The Merchant's Daughter

Hagenheim #2

by Melanie Dickerson

An unthinkable danger. An unexpected choice. Annabel, once the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is trapped in indentured servitude to Lord Ranulf, a recluse who is rumored to be both terrifying and beastly. Her circumstances are made even worse by the proximity of Lord Ranulf’s bailiff—a revolting man who has made unwelcome advances on Annabel in the past. Believing that life in a nunnery is the best way to escape the escalation of the bailiff’s vile behavior and to preserve the faith that sustains her, Annabel is surprised to discover a sense of security and joy in her encounters with Lord Ranulf. As Annabel struggles to confront her feelings, she is involved in a situation that could place Ranulf in grave danger. Ranulf’s future, and possibly his heart, may rest in her hands, and Annabel must decide whether to follow the plans she has cherished or the calling God has placed on her heart.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Christian Fiction, Christian, Fantasy, Fairy Tales

289 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 15, 2011

About the author

Melanie Dickerson is the New York Times bestselling author of happily-ever-after romance. She believes in love, laughter, afternoon tea, and the power of story.

With a million books sold and numerous awards, including two Christy Awards, two Golden Quills, a National Readers Choice Award, Christian Retailing’s Best, and Book Buyers’ Best Awards, her books have hit #1 in her category on the New York Times bestseller list.

When she’s not writing, Melanie can be found watching Pride and Prejudice for the hundredth time, cozying up to her handsome hero husband, or shaking her head at her slightly unhinged Jack Russell terrier. She lives in the beautiful foothills of the Appalachians near Huntsville, Alabama.

Reviews

[Dear Faye · Rating 2 out of 5]

SWEET BABY JESUS

This was the preachiest thing I've ever read. I mean, I'm Catholic and I like values and insights inspired from the Bible but holy... did this book talk about Jesus and God a lot and how they're the reasons good things come, how they're the ones blessing every good thing that happens, how they're the ones that smite the bad guys and how they're the ones curing diseases etc. etc.

Every time the MC would read the Bible for her Lord, we'd get paragraphs and pages explaining parables and the lessons learnt, with the occasional "God is SOOO good!"

I mean I don't mind that. I'm a spiritual person, and while I don't take the Bible literally word for word, I do appreciate the lessons we can impart from it, but come on, man! There's a fine line between good and unreasonable. It got old quickly and annoying.

Also, this book pretty much kept on emphasizing the fact that marriage is the most natural thing and that it's the most obvious thing to do. If you're beautiful and kind, you NEED to get married or your looks will have been for naught. Women deserve to be loved and protected and men deserve to be cooked for and have their wants and needs addressed. LIKE WTFFF

Writing is a bit too young, and there is hardly any build up in some scenes. Transitions are bad too and there are too many POV changes in a chapter.

Final Verdict: 2.5

P.S. To be fair though, this was set in 14th century England, a time when religion was closely interrelated with one's lifestyle and it was more of a way of life. Chivalry and stuff, too. At least kudos for being consistent?

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first time reading this author, but it will certainly not be my last. This story pulls you in starting with its cover photo which captures the essence of the book perfectly. Even though The Merchant’s Daughter is a Christian romance there are other themes presented such as discrimination, forgiveness, and honor which are just as powerfully written as the romance. Falling in love requires the main characters to face their personal issues and deal with them before a solid foundation can be created. Dickerson manages to illustrate this process in an accurate manner without slowing the pace of the story.

Annabel has always lived a secure life with her mom and brothers until their debts catch up with them and Annabel places herself into the care of Lord le Wyse as his indentured servant. Not knowing what to expect and hoping one day to become a nun, she boldly goes into this life to help her family pay off their debts. She immediately catches Wyse’s attention with suspicion and scrutiny, but works hard to prove herself and makes the best of her situation. She carries out her tasks with grace, determination, and wisdom even when things go wrong. As she learns about Lord le Wyse and his past, her fear of him becomes respect and she discovers beauty in him that would seem impossible.

