Audrey is a viscount’s daughter who has suffered her sister Maris’s cruel, jealous behavior all her life. An act of malice led their father to send Maris to a convent, but Audrey was still left with scars. Three years later, Audrey’s father is determined to marry off his damaged daughter, and Maris is returning. Desperate, Audrey sneaks away.
However, life outside her home is dangerous, and she soon finds herself attacked, injured, and in dire straits. She is taken in at Dericott Castle to be nursed back to health. While there, she decides to keep her identity a secret and work as a servant in the castle. But she doesn’t count on falling in love with the young and handsome Lord Dericott, who lost his arm several months earlier.
Meanwhile, Edwin—Lord Dericott—is curious about the new, well-educated servant’s identity. When the man Audrey’s father wanted her to marry comes looking for her, each must make a life-changing decision about what to believe and whether or not love is truly worth trusting.
In this Ugly Duckling retelling, New York Times bestselling author Melanie Dickerson brilliantly crafts a high-stakes, encouraging tale about the power of love.
Melanie Dickerson is the New York Times bestselling author who combines her love for all things Medieval with her love of romance and fairy tales. She also loves Regency Romance and has drawn on her Southern heritage to write a romance set in the late 1800s called Magnolia Summer.
Her books have won the Christy Award, two Maggie Awards, The National Reader’s Choice Award, and the Carol Award in Young Adult fiction. She earned her bachelor’s degree from The University of Alabama and has taught children and adults in America, Germany, and Ukraine. Now she spends her time writing stories of love and adventure near Huntsville, Alabama. Sign up for her newsletter at http://www.MelanieDickerson.com
My Rating: 4 Stars!
I always did love a good fairy tale. I still do. That’s why I love Melanie Dickerson’s retelling of fairy tales with an inspirational bent. This second book in her Dericott series brings us her retelling of The Ugly Duckling. Audrey’s face is marred and Edwin is missing an arm lost in battle. Both feel abnormal but discover that God has plans for them. Dickerson tells this in such an interesting way and I was mesmerized. Recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers via Net Galley. The opinion in this review is expressly my own.
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: June 1, 2021
Length: 334 pages
Genre: YA
Buy Link: Amazon.com: Castle of Refuge (A Dericott Tale Book 2) eBook: Dickerson, Melanie: Kindle Store
Simply Susan 