I'm no Cinderella. My princes? Far from Charming. Let the masquerade begin…
Every girl dreams of being the princess at the ball. For me, going out in public is forbidden. No man could love this scarred face.
But when a masked ball gives me the opportunity to lose my inhibitions with three powerful men, I take the chance. Hiding my true face from them is easy—hiding my heart is harder.
They promise to kill to protect me, so I can regain my birthright from my wicked stepmother. A girl couldn't ask for better champions: a deadly vampire, a powerful warlock, and a brooding lycan warrior.
I've entrusted them with my life. But when things get complicated, I'll have to decide if I can show them who I really am—and give them my heart, scars and all.
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Can three powerful heirs love a girl born of embers, longing to rise like a phoenix from the ashes? Unmask a reverse harem modern fairy tale full of secrets you can only begin to guess...
This book contains adult scenes not suitable for all ages.
House of Secrets by Marie Robinson is a beautiful, captivating, passionate and emotional beginning to the new series - Beautiful Secrets.
Eleanora is such a strong character, and with everything she’s been through she was able to fight through her own demons to try save herself. In addition to this, she’s lucky enough to encounter the most eligible and powerful men in Brom, Merlin and Romulus.
There’s an amazing twist to this Cinderella inspired story and one of the greatest endings. This book honestly left me with a bit of book hangover, and I’m in desperate need of more Eleanora, Brom, Merlin and Romulus.
I highly recommend House of Secrets, and can’t wait to read more of this brilliant sexy paranormal reverse harem series.
Well, I devoured HOUSE OF SECRETS in one sitting and I absolutely loved it! This Cinderella retelling was fast paced, ridiculously sexy, and lots of fun. The world building was interesting, though not overly detailed, but it's enough to set the stage of a modern magical world hidden from the humans. Those with magic are divided into syndicates -- vampires, lycans, and warlocks -- and a person's legacy (their power) is a physical thing that is passed from one generation to the next. Ella is the daughter of a warlock but she has no powers yet and after her father dies in a fire that leaves Ella's face badly burned, she's left in the not so tender care of her evil stepmother. Looking to escape her bad situation Ella secretly attends the syndicate's masquerade ball and suddenly finds herself entangled with three dangerous and sexy men -- Merlin the warlock, Romulus the lycan, and Brom the vampire.
Is this 0 to 60 insta-lust and love? Yes it is, but I enjoyed every second of it. Ella might be vulnerable and unsure of her place in the world but she's not weak and she knows she deserves better. She's learned how to navigate the confines of her "prison" and she never gives up even when things seem hopeless. She also knows exactly what she wants from Merlin, Brom, and Romulus and Ella never hesitates in her feelings. The guys are equally devoted to Ella and I loved how protective they became of her. Ella didn't stand a chance against Brom's sophisticated charm, Romulus's protective instincts, and Merlin's grumbly attitude.
The guys themselves are already friends, an alliance that makes the other syndicate members nervous, but they've never fallen for the same woman before. They have a few hesitations at first but they quickly realize that Ella is genuine and a perfect match for all three of them. Additionally, Brom and Merlin have a casual friends with benefits thing going, though it's not really shown in this book. HOUSE OF SECRETS does end on a cliffhanger after some big revelations so I'll be jumping right into the next book to see what happens now that Ella's powers are unleashed.
Content Warning: on page abusive parent; references to the death of a parent in a fire
One this is a new author for me and I will be looking into her other books. Two this is an amazing start to a new series. It has a good plot with some fantastic characters. I did not want it to end. I will be impatiently waiting for the next book!
▲ I enjoyed the secrecy and all but to keep hiding when they got together was just weird. ▲ Insta-lust and Insta-love (I would of liked it more if they gotten to know each other and theres development in their relationship) ▲ I rather that M/M was romantically involved instead of "we just f*ck sometimes" ▲ After a bloody brutal fight Romulus is all dirty, bloody and everything. He stays like that and has sex with MC... not sexy. And there's the morning breath kiss.
The writing sounded poetic which was nice and the story is interesting.
I started this book and I swear I just fell down the rabbit hole until it was done. We meet poor Ella is lives as a servant after the death of her father in an accident that also scarred her face. It is an interesting Cinderella type remake that had me hooked as she snuck out and met the guys. That cliff hanger doesn't help anything either as now I want another book. Captivating magical fun. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.
I am a sucker for a well executed fairy-tale retelling and this one was done beautifully. This is my first book from this author but I will definitely be looking for more of her books. I loved the writing, the characters, the plot, actually I loved everything. It ended in a cliffhanger, but I don't eve care, and for me that's a big deal because I hate cliffies. I hope the other books in this series are as well written as this one.