When I first read the summary I immediately thought of Beauty and the Beast, I was intrigued and eager to read The Merchant’s Daughter. Even though I’ve read lots of good books lately, I can easily say that this one is my favorite. I greatly admired Annabel’s faith and courage; she was determined to do the right thing no matter what the cost. I read through it quickly and was amazed that I was experiencing Lord le Wyse through Annabel’s eyes. If she was afraid of him, I was afraid of him; if she felt safe around him, I felt safe around him, etc. Another precious part of the story for me was the Bible or the Holy Writ as the author describes it. The setting is England in 1352 and Bibles were not available to the public. The way Annabel regards the Bible with such awe and reverence really touched me and helped me see my own Bible in a different way. The author succeeded in making me consider the values of true love and true beauty as God intended them to be. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical Christian romances or if you just loved Beauty and the Beast as I did.

I want to thank Zondervan and Zondervan’s Z Street Team for the free copy they provided. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Jasmine (Jazzie) [Jesus Loves You!!] · Rating 5 out of 5]

You deserve to love and be loved.

~My Thoughts~
*tries to think of coherent things that I can say about how amazing and wonderful this book but fails* Well, there goes that… *throws the notebook I was writing this review in it was actually a google doc out the window because literally all it said was, “wakafhabdisjgc THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!!! amdbfbhsjsbi Y'ALL SERIOUSLY NEED TO GO READ IT WAS SOON AS Y'ALL CAN!!!” ……. and that's not going to cut it…*

……… So….. because I am failing right this moment in describing what I thought about this book, does the fact that this is now my 2nd favorite book of all time help?? (Okay, technically 3rd if we are counting the Bible in this…)

But anyway, great book!! Out of all of the Hagenheim books I've read at the time of this review (#3, #5, #6, and now #2), I'd have to say that imo, this one is the best, and it's definitely my favorite! The writing was good, the main characters were amazing, I liked a good bit of the side characters, and I loved the rose that was added in, it was the perfect touch!

~Characters~
Annabelle: She is amazing, and I love her, and I think that if she was a real person that lived nowadays or, you know, I just somehow managed to go into this world and to where she is, then that we'd be best friends!!

Lord le Wyse: HE'S SO AMAZING!! 🥰 Like, he's made it into the top 3 of my favorite fictional guy characters of all time!! 🥰🥰 And I definitely didn't fangirl over him for majority of the book…. *cough cough* 🙃

~Content Warnings~
(Warning! 🚨 Before you go any further, there is a chance that something I've said about the content could possibly be a bit spoilerish, so please proceed with caution!)

Trigger Warnings:
Some of the violence and romantic content I've listed down below might could possibly be a TW for some people.

Faith based/Christian:
Praying. Reading the Bible, wanting to read the Bible. Talking about God and His word (the Bible).
The characters are Catholic. (Not that being a Catholic is a bad thing, it's just very obvious they are at times.) Going to church (though they call it mass). Mentions of nuns and wanting to go into an Abbey.

Other Religious Content:
None that I remember.

Violence:
It's said that the mmc was in an accident that messed up his left hand and eye. There is a mobile towards the end who planned to unalive a person. A fire happens and a person ends up getting pretty badly burned on their arm. Mentions of deaths, like, people dying.

Sexual Content/Romance:
A guy's wife had an affair, and then later had a baby, and the guy says that he didn't know if the baby was his or the other guy's.
Kissing (not detailed), wanting to kiss someone. Noticing a person's looks, thinking and talking about someone being handsome or pretty. Falling in love, obviously. A person's touch affecting a character (like, in a way that like, you know that character likes that person).

A character does try to take advantage of and force himself onto the fmc, and it's said that he told her of all the “things” he would do to her…. A character was also being pushed to marry him….

Magic:
None.

Bad Language:
None.

LGBTQ+:
None.

Drugs/Alcohol:
None

~Other Notes~
This is a The Beauty and the Beast historical fairytale retelling.

~My Age Recommendation~
16 years old and older.

~Will I Read the Rest of the Series/More from this Author?~
Yes!

~Will I reread this book at some point in time?~
Definitely!

