The Beautiful Pretender {Litfuse Review}

 

 

The Beautiful Pretender (Thomas Nelson, May 2016)What happens when a margrave realizes he’s fallen in love with a servant?The Margrave of Thornbeck has to find a bride, fast. He invites ten noble-born ladies from around the country to be his guests at Thornbeck Castle for two weeks, a time to test these ladies and reveal their true character.Avelina is only responsible for two things: making sure her deception goes undetected and avoiding being selected as the margrave’s 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. Will Avelina be able to stop the evil plot? And at what cost? 

Melanie Dickerson is the author of The Healer’s Apprentice, a Christy Award finalist and winner of the National Reader’s Choice Award for Best First Book. Melanie earned a bachelor’s degree in special education from the University of Alabama and has been a teacher and a missionary. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Huntsville, Alabama.

 

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My thoughts:

 

There is one book that precedes this one.  They don’t have to be read together, but I did read the other book and knew I was going to love this one!

 

I truly enjoyed getting to know the Margrave and find out the truth of the gossip surrounding how he became the Margrave instead of his older brother.  And of course there is The Beautiful Pretender.  She was forced into playing a role she didn’t want and a task she wasn’t wanting.  Instead, she finds that by being herself while not being herself is the best way to do this.

 

Did that makes sense?  Well you see, that’s because you haven’t read the book.  Avelina is a handmaid.  A servant if you will to a Lord’s daughter who was invited to the Margrave’s house for a period of perusal.  He must find a bride and so all the Lord’s daughters are coming.  Except the daughter of Earl Plimmwald.  For she has run off with a knight and won’t be coming back! 

 

And that’s where Avelina comes in.  She must pose as the Earl’s daughter.  She’s not given a choice.  But if she does this job and does it well it will provide food for the invalid father and younger siblings she supports.  And it will give her a small dowry so she might find a husband of her own.  She just has to keep the Margrave from choosing her as his bride.

 

But when she decided to use her own thoughts and ideas so she’s lying as little as possible she finds that she and the Margrave are spending a lot of time together.  Can she shift his attention to the only other girl there who is worthy of him?  Or will he be killed as well as Avelina in the plot to take over his role.  

 

Great book!  I highly recommend and hope you give it a read!