Of Glass and Glamour

Daughters of Eville #2

by Chanda Hahn

Born under a hunter’s moon, abandoned as a child, I was raised to be a powerful sorceress—okay, a mediocre sorceress. All right, I’m good at glamour and can make things sparkle, if my spells don’t backfire. It was foretold long ago that I was a child of prophecy that would unite the fae and humans of Candor. The only problem, no one told me, and now the king wants me dead.

For I am Eden, one of the adoptive daughters of Lady Eville, and I have to attend the royal masquerade ball—not to win a prince, but to avenge my parents. Even if it means pretending to be a fairy godmother and wreaking a little havoc.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Retellings, Young Adult, Audiobook, Fairy Tales, Cinderella

312 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 17, 2019

About the author

Chanda Hahn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Reign An Unfortunate Fairy Tale. She was born in Seattle, WA, grew up in Nebraska and currently resides in Portland, Oregon with her husband and their twin children. She attended North Central University in Minneapolis Minnesota for Childrens Ministry. She was also a children's pastor, bookseller and children's librarian.

Books published by Chanda include the UnEnchanted series a.k.a. (Unfortunate Fairy Tale Series) and The Iron Butterfly series.

Chanda is represented by Mark Gottlieb at Trident Media Group. You can direct any inquiries regarding foreign, film, audio and translation rights to him. www.tridentmediagroup.com

Reviews

[Amber J (Thereadingwitch) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. It was an odd retelling. Sometimes she was cinderella, and sometimes she was the fairy godmother. I really enjoyed this book. It was a mystery, romance, and fantasy in one. While I like retellings in general, I like how this one was done while still being a fantasy. With two daughters down and one more to go, I'm curious to see what other tales Hahn decides to retell.

[⋆˚｡୨୧ Riri ୨୧｡˚⋆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

mmmmh no.

I went into this with an open mind bc I liked the previous book (Of Beast and Beauty) and I love retellings, but I didn't like this. I was gonna rate it one star, but the second star is because there were plot twists that I hadn't predicted near the end. But oh my God, the amount of restraint it took not to dnf 💀

To sum up the things I didn't like (and I'll expand on all of these in the spoilery section):
a) the protagonist
b) the excessive girl-on-girl hate
c) the cartoonish characters

There's a long-ass rant in that spoiler tag thingy ⬇ so if you don't wanna be spoiled for this book, obv don't open it lol

a) The Protagonist:

I don't wanna be that bitch who says that they hate a fictional character... But I hated Eden.

Which is sad bc we got a glimpse of her in Of Beast and Beauty and I thought I'd love her. Instead, she turned out to be your typical Not Like Other Girls™.

"Smiles, all of the women were smiling supremely, and I was frowning. The book I had been holding onto slid to my lap and fell with a thud to the floor. The queen’s clear green eyes looked right at me disapprovingly.
“Sorry.” I picked up the book and put it on the side table, but I was so busy watching her, that I missed the table and dropped the book right back on the floor."

This next one is a quote from the prince, talking about Eden:

“The others cried, wailed, and threw themselves at my feet. Yet, you tell me you understand."

Oh my God she's so different and SPESHUL 😩😩😩

Half of her personality was about feeling inadequate next to her sisters and other women and half of her inner monologue sounded like this:

"Even the madam had little faith in me [...] Painful tears burned at the corners of my eyes, and I felt like I was back home, being passed over time and time again in favor of my younger, more talented sisters."

Note: this was her reaction to someone saying that she was unlikely to be chosen to marry the prince as opposed to other girls who happen to be richer and higher in status than her. WHAT IS THIS HALF BAKED ATTEMPT AT EMOTIONAL DEPTH?

And yk what's really frustrating? Somehow, the other half of her personality is that she's the most talented of her sisters at glamour. So other than the fact that these two halves don't really add up...

It would seem like she had no talent in glamour. I mean, so often, she'd glamour herself to look like someone else and accidentally blow her cover by doing smth drastically unlike that person. The amount of times this happens suggests that maybe she's not as practiced at glamour as she's always talking about.

