Cynthia “Cindy Ella” Miller is a stunning young Veterinarian School graduate. She and her father, Alonzo Miller, have moved in with his new wife Mama Tremaine and her fraternal twin stepsisters Dreeyah and Stasia. Cindy has finally gotten the family she’s longed for her entire life. All is well until Alonzo dies unexpectedly. Things slowly start to change for the worse.
Dr. Kofi Carter is an irresistible new Veterinarian at the Paradise Pet Care Hospital. He is the youngest of three boys and seems to be underestimated both at home and on the job. A horrific event from his childhood makes Kofi believe he has to prove his worth and that respect must be demanded.
When Cindy starts her internship at the same pet hospital where Kofi works, he can’t rest until he makes her his, but he finds himself in the friendzone. Kofi drops everything to help Cindy when she reveals her suspicion that there was foul play in her father’s death. Will a Winter sneaker ball be enough to expose Cindy’s evil stepmother and bring the two together? Or will Cindy be left without answers and out of Kofi’s grasp for good?
Denise Essex crafts tantalizing romance novellas for Sweet Heat Seekers 💋! Her “A Naughty Rendezvous” title ranked number 2 on Amazon’s best sellers in Black and African American Romance Fiction chart in its first week. She’s published six seductive books since her first title “The College Route” debuted in the Summer of 2022.
Denise refers to her brand as Sweet Heat since she blends sweet relatable characters with steamy heated encounters. Be sure to like and follow her on Facebook at ✨www.facebook.com/DeniseEssex222 ✨ and subscribe to her mailing list ✨http://eepurl.com/h15QoD✨ for sexy surprises, discounted erotic products, and a taste of her latest juicy project 💦💋
This cover and knowing that Cynthia Miller, lovingly also addressed as Cindy Ella, is NOT the typical Cinderella!👏🏽 Is she cheery and optimistic? Yes. Does she talk to animals? Sure does, but she also gets paid for it so ha. Plus, the other alternatives from the Disney version Cinderella. I still caught the connections though and I enjoyed them. When it came to Kofi main thing I have to say is do not underestimate him. You never know what he is capable of.
Cindy's perspective on Kofi had me shaking my head at times. It's like she was craving drama or something. Why get twisted up because he's not all up in her face, right? Kofi is this chill dude outside but knows how to turn up the heat when it matters. Honestly, he was giving Cindy way more patience than I thought she deserved. But hey, it's all love because she finally got it—Kofi is the real deal. And when it came down to it, I was all in for how justice played out, with Kofi playing a key role in trapping the wrongdoer and bringing those crucial details to light. Overall, it's a solid read.
I struggled with this book because the FMC was immature and naive. Alonzo’s story was the only reason I finished the book. The writing style made me feel like I was reading a book written for 13 year olds.
A beautiful retelling of Cinderella. I love the spin that she put on the story and the way she really made it her own. I was hooked from the start and on the edge of my seat by the end
I LOVE fairytale retellings but add in black romance elements and characters, It's going to have me flying through a book every single time!
✒️Denise Essex's pen on this Cinderella-Retelling had me both laughing, on the verge tears and blushing for the main characters (Cindy Miller & Kofi Carter). This is definitely what I would describe as a slow-burn build up of love & passion between the characters. If you love Cinderella and she was your fave princess, go over to KU and read this retelling to fall in love all over again with urban fairytales. It's something about the way that these stories speak to me when the characters look like me, talk like me and act like me. What if this fairytale had twists and turns but still remained true to the storyline of the fairytale that you remember? What if you had one stepsister that was evil but the other one was not so bad as you thought she was? What if you did find love with your best friend, now turned homie-lover friend?
Dive into Cindy & Kofi's world and fall in love with th em as characters that seems to feel like you know them in reality!
💓📖Tropes: Miss Sunshine meets Mr. Reality, Princess Treatment, black love, black romance, fairytale retelling, happily ever after, friends to lovers, soulmates, love triangle.
Girl I was so confused at the beginning of this book. I couldn’t tell if Cindy liked Kofi as more than friends or not. She was doing a lot of back and forth. Lowkey…I wanted Kofi to move on from her 😬
Since this was a retelling of Cinderella, I already knew her daddy was going to die but I’m not going to lie. In the beginning, the author got me when it came to Tremaine, Dreeyah and Stasia. At first I was thrown off because everyone was so nice but when they had a family movie night, I was like “This is random as hell. This must be some foreshadowing or something.”
Speaking of “random as hell”, the Leena storyline felt random/out of place. Leena didn’t really provide any info that Cindy and Kofi didn’t know or have a hunch about, aside from the ancestors protecting Cindy and how many kids they’ll have. Plus it was already established at movie night that Cindy was good at solving mysteries.
