Her Desperate Masquerade

by Eliza Prokopovits

Miss Lizbeth Sandiford has done everything she could for her ill mother, even finding work as a housemaid for Lord Sterling when the doctors’ bills depleted their finances. She doesn’t know what else to try, until she hears a rumor of a viscount who has spent time in Faerie.

George Cole has inherited the title of Lord Sterling, but he wishes it came with less matchmaking from his mother. The guest list for his birthday ball is too full of simpering, unattached ladies. All he wants is one who will hold his interest and inspire the kind of lifelong devotion that his late father never showed.

Attending the masquerade ball is Lizbeth’s only hope of meeting the viscount and discovering if there could be a fae solution to her mother’s ill health. But is a mask enough to hide her from recognition by her employer? And could a single dance with him be enough to doom her heart, even if she does manage to save her mother?

Her Desperate Masquerade is a clean and cozy short standalone novella retelling of Cinderella with a complete HEA that can be enjoyed without reading the rest of the Regency Magic Faerie Tales. It also serves as a series epilogue, so it contains cameos from the main characters of the other books.

Genres: Cinderella, Novella, Fantasy

73 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 11, 2026

Reviews

[Danie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am sooo sad this series is over. I have absolutely loved all of the books I have read so far (I have a few backlist ones to read!). These are such sweet and cozy books.

I will say I was a little confused with this one because I haven't met all of the characters yet, but that's okay I look forward to meeting them when I read their books s0on. This story is a novella so this is perfect if you want to read a book in a day, etc.

I really liked Lizbeth, she is sweet and generous. I love how much she cares about her mom (as someone who is very close to their mom I can relate) and how dedicated she is to helping her.

Our MMC is sweet and swoony. I like that he wants a woman of substance and is willing to wait for her, even if it drives his mom a little crazy.

This story has all the Cinderella feels. The author did a really good job staying true to the story while putting her own unique spin on it.

I recommend it to fans of Disney's Cinderella and regency/historical romance!

Cinderella Retelling
Age Gap Romance
Boss/Employee Romance
Masquerade Ball
Family Relationships
Cozy Romance
Cozy Fantasy
Closed Door Romance
Last in Series with Callbacks to the other books/characters.

I received an ARC from the author. All opinions are my own.

[Amanda McGee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella was lovely. It was wonderful to see familiar faces from the previous books in this series. Lizbeth was kind, hardworking, thoughtful and beautiful. George Sterling was kind, considerate, and determined. I appreciated how the author wrote about Lizbeth’s mother’s chronic illness and the frustration and funds it takes to search for doctors and medicines in hope for relief if not a cure. I also appreciated how the author wrote about Lizbeth being a caretaker with compassion (caretakers do a lot of hard stuff and need support systems too). This was a quick read with a noble lord, a hopeful and desperate woman and said lord’s employer, and friends (new and old) coming together in hopes to find a solution. This was a wonderful wrap up to the series and I appreciated how the romance was developed (subtle and sweet with the potential of becoming a strong romantic partnership). I got a copy and these opinions are my own. Highly recommend this book.

[Smasher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content:

Profanity: None.

Violence: None.

Sexual: Mild. Hand holding, kisses on cheek and on the lips. Dancing, hands on waist. Noticing broad shoudlers and pretty figures.


Really a 3.5

This was super duper short. It pulls all the past main characters of the series and plops them together in Bath at a ball.

While fun, it felt rushed. The book is only about 70 pages, so that's to be expected. It felt more like a fan-service type story, which it was, as we get cameos and POVs from a slew of the past main characters. It was mostly fluff. I just wish George and Lizbeth got more page time. It think they got cheated a bit, as I liked their introductions and how sweet they both were.

I'm sad the series is over. I did enjoy reading it, and will revisit some of them in re-reads. But I'm sooooo looking forward to the author's elf pirate series! The Baker and the Elf Pirate was so lovely!

[Riella Cristobal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this charming epilogue novella! This has been such a sweet series and I was so excited for this.
Lizbeth was such a strong character! She had sacrificed so much for her mother and was still looking for a way to help her in her illness. I admired her sacrifice and dedication. She felt so genuine and I was rooting for her! George was also a sweetheart! He fell so fast and I loved their connection!
It was so fun to see all the old characters again! I have loved the way that their stories have intertwined, but seeing them all together was just perfection! I love the epilogue and that peek into the future. This one was such a satisfying ending to the series. It incorporated the classic regency feel with the ball, the fairytale inspiration and the magic of this world! This is a sweet fantasy regency romance novella with only kisses.
I received an ARC.

[Martha Braebuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so sweet with all the warm cozy vibes anyone could wish for! Lizbeth is such an incredible daughter and I loved how she sacrificed her dowry to pay for her mother's medical bills. And George was a really caring MMC and I loved his dedication towards finding a woman that he could love wholeheartedly and never be unfaithful to. This Cinderella retelling was very interesting and I loved the way Eliza Prokopovits retold the story. It was also really great to see all the characters from her Regency Magic Faerie Tales series all coming together! Overall, this book was a truly enjoyable read that left me feeling warm and satisfied at the end.

[Kiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her Desperate Masquerade by Eliza Prokopovits is a perfect wrap up of the series we love.

I always admire authors that can create a whole story in under 100 pages and this author did it. We are reintroduced into the characters we know and love from the Regency Magic Faerie Tales series. We also are introduced to a whole new set of characters that you can't help but love.

I recommend this entire series to anyone who wants a twist of regency and fantasy.

Thank you to Eliza Prokopovits for the free book .

[Ami Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, with this series, I was blown away by this darling little story! it was very short, but still contained everything that makes a great book! This clean retelling of Cinderella combined Magic with a regency era world that just made my day better… I consider it the best combination ever! I have been looking forward to this one, and was not disappointed in the least! I received an ARC copy and this is my review.

[Aunt LoLo · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was adorable!!! You don’t need to have read the whole series for it to make sense, but it’s such a fun little collection of cameos surrounding this cute, quick little romance.

This was swoony , sweet, completely clean, and just perfect. A great way to spend an afternoon when you need some happy giggles.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great way to end the Regency Magic Faerie Tales series!

"Her Desperate Masquerade," is a short and sweet Cinderella retelling that can act as a standalone story, but also offers readers a lovely wrap up to the series with the characters from the other books making appearances. It has all the cozy vibes, fitting in perfectly with the rest of the books in this series. I'm sad to see the series end, but look forward to the author's next work!

[Alexis (IG: lexislimitlesslibrary) Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute final novella to this series! This whole series has been really fun to read! This story was a cute, sweet, Cinderella retelling and the perfect length to read in an afternoon! I love fairytale retellings and this whole series is definitely worth reading!

Thank you to the author for my advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet, short, Regency retelling of Cinderella. It is cute, but not deep, and it does bring back all the characters from the previous books in the series. Clean enough for even the youngest of readers.

I got this book as an arc and my opinions are my own.

[Chantel · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I haven't yet read all the books in this series, this war the perfect wrap up. It brings all the characters back together in a believable way and is just a short and sweet cozy romance to top it off. Loved it!

[Adena Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this sweetly different rendition of Cinderella. I quite like Lizbeth's spirit and priorities. I definitely like how George discovered the identity of his mystery match!

I received an ARC from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.