What do you think?
Rate this book
Cinderella Sisterhood #1
If the Slipper Fits
Will she have her happily ever after?
Is This Love Real?
Raised in a girls’ school, Annabelle Quinn longs for the world outside the walls of the academy. When she’s hired as the governess to an orphaned duke, Annabelle never expects the child’s breathtakingly handsome guardian to capture her imagination—or her heart.
Or Are They Living In a Fairytale?
Falling for his young nephew’s governess is an irksome complication in Lord Simon Westbury’s orderly life, but Annabelle’s quiet beauty and wry intellect are too much to resist. Meanwhile, a mysterious danger looms over the remote Cornwall estate. Will their newfound desire stand the test of time? Or are some happy endings just too good to come true?
Is This Love Real?
Raised in a girls’ school, Annabelle Quinn longs for the world outside the walls of the academy. When she’s hired as the governess to an orphaned duke, Annabelle never expects the child’s breathtakingly handsome guardian to capture her imagination—or her heart.
Or Are They Living In a Fairytale?
Falling for his young nephew’s governess is an irksome complication in Lord Simon Westbury’s orderly life, but Annabelle’s quiet beauty and wry intellect are too much to resist. Meanwhile, a mysterious danger looms over the remote Cornwall estate. Will their newfound desire stand the test of time? Or are some happy endings just too good to come true?
341 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 22, 2012
139 people are currently reading
1276 people want to read
About the author
Olivia Drake
32 books425 followersShortly after graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in journalism, Olivia Drake sold her first novel two weeks after sending it to a publisher. She now lives in Texas in a cozy cottage with two feisty cats and a photographer husband. Her two daughters have flown the nest, but still come back whenever they want a home-cooked meal!
Olivia Drake is the author of 35 romance novels. Her most recent series is called 'Unlikely Duchesses' and began with THE DUKE I ONCE KNEW, followed by FOREVER MY DUKE. The third stand-alone book is WHEN A DUKE LOVES A GOVERNESS.
Her other series include 'Heiress in London' (SEDUCING THE HEIRESS, NEVER TRUST A ROGUE, SCANDAL OF THE YEAR) and 'The Cinderella Sisterhood' series (IF THE SLIPPER FITS, STROKE OF MIDNIGHT, ABDUCTED BY A PRINCE, BELLA AND THE BEAST, HIS WICKED WISH, THE SCANDALOUS FLIRT).
Many of you also knew Olivia as Barbara Dawson Smith. She is a New York Times bestseller and winner of numerous honors, including the Golden Heart Award and the coveted Rita Award for excellence in the historical romance genre.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/olivia...
Olivia Drake is the author of 35 romance novels. Her most recent series is called 'Unlikely Duchesses' and began with THE DUKE I ONCE KNEW, followed by FOREVER MY DUKE. The third stand-alone book is WHEN A DUKE LOVES A GOVERNESS.
Her other series include 'Heiress in London' (SEDUCING THE HEIRESS, NEVER TRUST A ROGUE, SCANDAL OF THE YEAR) and 'The Cinderella Sisterhood' series (IF THE SLIPPER FITS, STROKE OF MIDNIGHT, ABDUCTED BY A PRINCE, BELLA AND THE BEAST, HIS WICKED WISH, THE SCANDALOUS FLIRT).
Many of you also knew Olivia as Barbara Dawson Smith. She is a New York Times bestseller and winner of numerous honors, including the Golden Heart Award and the coveted Rita Award for excellence in the historical romance genre.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/olivia...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
May 27, 2016
RATING: 3.5 Cinderella gets her Lord Charming Hearts!! :)
May 4, 2016
If the Slipper Fits
2 Stars
Orphaned at birth, Annabelle Quinn was raised in a school for young ladies. Given the opportunity to take a position as governess to a young duke, Annabelle seizes the chance and finds herself in Cornwall matching wits with the duke’s uncle and guardian, Lord Simon Westerly. Simon has no idea how to handle the vivacious addition to his staff, but is determined to have her one way or the other. Unfortunately, someone has other plans for Annabelle…
Fairytale retellings can be entertaining, but this one falls short.
Neither Annabelle nor Simon are particularly likable characters. Annabelle’s resourcefulness borders on the manipulative and the conniving while Simon’s stoicism is more dispassionate indifference than enigmatic alpha. This is further exacerbated by the fact that the chemistry between the couple is virtually non-existent and the love scenes are more mechanical than sensual.
Both the minor mystery plot and the fairytale elements are underdeveloped. The villain is obvious from the start and the surprising revelation at the end lacks foundation and makes no sense historically speaking. The fairytale aspects consist of vague references to the Cinderella tale, which are more window-dressing than substantial content.
Drake’s writing style is also problematic with excessive descriptions of a variety of irrelevant elements, such as Druidic rituals and Cornish superstitions that play little to no role in the story.
All in all, a disappointing read and this will probably be my first and only Olivia Drake book.
2 Stars
Orphaned at birth, Annabelle Quinn was raised in a school for young ladies. Given the opportunity to take a position as governess to a young duke, Annabelle seizes the chance and finds herself in Cornwall matching wits with the duke’s uncle and guardian, Lord Simon Westerly. Simon has no idea how to handle the vivacious addition to his staff, but is determined to have her one way or the other. Unfortunately, someone has other plans for Annabelle…
Fairytale retellings can be entertaining, but this one falls short.
Neither Annabelle nor Simon are particularly likable characters. Annabelle’s resourcefulness borders on the manipulative and the conniving while Simon’s stoicism is more dispassionate indifference than enigmatic alpha. This is further exacerbated by the fact that the chemistry between the couple is virtually non-existent and the love scenes are more mechanical than sensual.
Both the minor mystery plot and the fairytale elements are underdeveloped. The villain is obvious from the start and the surprising revelation at the end lacks foundation and makes no sense historically speaking. The fairytale aspects consist of vague references to the Cinderella tale, which are more window-dressing than substantial content.
