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CINDERELLA AND THE GHOST

Cinderella and the Ghost, February 2015
The Cursed Princes Book 4
by Marina Myles

Kensington
Featuring: Jean-Daniel Girard; Ella Benoit
248 pages
ISBN: 1601832834
EAN: 9781601832832
Kindle: B00NZZJ5N0
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"Can a modern day Cinderella find true love in the past?"

Fresh Fiction Review

CINDERELLA AND THE GHOST
Marina Myles

Reviewed by Linda Green
Posted March 25, 2015

Romance Historical | Romance Paranormal

Ella Benoit is finally free. Having lost her mother, and later her father, Ella has grown up as a glorified servant for her horrible stepmother, Adelaide, and her two spoilt step sisters, Hope and Charity. But with Adelaide's death, Ella has a chance at life. With no confidence or understanding of how beautiful a person she is, both inside and out, Ella is surprised to learn that her father has left her a French property solely for her - Chateau de Maincy.

Excited and scared, Ella sets off for her new adventure. Derelict and a little run down, the Chateau will take a lot of work to return it to its former glory, but Ella has never been afraid of hard work. What she had not expected was a feeling of deja vu, and visions of the house as it used to be. But this house is not an ordinary house for it is home to the ghost of Jean Daniel Girard, the original owner from 1703. Having tragically died in 1703, he is waiting for his love to arrive and travel back in time to right his untimely death, and free him from this haunting existence.

As soon as Ella enters his home, his heart recognises her as his Ella. Now he must convince her that he is real, and he needs her help and her love. As Ella is pulled back into the past will she be able to rescue the man she loves? Or will she find herself back in rags, serving the whims of a cruel family? Will fate and time ever allow Ella and Jean Daniel to be together?

CINDERELLA AND THE GHOST by Marina Myles is an unusual twist on the classic fairy tale. A modern day Cinderella, Ella, is transported back in time by magic, to rescue the life of the man she loves, but there are so many obstacles thrown in her path - an evil twin brother, cruel employers, social rules and obligations, and the fear of losing her true love forever. Although an easy read, this novel was just a little too unusual for my tastes, but readers who enjoy fairy tales turned inside out, are sure to enjoy it.

Learn more about CINDERELLA AND THE GHOST

SUMMARY

A Dangerous Attraction When her demanding stepmother died, Ella Benoit knew just how far their fortunes had fallen, unlike her spoiled stepsisters. So she never expected the bequest from her late father. A chateau in France and the freedom to live her own life, all at once! The chateau has seen better days, but Ella knows she can put the ruined house to rights. The life-size portrait of its first owner, Jean-Daniel Girard, seems to watch her work with approval, even pleasure. With bright blue eyes, strong features, and an athlete’s body, the viscount is a tempting sight even now, more than three hundred years after his tragic death. But the more she looks at the portrait, the more convinced Ella is that she’s met Jean-Daniel before. In another life, perhapsβ€”or maybe, as the form who haunts the halls at night, invading Ella’s dreams…

