Release Day Review! The Peasant's Dream by Melanie Dickerson

The Peasant's Dream (Hagenheim #11) by Melanie Dickerson
Genre: Young Adult  (Christian Fiction/Historical Fiction/Romance/Fractured Fairy Tale)
Date Published: July 7th, 2020
Publisher: Zondervan

In this reverse Cinderella story, a poor farmer’s son, who dreams of using his talent as a woodcarver to make a better life for himself, falls in love with a duke’s daughter and must fight for a chance to win her heart.


Adela is the youngest daughter of Duke Wilhelm of Hagenheim and is never allowed outside of the castle walls. She loves her family, but she sneaks away one day to the market in the town center. There she meets a handsome young man and wonders what it might be like to fall in love with a poor farmer with a kind heart instead of marrying the man her family is suggesting for her.

Frederick earns the income for his family and defends his mother from his father’s drunken rages. He also uses his talent and creativity to carve figures, animals, and scenes into wood, and he's asked to carve these scenes into cathedral doors when his talent is noticed. Frederick is inspired by the sweet and beautiful Adela, but he has no knowledge of her true identity. When he gets swept up into a plan to kidnap the duke’s daughter, both are shaken by what they learn about the other.

With the heartbroken Adela resigned to an arranged marriage with her noble suitor, Frederick must decide what he’s willing to risk for love.

The Peasant's Dream is the eleventh book in the Hagenheim series by Melanie Dickerson. This is a Cinderella retelling, except this time, Cinderella is male. I thought that was a fun and unique little spin. Actually, this story was completely it's own as there were similarities to the traditional Cinderella story, but they were subtle. So, you don't feel completely like you're reading something you've read over and over again already. You also get to know some of the supporting characters quite well through subplots surrounding the main characters. I've read this series way out of order, which goes against my reading rules, but you can do that with this series as each book stands alone just fine.

The Arc of The Peasant's Dream was kindly provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley for review. The opinions are my own.

Have you read other books in this series?

Check out my review of another book by this author!

Melanie Dickerson is a two-time Christy Award finalist, two-time Maggie Award winner, Carol Award winner, two-time winner of the Christian Retailing's Best award, and her book, The Healer's Apprentice, won the National Readers Choice Award for Best First Book. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). Melanie earned a bachelors degree in special education of the hearing impaired from The University of Alabama and has worked as a teacher in Georgia, Tennessee, and Ukraine. She lives with her husband and two children in Huntsville, Alabama.

To learn more about Melanie Dickerson and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

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Book Review: The Captive Maiden by Melanie Dickerson

The Captive Maiden (Hagenheim #4) by Melanie Dickerson
Genre: Young Adult  (Christian Fiction/Historical Fiction/Romance/Fractured Fairy Tale)
Date Published: November 23, 2013
Publisher: Zondervan

Happily Ever After...Or Happily Nevermore? 

Gisela's childhood was filled with laughter and visits from nobles such as the duke and his young son. But since her father's death, each day has been filled with nothing but servitude to her stepmother. So when Gisela meets the duke's son, Valten--the boy she has daydreamed about for years--and learns he is throwing a ball, she vows to attend, even if it's only for a taste of a life she'll never have. To her surprise, she catches Valten's eye. Though he is rough around the edges, Gisela finds Valten has completely captured her heart. But other forces are bent on keeping the two from falling further in love, putting Gisela in more danger than she ever imagined.

The Captive Maiden is the fourth book in the Hagenheim series by Melanie Dickerson. This book reminded me of the movie Ever After quite a bit. Which makes sense, since it's a retelling of Cinderella. I loved the jousting scenes and the fact that horses were a big part of the main character's lives. Gisela plays damsel in distress well, but she also holds her own. Valten gets his fairy tale story. Yay! I loved getting to know him. There was action and cuteness, and the two blended well together within this this story. 

When she was still seven, and before her father died, the Duke of Hagenheim and his oldest son, Valten, had come to buy a horse from her father, because, as Father said, he bred and raised the best horses in the region. Valten wanted a war horse, a destrier that would serve him as he practiced jousting and other war games.

The two of them, Duke Wilhelm and his son, rode up the lane to her house. Duke Wilhelm and her father greeted each other like old friends. The duke’s son was fourteen, and Gisela had been seven. Valten was already quite as tall as her father and broad-shouldered. She remembered his hair was blond, and he’d looked at her with keen eyes and a sober expression.

Within the first moments, she decided she did not like him. He had come to take one of her horses away, and worst of all, this boy meant to ride her horse in the lists. She didn’t want one of her horses competing in the dangerous joust, risking serious injuries with each charge.

But the boy and his father treated the horses gently and respectfully. From several feet away she had watched as they examined all the youngest destriers. By the time the duke’s son made his choice, Gisela realized he would love the horse, would take care of him. The horse would have many adventures with the duke’s son, more than Gisela could give him.

As their fathers settled their price, Gisela watched Valten — she was supposed to call him Lord Hamlin, as he was the Earl of Hamlin, but she thought his given name suited him better — as the young earl rubbed the horse’s nose and cheek and talked softly to him.

“He likes carrots.”

Valten turned and looked at her. “Then I shall make sure he gets some.”

Have you read other books in this series?

Check out my review of another book by this author!

Melanie Dickerson is a two-time Christy Award finalist, two-time Maggie Award winner, Carol Award winner, two-time winner of the Christian Retailing's Best award, and her book, The Healer's Apprentice, won the National Readers Choice Award for Best First Book. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). Melanie earned a bachelors degree in special education of the hearing impaired from The University of Alabama and has worked as a teacher in Georgia, Tennessee, and Ukraine. She lives with her husband and two children in Huntsville, Alabama.

