Review by Alicnim -- Ever After by H M Irwing

Alicnim · Post by **Alicnim** » 18 Sep 2017, 22:38

[Following is a volunteer review of "Ever After" by H M Irwing.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Ever After is a romance novel by HM Irwing. The book has 175 pages in PDF format. What constitutes a happily ever after moment for you? Getting married to the love of your life? Who just happens to be a very wealthy and handsome Prince? Find out more in Ever After by HM Irwing.

Cindy Marshall is a 16-year-old girl who lives with her ailing mother. One day she returns home from school to find her mother dead. In a span of a few weeks, her father quickly remarries and doesn’t give her time to grieve. She does not get along with her step mother and hates her father for doing this to her.

Five years later, armed with an Economics degree, Cindy tries to make ends meet and overcome her past. She is still reeling from the loss of her mother and lives with a friend in a shared apartment. The only job she could find is as a waitress at a prestigious club in Sydney, Australia – she has no time for love. Her chance encounter with the mysterious dark prince sets forth a chain of events that will change her life.

Justin St. John is a self-made billionaire with secret ties to the mafia and Dutch royalty. This perfect dashing prince seems to be drawn to Cindy. There seems to be a compelling force that sets off mutual attraction between the pair. Will Cindy find love in Sydney’s infamous Dark Prince? Or will his philandering nature get in the way of love? Experience this usual love story in Ever After by HM Irwing.

I love fairy tale endings. The allure of first love and the process of overcoming insurmountable odds is a hit for me. Ever After successfully enthralled my desires, but this is not your typical romance.

The story is told through Cindy’s perspective. This worked best at describing her character and she had a well-developed narrative. However, this did not work well with the other characters in the story. The worst of which was Justin. You just do not get to know his thoughts as the author initially doesn’t let you know. Despite this, Justin was my best personality in the book. His confidence and assertiveness were a charm – unlike Cindy, who just seemed to follow his lead.

I enjoyed reading this book. The pace and flow were infectious and deeply immersive. There were no noticeable errors, perfect for an effortless read. The “love scenes” were limited. This was low for this genre and might not go down well with some fans. I would still recommend it to fans of romance novels.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I could best describe this book as a slow romance. The author took me back to my youth – that sweet girl meets boy experience. I would have rated it higher, but the first person narration failed for me. It was centered on Cindy for almost the entire story. I would have appreciated Justin’s perspective at times.

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Ever After
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Marylynn · Post by **Marylynn** » 19 Sep 2017, 12:02

Hey, i also love the happy ever after romance stories. The hopeless kind of love stories that overcome all odds in the end. This was a great review.

Kalin Adi · Post by **Kalin Adi** » 19 Sep 2017, 13:24

The book is very short. I think anyone can read it in two or three days. On the other hand, I like fairy tales too, but this story sounds too common for me. However, I liked your review. It was very honest.

Abayomi2060 · Post by **Abayomi2060** » 20 Sep 2017, 02:07

Nice review, I'm not really a fan of romance novel though

Quinto · Post by **Quinto** » 22 Sep 2017, 08:40

Nice review Alicnim. It appears the author toned down on the romance on this one unlike the one I reviewed. Your review makes me want to read it though.

kislany · Post by **kislany** » 27 Sep 2017, 13:52

Sometimes slow romances are just what the doctor ordered. I'm glad you overall liked the book. Great review, Alicnim.

mumoscar · Post by **mumoscar** » 30 Sep 2017, 00:04

It must have been a nightmare for Cindy loosing her mother then immediately a step mother appears. Too bad the book didn't meet the expectation of romance. Nice review @alicnim

Alicnim · Post by **Alicnim** » 03 Oct 2017, 20:44

Thanks guys for taking your time to read and commenting on my review.

sj_robert · Post by **sj_robert** » 03 Oct 2017, 20:48

Short and precise, great review Alicnim. I am usually overwhelmed by raunchy stories so a slow romance may just suit my tastes. Adding this to my shelves.

juliusotinyo · Post by **juliusotinyo** » 04 Oct 2017, 03:59

Hi Alicnim, great review. 'Slow romance' hah? I think I might need to have a look at this.

Kelebogile Mbangi · Post by **Kelebogile Mbangi** » 05 Oct 2017, 01:23

I like that it is not typical, I have had enough of clichéd love stories. Thank you for the review.

patience Skylet · Post by **patience Skylet** » 05 Oct 2017, 16:45

Thanks for the review and I love the fact that the novel teaches us how to value the older ones dear to us because life is too short.

Alicnim · Post by **Alicnim** » 05 Oct 2017, 22:05

juliusotinyo wrote:Hi Alicnim, great review. 'Slow romance' hah? I think I might need to have a look at this.

Yeah, I guess am a sucker for romance. The old kind, maybe not the speed dating common with modern writing where there's romping from page 1.

-- 05 Oct 2017, 22:07 --

sj_robert wrote:Short and precise, great review Alicnim. I am usually overwhelmed by raunchy stories so a slow romance may just suit my tastes. Adding this to my shelves.

Was it really short? I struggled to keep the word count up. But I managed to keep it up, thanks Robert.

-- 05 Oct 2017, 22:11 --

Thanks Kelebogile and Patience for your kind comments. Both themes of the elderly and atypical romance are prominent in this book. Am sure it will be a great read for you.

bookiegalke · Post by **bookiegalke** » 10 Oct 2017, 02:49

great review, the story sounds interesting though I'm a little reluctant to consider reading it because the reviewer indicates that its a slow romance. sluggish things tend to put me off.

Alicnim · Post by **Alicnim** » 10 Oct 2017, 03:45

bookiegalke wrote:great review, the story sounds interesting though I'm a little reluctant to consider reading it because the reviewer indicates that its a slow romance. sluggish things tend to put me off.

Hi @bookiegalke, the slowness in this novel means minimal sex scenes. This goes against the literal barrage of these types of scenes common in these novels. I think you might love it. Thanks for stopping by.