Drake’s writing style is also problematic with excessive descriptions of a variety of irrelevant elements, such as Druidic rituals and Cornish superstitions that play little to no role in the story.
All in all, a disappointing read and this will probably be my first and only Olivia Drake book.
July 30, 2012
Really didn't like this book. So many things wrong with it too.
It of course follows the formula that 99% of historical romances do, but that's not even my problem with it. If I didn't like that formula, I'd have stopped reading them after I discovered they were all the same back when I was 12.
As this book is written, there is no possible way the leads would have fallen in love. They spend 85% of the book away from each other and fighting. And the scenes that do have them together and happy are short and poorly described. I can tell you exactly what the castle looks like, exactly what the beach looks like, but yet the love story is glossed over in a few pages.
It felt as though Drake realized after writing 400 pages of description of Annabelle's interactions with the young Duke, that she forgot to get the leads together, so she hastily wrote something up and had them suddenly realizing, "Oh, I love you!" "Oh, I love you too!".
And don't even get me started on the whole sex thing.
The "twist" involving her parents requires way too much suspension of disbelief for me. And the mystery of the slipper remains way too much of a mystery for me to be interested in reading the next books in the series.
It of course follows the formula that 99% of historical romances do, but that's not even my problem with it. If I didn't like that formula, I'd have stopped reading them after I discovered they were all the same back when I was 12.
As this book is written, there is no possible way the leads would have fallen in love. They spend 85% of the book away from each other and fighting. And the scenes that do have them together and happy are short and poorly described. I can tell you exactly what the castle looks like, exactly what the beach looks like, but yet the love story is glossed over in a few pages.
It felt as though Drake realized after writing 400 pages of description of Annabelle's interactions with the young Duke, that she forgot to get the leads together, so she hastily wrote something up and had them suddenly realizing, "Oh, I love you!" "Oh, I love you too!".
And don't even get me started on the whole sex thing.
The "twist" involving her parents requires way too much suspension of disbelief for me. And the mystery of the slipper remains way too much of a mystery for me to be interested in reading the next books in the series.
September 13, 2020
My head fairly swam with the tropes that rapidly sprang forth from the pages. I would find myself going haven't I come across this situation before? Some, particularly the last were just too much.
February 15, 2015
Annabelle is the bastard daughter of no one knows who--trapped in the position of teaching deportment at a country school for young ladies--when a rather mysterious woman arrives with the goal of acquiring a governess for an orphan duke. Of course, Annabelle’s unfortunate parentage makes her unsuitable.
Which matters not one wit to Annabelle, who kidnaps the headmistress’s cat, finagles her way into the job, and falls promptly in love with the seven-year-old duke. And rather less willingly, in love with his hostile guardian.
Cinderella meets Jane Eyre. A quick two-day read and hard to resist.
Which matters not one wit to Annabelle, who kidnaps the headmistress’s cat, finagles her way into the job, and falls promptly in love with the seven-year-old duke. And rather less willingly, in love with his hostile guardian.
Cinderella meets Jane Eyre. A quick two-day read and hard to resist.
December 14, 2015
No stars. Fuck this.
July 7, 2020
#1 in the Cinderella Sisterhood series
Definitely a Cinderella retelling as we first meet Annabelle as the lowest teacher on the totem pole at a remote girls' school. She's intelligent and sweet and beautiful but she is an orphan, not knowing her family, so she's considered to be beneath everyone else in Regency England. But when she gets an opportunity to become a governess to a young duke (from her "fairy godmother"), her life changes for the better. But there are still problems to face--a vindictive vicar, an amorous curate, and most importantly the duke's guardian, who is gruff and unfriendly. I liked the beginning especially as Annabelle showed her worth at the school, then settled into her new life as a governess. But I'll admit that the ending was a little too sudden and certainly over-the-top perfect. OK, so it's a fairy tale and deserves that type of ending, but it seemed silly to me after such a good romance/mystery until then. But I liked the similarity to the Cinderella story, and it was interesting to see the beginning of the Cinderella shoes after having read a later book in this series when the shoes also played a role. It was a quick and easy read; I enjoyed it and will continue with this series sooner rather than later.
Definitely a Cinderella retelling as we first meet Annabelle as the lowest teacher on the totem pole at a remote girls' school. She's intelligent and sweet and beautiful but she is an orphan, not knowing her family, so she's considered to be beneath everyone else in Regency England. But when she gets an opportunity to become a governess to a young duke (from her "fairy godmother"), her life changes for the better. But there are still problems to face--a vindictive vicar, an amorous curate, and most importantly the duke's guardian, who is gruff and unfriendly. I liked the beginning especially as Annabelle showed her worth at the school, then settled into her new life as a governess. But I'll admit that the ending was a little too sudden and certainly over-the-top perfect. OK, so it's a fairy tale and deserves that type of ending, but it seemed silly to me after such a good romance/mystery until then. But I liked the similarity to the Cinderella story, and it was interesting to see the beginning of the Cinderella shoes after having read a later book in this series when the shoes also played a role. It was a quick and easy read; I enjoyed it and will continue with this series sooner rather than later.
June 14, 2012
2.5/5 (C-)
Why this book? The cover of If the Slipper Fits really caught my eyes and I thought the book sounded interesting after reading the blurb.
What I liked? Unfortunately, If the Slipper Fits did not really meet my expectations ^_^; and I have a lot of issues with it, but there was still some positive. Overall, I did like Annabelle's character. I liked that she was persistent. Given her situation at the girls' school, it would have been so easy to give up and be depressed... but she still dreamed and when she saw an opportunity to change her life, she gave her best. She was also very genuine and definitively to give the duke a better life, a better childhood. She had guts going against Simon and standing for what she believed. My favorite part of the book was definitively the bond between Annabelle and the young duke and how Annabelle roped in Simon to care more about his nephew. I simply like seeing adults and children develop a relationship together, to see the trust that is being established... Also, I find children keep adults honest and down-to-earth :) So that part was well done. And while I wasn't impressed by Simon's behavior, I thought Ms Drake did a good job with his character and establishing the motives for his neglect. In addition, this was my first time reading Ms Drake and I did like her writing. Another good thing was the lack of sequel baiting... I have to admit it's a bit weird, because I'm not even sure we were introduced to the future characters, but I'll take it :) Unfortunately, all this wasn't enough to negate my issues.
