The Beautiful Pretender

The Beautiful Pretender

By Melanie Dickerson

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?

  Really? Again? Melanie Dickerson has once again proves herself the queen of fairytale retelling author!!!! Yeahhhh!!!!!! THIS BOOK IS SOOOOO GREAT!!!! I devoured it within…four hours? I just can’t put the book down! It’s so great!!!! My only problem is that this book isn’t made in Hardcover…although I think it’ll have a hardcover edition at August…but how can I wait that long? It’s already tortured to wait till now! But sadly…The Beautiful Pretender didn’t match so well as The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest. You know…one hardcover, one paperback!!! Ahhh!!!! It’s frustrated! But, enough for the edition!!! You must read the book!!! it’s so fantastic!!!!!! Ahhh!!!!!!!!! (Someone is crazy…)

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 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.

  I announce—this is so far the best book in Melanie’s books!!! Among all her series!!!! Although…I still like Valten and Gisela a bit more than Avelina and Reinhart…but only characters. I love the story!!! It’s well written!!! Ahhh!!!! This is a retelling of Princess and the Pea and Beauty and the Beast. (Is that fairytale called Princess and the Pea?? Well…I’m not sure, but you know, with something…pea under bed to make sure you’re a true princess…) Yet…, being a fairytale retelling series isn’t what I want to say about this book. It’s true that you can see some of their point…actually…it turns out only a little. I can hardly see Beauty and the Beast…I know there are…but not as much as The Merchant’s Daughter, as for Princess and the Pea…it actually became a tale told by Reinhart’s mother. However, would you be disappointed that there isn’t enough retelling? NO!!! This is where Melanie Dickerson improves her every story and makes them better: The Beautiful Pretender actually becomes one. Yes, it is so great that her book deserves to be put into fairytale series!!! (Perhaps some day we’ll see “Dickerson’s Fairy Tale complete series”?) This is how The Beautiful Pretender makes me feel—reading a wonderfully organize fairytale. A better one, a great modern version fairy tale for both girls and boys, for all ages to enjoy. You want a fairy tale with strong heroine, clever, brave, and compassion? You swoon for hero to protect, to stand with his heroine? A romance with love, respect, affection, and passion? Here you get it. In Melanie’s The Beautiful Pretender, all of your desire can be fulfilled.

  When I was reading this book…my heart was like

  You know? It squeezed!!! And in some part of the book…I needed to hold my tears for the Avelina and Reinhart!!! It’s such a hard thing to do when you’re in public…so I screamed to myself.

  What I like about this book is that it doesn’t end in Reinhart found out Avelina’s true identity as a maidservant. (well…that part really reminds me the scene in Ever After, when Daniel ran away from the ball when her identity was reveal.) What fun will that be? So the story continues! And it excellently shows the brave side of Avelina!!!! Ahhh!!!!! And their time together!!! Ahhh!!! Oh wait! Remember one scene in Beauty and the Beast that the Beast saved Belle from the wolves pack? You can read in this book!!! And it comes with a great betrayal!!!! A great story always come with betrayal…who said that? Well…someone wise and clever…ME!!! (Thank you very much for your compliment…I know I’m extremely smart.) (Or the “betrayal” part might only because I’ve waited The Beauty of Darkness for too long…but you can’t deny that some twists give book something extra.) And when I was reading the book, well…at the beginning, I was like “It’s her!!! She must be the one to reveal secret!!!” and as it turned out…I’m right!!! As I mentioned…I’m a smart girl! (Someone is coughing…back to the book.)

  Here I’m not going to talk much about Avelina and Reinhart…since…well…they didn’t impress me as much as the plots. Indeed they’re great, but not as great as Valten and Gisela. (Someone is pretty sure about that…) (Don’t get me wrong…I never said they aren’t good characters…just the story is too great, compared to the characters.) (By the way…when Avelina first talked about her opinion about marriage…I know she will be the one for Reinhart…even though it’s always obvious.) However, although I’m not talking about the protagonists…I’m about to tell you a great friendship in this book. Lady Magdalen is a kind young girl who Avelina met in the ball. She is sweet and friendly, not to mention kind-hearted. Though she was hurt after she found out Avelina’s identity, she forgave her and treated her as usual. She is one of the few person in the castle didn’t treat her like a servant, not even after everything reveal. She might not stand with the margrave when the battle was there, but she gave her assistance in any possible way. Avelina and Magdalen really have the purest friendship in this book. I think friendship is one of the few things I read in Melanie’s books…the most memorable one is A Spy’s Devotion. I think it’s great that Melanie added this part into the book, I love great friendship, especially since it’s hard to find. Besides Magdalen, remember Odette and Jorgen? They appeared frequently in the book!!! It’s always a nice thing to read the previous protagonists in the other books, you know…happily ever after? It’s great!! I love that!!! And as it appears…Odette and Avelina will becomes great friends in the future…I assume they already have. Well…Odette and Jorgen might face bit difficulties…but all went well. That’s wonderful!!!

  By the way…I always wonder…what’ll happen if Hagenheim and Thornbeck meet? Isn’t that great??? I hope it’ll come true one day!

  I really love this book…see the large review? WOW. So, I here declare the Queen of Medieval Fairy Tale—Melanie Dickerson!!! 

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