HEA.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Syd Springer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. I loved this cinderella retail that Cassi did. Cindy and Henry were wonderful together. These two are drawn to each other and they can't help but fall hard and fast for each other. Cindy tells a very small lie when these two first meet and it comes back to bite her but thankfully, Henry gets some insight and they are able to talk and work their way to an HEA. I really enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to more from Cassi soon.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cindy is being worked to death by her evil stepmother! Her stepsisters do what they can to make her life miserable. The only bright spot the Cindy has are her fashion designs. She is very good at the but has to find time to work on her designs between working double shifts for her stepmother and her chores.
Once Henry sees Cindy, he is captivated! He follows her around at a party and gets to know her. He is intrigued by everything about her.
This was a quick fun read that I enjoyed! Watching Cindy and Henry together was a fairytale come true!
I am voluntarily leaving the review.

[Merry Jelks-Emmanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cindy has the family from hell. She is tasked with working in the coffee shop for barely minim wages and her stepmother takes over half of those for living in the family home. They treat her like an indentured servant and never have anything kind to say to her. When her friend talks her into going to a party, she meets Henry who is drawn to her, and it starts them along their journey. This story his fairytale elements and will draw you in while having you cheering for Cindy to get her chance for happiness with Henry.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lori Walsh, Guaresimo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story

Those terrible woman they were suppose to be her family and take care of her but they worked her like a darn dog, trying to ruin things with Henry. I loved when the stepmother said she was going to blackmail Henry with photos of Cindy cleaning to Liota he stopped that real quick. Thank goodness for Laurie setting Henry straight on Cindy's awful life. A sweet happy ending.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the love story of Cindy and Henry (Cinderella).

Cindy has been down on her luck but with the help of her best friend, she meets the most wonderful man to come into her life since her father. Henry is a person of fashion. So when he runs into Cindy in her own designer dress, he knows he has just fallen in love at first sight. Hopefully in the end they can find their way to a happily ever after.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Candy Cariveau · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a modern day Cinderella retelling.

I love fairytale retellings and will read any and all that I find. This one is a short novella length version. Inst-Love and Virgin trope. Definatly spicey with a HEA. Recomended if your looking for a short read.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lizette Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love the newest book in the Happily Ever After Mountain series. Cindy is our Conderella character, and she is so sweet, and I love her spirit. Henry owns the hottest magazine in the city, and when he sees Cindy, he immediately knows she's his. I love how these two get the perfect ending and how she finally gets away from her stepmonster and step sisters.

[Debbie Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I really like the theme as it is one of my favorite fairy tales. I like how protective Henry is of Cindy even before he meets her. They fall quickly for each other. I especially liked how Henry took Cindy away from her stepmother and stepsisters.

[Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and sexy retelling of the Cinderella story. I liked reading it, and I couldn't put it down until I finished it in one sitting. The story flows well and the characters are so cute together. If you love short, steamy stories this novella is for you. You won't regret it!

I received an advanced reader copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

great take

This was a great take on Cinderella. I love different versions of fairy tales and this one was entertaining. Cindy and Henry had lots of chemistry and the story was good. Enjoyed it.

[Aspen G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chasing Glass Slippers is the adult version of the kids fairytale Cinderella, and it does not disappoint! Cindy and Henry have incredible chemistry; her vulnerability and strength and so very endearing. Henry is kind and caring, and their journey is emotional, sweet, and steamy. Loved it!

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot i love the idea behind it and fairy tale element. I loved Cindy and Henry there romance is great id have loved a bit more oomph in Cindy.

Still a great read.

[Jovette Bossé · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Henry and Cindy together! A sweet and beautiful love story! I loved it! ❤️

[Zondra.Hallyahoo.Com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. A beautiful love story that had me in tears. I love Cassie Hart's interpretation of these classic stories. I really enjoyed all 3 books and hope there are others coming.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet!

Quite a take on Cinderella. A very believable scenario, and this was an even better edition than the 2nd book.

[Chani · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh

Again... so much potential, just so weak in it's delivery.

I felt absolutely nothing. The author told us about their connection but didn't show us at all.

[Jenifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different retelling of Cinderella with a fashionable twist. It was short, sweet and steamy.