Also, Cindy came off as a lot younger than 24, like almost juvenile, for most of the book. The only time she felt grown was when she was getting intimate with Kofi.
Which, by the way, if y’all didn’t know; Kofi has a “chipped-tooth smile”. Lol girl it was mentioned so many times in this book.
Now, in most fairytales, it's typical for the story to start with the tragic event and end with the fairytale fluff, but in this retelling, we started with all the fluff and feels, then by the end of the book, we are hit with the tragic event.
You know a story is good when you know how the plot will unfold, but you’re still hoping for a different outcome. Cindy and her father Alonso Miller's bond was unbreakable; I loved how he loved his daughter, bonus daughters, and fiancé. He was a very good man. Unfortunately, I knew he would eventually have to die—the way I wanted to change this outcome because Alonso didn’t deserve that.
Kofi Carter! I loved his friendship with Cindy, but I needed him to get a clue and find courage! Like Sir, we respect that you want to remain a gentleman and be respectful, but there is a time and a place for all that. Read the room and make a move!! 😂
Cindy was a little ditzy for my liking; she walked around with her head in the clouds, and the whole back-and-forth she had going on with Kofi was getting on my nerves. What else did this man have to do to show her he was all about her?!
I truly enjoyed this retelling. We got our fairytale with a little murder mystery added. This was my first book by Denise, but it won’t be my last.
Title: Cindy Ella Author: Denise Essex Publisher: B. Love Publications Series: BLP Fairytales Book 1 Reviewed By: Arlena Dean Rating: Five Review: "Cindy Ella" by Denise Essex
My Thoughts:
This story was full of romance, love, evilness, and craziness, and I know I have left something out of 'Cindy Ella.' What starts like a decent story quickly turns wild after Cindy's father marries that evil stepmother, Tremaine, with her two children. I felt sorry for Cindy, who wanted a mom and sisters, but what did she get? Then she meets Kofi, which is a good thing for her, but with her being so twisted in what was going on in her life, she doesn't seem to recognize what was a good thing for her. You must pick up the book and see how it all comes out to get this good story. I hate to say this, but it all gets wild when you discover who was behind this mess. Believe it or not, I was shocked to find out who was behind this mess. I will stop here and say I am glad Cindy finally realized who was there for her through this mystery, thriller, and suspenseful novel.
Ms. Essex is a new to me author, but I liked her writing style. This was a cute retelling. It was faithful to the source material without being heavy handed.
I liked and disliked Cindy. 😅 I wouldn't go so far as to call her weird like her stepsisters did, but she definitely had her head in the the clouds a lot and could be a little wishy washy. She was a hopeless romantic, but was so hot and cold with Kofi, who had way more patience than a lot of men would. While I understood her wanting him to take action (and Felicia even tried to help him out on that point), Dante did repeatedly but he she knew he wasn't the one. So that should have told her something.
I thought the spiritual aspect was a nice, if unexpected, touch, and I would have liked it to be explored just a tad more. But I think what we got made sense for the length of the book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I'm excited to read the rest of the series!
This was such a cute remake of a modern day Cinderella. I really enjoyed this story from beginning to end. I had no doubt that this author could deliver on this modern day twist on this fairytale.
Cindy was very unique and flighty like the original Cinderella. She definitely seemed to walk around with her head in the clouds and could be seen not living in reality at times, but that was part of her charm. I didn’t like the hot and cold she had with Kofi because it was unnecessary when he showed her he was all about her. I’m was glad when she finally came to her senses.
Now Kofi was definitely Prince Charming and only acted up when necessary like a true gentleman. He loved him some Cindy and despite their back and forth at times,they were cute together.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I originally got it to earn my “Spooky Season” achievement for kindle reads winter 2023. I’m so glad I did!
I haven’t ever read a black romantic suspense, mystery before and seeing that representation was amazing! The story line and plot were phenomenal!
The names of the HBCU Cindy and Kofi went to made me smile, a nod to Black American culture. So much about this book made me smile. The spiritual aspects, the animals; my brother has an animal science degree and my family has a farm so a lot of that made me smile, Kofi and Cindy’s chemistry, Kofi’s dirty mouth, their cat and mouse game.
This was a great retelling of the original Cinderella story. Cindy and Kofi were made for each other and I was glad when Cindy finally came to her senses and realized that Kofi was the man for her. I couldn't stand the evil stepmother, Tremaine, and the evil stepsister, Stasia. I really enjoyed all of the drama and intrigue contained in this story. I just loved the sting operation that came as a result of what happened to Cindy's father and I'm glad everyone got what they deserved for their evilness. All in all, this was a good romance/suspense book with a fairy tale ending.