A part of her inconsistent character is that she'd treat her love interests badly, then get mad at them for getting mad.

She was in a competition where the winner gets the prince's hand in marriage, and she got mad at Dorian (who she knows is a notorious flirt) for FLIRTING WITH OTHER GIRLS.

"My head snapped up, and I saw her—Adelle and her secret lover. When he leaned back, I saw his face clearly in the moonlight.
Dorian.
A sour feeling bubbled up inside of me, and pain and jealousy flowed through my body down to my fingertips. I could feel the burning hatred emanating from within me for
being so foolish."

Also, she just was a shitty person in general.

Here, Eden is playing the role of fairy godmother, and this is her first encounter with Tess (Cinderella):

“I wish to attend the masked ball.”

“Is that it?” Disappointment leaked from my voice. [...] How boring was that? “Well, small wishes only gain small rewards,” I snapped, my hands on my hips. I was tapping my foot in displeasure. “Come back when you dream bigger.”

“No, wait, please I’m sorry.” She flung herself onto the ground, her knees digging into the mud. “I want to outdo my sister. I want to ruin her big night by stealing her thunder. I wish… I wish to make it past the first night selection.” Her blue eyes looked up, and I saw all of the anger and hurt hidden inside. The years of mistreatment by an older, more calculating sister. I knew that feeling all too well as I thought of my own more beautiful sisters.

“Now that is a true wish.”

Also, on many, many occasions, she gets innocent people in trouble to cover for herself.

Like I'd get it if she was supposed to be morally grey, but sometimes she'd talk about how ruthless she and her family were for revenge and whatnot, and sometimes she was painted as this hero who risked being arrested to save the life of a girl she didn't even like.

Ok one last quote abt Eden:

"Mother warned me that men were dangerous, and Dorian was the most dangerous of them all."

Note: she says this after meeting Dorian, a notorious flirt whose flirting made her ✨feel things✨. I mean, never mind the fact that last book, she and her sister + a bunch of other ppl were about to get killed by some all-powerful sorcerer. An attractive douche is obviously more dangerous !! 🥴

But yk, I can tolerate faulty logic for the sake of plot convenience. The next point, however, was completely unnecessary:

b) The Excessive Girl-on-Girl Hate:

I was gonna put these up with reasons why I hated Eden, but there are too many not to deserve a section on their own lmao.

Exhibit A:

“My feet hurt,” one whined.

“I can’t breathe in this dress,” another muttered.

“There’s no one here on the same level as us.”

Shallow. All of the conversations I picked up were self-centered and shallow, very befitting to the age and caste of the women who were here. It was easy to see a group of girls gather together in a corner seeking shelter. Their dresses were not as fine, their jewelry not as polished. They were probably the farmers’ and milliners’ daughters, those belonging to the lower caste. It was easier for them to group together. If they milled among the dresses way finer than theirs, they would look like a drab flower. They had better hope of outshining each other.

Exhibit B:

"Stoic and pristine Sela had come undone at Dorian’s attention. She fluttered her eyes at him, giggled uncontrollably, and played with her hair."

Exhibit C:

"I became extremely aware of his nearness and the fact that he wasn’t moving away. I could almost feel the hate radiating from the other girls."

Man, fuck this.

Also, at some point she mentions one of them wearing dark red lipstick and in the next sentence, describes them as her "fake red lips." I'm not making this shit up.

And all of this is really weird considering she said this:

“Listen to me. Being pure does not mean virginal. It is pure in your soul, mind, and body.”

but proceeds to shit on other girls for trying to get the prince's attention. And may I remind you that these girls, including her, ARE LITERALLY COMPETING FOR THE PRINCE'S HAND IN MARRIAGE.

c) The Cartoonish Characters:

Everyone was a cardboard cutout.

~ Adelle and the other contestants were the bitchy rivals that did anything for Male Attention !!!

~ Dorian was the flirty yet possessive blue-eyed dark-haired love interest with muscles.

~ Harmony was the sweet, pure best friend whose only personality trait was how sweet and pure she was.

