The Beautiful Pretender (A Medieval Fairy Tale)

Ordered by the king to marry, the Margrave of Thornbeck reluctantly invites ten noblemen's daughters to his castle to choose from. Avelina, a maidservant, is tasked with taking the place of Lady Dorothea of Plimmwald. She must not be found out or chosen as Lord Thornbeck's bride for fear of dire consequences.

Avelina is a courageous, yet naïve, young lady who's devoted to her family and hopeful to one day find her true love. Reinhart's a gruff and fierce man hiding a heart of gold.

Take a dash of Beauty and the Beast, a sprinkling of the Princess and the Pea and add Melanie Dickerson's amazing talent and you've got another wonderful medieval fairytale retelling from this amazing author!

It was nice to see what Odette and Jorgen from the first book in this series, The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest, were up to. And while The Beautiful Pretender is book two in this series, I don't think you have to read the first one to enjoy this one. I think it stands alone quite well.

I highly recommend and can't wait to read whatever comes next from Dickerson!

I was so excited when I previewed this book! After reading the previous one in the series I kept hoping for more info about the Margrave. This book did not disappoint. I love the spirituality, romance, mystery, and thrills. Roll that all up into a historical setting and it's perfect!

For readers who enjoy intrigue, mystery, and romance, this novel has it all. The author seems to target YA readers with this Medieval Period novel. As a former high school librarian, I would surely recommend this one to some of the HS girls who were reluctant readers.

Not bad not great.
I listen to Christian romance because I truly hate explicit sex in books, and this seems to be the best way to avoid it (surprisingly enough it's very common in YA books which are rated for kids as young as 13 ?) this book and others by this author are clean and enjoyable books to listen to.
It's not deep book with a bunch of plot twist or anything like that, but it was an enjoyable book to listen to while I exercise :)
I'm happy with my purchase and will continue to buy books from this author

I literally read this in one day start to finish. I hadn't planned on that. I'd planned to pick it up as a slow, pick and up set down sort of book.

But this one just scooped me up and took me away. It has more action than many of the other Melanie Dickerson books I've read before, and I like action. I also really connected to the main characters.

Even though I haven't read the first book in this series, I figured out things quickly enough. Now I really want to go back and read it. I also can't wait for the next book in the series!

Didn't like either of the main characters. The girl starts off very apathetic and ignorant, not really changing till her life and family get threatened. The male protagonist ignores obvious signs of discontent until the female protagonist changes his mind somehow, maybe by running and crying in his general direction. Also, I didn't like that the characters seem to ignore their own actions and consequences and just pray to get out of situations. This author will be a hard pass for me.

The Beautiful Pretender, written by Melanie Dickerson, it a beautifully woven medieval tail that will engage you from page one until the end of the book!

The year is 1363 and the Margrave of Thornbeck is in need of a wife per the King. He's given him a list of ten suitable noble ladies to choose from so his chancellor has come up with a grand idea--have a two week party at his castle in order to meet his future wife and test the ladies according to which would best fit him and his future.

Lady Dorthea of Pimmwald is invited as one of the suitable ladies preferred by the King. Unfortunately, Lady Dorthea has no wish to meet the Margrave of Thornbeck much less marry him so she runs off with her knight lover leaving the Earl of Pimmwald to scramble in order to send a replacement for his prodigal daughter. Enter Avelina, Lady Dorthea's maidservant. The Earl commands Avelina to go to Thornbeck and impersonate her Lady in order to create goodwill between Thornbeck and Pimmwald, but NOT marry the Margrave!

I just love the character of Avelina that Dickerson has created! She's such a strong woman for not being of noble birth. She actually uses her brain! She's thoughtful, caring, graceful, beautiful, but most of all she will do anything to protect Pimmwald. Can she truly accomplish impersonating her Lady and not get caught? In doing so, can she remember her lowly birth and not take advantage of her fake life as Lady Dorthea and those she has to deal with in Thornbeck? When things get tough, the tough get going...Avelina!

This is a guaranteed Great read! I received this book from the author and willingly chose to give my honest review on my own.

The Beautiful Pretender

This story is exactly as the title states, BEAUTIFUL! Dickerson shares her unique version of Beauty and the Beast while incorporating Christianity perfectly! Avelina was a strong, courageous and forthright heroine and I particularly loved her kindness, honesty and goodness. While thrown into a difficult situation, she was able to quickly adapt and I admired her fortitude. Reinhart was the unloveable "beast", but I found him thoughtful, insightful and fierce. He was a formidable foe yet a wonderful friend. The Beautiful Pretender was completely captivating and I felt like I was watching it all unfold like a movie on the big screen. Clean Christian romance that still has curl-your-toes kisses, this is one story you won't soon forget!
I received an E-ARC through netgalley.

