Cinder Luna by Marie Soleil: Book Review

 *Book received for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

Is Luna destined for a happily ever after, or is it "game over" for her love life?

Move to the adorable town of Brookhaven? Check.

Get bumped to first class on the train and meet the most gorgeous, considerate man of my life? Check.

Find a job in video game animation and a cozy apartment of my own? Not so much.

So maybe things in Brookhaven aren’t quite as idyllic as my friend promised. My one saving grace is playing video games every evening with my best online friend, MidKnight. Plus, helping him create his own video game helps me escape the drudgery of my demanding twin bosses and a dusty, cramped apartment.

It’s not long before our relationship turns from friendly to…a lot more personal.

Things get complicated when I run into the man from the train again. He couldn’t forget about me either, and he’s been searching for me. I can’t deny the intense physical attraction we have, but I feel like my heart is being pulled in two directions. But there are things that both guys don’t know about me.

Being brave isn’t my strong suit, but maybe it’s time to find some courage.

Cinder Luna is a closed door, romantic comedy retelling of Cinderella with hidden identities and swoony kisses!

Tropes:

• Slow burn
• Cinnamon roll MMC
• Instant attraction
• Hidden identities
• Girl next door
• Closed door/kissing only

Marie writes heart-warming, sweet and clean romantic stories with big life lessons and character growth. She won the Swoony Award in 2022 for Best Debut Author. When she's not writing, she can be found watching The Office, playing the piano, sewing a dress, or reading a book (while consuming copious amounts of chocolate). She lives in sunny Southern California with her husband of 15 years, three children, and ten chickens.

Oh my goodness, I absolutely LOVED this book! 

First of all, for those that know the story behind my blog name (A Modern Day Fairy Tale), you know that not only do I love fairy tales, but that Cinderella has significant sentimental meaning in my own love story. As such, I was definitely excited to read this Cinderella romcom retelling... and it absolutely did not disappoint! When I read a fairy tale retelling, I find that I tend to prefer stories that have clear nods to the story, but that have unique aspects that set them apart and make it its own story too. I found this one to be exactly that. The Cinderella references were clever and sprinkled throughout the story like fun little Easter eggs, but Luna and Henry's story was still all their own. I'm not a gamer myself so I wasn't quite sure about the gamer aspect of the story, but I found I actually really enjoyed it. It definitely set these two apart. And oh, the chemistry!? Right from the start these two won me over and I couldn't help but root for them to get their happily ever after. I really just loved everything about this one!

We are given a brief glimpse of the next book in the series, and it was set up so perfectly to have me anxiously awaiting the next one. I seriously cannot wait. (Cinder Luna is the first full length book in the Once Upon a RomCom series, but there is a short story available free through Marie's newsletter- Cookies & Kisses- that is a prequel to this one and does introduce us to several of the characters. This can definitely be enjoyed just fine without having read it though.)

Cinder Luna is a closed-door romance with kisses only and no language.

Get your copy: https://amzn.to/3HpcoVy