🔖 REVIEW 🔖 Stroke of Midnight by K. Webster

Stroke of Midnight by K. Webster 

Release Date: October 27th 2020 by Dangerous Press

Series: Cinderella #1

Pages: 326

Genres: Romance, Dark, Contemporary, Retellings

A Cinderella Novel

Money can buy anything. And anyone. As the head of the Constantine family, I’m used to people bowing to my will. Cruel, rigid, unyielding—I’m all those things. When I discover the one woman who doesn’t wither under my gaze, but instead smiles right back at me, I’m intrigued.

Ash Elliott needs cash, and I make her trade in crudeness and degradation for it. I crave her tears, her moans. I pay for each one. And every time, she comes back for more. When she challenges me with an offer of her own, I have to decide if I’m willing to give her far more than cold hard cash.

But love can have deadly consequences when it comes from a Constantine. At the stroke of midnight, that choice may be lost for both of us.

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My Review:

K. Webster delivers an explosive age-gap fairly tale retelling in Stroke of Midnight, that’s dark, steamy and twisted. An original and addicting start to the Cinderella Trilogy.

The Constantine name holds a lot of power in New York, it rivals old money as its fortune has no bounds. As the head of the family, Winston Constantine grew his family business into an empire and now his Fortune 500 company is one of the world’s most prestigious acquisition firms. He is ruthless and always maintains a work over play rule that has paid off immensely. With power comes great responsibility and he demands order, cleanliness and has rules at work. So when he finds a candy wrapper stuck to his shoes as he walks into his office, he demands to know who let an unqualified person into his office to disturb his space. It’s when Winston goes over the video footage of his office that he sees the young offender and is set on making her pay.

Seeing Ash Elliott in person has him think of a better idea, she is gorgeous and in need of money, so he makes her trade in crudeness and degradation for it. She laughs at his proposal, finds it weird and the fact that he is older than her makes her think of twice of his intentions. Yet, she is intrigued and there is a pull between them that she can’t deny, giving in to his offer. Neither of them expected to have great chemistry, she challenges him at every turn and she is a breath of fresh air to him. It’s the more time they spend together that Winston grows protective of her and realizes that he is willing to spend every dime of his fortune to keep her safe and his. Winston may think of himself as a villain, but this prince charming just met his match.

Ash Ember Elliott never expected to be working for FGM Services, cleaning high-end buildings in the city. Having just turned eighteen, she thought that she would be able to go to Columbia right after high school, but upon discovering that her dad took her college savings, her stepmother was able to secure a job for her. But Ash doesn’t want to clean, she wants to sit behind a desk and crunch numbers. It is her dream to become an economic analyst just like her dad, but her life changed after the death of her mother at a young age. Ash now lives with her new stepmother and her triplet stepbrothers that torment her every chance they get.

It was just another day at work when she is surprised to see the CEO of Halcyon, Winston Constantine. He is incredibly good looking and older than her. It’s when he makes her an offer to pay her for every humiliating act he can think of, that Ash is ready to give him a piece of her mind. But the money that he is offering will set her free and she accepts. As the two start to spend more time together, Ash realizes that behind Winston’s ruthless persona is a man that has been hurt in the past and willing to protect her at any cost. So when Winston’s reputation is on the line, it’s time for the princess to save the villain.

This story was surprisingly not what I was expecting it to be about, it was so much more. It’s a dark retelling of Cinderella and it couldn’t have been more perfect. The characters have been through a lot, so when they come together they are able to understand each other very well. Winston is not your typical prince charming, he describes himself as a villain, but it’s his protectiveness over Ash that has him protecting her every chance he gets. Ash doesn’t back down, she is fierce and challenges Winston as well. A lot happens in the book to keep you at the edge of your seat. The cliffhanger at the end is going to keep you wanting to read the next book right away. I would highly recommend checking out the book, it’s a great start to the trilogy, a definite must-read! :)

**I received an advanced copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.**

My Rating:

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