[Alexis Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm a big sucker for Beauty&Beast books when they're done right, and trust me, some authors have really reworked the classic to become heaps better than the original tale. This one, however, is a terrible interpretation of the classic story.
Firstly: I have nothing against religion, but this book goes totally overboard with the preaching in a very heavy-handed way that just sucks the life out of the story. I COULD have overlooked that if not for the ridiculous portrayals of the characters in the story. They're insipid. Shallow. Boring. And worst of all, they aren't strong enough to carry the B&B tale forward.
A B&B story has to deal with emotions and motivations that are more realistic than the average fairytale. After all, the beast had to do *something* to become the beast, something not necessarily bad but probably not necessarily good, either, a lot like how we act in real life. Why did he do *whatever it was*? How? And how has he suffered with the consequences? Belle, on the other hand, has the task of falling in love with a beast. But how? Why? I believe that a successful B&B story has to build a slow realistic relationship over time, because all these questions have to be answered to get that HEA.
If you judge by somewhat similar criterion, you'll find just like I did that nothing of the sort really happens. The conflict between characters is absurdly cliched and made even more frustrating by the non-existent chemistry that is supposed to develop (or even exist) between Belle and the Beast. The other characters just come off as thrown in for fun. They don't further the storyline or add to development in any way, except to facilitate more awkward meetings between Belle and the Beast. Belle turns out to be a weak, spineless, Mary-Sue of nonsensical prettiness and kindness, who just has fits of pessimism and never stands up for herself. She's an embarrassment to strong female leads. The Beast is no better. He never gets past the moody, irrational, and immature stage (and even with so much potential for character development because of the emotional reasons behind this behavior...it all fails.) This, accompanied with odd descriptions of how Belle is some sort of lying temptress (in more flowery and morally right words...) just kill the whole character for me. I actually felt sorry for Belle. How on earth could anyone fall for such a ridiculous ass? And then I realized she was doing it anyway, and I wanted to kill everybody, but most of all myself. Really, the religious preaching that was interspersed amongst this claptrap was the last straw.
I actually think all this happens because the author just doesn't have a way with words. Sometimes I think she's got the idea right, but she just describes it in a way that muddles everything and makes it sound ridiculous. I don't know.
I couldn't finish this book. I read till about midway, then gave up and skimmed through it. Then I deleted it. My advice to you is to go pick something else to read and not waste your time with this. Try Robin McKinley's Folktale series. It has two rewrites of the B&B tale, and they're fantastic. Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier is another favorite of mine. You might even try Alex Flinn's 'Beastly' if modern fairytales float your boat. Anything, anything but this farce of a book.

If I could, I'd give negative stars. Negative stars, *insert appropriate kill me now .gif here.*

[Celestria · Rating 4 out of 5]

~2017 review~

5 stars 🌟

Eeeeee, Melanie Dickerson books make me giddy! This is one of my very favorites, I absolutely love it. *fangirling wildly* 😆😍💙💚💛💜


~2023 review~

4 stars 🌟

It's amusing to see my review from 6 years ago since I don't feel all fangirly and giddy over this book anymore lol. Which is actually quite sad. Old Melanie Dickerson books are still good, sweet reads, but I just don't LOVE them the same way I used to. I think these were written for younger teenage girls, and that's reflected in the writing at some parts.

[Elizabeth Dragina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!

I loved this book so much! Melanie Dickerson seems to always have a way with writing romance novels! They always strike me as fresh, beautiful, pure, different, and unique! I have not been able to mark one Melanie Dickerson book beneath 4.5 stars!

[I'd So Rather Be Reading {Nat} · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not realize until I was about two-thirds of the way through this book, but The Merchant's Daughter is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Not only that, it is a Christian, historical retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I am a huge fan of historical fiction---which is what drew me to the book in the first place---but I am also a big fan of retelling of fairy tales and Christian fiction. To have all of those elements together in one book made for a great read for me!

It's been a couple of weeks since I finished The Merchant's Daughter (I was on a huge reading binge and got very behind on my book reviews) but I still think back upon the book and sigh in contentment. It was such a sweet story, tender without being too mushy. One element of Christian fiction that I sometimes have problems with is the Christian element to the story being too forced. That was not the case here---Annabel's desire to read the Bible and serve God was a natural part of her personality.

What I really liked about The Merchant's Daughter was slowly getting to know Ranulf. We are first presented with him when he almost runs Annabel down in the street. He comes across as a gruff man, even mean. What we don't yet realize is that his gruff exterior covers a tender heart, a heart that is still recovering from betrayal and loss. Ranulf and Annabel slowly get to know each other, and their relationship grows from there.

The story moves slowly, but the detail and character development were more than enough to keep me interested. I felt like there was a lot more to this story, especially with the added interest of the Christian and historical elements to the story, than other retellings of classic fairy tales. I liked it so much that I plan to buy Melanie Dickerson's previous book, The Healer's Apprentice.