Any issues? As I mentioned, I have a few. The most important one is that I didn't care for the romance in If the Slipper Fits. I think that Simon and Annabelle didn't have any chemistry together and I dislike how Simon takes one look at Annabelle and desires her... At the same time, he makes no efforts to get to know her or try to establish a relationship, since he is too busy looking for a wife. Ugh. Also, I just don't see why Annabelle succumbed to his charms and when was the moment lust turned into love for both of them? Oh and Simon's proposal was just way premature. In every aspect, the romance just didn't work for me :(
The other main issue was the big reveal at the end about Annabelle's identity. It came out from absolutely no-where in my opinion and was really far-fetched. Really, I thought it was totally superfluous and once again, did not care about this twist. I guess it was to tie in the Cinderella theme, but meh. It might have worked with a bit more shadowing and if it had a bigger impact on the storyline... Speaking of Cinderella, I'm not a big fan of fairy tales retellings and Cinderella sure is not a favorite... but when the series is named Cinderella Sisterhood, you have some expectations... and really, the link between If the Slipper Fits and Cinderella is very tenuous. I guess depending on the reader, this can be a good or bad thing.
At this point, I'm not sure I'll be picking up the next book...
Why this book? The cover of If the Slipper Fits really caught my eyes and I thought the book sounded interesting after reading the blurb.
What I liked? Unfortunately, If the Slipper Fits did not really meet my expectations ^_^; and I have a lot of issues with it, but there was still some positive. Overall, I did like Annabelle's character. I liked that she was persistent. Given her situation at the girls' school, it would have been so easy to give up and be depressed... but she still dreamed and when she saw an opportunity to change her life, she gave her best. She was also very genuine and definitively to give the duke a better life, a better childhood. She had guts going against Simon and standing for what she believed. My favorite part of the book was definitively the bond between Annabelle and the young duke and how Annabelle roped in Simon to care more about his nephew. I simply like seeing adults and children develop a relationship together, to see the trust that is being established... Also, I find children keep adults honest and down-to-earth :) So that part was well done. And while I wasn't impressed by Simon's behavior, I thought Ms Drake did a good job with his character and establishing the motives for his neglect. In addition, this was my first time reading Ms Drake and I did like her writing. Another good thing was the lack of sequel baiting... I have to admit it's a bit weird, because I'm not even sure we were introduced to the future characters, but I'll take it :) Unfortunately, all this wasn't enough to negate my issues.
Any issues? As I mentioned, I have a few. The most important one is that I didn't care for the romance in If the Slipper Fits. I think that Simon and Annabelle didn't have any chemistry together and I dislike how Simon takes one look at Annabelle and desires her... At the same time, he makes no efforts to get to know her or try to establish a relationship, since he is too busy looking for a wife. Ugh. Also, I just don't see why Annabelle succumbed to his charms and when was the moment lust turned into love for both of them? Oh and Simon's proposal was just way premature. In every aspect, the romance just didn't work for me :(
The other main issue was the big reveal at the end about Annabelle's identity. It came out from absolutely no-where in my opinion and was really far-fetched. Really, I thought it was totally superfluous and once again, did not care about this twist. I guess it was to tie in the Cinderella theme, but meh. It might have worked with a bit more shadowing and if it had a bigger impact on the storyline... Speaking of Cinderella, I'm not a big fan of fairy tales retellings and Cinderella sure is not a favorite... but when the series is named Cinderella Sisterhood, you have some expectations... and really, the link between If the Slipper Fits and Cinderella is very tenuous. I guess depending on the reader, this can be a good or bad thing.
At this point, I'm not sure I'll be picking up the next book...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2016
'If the Slipper Fits' by Olivia Drake is the first book in the "Cinderella Sisterhood' Series.
This is the story of Annabelle Quinn and Lord Simon Westbury.
Annabelle was left a the doorstep of a Girls academy School when she was a baby. There she stayed and help out and also became a teacher. Annabelle was treat somewhat as a servant to the upper class teachers. But Annabelle moved on to become a Duke's governess and that is where she met Lord Simon. Lord Simon is the guarding of the Duke and his uncle. We find that all is not well at the house. Simon is cutting himself off from the little Duke and that Annabelle is really needed to bring feeling back into the house.
This was an emotional book that made you very sad to very happy... I love books that you can really get into and this was one of them!
Please follow more reviews at the below sites:
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1... http://sissymaereads.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/sally.mae.39...
http://booklikes.com/
https://romancebookreviewforyou.wordp...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/17091...
https://twitter.com/soapsrus68
https://www.pinterest.com/u2soapsrus/
This is the story of Annabelle Quinn and Lord Simon Westbury.
Annabelle was left a the doorstep of a Girls academy School when she was a baby. There she stayed and help out and also became a teacher. Annabelle was treat somewhat as a servant to the upper class teachers. But Annabelle moved on to become a Duke's governess and that is where she met Lord Simon. Lord Simon is the guarding of the Duke and his uncle. We find that all is not well at the house. Simon is cutting himself off from the little Duke and that Annabelle is really needed to bring feeling back into the house.
This was an emotional book that made you very sad to very happy... I love books that you can really get into and this was one of them!
