Book Review: The Peasant's Dream (Hagenheim #11) by Melanie Dickerson

 

Title: The Peasant's Dream (Hagenheim #11)

Author: Melanie Dickerson 

Stars: 3.5

Review:

A reverse Cinderella story which is easy to read but predictable. I easily read the entire story in two settings. In summary,  the poor mistreated hero manages to start pulling himself up by his proverbial bootstraps and in the process falls in love with a village maiden. But this maiden is not what she appears to be. She is not a village maiden but the youngest daughter of the local Duke who has snuck out, in disguise, in order to visit the village market. Mutual attraction is disrupted by unforeseen circumstances. But just like Cinderella, dreams and expections, have a way of becoming reality.

I will admit the story was in a different time period and country than I would normally read. However, that said, I have rated the book 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the fact that the author did not have to stoop to pages of blaten sex scenes to tell the story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you Netgalley.

Synopsis:

Adela is the youngest daughter of Duke Wilhelm of Hagenheim and is never allowed outside of the castle walls. She loves her family, but she sneaks away one day to the market in the town center. There she meets a handsome young man and wonders what it might be like to fall in love with a poor farmer with a kind heart instead of marrying the man her family is suggesting for her.

Frederick earns the income for his family and defends his mother from his father’s drunken rages. He also uses his talent and creativity to carve figures, animals, and scenes into wood, and he's asked to carve these scenes into cathedral doors when his talent is noticed. Frederick is inspired by the sweet and beautiful Adela, but he has no knowledge of her true identity. When he gets swept up into a plan to kidnap the duke’s daughter, both are shaken by what they learn about the other.

With the heartbroken Adela resigned to an arranged marriage with her noble suitor, Frederick must decide what he’s willing to risk for love. 

About The Author:

Melanie Dickerson is a New York Times bestselling author, a two-time Christy Award finalist, two-time Maggie Award winner, Carol Award winner, two-time winner of the Christian Retailing's Best award, and her book, The Healer's Apprentice, won the National Readers Choice Award for Best First Book. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). Melanie earned a bachelors degree in special education of the hearing impaired from The University of Alabama and has worked as a teacher in Georgia, Tennessee, and Ukraine. She lives with her husband and two children in Huntsville, Alabama.