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Cinderella Bride
FOR LOVE
Carter King was determined to acquire an heir the same wat ge accynykated gus wealth--with a shrewd business proposition. Marly Alcott topped the list of candidates to become his Cinderella bride; she adored children, needed money and appeared absolutely turstworthy. But could he trust himself to stick to their "no love" stipulation?
OR MONEY?
Marly never expected to marry. Her well-hidden past would see to that. The Prince "Carter" Charming offered her the glass slipper. But would his money-for-matrimony offer still stand if her discovered her secrets--not to mention the passion she felt for him?
Carter King was determined to acquire an heir the same wat ge accynykated gus wealth--with a shrewd business proposition. Marly Alcott topped the list of candidates to become his Cinderella bride; she adored children, needed money and appeared absolutely turstworthy. But could he trust himself to stick to their "no love" stipulation?
OR MONEY?
Marly never expected to marry. Her well-hidden past would see to that. The Prince "Carter" Charming offered her the glass slipper. But would his money-for-matrimony offer still stand if her discovered her secrets--not to mention the passion she felt for him?
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 22, 2011
Cinderella Bride by Monica McClean was the only book I had not read by this author and I wonder why, it was pretty good.
Carter King is a rich banker who makes his PI compile a lost of "Cinderella candidates", women who fit the criteria of the woman he is hoping to marry. Carter came from the wrong side of the tracks, he was poor and tried the normal way and failed terribly. His ex-wife was contemptuous of his roots. His only candidate is Marly Alcott who runs a center for economically disadvantaged children. He invites her out to a function and Marly accepts hoping to secure some funding. Carter's perception are blown, he thought she was a plain-jane but he can adjust, he is still sure of his plan but when he makes his pitch Marly refuses. He tells her he will give her the money she needs for her center if she will marry him. He tells her that he wants kids and will be a good husband but Marly says no.
Marly has been living as another woman for 8 years. She was Hilary in another life when she found out her father was a criminal and testified against him, her mother was murdered, and the bomb meant for her killed her best friend Marly.
She loves her kids and center and Carter's offer, gives her a chance of a future she thought she would never have, but she still refuses. Only when one of her kids is threatened that she agrees.
I loved how these two went in with certain set ideas of how things would be between them and how those are blown apart. Marly thinks that Carter is marrying her to make his business look good and is shocked when he tells her about his past and then there is the attraction between them which they didn't expect. I loved seeing Carter reach out to the boy Tyler. Carter panics after their marriage and the feelings Marly seems to arouse in him. The scene in the end when Carter is trying to be noble and Marly just gives it to him was awesome.
Carter King is a rich banker who makes his PI compile a lost of "Cinderella candidates", women who fit the criteria of the woman he is hoping to marry. Carter came from the wrong side of the tracks, he was poor and tried the normal way and failed terribly. His ex-wife was contemptuous of his roots. His only candidate is Marly Alcott who runs a center for economically disadvantaged children. He invites her out to a function and Marly accepts hoping to secure some funding. Carter's perception are blown, he thought she was a plain-jane but he can adjust, he is still sure of his plan but when he makes his pitch Marly refuses. He tells her he will give her the money she needs for her center if she will marry him. He tells her that he wants kids and will be a good husband but Marly says no.
Marly has been living as another woman for 8 years. She was Hilary in another life when she found out her father was a criminal and testified against him, her mother was murdered, and the bomb meant for her killed her best friend Marly.
She loves her kids and center and Carter's offer, gives her a chance of a future she thought she would never have, but she still refuses. Only when one of her kids is threatened that she agrees.
I loved how these two went in with certain set ideas of how things would be between them and how those are blown apart. Marly thinks that Carter is marrying her to make his business look good and is shocked when he tells her about his past and then there is the attraction between them which they didn't expect. I loved seeing Carter reach out to the boy Tyler. Carter panics after their marriage and the feelings Marly seems to arouse in him. The scene in the end when Carter is trying to be noble and Marly just gives it to him was awesome.
June 4, 2011
Awww, this was wonderful. Such a wide range of emotions in this one. I especially appreciated the wide range of emotions displayed by the hero! How often does that happen. And in a Harlequin romance! Loved it.
December 23, 2016
loved it! definitely a hidden gem!
unique plot line and characters.
5++ stars!
unique plot line and characters.
5++ stars!
