Once Upon a Masquerade (Entangled Scandalous)

by Tamara Hughes

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

If Cinderella had to keep up the princess charade outside of the ball and was linked to a murder, that would be Once Upon a Masquerade. Rebecca is working as a maid to support herself when some men show up to collect on her father's debts. He can't pay it, and they'll kill him if Rebecca can't either. Her friend Mary suggests that she tries to bag a rich man, so she can pawn his gifts and pay the gambling debts. Rebecca isn't too sure about this plan at first, but with her employers out of town, it might be her only chance. Meanwhile, Christopher is investigating the murder of his best friend. He's also looking for that friend's lover in order to protect her. Of course, he mistakes Rebecca for that woman, but the evidence also points to her being the murderer.

I liked the mystery portion of Once Upon a Masquerade much better than the romance. In addition to Christopher's investigation, there's also someone who wants Rebecca dead and is willing to pay $600 for it! I couldn't figure out who would want a lowly maid murdered and why, but someone is stalking her despite Christopher's best attempts at keeping her safe. I did figure out the accomplice, but I felt like that part was quite obvious. The murderer may have been, too, but about halfway through the book started losing my attention.

The romance really failed for me in Once Upon a Masquerade. I loved the set up of Rebecca hesitantly dressing up as a lady, trying to pick up a rich man, and unexpectedly falling in love with one instead. But I must have missed the moment she fell in love with Christopher, and there was never a moment where he reciprocated her feelings. All of a sudden they're having sex, and she's confessing her love for him, while he just likes having sex with her. There was no chemistry or connection whatsoever. In fact, by the end of everything Christopher hasn't said I love you to her, but they live happily ever after.

Once Upon a Masquerade was okay. There was an intriguing mystery, but the romance was severely lacking, which of course, is a huge problem for a romance novel. The Cinderella set up was great, but ultimately, just didn't do it for me.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.