Harmony’s green eyes filled with tears. “Prince Vincent had fallen so deeply in love during his courtship, that when his fiancée was murdered the day of his wedding, he couldn’t live without her and took his own life.” She sighed and dabbed at the corner of her eyes.

~The villains of the story were evil for no reason and went on paragraphs and paragraphs of monologue explaining their motives.

Speaking of monologues, some of the characters (including Eden) would spill their whole tragic backstories to complete strangers. Either that or they'd have conversations/say things that make no sense for the sake of exposition.

~ Madame Pantalonne (yes, that's an actual name here) told Eden about her tragic love story with the king on their second encounter.

~ Eden told the prince about how she was outshined by her sisters in their first encounter.

~ At some point, Eden hides in what Dorian thinks is an empty room, where Dorian talks to himself saying smth that's supposed to be a secret.

Um so yeah. If you read this far, comment ✨ bc I'm curious lol. I hope you found me losing my mind entertaining :)

[Lauren Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another sister’s story of finding herself. Book #2! I loved this original retelling. The elements are there just applied in a completely unique way! It was so entertaining & bingable! Multiple MMC’s in a love triangle.

[The Lost Heroine (hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoiler warning: This is a pretty brief review but anything remotely spoilery is tagged. Beware if you haven't read the book!

Ughh, is it possible that this was worse than the first one. At least that one had a strong heroine going for it, this one is all 'I'm so bad at everything'. Like, seriously, accept you were taught by one of the most powerful witchesever and stop comparing yourself to your sisters! Eden really annoyed me, mostly because of this, and also because she was super naive and just ended up getting used again and again. Once again, there was a philandering love interest, but this was worse. He accepted he seduces women and still expects her to stay with him because 'he loves her'. Andddd, plot twist, she stays with him, accepting this part of him as totally normal. Also, his 'proposal' was delivered in a way that made her think she was getting arrested so well done, Dorian! The Prince Evander guy was weird and creepy and I still can't believe it took her 90% of the book to realise he was evil. Andddd, just to add an extra dose of unnecessary, Allemar makes a random appearance. Also, did anyone think the house elves reminded them of HP?? (but their tongues 😭). I have to be honest, I didn't actually see the plot twist happening, but in retrospect, it was pretty obvious. Anywayss, I don't think I'm going to carry on with this series as the author doesn't seem to have any uniqueness to any of her books. I would still recommend this if you are looking for a fun fantasy/folk/fairytale!

My review for Of Beast and Beauty

[Marita_z · Rating 2 out of 5]

The corny it's strong with this one!

[Books_and_Crafts · Rating 4 out of 5]

REALLY enjoying this series!

[Jeanna Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh I love Chanda Hahn's works. Even though they are a young quick read, they leave me feeling good, happy and satisfied and Of Glass and Glamour is no exception. I can't say the plot twists were that exciting as I found some of them predictable but it didn't take away the enjoyment for me.

Eden has always felt less than adequate compared to her other talented sister's when it came to magic. Her gift was glamour. She could look like anyone. But trying to do other spells has always been difficult with outcomes less than she wanted. When the kingdom of Candor announced that they would be holding a ball for all the ladies of Candor to attend to win the hand of the prince of course one of Eville's daughters would be attending and this time it would be Eden. She learns that this is where she was born and she needed to find out what really happened to her family.

"Get the shoes, get the guy, and get revenge"

As much as everyone thinks of Eville's daughters and herself to be well evil and hate filled. It really isn't true and I'm very much beginning to see a pattern. There is a larger plan at work and to me it doesn't seem so much as revenge as setting things right. Eden started out thinking of how she could destroy the prince and the kingdom but that seemed to quickly change. Not that she really wanted the prince even though he was charming. Dorian is the real interesting one in this story. And I loved every minute we got with him. So much so I could have had a lot more.

It was a good take on Cinderella with glass slippers, sisters, evil mother, and a prince ;) I can't say that Cinderella has ever been a favourite story but I really enjoyed this one and can't wait for the next one Of Sea and Song.

