Sunday, April 30, 2017

Book Review: The Noble Servant by Melanie Dickerson


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Title: The Noble Servant

Author: Melanie Dickerson

Series: Thornbeck #3

Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling/Historical

Audience: Young Adult

ABOUT THE BOOK

She lost everything to an evil conspiracy ... but that loss may just give her all she ever wanted.

Since meeting Steffan, the Duke of Wolfberg, at Thornbeck Castle, Lady Magdalen has not been able to stop thinking about him. She knows—as a penniless lady with little to offer in terms of a dowry—she has no real hope of marrying such a highly titled man, so it comes as a great surprise when she receives a letter from him, asking for her hand in marriage.

But all is not what it seems at Wolfberg Castle. Steffan has been evicted by his scheming uncle, and his cousin has taken over the title of duke. Left for dead, Steffan is able to escape, and disguised as a shepherd, hopes to gain entry to the castle to claim the items that will prove he is the true Duke of Wolfberg.

Journeying to the castle, Magdalen has no idea what awaits her, but she certainly did not expect her loyal maidservant to turn on her. Forcing Magdalen to trade places with her, the servant plans to marry the duke and force Magdalen to tend the geese.

Without their respective titles—and the privileges that came with them—Steffan and Magdalen are reunited in the shepherd’s field. Together they conspire to get back their rightful titles. But they must hurry ... or else they risk losing it all to the uncle’s evil plan.

~ MY REVIEW ~
**unrated**

When I got The Noble Servant, I thought, How lovely it is to be reading another one of Melanie Dickerson’s novels! Something about this author’s writing style makes me smile as I start reading. And fairy tale retellings set in the medieval Germany world are just something I can’t pass up.

This newest release is a non-magical retelling of The Goose Girl and The Prince and the Pauper. Lady Magdalen is on her way to marry the Duke of Wolfberg when her maidservant, Agnes, and Agnes’s father, turn Magdalen’s world upside down. Now a lowly goose girl of an estate that holds all too many secrets and deceptions, Magdalen must find a way to reveal the truth and set things to right.
What she doesn’t count on, is meeting a handsome shepherd, and falling in love with the one man she realizes she can’t have, after all.

I did indeed enjoy parts of The Noble Servant. The geese were fun, and I like that Magdalen got to get some glimpses of the ocean. Unfortunately, however, it didn’t end up being the book for me. Kind of strange, considering I’ve loved so many of Melanie Dickerson’s novels! But it was fairly slow paced, and I felt nothing much happened, action-wise. I sympathized with both Magdalen and Steffan's plights, but I guess their whole romance and personalities didn't seem much different from the characters of the other books. Perhaps I'm just in some sort of reading slump, but all in all, this book fell flat for me. I've decided to keep a space for it on my bookshelf, because it is part of the THORNBECK series, and the cover is gorgeous, and some of my sisters and friends might like it!

Don't let my thoughts on The Noble Servant hinder you. If you enjoy The Goose Girl retellings, fairy tale romance, and a splash of danger, this might be the book for you! *smiles*

I received a copy of The Noble Servant from BookLookBloggers in exchange for my honest review.

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