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Where Dreams Come True #4
Keep on Believing
Taking some of the family’s jewels, Ella Spencer and her brother left the kingdom in the dead of night, escaping the clutches of their evil stepmother. Ella realized they need a different life than one of a servant. Now living in a new kingdom, Ella believes this is where they can start over again. So far, it’s working…until her brother’s school teacher starts poking his nose into their business. She cannot tell him the truth, yet deep down inside, she feels that he might be her Prince Charming after all, and be the one who’ll save her from danger.
Christopher Morgan is hiding secrets that he never plans to divulge. The sister of one of his students intrigues him, and he can’t keep from wanting to know more about her. When a man comes around asking questions, Chris fears Ella is not safe and he needs to protect her. But he finds that he is the one in need of a dream-come-true. Can he hope that Ella will be the one to rescue him out of his life before these secrets destroy him?
Christopher Morgan is hiding secrets that he never plans to divulge. The sister of one of his students intrigues him, and he can’t keep from wanting to know more about her. When a man comes around asking questions, Chris fears Ella is not safe and he needs to protect her. But he finds that he is the one in need of a dream-come-true. Can he hope that Ella will be the one to rescue him out of his life before these secrets destroy him?
217 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 20, 2016
5 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Marie Higgins
245 books449 followersMarie Higgins is an award-winning, best-selling author of clean romance novels.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 27, 2017
I enjoyed the story very much. It was well written, with interesting and well developed characters. They were not one dimensional fairy tale figures, but seemed like real people with their fears and struggles to overcome traumatic past. The bad stepmother was really evil, and not all magic was used for good. Luckily as in a fairy tale, villains were punished and heroes and heroines got their HEA.
Highly recommended
Highly recommended
June 14, 2016
2.5/5.0
A appealing retelling of a classic tale, “Keep on Believing” is a clean fairy tale with a cute romance, and new spin on an old story.
Read full review in the 2016 June issue of InD'tale Magazine.
A appealing retelling of a classic tale, “Keep on Believing” is a clean fairy tale with a cute romance, and new spin on an old story.
Read full review in the 2016 June issue of InD'tale Magazine.
May 12, 2016
This was an interesting re-telling of the Cinderella story. Such and interesting twist. Cinderella leaves home with some of her mothers jewels and makes a life for herself elsewhere. Then she meets a school teacher and he sweeps her off her feet. Lots of fun and a little magic.
November 20, 2017
One fantastic fairytale that turns heads and changes things around with a few twist, en evil step-mother, spells, magic, a teacher, a brother, a sister, a friends, and lots of misdirection and half truths. This was one fairytale that was full of fun and not the expected.
March 22, 2016
Definitely not your run off the mill Cinderella story! Wonderfully written that I couldn't stop reading from start to end. Cinderella never had it better. :)
June 15, 2016
So cute! I love the twist in this fairy tale it was unexpected and different. I enjoy these little fairy tale swaps. It's an entertaining and enjoyable read.
October 10, 2017
“Keep On Believing” is a retelling of the well-known fairytale “Cinderella”. While I admit the concept was intriguing, I can't make up my mind how well I think it was done.
Ella Spencer, a young woman in her early twenties, takes her ten-years-younger brother Billy and runs away from their step-mother Rodmilla’s house to set up house on their own in another kingdom. While there, Ella meets Chris Morgan, the unruly Billy’s teacher, and finds herself swept off her feet. Trouble awaits them in the form of secrets they both have regarding their familial backgrounds, not to mention agents of the evil Rodmilla seeking to bring Ella and her brother “home”. Can their love overcome the shock of truth, or will the strain be too much for even “true love” to survive?
Having listened to the audiobook version of this book, I can't comment on the spelling or punctuation, but otherwise, the writing mechanics were decent with good sentence structure and varied word choice. There were a couple of things that the author restated multiple times throughout the book in a way that seemed like she thought she was providing me with new information, rather than simply weaving that information into the narrative, which was a bit annoying. Also, there were continuity errors regarding how much time had passed since Ella and Billy had run away, how long it had been since their father died, and even how old Chris was at the time of his mother’s death, which really made me wish the author had run her story by an editor for something more than light proofreading.