[Crystal D · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starts out strong, but the more it goes on the more it sort of irritated me. Eden's self doubt and complaining after a while stopped being an aspect of her, and just started being her main character trait. She wasn't like this at all in Of Beast and Beauty, so seeing her do it the entire book was just annoying. I also wasn't a big fan of the love interests for Eden - like the one we're supposed to be rooting for was just so forceful and annoying to her the entire book, and we're supposed to be happy she winds up with him? The plot twists later on I genuinely didn't expect once again, and I think that's where the Daughters of Eville books shine, but a few good plot twists don't make up for an overall underwhelming read.

I liked Eden's backstory, and I really liked Harmony. But these books just obviously have this formula that either works really well, or doesn't. If I had to pick between this and Of Beast and Beauty, I'd say I liked the first book a little better because the plot had more to do and Rosalee was more confident and funner to read. It had less of the issues this one had, and it just was a lot funner an adventure than Of Glass and Glamor, no matter how much I liked a lot of the plot beats in this one. The characters just were a little flat for me.

It was nice seeing cameos from Eden's other sisters, and I'm excited to read Mary's story when it releases. I enjoy this series a lot actually, this book just sort of was luke warm for me. Didn't dislike it, enjoyed reading, but there was so much more potential here that felt like it would occur after reading the 1st ten chapters of the book, and it just didn't pan out.

[Alina · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
Okay I liked this one way more than the first one. I really loved the spin on Cinderella with her being the godmother and then changing to Cinderella; it was a twist I haven’t heard of before. The romance was still cheesy but not as cheesy as the first one was. I really loved it and I’m now really excited for the rest of the books. Hopefully they’re as good as this one.

[Christine Manzari]

I’m addicted to the twists for each of these fairytale inspired stories

[Magi · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You will have to go elsewhere to pry for gossip. For any secrets I have are buried deep”
“Then I shall get a shovel.” He laughed, The corners of his mischievous eyes lifting.

You know you are reading a great book when you can’t figure out what is going to happen next!
I absolutely Loved that about Of Glass and Glamour and couldn’t put it down!
Another great book in the Daughters of Eville series by the wonderfully talented author, I absolutely adored it and can not wait for Of Song And Sea! (Being a huge Mermaid/Little Mermaid fan I am super stoked to see the author's twist on it and if there’s Mermaids!)
Reading books by Chanda Hahn is my happy place and I can never get enough! A Must read, even if you haven’t read Of Beast and Beauty, you can still read and enjoy Of Glass and Glamour!

[Megan (Bookish_Raider) · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Official rating is a 4.5*

Okay, well I am super glad I continued with this series because I LOVED this book. I love, love, loved it. I really debating between a 4 and 5... I really couldn't find anything I didn't like about it but I knew it wasn't perfect so I can't go all the way to 5... but darn, it was close purely from a fun, enjoyment standpoint.

This was a really good and fun read. Again, not a complete retelling, more of a reimagining. And by that I mean, these stories don't follow the program but take key parts of each fairy tale (in this case, cinders, glass slippers, fairy godmother, ball) and present them in their own way... it is really cool to see.

[Roxana Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series very interesting and entertaining. The book was very amusing and it had a lot of plot twists.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

’To every girl who never received an invitation to the ball. It’s time to make our own.’

Of Glass and Glamour follows the second adopted daughter of Lady Eville, Eden, in a twist on the Cinderella fairytale. Hahn somehow again managed to contort the familiar story into something completely unique, which surprised me on many different levels. I'd consider it a cross between The Selection, Cinderella and Of Beast and Beauty? As with ‘Of Beast and Beauty’, she conveys the romance so incredibly well (despite my reservations regarding it usually) along with political intrigue, familial contempt and unlikely friendship.

’My whole life I had felt unworthy, less than, and afraid to reach my full potential because I didn’t want to fail.’

Hahn also explores the feelings of unworthiness and lesser than that most experience in everyday life. This is a contentious topic of great importance which is completely overcome in this novel - such relatability only extends its benefit to the reader.