This is the second book in the series. The first book is called The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest.

Avelina is a humble maidservant being sent on an impossible mission. She’s been commanded to pretend to be the daughter of an earl and gain the favor of the margrave of Thornbeck. She isn’t supposed to make him fall in love with her, the earl is just looking to strengthen the alliance so if he is attacked, the margrave will come to his rescue. If she fails, her livelihood and most likely the lives of her family and those in her town will be in danger.

Reinhart has been asked by the king to find a wife. Jorgen and Odette, the chancellor and his wife, have come up with a plan for the margrave to pick a suitable wife. Reinhart thinks the whole idea absurd but goes along with it. When he questions the pretender, he doesn’t approve of her answers but finds himself intrigued with her anyway.

Avelina determines that her new friend would be the perfect match for the margrave and tries to redirect Reinhart’s attentions away from her and onto her friend. The more she tries, the more she seems to fall in love with him. Knowing a marriage between them to be impossible, she tries to bury her feelings.

This was a great love story. There’s references to Princess and the Pea in there, but there were also times that reminded me of Disney’s version of Beauty and the Beast, mostly the grouchy lord of the manor and the wolves. I can’t decide whether I liked Avelina or Reinhart more, they were both great characters!

While Jorgen and Odette from book 1 appear in this book, I think you can safely read this one even if you haven’t read the first one. Mentions are made of their history, but you won’t feel lost. Look forward to reading more from this author.

*I received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am quite enjoying Melanie Dickerson's Medieval Fairy Tales. Avelina is in the unenviable position of being a lowly servant girl (though she can read) being thrust into a highly charged political situation with very little support and no real choice. She only has her faith, her pleasant personality and her wits to try to come through the situation unscathed and undiscovered.
Well, we know that's not going to work! But the unlooked for betrayal of her position, the weight of the falsities she has to present, the pain of lying to a man she has come to admire, all take a toll.
The Margrave of Thornbeck has been instructed to marry by his King. Having no choice but to obey, he invites eligible young high born women to Thornbeck Castle for two weeks so that he can chose his bride. Unfortunately, Avelina's mistress, the daughter of the Earl of Plimmwald, has run off with one of her father's Knights. So Plimmwald sends Avelina to take Dorethea's place with strict instructions about keeping a low profile, and not to do anything to attract the attention of the Margrave. Well of course, that doesn't work!
The novel has much to recommend it. Love, faith, friendship and treachery all come together in a delightfully packaged story.

A NetGalley ARC

Excited to read this medieval fairy tale! and not disappointed. A medieval Bachelor reality show with just as many intrigues to keep us reading as when watching.
Duplicitous daughters of noblemen are no match for our maidservant, Avelina, pressed into doubling for her Earl's errant daughter.
Attending to the Margrave's two week bridal review reveals more than he expected would be required in selecting a subdued and agreeable life mate. When the choosing escalates into conflict, will true nobility outweigh birth and bloodlines?
And when danger lurks within and without the castle walls, whose pretense will be uncovered?

Adventures, tension, and competitions reveal the truly noble from the pretenders. A heart dropping plot twist, mounting intensity of vindictiveness, and hidden secret liasons, all called for someone to rise and defeat the present dangers. Only one valiant young woman proved her noble worth.

Enjoy this second in the Thornbeck series.

*Appreciation to Thomas Nelson for ecopy reading and review without cost or obligation.

Imposing stone castles, wolf-infested forests, and immensely gripping characters—together with treachery, sacrifice, and love, ensures this medieval tale emerging from 1363 in the Holy Roman Empire—is one that seizes the reader instantly from the breathtaking beginning!

Avelina, the beautiful maid-servant to Lady Dorothea of Plimmwald Castle, is forced to go in Dorothea’s stead to the Margrave of Thornbeck’s two-week party—from whence the Margrave will choose a bride from the invited noblewomen. Dorothea’s father, the Earl of Plimmwald, insists Avelina impersonate his daughter to attend the gathering after Dorothea ran away with one of his knights. The Earl fears an attack on his castle from a threatening neighbor and must find favour and an ally with the powerful Margrave. Upon fear of banishment for herself and her family, along with the burden that many lives may be lost upon Plimmwald being defeated, Avelina goes along with the masquerade with no small lack of trepidation.

Avelina is a simple and pure-of-heart maiden, but possesses spunk and is opinionated when it comes to injustice and the downtrodden. I couldn’t help but champion for her. Though she’s meant to merely stay in the background, and above all avoid the Margrave choosing her as his wife; the scheme falters as the Margrave becomes captivated with her. Avelina attempts to direct his attentions elsewhere but this becomes increasingly heart-rending when her feelings deepen for this austere but kind-hearted man. She knows a union between a maid and Lord would never be permitted. Moreover, there is too much at stake for Avelina to even contemplate the possibility. Before the fortnight is spent, a much direr situation than her deception begins to emerge. Can this beautiful pretender help truth and justice to triumph or will all be lost?