The “unbelievably-beautiful girl and unbelievably-handsome guy fall in love at (almost) first sight” aspect of the plot felt a little cheesy, especially combined with some of the “time froze” types of narrative, but I’m still getting used to someone else reading the book to me instead of reading it myself, so I might have felt differently if I had been giving the words my own emphasis. I kept grinning in amusement and then rolling my eyes, followed soon after by grinning again. That said, I was somewhat frustrated with the first part of the book and almost stopped listening, but when some action finally showed up in the second half, I started liking it better. The ending did have something of a “deus ex machina” feel to it, but I suppose that is what magic tends to do a book.
I thought Paula Slade did a decent job narrating the story. The voices were distinct (she did an excellent snooty voice for Rodmilla), and she was not simply reading words off a page but giving them some expression. Some of the words she emphasized seemed awkward to me, though.
Overall, because of the continuity errors and some of the annoying parts about the writing, I'm giving this audiobook three stars. I guess I really am more of an action girl who enjoys a little romance mixed in rather than a straight “romance” reader, so someone who loves the romance might like this story better.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from Audiobookworm Promotions in return for an honest review. The gift of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
Ella Spencer, a young woman in her early twenties, takes her ten-years-younger brother Billy and runs away from their step-mother Rodmilla’s house to set up house on their own in another kingdom. While there, Ella meets Chris Morgan, the unruly Billy’s teacher, and finds herself swept off her feet. Trouble awaits them in the form of secrets they both have regarding their familial backgrounds, not to mention agents of the evil Rodmilla seeking to bring Ella and her brother “home”. Can their love overcome the shock of truth, or will the strain be too much for even “true love” to survive?
Having listened to the audiobook version of this book, I can't comment on the spelling or punctuation, but otherwise, the writing mechanics were decent with good sentence structure and varied word choice. There were a couple of things that the author restated multiple times throughout the book in a way that seemed like she thought she was providing me with new information, rather than simply weaving that information into the narrative, which was a bit annoying. Also, there were continuity errors regarding how much time had passed since Ella and Billy had run away, how long it had been since their father died, and even how old Chris was at the time of his mother’s death, which really made me wish the author had run her story by an editor for something more than light proofreading.
The “unbelievably-beautiful girl and unbelievably-handsome guy fall in love at (almost) first sight” aspect of the plot felt a little cheesy, especially combined with some of the “time froze” types of narrative, but I’m still getting used to someone else reading the book to me instead of reading it myself, so I might have felt differently if I had been giving the words my own emphasis. I kept grinning in amusement and then rolling my eyes, followed soon after by grinning again. That said, I was somewhat frustrated with the first part of the book and almost stopped listening, but when some action finally showed up in the second half, I started liking it better. The ending did have something of a “deus ex machina” feel to it, but I suppose that is what magic tends to do a book.
I thought Paula Slade did a decent job narrating the story. The voices were distinct (she did an excellent snooty voice for Rodmilla), and she was not simply reading words off a page but giving them some expression. Some of the words she emphasized seemed awkward to me, though.
Overall, because of the continuity errors and some of the annoying parts about the writing, I'm giving this audiobook three stars. I guess I really am more of an action girl who enjoys a little romance mixed in rather than a straight “romance” reader, so someone who loves the romance might like this story better.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from Audiobookworm Promotions in return for an honest review. The gift of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
November 14, 2017
Keep on Believing is a retelling of Cinderella. Ella and her brother, Billy, leave the clutches of their evil grandmother and decide to settle in a new kingdom with a new identity. Everything seems fine until Billy’s school teacher starts looking into Ella and her family. Ella tries to hide her secrets, but as she starts to fall for him, she wonders if she should tell him the truth. Can Ella learn to trust him and learn to believe in love?
Ella was a very fun character. She is feisty and stubborn. She is also very practical. One thing that I love about Ella was that she definitely is not a damsel in distress and is very capable of relying on herself. Her only fault is that she spoils her brother Billy, much to his school teacher’s dismay. There were a few times that I disliked her because since she was a wealthy woman, she believed that every situation she runs into could be bought with money. I adored her romance with the school teacher, Chris. At first, they greatly disliked each other, then they gradually start to fall for each other.