June 26, 2018
quotes
"I'm not finished." If she had to chisel away at that veneer chip by chip to make him remember her, she
would. "Don't stare at her across the room as if you can see your unborn children in her eyes. Don't
make her believe in her dreams again. Don't give her a quarter million, no strings attached. Don't save her
life. Don't preserve her identity. And if you remember nothing else, remember this, Carter King. Donot make her love you when she doesn't have a prayer."
"A wise man once told me that we're all scared. Every one of us. We wouldn't be human if we weren't.
So don't think for one second that you've got some kind of monopoly going here, Carter."
"What if Iwant to say it just because? What if Ineed to say it just because? What ifyou need to hear it as
much as I do? For no reason other than the fact that it's true. I do love you, Marly. I've loved you for a
long time."
what can I say I LOVE IT
I recommend it .
"I'm not finished." If she had to chisel away at that veneer chip by chip to make him remember her, she
would. "Don't stare at her across the room as if you can see your unborn children in her eyes. Don't
make her believe in her dreams again. Don't give her a quarter million, no strings attached. Don't save her
life. Don't preserve her identity. And if you remember nothing else, remember this, Carter King. Donot make her love you when she doesn't have a prayer."
"A wise man once told me that we're all scared. Every one of us. We wouldn't be human if we weren't.
So don't think for one second that you've got some kind of monopoly going here, Carter."
"What if Iwant to say it just because? What if Ineed to say it just because? What ifyou need to hear it as
much as I do? For no reason other than the fact that it's true. I do love you, Marly. I've loved you for a
long time."
what can I say I LOVE IT
I recommend it .
September 10, 2019
Marly Alcott kept a fairly low profile running a pre-school for a low income neighborhood. She never plans to marry - she'd been badly burned in a village fire while working in the Peace Corps.
Carter King wants a child. Divorced and a wealthy banker, he decides to "buy" a wife and has several prospects investigated. He decides on Marly. She agrees to get the money for her center, but witnesses a murder before the marriage takes place. This puts them all in jeopardy because she's not really Marly. Marly had witnesses her father and his friends do a mafia murder and had testified against them. Her father and mother are later killed as is the real Marly in the fire. To escape further pursuit, she has her beautiful face cosmetically changed to be plain and assumes Marly's life.
Eventually all works out.
Carter King wants a child. Divorced and a wealthy banker, he decides to "buy" a wife and has several prospects investigated. He decides on Marly. She agrees to get the money for her center, but witnesses a murder before the marriage takes place. This puts them all in jeopardy because she's not really Marly. Marly had witnesses her father and his friends do a mafia murder and had testified against them. Her father and mother are later killed as is the real Marly in the fire. To escape further pursuit, she has her beautiful face cosmetically changed to be plain and assumes Marly's life.
Eventually all works out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2013
I have always loved fairy tales and books with "Happily-Ever-After", and if a book has both then its an instant magnet for me and I just have to read it... ;)
Monica McLean's debut novel "Cinderella Bride" which came out in 1998, combined both my favorite requirements in a book and was therefore an instant allure for me which I am so glad to say didn't let me down. :)
An outstanding and amazing debut, this novel has everything from drama to a spell binding story to some exclusively "WOW" moments to memorable dialogues and finally a super happy ending which made my heart soar with love..
Carter King has it all..Wealth, fame, respect but the one thing he wants the most has eluded him so far. He wants a family and an heir but his last attempt at both had backfired leaving him with many regrets and many lessons. The first lesson he had learnt from his marriage to Eva Ann was that there was no such thing as "Love" and the second that never again would he fall for a beautiful face !!
'He'd fallen for a pretty face once and nearly lost everything. Good looks weren't among his criteria this time around.'
According to him, 'A man who didn't learn from his mistakes was a damned fool, and Carter had learned to accept full responsibility for avoiding situations with the potential for repeat performances.' and so this time he had hired a P.I. to search for candidates who suited his criteria for the ultimate purpose of giving him an heir!
'..this time Carter King had chosen his future wife using the same careful, logical precision with which he executed everything else in his well- planned, risk-averse life- with the sole exception of having married Eva Ann. He'd laid it all out on a spreadsheet, listing his criteria and hired a P.I. to scout out potential candidates...'
Marly Alcott, who runs a center for underprivileged children from the projects, is his chosen "Cinderella Bride" whom he convinces to marry him in return for the funding of her center which is in dire need of monetary support. But his "plain Jane", "Cinderella Bride" is not the person he thinks she is and carries the burden of a dark secret which had almost killed her once and which has the power to destroy her life and the lives of everyone she loves!