Again, there were some aspects I wasn’t totally on board with. As I’m reading many people comment on in various reviews, there were indeed several grammatical errors that hindered my understanding of some phrases throughout the book - however, this was relatively minor to the main plot.
Without spoiling it of course, there were again lots of plot twists at the end; while this was enjoyable in some ways it became confusing and felt at times as though it had been done simply for convenience or for a happy ending.

Despite a few flaws that weren’t entirely to my liking, this was a solid sequel in the Daughters of Eville series! It kept me fully engaged throughout, and I look forward to reading further about Lady Eville herself (hopefully!)

[Savannah C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so enjoying this series 😍

[Danae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I should be packing up my house to move, but instead I am blazing through audiobooks since I spend so much time in the car driving my kids to and from school, and prefer to listen to books over music when I go for my runs. I'm so glad I decided to pick this series up again. I love the magic of this world and these adoptive sisters. I suspect each of the daughters of Eville will get their own chance to decide for themselves what is good and what is evil and bring goodness back to all the kingdoms. I kind of enjoyed the selection series vibes this one gave me.

[Melinda Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This second book to the series was great too!!!

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is so fun. I love fairy tale retellings; they never get old to me. The Cinderella tale in particular is one that I never get sick of (especially Cinderella movies, I've never seen one that I haven't loved). Of Glass and Glamour definitely put a new twist on Cinderella, with the author doing some things I've never seen in a Cinderella retelling before. I really liked the idea of Eden not being the most pure hearted and innocent person out of all the characters. The whole shtick of Cinderella is the pure, selfless, charming lady overcoming evil. In this case Cinderella is a little morally grey herself, which I quite enjoyed.

I really liked Eden and Dorian together as well. I wish this book were longer so the romance could be a little more slow burn, but I still enjoyed most things about this book. Chanda Hahn is on a roll with this series!

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for me. I’ve had a tough time with reading lately and have been fighting the slow slide into a slump. I’ve had so much of the year thus far planned out as far as reading goes but now my plans are just sort of fizzling out. I had read the first book in this series and hoped it would get me back on track.

There were things I liked and things that I didn’t like. I like Eden and her character development, but I didn’t like that the plot was essentially identical to the first book. The magic system was interesting though it could be fleshed out a bit more. Overall, not a bad read and I might try the next book, it just could have been less predictable.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love this series but someone has got to freaking edit these books!!! So many grammar and typos and repetitive words. It makes me sad. Also the pacing of these are so weird and off and everything seems to happen in an instant with no build up but they’re really fun and I love the twists and the basis on fairy tales. To be continued!

[Shelby Guffey · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

Head empty. No thoughts. No logic. Just like the last bit bit of events in this book.

These are my guilty pleasure books, and I really do enjoy them. Of Glass and Glamour was very confusing toward the end.

Where did Dorian go?
And how did he come back?

The issue of Eden’a insecurities never felt resolved.

I liked the first book more, but will be continuing the series!

[Catastrophe Queen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first book. The focus in this book was Eden (Cinderella). Her insecurities and self-doubt annoyed the heck out of me. And I would've liked to have seen more of Mother Eville.

[Erica Pehrson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book series. I don't like this one as much as others in the series (so far my favorites are Of Mist and Murder and Of Song and Sea) but it still gets 5 stars because i spent the whole time floating on a cloud. I love every character in this book. The women are charming and strong, the men are charming and charismatic- Just how I like it. Just a bunch of charming characters. You don't need to have read the first book to enjoy this one, though it does mention some of the events of the first as well as has a brief introduction by Alimar at the end.
Once again, one of the things I love about this series is that it has some of the same notes of the original fairy tales, but it really is its own story. This story has glass slippers, balls, people trying to win the prince's hand in marriage, and location spells that only last a limited time until they are *poofed out of existence.
I do wish that the clock and time limit had been a little bit of a bigger theme throughout, because it just felt like a huge part of the Cinderella story that was a small part of this one. I liked Eden being her own fairy godmother, and I liked that Harmony was a pure of heart character, which became a big plot point because Cinderella's "have courage and be kind" mantra is so dear to my heart.

