The Beautiful Pretender by Melanie Dickerson
The Margrave of Thornbeck has to find a bride, fast. He invites ten noble born ladies who meet the king's approval to be his guests at Thornbeck Castle for two weeks, a time to test these ladies and reveal their true character.
Avelina has only two instructions: keep her true identity a secret and make sure the margrave doesn't select her as his bride. Since the latter seems unlikely, she concentrates on not getting caught. No one must know she is merely a maidservant, sent by the Earl of Plimmwald to stand in for his daughter, Dorothea.
Despite Avelina's best attempts at diverting attention from herself, the margrave has taken notice. And try as she might, she can't deny her own growing feelings. But something else is afoot in the castle. Something sinister that could have far worse-far deadlier-consequences.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is book two in the series. We get to see a few of the characters from The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest and lots of new characters, too. A mystery from book one is finally solved in this book. In this book I have to say Avelina is my favorite. She is smart and stubborn. She is a great judge of character and is quick to see through people's deceptions. She doesn't take no for an answer. When she sets her mind on something, she is going to do it with or without approval, if she feels it is the right thing to do. I love the friendship that develops between Avelina and Magdalen. When things are revealed about her true identity, her friend sticks by her side. That is true friendship.
Reinhart turned out to be different than we saw him as a secondary character in book one. As this book progresses we get to see a bit more of his true self come out. His past and the tragedy in his life has caused him hide within himself. In book one you get to see a bit of it in his actions that seem uncharacteristic of someone so harsh as he appears. But getting to know Avelina brings about a slow change in him. He is still a strong leader but she is able to soften him up around the edges so people know he is worthy of their respect and loyalty.
Melanie is great at description and drawing you into the world of her books. I feel as if I am walking the same path they are. There isn't one of her books that I didn't fall in love with. She knows how to keep the story alive and how to draw you in so you don't want to put the book down until you reach the end. I have stayed up many a night finishing one of her books because of it. This was no exception. All of her books are great for any age. It used to be difficult to find books appropriate for preteens or teens to read but Melanie has provided us with MANY books that I would encourage any young girl who loves to read to add to their library. 5 Stars again!
Reinhart turned out to be different than we saw him as a secondary character in book one. As this book progresses we get to see a bit more of his true self come out. His past and the tragedy in his life has caused him hide within himself. In book one you get to see a bit of it in his actions that seem uncharacteristic of someone so harsh as he appears. But getting to know Avelina brings about a slow change in him. He is still a strong leader but she is able to soften him up around the edges so people know he is worthy of their respect and loyalty.
Melanie is great at description and drawing you into the world of her books. I feel as if I am walking the same path they are. There isn't one of her books that I didn't fall in love with. She knows how to keep the story alive and how to draw you in so you don't want to put the book down until you reach the end. I have stayed up many a night finishing one of her books because of it. This was no exception. All of her books are great for any age. It used to be difficult to find books appropriate for preteens or teens to read but Melanie has provided us with MANY books that I would encourage any young girl who loves to read to add to their library. 5 Stars again!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Melanie Dickerson is the author of The Healer's Apprentice, a Christy Award finalist and winner of the National Reader's Choice Award for Best First Book, as well as the acclaimed novels The Merchant's Daughter, The Fairest Beauty, and The Captive Maiden. Melanie earned a bachelor's degree in special education from the University of Alabama and has been a teacher and a missionary. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Huntsville, Alabama.
HER WEBSITE: www.melaniedickerson.com
HER BLOG: www.melaniewrites.blogspot.com
HAGENHEIM/ FAIRY TALE ROMANCE SERIES
The Healer's Apprentice
The Merchant's Daughter
The Fairest Beauty
The Captive Maiden
The Princess Spy
The Golden Braid
The Silent Songbird (November 2016)
THORNBECK/ A MEDIEVAL FAIRY TALE SERIES
The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest
The Beautiful Pretender
THE REGENCY SPIES OF LONDON SERIES
A Spy's Devotion
In compliance with new regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, as part of every Web or Amazon review that I was provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I have this one beside my bed, just waiting to be read! I think it's my favorite of all of Melanie's covers and I can't wait to dig in! :)
ReplyDelete