The Princess Spy (Fairy Tale Romance Series) - The Merchant’s Daughter

The Fairy Tale Romance Collection by Melanie Dickerson is a fabulous collection of stories based on popular fairy tales. All five stories are beautifully written and very engaging. They don’t obviously resemble the stories on which they are based, but it’s been a while since I’ve read a book that made me think. I highly recommend this collection for any age group!

****Story #1, The Healer’s Apprentice, is a very different take on the tale of Sleeping Beauty. In fact, it took more than half the book for me to recognize echoes of the fairy tale. Rose is the apprentice of a healing woman who is in love with the future Duke. Lord Hamlin is also in love with Rose, but with his title comes a pre-arranged marriage. This beautifully written story will keep the reader captive until the final page!
****Story #2, The Merchant’s Daughter, is Dickerson’s more obvious but just as creative version of Beauty and the Beast. Annabel has volunteered herself as an indentured servant to Lord Ranulf le Wyse to pay a debt her family owes and escape an unwanted marriage. In the midst of the challenges of life as a servant, Annabel’s heart’s desire is realized as she is able to read the Word of God for herself as she reads it to the lord of the manor.
****Story #3, The Fairest Beauty, is an enjoyable twist on the story of Snow White. Sophie is the mistreated scullery maid thought to be the betrothed of Valten, Duke Wilhelm’s eldest son. When Valten’s brother, Gabe, learns that Sophie is in danger, he takes it upon himself to rescue the maid for his brother.
****Story #4, The Captive Maiden, is Dickerson’s clever retelling of the Cinderella story. Gisela is the beloved daughter whose father dies, leaving her in the “care” of her stepmother. Valten plays the rescuing hero in this inspiring tale
****Story #5, The Princess Spy, an engaging and inspiring version of The Frog Princess, is the story of Valten’s and Gabe’s sister, Margaretha. There are lots of surprises in this enjoyable story of finding love in the oddest of places.

These beautiful, Christian based stories convey the spirit of the fairy tales woven with a thick, godly undercurrent. These short books are terrific weekend reads.

Melanie Dickerson knew what she was doing when she started writing YA novels. All girls, whether 3 years old or 90 years old, want to be a princess!! In retelling these fairy tales, she has won over the hearts of many!

In this collection, we have Melanie first book. The story of “Sleeping Beauty” is retold in The Healer’s Apprentice. We are introduced to Rose Roemer. She is an apprentice under the watchful eye of her protector. Of course, you are familiar with the story and can guess the rest (;

Next, in Melanie’s second book, The Merchants Daughter, we are introduced to Annabel as she must work for the the man that “has a beard and one of his arms is afflicted”. She finds herself inside the castle in the midst of a “Beauty and the Beast” retelling.

In her third book, The Fairest Beauty, she begins to introduce characters we will see throughout the rest of her books. Sophie is a servant in her own father’s home because he has died and she is left with her evil stepmother. Nope! Not “Cinderella”! Not yet!! This is the retelling of “Snow White”.

Now we have “Cinderella”!! In, The Captive Maiden, we find the story of Sophie and Valten. This, Valten, is the brother of Gabe (whom Sophie married in the last book!!)! I don’t need to tell you the details. You get the idea! It’s everyone’s favorite fairy tale!

Lastly, The Princess Spy, is a retelling of “The Princess and the Frog”. Now, this was a bit of a stretch, as far as calling it a “retelling” of that particular story. However, it was still fun and entertaining. The story is centered Margaretha, who is the sister of Gabe and Valten.

Whew! Did you follow all of that? Well, you will have to check them out for yourself!

My thoughts? Love these books. They are written for YA, but so much fun. I, personally, like her first book the most. They are all wonderful! We need more of these type for our youth.

Keep an eye out for Melanie’s new book, The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest. Release date is set for May 12th.

Thanks, booklookbloggers, for this wonderful collection! As always, this is my honest opinion. Here’s to many more!!

Melanie Dickerson is an author I only recently discovered. I had the chance to review The Princess Spy. At the time I had no idea this was part of a series of princess novels written by her! I was delighted to have the chance to review the entire collection. This collection includes all of the previously published titles in the Fairy Tale Romance Collection: The Healer's Apprentice, The Merchant's Daughter, The Fairest Beauty, The Captive Maiden, and The Princess Spy.