EXCERPT

As Ella passed the drawing room, she halted. Eerie goose bumps blanketed her arms. She felt drawn to the room as though she’d been in it before. Heart thumping, she crossed the threshold under a sudden trance. Icy stabs of dΓ©jΓ  vu assaulted her because the ornate furnishings and draperies seemed extremely familiar. Perhaps, she considered, I’ve seen the room in one of Adelaide’s real estate or decorating magazines. Taking a few steps forward, she noticed a huge blank spot on the east wall. The area’s wallpaper not only showed a variance in color, it outlined a missing, life-sized painting or tapestry. How odd. Why had the art work been removed? Where was it now? An unrelenting force summoned her closer to the blank spot. Her inquisitiveness grew. If the missing object was indeed a life-sized painting, it must have taken forever to complete. She wondered about its subject. A landscape? More likely, a portrait. Prodded to start a hunt, she went through several rooms on ChΓ’teau de Maincy’s main level. She searched the front parlor, the back parlor, and the music room. Her favorite was the ballroom. As she entered, a spark met her toes. Wide-eyed, she noticed that rays of sunshine cast a sparkling aura over its faded parquet floor. A glittering chandelier hung in the center of the gold-toned room, anchoring the enormous space. When the chandelier caught a beam of sunlight, Ella received another spark. She put her hand to her warm cheeks. She could almost hear strains of a quadrilleβ€”and the drone of chatter as if she were at a party. Not a party. She rephrased the thought. A ball. Eyes blurred, she slipped into a deeper trance. Suddenly, she was wearing a stunning costume and was stepping into waltz with a debonair nobleman sporting a mask. The nobleman pulled her tightly against him. Other guests wearing masks looked on. It was a masquerade ball! More scenes flashed before Ella. Warm wind gusted into the room and thenβ€” Exiting the trance, she realized that the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Why in heaven had she experienced that? Her father had written that Ella had been at the chΓ’teau before. Yet she had no conscious memory of the visit. Maybe, she thought as she rubbed her eyes, the atmosphere of this house is too seductive to resist. Still reeling from the vision, her attention shifted to a long-case clock in the corner. Its shattered face was visible through a hinged glass panel that hung ajar. The top of the clock bore a large, vertical gash. How odd. Ella inched closer. The open door revealed that the time- piece had been frozen at twelve o’clock. She touched the immobile handsβ€”and in the bright light of the room, she noticed that the clock’s maker had etched his name and creation date into a groove bordering the clock’s pendulum. Montbleu ~ 1703. All at once, Ella remembered standing in front of the long-case clock, precisely like this. But how could that be? She must have repressed memories from her visit here as a child. Yet, she couldn’t explain the vision of herself dancing with the handsome man. Once she confirmed that a life-sized painting wasn’t hanging in the ballroom, she made her way up the grand staircase. Inexplicably, she felt drawn to where she was going. When she reached the second floor of the house, she studied a wall of faded frescoes depicting late seventeenth century life. When something told her to go on, she padded to the third floor landing. A palpable hush filled the corridor ahead of her. Then a charged stream of energy rushed through the hall. Since all the curtains were drawn over the arched windows, the hallway sat in darkness and shadow. Ella should be doing so many things. Unpacking. Cleaning. Deciding which bedroom would be hers. But a sense of urgency prompted her feet to continue. What will I find in this part of the house? Glimpses of the valiant but very dead Jean-Daniel Girard? Gulping, she opened door after door and peeked in. She finally came to a storage space, with an additional staircase leading up to an attic. Creeping up those stairs, Ella surveyed the articles on the landing. Broken mirrors and articles of furniture draped in white sheets lay strewn about. Tangled strings of cobwebs swathed the wood paneling. A glowing beam of sunlight angled into the room. Ella’s pulse sped. In the corner, she spotted an item covered with a black cloth. The object reclined against the far wallβ€”and appeared to be larger than she was. Pushing the curtains open, she allowed more sunlight to bathe the space. Hands quivering, she moved back to the draped item and pulled away the black cloth. The painting’s gilded frame was stunning. On it, Ella located a nameplate. Jean-Daniel Girardβ€”Viscount de Maincy 1677-1703 Slowly, as though her life was being altered with every centimeter, her stare ascended to the nobleman’s astonishing face. Instantly, the world fell into a compelling silence. Jean-Daniel Girard was tall, muscular, and inarguably handsome. In fact, his good looks were so striking that Ella could barely breathe as she gazed upon them. More than that, she knew she’d seen his face somewhere before. While she racked her brain about where she’d seen it, her gaze roamed over Jean-Daniel’s sold body, penetrating aquamarine eyes, and angular features. He could be described as classically handsome. The epitome of male beauty, really. And thankfully, that classic quality helped him transcend the fanciful clothing and wig he wore. Ella took a step in and studied him some more. True to subjects painted in that era, he wasn’t smiling. Rather, he seemed a pensive and a bit melancholy. However, she could tell from the laugh lines bracketing his generous mouth that he grinned often. Incredibly lifelike, Jean-Daniel seemed capable of emerging from the painting right then and there. Ella’s skin tingled. Her gaze drifted to the adorable dog sitting at the viscount’s feet. A splendid example of a hound, it possessed a gleaming brown-and-white coated, an open mouth, and a protruding tongue. Oddly, the dog seemed to be smiling. β€œI can tell you loved your master,” she murmured. Mesmerized by the man in the painting, Ella stared at his image for what felt like hours. The more she analyzed it, the more she noticed its β€œlost soul” quality. She crossed her arms. No, that wasn’t it. Instead, there seemed to be something underlying the viscount’s solemn face. As if he weren’t solemn at all. As if he possessed a sense of unfinished business. To die so young… She finally looked at the portrait’s backdrop. A vivid depiction of ChΓ’teau de Maincy surrounded Jean-Daniel. A cluster of servants was working in the fields adjacent to the splendid house. Wide-eyed bluebirds perched on the tree branches over his wigged head. So that’s the way the estate looked in its heyday. Stepping closer, she zeroed in on Jean-Daniel’s astounding eyes. They seemed to come aliveβ€”and for the briefest moment, he did as well. If only they were on a first-name basis! The thought exhilarated her. While she and the figure locked stares, a new layer of goose bumps sprang up on Ella’s arms. She retreated. Despite the warmth of the room, a chill barraged her body. β€œJean-Daniel Girard is quite swoon-worthy, non?” whispered an unfamiliar voice.

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