Overall, this book is about family, trust, friendship, and love. While I did think that there was not much growth to the characters, I found them all to be likable. The world-building was a bit vague. The novel is mostly told rather than shown. There were also times that I questioned Chris’s teaching practices. Still, I greatly enjoyed the novel. The narrator did a great job in voicing all the characters. It was a very entertaining story, and one that I will definitely listen to or read again. This is a charming, light retelling that is perfect for all fairy-tale fans. I recommend Keep on Believing for fans of Melanie Dickerson, K. M. Shea, and Jenni James.
(Note: I received an audiobook version of this book as part of a blog tour in exchange for an honest review.)
Ella was a very fun character. She is feisty and stubborn. She is also very practical. One thing that I love about Ella was that she definitely is not a damsel in distress and is very capable of relying on herself. Her only fault is that she spoils her brother Billy, much to his school teacher’s dismay. There were a few times that I disliked her because since she was a wealthy woman, she believed that every situation she runs into could be bought with money. I adored her romance with the school teacher, Chris. At first, they greatly disliked each other, then they gradually start to fall for each other.
Overall, this book is about family, trust, friendship, and love. While I did think that there was not much growth to the characters, I found them all to be likable. The world-building was a bit vague. The novel is mostly told rather than shown. There were also times that I questioned Chris’s teaching practices. Still, I greatly enjoyed the novel. The narrator did a great job in voicing all the characters. It was a very entertaining story, and one that I will definitely listen to or read again. This is a charming, light retelling that is perfect for all fairy-tale fans. I recommend Keep on Believing for fans of Melanie Dickerson, K. M. Shea, and Jenni James.
(Note: I received an audiobook version of this book as part of a blog tour in exchange for an honest review.)
May 22, 2017
his audiobook was sort of mediocre. From the description, I was expecting a higher degree of character development and from the way Chris and Ella’s first kiss was written, I was hoping for more romance. At its heart, this wasn’t really a Cinderella story either, though it had a few elements of that tale (the wicked stepmother, the glass slippers, and the ball). The spin on the traditional tale was interesting, though, and I enjoyed the changes.
In the beginning (up until Ella goes to the school to talk to Chris about Billy), I disliked the Spencer siblings. They were spoiled, selfish, and childish. Ella, at least, seemed to grow as a person and learn to be more considerate as she began interacting with Chris, but Billy pretty much disappeared once the relationship between his sister and teacher started. Chris was more likable from the jump; he was down-to-earth, kind, and open-minded. Even after having his heart broken by another wealthy woman, he never treated Ella with anything less than courtesy. He definitely seemed to be the most developed character, but neither he nor Ella were terribly well fleshed-out in the emotional reaction department. Their feelings, thoughts, and reactions seemed to change because the plot demanded it rather than as a natural progression based on events.
You can read the full review at goo.gl/4vl2ol
In the beginning (up until Ella goes to the school to talk to Chris about Billy), I disliked the Spencer siblings. They were spoiled, selfish, and childish. Ella, at least, seemed to grow as a person and learn to be more considerate as she began interacting with Chris, but Billy pretty much disappeared once the relationship between his sister and teacher started. Chris was more likable from the jump; he was down-to-earth, kind, and open-minded. Even after having his heart broken by another wealthy woman, he never treated Ella with anything less than courtesy. He definitely seemed to be the most developed character, but neither he nor Ella were terribly well fleshed-out in the emotional reaction department. Their feelings, thoughts, and reactions seemed to change because the plot demanded it rather than as a natural progression based on events.
You can read the full review at goo.gl/4vl2ol
June 3, 2017
An enchanting remake of an old fairy tale!
Keep on Believing is a retelling of the fairy tale Cinderella. Ella and her brother run away and create a life for themselves away from their evil stepmother. The burden of the secrets starts to become too much and has the potential to come out sooner rather than later. Christopher, Billy’s teacher (Ella’s brother), has his own secrets that he keeps hidden away. When the two come together the sparks fly.
Keep on Believing was an enchanting and charming well-written story. It was a unique and different twist to an old fairytale. There was just the right amount of action and romance to keep my interest piqued. This author really knows how to spin the fairytale to keep you entertained and intrigued from the beginning to the end. The characters were well developed and engaging.
Paula Slade did a great job with the narration. She had a clear and crisp voice that was easy to follow. The narrator did a good job with the distinct differences for each of the characters. Ms. Slade did well with bringing the story to life.