Only after I began reading more from this series did I realize that these are actually loosely based on well-known fairy tales. This made them that much more fun for me! I've always loved the classic fairy tales and reading these updated versions have been simply delightful. I'm so glad I had a few days without a lot to do so I could read to my hearts content. Whether you fancy Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella, the Princess and the Frog or Sleeping Beauty or perhaps even Snow White, you will find a heroine in one of these brilliantly crafted novels.

The best part of this series is that woven throughout these classics are stories of faith. I've never before read fairy tale stories which made me feel closer to God. The journey the characters take with their faith is never forced or tossed in as an after thought. I love how even in the fairy tale setting I can relate to the struggles the heroines and heroes face. These stories were excellent reminders that God sees us all as individuals, no matter our status, and pursues us relentlessly.

Melanie Dickerson takes on the re-telling of age old tales in her Fairy Tale Romance Collection.

The Healer's Apprentice tells a new version of the story, Sleeping Beauty. This tale opens up in the year 1386 in Hagenheim, Germany. Rose and her friend, Hildy, are watching the parade that is welcoming home the Duke's sons. When Lord Hamlin's eye catches sight of Rose, his face instantly softens. You sense something exciting is going to happen! When Rose learns that he is awaiting his bride to arrive in town, she knows she must not dream about him. This tale will keep you guessing who Lord Hamlin's bride really is until the final pages!

The Merchant's Daughter is a recounting of The Beauty and the Beast. This story begins in the year 1352 in Glynval, England. Annabel must pay off her family's fine by working as an indentured service for Lord Ranulf for 3 years. The talk in town is that he looks like a beast, with a scar running down one-side of his face! Discover along with Annabel what type of man Lord Ranulf really is!

The Fairest Beauty retells the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. We once again return to Hagenheim Castle in Germany for this tale. When an old woman brings word that the betrothed of Duke Wilhelm's oldest son, Valten, is in grave danger, his younger son, Gabe, decides to ride to her rescue! Gabe must battle with the evil Duchess Ermengard to bring Sophie away to safety!

The Captive Maiden is a new depiction of the age-old story of Cinderella. When Grisela's father died, she was only eight years old. She was left alone with a stepmother who had no compassion for her! Gisela seems to have no hope, working as a servant to her stepmother and her stepsisters. When Grisela (now seventeen) visits the town square in Hagenheim, she crosses paths with Valten, the son of a Duke Wilhelm. Will he be the one who will rescue her? Watch and see what will develop between them!

To wrap up this book, The Princess Spy is a fresh adaption of the Frog Prince. Duke Wilhelm and Rose's oldest daughter, Margaretha, is bound to find the man God has planned for her in this tale full of lots of conversation and adventure! It is also great to see the connection this tale has to The Merchant's Daughter!

This book is filled with exciting tales for any young adult just venturing into the world of the written word!

I received this book from Zondervan in exchange for my unbiased review

http://penlessreview.blogspot.com/

Melanie is such an awesome writer! It is amazing how she weaves stories from classic fairy tales, creating her own stories – believable stories – and uses them to tell a story of hope, love and faith. She excels at creating realistic characters, even in her retelling of fairy tales that far surpass the good — and bad — in most people. I read this story — and I want to meet Gisela and Valten, Sophie and Gabe, Annabel and Ranulf, Rose and Wilhelm. Her characters are perfect – well written, entertaining and represent the same values and flaws of the heroes and villains that inspired them.

The Healer’s Apprentice: Wow! I could not believe this was Melanie Dickerson’s debut novel… within a few minutes, I was lost in an enchanted world with castles and cobblestones… until the very end. I loved how Lord Hamlin noticed Rose – right from the start! Even though he visited her – and danced with her – he always remained chivalrous, even though he wanted to be with her.

But honestly, I wanted to smack Rose when she let herself be deceived by someone she had been warned was not honorable… but handsome young men can be very persuasive – and young, innocent girls are easy prey. Rose may have enjoyed his supposed affection for her, especially after feeling unloved by her mother, but thankfully she never allowed herself to go too far with him.

This story reminds me that evil exists – and it’s not always ugly, but sometimes can be wrapped up in a pretty package. The right path is not always the easy path, but it’s the right choice. Melanie did a wonderful job showing how difficult it can be to make the right choice, especially when others are urging you to take the other path.