I didn't realize that when I read the synopsis for this book that the author was the same as the author of the Magic Kingdoms reverse harem series (that I quite like), Marie Robinson. This book had me hooked from the start, much like Ella, Merlin, Brom and Romulus all became hooked on one another. I can't wait for book two. I hope Ella and her men turn the syndicates on their heads.
Its such an interesting take on Cinderella but if you hate retellings dont let that put you off cause its more than little Ella finding her prince charmings.
The book is heavy on the smexy times but despite that the plot and characters are pretty interesting.
At one point i even felt sorry for the step-mom.
It ends in a cliffhanger so im now eagerly waiting on the second book
Ok, that was mehh at best, full of insta-crap.... The world building is weird, it as a vibe of old time with bal and the way they speak, then sudenly you've got DJ/cars/moto and cell phone... ok then. And when finally something happen at the end, boom, cliffhanger... ok then. Let see if book 2 is better!
Okay, this book should not have been as enjoyable as it was but, oddly enough, I didn’t hate it....and, yet, I have to say despite its surprising pull in the first half the second half felt incredibly rushed and all over the place to the point of near confusion.
That being said, I was still entertained and not by the sexy parts. It was the parts in between the action that showed real promise. No offense to romance writers, but anybody can write a sex scene...it takes skill to write emotion packed into nothing but dialogue and body language. And this book definitely had some real zingers of emotion dispersed throughout....you weren’t sure WHY you felt the emotion, and in the beginning before their personalities began to form you didn’t even know which guy was giving you the feels because it was all so hurried, but you felt it all just the same.
Even as I was embarrassed at being sucked in by a book that desperately needed editing (at one point it is mentioned that the vampire is titillated by the thrill of endorphins and OxyContin in her blood.....was she taking drugs? I must have missed that....) I was also captivated by the different characters and the potential that they posed.
I would also like to add that the constant mention of consent and jabs at “toxic masculinity” are very off putting and take a person right out of the story. Maybe I read too much dark romance and dub-con but I don’t need a hand written letter of consent and a box of condoms involved in my romance books. It’s weird.
All of this leads me to conclude that this was not a total waste of 2.5 hours and I can appreciate that. It entertained me and I have been DNFing a lot of books lately so at least I finished it without rolling my eyes to the point of near permanent injury.
Will I read the next one? Hmm....not really sure. The end of this one got really rushed and kind of hokey and cheesy which turned me off to the whole thing. Not to mention if it’s a trilogy I don’t know why the big “L” word had to be mentioned so soon. Insta-lust I can tolerate to a point, but insta-love is just nauseating.
Maybe I’ll save the next installment for a night when I need an empty distraction 🤷🏻♀️
This took a little while to get into, I think mostly because I feel like I was trying to get used to the author's writing style, but once I was invested, it was a great book.
This is a retelling of Cinderella, but different enough that I could almost forget that it was a retelling (not a fan of retellings). House of Secrets essentially picks up at about the end Cinderella's story (at least the Disney version). Ella sneaks out to go to the Masquerade Ball with the hope of finding powerful allies that can help her free herself from her stepmother's cruelty. There, she meets the heirs of the 3 syndicates that make up the paranormal world and rather than finding allies, she finds herself falling for them, and them for her.
Ella was a strong MC. At times it didn't seem that way, but she knew when she needed to play the meek role to appease those around her. Still, she had her moments where she was snarky and stood up for herself. I really liked that despite being in a relationship strong alpha types, she never allowed herself to be a doormat. She was good at choosing her battles. Also...
Ella's harem..... Nuff said. They were perfect.
The only reason I didn't rate this 5 stars is the writing style and typos. There were a few times I had to reread sentences to understand what was going on. Whether it be the way sentences were formed, missing commas or whatever. Even still, the story is worth putting up w/ those issues.. it really was a good read.
This is the first book I've read by Marie Robinson, and I am in love. I adore a good Cinderella retelling, and Ella's story fits the bill. I loved her guys because they were anti-heroes but did not bully the heroine. While insta-love/insta-lust might not be everyone's cup of tea, it is most definitely mine.
If you hate cliffhangers, I’d recommend you wait for the series to be complete before reading.
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
Oh wow! This was fantastic! I love the guys and I love Eleanora and how she’s so determined and headstrong. This is one of the best remaking’s of Cinderella that I have ever read. There’s so much more in this book than in Cinderella and there’s so much drama and romance that you just fall in love with it instantly. I love how all the guys care for her and so she cares for them. The love is just unbelievable. I like how it’s not instant but the friendship establishes quickly. This book was funny and sensual and romantic and full of action and drama. Marie Robinson I can’t wait for this next book in the series. I love the theme that you can be ugly on the outside but you are beautiful on the inside. I love how the guys showed Ella is that what she thinks is ugly, they think is beautiful. This moral is something everyone has to learn and it’s something that just spoke to me. Marie Robertson you rock!