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 3 out of 5]

About this book:

“An unthinkable danger. An unexpected choice. Annabel, once the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is trapped in indentured servitude to Lord Ranulf, a recluse who is rumored to be both terrifying and beastly. Her circumstances are made even worse by the proximity of Lord Ranulf s bailiff a revolting man who has made unwelcome advances on Annabel in the past. Believing that life in a nunnery is the best way to escape the escalation of the bailiff s vile behavior and to preserve the faith that sustains her, Annabel is surprised to discover a sense of security and joy in her encounters with Lord Ranulf. As Annabel struggles to confront her feelings, she is involved in a situation that could place Ranulf in grave danger. Ranulf s future, and possibly his heart, may rest in her hands, and Annabel must decide whether to follow the plans she has cherished or the calling God has placed on her heart.”


Series: It will be connected to Melanie Dickerson’s other books when the new book “The Princess Spy” comes out in November. “The Merchant’s Daughter” in considered #2 in this series. “The Healer’s Apprentice”(#1, review Here!), “The Fairest Beauty”(#3), “The Captive Maiden”(#4); should be read in this order for the least amount of spoilers.


Spiritual Content- Annabel’s dearest wish was to enter a convent so she could read a Bible & to know all that God had spoken; Mass going (very detailed, but the village priest is rude to Annabel (see what he believes in Sexual Content); Hymns are song; Lots of Bible reading and Many Prayers; “Holy saints above” and “Sweet saints above” are both said.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a form of ‘idiot’, a ‘witch’, a ‘stupid’, and five curses are said but not written; Mentions of dead animals for food; Bullying (a mention of it, barely-above-not-detailed); Ale is drank (and for some, drunk); Mentions of arrows & where they laid; Ranulf has bad nightmares (pretty detailed); Blood (highest being a barely-above-not-detailed); Almost dead & dead people; A knife; People talk mean about another.


Sexual Content- a ‘wrentch’; A not-detailed kiss, Three semi-detailed kisses, and a detailed kiss; Almost kisses & touches; Mentions of how Bailiff Tom looks at Annabel (he kisses her once (semi-detailed), tries to hurt her and later Annabel wonders what would have happen if nobody showed up to save her; later and almost attack (she’s saved)); Annabel tells of the village priest who makes “it sound as if women were fiend of h*ll, luring men into adultery.” And he says “Woman is the gate of h*ll.”; Servants hoot, cackle & talk about guys (one goes as far as saying about keeping your husband warn at night); A girl says a man forced himself on her (he did not, she’s a big liar and has a crush on him); “other privileges of marriage” is mentioned; Love, falling in love & the emotions.

-Annabel Chapman
-Lord Ranulf le Wyse
P.O.V. switches between them.
Set in 1352 {Medieval}
268 pages

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Two Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars
This was a cute story—in the D*sney ‘Beauty & the Beast’, Belle loved to read (she always had a book in her hands!) (Ohmygoodness! Typing this up I just realized that Bailiff Tom is that jerk! :O ) My favorite part of the D*sney’s ‘Beauty & the Beast’ is (of course!) the library and how happy Belle was! In “The Merchant’s Daughter”, all Annabel wanted was one book—The Bible! Her craving to read the Bible was truly inspiring, making this my favorite Melanie Dickerson book yet.


Link to review:
http://booksforchristiangirls.blogspo...


*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I am glad my daughters will have books, such as these, to read when they are older. I appreciate the fact that Dickerson isn't afraid of applying such strong biblical themes to her stories. I can easily understand why christian, YA girls devour these books up. For me, however, it was just an OK read. Often, I found myself skim reading through repetitive details just trying to get the plot to advance. The ending was lovely though, and the characters made for an enjoyable read.

[Elevetha · Rating 2 out of 5]

" Her's lord's own scent of lavender and warm masculinity.


"Warm masculinity"? You honestly used that? I wasn't aware that was a thing.

Silly phrasing aside, this was okay. I didn't dislike it quite as much as The Healer's Apprentice .
But I'm seeing an annoying trend in this lady's books. Perfect main characters that have been wronged in some way, overly Christian main characters, weird creepy dude A) stalking the main girl or B) trying to take advantage of but then love interest that isn't a love interest yet saves the girl and she doesn't trust him but he's always good looking and he treats her with kindness and he's "gentle" and she starts falling for him against all the odds and they can't be together because of reasons and "God save me, I'm so attracted to him/her" and then they end up together because true love prevails.

