This book was so cute. Cinderella’s Prince Charming is a divorced father of two and a wuss when it comes to standing up to his ex-wife Cinderella (who by the way is really a gold digger imo). Mellie (her real name, not Maleficent) is a misunderstood stepmother whose reputation has been severely maligned by trouble-making humans (movies and books) who wrote and produced a false story for monetary gain. When the two meet, the magic chemistry missed from their failed relationships sparkles and blossoms into something real and lasting. This book was a funny, refreshing, and a somewhat realistic take on happily ever after fairy tales. So I was really not expecting to like this book for many reasons. I'm a hard sell on romance, I accidentally bought the 7th book in the series (good job, self!), and I was really more in the mood for nonfiction than fiction when starting it. Honestly, the only reason I started it was because if I don't start romance when I still have it on my mind, it will languish on my to-read list for decades, and I hate to be out the cost of a book without ever having read it.But this book was, well, charming. This may actually be the first incarnation in which I've ever read Prince Charming where I actually liked him, but the middle-aged and divorced balding book lover is awfully hard to dislike. And Mellie is his perfect foil. She gives him the bite that he lacks, while he gives her the softness and empathy that she needs to get people to like her. (And I do appreciate those traits being applied to the gender they were.) I started off liking them immediately, and the book never gave me any reason to think that was a mistake.And the evolution of their relationship felt absolutely right to me. They're both deeply clumsy people at romantic relationships for very good reasons, and their relationship took time and probably would not have succeeded if their different passions hadn't ended up being compatible to the point of symbiosis. I did wish that there had been more drama with Ella, since the drama was brought up and then resolved too abruptly for my taste. But I suspect that that falls into my general problem with romance of wanting a plot that isn't about romance, so that's a problem that I blame more on my taste than I do on the book. I also wanted more dealing with his daughters and her once again being the stepmother. But realistically, when the worst you can say about a book is that you wanted more of some of its subplots, that's doing pretty damn good.
What do You think about Wickedly Charming (2011)?
Clever idea! Took a bit long to get to the romance part but I give it kudos for being unique.
—tassy
I really enjoyed this book, would reread :-)
—rineco