The Merchant’s Daughter: Oh my! It’s so romantic! It’s so much better than the story of Beauty and the Beast… with wonderful, boisterous characters — that at times seem to be easily led astray (like so many of us). I can honestly admit — I lost lots of sleep — but it was SO worth it!

Yes, there’s a beast, but a far more realistic one… a hero! There are lots of twists and turns, with many surprises along the way — some good and some bad — but that’s the way real life happens! That’s just one more reason the stories by Melanie Dickerson are so believable — and awesome!

The Fairest Beauty: Are there any good stepmothers in fairy tales? I certainly can’t think of any! The Fairest Beauty is a wonderful story, with poor Sophie as our beloved Snow White. The duchess is indeed very bad – evil would better describe her – and Sophie is doomed… or is she?

The characters in The Fairest Beauty are marvelous! Sophie is the kind, sweet-hearted young girl you would expect; after growing up with an evil duchess telling her how wicked and ugly she is, Sophie is the epitome of goodness. Melanie Dickerson creates characters who cry out to God for help, for wisdom, for strength to overcome the evil. This is an excellent choice to make for something inspiring to read.

The Captive Maiden: This is possibly my favorite… I think Gisela is the most inspirational “Cinderella” I have ever encountered. No matter how despicably she’s treated, she returns good for evil. This is the pure, selfless, beautiful person that Lord Hamlin — Valten — is drawn to in a way he has never before experienced.

I must say, I wasn’t sure what to think of Valten, when introduced to him in The Fairest Beauty. He seemed someone who was only interested in participating in tournaments and proving himself as the victor in the games. But he is so much more… Valten is most definitely a hero!

Surprises… oh yes, Melanie writes a wonderful Cinderella story, with lots of surprises, and emotion, and inspiration! Characters so true-to-life, you find yourself believing in them – but even more important, believing in yourself.

The Princess Spy: Margaretha’s story is a wonderful version of The Frog Prince… it just might be the best one yet. There were many things I never saw coming — always a plus in my opinion — rather than the predictable ho-hum stories that many authors churn out today.

Poor Margaretha thought her future was settled; she would marry Lord Claybrook and live happily ever after. But when a man shows up, she is the only one who can speak his language. Even worse, he claims to have been attacked by Lord Claybrook!

There was fast-paced adventure full of surprises and unexpected plot-twists — Melanie sure knows how to keep me on my toes!

"Five of bestselling author Melanie Dickerson's popular YA fairytale retelling novels now available as a bind-up. Romance, intrigue, and danger abound in this bind-up of five of Melanie Dickerson's fairy-tale retellings presented in realistic historical settings. Includes The Healer's Apprentice, The Merchant's Daughter, The Fairest Beauty, The Captive Maiden, and The Princess Spy.

The Healer's Apprentice: Rose has been appointed as a healer's apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, and when Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, Rose tends to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to fall in love, and wonders if he feels the same. But 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 Merchant's Daughter: Annabel is trapped in indentured servitude to Lord Ranulf, a recluse who is rumored to be both terrifying and beastly. She soon finds he is not beastly after all, and becomes involved in a situation that could place Ranulf's future, and possibly his heart, in her hands.

The Fairest Beauty: Sophie desperately wants to get away from her stepmother's jealousy, and receives her chance when Gabe arrives from Hagenheim Castle, claiming she is betrothed to his older brother, and that he has come to rescue her. Though romance is impossible--she is his brother's future wife, and Gabe himself is betrothed to someone else--the pair flee to the Cottage of the Seven to find help. Before long both must not only protect each other from the dangers around them, they must also protect their hearts.

The Captive Maiden: When Gisela learns the duke's son, Valten--the boy she has daydreamed about for years--is throwing a ball in hopes of finding a wife, she vows to find a way 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 Princess Spy: Margaretha has always been a romantic, and hopes her newest suitor, Lord Claybrook, is destined to be her one true love. But then an injured man is brought to Hagenheim Castle, claiming to be an English lord who was attacked by Claybrook and left for dead. And only Margaretha--one of the few who speaks his language--understands the wild story. It is up to her to save her father, Colin, and Hagenheim itself from Claybrook's wicked plot."

A few months ago I had an opportunity to review The Princess Spy. I had never heard of Melanie Dickerson or this series of books before. I loved it and was hoping to have an opportunity to read the others. I was very glad when all of the books were released in this Fairy Tale Romance Collection.

Each of these books are a twist on a familiar story and the characters in the books are linked to the characters in the other books. The Healer's Apprentice is a based on the story of Sleeping Beauty, The Merchants Daughter is based on the story of Beauty and the Beast, The Fairest Beauty is based on the story of Snow White, The Captive Maiden is based on the story of Cinderella and The Princess Spy is based on the story of The Frog Prince. Each of the stories have historical details that make them appropriate to suit the time medieval time period. These are wonderful stories showing great and noble characters in the midst of evil and turmoil. There is a romantic element to each story as well (of course they are fairy tales!), and happy endings. I love the way the stories are linked to each other. You can read each separately but I like the picture the whole series paints. Melanie Dickerson proves that fairy tales are not just for children. I would recommend this set for older teens and adults.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation and all opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC regulations.

The first book in the Fairy Tale Romance Collection is the book The Healer’s Apprentice. In this book, a twist of Sleeping Beauty, Rose falls in love with Lord Hamlin, the duke’s son. The message of this book, I would say, is about being independent but courteous. I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it for ages twelve through seventeen.
The Merchant’s Daughter is the second book of the series. It was a spinoff of Beauty and the Beast. Lord Ranulf le Wyse meets Annabel, and against all odds they are able to marry by the end. The theme was one of standing strong through turmoil. To be quite honest, however, I do not know how this book ties in to the rest of the series. I would say that although this book was all right, it was not my favorite. There were a few questionable scenes. So, I would say for this book, readers need to be at least thirteen years of age.
The Fairest Beauty, the third book of the Fairy Tale Romance series, is centered on Gabehart (Lady Rose and Lord Hamlin’s second son) and his love for Sophia, another duke’s daughter. The book is based upon the story of Snow White. Staying true to yourself is the underlying theme in this book. This book was excellent, but I would still restrict it to ages twelve and up for some intense scenes.
The fourth book in this collection is called The Captive Maiden. It focuses on Gisela’s love for Valten, who is Gabe’s older brother in the previously mentioned book. This was an exciting twist off the fairy tale Cinderella. The message in this book is one of staying faithful to your love, come what may. This book is my favorite in the series, and I would recommend it for ages twelve to seventeen.
The fifth and final book in this series is entitled The Princess Spy. This is an intriguing spin off of the story of The Frog Princess. Margaretha, the eldest daughter of Lady Rose and Lord Hamlin, falls in love with Lord Collin. The theme of this book is to love and protect your family. This book is most enjoyable for ages twelve to sixteen.
The eBook Fairy Tale Romance Collection was released in February of 2015 by Zondervan. Ms. Melanie Dickerson authored it. Thank you to Zondervan and Ms. Dickerson for providing me a copy of the eBook to review.

The collection of all of Melanie Dickerson's fairy tale Romances (published by Zondervan) in one volume is useful and welcome. They could be ranked a something of a family saga, as four feature members of the same family in the retellings of Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Cinderella, and The Frog Prince, and the last draws together the family from the second book, a Beauty and the Beast retelling.
I have reviewed each of the novels individually elsewhere , so will not do so again here. Aimed a a Young Adult audience, the stories are sometimes rather cliched and predictable, with the odd eye roll inducing moment, occasionally the romance is overly mushy, the characters not always consistent in thier behaviour, and sometimes the villains are one dimensional. There is the occasional historical inaccuracy (sometimes more than occasionally), and some scenes and situations can be cheesy and implausible....

So, yes, the books are not perfect- but- they are I would argue, a good deal more wholesome than some of the fairytale adaptations to be seen on television and the big screen.
Melanie Dickerson's stories tend to strip the stories of the magical content, and place them in a realistic historical setting (except for the evil magician in the first story, and the evil Stepmother in the third), which is an almost undoubted benefit, given the ambigious depiction of magic in much of the mainstream media with 'good' witches/wizards and fairy-godmothers, and characters relying on them.

Those seeking timeless tales of Romance and Adventure which are edifying, generally have a more sound moral compass and meaningful Christian messages for the younger generation would do well to choose these. I for one would like to pass them on to my niece when she is a little older, as an alternative to Harry Potter and many other modern day fairy stories.....

I requested a free copy of this book from the Published via Booklookbloggers for review. I was not required required to write a positive one and all opinions expressed are my own.