Main thought in this one:
Seriously, Annabel. Shoo.


And then (This doesn't actually affect the rating) there was the Catholic priest that was all sexist and "all woman are pigs and you can't read the Bible cause you're a woman!" Am I saying that all members of the Church are perfect and that there weren't priests like that, esp in the Middle Ages? Nope. But it doesn't give a good message. And of course Ranulf is all "READ MY BIBLE, PRETTY SERVANT" straight after.

So no, not recommended.

[Elaina]

Possibly a review later ;) lol

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this! I will definitely be reading more books by Melanie Dickerson!

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved this take on Beauty and the Beast.

[Tris |"I'll leave the morrow for the morrow. Today is enough and more."| Prior · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series
If you love romance and Christianity and historical fiction and mixed up fairy tales then this is a series for you

[Madisyn Carlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

We shall.

So ends The Merchant's Daughter, Melanie Dickerson's Beauty and the Beast retelling. It was also the second of Dickerson's books I ever read, the first being a coffee-stained library copy of The Captive Maiden.

PLOT
This book contains the rudimentary elements for every B&B novel: a kind-hearted maiden, some familial issue, a hero bearing some type of scarring, wounds, or dark past, and a conflict between hero and less-than-stellar townsfolk. I liked the medieval twist, and it aligned with what I know of that historical period.

SETTING
Set in a little village nestled in England, we witness the interesting political and judicial elements that make this story unique. Dickerson does well tying in the past with the "present".

CHARACTERS
Some may call Annabel a Mary Sue, but I don't see her that way. She is a kind and gracious young woman desiring only to do what is best and to follow God to the utmost of her ability. That effort brings with it trials of its own. What I loved was her longing to read the Bible. It put into perspective how grateful we should be today since Bibles can be purchased with a mere click of the mouse.

Ranulf is a broody type of hero, but still lovable. He's one of my favorite Dickerson heroes, and I really appreciated his knowledge of the Bible.

The host of secondary characters are well-written as well, from the matchmaking Mistress Eustanacia to the despicable villain.

FAITH
Here is the most important element of any book. I read the negative reviews before rereading The Merchant's Daughter, and what most of them had in common was a dis of the faith element. I'm here to tell you the faith incorporated into this story is beautiful. Thickly-laid and wonderfully woven in. Truly the best part. I admire Dickerson for being unafraid of presenting the Gospel. The faith element is what gives my rating its fifth star.

CONTENT WARNING
A wolf attack is discussed, a character is maimed from past injuries, a woman is injured by a wretched fiend, a character is shot, and arson causes injuries.

SEXUAL CONTENT
Usually this is placed in the content warning, but I'm taking a different approach for this book.

There are indications a man wants to rape a woman. In fact, he goes so far as to try hauling her off the woods. His foul intentions have been made known to the reader throughout the book, so it doesn't come as a surprise when this occurs. (Nothing ends up happening as far as that goes.) Though the word "rape" isn't used, it's obvious that's the intent. Everything is tastefully handled.

WHAT I WASN'T FOND OF
It always bugs me when the female character is just drop-dead gorgeous. And while I see why Dickerson made her that way, it did mildly irritate me on a few parts.

There was a time or two when I couldn't tell if something was a prayer or the Lord's name in vain. Given what I know of Dickerson, I'd be surprised if it was the latter, but I never like being unable to tell.

The religion is Catholic, so while the verses and discussions of them are correct, there are some really creepy and strange customs mentioned. One such is All Souls' Day. I quote from page 197:

"All Souls' Day came almost two months before Christmas, the day when everyone said prayers to help extricate the dead from purgatory."

This is just creepy. Downright eerie and unsettling and reeking of odd beliefs that are completely and unequivocally unbiblical.

CONCLUSION
The faith gave this book its fifth star, and it's a good B&B retelling. Due to the content, I'd recommend it for girls sixteen and older. It's a solid book I'd feel comfortable letting my younger sibling read, and aside from the skewy issue I mentioned above, the faith is solid.

With a sweet, admirable heroine and a gruff, but kind, hero, what more could you want in a Beauty and the Beast retelling?