This is the first book that I have read by Marie Higgins and will certainly not be my last. I was not disappointed at all. I recommend Keep on Believing to anyone that enjoys a quick light read that will keep you entertained and have you believing in happily ever after.
Keep on Believing is a retelling of the fairy tale Cinderella. Ella and her brother run away and create a life for themselves away from their evil stepmother. The burden of the secrets starts to become too much and has the potential to come out sooner rather than later. Christopher, Billy’s teacher (Ella’s brother), has his own secrets that he keeps hidden away. When the two come together the sparks fly.
Keep on Believing was an enchanting and charming well-written story. It was a unique and different twist to an old fairytale. There was just the right amount of action and romance to keep my interest piqued. This author really knows how to spin the fairytale to keep you entertained and intrigued from the beginning to the end. The characters were well developed and engaging.
Paula Slade did a great job with the narration. She had a clear and crisp voice that was easy to follow. The narrator did a good job with the distinct differences for each of the characters. Ms. Slade did well with bringing the story to life.
This is the first book that I have read by Marie Higgins and will certainly not be my last. I was not disappointed at all. I recommend Keep on Believing to anyone that enjoys a quick light read that will keep you entertained and have you believing in happily ever after.
January 7, 2022
This is supposed to be a Cinderella retelling where Cinderella escapes from her stepmother's house early on in the story. Everything was going just fine until her younger brother's school teacher asked her about her brother acting out at school. Cinderella is my favorite fairy tale story, but in this version, she is mean, highhanded and snippy, yelling at the teacher and making excuses for spoiling her bully of a brother, and getting mad at the teacher for trying to discipline him--everything that Cinderella is not. After that scene, I was done. Cinderella is supposed to be kind, not cruel. I couldn't handle anymore, and I did not finish this book. I rarely don't finish reading a book because I can usually find some redemptive quality that makes me want to find out how the story ends. That was not the case here.
**I own 20+ Marie Higgins books, have rated most of them five stars because they were fantastic, and was excited to read this retelling of a beloved fairy tale character. It pains me to write a negative review, but what's the point of reviews if they're not honest?
**I own 20+ Marie Higgins books, have rated most of them five stars because they were fantastic, and was excited to read this retelling of a beloved fairy tale character. It pains me to write a negative review, but what's the point of reviews if they're not honest?
March 6, 2021
The description of this story should give you all the incentive you need to purchase this story. I love how the story goes with its twists, turns & surprises. You will not be disappointed to read this book.
April 17, 2017
A Cinderella Story. If that tagline gives you goosebumps and peaks your "oooo" reaction, then we've got a lot in common.
Fairytale retellings generally fall into the "really really good, or really really bad" category for me. Luckily this one was really, really good. It was different, and while the details were changed to be a retelling, they were awesome changes. Like most of you, my deepest experience with the story of Cinderella, comes from Disney, and the Brothers Grimm in their folk tale collection Grimms' Fairy Tales. Whether I like it or not, every retelling is compared to those two stories in my head, and they are large shoes to compete with.
To me, a good retelling is entertaining, and has enough of the same details or pearls of nostalgic resemblance to the original story, to allow the image in my mind not to be destroyed, while showing me a new story line. Complicated, hu? I hold a lot of respect for authors who successfully retell stories - especially fairytales. It's not an easy task, and this one is probably the best Cinderella retelling I've found so far.
Ella Spencer is a Cinderella I can get behind, completely. She is tough, can hold her own if need be, and kicks butt...as much as any woman can, in her world, anyway. Still, when love finds her, she doesn't push it away, knowing the man she's found respects her, and won't smother her independence, but help it grow. They'll help each other grow, because that's true love. I adored the relationship between Ella and Chris, and I was so happy it went the way it did.
I felt a whole lot of satisfaction, as the story continued and more pieces were put together to connect the plot points. I get irritated when details go unfinished, and plots have holes left gaping open. It's one of the marks, to me, that an author is talented, when all the holes are closed up, and all the details are connected. Marie Higgins is definitely an author I would read just about anything from, because she not only writes with flare and flow, mixing humor with adventure, but she paints a wonderful story.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, audio or written editions. While it is part of a series, it is a stand-alone novel, and can be read on it's own. I, however, will be looking forward to enjoying the rest of the novels in the series, and future books by this author.
*I received a complimentary audiobook edition of this book, from the author via Audiobookworm Promotions, to listen to in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews