Cinderella and the Colonel

By K. M. Shea

The country of Erlauf is the enemy, as far as Cinderella is concerned. Since Erlauf took over her home country, Cinderella has been forced to manage her once opulent duchy like a tightly budgeted farm. Gone are the days of wealth and luxury. Instead, Cinderella dons servants’ clothes and sells all her luxuries to save her servants and her duchy from the mountain of debt she’s racked up due to Erlauf fines and taxes.

Romance and forgiveness are the last things on Cinderella’s mind. Unfortunately the rakish Erlauf Colonel Friedrich has other ideas.

Cinderella thinks she needs a pile of money to save her duchy, and for the Erlauf invaders to leave. What she gets is a debonair Erlauf colonel, a fairy godmother, four mice, two goats, a pair of glass slippers, and a pumpkin.

It’s funny, I never seem to get tired of Beauty and the Beast retellings, but I always go into a Cinderella retelling with huge misgivings if I even decide to read them at all. When I began this book I was shocked at what K.M. Shea decided to do to the original tale, and I wholeheartedly pumped my fist in the air at her decisions. This is, in my opinion, the best retelling of Cindrella. Period. Okay, maybe it ties with Ella Enchanted. But seriously, this is amazing and heart-felt and all things good for a retelling and a proper romance. I adore Cinderella, I’m pretty sure I fell in love with the Colonel, and the plot is just amazing. This isn’t just a romance or a fairy tale. It’s a story about the power of forgiveness. Please, please read this if you love fairy tales and need a little romance in your day, but don’t want just fluff. It’s such a breath of fresh air. I loved K.M. Shea’s Beauty and the Beast, but this, this was just awesome.

I give it a 4.25 out of 5