I absolutely loved this book. I always enjoy fairy tale retellings but this one is my favorite, by far! The author has taken the tale of Cinderella and added her own unique twist to it. The world building and character development was excellent and I found myself easily following along with plenty of mental pictures of the story. Each of the men Ella has encountered were all well depicted and detailed so I never felt as if they were blurring together.
The paranormal twist the author added to this story was my favorite part. The addition of the lycans, warlocks, vampires, and phoenixes made this retelling the author’s own creation that stands out among the rest. I am eager to finish the rest of this series to learn about Ella controlling her magic, taking down the syndicates, and furthering her relationships with her men.
What ever you do don't start reading this a 9 or 10 at night. You will be like me and when you need to go to bed by 11:30/midnight say I'll go put the book down in 10 mins max and do that over and over again for the next hour and half. Then toss and turn half the night waiting to get back to reading. But the book had the Cinderella feel to it but more like the movie Ever After in modern-day. I can't tell much about the book or I think I might just tell everything. Ps I feel as if I read all this a couple years ago somewhere other then kindle.
I am not a big fan of retellings but I do like Cinderella retellings on occasion. The addition of Ella having a scarred face and how it would be dealt with intrigued me enough to read. I liked the little bit we got of the characters including Ella. Adding syndicates and supernaturals was interesting. I didn't love the story though and that is because it was too short. Everything happened too fast and was lacking in detail. I didn't hate it either and think that those who like stories that skim the surface will enjoy this one.
Okay so I obviously liked this. The book moved along quickly and the characters wasted no time in getting to know one another...sort of. Don’t want to spoil anything but when Merlin really gets to see the real Ella and accepts her I had legit tears in my eyes. That was a pivotal moment for me in the book. The cliffhanger though....ugh!! I can’t wait for book two!!
It was good and would recommend. somewhat of a light read and nothing really new as far as world building and characters.
Very predictable and a bit too insta-love for me... insta-lust I can somewhat comprehend but love not so much (especially the kind that makes you want to commit forever with someone after one night of sex...) Call me old fashioned 😂
I really enjoyed this paranormal take on a classic fairytale. This book was different than other fairytale retellings that I have read previously. I do wish there would have been more build up to the love between Ella and her guys instead of just insta-love, but I still really liked the unique world building and paranormal aspects. I will definitely still be reading book 2!
Paranormal. Rh. 3 Supes. World with magic and leaders. A Cinderella story with a twist. At a masquerade where Ella can hide behind a mask, she's looking to find her freedom. Her freedom comes as three powerful guys. This was a most interesting Cinderella story indeed.
Wonderful new series by Ms. Robinson! “House of Secrets” is a great twist on the Cinderella story. Ella, the main character, secretly attends a masquerade ball and meets three delicious men; a warlock, a shifter, and a vampire. I really liked Ella and can’t wait to find out what happens in Book 2.
My goodness this was one of the best books I've read, it seriously pulled me in and wouldn't let me go. And right when we were getting really good, we're pur oin hold. I can't wait to read the next book in the series because I nerf to know how this is all going to work out! Loved loved loved it!!!
Ella is a new twist on the Cinderella genre. Except with magic and reverse harems! Ella is scarred by fire on her face from an accident that took her father and caused her to be at the end of her step mothers anger. She must reach out to three handsome men to help free her. Or does she hold the power to do it her self?
I was looking for something that was different from my normal Rh pnr books I’ve read and this didn’t disappoint me!it was similar in the story of Cinderella in many ways but it held its own and while there is similarities it’s very different from what you know about the Cinderella story!
1 Star = DNF. 2 Star = Finished. Didn’t really enjoy. 3 Star = Finished. Story was neither good nor bad. 3.5 Star = Finished. Story was neither good nor bad. Will probably pick up next in series if there is one. 4 Star = Finished. Enjoyed story & would reread. 5 Star = Stole my heart! ❤️
I didn't know what I was in the mood for when I started reading House of Secrets, I had actually started and put down three other books beforehand. Once I started this one I could not put it down. Cinderella in a paranormal world is absolutely delicious and Marie Robinson serves up decadent perfection.
I enjoyed this book so much! Solid 4.5. Marie Robinson is an excellent writer and at no point did I find myself rolling my eyes at something totally ridiculous. Ella is so easy to root for because her wicked stepmother is truly wicked. I can’t wait to read the next book and see how this adventure continues. I think I’m Team Romulus, but Merlin is really growing on me.