Skip to main content

The Beautiful Pretender (A Medieval Fairy Tale #2) by Melanie Dickerson: A Book Review

The Beautiful Pretender (A Medieval Fairy Tale #2)
Author: Melanie Dickerson
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Christian
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: 2016
Pages: 320
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. 
Synopsis: What happens when a margrave realizes he’s fallen in love with a servant?

     The Margrave of Thornbeck has to find a bride, fast. He invites ten noble-born ladies from around the country to be his guests at Thornbeck Castle for two weeks, a time to test these ladies and reveal their true character.

     Avelina is only responsible for two things: making sure her deception goes undetected and avoiding being selected as the margrave’s 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. Will Avelina be able to stop the evil plot? And at what cost?

     My Review: Reinhart, the Margrave of Thornbeck, is advised by a king to find a wife. He invites noble women from around the country to come to his castle to which which of them will be his wife. Avelina is a maidservant of Lady Dorothea of Plimmwald. When Lady Dorothea is summoned to go to Thornbeck Castle to be a possible bride for the Margrave, she flees with her lover. Not wanting to offend the margrave, the Earl of Plimmwald orders Avelina to stand in his daughter’s place. Avelina doesn’t wish for anyone to find out her real identity and tries to linger in the background so she wouldn’t be notice. However, due to her wit and compassion, Avelina stands out among the crowd and catches Reinhart’s eye. What will happen once Reinhart discovers Avelina’s secret? Will they learn to love each other despite her deception? Could Reinhart marry for love instead of duty?

   Avelina is a loveable character. She is caring, compassionate, and a loyal friend. She is very romantic and naive. She is very opinionated and cares about women’s rights. I found her character to be very similar to Odette in how they both share their compassion for the poor and are very loyal friends. I like how Avelina doesn’t wish to fall in love with Reinhart, but she unexpectedly does anyway. She loves him unconditionally and is willing to go to many lengths to save him. 

   Reinhart, on the other hand, I did not like him. I thought he was a jerk, and he did mean things to Avelina once he learned her secret. I didn’t see how Avelina could still love and forgive after the things he has done. Honestly, I think that she deserved better. Throughout, the novel, Reinhart comes across as snobby. He was also a very weak character and was blind to the villains throughout the novel. 

   Overall, this book was about love, friendship, and trust. Avelina’s character was fleshed out, but Reinhart needed more development to make me like him. He didn’t completely changed after falling in love with Avelina. While the plot was fast-paced, the action was lacking. There was no action in this book. While the bad guys invaded his home, the two main characters both hid until they were rescued. The author gave the characters a safety net and didn’t put them in the throw of the danger. Thus, I found the climax of the story to be very weak and a letdown. The relationship between Reinhart and Avelina seems to be very unconvincing. I did not like them as much as Jorgen and Odette for they were a much more believable couple. While I did not like the main couple, I did like the supporting characters. Jorgen and Odette were fun characters and very mischievous. I loved their schemes in helping Reinhart choose his perfect bride. Magdalen, Avelina’s friend, was a very caring woman who did not care about people’s station in life. I look forward to reading the next novel, The Noble Servant, because it will have Magdalen as its protagonist. Thus, I recommend this to fans of Kiera Cass’s The Selection, Jody Hedlund’s An Uncertain Choice, and Richelle Mead’s The Glittering Court. However, The Huntress of Thornbeck is a stronger novel than The Beautiful Pretender for it has a believable romance and engaging characters.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The True Story of The Bondwoman's Narrative by Gregg Hecimovich: A Book Review

  The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The True Story of the Bondwoman’s Narrative Author: Gregg Hecimovich Genre: History, Nonfiction, Biography  Publisher: Ecco Release Date: 2023 Pages: 430 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: A groundbreaking study of the first Black female novelist and her life as an enslaved woman, from the biographer who solved the mystery of her identity, with a foreword by Henry Louis Gates Jr.       In 1857, a woman escaped enslavement on a North Carolina plantation and fled to a farm in New York. In hiding, she worked on a manuscript that would make her famous long after her death. The novel, The Bondwoman’s Narrative, was first published in 2002 to great acclaim, but the author’s identity remained unknown. Over a decade later, Professor Gregg Hecimovich unraveled the mystery of the author’s name and, in The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts, hefinally tells her story.   ...

Nell: Marshal of Bodie (The Nell Doherty Mysteries #1) by John Edward Mullen: A Book Review

Nell: Marshal of Bodie (The Nell Doherty Mysteries #1) Author: John Edward Mullen Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Suspense, Western  Publisher: Murders in Time Press Release Date: 2022 Pages: 300 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: In the winter of 1892, the once-vibrant gold-mining town of Bodie, California is in serious decline.        Nell Doherty, an 18-year-old young woman with a wooden leg, dreams of leaving and becoming a Pinkerton detective.       When a tragic shooting presents her with an opportunity to prove she has the skills needed to work for the Pinkertons, Bodie’s justice of the peace deputizes Nell — over the loud objections of the majority of the town’s residents.      Can she prove them all wrong?       Nell digs in and investigates the shooting, with the help of Rags, her half-Irish, half-Chinese be...

The King's Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick: A Book Review

The King’s Jewel Author: Elizabeth Chadwick Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance Publisher: Sphere Release Date: 2023 Pages: 456 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Wales, 1093.      The warm, comfortable family life of young Nesta, daughter of Prince Rhys of Deheubarth, is destroyed when her father is killed and she is taken hostage. Her honour is further tarnished when she is taken as an unwilling concubine by King William's ruthless younger brother Henry, who later ascends the throne under suspicious circumstances.      But it is Nesta's marriage that will really change the course of her life. Gerald FitzWalter, an ambitious young knight, is rewarded for his unwavering loyalty to his new King with Nesta's hand. He is delighted, having always admired her from afar, but Nesta's only comfort is her return to her beloved Wales. There, she cannot help but be tempted by the handsome, charismatic and danger...