[Chloe Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book really frustrating. The plot is kind of a ripoff of the selection, and we spend the entire book wanting her and Dorian to be together, only for them to be stupid over and over and over and we have to repeat the 3rd act miscommunication and separation for no reason. I feel like this author never leaves enough time left in the book to actually be happy that they get together. Especially in this one, as if you’re not guessing the twist like I did about halfway through, then every time they kiss you’re thinking about how she’s promised to another, he has a fiancée, he’s a liar, etc etc. Honestly, I think this author could benefit from splitting these into multiple books or just making them longer. I will see so much potential in the plot and the romance, but it is all so rushed. I really think that the 3rd act separation is so unnecessary and immature. I listened to the audiobook and had to 2x speed it through that part because I was so annoyed.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hesitant to read this book because I felt so-so about the first book in the series, Of Beast and Beauty. I did enjoy this book much better, mostly because I felt the plot was stronger. However, Eden, the main character of this book, wasn't as good of a character as her sister Rosalie, who appeared in the previous book. That being said, I felt that the chemistry between the two leads in this book was more believable and made sense to the story.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good retelling and this series has been fun.

Obviously this one is Cinderella, but with a twist. Eden is the second Eville daughter story we are given. She's sent to get ruin a royal family and get revenge for her birth parents. Although she is Cinderella, she also plays Fairy Godmother to one of the other women who wants to fight for the prince's heart and hand.

I loved the interactions with Eden and Dorian. Their banter was fabulous. Didn't love Prince Evander Prince Evander from the start.

All in all a fun retelling! Looking forward to reading the other sister's stories.

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was just as good as the first one! It's a cute, short read. (I finished books #1 and #2 in the same day.) I would recommend them to anyone who wants a simple, fun fantasy/romance.

It took me a really long time to like Dorian. (Or should I say, Prince Vincent?) But in the end, he stole my heart.

In fact, lots of characters really spun me for a loop. I was definitely fooled right along with Eden.

I will say, there were times I felt conflicted on who Eden was supposed to be as a character. She was sharp-witted, that's for sure, but the way some things were phrased made it seem like she was meant to be calmer than her sisters. One line said she wasn't one to bear a grudge, but there was nothing I saw from her that gave me that impression.

Overall, I liked it.

[❆ Ash ❆ (fable link in bio) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the first because Eden is kind of a crybaby but I still really enjoyed it. What a plot twist though! I was hoping the whole time that Dorian would get a nice ending. I loveee his character and it was a satisfying ending to the story.

“ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ꜱʜɪɴᴇ. ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴍᴇᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʟɪᴠᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱʜᴀᴅᴏᴡꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀꜱ.”

“ꜱᴀʏ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴍᴇ," ɪ ᴡʜɪꜱᴘᴇʀᴇᴅ, "ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀꜱ ꜰᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ.”

“ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴍᴇ?” “ʏᴇꜱ,” ɪ ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ, “ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ.” ᴅᴏʀɪᴀɴ ᴄᴜᴘᴘᴇᴅ ᴍʏ ꜰᴀᴄᴇ, ʜɪꜱ ʟɪᴘꜱ ᴍᴏᴠɪɴɢ ᴛᴏᴡᴀʀᴅ ᴍɪɴᴇ, “ᴛʜᴇɴ ɪᴛ ᴡᴏɴ’ᴛ ʙᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ꜱɪᴅᴇᴅ. ꜰᴏʀ ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀꜱ ᴡᴇʟʟ, ᴇᴅᴇɴ.”

[Crystal K · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Wow, this was really nice. I loved the story and the way the retelling was handled—it’s been one of my favorites so far.

That said, the MMC is a total playboy. She literally catches him doing the deed with the competition, and somehow he still expects her to be with him? Major turn-off.

Is it too much to ask for a male lead who isn’t a cheater, abuser, or walking red flag? Just one decent, gentlemanly guy—please.

[Alexia Schmader · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books have a chokehold on me. I can’t put my finger on it, but there is a formula that Chanda has perfected and I cannot get enough of it. She builds worlds and characters so well. The only bad part about this book was I have gotten to familiar with her writing style and I was able to pinpoint the entire plot halfway through the novel.