No glass slippers here 👟 It's giving Murder Mystery/ Clue
Ok, so a Cinderella retelling was a stretch. Although there were a few elements and substitutions of our childhood fairtail sprinkled here and there with a moder edge.
Did I enjoy Cindy Ella? Heck yeah!
My man, Koffi, could not catch a break! Talk about a slow 🐌 burn. Between Cindy's indecisiveness, his lack of initiative, and all the drama in between, those 2 would have been dancing around each other forever.
It took him 4 months, and someone else asking about Ella for him to go see about her grieving?? Geeze! 🤦🏾♀️
This was a very interesting urban twist to a beloved fairytale. I have to admit I had no idea of how this story would evolve but I have to admit I loved every page of it. In the beginning Cindy worked my nerves a bit ,because she seemed to be taking Kofi’s feelings for granted. I’m so glad that He was a caring patient prince. The added twist with little Lena added to the books excitement.
As a women who is seventy plus lover of Romance genre that is mixed with suspense I have to admit that this series ( I read book 3 before realizing it was part of a series) is prompting me to read the rest of this series
Ooh this one was good!! I couldn’t put it down and Cindy was me in terms of reacting to Kofi. The twist?! I didn’t expect it at all. This story was a retelling of the classic Cinderella story with a modern day twist, and I liked how each of the characters were set up. The happy ever after felt earned after everything instead of just thrown together because she was the “princess” and he was the “prince”. I’ve already started the next book. THIS was the sort of retelling I was looking for, where the classic elements are there with a fresh spin and a hint of spice.
I didn’t know I needed a black romance remake of Cinderella until I read this book. I’m so glad that Denise and BLP decided to write and publish this series!!! Denise brought one of my favorite fairy tales to modern times and made me fall in love with it all over again!!
So if you love modern day black romance fairy tales then you will absolutely love Cynthia and Kofi’s love story and all the drama that tried to keep them apart, then this book is for you!!
Denise, This read right here had some expected and a few unexpected twists and turns. Cindy Ella was loved beyond measure, a horrible thing happened and her whole world went haywire. Thankfully, she had guardians keeping her covered from hurt, harm and danger. Kofi, and Ella went through some things that ended up having them on one page. After all things were shown to Cindy Ella she was able to stop anything else from happening.🤗🤗🤗🤗
I wasn’t a big fan of Cinderella but this remake was entertaining. I didn’t like how theFMC was portrayed she seemed lost and unsure of herself but wanted so bad to be grown and sure. The way she did my man Kofi is blasphemy when all he wanted to do was love on her. Glad he got tired of her games and stood on business. This series is shaping out to be good so far.
I always enjoy reading a good retelling story to see how the author places their personal spin on the original. This was a good spin. It’s definitely a slow burn. I was ready to choke Cindy’s wish washy self a time or two. So aloof at times, but ultimately she got it right! This was a good read.
This was the perfect mashup of cinderella and a freaking murder mystery... Now I kind of knew it was somebody, But I definitely had the wrong sister.... I was happy that the Oasis to came through for Cindy though.... Kofi is my man period...
I loved how she really took the story of Cinderella and made it her own. While still using the main plots, and characters. But with a unique twist to them. My favorite part was having her sing or hum so this is love. Out of all the remixes to Cinderella I’ve read. I think this one is by far the best one. Outstanding job!
This was such a unique take on the urban Cinderella trope. The way the author modernized and took a poetic license that was entertaining!! Cindy Ella was so strong but indecisive when it came to Kori was tiring, but understandable under the circumstances. Hell of a read. First time reading this author but won’t be the last. Heading for her catalogue now!!!
This was my first read by this author and I loved the twist of this Disney classic! They way that this author held my attention and had me wanting more was remarkable. I always say that Ever After is my favorite Cinderella retelling, but this has become next in line for me♥️Great read!
I loved this story. It wasn't your typical Cinderella story, and I appreciate that. I was hanging on the edge of my seat the entire time....emotions were all over the place ..but that's a good thing. I'm glad Cindy Ella and Kofi got the happy ending that they deserved.
This was more of a murd3r mystery with a touch of passion than anything else. Very loosely based on Cinderella. I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the dialogue, but i can appreciate what the author was trying to accomplish.
❤️ Cinderella retelling ❤️ friends to l0vers ❤️ murd3r mystery
I really enjoyed this story. Kofi was so patient with Cindy. I liked the relationship she had with her dad, and I hate that happened to him. The author did a good job putting her spin on a classic tale.