[Zoë · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very good! I recommend it to everyone!
As i was reading this book, I happened to be learning about this same day and age in history class, and everything in this book lined up perfectly with my history book. So well done, Melanie, on your research!
And once more, the author did not fail to keep me spellbound throughout the entire story. This is the third one of her books i have read (the other two are The Fairest Beauty and The Captive Maiden) and while i loved the other two, i noticed a few cheesy scenes in each of them. But in The Merchant's Daughter, i couldn't find any scenes that i would call cheesy, which therefore made the story all the more loveable to me. The way Annabel fell in love with Lord Ranulf's inner beauty and not his outward beauty touched my heart and i have to say that i was very emotionally involved in this book (i don't usually cry over books-especially happy ones!!)
The heroine was actually one i really enjoyed and could relate to (i usually love the heroes and want to slap the heroines.)
So really, this was a very enjoyable book. I highly recommend it-especially if you love Fairy Tales, or Belle in particular ;)

Negative Content~
The townspeople are very rude and speak meanly of Lord Ranulf and Annabel.
Lord Ranulf has some less-than-peasant paintings in his chambers including pictures of two graves and a skull.
A man is hit in the head with a rock.
See Sexual Content

Sexual Content~
Annabel and Lord Ranulf falling in love.
One of Annabel's fellow servants tries to seduce Lord Ranulf.
A man lusts after Annabel, attempts to kiss her, and tries one night to capture her for his own use.

Spiritual Content~
Annabel desperately wishes for a Bible so that she might read it.
Reading of the Holy Word.

My Personal Rating~
Five Stars!

Recommended for ages 12+

[Booknut 101 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magnificent, magical, haunting and mesmerising tale - a re-telling of a classic fairytale with many twists and turns, with characters that will make you feel happy, scared, sorrowful and mostly awed by the talented way Melanie Dickerson has told the story of a beautiful merchant's daughter whose misfortunes may just be the start of something beautiful.

It has so many life lessons that can be taken away; so much truth, so much human emotion. You feel for the merchant's daughter and her inner struggle. I read it in one sitting - I just could not put it down!!! I am speechless...it is magic, plain and simple. Pure and utter magic. For the best kind of book-woven magic is not the one that makes you think of paranormal creatures and love triangles...rather the kind that brings back the innocent happiness we experienced as children when we read a book for the first time. A YA book for every girl who loves adventure, heroines, brooding lords, suspense, suspects, witty lines, love, realistic characters, a good cry and a good laugh!!!

[Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Merchant’s Daughter is a non-magical retelling of Beauty and the Beast, basically a historical romance set in the 1300s. It is also an ‘inspirational’ romance, meaning it’s the kind of book an evangelical Christian can feel safe reading. I’ve enjoyed some inspirational books in the past because you can be sure of getting the romance without the graphic sex, and the romance is usually more emotional than physical.

It does have its downsides, though, with characters who often go off into an aside with prayer or godly thoughts, or wait for God’s will instead of acting. Some inspirational authors are more preachy than others, using their characters to teach you how to live, but some don’t do this at all, and just tell a sweet story. Lately all of the ones I’ve read have had too much of the preachy aspect for me, and I think I’ve reached a point where the risk of the bad outweighs the (slight) chance for good in this type of book.

Because this was, hands-down, the preachiest book I’ve ever read in my life. I think half the book was some kind of sermon coming from the mouth or thoughts of the main character, and even worse, they were modern views being spouted from a supposedly Medieval girl. There’s more God-talk, prayer, Bible verse quoting, and WWJD thoughts than actual plot. The anachronisms made me cringe time and again. How I persevered to the end I will never know, but I do know I’m never going back to this author again.

The romance does have some sweet moments, which is probably how I managed to finish it, but the use of religion is so overpowering that it’s all I remember now. I do not appreciate having a historical fairy tale turn into an evangelical Bible study full of sermonizing. I can see religion having a place when it’s appropriate to the time-period (and not with the goal of teaching me lessons), but what we get here is inappropriate in so many ways - a brashly modern American evangelical view of Christianity completely out of place in 1300s England.

**Spoilers ahead**

It’s all because the heroine, Annabel, supposedly wants to be nun so that she can read the Bible for herself, and the entire book is driven by her consuming desire to know what the Bible actually says. It’s all wrong. Girls in the 1300s didn’t want to be nuns so they could read the Bible themselves. This is not a motivation that a merchant’s daughter in Medieval times would even think of. Prayer and contemplation, yes. Escape from the concerns of the worldly or a disagreeable marriage proposal, yes. Fathers needing to offload one of their daughters somewhere for safety or political reasons, yes. Even a desire to serve God! But the idea of what that meant in those times was not the opportunity for personal daily devotions.