Please follow more reviews at the below sites:
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1... http://sissymaereads.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/sally.mae.39...
http://booklikes.com/
https://romancebookreviewforyou.wordp...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/17091...
https://twitter.com/soapsrus68
https://www.pinterest.com/u2soapsrus/
June 4, 2012
Overall, not a bad book just not something overly special. The plot is one that has been used many times before...governess falls for guardian with a child that just needs some good love to be himself. There was a nice little subplot involving some ruins found on the land that adds a bit of intrigue. I am a sucker for Cinderella retellings so I like the glass, or in this case ruby, slipper and the fairy godmother and I also likes how the evil stepsisters and stepmother were not that exact case, but rather some characters that were seen in a smaller dose. Annabelle and Simon have an instant attraction but not much happens with their feelings until the end of the book. And the ending had one last twist that I personally didn't really like. I was actually kind of hoping nothing would be discussed about her parents (as Annabelle is an orphan) for a change but oh well. Its well written and easy to read and I do look forward to what could be next. (Bonus points for the cover matching a scene exactly!) 3 1/2 stars
June 25, 2012
The good: fun, resourceful heroine; cute kid; great setting. The not-so-good: hardly intriguing mystery; random identity revelation almost completely out of nowhere with only five pages to go; but worst of all: what is this romance? When they got to the big oh-I-love-you-be-with-me-always scene, I honestly thought maybe my copy had accidentally left out a few chapters leading up to it because it was so completely out of nowhere. Good way to waste a few sunny hours though.
January 21, 2015
Good book. I liked both Annabelle and Simon. Annabelle really wanted to get away from the school. I loved the way that she was able to get the interview she needed - it showed her determination and her creativity. I also liked the way that she refused to back down when confronted by Simon about her presence there. The way that she came to care so deeply for the young duke, Nicholas, was heartwarming and I loved that she refused to give up on getting him exactly what he needed. Her enjoyment of the little things in her new life was great. Her love for Simon grew slowly, but it was strong. I liked that she had enough sense of her self-worth to not give in to his desire to make her his mistress, and that she had the guts to call him out on it. Simon was a little harder to like at first. His lack of interest in his nephew was frustrating to Annabelle and she wanted to change it. Simon had a hard time looking at Nicholas and not remembering the love he had for the boy's mother and her betrayal of him. Simon's interest in Annabelle was purely lust at first and he kept trying to figure out how to get her in his bed. He didn't understand why he kept listening to her when she would complain about his treatment of Nicholas, but eventually he listened to her and his attitude began to change. He was surprised when she refused his offer and furious when she told him what she thought of it. I did like the way it made him think and he began to realize what his feelings really were. The mystery that wove through the book was fairly mild. I guessed who the bad guy was but not why he was after Annabelle. Overall I liked it and am looking forward to the next book in the series.
March 28, 2016
So, I read this book because book four in the series was nominated for a RITA for historical romance and I hate reading a series out of order, so I thought I would start at the beginning of the series since I absolutely adore fairy tale retellings.
This book is supposed to be a retelling of Cinderella, but it's more like a retelling of Cinderella, and a less creepy Jane Eyre. The writing was flat. There was a lot of telling going on, rather than showing, and the author has a tendency to remind the reader of things that happened in previous chapters in a way that makes me feel like she thinks I'm dumb and have a memory span of approximately four paragraphs.
The hero and heroine fought the entire time, except for having random glances of lust, but that hardly serves as the basis for a relationship. Jealousy is not love. I seriously was surprised by the hero's proclamation of love, and that's never a good sign. The climax lacked drama, and the big secret reveal at the end was just dumb. I mean, seriously?
So, I'm going to skip the next two books and just try book four to see if the author got better. If that has happened, I may go back and read the other two, but I'm not willing to read the entire series based on this book.
This book is supposed to be a retelling of Cinderella, but it's more like a retelling of Cinderella, and a less creepy Jane Eyre. The writing was flat. There was a lot of telling going on, rather than showing, and the author has a tendency to remind the reader of things that happened in previous chapters in a way that makes me feel like she thinks I'm dumb and have a memory span of approximately four paragraphs.
The hero and heroine fought the entire time, except for having random glances of lust, but that hardly serves as the basis for a relationship. Jealousy is not love. I seriously was surprised by the hero's proclamation of love, and that's never a good sign. The climax lacked drama, and the big secret reveal at the end was just dumb. I mean, seriously?
So, I'm going to skip the next two books and just try book four to see if the author got better. If that has happened, I may go back and read the other two, but I'm not willing to read the entire series based on this book.
Read
April 21, 2021No rating because I'm putting it aside. The writing was boring and I didn't want to force myself to read it.
May 4, 2021
Okay...I loved this! Review to come!
April 21, 2015
This is the first in a series of Cinderella stories, revolving around a mysterious pair of slippers. The heroine in this one is, Annabelle Quinn, a young woman who was, as a baby, left on the doorstep of a girl's school and taken in as a charity case. Now she's a teacher, and despite the best efforts of the matron to keep her out of the running, she's chosen for a position as governess to a young duke. Oh, and she's given a pair of lovely, hardly-useful-for- someone-of-the-servant-class, slippers.
When she arrives at the young duke's estate, she's unhappily surprised to learn she's not expected. It seems his indifferent guardian/uncle Lord Simon Westbury, ignored the letter from Lady Clarissa Milford, who had taken it upon herself to find a caring governess for his withdrawn, troubled ward. There's a story behind it, but let's just say Simon wants as little as possible to do with the young duke, and for the same reasons, even less to do with the tempting new governess. She can stay, but she and the boy had better stay out of his way.
The tutor he's hired for the boy is abusive and needs to be replaced. Unfortunately, when Annabelle tries to let him know…
Meanwhile…
(that's more apt than you might think)
Let's just say stuff keeps happening.
There are a couple decent mysteries here. You'll see the villain coming a mile away, but there are enough complications to make it interesting anyway.
I did have a huge logic issue, though…
Logic issues aside, the story works, despite relying on a number of cliché devices. I liked the characters and enjoyed the way the whole thing played out. So, ok, this gets 4 stars.
When she arrives at the young duke's estate, she's unhappily surprised to learn she's not expected. It seems his indifferent guardian/uncle Lord Simon Westbury, ignored the letter from Lady Clarissa Milford, who had taken it upon herself to find a caring governess for his withdrawn, troubled ward. There's a story behind it, but let's just say Simon wants as little as possible to do with the young duke, and for the same reasons, even less to do with the tempting new governess. She can stay, but she and the boy had better stay out of his way.
