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About the Author

Works by P. H. Ritter

Associated Works

Volk bij den weg — Contributor — 6 copies

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Common Knowledge

Canonical name
Ritter, P. H.
Legal name
Ritter, Pierre Henri, jr.
Other names
Ritter, Pierre Henri
Ritter, Pierre H.
Ritter, P. H., Jr.
Birthdate
1882-08-16
Date of death
1962-04-13
Gender
male
Occupations
letterkundige
Nationality
Netherlands
Birthplace
Utrecht, Utrecht, Nederland
Place of death
Houten, Utrecht, Nederland
Burial location
Algemene Begraafplaats Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
Associated Place (for map)
Utrecht, Netherlands

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Reviews

3 reviews
What do you expect from a story that begins with the words: ”Once upon a time in a great kingdom"? A fairy tale, right? And that’s exactly what this book delivers: a love story that isn’t realistic but pretty enjoyable.

Story:
Fran Cooper has been with Stewart for like forever (okay, twelve years), but the relationship seems to have settled into the mundane and lost its charm. While she is pondering over what she needs to do to get her life back on its earlier track, a fabulous
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opportunity lands at her doorstep: a temporary job as the personal assistant to a demanding VVIP diva. Soon, she finds herself on a yacht around the Mediterranean and en route to a one-of-a-kind party named “The Crystal Ball”, attended by and affordable to only the filthy rich. This night ends up changing a lot for Fran, not just professionally but also personally.
The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Fran.


Where the book clicked for me:
✔ The love story isn’t the main theme of the story. It is more focussed on Fran’s coming into her own and taking a firm stance to rejuvenate her life. Friendship is also given a greater role to play than romance.

✔ There are plenty of hilarious moments in the story. Fran’s talks with herself are quite funny and a few will even leave you snorting.

✔ Her best friend Jess is the kind of friend everyone would love to have. I loved her character! (Can we please have a spinoff with Jess in the lead?)

✔ While the story is quite evidently based on Cinderella’s fairy tale, the way the author has incorporated contemporary relationship issues within the traditional tale is worth mentioning.

✔ The perils of being a celebrity are woven fairly well into the storyline.

✔ A very common trope in recent romances is how thirty-something women are in long relationships with a jerk and only a getaway/(casual appearance of a potential new mate/old flame) makes them realise how bad things are. While a certain part of that is applicable to this book too, I liked how Fran already knew that her relationship was in trouble and she was wondering if and how to fix it. That is much more believable that a woman living blindly on cloud nine and then dropping suddenly into reality and romantic disillusionment.

✔ The ending is written really well. I don’t expect many surprises in romance because everyone knows how things will go, and yet there were a couple of things (trivial but still cute) that surprised me at the finale.

✔ It’s a quick read.

Where the book could have worked better for me:
⚠ The story goes way over the top after about 40%. Many situations felt impossible and/or unbelievable. So if you can suspend your disbelief and go with the flow, you'll enjoy it better.

⚠ One of the potential romantic leads makes a hot initial appearance but soon his character is given different shades. The other potential romantic lead doesn’t make an appearance until more than half of the book has passed by. While this is a wonderful surprise and leaves you in anticipation for the appearance of the right “Prince Charming”, it also means that the connection between the leads feels sudden and inexplicable.

⚠ Those who are all for “love at first sight” and “sparks on first touch” and “insta-connections” will certainly make googly heart eyes at the magical link between Fran and her new beau, but others who are more like me (jaded, practical, disillusioned souls
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Statistics

Works
24
Also by
1
Members
95
Popularity
#197,645
Rating
½ 3.3
Reviews
2
ISBNs
8
Languages
1

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