Review of The Beautiful Pretender

From the back cover:

After inheriting his title from his brother, the margrave has two weeks to find a noble bride. What will happen when he learns he has fallen for a lovely servant girl in disguise?

The Margrave of Thornbeck has to find a bride, fast. He invites ten noble born ladies who meet the king’s approval to be his guests at Thornbeck Castle for two weeks, a time to test these ladies and reveal their true character.

Avelina has only two instructions: keep her true identity a secret and make sure the margrave doesn’t select her as his 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

My thoughts:

I loved The Beautiful Pretender! It's a five star story, in my opinion. Melanie Dickerson has this incredible ability to make the reader think this is the real story. Her fairy tale retellings are wonderful. This Princess and the Pea retelling was so sweet, yet it had aspects that reminded me of Beauty and the Beast. Avelina was a sweet bookworm, while Reinhart was a brooding, handicap knight. *Swoon.* In a way, it reminded me of the TV series The Bachelor and The Selection Series by Kiera Cass - but better!

I loved the spiritual plot as well. Avelina and Reinhart both learn about a person's worth, and how it's not measured by social status. A servant can be noble at heart, while a noble born duke can be horrendous.

This is the second book in Melanie Dickerson's Adult Medieval Fairy Tale series. You will see Jorgen and Odette from The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest, but you will not be confused if you haven't read their story.

I received a copy of The Beautiful Pretender by Melanie Dickerson from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest opinion, which I have given.

See you guys next time! God bless!

V. Joy Palmer