Night of Dance: A Retelling of Cinderella

The Roumaterra Chronicles

De: Erin Halbmaier

Narrado por: Elaine K. Schultz

Ella doesn’t need a prince. She just wants to be loved.

Everything changed when her father died. Once, Ella was the daughter of a wealthy merchant; now, she’s a servant in her own home, with nothing but her clothes and a horse to call her own.

Unless she finds a husband first, she has four more years until she is no longer her stepmother’s ward. But she has no time to look, and what man would want to marry her, anyway?

Certainly not a prince. So why should she attend his ball?

Night of Dance is a clean, no-spice retelling of Cinderella. It part of The Roumaterra Chronicles, a series of interconnected, standalone fairy tale retellings perfect for listeners of Brittany Fichter, Celeste Baxendell, and Annette K. Larsen.

©2024 Erin Halbmaier (P)2025 Erin Halbmaier

A must read/listen!

A wonderful short story of Cinderella retold! I love how Erin Halbmaier created this series of retellings and how this specific story on how Ella and her prince met!

We all love Cinderella stories

A Retelling of Cinderella

We all love a good fairytale retelling and this one hit all the right places.

Ella is our MFC, she was once a beloved daughter of a wealthy merchant, that is until her father passed and left her and his wealth in the care of her step family. There is an upcoming ball for The Prince to find a bride and obviously they don’t plan to allow Ella to go. It is only through the kindness from her “fairy” godfather that Ella is able to make it to the ball, her plan is to find someone not the prince that would be interested in marriage.

The Prince isn’t looking forward to being harassed by all the eligible women of the kingdom. He isn’t interested in a woman who is just after his crown. And this is how he ended up disguised at the ball, allowing his friend to take his place as The Prince, and it is while disguised he meets Ella. Like any beautiful Cinderella retelling Ella and the true prince share a beautiful dance.

Overall Ella has a magical night. But all too soon it is over and Ella is fleeing from the ball, thinking she will never see her charming dance partner ever again.

Erin Halbmaier did a wonderful job at not only writing this beautifully captivating story but also narrating it under the name of Elaine. You can feel and hear the love and care this author has for her characters as Ella’s story unfolds with the beloved story of Cinderella with Erin’s own twists and turns. The narration kept me engaged and entertained. I can’t wait to read/ listen to more by Erin.
I listened at 1.2x.

Cute Cinderella Retelling

Will have to update review soon, for now: Enjoyable audio, very cute HEA story.
I received a copy of the audiobook from the author, but all thoughts expressed are my own.
UPDATED REVIEW:
This is a very cute Cinderella retelling. It’s a short novella, with the audiobook running just 2 hours and 39 minutes. The narration brings the story to life with fun, engaging character voices. The variety of accents, each full of personality, makes this a truly delightful listen. The story itself offers a fresh twist that keeps it charming. As with all Cinderella stories, the main character, Ella, has a terrible stepmother and spoiled stepsisters who take and take with no regard for her. Although there isn’t a fairy godmother, there is a kind neighbor, her late father’s best friend, who brings both warmth and a touch of possible magic. I can easily imagine the rest of the series being quite fun, based on the little glimpses we get in Night of Dance.

great cinderella retelling

Night of Dance is the first book I have read written by Erin Halbmaier, and it will not be the last. This is a novella, so it is short and sweet, and the perfect Cinderella retelling. I love a great fairytale retelling, and this one did not disappoint.

I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook copy of this book. The narrator, Elaine K. Schultz, did a great job reading it. It was delightful, and she brought the story to life.

Some of the aspects I enjoyed in this retelling: that the dance was accidental. The prince didn’t want to be harassed by young ladies, so he had his friend pretend to be him. Since it was a masquerade, they were able to switch places without being caught. So, when Ella dances with Michael, she is not aware she is dancing with the prince. I liked that the neighbor was looking out for Ella and was the one who was the fairy godmother figure. This was a sweet, clean, no-spice retelling.

*I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily chose to review it. All opinions are my own.

Cute, sweet story

This cute retelling of Cinderella fleshes out the story in believable ways and answers questions of little details I have thought about before. I enjoyed seeing how Ella's confidence grows and how both she and the prince accept and love each other for who they really are, regardless of their differing stations.