The tutor he's hired for the boy is abusive and needs to be replaced. Unfortunately, when Annabelle tries to let him know…
Meanwhile…
(that's more apt than you might think)
Let's just say stuff keeps happening.
There are a couple decent mysteries here. You'll see the villain coming a mile away, but there are enough complications to make it interesting anyway.
I did have a huge logic issue, though…
Logic issues aside, the story works, despite relying on a number of cliché devices. I liked the characters and enjoyed the way the whole thing played out. So, ok, this gets 4 stars.
September 11, 2019
One BIG Ugh star. My second book by this author, and it read so similar to the first one. As if she just changed the names of the characters and that's it. This should have been such a cute story!! But it was just.... the characters ruined it. The heroine started off great. I loved her spunk in how she got herself chosen for the governess position. As to how she was actually selected, with the slipper fitting her foot was the first of many things that made no sense to me as to how it all connected to the story. (I did jump ship at 50% so maybe it was explained later). The next WTF moment was why exactly the author had the heroine be directed down the wrong route to reach the castle, instead of the main road. Unless I missed something, there was no reason for that to have happened. The hero was a mirror imagine of the asinine, mean, arrogant hero from the other Olivia Drake book I read. Despising the heroine one second, having lustful thoughts the next. Back to the heroine... She also had insta-lust thoughts, mirror'ing the heroine from the other book. During the first day or two of knowing the hero, who was a cold, arrogant jerk to her, she would look into his silver eyes, and her womb would get the quivers. (eyeroll). Then she needed to beg the hero to not let her go from the new position, but to give her 2 weeks to prove herself worthy. So while knowing that she needed to stay out of his way, walk on eggshells, and generally don't screw up, what does she do on the first day? She sees that the hero is have a tea party with a potential admirer and her mama, and she barges in to demand a quick meeting with the hero to discuss her charge/his nephew's class schedule. WTF? A servant would NOT interrupt her superiors like that, at all. I was embarrassed reading the whole scene. By the 50% mark, there was no romance and I realised I disliked both characters so much, that I did not want to read about their HEA anyway... :( First time that I am deciding to skip all other books by an author.
June 27, 2014
Originally Posted At My Blog: Addicted To Romance
Quickie Review:
This is the first time reading a book from Olivia Drake, and it has been a long time since I have been so engrossed in a historical romance. The style of the writing reminded me of Karen Hawkins, Lisa Kleypas and Sabrina Jeffries. If The Slipper Fits is one of my favorite historical romances I have read so far this year. I do love a fairy tale theme romance, and this series is based on the story of Cinderella. Annabelle is our Cinderella, a orphan, with no home or family. She is then asked to be a governess to a child who is in great need of a mother. But she clashes with the guardian and uncle, Simon Westbury. Annabelle brings a peace and a softness to their home. This was such a beautiful and tender story that kept me up late reading it, because I was so enthralled by every aspect of this story. The romance between Annabelle was stimulating and sensual. I loved the aspect of the nephew, this darling little boy that just had me wrapped around his finger from the beginning.I enjoyed seeing the intricate play of events, and the way this story is put together. It had a feeling of vibrancy that extends itself to the reader.
Overall If The Slipper Fits swept me away from the first chapter. This author takes us into a world of sizzling passion, charming characters, and a sweet romance to tug at your heart strings. Satisfying until the very end!! MAGNIFIQUE!!!
Quickie Review:
This is the first time reading a book from Olivia Drake, and it has been a long time since I have been so engrossed in a historical romance. The style of the writing reminded me of Karen Hawkins, Lisa Kleypas and Sabrina Jeffries. If The Slipper Fits is one of my favorite historical romances I have read so far this year. I do love a fairy tale theme romance, and this series is based on the story of Cinderella. Annabelle is our Cinderella, a orphan, with no home or family. She is then asked to be a governess to a child who is in great need of a mother. But she clashes with the guardian and uncle, Simon Westbury. Annabelle brings a peace and a softness to their home. This was such a beautiful and tender story that kept me up late reading it, because I was so enthralled by every aspect of this story. The romance between Annabelle was stimulating and sensual. I loved the aspect of the nephew, this darling little boy that just had me wrapped around his finger from the beginning.I enjoyed seeing the intricate play of events, and the way this story is put together. It had a feeling of vibrancy that extends itself to the reader.
Overall If The Slipper Fits swept me away from the first chapter. This author takes us into a world of sizzling passion, charming characters, and a sweet romance to tug at your heart strings. Satisfying until the very end!! MAGNIFIQUE!!!
June 24, 2012
Even if the slipper fits, will it make my dreams come true?
Having known the life at the bottom of the social ladder Annabelle Quinn finds her escape and grabs it. Annabelle has lived shackled by her illegitimacy so having the opportunity to become the governess to a titled child is the road to freedom and all too soon the only lesson this child needs is the one Annabelle can provide, love. The problem however is his uncle Lord Simon Westbury who wants nothing to do with her or his nephew despite being his guardian. It was a devastating turn of events that led to the woman he loved marrying his brother and leaving him to care for their child.
Annabelle wins over everyone and shines the sun on Simon’s ice-cold heart. There are nights of passion and stolen kisses between them but days where the distance is greater than being divided by a room. Fear of relationship failure keeps Simon illusive and distant to a woman with an open heart and a loving nature. Annabelle is more than capable of caring for everyone when given the opportunity and love just one man if he could trust her.
There is evil lurking in the woods and someone’s life is in peril but as soon as one mystery is solved another presents itself. Too many clues leading in the wrong direction providing few answers to explain what is going on.
When Olivia Drake writes everyone should be reading and experiencing the magic of wonderful historical romances.