This is post originally in my blog
Vivian's Book Pavilion
http://viviansbookpavilion.blogspot.com/
About the connection between those books. Rose and Lord Hamlin (The Healer's Apprentice) are the parents of Gabe (The Fairest Beauty), Valten (The Captive Maiden), and Margaretha (The Princess Spy). And Colin (The Princess Spy) is the grandson of Annabel and Ranulf (The Merchant's Daughter).
As much as I love this whole series (you'll know if you read my pervious review!), and I hope you'll enjoy them as I do. However, some of you may think it's horrible. But I'll provide some reading tips so you can enjoy the whole series. Set yourself at the period, just read the book as if you live in medieval term too! So when you read the plots you won't feel shallow, instead, you can fall in love with the romantic series as I do! Second, remind the period if that time, you'll find the male characters were really in love with the female characters because of their inner beauty, not like those who just see appearance. Last but not least, if you are hesitated about all the God in the series, don't be! It actually gives us really good opinion not just for the characters but also ourselves to learn! I'm far from a Christian, yet I really enjoy reading the whole books! If you try all those tips and still find it boring to read... I can only say that you're too sad to miss the great series!
Melanie Dickerson is so kind to answer my question about the story! (thank you soooo much!). As I was informed, there'll be a surprise in the sixth book! I'm really looking forward to it!
The series is full of adventure and romance, I'm kind of the person who hate romance stories, but Melanie Dickerson wrote them so we'll even I fallen for it. As for the adventure, it just give us a brand new sight from the contemporary novel plot ( something called...dysutopia) I'm madly in love with fairy tales again because of this series! For those who love all of the topic I mention above, make sure you read the books right away!

This Fairy Tale Romance Collection (constituting 5 different novels) by Melanie Dickerson was overall a sweet and lovely read. The overall target audience is young adults but I believe these medieval romance novels are stories that everyone can easily enjoy.
While there is a slight continuity between the novels, each one can be read as a stand alone novel.

Here's a brief review of each book:

The Healer's Apprentice:
This could very easily be my favorite of the four books. It is loosely based on Sleeping Beauty. The character of Rose, even in her uncertainties about her profession or identity was very easy to relate with. Lord Hamlin, the not-so-out-going, yet terribly caring duke (Mr. Darcy sort of guy, if I may) had my votes from his very first appearance. While Sleeping Beauty is not a fairy tale I like very much due to the protagonists falling in love for absolutely no reason, this novel is much different. Rose and Lord Hamlin slowly develop an admirable friendship in the midst of both their many trials. And despite being based on a fairy tale, this book managed to surprise me in the end. Suspense, mystery, quite a couple of surprises, love, wizardry and add some spiritual warfare and you have yourself a book that is hard to put down.

The Merchant's Daughter:
The Merchant's Daughter appeared to be a mix of two of my favorite classics: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. The novel is based on Beauty and the Beast and takes place in England. It starts a little slow but quickly picks up. Annabel's self-centered mother and brothers push her to a life of servitude to the new Lord of the town so as to pay off their debts. And so, having heard terrible things about Lord Ranulf, she finds herself curious and maybe a little scared. A few bad encounters confirms her fears, yet when the Lord repeatedly looks out for her, she starts to wonder at him. She sees beyond what others see as a ghastly outward appearance and gets to really know the Lord. With Annabel's life being in danger, the lord being accused of murder, Annabel herself being a suspect and a scheme against the lord , this book is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. It's strong lesson to not put so much importance on the outward appearance is a refreshing one.

The Fairest Beauty:
The novel is a slight continuation of the first one in the Collection. Based off the story of Snow White, this was perhaps my least favorite in the Collection. The story didn't grab my attention so much and that might be due to the fact that compared to the previous novels, I got the impression not much actually happens in the story. But that in itself wasn't very much the issue. The fact that Gabe took off to rescue his brother's betrothed appeared to be irresponsible yet brave at first and one could root for Gabe. But the more I read the story, the less I liked either Gabe or Sophie. The whole thing just seemed very unfair to Gabe's older brother, Valten. And I thought it a shame that when Sophie did finally meet Valten, she failed to make an effort, be polite or even be honest. She'd decided to dislike him even before she met him. Though if Valten had been the one to come rescue her, the story might have been completely different. The part about her father abandoning his castle also appeared pretty irresponsible. I guess for me, the main characters weren't my favorite.
I've heard people tell me this was actually their favorite book from the Collection. So the story itself isn't bad or unbearable. It just wasn't top of the list for me.

