If You Give a Girl a Viscount (Impossible Bachelors, #4)

by Kieran Kramer

[Cocktails and Books]

If you've kept up with Kieran Kramer's Impossible Bachelor's series, you know that Charles Thorpe has done everything possible to avoid the parson's trap his best friends have fallen into. Impossible or not, Charlie has found himself smack dab in the middle of a Cinderella story (complete with glass slippers) where he can only hope he's Prince Charming to a certain Highland lass.

Daisy Montgomery has spent the last year grieving the lost of her beloved father while having to deal with her hateful stepmother and two stepsisters. Her home, Castle Vandermere, is falling apart and they are without the funds to repair what is broken or to pay the yearly feu that is coming up in a month. But while digging through her father's things, Daisy finds a letter from a Lady Pinckney to her father demanding to be Godmother to his daughter, should he have one. Delighted to think she might have some way out of her current mess, she write to her Godmother. Only when the reply comes, it's not from Lady Pinckney, but rather her grandson, Viscount Lumley. He tells her he's on his way and will assist Daisy in her time of need in his grandmother's stead.

Charlie Thorpe made a bet with his three best friends. He's going to take a trip to Scotland, without spending or borrowing a penny and help his grandmother's goddaughter out of her mess...also without spending or borrowing a penny. If he can't do it, he'll be forced onto the marriage mart. Charlie has no clue what waits for him at Castle Vandermere, but Daisy Montgomery was not it. She peaked his interest immediately with her straightforwardness and stubborness. But he was leary of her when she says she wanted his grandmother (and now him) for the money needed to ensure she and her family can stay in their home and repair it. Is she another one of those woman who only uses him for his money (and then tosses him aside) or is Daisy Montgomery the one woman that will show Charles Thorpe what kind of man he is?

I truly enjoyed this spin on Cinderella. We have the horrid, evil stepmother and the equally horrid stepsisters. A house in disrepair and no money to fix it and the Prince Charming who's going to make all the problems go away. We even have the mice (if only from an old Scottish poem) and glass slippers!

What was great about this version of Cinderalla was having a Prince Charming who wasn't so perfect. Charlie doubted many things about himself and used that doubt to excuse his behavior or to push away people. It took his falling out with Daisy for him to realize he had to have a little faith in himself and others to have what he wanted.

Daisy, had her own demons. Being made to believe she was less than her stepsister and then repeatedly being told she was responsible for the death of her father took it's toll on her. She was beaten down by the burdens she carried. Once Charlie was in the picture, he made her realize it's nice to share the burdens of life with someone and to deep down know you're worth having some happiness.

There road was not an easy one, but in the end they both got what they deserved.