Having known the life at the bottom of the social ladder Annabelle Quinn finds her escape and grabs it. Annabelle has lived shackled by her illegitimacy so having the opportunity to become the governess to a titled child is the road to freedom and all too soon the only lesson this child needs is the one Annabelle can provide, love. The problem however is his uncle Lord Simon Westbury who wants nothing to do with her or his nephew despite being his guardian. It was a devastating turn of events that led to the woman he loved marrying his brother and leaving him to care for their child.
Annabelle wins over everyone and shines the sun on Simon’s ice-cold heart. There are nights of passion and stolen kisses between them but days where the distance is greater than being divided by a room. Fear of relationship failure keeps Simon illusive and distant to a woman with an open heart and a loving nature. Annabelle is more than capable of caring for everyone when given the opportunity and love just one man if he could trust her.
There is evil lurking in the woods and someone’s life is in peril but as soon as one mystery is solved another presents itself. Too many clues leading in the wrong direction providing few answers to explain what is going on.
When Olivia Drake writes everyone should be reading and experiencing the magic of wonderful historical romances.
December 14, 2015
Naechstes Mal bitte "less Groschenroman, more smut" ^^ #dalp
did-not-finish
March 26, 2019I got to the 70% mark & just couldn’t finish it. There were so many things that were repeated over & over again that it drove me crazy
January 18, 2025
*Read for the Crystal Lake prompt of Romanceopoly(fairy tale retelling).*
4.5 stars.
This was so cute!!! Take a governess hero, an adorable and sweet little boy, a guardian who doesn't want to love, then wrap it all up in a Cinderella retelling. That's exactly what Olivia Drake did in this book, and I loved it. Poor Annabelle started out this book so mistreated by the headmistress of the school she worked at, I couldn't wait to see her get out of there, which was accomplished by the awesome and enigmatic Lady Milford hiring her as governess to a young duke. Annabelle was so sweet and kind, I loved watching her with Nicholas. She was also intelligent, and she refused to be steered away from her morrals...well, mostly. Because as annoying as he started out this novel, Simon was one charming guardian. I felt bad for him because of how his brother and the woman he loved had betrayed him, but I still don't like that he took it out on Nicholas, who was just a little boy. Annabelle totally put him in his place, though.
I loved watching Annabelle fight for Nicholas. He was such a sweet little boy, and at the beginning, because of an awful tutor who physically and emotionally punished him, he was afraid of everything. I loved watching him come out of his shell, and when Simon started to actually act like an uncle, it was so gratifying to see them together.
Aside from the awesome romance, this book had interesting plots that involved buried treasure, Annabelle's past, and another man vying for Annabelle's attention. Don't worry though, he ruined his chances at their first meeting, so no love triangle here. The writing was very well-done in here, lending this story elements of a gothic undertone at times, while also still being sweet, cute, and romantic. This was an excellent retelling, and I so can't wait to read more in this series.
4.5 stars.
This was so cute!!! Take a governess hero, an adorable and sweet little boy, a guardian who doesn't want to love, then wrap it all up in a Cinderella retelling. That's exactly what Olivia Drake did in this book, and I loved it. Poor Annabelle started out this book so mistreated by the headmistress of the school she worked at, I couldn't wait to see her get out of there, which was accomplished by the awesome and enigmatic Lady Milford hiring her as governess to a young duke. Annabelle was so sweet and kind, I loved watching her with Nicholas. She was also intelligent, and she refused to be steered away from her morrals...well, mostly. Because as annoying as he started out this novel, Simon was one charming guardian. I felt bad for him because of how his brother and the woman he loved had betrayed him, but I still don't like that he took it out on Nicholas, who was just a little boy. Annabelle totally put him in his place, though.
I loved watching Annabelle fight for Nicholas. He was such a sweet little boy, and at the beginning, because of an awful tutor who physically and emotionally punished him, he was afraid of everything. I loved watching him come out of his shell, and when Simon started to actually act like an uncle, it was so gratifying to see them together.
Aside from the awesome romance, this book had interesting plots that involved buried treasure, Annabelle's past, and another man vying for Annabelle's attention. Don't worry though, he ruined his chances at their first meeting, so no love triangle here. The writing was very well-done in here, lending this story elements of a gothic undertone at times, while also still being sweet, cute, and romantic. This was an excellent retelling, and I so can't wait to read more in this series.
February 16, 2018
Annabelle was abandoned as a baby. She knew nothing of her parentage. She's lived, worked, and taught at an all girl's school. While the school educated her, she's had to work for her keep. She's always been treated differently and doesn't have close friends. Simon was in love with a woman who then decided she wanted Simon's older brother. Simon, bitter, bought a commission in the army and left. He had no contact with his family for years. His brother and sister-in-law's deaths brought him back. Simon is the guardian of his nephew.
Annabelle gets hired by Clarissa to be Nicholas's governess. She gradually makes changes and Nicholas comes out of his shell. I liked both characters, Annabelle is strong and outspoken. Simon is bitter, but comes out of his funk.
What I didn't "buy" was the romance- to a point. Annabelle and Simon didn't spend much time together, IMO. Simon does spend plenty of time "courting" Louisa. I didn't think the reveal of Annabelle's parentage was necessary. But all said, I did like it.
Annabelle gets hired by Clarissa to be Nicholas's governess. She gradually makes changes and Nicholas comes out of his shell. I liked both characters, Annabelle is strong and outspoken. Simon is bitter, but comes out of his funk.
What I didn't "buy" was the romance- to a point. Annabelle and Simon didn't spend much time together, IMO. Simon does spend plenty of time "courting" Louisa. I didn't think the reveal of Annabelle's parentage was necessary. But all said, I did like it.
July 29, 2018
I loved this book! I haven’t read any historical romance books in awhile and it reminded me that I really should. I loved Annabelle’s story and how she was abandoned as a baby at a school for girls. They treated her badly until her fairy godmother gave her a position as a governess for a duke. It took some battles for Annabelle with the dukes guardian Simon but when they both realized they loved each other, it changed the whole story. Just a great story.
