What would you do you keep your children safe?

About the Book:

Title: Lady Tremaine
Genre(s): General Fiction (Adult); Historical Fiction; Women’s Fiction
Author: Rachel Hochhauser
Published by: Macmillan Audio
Date Published: March 3, 2026
Format Read: AudioBook
Where I Got It: NetGalley ARC/ALC
It is a stand alone book.
This book is a must read if you like: Maleficent, Robin Hobb and Marie Brennan’s voice, fairytale retellings, villian origin story

Snapshot: what do you need to know before you pick up the book.

Profanity: Adult, Mostly very mild but two usages of the C word.
Intimacy: Light, Kissing
Violence: Adult, Murder, some breif descriptions of gore, Delicate handling of rape.
Themes: Adult, Sexism, motherhood, place in the world, power dynamics in relationships, grief, loss.

My Thoughts

This book is written with an extensive vocabulary and starts very upper class and stilted. As the character evolves so does the writing and feel of the book. It was masterfully written.

This book was a roller coaster. I screamed I cried. I yelled “WHAT?!?”. I got goosebumps. The anticipation left at the end of each chapter rocketed you into the next one with thriller level anticipation.

I LOVE books that drive deep, ask questions, make you think, and make you question. I love books that make you emotionally invest in the characters.

This book was everything I wanted and everything I never knew I needed. This book perfectly incorporates everything from the classic fairytale while adding several layers that complement it perfectly.

This quote hit in the first few chapters and I rewound and listened to it about 10 times.

“There is nothing new to say about grief. If you’ve grieved then you know sorrow. And if you have not then I will warn you. There will forevermore be days where happiness is forsaken. But there is no grief like watching a young child mourn a parent. Though the inverse would be an amplification beyond comprehension. …The girls and I had to learn to accommodate sorrow. “

I do wish the sacrifice at the end hadn’t happened. It was beautiful and devastating and that is all I’m going to say.

I really enjoyed the narrator and thought her voice was perfect.

This book wrecked me in the best possible way. If you are ready for an emotional, impactful read then you should add this to your TBR.

Description

A breathtaking reimagining of Cinderella, as told through the eyes of its iconic “evil” stepmother, revealing a propulsive love story about the lengths a mother will go to for her children.

Twice-widowed, Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley is solely responsible for her two children, a priggish stepdaughter, a razor-taloned peregrine falcon, and a crumbling manor. Fierce and determined, Ethel clings to the respectability her deceased husband’s title affords her, hoping it will secure her daughters’ future through marriage.

When a royal ball offers the chance to change everything, Ethel risks her pride in pursuit of an invitation for all three of her daughters—only to see her hopes fulfilled by the wrong one. As an engagement to the future king unfolds, Ethel discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, forcing her to choose between the security she craves and the wellbeing of the stepdaughter who has rebuffed her at every turn.

As if Bridgerton met Circe, and exhilarating to its core, Lady Tremaine reimagines the myth of the evil stepmother at the heart of the world’s most famous fairy tale. It is a battle cry for a mother’s love for her daughters, and a celebration of women everywhere who make their own fortunes.

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