So the girl’s entire character is based around this erroneous desire, and she is unstoppable about it. She is so impatient to read the Bible herself (not even able to wait for the convent), that she begs her local priest to let her borrow his Bible… remove it from the church and take it home for some nice cozy time by the fire... really? This is such unrealistic behavior for a young lady in the 1300s that I couldn’t believe what I was reading. How could this book possibly even masquerade as a historical novel?

What’s even worse is that - guess what! - the lord of the manor has his own Bible when the priest doesn’t. And lucky Annabel, because he asks her to read it to him every night. And she somehow knows Latin well enough to do so! So now we have to read through pages - pages - of Bible passages, along with their personal interpretations of how it all applies to them. So the romance is based on this devotional style reading of the Bible and ‘what does this mean to me’ interpretations between the lord and a maid who fall in love over their godly thoughts together. Kill. me. now.

I don’t care what your beliefs are (or mine), I don’t want bad sermons in my books. Or Sunday school lessons. I’m not reading to ‘learn about how to have a relationship with God’, especially offered through the mouths of characters who have no business spouting these concepts. If I want a sermon (or a Bible study, for that matter), I know where to go for one.

Rant over.

[Andrea Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fairy tale retelling definitely had strong connections to Beauty and the Beast, yet it held its own unique setting and delivery. I was better able to relate to this story that its predecessor. I found Annabel a charming “beauty” and Lord Ranulf a surly “beast.” I enjoyed their romance as well as their journey to find acceptance and fresh beginnings. The plot was well thought out and the twists logical. I now have hope that I’ll enjoy more stories in this series.

The faith thread was a bit confused, as it felt Catholic at times and Protestant at others.

Content: alcohol, light sexual innuendo, swearing by “holy saints above” and “sweet saints above” and “saints surround us”

[Ry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't as good as the first one and pretty slow getting into, but near the end it was pretty good!

[Erica (storybookend) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Merchant’s Daughter gave me the same feeling as did The Healer's Apprentice. Melanie’s stories of love and Christianity are beautiful in their simplicity that manages to sing out with perfect love. Love of Christ that urges the characters to strive to live and better their lives and help others, and the love between the two main characters that make me smile and sigh and ache for them to be together, to love completely with no hindrances. I realize this book, as a Christian story, will not appeal to many readers, but as a Christian myself, I delight in stories like these. That are full of soul and love and are clean.

I’ll admit I didn’t read this book for the outstanding plot, or the brilliant execution thereof. The plot is a little weak, some of it I didn’t quite care for, some scenes could have been elongated, shown more emotion, or just dismissed. But it was the characters that livened up the story, that gave me the desire to read to the end and see their happily ever after. And the romance. I love a good love story, and this one was beautiful, so sweet and romantic and fun. It had me smiling, and had my heart aching for Ranulf and Annabel and for their blooming love that had a hard time fully manifesting.

This tale is based on Beauty and the Beast, and reminded me slightly of Heart's Blood, (which is an incredibly brilliant novel that you should read.) Fairytale’s are one of my favorite kinds of stories, and this rendition was most beautiful. Ranulf made a great beast, scarred and misshapen with a sad past and a cold, angry demeanor. Annabel was a strong heroine who was sweet, shy at times, but not afraid to love that which most people fear.

The ending was a little rushed. It certainly could have used more substance (even so, it still had my heart dancing at their romance). But all in all a beautiful end to a wonderful book. I believe anything Melanie writes, I will wholeheartedly love.



This arc was provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

[Rosanna Threakall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one just like the previous book in the series.

This was a retelling of Beauty and The Beast with Christian flare.

This series is like a warm hug, perfect when the rain is pouring!

(Read via audible)

[Shantelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing, medieval fairy tale retelling of Beauty and the Beast from author Melanie Dickerson!

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it bad that I finished this entire book in 6 hours?? I forgot how much I LOVE Melanie Dickerson's books!!! RTC in the morning!

[Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Beauty and the Beast was always my favourite of all of the fairy tales so I loved this realistic rendition of it. It was a splendid read.