To learn more about Melanie Dickerson and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

Book Review! The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson

The Fairest Beauty (Hagenheim #3) by Melanie Dickerson
Genre: Young Adult  (Christian Fiction/Historical Fiction/Romance/Fractured Fairy Tale)
Date Published: January 8, 2013
Publisher: Zondervan

A daring rescue. 

A difficult choice. 

Sophie desperately wants to get away from her stepmother's jealousy, and believes escape is her only chance to be happy. Then a young man named Gabe arrives from Hagenheim Castle, claiming she is betrothed to his older brother, and everything twists upside down. This could be Sophie's one chance at freedom—but can she trust another person to keep her safe? 

Gabe defied his parents Rose and Wilhelm by going to find Sophie, and now he believes they had a right to worry: the girl's inner and outer beauty has enchanted him. Though romance is impossible—she is his brother's future wife, and Gabe himself is betrothed to someone else—he promises himself he will see the mission through, no matter what. 

When the pair flee to the Cottage of the Seven, they find help—but also find their feelings for each other have grown. Now both must not only protect each other from the dangers around them—they must also protect their hearts.

My Fairest Beauty is the third book in the Hagenheim series by Melanie Dickerson. This is a re-telling of Snow White, and while it clearly follows in the path of that fairy tale(at least as told by Disney), it's also it's own story. Sophie is a tough girl though. She's not sing-songing through the forest. She has some self preservation. Plus, she is humble. I enjoyed her character's personality. Gabe isn't your typical "prince" either. In fact, he wasn't looking for his "princess", so much as taking some sibling rivalry to a new level. 

It's easy to recognize the characters, even the dwarves, yet the author put her own spin on all of them as well. This was a cute story with action and romance that added a little more adventure and danger to the Snow White most of us grew up with. 

Have you read other books in this series?

Check out my review of another book by this author!

Melanie Dickerson is a two-time Christy Award finalist, two-time Maggie Award winner, Carol Award winner, two-time winner of the Christian Retailing's Best award, and her book, The Healer's Apprentice, won the National Readers Choice Award for Best First Book. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). Melanie earned a bachelors degree in special education of the hearing impaired from The University of Alabama and has worked as a teacher in Georgia, Tennessee, and Ukraine. She lives with her husband and two children in Huntsville, Alabama.

To learn more about Melanie Dickerson and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Google+, and Twitter.

Playing Catch Up! The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson

Playing Catch Up has really been helping me through my ever growing TBR list. I'd like to welcome all other blogs to participate too! If you do, be sure to post your links in the comments section. I'd love to see your Playing Catch Up Reviews, and I'm sure others would too!! *wink*

Want to know more about Playing Catch Up? I'll tell you all about it here!

The Healer's Apprentice (Hagenheim #1) by Melanie Dickerson
Genre: Young Adult  (Christian Fiction/Historical Fiction/Romance/Fractured Fairy Tale)
Date Published: September 15, 2010
Publisher: Zondervan

Two Hearts. One Hope.

Rose has been appointed as a healer's apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, a rare opportunity for a woodcutter's daughter like her. While she often feels uneasy at the sight of blood, Rose is determined to prove herself capable. Failure will mean returning home to marry the aging bachelor her mother has chosen for her—a bloated, disgusting merchant who makes Rose feel ill.

When Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, it is Rose who must tend to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to understand emotions she's never felt before and wonders if he feels the same. But falling in love is forbidden, as Lord Hamlin is betrothed to a mysterious young woman in hiding. As Rose's life spins toward confusion, she must take the first steps on a journey to discover her own destiny.

The Healer's Apprentice is the first book in the Hagenheim series by Melanie Dickerson. It is a fairy tale retelling loosely based on Sleeping Beauty. At first, I was a little turned off by how quickly Rose switched from brother one to brother two and back again. Getting to know Rose's personality, I'm not quite sure why she would have ever given any interest to brother two, except for the fact that she had some parental & abandonment issues and was craving love pretty desperately. I think this blind need for love was crossing over into her search for a husband. 

It was a little repetitious in areas, but the pacing was quick. I was thoroughly entertained by this book. It's a clean, sweet little romance with some action and mystery thrown in.

Have you read other books in this series?

Check out my review of another book by this author!

Melanie Dickerson is a two-time Christy Award finalist, two-time Maggie Award winner, Carol Award winner, two-time winner of the Christian Retailing's Best award, and her book, The Healer's Apprentice, won the National Readers Choice Award for Best First Book. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). Melanie earned a bachelors degree in special education of the hearing impaired from The University of Alabama and has worked as a teacher in Georgia, Tennessee, and Ukraine. She lives with her husband and two children in Huntsville, Alabama.

To learn more about Melanie Dickerson and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Google+, and Twitter.

Teaser Tuesday! The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker. 

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share  doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week is from The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson

“At least your hair looks beautiful.” Hildy ran her hand down Rose’s loose mane of brown curls, only partially hidden by her linen coif. “How do you ever hope to get a husband if you don’t pay more attention to your clothing?”

Rose scowled. “I don’t hope.”

Two Hearts. One Hope.

Rose has been appointed as a healer's apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, a rare opportunity for a woodcutter's daughter like her. While she often feels uneasy at the sight of blood, Rose is determined to prove herself capable. Failure will mean returning home to marry the aging bachelor her mother has chosen for her—a bloated, disgusting merchant who makes Rose feel ill.

When Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, it is Rose who must tend to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to understand emotions she's never felt before and wonders if he feels the same. But falling in love is forbidden, as Lord Hamlin is betrothed to a mysterious young woman in hiding. As Rose's life spins toward confusion, she must take the first steps on a journey to discover her own destiny.

No blog? Post a Teaser in the comments anyway!