homereviewschallengescontestspoliciesaboutabout

Tuesday 13 December 2011

***Review*** The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson







Released : 1st December 2011
Publisher: Zondervan
Series : No
Format :Kindle
Source : Digital ARC Netgalley
Author Site:  Melanie Dickerson
Goodreads Synopsis:
An unthinkable danger. An unexpected choice.Annabel, once the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is trapped in indentured servitude to Lord Ranulf, a recluse who is rumored to be both terrifying and beastly. Her circumstances are made even worse by the proximity of Lord Ranulf's bailiff---a revolting man who has made unwelcome advances on Annabel in the past.Believing that life in a nunnery is the best way to escape the escalation of the bailiff's vile behavior and to preserve the faith that sustains her, Annabel is surprised to discover a sense of security and joy in her encounters with Lord Ranulf. As Annabel struggles to confront her feelings, she is involved in a situation that could place Ranulf in grave danger. Ranulf's future, and possibly his heart, may rest in her hands, and Annabel must decide whether to follow the plans she has cherished or the calling God has placed on her heart.

My review:


I was given a Digital ARC to review from Netgalley.


The story follows Annabel a daughter of a deceased and wealthy merchant, whose family have fallen on hard times when her father dies.  Due to the family having no money and unwilling to work in the village they fall behind with payments of the censum and the family is fined heavily.  The penalty is that one member of the family must work as an unpaid servant for three years at the manor house of the new lord, Lord Ranulf.  There is another alternative and that is that Annabel can marry the vile Bailiff Tom.  Even though she is pressurised by her family to marry Bailiff Tom, Annabel chooses not to marry Tom and starts her servitude to the Lord.  But Bailiff Tom is aggrieved and makes trouble.


  This is a slow burning romance and it was lovely to see the chemistry and the love develop. Annabel was so pure of heart and sweet, you couldn’t help like her.  There are religious undertones in this book but it was interesting to see how it contributed to the story.


I certainly liken this story to beauty and the beast, there are some similarities.  A gorgeous pure of heart maiden and a beastly looking man who appears at first frightful but who has a kind heart and soul; a very clever take on this fairytale.  It was quite nice to read another version of this well known fairytale. 


The descriptions of the scenery, the characters and dialect certainly felt just right for the period in time this was set.  I thought a good amount of thought and research must have gone on by the author to get this spot on.


Ok, admittedly at first I thought Annabel was a spoiled merchant’s daughter whose family had fallen on hard times and were unwilling to pull their weight in the village.  But on further reading this book it was clear that Annabel, although she came from a wealthy background, was willing to work as a servant and serve her lord without complaint.  I did warm up to her pretty early on in the story.  


I did enjoy this romantic book, it was a refreshing change and I would certainly read more books by this author.

Story Rating: 4/5  - a sweet and refreshing love story.

Cover Rating:  4/5 -  I did like this cover; it gives it a historical feel.

About the Author:

Melanie Dickerson is an award-winning author who earned her bachelor’s degree in special education from The University of Alabama. She has taught in Georgia, Tennessee, Germany and the Eastern European country of Ukraine. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA), she now spends her time writing and taking care of her husband and two daughters near Huntsville, Alabama.

23 comments:

roro said...

great review
do love beauty and the beast

SarahS. said...

I loved The Merchant's Daughter. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite story and I love any retelling of it.

Evangeline said...

I read and reviewed this book too! I agree with you that the slow burning romance is nice. I liked the way it was taken slowly, instead of rushed.

LisaILJ said...

I ended up not requesting this one from Netgalley because I was worried about the religious element in it. I didn't see any mention of that in your review so I am guessing it is not too prevalent?

Malvina Beatrice said...

Interesting, I would pick up this book soon.

Unknown said...

Sounds like a great book, it helps to see what others think of it :)

test3s said...

Sounds pretty interesting !Especially if has some Beauty & The Beast in it :> :D

*Btw..i think you wrote the first line at About the author section twice ..:D

Awesome review , but why 4 stars?just because in the begging Annabel seemed spoiled?

Chocolate Chunky Munkie said...

I found there was a religious aspect to this book, but it wasn't pushed on you the whole way through. Mostly it was the character finding comfort in her faith. I can't read books that are too heavy religion based.

** Thank you so much for the sharp eye with the first line being put twice. I must have had a moment that day :D **

Jenny

Mickey said...

Sounds like a good book! I may go check it out. Thanks so much for the review! :o)

Read for your future! said...

I Love the cover and I love slow romances so i will definitly check this out. Come say hi on my blog sometime :)
http://readforyourfuture.blogspot.com/

SavingsInSeconds said...

I totally judge books by their covers, and this one is so pretty! I would be interested in reading this book.

Linda said...

I love the cover too. I saw a post of this book from this author on another blog & it garnered quite good reviews there too. 2/2...Sounds promising! Got to check it out. Beauty n the beast is my fav fairy tale too.

Rea said...

Oooh oooh Beauty and the Beast! <3! Must read this now!

I'm a big fan of slow-burning romances but I usually dislike religious undertones in my reading so normally I would be on the fence. But Beauty and the Beast? A certain buy for me!

Thank you for introducing me to the book! ^^

Lydia said...

Fascinating. I love a good re-tale of my favorite fairy tale.!

Vinci said...

thanks, for the interesting review. Like the writer researched the
part in history. Also, beauty and the beast,is a great story line.
will look for the book. put the title in my to read list. thanks.

Princess Styles said...

Wow, thanks for the review. I kinda want to read it now!! It's cute. And i lvoe romance story. Well, i think i need to find this one NOW!! :))

E Johnson said...

Nice review, not usually my style of book but I might give it a try.

Sara said...

That's totally my style of book, your review really made me courious!! :)
I'll search if there's an italian translation
xxx

Rea said...

I've read this one now thanks to your review on here! :) I really enjoyed it, though the religious side of the story did get a little heavy for me at times as a secular reader. And I found it really hard to picture Ranulf as anything other than Brian Blessed as King Richard IV - not a very flattering image! lol. Anyway, thanks for bringing the book to my notice! :)

Sophia Rose said...

I love the 'Beauty and the Beast' style tales and this one sounds good.

Thanks for sharing your review!

oloore said...

Beauty and the Beast was my favourite Disney animantion and considering that I aslo am fond of historical romances, this book surely appeals to me. Thank you for reviwing and recommending it. I will give it a try!

Febby Aurora♥ said...

I love this reviews.
Beauty and The Beast is one of my favorites disney story. I love when someone imperfect found their true love and their lifes become perfect. I'll grab one in the bookstore soon! Thanks for your review!

http://febiola-febby.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Thank you for such a facinating review on a book that i have added to my Goodreads 'to-read' list, as i am a huge fan of historical fiction & this particular genre. The story is captivating & utterly compelling, and it is a novel that i intend to read as soon as i can. Thank you! Xx

From: Miss. Lucinda Fountain

Post a Comment

Please leave a comment :D I'd love to know your thoughts!!!

 
Blog Design By Sweet Dreams Design using the Sweet Summer kit by Kay Miller Designs.