The Captive Maiden:
This Cinderella retelling makes for an enjoyable read. Valten is quite the loveable hero and Gisela's kindness and love of horses is endearing. I skipped through a few paragraphs on the jousting competitions but the all still grabs the attention. Gisela finds herself in a few dangerous situations which could very easily have been avoided and made her appear pretty naive. She and Valten escape (or attempt to) only to be captured again and the sequence quickly becomes repetitive. Despite all of this, I really enjoyed this story and would recommend it!

The Princess Spy:
I was immediately pulled into this riveting tale from the very first page and hardly put it down until it was over. I found the main character, Margaretha, to be endearing. She had a great love for her family and her home and she was quick and willing to help out the stranger, Colin. I liked how Margaretha struggled with the things she did not like about herself at the beginning of the tale, often complaining about the people (her younger siblings included) who did not like those same traits. This seemed to affect her self-esteem and lead her into thinking she was undesirable. She even appeared a little naive at times. But as the story advanced she showed courage, surprising herself and proving everyone wrong. The character of Colin is noble, ready to protect and do whatever it takes to make sure justice is served. Although he has his doubts about Margaretha, he soon finds out that first impressions may be wrong. I enjoyed their endearing story and the way they both held on to their faith in God even in very trying times.

All of the stories are overall light reads I believe most will enjoy.

Melanie Dickerson has recently become a new favorite author for me. Here books are written for teens but I love them just as much. I love how she retails the famous fairy tales. The stories are interesting and fun and she gives you just enough twists and turns to keep you guessing if they will turn out happily ever after or not.

This is an eBook Collection featuring:

The Healer’s Apprentice – Sleeping Beauty
The Merchant’s Daughter – Beauty and the Beast
The Fairest Beauty – Snow White
The Captive Maiden – Cinderella
The Princess Spy – The Frog Prince
I promise you that you will not be disappointed with her stories. And these make a great alternative to many of the books that are being pushed to our teens that do not have wholesome or Godly values. The stories are clean, full of adventure and beautiful. It makes me look forward to reading other books by her.

If you enjoy stories about knights rescuing damsels in distress, or the medieval time period is a favorite of yours I highly recommend these books and this collection.

*I received a copy of this collection in exchange for my honest opinion.

Melanie Dickerson is known for her fantasy fairytale books. After all, there are tons of them. This fun little collection brings a whole bunch of them into once nice neat little package. This collect features:

The Healer’s Apprentice, The Merchant’s Daughter, The Fairest Beauty, The Captive Maiden, and The Princess Spy. There are two more books in this series: The Golden Braid (which I own) and The Silent Songbird (which will be released later this year).

The first thing about this collection was that I was kind of annoyed by the formatting. The books are all just kind of mushed up together one after another. you can go through the table of contents to pick which book you want to read, thankfully each book is linked so you don’t have to scroll through hundreds of pages. I found it difficult not to know how far into each book I was. You can only tell how far into the bundle as a whole you are.

The books themselves are all each about three/three and a half star reads. They’re all solid stories, though I think my favorite had to be the Healer’s Apprentice which is book one in the series. As the bundle title suggests, these books are all heavy on the romance, though because it is a Christian publisher you won’t find anything but good clean love here.

If you’re into light fairy tales and sweet romances I’d certainly say this is the bundle for you. It is nice having them all in one convenient package on my nook. They’re not the kind of stuff I usually read. I’m usually more into the darker stuff, but these are pretty fun for a palette cleanser.

Love stories like Beauty and the Beast and Snow White? Check out Melanie Dickerson’s Fairy Tale Romance Collection. Dickerson offers a unique twist on some of our favorite classic fairytales. The stories are historical fiction, and details come alive with vivid descriptions and rich dialogue. The stories move at a good pace, and even though I’m pretty familiar with how the original stories go, Dickerson did a wonderful job of keeping me guessing what would happen next. The heroines are easy to cheer for, and the romance element is certainly fairy tale quality.

