Keep on Believing: A Cinderella Story

Where Dreams Come True, Book 4

By: Marie Higgins

Narrated by: Paula Slade

Taking some of the family's jewels, Ella Spencer and her brother left the kingdom in the dead of night, escaping the clutches of their evil stepmother. Ella realized they need a different life than one of a servant. Now living in a new kingdom, Ella believes this is where they can start over again. So far, it's working - until her brother's school teacher starts poking his nose into their business. Ella cannot tell him the truth, yet deep down inside, she feels that he might be her Prince Charming after all, and be the one who will save her from danger.

Christopher Morgan is hiding secrets that he never plans to divulge. The sister of one of his students intrigues him, and he can't keep from wanting to know more about her. When a man comes around asking questions, Chris fears Ella is not safe and he needs to protect her. But he finds that he is the one in need of a dream-come-true. Can he hope that Ella will be the one to rescue him out of his life before these secrets destroy him?

©2016 Marie Higgins (P)2016 Marie Higgins

Great story

What was one of the most memorable moments of Keep on Believing: A Cinderella Story?

When Mr. Morgan was trying to speak with Billy after the fight with Nate and Billy almost told the truth about his father's death. I was in tears.

What about Paula Slade’s performance did you like?

There were some moments when I felt the narration was lacking. The first several chapters lagged. It went a little too slow. I even stopped listening for a while because I felt a little bored. But once I pushed passed it, I picked it back up and listened the rest of the way through and really enjoyed it.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Definitely the ending. And the part when Ella was trying to comfort Billy after he told her he couldn't keep the secret anymore.

Any additional comments?

The audio was crystal clear. As mentioned above, the first chapters felt lagging and slow, but all in all, I did enjoy the book.

An okay fairytale retelling

“Keep On Believing” is a retelling of the well-known fairytale “Cinderella”. While I admit the concept was intriguing, I can't make up my mind how well I think it was done.

Ella Spencer, a young woman in her early twenties, takes her ten-years-younger brother Billy and runs away from their step-mother Rodmilla’s house to set up house on their own in another kingdom. While there, Ella meets Chris Morgan, the unruly Billy’s teacher, and finds herself swept off her feet. Trouble awaits them in the form of secrets they both have regarding their familial backgrounds, not to mention agents of the evil Rodmilla seeking to bring Ella and her brother “home”. Can their love overcome the shock of truth, or will the strain be too much for even “true love” to survive?

Having listened to the audiobook version of this book, I can't comment on the spelling or punctuation, but otherwise, the writing mechanics were decent with good sentence structure and varied word choice. There were a couple of things that the author restated multiple times throughout the book in a way that seemed like she thought she was providing me with new information, rather than simply weaving that information into the narrative, which was a bit annoying. Also, there were continuity errors regarding how much time had passed since Ella and Billy had run away, how long it had been since their father died, and even how old Chris was at the time of his mother’s death, which really made me wish the author had run her story by an editor for something more than light proofreading.

The “unbelievably-beautiful girl and unbelievably-handsome guy fall in love at (almost) first sight” aspect of the plot felt a little cheesy, especially combined with some of the “time froze” types of narrative, but I’m still getting used to someone else reading the book to me instead of reading it myself, so I might have felt differently if I had been giving the words my own emphasis. I kept grinning in amusement and then rolling my eyes, followed soon after by grinning again. That said, I was somewhat frustrated with the first part of the book and almost stopped listening, but when some action finally showed up in the second half, I started liking it better. The ending did have something of a “deus ex machina” feel to it, but I suppose that is what magic tends to do a book.

I thought Paula Slade did a decent job narrating the story. The voices were distinct (she did an excellent snooty voice for Rodmilla), and she was not simply reading words off a page but giving them some expression. Some of the words she emphasized seemed awkward to me, though.

Overall, because of the continuity errors and some of the annoying parts about the writing, I'm giving this audiobook three stars. I guess I really am more of an action girl who enjoys a little romance mixed in rather than a straight “romance” reader, so someone who loves the romance might like this story better.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Audiobookworm Promotions in return for an honest review. The gift of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

An enchanting remake of an old fairy tale!

If you could sum up Keep on Believing: A Cinderella Story in three words, what would they be?

Keep on Believing is a retelling of the fairy tale Cinderella. Ella and her brother run away and create a life for themselves away from their evil stepmother. The burden of the secrets starts to become too much and has the potential to come out sooner rather than later. Christopher, Billy’s teacher (Ella’s brother), has his own secrets that he keeps hidden away. When the two come together the sparks fly.

Keep on Believing was an enchanting and charming well-written story. It was a unique and different twist to an old fairytale. There was just the right amount of action and romance to keep my interest piqued. This author really knows how to spin the fairytale to keep you entertained and intrigued from the beginning to the end. The characters were well developed and engaging.

What about Paula Slade’s performance did you like?

Paula Slade did a great job with the narration. She had a clear and crisp voice that was easy to follow. The narrator did a good job with the distinct differences for each of the characters. Ms. Slade did well with bringing the story to life.

Any additional comments?

This is the first book that I have read by Marie Higgins and will certainly not be my last. I was not disappointed at all. I recommend Keep on Believing to anyone that enjoys a quick light read that will keep you entertained and have you believing in happily ever after.

A somewhat one-dimensional tale

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

As a light, fairly quick (as audiobooks go, anyway) read, I'd recommend this.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I liked that the 'Cinderella' in this story wasn't the stereotypical wealthy-daughter-turned-servant. I was disappointed by the lack of character development.

What does Paula Slade bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Ms. Slade was a great choice to narrate this book. She handled what seemed to be typos as smoothly as could be expected and the different voices for the different characters were very well done, especially Darby’s.

Do you think Keep on Believing: A Cinderella Story needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Nope. It was wrapped up pretty well at the end. I wouldn't mind reading this author's version of other fariytales, though.

Great version of Cinderella without a prince

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend this tory to a friend. It has everything a good audiobook needs: an enchanting story and a great narrator.

What other book might you compare Keep on Believing: A Cinderella Story to and why?

It is difficult to compare different books. Each is unique due to a writer and a narrator working together to make the story shine.

What does Paula Slade bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I loved Paula Slade' narration. She infused each character with emotions and made them very real. You could feel their pain and fears expressed in her voice. I would like to listen to more of her narrations.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were more than one moment that moved me. One of them was showing Billy as a lonely and traumatized kid he really was.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the story very much. It was well written, with interesting and well developed characters. They were not one dimensional fairy tale figures, but seemed like real people with their fears and struggles to overcome traumatic past. The bad stepmother was really evil, and not all magic was used for good. Luckily as in a fairy tale, villains were punished and heroes and heroines got their HEA.

Highly recommended.

average story but great narrator

I did not find the storyline to be incredibly original. However, the way the narrator performed this kept my attention the entire time. The voices she performed for the characters fit appropriately and were discernibly different... and consistent throughout. the voice of the narrator was soothing yet never dull.

Great Dream Visit!!

This really made me escape to a world where everything is a happy ever after! I was caring for my hubby post op and this was one of the audiobooks that made me forget my troubles for awhile. Thank you!!! <3

One fantastic fairy tale twist . . .

One fantastic fairytale that turns heads and changes things around with a few twist, en evil step-mother, spells, magic, a teacher, a brother, a sister, a friends, and lots of misdirection and half truths. This was one fairytale that was full of fun and not the expected.

Voice and sound quality were light and airy and allowed for me to feel consumed in the time period.