FAIRY TALE WEDDINGS by Debbie Macomber Book Review
Publication Date: November 24th 2009 by Mira
Summary: Fairy Tales Can Come True
Cindy and the Prince
Thorndike Prince—handsome, levelheaded, successful—is a high-ranking New York City executive. Cindy Territo is the janitor who cleans his office after hours. There’s no reason they’d ever meet, no reason he’d even notice her—until, on a whim and a dare, Cindy crashes his company’s Christmas ball. She dances with her Prince and then, like a proper Cinderella, flees at midnight, leaving her heart behind….
Some Kind of Wonderful
Beautiful inside and out, New York socialite Judy Lovin values family over fortune and fame. So when her father’s business collapses and his most powerful enemy offers to help—in exchange for Judy’s company—she agrees to join John McFarland on his remote Caribbean island. It isn’t long before she discovers that John’s far from the beast he seems to be!
Since FAIRY TALE WEDDINGS is two stories in one, I guess it’s only fair that this review will contain two mini-reviews.
Cindy and the Prince
Heroine: The characterization of Cindy is so inconsistent. In one scene, she’s so confident and full of herself that she’ll saunter up to the love interest without any thought but in the next scene she completely lacks self-esteem.
Hero: I’ve never read a book with such a love-sick hero. Oh my god, I could not take it.
Supporting Cast: I don’t think there’s even a supporting character that I thought was memorable.
Plot: This modernized version of Cinderella was honestly not very realistic.
Romance: Way too sappy for my taste. Honestly, this was just full of insta-love. I guess it’s loyal to the original Cinderella in that respect but I just couldn’t take it. I honestly wanted to quit reading this book because there was no romantic suspense. Boom, love at first sight and you don’t even feel the chemistry as a reader.
Love Potion Strength:
– Troll
I’m honestly surprised I was able to finish this first book. Way too sweet, lacked romantic tension.
Some Kind of Wonderful
Heroine: I like that Judy is quite a selfless character who was willing to give up her life in New York for her family. She wasn’t such a total drama queen, and she made the best of her situation.
Hero: In comparison to other brooding heroes, John doesn’t really shine out. We get a bit of insight on why he’s so anti-social but other than the fact that we learn he was orphaned and put into foster homes, the problem was never actually addressed. It was mentioned, then swept under the rug.
Supporting Cast: I really love how John’s staff plays a big role in this retelling.
Plot: Interesting take on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. I can see it happening, but by a long shot. However, it’s definitely not my favorite retelling.
Romance: I couldn’t help but compare Some Kind of Wonderful to the first story in this book. The romance was definitely a lot more slow and there was actually some progression in the romance. No insta-love.
Love Potion Strength:
– Poor
This one is probably a 2.5 out of 5, but it just doesn’t quite meet my expectations of a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I have high expectations for retellings of my favorite fairy tale.
As a whole, I don’t think I’ll be recommending this book of modern fairy tale retellings to anyone soon. It just didn’t work for me.
Sad to hear this doesn’t rock. I love DM.
This was my first DM book too. Oh well. Maybe you’ll enjoy it more since you’re already a fan?
uh oh
sorry it didn’t turn out. cute idea though!
It was a cute idea! I hoped I would love it more.
I have tried a few Debbie Macomber books, although I haven’t read one in years. They are quick, easy reads that are romances equal to mysteries cozies, if I remember correctly.
Great review. I love the format.
boo! i was hoping this book would be good. alas.
Oh no! And here I hoped you’d like the book. When I saw the title and the cover I thought: Oh, how cute! That would look amazing in my bookshelf. Glad I read the rest, too. XD Great review!