The Cinderella Rules [Paperback]

Donna Kauffman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 2003

THERE’S A LITTLE BIT OF CINDERELLA IN EVERY WOMAN . . .

. . . except Darby Landon, or so she thinks before meeting the three fairy godmothers of Glass Slipper, Inc. They guarantee they can bring out the princess in any woman. But they’ll have their work cut out for them with Darby, who’s more comfortable in jeans and cowboy boots than designer gowns. But when she’s called from her Montana ranch to squire her impossible-to-please father’s star client around the D.C. social scene, Darby has to turn into the queen of chic . . . and fast.

Between torture-chamber sessions of tweezing and teasing, and horrifying lessons on place settings, Darby finds herself drawn into a fairy-tale romance of the very adult variety with Shane Morgan, the devastatingly sexy (and reluctant) heir to one of the city’s largest companies. But when another Prince Charming arrives on the scene, Darby‘s caught between the woman she is and the woman she’s supposed to be, between two very different irresistible bad boys. Now Darby has to choose her own happy ending . . . and with the help of three very unusual fairy godmothers, this modern-day Cinderella is determined to stay dancing way past midnight—no pumpkins required.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kauffman follows The Big Bad Wolf Tells All with another fairy tale-themed comic romance, this one focusing on heiress Darby Landon, who has forsaken her family's glitzy life in favor of a rugged existence on a Montana ranch. When Darby agrees to help out her baby sister Pepper by showing their powerful father's Scandinavian business partner around Washington, D.C., Darby realizes that she may need some style assistance before she can reenter high society. On the way to her makeover at Glass Slipper, Inc., Darby meets Shane Morgan, who has reluctantly returned from abroad to handle the corporate empire he inherited from his grandmother. In between Shane's business dealings and Darby's outings with the sexy but sinister Stefan Bjornsen, the two make time for some sizzling encounters. And as they work together to figure out what Stefan's evil plans are concerning the Morgan conglomerate, they realize that their attraction is more than just sexual. It takes Pepper's unlikely help to foil Stefan, and hard thought by Shane and Darby to blend his footloose existence with her longing for home on the range. Though the fairytale conceit never quite works-Darby is simply too wealthy and attractive to ring true as a downtrodden Cinderella-Kauffman writes with warmth, wit and swashbuckling energy.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Kauffman, author of The Big Bad Wolf Tells All [BKL My 1 03], has penned a delightful romance about two appealing characters caught in the whirlwind of their families' business dealings--and their passion for each other. Darby is irked when her sister Pepper calls her and asks her to fly to Washington, D.C., to show their father's business associate around. She is even more reluctant once she learns Pepper has booked her a complete makeover at Glass Slipper, Inc., where the three founders will help her with her hair, makeup, wardrobe, manners, and everything else to get her prepared for her high-society role. Things are looking up when she meets the irresistibly handsome Shane Morgan, who is in town to take over the family company following the death of his grandmother. The sparks are instantaneous and bright, but when Darby's father's business associate turns out to be a handsome Nordic god, Darby has two men competing for her affections. A sexy, spicy romp. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (December 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553382349
• ISBN-13: 978-0553382341
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.9 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #956,827 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

USA Today bestselling and award winning author Donna Kauffman has published over fifty titles, most currently still in worldwide release, with many translated into more than a dozen languages. She has seen her books reviewed in venues ranging from Kirkus to Library Journal to Entertainment Weekly and excerpted in magazines, including Cosmopolitan. A previous RITA finalist and DC native, she currently resides just outside the nation's capital in northern Virginia. You can contact her directly through her website at www.donnakauffman.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Total plot failure, May 24, 2004

By 

eiie (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cinderella Rules (Paperback)

Does the romance succeed? Yes. But does the plot succeed? No. This novel leads you on and makes you think that the plot is actually about the heroine's love life and her strained relations with her own family. But the second half of the novel is clearly about playing "secret agent" and has little to do with the emotional development of the heroine. [...] Save yourself the dissapointment of this unsatisfying read and pick up a different book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This "glass slipper" doesn't fit, May 2, 2005

By 

Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cinderella Rules (Paperback)

Sisters Darby and Pepper couldn't be more different. Darby is grounded and prefers the wilds of her ranch in Wyoming to the schmoozing of Washington DC. When Pepper calls her in desperation to take her place as the date of one of their father's business associates, Darby reluctantly agrees. Enter the makeover mavens from Glass Slipper, Inc. They specialize in taking even the toughest gal and turning her into a princess. They will have their work cut out with Darby.

Shane, the nephew of one of the founders snags a seat on the limo and instantly is attracted to Darby, and watches with amusement as she endures her makeover hell. The story starts out with so many possibilities, and is quite humorous. Then suddenly it becomes an industrial espionage story invovling Interpol and becomes so convoluted, that you just want to say "enough already!!"

I was disappointed - had she stuck with the original premise, the story would have been a fresh take on the fairy tales we grew up with. This one isn't on par with "Dear Prince Charming" or "The Big Bad Wolf Tells All" - might as well skip Cinderella, as this glass slipper does not fit.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great characters - a fun read!, July 5, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cinderella Rules (Paperback)

The perfect romance for the summer. I loved getting to know Darby and Shane as well as the fairy godmothers. It was a blast. I disagree with a previous writer, concerned with minor details and would like to point out, it's fiction! This was definately worth reading and I can't wait for the "Prince CHarming".