Maid to Be Mine: A Regency Cinderella Story

by K.L. O'Keefe

After the death of her father, Cynthia Lockhart has little time to mourn. Her wicked stepmother has sent her below stairs, where she is forced to work and live with the servants. How is a lord’s daughter supposed to bear such an insulting fall from grace?

Her only hope is Lord Charmington, a wickedly handsome earl who is desperately seeking a wife. After an encounter with the earl, Cynthia believes he is her salvation. With any luck, her detestable stepsister won’t get to him first!

Genres: Romance, Fairy Tales, Cinderella, Regency, Historical Romance, Ebooks

174 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 16, 2012

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5
I enjoyed this twist on Cinderella. At first I thought it was all Insta-Lovey, but then I sensed it was a little different and gave it a chance. It could use a little polish but it wasn't bad, and it was certainly unique.

[SandraE · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reimagining of the cinderella story.

[Connie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok so this book almost went into my DNF pile, which is almost nonexistent because I have this thing that makes me finish books even if they stink. I have to say that most of this book really really really stunk but that driving force to stick it out brought me to the end of the book which I think was somewhat better than the first 80%. So this is Cinderella with a twist, but the twist was so obvious that I couldn't stop wondering why it didn't just happen already! This is quite possibly the only version of Cinderella (and I've read a lot, I have a thing for fairytale romances) where I have not felt any sympathy for the heroine. I gave this two stars instead of negative one because I really do think that the story got better progressively but was still pretty disappointing. I'm not really sure what the author was going for. There were parts of the book where I thought that her writing was so bad that it had to a deliberate attempt at humor that unfortunately didn't translate properly. I mean the would be hero's name is Charmington, but throughout the book Robert makes fun of the name so the writer had to have been going for humor when naming him that and not just being trite (I hope). The title says it is a regency but the language used was definitely not fitting of the time period. The characters were overdone and there was no development, you know how they felt because they said it but there was no reasoning or explanation of why and how they came to feel that way, both with the animosity between Cynthia and the stepmother and also with the love stories. They just happened and didn't seem to make very much sense.

[Zette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have never given a one star review to a book but this one came very close and was bumped up to a two star only because I liked the surprise twist at the end to the traditional Cinderella story. I hate to sound harsh but I must be honest and give my true feelings in my reviews or there would be no point in writing them. Everything was a bit over-the-top in this Cinderella story. The characters of Georgiana, the stepmother and especially Roland (who was constantly picking his nose or drooling) were so ridiculous they were unbelievable! I know this is a fairy tale but it was even too much for that genre. Also, the story itself and the conduct of the characters was not true to the time period at all which I would not have a problem with except it is stated in the title as a Regency story. Lord Charmington and Cynthia's first meeting would have been scandalous in that time period and no Earl would ever have said those things and not been thought of as a rake especially by a well-bred lady. Her stepmother would never have put her out without facing much embarrassment and damage to her own reputation in society. I'm so glad I got this one for free on my Kindle and would not recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Regency romance.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Cinderella story with a twist at the end. It was a fun, quick read that was good for just that--a quick, easy read. The story is simple but good enough, although the author has the characters behave a bit too 21st century-ish in my opinion; bits just are not quite realistic for the 1800ish time period it is set in. I don't highly recommend it, but neither is it terrible.

[Apzmarshl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The language didn't seem very regency. The conversations were modern and a few of the characters were repulsive. But, once the story got rolling it was easy and entertaining. The end was a bit if a twist but you could see it coming from the beginning.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an okay clean romance

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read with a twist ending but a lot of it felt too modern for the time period

[Preet · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started off great and then took a turn in a completely different direction.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book isn't written very well, but I'm always a sucker for Cinderella stories, and this was a neat spin on the familiar story.

[Shelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Free on kindle. Liked the ending, but saw it coming from the start. I wanted some more backbone, especially at the beginning.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the expected end. OK I guess but would not be recommending it to anyone to read.