Truly, I devoured this medieval feast of treachery and love so gluttonously I’m sure I must have burped at the conclusion! Masterful storyteller Melanie Dickerson, once again delivers upon a feasting platter, an intriguing, original tale with phenomenal characters, exhilarating suspense, and a sigh-worthy romance. Enriching ‘The Beautiful Pretender’ is a meaningful reminder of God’s enduring love and faithfulness. Highly recommended!

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion which I have given.

I really enjoy Melanie Dickerson's fairy tales stories. They may be remake of the Grimm's famous stories, but I enjoy them. They still take place in Germany, which rings true with me as a reader. When Dickerson posted that she was writing another book in her Medieval Fairy Tale story, I was excited. After reading The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest, I couldn't wait to see what kind of trouble Dickerson would allow her characters to get into. I'm glad to say that I enjoyed this book just as much as the first one.

One of my favorite things about Dickerson's writing is her ability to make me feel like I'm time traveling. I know that I really can't, but with her writing, I really feel the struggle of the peasants who have to work for the Lords, Dukes and Kings. I can smell the disarray of the world that Dickerson has brought to life for me.

I enjoyed meeting and spending time with Avelina aka Lady Dorothea and the Margrave of Thornbeck. Avelina is a kind hearted woman who knows that she is not allowed to have the Margrave of Thornbeck fall in love with her, so she does everything she knows how to get him to fall in love with her friend, Magdalen. But, however, Avelina falls in love with him anyways. As for the Margrave, he is a gruff man who has a limp from a previous injury, but he is a true knight at heart who saves Avelina, not only once, but twice.

Their romance is sweet and makes me happy at the end. While the romance guides the story along, I never once felt that it was rushed or unrealistic. It was just right for a young adult to enjoy and pray for their own knight to come and share their world with.

In true Disney fairy tale fashion, Melanie Dickerson's newest book, The Beautiful Pretender drew me into the setting and had realistic characters who fought for their new love. I recommend this book to fans of Fairy tales in general and fans of Dickerson's previous stories.

I received a complimentary copy of The Beautiful Pretender from Thomas Nelson and the opinions stated are all my own.

I loved this book so much! Definitely a favorite of Melanie Dickerson's books, for me. Ever since meeting the Margrave of Thornbeck Forest in the first book in this series (THE HUNTRESS OF THORNBECK FOREST), I simply couldn't wait to read THE BEAUTFUL PRETENDER to get his story. I liked this one even more than the first book!

Although THE BEAUTIFUL PRETENDER is a sequel, it can very easily be read alone (though readers of the first book will be delighted, as I was, to see Jorgen and Odette, the hero and heroine of the first book, throughout this one!). If you haven't read the first book, no worries--just read this one right away because it's even better! Adults and young adults alike would I think enjoy it. (I don't recall anything about it that teens wouldn't be okay reading. :))

I have a thing for fairy tales, so the retelling aspect was awesome. It was somewhat subtle at times, much like it was in the first book, but I could definitely see the hints of the Beauty and the Beast and Princess and the Pea plots. It was fabulous! I loved seeing them weave throughout the plot, so much a part of it but also so original. I was quite impressed with that.

It also got rather exciting, especially later in the book. So much excitement! Peril and plots and deception and wolves and fire and mystery and all of that thrilling stuff. I also absolutely LOVE how the book turned out at the end! Not to give anything away, but that ending was super satisfying! ;)

The setting was also splendid--a castle in medieval Germany, yay! I just want to live at Thornbeck Castle in Thornbeck Forest in the snow!

The characters in this book were splendid. Let me go through them:

Reinhart, the margrave, was incredibly awesome. He's very much of the “Beast” type of character, gruff and stern and growly, but he's also a fundamentally great guy, just embittered at the world about his injured ankle and having to choose a wife when he doesn't want to. He was my favorite! I really felt for him, and his dark, grouchy, short-tempered, man-of-few-words personality was so fun to read about. Beneath it all he's actually noble and awesome.

Avelina was a wonderful main character. Her struggles with having to impersonate a Lady when she's only a servant, were really interesting to read about. I also love her name! She and Reinhart have the best romance story--I loved it so much! Melanie Dickerson pens another sweet love story which was so enormously enjoyable to read. Especially with how complicated their story is... ;) I also really loved the alternating viewpoints between them!

