Mini Review: Cinderella by Jenni James

No, I am not reviewing the original one. Why would I? We all know what happened and what did not happen. Some of us know of the original/earlier versions of it that were darker and more morbid especially the Grimm version. Heh. Anyway, I read yet another fairy tale retelling of Cinderella.
Cinderella Faerie Tale Collection #4 Jenni James

A girl with a secret and a prince on a mission.

When Prince Anthony spies Eleanoria Woodston outside her family home dressed as a servant, he knows something is amiss. Pretending to be John, his cousin’s outrider, he decides to take matters into his own hands and figure out why Ella hasn’t been seen at court. And more importantly why the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in the kingdom dresses like a pauper.

Ella has had her own bout of trials, including losing her beloved father and facing the wrath and jealousy of her stepmother and stepsisters. Becoming a servant doesn’t seem all that bad until the handsome John comes into her life, now he appears to be upsetting everything. Never before has she been so unsettled. Just his presence is making her dream of a life beyond this one.

When John invites Ella to the ball and she grudgingly accepts, he wonders if he’s truly losing his mind. How would he ever pull off pretending to be John while obviously hosting the ball as Anthony? Especially when the stubborn girl has made it quite obvious she would never attend a ball with a snobbish prince.

It was sugary, sugary sweet. My entire mouth is coated with 10x the amount of sweetness it usually consumes which is saying a lot since I love my chocolate.
This book was nothing new. This is not Ella Enchanted nor is it Ever After. It just upped the ante of the level of fairytaleness Cinderella had in the first place - the Disney version of it of course since the original ones (there are many versions of it) were darker. And sometimes, synopsis do mislead people. I expected "a [stubborn] girl with a secret and a [snobbish] prince with a mission" but no, they weren't.
I may sport the occasional sweet tooth for this kind of romance but well, let's just say that it's giving me a headache right now. And while I may not have enjoyed it, perhaps my goddaughters will. 

P.S. I am in a reading slump.