Review: Seducing Cinderella by Gina L. Maxwell

Seducing Cinderella (Fighting for Love #1)
Gina L. Maxwell
July 20, 2012
Entangled Publishing: Brazen
177 pages, ebook

Synopsis: 

Mixed martial arts fighter Reid Andrews’s chance to reclaim his title as light heavyweight champ is shattered when he’s injured only months before the rematch. To make sure he’s healed in time, his trainer sends him to recuperate under a professional’s care—Reid’s best friend’s little sister, all grown up.

Disorganized and bookish Lucie Miller needs some professional help of her own. She’d do anything to catch the eye of a doctor she’s crushed on for years, so when Reid offers seduction lessons in exchange for 24/7 conditioning for the biggest fight of his career, Lucie jumps at the chance.

Soon Reid finds him himself in the fight of his life...winning Lucie's heart before she gives it to someone else.

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Review:
There's a reason this book is now on the NYT bestseller list. I really enjoyed it. It felt more "Ugly Duckling" than "Cinderella" to me, but either way I liked the premise, even though it hit on a bunch of cliched romance themes - big brother complex, athlete, good girl/bad guy, therapist/patient, in addition to the fairy tale ones I already mentioned. Now, "ugly duckling" stories can get annoying to me since the heroine usually has incredibly crappy self-esteem, but this one hit all the right notes despite that. And boy, Gina Maxwell can write some steamy scenes! We're talking off the charts chemistry here! She's also great at character development and description. I really felt like I could picture our heroes exactly as she intended, and that by the end of the book, I knew them.

Overall, despite a few overdone themes, it was well written and a quick read - highly recommend it for any romance novel fans. I'm looking forward to the next installment in this series.

Seducing Cinderella: 4/5 stars
Cover: 4/5 stars
Audience Rating: R (descriptive sex scenes)