Lady Magdalen, who befriends Avelina, was another character I really liked. She was fabulous and such a good friend to Avelina. Magdalen was so NICE. With all the people being nasty to poor Avelina, it was so refreshing to read about a really sweet character like her. :) I haven't read an adorable friendship like that in a long time. It was touching and wonderful. Magdalen was so lovely and I hope we'll see more of her in the third book...

Jorgen and Odette are pretty much Reinhart's right-hand people in this one, so they're in the story a lot, which was great. They're so helpful, nice, and awesome. Loved seeing them more in this book! They really added to it in a good way.

I don't really have any complaints. I do wish there had been more with Reinhart, maybe him talking more; but he's not a talkative sort of person, so that was in character, I suppose... But really, no major complaints. It was just so good! I'm very much looking forward to another Thornbeck tale from Mrs. Dickerson... Her novels are always so enjoyable and this was one of the best yet! Now what are you waiting for? Go read THE BEAUTIFUL PRETENDER! Go on! :)

Many thanks to the author for the Advance Reader's Copy of this book which I received in exchange for my honest review. These opinions are my own.

The Margrave of Thornbeck inherited the estate when his brother burned to death. Some believe he caused his brother’s death in order to inherit the title, but nothing could be farther from the truth. However, the king has declared he must soon wed. If Thornbeck doesn’t choose a suitable bride, the king will send him one. Thornbeck decides to have ten eligible women come to Thornbeck castle for two weeks, so he can have a chance at picking a wife he can deal with.

When Avelina’s lady runs off with a knight, the lady’s father is furious. His daughter needs to go to Thornbeck castle so the margrave will help him defend his lands from the threat of invasion. The lord decides to send Avelina to impersonate his daughter. She must secure the margrave’s favor without getting him to marry her. What incurs is quite an adventure.

This is indeed a fairy tale - too incredulous and unbelievable to be anything else. For example, Avelina remembers she needs to give the margrave some important information Friona told her on the balcony, but she’s conveniently forgotten what it is to further the plot. Thornbeck, a gentleman to the core, would have had a woman lie beside Avelina to warm her frostbite and not send all the servants out of the room but two and do it himself. Neither would he have watched them change her stockings. Avelina uses trunks to block her door at first because there is no key for the door, but later she locks it using the key in the door without mention of how it got there. It made no sense that both dungeon guards would leave to get bread and water for the prisoners instead of leaving one guard there. More than likely someone from the kitchen would have sent it. A woman in the 1300’s, especially one who had been a servant, would not have been as assertive as Avelina was. And constantly using adjectives where adverbs were needed (like “tight” for “tightly”) stood out. The entire novel had a juvenile air about it and sounded more like it had been written by a young teenager. I cannot say I enjoyed it.

“A wife of noble character, who can find?” Proverbs 31:1
Reinhart Stolten, Margrave of Thornbeck, has a thorny problem. King Karl has “suggested” that he marry and has even gone so far as giving him a list of young ladies to choose from. Two of the girls received particular mention – Fronicka, daughter of the Duke of Geitbart and Dorothea, daughter of the Earl of Plimmwald. A marriage between Reinhart and one of these two would help bring peace and unity to the kingdom but can Reinhart put aside his dream of finding a wife he could love for the good of his people? A two week party is planned with all 10 of the king’s choices on the guest list. (Think “The Bachelor – Medieval Edition.”) Tests are devised to weed out the selfish, the greedy, the hardhearted, the vain, the silly. When the two weeks are up only two ladies have passed every test. Who will the margrave choose?
Avelina of Plimmwald is the personal maid to Lady Dorothea, the earl’s daughter. When Lady Dorothea decides she will not participate in the margrave’s marriage stakes and runs off with her lover instead, Avelina is called before the earl who forces her to impersonate his daughter. He has to send someone and since his daughter took that option away, he decides that Avelina is beautiful enough and as his servant can be ordered to go. His only edict? Do NOT let the margrave choose you!
The more Avelina tries to back out of the limelight, the more Reinhart is drawn to her. And, the more attention he pays to her, the more vicious her rival gets. Can she survive long enough to tell him the truth? And when she does, will he be able to overlook her servant status?
I love fairy tales! The contrast between good and evil is always so huge that there can be no mistake which characters to root for. The Beautiful Pretender has that in spades. It is immediately apparent which of the “ladies” is anything BUT a lady and which of the more lowly born deserves to have nobility thrust upon her. I also appreciated the emphasis in this story on relying on God’s help and guidance when one is in a tight spot – not something usually found in your typical fairy tale. This is an adventure in a love story in a morality play that starts out a little slow but picks up speed quickly, rushing to a conclusion that will have readers looking for their NEXT Melanie Dickerson story. I know I am!