Princess Charming by Nicole Jordan

Cinderella is one of my all time favorite fairy tales so I was excited to finally read a book by Nicole Jordan when I saw she was going to be doing her own spin on the tale.  We have all the classic elements: a dashing prince in the form of Ashton Wilde, Marquis of Beaufort and our lovely, 'lowly' Cinderella in Maura Collyer, horse breeder.  Maura is devastated when her stepmother (not a total villianess which I liked) sold her beloved champion stallion to pay for her two step-sisters seasons (again, very likable girls which I liked).  The horse was sold to the man Maura believes caused her fathers death, as he has always converted her horse.  But as the slimy viscount proves too much for Mauras temper, Ash (whose sisters are Mauras best friends) tries to step in and help the situation.  This doesn't exactly go over very well with the bold, passionate Maura but sparks start to ignite and it causes our couple to come together...eventually :)

Overall, for my first Nicole Jordan book I was very happy.  I love stories that are centered around big, lovable, "Wilde" families and this looks to be a great start to a possible five books for the Wilde family.  I enjoyed how even though Maura and Ash have known each other since childhood, there new found attraction to each other seemed natural.  The part that really piped my interest was the fact that Maura was a horse breeder.  A very unusual profession for females during that time period.  We don't get to see much of that unfortunately, but it adds a unique back story.  I personally don't know if I would go abduct a horse and try to flee with it, but you could really feel Maura's passion for her beloved horse.  There are some wonderful supporting characters that add some good family moments, but don't overshadow our main couple.  Ash and Maura have loads of sexual tension but Ash is hesitant to fully bed Maura as he believes she will marry someday, even though Maura believes she is almost on the shelf and has no dowry, title, or real prospects in that regard.  I had about forgotten about the important glass slipper of Cinderella, and Ash's slipper moment was all too fitting for this story and it brought a sweet smile to my face.  While this isn't my favorite Cinderella retelling, it was certainly enjoyable and I breezed through it in a couple afternoons and I look forward to the rest of the series.  I would recommend this book for people that enjoy sweet and sexy fairy tale retellings, mixed with a warm, big family and a bit of uniqueness and danger.  3 1/2 stars

Legendary Lovers series 

Lover Be Mine Later 2012 (Jack's story based on Romeo and Juliet)
More books to be annouced