'No one knew her- not anymore. That's how it had to be. That was the only way she'd survived. A fresh, new start in a place where no one could connect her with the ugly past.'
With some pretty awesome twists and memorable dialogues, "Cinderella Bride" is a must read and Monica McLean a very promising and talented authoress. I have read all three books by her and loved every one of them! Will review them here soon.. :)
She gives to us a very different story in "Cinderella Bride", well played out characters who are sensitive and charming, instantly endearing themselves to the reader. The book is a page turner and hooked me from the start where I could never predict the next step. The romantic moments are absolutely riveting that touched my heart and left me wanting more. A through and through enjoyable read and now my favorite too, it can be read any number of times leaving the reader falling more and more in love with it and enjoying it each time with as much interest as before.
I give "Cinderella Bride" a well deserved 5 on 5 and a strong recommendation to read this intensely romantic and heart touching love story with a twist... :)
Monica McLean's debut novel "Cinderella Bride" which came out in 1998, combined both my favorite requirements in a book and was therefore an instant allure for me which I am so glad to say didn't let me down. :)
An outstanding and amazing debut, this novel has everything from drama to a spell binding story to some exclusively "WOW" moments to memorable dialogues and finally a super happy ending which made my heart soar with love..
Carter King has it all..Wealth, fame, respect but the one thing he wants the most has eluded him so far. He wants a family and an heir but his last attempt at both had backfired leaving him with many regrets and many lessons. The first lesson he had learnt from his marriage to Eva Ann was that there was no such thing as "Love" and the second that never again would he fall for a beautiful face !!
'He'd fallen for a pretty face once and nearly lost everything. Good looks weren't among his criteria this time around.'
According to him, 'A man who didn't learn from his mistakes was a damned fool, and Carter had learned to accept full responsibility for avoiding situations with the potential for repeat performances.' and so this time he had hired a P.I. to search for candidates who suited his criteria for the ultimate purpose of giving him an heir!
'..this time Carter King had chosen his future wife using the same careful, logical precision with which he executed everything else in his well- planned, risk-averse life- with the sole exception of having married Eva Ann. He'd laid it all out on a spreadsheet, listing his criteria and hired a P.I. to scout out potential candidates...'
Marly Alcott, who runs a center for underprivileged children from the projects, is his chosen "Cinderella Bride" whom he convinces to marry him in return for the funding of her center which is in dire need of monetary support. But his "plain Jane", "Cinderella Bride" is not the person he thinks she is and carries the burden of a dark secret which had almost killed her once and which has the power to destroy her life and the lives of everyone she loves!
'No one knew her- not anymore. That's how it had to be. That was the only way she'd survived. A fresh, new start in a place where no one could connect her with the ugly past.'
With some pretty awesome twists and memorable dialogues, "Cinderella Bride" is a must read and Monica McLean a very promising and talented authoress. I have read all three books by her and loved every one of them! Will review them here soon.. :)
She gives to us a very different story in "Cinderella Bride", well played out characters who are sensitive and charming, instantly endearing themselves to the reader. The book is a page turner and hooked me from the start where I could never predict the next step. The romantic moments are absolutely riveting that touched my heart and left me wanting more. A through and through enjoyable read and now my favorite too, it can be read any number of times leaving the reader falling more and more in love with it and enjoying it each time with as much interest as before.
I give "Cinderella Bride" a well deserved 5 on 5 and a strong recommendation to read this intensely romantic and heart touching love story with a twist... :)
October 10, 2013
The story reminded me a lot of Sidney Sheldon’s Bloodline, which is one of my all time favourites!
Insta-love is not easy to connect with for most readers, but it depends on the author’s writing, to make it seem real. And i think Monica Mclean is almost successful in achieving that, in this book. A great effort for a Debut novel !
No disappointments here, although i felt the story could have been longer.
Insta-love is not easy to connect with for most readers, but it depends on the author’s writing, to make it seem real. And i think Monica Mclean is almost successful in achieving that, in this book. A great effort for a Debut novel !
No disappointments here, although i felt the story could have been longer.
December 27, 2014
4.5 stars
This book had real depth when I didn't expect much. I will definitely read more of Ms. Mclean.
This book had real depth when I didn't expect much. I will definitely read more of Ms. Mclean.
July 1, 2012
Titre vf : Le maître chanteur
September 6, 2012
I didn't quite like this book. It was okay but certainly wasn't my cup of tea. It was a nice idea but the moralistic values of the book had me in shock some of the time.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews