Rich Little Poor Girl: An Interracial Second Chance Romance by C.L. Donley

Rich Little Poor Girl: An Interracial Second Chance Romance Reviews

• 
  DeeReads

  This is my first read by C.L. Donley and I really enjoyed "Rich Little Poor Girl", a second chance romance!
  
  Businessman, Solomon Dvorak ruled with a heavy hand and managed to remove heroine, Cynthia, a cafeteria worker out of his young son's Benjamin's life.
  
  Ten years later, a large check from Cynthia is sent to Solomon Dvorak but his son, Ben now runs the company in his father's absence.
  
  This insightful story had me on the edge of my seat because there were a lot of challenging events going on in this intriguing story. It was easy to see that Ben and Cynthia were still in love with each other no matter how bad the situations were in the story. The feels in this story were plentiful and I really connected to the way C.L. Donley mapped out this tale!
  
  5 endearing stars!
• 
  C.L. Donley

  I was just re-reading this book the other day and it sucked me in for a little while and I thought, "hey this is a pretty good book." Basically, one day I was reading yet another romance where the billionaire hero gives the heroine a check for a large sum, b/c he's a jerk or whatever, and she rips it up and I was like, "okay. Let's stop doing that." I think I was broke at the time too. So then I got to thinking, "how about she keeps the check, USES it, not just spends it, and becomes this self-made person?" I think the book gets bogged down a little with me trying to appease audience expectations i.e. not make him too much of a jerk, not make her too much of a ho, but I think if I really went for it, this could've been a hot, hot book. But as it is, all of the appeasements made for a really tight read that's emotional and pleasant, and not at all vapid. I'm particularly proud of the Grenadian patois that I sort of pieced together with the sparse research I could find, finding the commonality and rhythms in AA slang, and being otherwise guided by the ancestors. I spent a lot of time on that little detail, so thanks to everyone who thought I was from the islands! haha. It made me feel happy.
• 
  DarkDamsel

  3 Stars for this bwwm billionaire hero meets and falls in love with poor but resourceful girl. I usually love these types of stories and almost everything from Ms. Donley however, this one did not do it for me. It was an okay read.
• 
  Kaygee

  Interesting...
  
  So this was a good read. I liked the characters in the book. I liked the way we went from current to back in the day to answer the questions of why. Good read, I'd recommend this book.
• 
  Bev Simon

  Nice story to read
  
  The build up was really good, the characters were interesting and not too complicated.
  The story was sort of predictable but non the less likable. The ending was lovely, a real feel good book to read.
• 
  Patricia

  2.5 Okay read
• 
  Coco.V

  🎁 FREE on Amazon today (2/14/2020)! 🎁
• 
  Quinesia Johnson

  Fabulous
  
  Initially you will not like Ben Dvorak as a character . However, if you hang in there, you'll appreciate a fantastical yet realistic love story. Prose is where Donley shines, coupled with a unique premise this book was great. It helps you see life through different lenses and offers a warm love story. 5 stars.
• 
  Carolette Eady

  Love, love, loved this book!
  
  If you love second chance romance this is the book for you. It has love, trust, betrayal, redemption, steam you name it, it's got it. Must read!
• 
  Ellie

  A surprising 3.5 stars.
  
  I have no clue what drew me to this book, but I read the excerpt and needed to continue.
  
  I liked this. I really did. It was a whole different take on the 'rich boy, poor girl' trope. Hero Benjamin was rich, entitled, handsome and cocky...he also had cerebral palsy and walked with a distinct limp. He was spoilt and a bit of a rake and the writer unapologetically showed his flaws right along with his humour, charm and sweetness. He was endearing and very real.
  
  Heroine Cynthia was an aspiring culinary student who worked in the kitchen of Ben's father's company. After falling on hard times and becoming homeless, Cynthia and her mum, Bev, were living in their van. She was a beauty, half Grenadian, and also relatable. She was strong and proud and ambitious, but also recognising that a rich Jewish boy and a poor black girl didn't stand a chance, no matter how they felt for one another.
  
  This is their story, how they fell, were separated, and finally came together over roughly sixteen years. It was a pretty good one. It's angsty and sweet and you really come to feel that powerful connection between the couple. The sex was very intimate but tasteful and non-graphic, which I loved. They didn't spout filth at one another either, and I loved that, too. Best of all, it didn't overtake the story. I can't tell you the last time I read a book where the MC's didn't rut at one another like pigs. It's always awesome when a writer I never heard of surprises me in a good way.
  
  There are some problems. Lots of editing mistakes and the unusual use of third-person present tense made it hard to connect at first. But the story engaged me enough that I was able to ignore the poor editing.
  
  Definitely would recommend.
  
  
• 
  Carmen Palmer

  Enjoyed the book
  
  I actually was browsing and I like reading BWWM books and as I said before I I was browsing through the books and I read the excerpts of this book and decided to give it a try, and I must say I was surprised when I was reading and there is so much patois in the book, I had to stop and go and read about the author to see if she has any Caribbean heritage, I could read every single patois, as a Jamaican and it's the language we speak, but probably not everyone would know how to rest the patoia.
  
  I did enjoy reading the book, I loved the fact that Cynthia being of Grenadine decent, Indian and black, poor and Ben didn't see any of that but a beautiful and bright young lady and both falling in love.
  
  Yes in some aspects of the book it gets a little bit draggy, but still a good read,
  
  The sex could be a bit more(my opinion) but I still enjoy reading it. And it probably takes a lot of research to know the patoia and putting it in the right context of the story to make it come alive
  
  So big up to you C. L. Donkey , gawn gal yuh book good mi wi recommend it to some a mi frens. 🙂
• 
  Laverne Brewster

  1.00 Stars. (BW/WM). 99 cent Kindle e-book , a total waste of time and money. I am not disparaging the author’s ability to perform the mechanics of her craft; I am saying this storyline and these characters and the moving from past to present failed to produce an enjoyable book with memorable likable characters. Ben Dvorak’s physical disability was not his handicap, it was his incessant pursuit of a romantic relationship with Cynthia, a woman who betrayed him and belittled his choices and a woman with whom he had no romantic chemistry. Cynthia Gordon is an envious self serving opportunist. When Cynthia agrees to stay away from Ben for money from his father, she betrays Ben and places a dollar value on their relationship. Cynthia displays her petty jealousy and distain for Ben’s choice in women with these statements, “The perpetually engaged one?” and “He’s flaunted his international women of color in her face for the past 5 years.” Here she’s of the opinion that his dating and being engaged to a woman is his attempt to ingratiate her. Pathetic.
• 
  winter

  Absolutely loved it from beginning to end! The miscommunications between Cynthia and Benjamin were just frustrating enough to be believable and it really shows how people from different backgrounds with their own set of insecurities can interpret the same situation differently. And I alwaysss appreciate a good past-and-present/flashback type storyline... this is how you do it right! The big reveal had me tearing up; finally something went right for them. As for Sol? How do you write a character that’s unsavory but gets manages to get sympathy points? I didn’t want to feel bad for him but in the end I did and that’s a big deal for me lol.
• 
  A

  This Book Was Okay...
  
  I did not like the fact that their story was told back and forth from past to present. The build up was slow and I had to be patient before their story became more interesting. The best parts of the book was near the end.