October 9, 2017
I loved how she brought the fairytale aspect in.
May 26, 2016
I have always loved fairytales. So it isn’t really a surprise that when I heard about If the Slipper Fits by Olivia Drake, I knew I had to read it ASAP. Unfortunately I was let down with If the Slipper Fits.
Annabelle Quinn is an orphan with very questionable parentage. She works at a girl’s school and is not treated well there. When the guardian of an orphaned duke comes to the school looking for a governess for the little boy, Annabelle knows this is her chance. And before she knows it she’s off to be governess to a little boy and falling for the boy's uncle and guardian.
I struggled a lot with this book. I did like Annabelle, which is a good thing because she is the heroine of If the Slipper Fits. She really takes to her charge, young Nicholas, and becomes his champion. And Nicholas needs a champion. He’s traumatized after his parents’ sudden deaths, and his current teacher is not the best. To top it off his guardian, his uncle Simon, is very aloof. I loved how Annabelle took it upon herself to ensure the happiness of Nicholas, and found a way to get Simon to agree with her. But, besides that, Annabelle really didn’t stand out to me.
The hero of the story, Simon, was not my favorite. I didn’t like how he initially treated his nephew, Nicholas. While Simon was never mean to him, he wasn’t really all that fond of him either. The reason Simon has an issue with Nicholas is because Simon fell fir Nicholas's mother before she married Simon's brother. Ugh! Why this drama? It’s so not something I like. It was hard for me to like Simon when he was taking out his issues with his sister-in-law on his nephew, especially since it all happened so long ago.
The romance wasn’t very inspiring, either. I couldn’t understand why Annabelle liked Simon. Besides the fact that he’s pretty, why would she fall for him? It was more tell than show, in my opinion.
If the Slipper Fits by Olivia Drake just didn't impress me. I certainly didn’t hate the book, but I didn’t really like it either. I think it lacked in chemistry, character development and romance. While I didn't outright hate anything about the book, I didn't love anything about it either.This review was originally posted on Quinn's Book Nook
Annabelle Quinn is an orphan with very questionable parentage. She works at a girl’s school and is not treated well there. When the guardian of an orphaned duke comes to the school looking for a governess for the little boy, Annabelle knows this is her chance. And before she knows it she’s off to be governess to a little boy and falling for the boy's uncle and guardian.
I struggled a lot with this book. I did like Annabelle, which is a good thing because she is the heroine of If the Slipper Fits. She really takes to her charge, young Nicholas, and becomes his champion. And Nicholas needs a champion. He’s traumatized after his parents’ sudden deaths, and his current teacher is not the best. To top it off his guardian, his uncle Simon, is very aloof. I loved how Annabelle took it upon herself to ensure the happiness of Nicholas, and found a way to get Simon to agree with her. But, besides that, Annabelle really didn’t stand out to me.
The hero of the story, Simon, was not my favorite. I didn’t like how he initially treated his nephew, Nicholas. While Simon was never mean to him, he wasn’t really all that fond of him either. The reason Simon has an issue with Nicholas is because Simon fell fir Nicholas's mother before she married Simon's brother. Ugh! Why this drama? It’s so not something I like. It was hard for me to like Simon when he was taking out his issues with his sister-in-law on his nephew, especially since it all happened so long ago.
The romance wasn’t very inspiring, either. I couldn’t understand why Annabelle liked Simon. Besides the fact that he’s pretty, why would she fall for him? It was more tell than show, in my opinion.
If the Slipper Fits by Olivia Drake just didn't impress me. I certainly didn’t hate the book, but I didn’t really like it either. I think it lacked in chemistry, character development and romance. While I didn't outright hate anything about the book, I didn't love anything about it either.This review was originally posted on Quinn's Book Nook
September 3, 2012
I had read the excerpt on the author's website and the beginning had me very very intrigued and excited. I particularly like romance novels involving governesses and thought this looked promising. It has a very Jane Eyre feel to it although the setting hints at her being very cinderella in many ways ie finding her prince charming and the red satin slippers. That part I liked. The kid was cute and adorable. Clarissa was charming & a champion. What lacked was perhaps more backstory to the red satin shoes. If they play a significant part then please we need some hints.
Drake is very good with describing the place- the beach, the Cornish coast, the imposing castle, the Cornish superstitions etc etc but that's it. In my humble view Simon is very much like Mr.Rochester- dark brooding and very very tormented, with a gentle passionate side lurking in there somewhere. Annabelle was a good heroine, feisty and brave but what I didn't like was the way their supposed romance was panned out. It was rushed bc 3/4 of the book the just are wary of each other and fighting-lots of it- while all the time giving each other seduce-me-eyes. When they finally declared their love for each other ~ funny there was no inner reflection by both hero and heroine where they realized they had fallen in love and NOT lust- I really thought some chapters were missing. It was a big jump from one minute to being jealous and aware of each other/yet keeping a distance/but having lusty thoughts of them all the time to going I love you. I don't get it. The couple held great promise for character growth and sadly it did not come. The twist in the end concerning Annabelle was again sudden and out of the blue revealed and then thats it. Just a few pages. I was really let down by that as it seemed superficial.
But what most disappointed me was the lack of steamy love scenes. There was hardly one and a half, and maybe I am being picky but that could have pulled the book together better! If you have supposed so much attraction than that into action! If there is so many fights make up for it! Sadly the making up was lukewarm to say the least. Not happy with that at all. All an ok read to pass time. Dont expect to much.
I will give this author another go- maybe the next one in the series- and see if I am satisfied with the story.