Every now and then, I love a good happily-ever-after story. They’re fun to read, and it’s easy to get swept away into a world of princesses and noble knights and towering castles. This collection definitely fits that description, along with weaving a faith thread throughout. These books are far from preachy, but the message is strong. The Merchant’s Daughter is my favorite of the collection, although I enjoyed everything I read. I thought it was especially fun how all of the stories take place in the same kingdom with overlapping characters. If you like fairytales, historical romance, and clean young adult novels, this may be the perfect blend for you!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Five different young ladies fall in love during the medieval time period. Each story plays with a fairy tale plot line and includes romance and intrigue. All of the stories are connected by family ties, but can also be read as a stand alone story. Each story also has an element of faith woven throughout.

I really enjoyed reading these stories. They seem to have a YA feel, but that might be because of the fairy tale theme. The stories are more realistic than the originals, but still felt like a romantic fairy tale. There were some implausible and over the top spots, but overall this was a set of super sweet stories that I won't mind sharing with my daughter when she gets a little bit older. I really appreciated the way the author wove the message of faith through each of the stories.

I received this book free of charge from BookLook Blogger in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed Melanie's books and loved that they are available as a collection now. I have not read many book collections on my Kindle, but this was so user friendly as it was easy to use the table of contents and jump around from book to book if I wanted to. Melanie has retold classic fairytales and she has added in a faith element that adds that little bit extra spin to them. I was immediately hooked on this collection as soon as I started to read the first page of "The Healer's Apprentice" as the scene was set so well and I felt as if I was there in the crowd waiting, hoping to catch a glimpse of the brothers' returning home from school. I highly recommend this books, they will appeal to both young adults and older adults!

*Thanks to the BookLook Bloggers Program for the complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.*

I highly recommend this collection to those who love fairy tales, and or historical romance stories, and who crave a moral environment in place of the over abundance of "adult rated" adventure/romance novels pushed into modern society's store bookshelves.

In addition I feel as though the author of these novels should be commended for not only including God, but also quotes from the Bible in her work.

P.S. When you reach the story clearly inspired by Cinderella try not to be too hard on yourself if you find you had previously miss judged the leading male in a past story. ;-)

This fairy tale collection contains 5 books, all written by Melanie Dickerson. It includes The Healer's Apprentice, The Merchant's Daughter, The Fairest Beauty, The Captive Maiden, and The Princess Spy. If you wanted to buy all of these books, buying this collection would save you almost $2(at the time of this post....The Captive Maiden is on sale for $1.99 and the other 4 are $4.99 for the kindle versions).

There are some negatives to buying it this way, though. I love looking at the beautiful covers while reading books, and I do love the covers of each of the books within this collection. Each time I start the book, I typically look at the cover, unless of course, it's plain and boring. I also randomly flip to the cover and look at it in the midst of reading a story, too. I can't do that with this collection. Other than the cover of The Captive Maiden, which is on the front, you won't see the other covers within this collection. I was greatly disappointed in that. I know I wouldn't have been able to flip to it, but it would have been nice to at least see it before starting the story. At the end of one story, you're immediately taken into the next one.

Also, keep in mind that when you have 5 books in one, that percentage at the bottom goes by super slow on your kindle. I like knowing exactly how much percentage I have until to end, and find it discouraging when I've read 30 minutes, and my percentage has moved up only a couple of spots. That's just me, though, and it's by no means a complaint about the books within this collection. It's just things to keep in mind when deciding if those sacrifices are worth the $2 you'd save or if you'd rather buy them separately. To be honest, if you're like me, I'd recommend waiting for a sale, and buying them separately unless you're in a hurry to read them right away. I'd even be willing to pay the extra $2 and get them separately, so I could have to beautiful covers, too.

I read The Healer's Apprentice a few years ago, and loved it. It is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. The Merchant's Daughter is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and I loved it, too. It's sweet and has a definite fairy tale quality about it. The Fairest Beauty is a retelling of Snow White. The Captive Maiden is a Cinderella retelling, and The Princess Spy is a retelling of The Princess and the Frog.

If you like super sweet fairy tale retellings, don't mind not getting to see the covers while reading, and don't mind the super slow percentage progress while reading on your kindle, give this collection a try. It'll save you a bit of money getting it this way.

*I was provided a review copy, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Loved this collection!! I bought each individual book and found myself waiting (impatiently sometimes ?) for the next book to come out. Great fairy tale love stories with lots of bends and twists and unexpected adventures.

This series is great for quick summer reads. I would also recommend it for teen readers. Each story is light and easy to read, with a Christian viewpoint. While they do not require deep thought, or inspire a lot of life application-they are super fun to read. I would recommend them!