Anabel taking responsibility for her family's neglect to do service to their lord goes willingly to become an indentured servant for the new lord. Lord Ranulf. She is dodging unwanted marriage proposals and has fallen in love with lord Ranulf whom she knows couldn't possibly love her a lowly servant. Determined to escape the misery of her unwanted feelings and unwanted proposals she has the desire to go to a convent to become a nun.
Her greatest wish since she was a child was to read the Bible for herself was granted to her by Ranulf, who not knowing her desire, asked for someone to read to him in the evening and her being the only one in his service who spoke up who could read Latin was given the opportunity to read the Bible to him in the evenings. In which she discovered the beauty of the scriptures for herself. Truly a gift as the church back then did not allow the people Bibles in the common tongue and only the very privileged and those who could understand Latin could understand it.
Ranulf who is prone to a bad temper and is distrustful of all women (except his housekeeper who is near family to him) has scars on his face and a scarred and mauled hand and arm from the heroic deed of saving a maiden he once loved. But who mistreated and despised him for his scars leaving him with a scarred bitter heart. He is gruff and withdrawn but can't help but be drawn to a servant girl in his service. Anabel with her heart of gold and gentle meek nature has wholly captured his heart.
When he discovered her desire to become a nun he concluded that she couldn't care for him as he did for her and decided to send her to the convent where he knew she would be safe and -hopefully- happy.
When a disastrous event occurs which could ruin both of their reputations and humiliate them forever they both have to learn to trust more fully in God to give them the peace of mind that they both seek. And they are both given it despite the difficult circumstances.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're in the mood for some good historical (in the lord-servant days) romance for YA, this might be the book for you. The basic storyline is a lot like the classic Beauty and the Beast with just a hint of other fairytales (Annabelle's mom and brothers are almost like Cinderella's wicked stepmother and step-sisters). The pace for the romance is along the timetable and path of Beauty and the Beast.

The story is about the daughter of a wealthy merchant, who dies after misfortunes leave the family poor. The family pays off the ruler in order to get out of work, but when a new ruler comes in, the family must repay those three years by having one of the members served as an indentured servant. The lord is scarred, both physically and emotionally, and has the temper where his reputation precedes him. As Annabelle gets to know she, she realizes that there is more to him than just meet the eye.

I was a little suspicious of Annabelle because Dickerson made her too perfect. She was beautiful; she was smart; she was kind; and she was considerate. Your perfect fairy tale princess. It would have been nice if there was something to make her more believably normal.

The only thing that bothered me about her was the way she felt with Gilbert. He's a perfectly nice, great, handsome guy, and she would feel "sick" being around him. Maybe Dickerson should have just stuck with sick with Tom and nothing more than brotherly or friendly with Gilbert. You don't want to classify them in the same category.

Included is a little romance, and though the pace is slow to progress, it was never a dull moment. The pace of the book was slow and steady so it wasn't boring. I found the book enjoyable from cover to cover.

[Mary-Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I. Loved. This. Book.

This is the third book that I've read in the Hagenheim series (reading them out of order because why not) and it is by far my favorite. Yes, this series can be cheesy at times, and that was certainly true for this book as well. But it was just so sweet.

I loved the characters in this book. Annabel and Ranulf's relationship was so cute. (Also, it took me almost 100 pages to make the connection between the names "Annabel" and "Belle." Go figure.) I feel like Beauty and the Beast can be a tough fairytale to nail in a retelling - after all, how can you make a human a beast? But Melanie Dickerson did it perfectly in this book.

Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough. I absolutely loved it, and it is definitely a favorite of mine now.

[E.F. Buckles · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Merchant’s Daughter” by Melanie Dickerson is the second book in the Hagenheim series.

Great book! :) It got my attention much sooner than the first book in this series, (though I ended up loving that book too) and I really enjoyed it beginning to end. Such a wonderful, sweet, romantic story, and a very creative retelling of Beauty and the Beast.<3


Full disclosure: I won this book from a giveaway on a blog, but had I not won it, I would have bought it because I wanted to read it anyway.

[✝✝ Ⓓaisy ❣ ✝✝ · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW!!!! Why did I wait this long to pick up Melanie!!!
Everything is perfect! The characters, the storyline, God's love, grace, mercy!
No questions asked - Melanie, thumbs up!

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐ Loved it. Only the second Melanie Dickerson book I've read and I'm looking forward to reading more.