I love book bundles, for the simple reason that I don’t have to worry about anything ending with a cliffhanger. K. Webster brought us 𝑺𝒌𝒚𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝑪𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒂, grouping 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒊𝒅𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 and 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝑺𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒓 all in one book.
I had read and reviewed each one of these separately, but I had to come up here and talk about it again. This billionaire romance, with not only an age gap but also one hell of social one, is an angsty, funny, kinky and dark modern Cinderella retelling. Ash and her bubbly personality, despite her effed up stepfamily was like a ray of sunshine that just fell into wealthy, powerful, brooding CEO Winston Constantine’s lap. The literal dominant alpha male character with a specific kink, that shocked the socks off me right at the beginning of the book. I was NOT expecting that. Winston and Ash’s relationship is a particular one, an unusual one that probably isn’t for everyone, but it was hot A F! It started with a mutual agreement that was beneficial for both, that was enjoyed by both, that slowly starting to shift into more… despite Winston trying to fight it.
I was there for all that heat, the funny quirky banter, Ash’s delightful personality, Win’s ruthlessness, all the angst, the characters and the plot development. Because not only did we get the effed up stepfamily from actual hell, and for this I have to congratulate the author for creating a character that I loathed with all my being, but we also got the more traditional villain, since let’s face it, Winston Constantine is not exactly Prince Charming… just give me all the villains!
I mentioned above that this one might not be for everyone, there’s a level of… I don’t even know how to describe it. It was hard to get into it, but I understood it. Their relationship was based on a kink, but both were into it, and I loved how their relationship progressed, the development was on point and I enjoyed every second of the storyline.
Another aspect of the books I loved was the sense of family loyalty. The Constantine family is ruthless once one of their members is threatened, they are almost diabolical with their plans and it was the sweetest moment when Ash was accepted and brought into their circle. Perry, Win’s younger brother was my favorite, he was the representation of Cinderella’s fairy godmother, sweet, funny, supportive but when it was needed he rose to the family name!
All in all, it was a wild ride, there were similarities to the fairytale, with the stepfamily, the ball, but I loved how the author took it and made it all her own, with the couple’s relationship, with the Morelli rival family and so much more.
Beware of the trigger warnings, and be ready to fall for the antihero, far from being Prince Charming, Winston Constantine. (I can’t call him villain because I’m reserving that title for Leo Morelli)