Drake is very good with describing the place- the beach, the Cornish coast, the imposing castle, the Cornish superstitions etc etc but that's it. In my humble view Simon is very much like Mr.Rochester- dark brooding and very very tormented, with a gentle passionate side lurking in there somewhere. Annabelle was a good heroine, feisty and brave but what I didn't like was the way their supposed romance was panned out. It was rushed bc 3/4 of the book the just are wary of each other and fighting-lots of it- while all the time giving each other seduce-me-eyes. When they finally declared their love for each other ~ funny there was no inner reflection by both hero and heroine where they realized they had fallen in love and NOT lust- I really thought some chapters were missing. It was a big jump from one minute to being jealous and aware of each other/yet keeping a distance/but having lusty thoughts of them all the time to going I love you. I don't get it. The couple held great promise for character growth and sadly it did not come. The twist in the end concerning Annabelle was again sudden and out of the blue revealed and then thats it. Just a few pages. I was really let down by that as it seemed superficial.
But what most disappointed me was the lack of steamy love scenes. There was hardly one and a half, and maybe I am being picky but that could have pulled the book together better! If you have supposed so much attraction than that into action! If there is so many fights make up for it! Sadly the making up was lukewarm to say the least. Not happy with that at all. All an ok read to pass time. Dont expect to much.
I will give this author another go- maybe the next one in the series- and see if I am satisfied with the story.
May 24, 2012
Annabelle Quinn is an orphan who was raised within the confines of a girl's academy in Yorkshire. While she dreams of great adventure, she knows her life will remain at the academy. But when an unexpected visitor offers the opportunity for Annabelle to become the governess to an young Nicholas Duke of Kevern, who's lost his parents, she does what she must to ensure she has a chance at the position.
Annabelle takes on her roll as governess with a fortitude that is commendable. She manages to get rid of the horrible Mr. Bunting who believes in ruling the schoolroom with an iron fist and boring lectures and wrangle the Nicholas' uncle, Lord Simon Westbury, into making attempts to connect with the boy. But she also manages to ruffle feathers, not only within the Westbury / Kevern household but also those she wasn't even aware she was ruffling.
Annabelle was a character that, despite of her upbringing (or maybe because of it) was able to take enjoyment in the things other might take for granted. Everything was an adventure to her and she made it a joy for others to enjoy whatever activity she was in participating in. She was also someone who knew what it would take to make a little boy fell loved again. Everything Annabelle did was to ensure Nicholas knew he was loved and always would be.
Simon was a little bit harder connect with. He was cold and hardened by the betrayal of his brother and sister-in-law. He let that coldness he felt for them bleed over into his dealings with his nephew. His lack of sympathy for the little boy was what made it hard to have any kind hope that he would turn into the type of man Annabelle needed. However, once Simon let go of the past and the animosity he held towards two people who where no longer around, he did change into a person that was more likable.
This was a unique and entertaining spin on Cinderella. While we didn't see a lot of the "evil stepmother and step sisters" it was clear who Annabelle's Fairy Godmother was. It will be interesting to see who she slips those jewel encrusted slippers on next.
Annabelle takes on her roll as governess with a fortitude that is commendable. She manages to get rid of the horrible Mr. Bunting who believes in ruling the schoolroom with an iron fist and boring lectures and wrangle the Nicholas' uncle, Lord Simon Westbury, into making attempts to connect with the boy. But she also manages to ruffle feathers, not only within the Westbury / Kevern household but also those she wasn't even aware she was ruffling.
Annabelle was a character that, despite of her upbringing (or maybe because of it) was able to take enjoyment in the things other might take for granted. Everything was an adventure to her and she made it a joy for others to enjoy whatever activity she was in participating in. She was also someone who knew what it would take to make a little boy fell loved again. Everything Annabelle did was to ensure Nicholas knew he was loved and always would be.
Simon was a little bit harder connect with. He was cold and hardened by the betrayal of his brother and sister-in-law. He let that coldness he felt for them bleed over into his dealings with his nephew. His lack of sympathy for the little boy was what made it hard to have any kind hope that he would turn into the type of man Annabelle needed. However, once Simon let go of the past and the animosity he held towards two people who where no longer around, he did change into a person that was more likable.
This was a unique and entertaining spin on Cinderella. While we didn't see a lot of the "evil stepmother and step sisters" it was clear who Annabelle's Fairy Godmother was. It will be interesting to see who she slips those jewel encrusted slippers on next.
February 19, 2017
This is my first Olivia Drake book and my second book with a Cinderella story theme.
It was nice, but kinda didn't get to me as much as some books did, so I guess my review would short.
- I liked the kid Nicholas and the heroine's relationship with him. Maybe it was what I liked the most in this book, how she totally became his shield and sword, and how she was persistent to get the uncle and nephew together, and that was nice, especially how their relation became closer and more comfortable.
- I kinda suspected the villain, but never thought the reason would be because of her unique origin.
- But I didn't feel that it was a Cinderella theme much, only the fairy godmother aspect and the slippers and the midnight bells, that's it. At first the hero was like the step-mother at first because of his gruffness, but then wen he finally relented and mended the bridges with his nephew everything about him turned perfect.
Overall, *75% up*
It was nice, but kinda didn't get to me as much as some books did, so I guess my review would short.
- I liked the kid Nicholas and the heroine's relationship with him. Maybe it was what I liked the most in this book, how she totally became his shield and sword, and how she was persistent to get the uncle and nephew together, and that was nice, especially how their relation became closer and more comfortable.
- I kinda suspected the villain, but never thought the reason would be because of her unique origin.
- But I didn't feel that it was a Cinderella theme much, only the fairy godmother aspect and the slippers and the midnight bells, that's it. At first the hero was like the step-mother at first because of his gruffness, but then wen he finally relented and mended the bridges with his nephew everything about him turned perfect.
Overall, *75% up*
March 5, 2016
I love Bronte's Jane Eyre, which was obviously what Drake was going for here. The heroine is likeable and Lord Simon is dreamy. Plus, the kid is super cute. However, the plot only takes off when there is only 50 pages left to go, the side characters are woefully underdeveloped and the "happy" ending was too perfect. Almost saccharine perfect. Most unfortunately, the way the archaeological artifacts were treated by some of the characters was abhorrent, but that's just me. In all, go ahead and read it for something to satisfy in between Jane Eyre movie adaptations, but don't expect Bronte-quality.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews