My Bookshelf: The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson

The one who needs rescuing isn’t always the one in the tower.

        Rapunzel can throw a knife better than any man. She paints beautiful flowering vines on the walls of her plaster houses. She sings so sweetly she can coax even a beast to sleep. But there are two things she is afraid her mother might never allow her to do: learn to read and marry.

        Fiercely devoted to Rapunzel, her mother is suspicious of every man who so much as looks at her daughter and warns her that no man can be trusted. After a young village farmer asks for Rapunzel’s hand in marriage, Mother decides to move them once again—this time, to the large city of Hagenheim.

       The journey proves treacherous, and after being rescued by a knight—Sir Gerek—Rapunzel, in turn, rescues him farther down the road. As a result Sir Gerek agrees to repay his debt to Rapunzel by teaching her to read. Could there be more to him than his arrogance and desire to marry for riches and position? 

        The Golden Braid is one of Melanie Dickerson’s young adult fiction fairy tale retellings, and I’m sure you can guess which princess she’s focusing on with this one (wink wink). I have read her retellings of Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella—The Fairest Beauty, The Merchant’s Daughter, The Healer’s Apprentice, and The Captive Maiden (my favorite!!!), and I loved each one of them. Melanie is really a wonderful author who does an amazing job of weaving together her fairy-tale type stories with her medieval time period, and her novels are always captivating and full of suspense and just the perfect amount of romance. Clearly, I was looking forward to reading this book as soon as I heard she was writing it, and I am so glad I finally got to (I know, I know, it just came out, but I’ve been waiting ever since I heard about it months and months ago)!

        Rapunzel is such a great heroine. Despite the fears that her mother instilled in her and the pain she continually caused her, Rapunzel is extremely brave and strong and kind, and not nearly as broken as one would expect, simply because she continually sees the good in her situation. Even though she has the right to be bitter and angry and scared of her own shadow, she continually embodies all the qualities one would expect a heroine to have. She still stumbles, however, which is perfect because it makes her relatable to those of us who aren’t fairy tale heroines. I just really love the way she cares for others, especially those in Hagenheim, and I absolutely LOVE the way she interacts with Sir Gerek, although I have to confess I liked Valten and Gisela (from The Captive Maiden) and their relationship just a little bit better.

        Sir Gerek was a little difficult for me to like at first. Maybe because he wasn’t Valten, maybe because he was an arrogant and rude little knight, but whatever the case, I quickly grew to love him. Once he got past his own pain and fears, he became the perfect hero worthy of such a woman as Rapunzel. He was still a little surly at times, of course, but he learned to be nice and did lots of other things that I cannot tell you but that made him incredibly wonderful in my eyes, especially since he gave me quite a few reasons to get a little swoony.

        I really loved the intense, action-packed elements to this novel, probably because it made me sit on the edge of my seat and bite my nails on a couple of occasions, and I enjoy when a book is suspenseful enough to cause me to do that. Even though I have mentioned that I like The Captive Maiden better multiple times, don’t let that discredit this novel. I really, really loved The Golden Braid; enough to give it five bookshelves in fact, and enough to place it on my all-time favorites list. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good, suspenseful romance novel, but especially to all of those teens or their mothers who are looking for a clean, wholesome YA (young adult) novel that is interesting and action-packed and yet doesn’t make them blush or have to put it down.

        Happy reading!!!

I received a copy of this book from the Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest review.

If you want to see where I’m linking up check out my Where I Party page.

All credit for the wonderful photo goes to my sister, Allie, whose blog you can check out here.

All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Melanie Dickerson and Thomas Nelson Publishing.

Quarterly Round-Up: July-September

        Here are all of the novels I have read this quarter!

  

How to Catch a Prince

        How to Catch a Prince, the third book in Rachel Hauck’s Royal Wedding series, is one of my favorite books I’ve read this quarter. It was such a sweet, romantic novel that was the perfect conclusion to this series. I already cannot wait to read it again!

The Brickmaker’s Bride

        Although I did enjoy this novel to a certain degree, there were quite a few things that bothered me about the storyline, characters, and way that the book was written. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it unless those type of things don’t bother you, if you’re already a fan of Judith Miller and want to read this and find out for yourself, or if you don’t mind reading books like that anyway.

A Most Inconvenient Marriage

        This was the first novel I had ever read by Regina Jennings, and I loved it! It made me an immediate fan of her writing. This book was funny and sweet and left my heart melted in a puddle by the end. I would definitely read it again, and know that I am anticipating reading more of her novels in the future!

For Such a Time

        Kate Breslin’s debut novel, For Such a Time, was another book that made me an immediate follower of the author. This World War II based version of Esther was by far one of my new favorite novels, and I would recommend it to anyone. It is intriguing, mysterious, and sweet, and I just know you would love it.

A Worthy Pursuit

        Since I have already read almost every book by Karen Witemeyer, I knew I would love this novel, but I didn’t realize it would quickly become another one of my favorites. I was captivated by every page, loved the mysterious aspect to it, and completely fell for the characters and their love story.

Lady Maybe

        I love Julie Klassen’s work. Everything she writes is amazing, and this novel was no exception. It had so many unexpected twists and turns, and I just loved the happy ending. Besides, the characters and setting were absolutely amazing.

The Curiosity Keeper

        Sarah E. Ladd is another one of my favorite authors. She does an amazing job of spinning captivating historical romances that are impossible to put down, and this book was no exception. Add to that the mysterious aspect of it, and you’ve got yourself a book you’re sure to enjoy.

The Colonel’s Lady

        This was the first book I had ever read by Laura Frantz, but it quickly became one of my favorite novels, which added her to my list of favorite novels. This book was super intriguing and sweet, and I loved all of the twists and turns it took. It easily became one of the best Revolutionary War era novels I have ever read.

The Decision

        Although I have been a fan of Wanda E. Brunstetter’s work in the past, I am sorry to say I did not enjoy this novel. At all. The plotline was slow and a bit uninteresting, the characters were extremely difficult to like, and the ending—while unpredictable—was not at all happy or enjoyable. I was very disappointed with this novel, so I would not necessarily recommend it.

Not By Sight

        Kate Breslin’s sophomore novel, Not By Sight, wowed me just as much as her first. It was such a sweet, intriguing novel that had one of the best love stories I have ever read. And the mystery aspect of it just put this book over the top for me.

The Captive Maiden

        I love, love, loved this book!!! Melanie Dickerson writes THE BEST fairy-tale retellings that are always full of gripping scenes and breathtaking romances, and this novel was one of the best examples of that. I read the entire thing in one sitting simply because as soon as I would try to put it down, I would pick it right back up!

Murder Freshly Baked

        As the third book in Vannetta Chapman’s Amish Villiage Mysteries series, I knew coming in that this would most likely be an excellent book, since I read the first two that is. I didn’t expect, however, that it would be as intense as it was, or that they mystery would be quite that hard to figure out. I definitely enjoyed this book, and was sad to see the series come to an end.

Sweetwater Gap

        I recently became a huge fan of Denise Hunter’s, and this book reminded me just why I love her writing. It had such a heart-wrenching storyline that captivated me from the start and made me weep for the main characters as the story went on.

Brightest and Best

        Although this book started out very slowly for me, I really did come to enjoy it, especially as I got deeper and deeper into the heart of the Amish’s struggle with the public school system. The history that filled this novel was wonderful, and I loved the romance that went along with it.

Your Best Happily Ever After

        This was the first non-fic I had ever reviewed, but I must say I enjoyed it immensely and loved having the chance to review such an inspiring book. Ginger Kolbaba’s tips on how to have your best happily ever after were all things I immediately wanted to put into practice, and her funny quips and stories made this a book I know I will read again and again.

The Prayer Box

        This was the first book I had ever read by Lisa Wingate, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I quickly fell in love with her writing style, the storyline, and the characters, and knew that I had found another author for my favorites list.

The Lost Heiress

        Roseanna M. White has been one of my absolute favorite authors for quite some time now—ever since I read her Culper Ring series—so I knew that I would really enjoy this book. I am happy to say that I was not disappointed. This novel was absolutely amazing, every last bit of it was captivating and swoon worthy, and I cannot wait to read the rest of the series as it comes out.

A Lady of Esteem

        A Lady of Esteem is the e-short prequel to Kristi Ann Hunter’s Hawthorne House series, and was the first book she ever published. I stumbled upon it by chance one day, and immediately fell in love with Kristi Ann’s writing and the Hawthorne family. This short novel was super cute and funny, and I really felt like it told the whole story without rushing it too much, although I would have loved to hear more about its main characters.

A Noble Masquerade

        The first book in Kristi Ann Hunter’s Hawthorne House series, I began anticipating this novel as soon as I began A Lady of Esteem. When I finally got a chance to read this novel—right before it released—I was ecstatic, and I immediately fell in love with the story. I already loved the Hawthorne family, but as I got to know the other main character, I loved him as well. This book was the perfect debut novel for Kristi Ann, and I cannot wait to read all about the rest of the Hawthornes.

The Chase

        A super sweet book about trusting God with your happily ever after, The Chase by Kyle and Kelsey Kupecky was the second non-fic I finished/reviewed this year. I really enjoyed reading about how Kyle and Kelsey advise young girls to trust God, chase after Him, and then when the time is right let their Prince Charming chase after them. It really was a God-inspired book, and I really applaud them for taking the time to write something that will be such a great source of inspiration for young women around the world.

Falling Like Snowflakes

        As I said earlier, I am a HUGE fan of Denise Hunter’s. So, when I heard she was coming out with a new series, I practically jumped up and down with excitement. I almost immediately hurried to preorder this novel, and I anxiously waited for it until it released a few weeks ago. I devoured this book, loved every single bit of it, and promptly ordered another copy to send to my friend for her birthday. This book is that good.

The Selection

        Although I typically stick to Christian novels when it comes to any type of fiction, I took a chance on Kiara Cass when it came to this novel, and I ended up enjoying it immensely. Because there was a little bit of language in this book, I would not necessarily recommend it, but I definitely did like the way Kiara set up her futuristic version of our world.

The Elite

        Since I enjoyed the first novel in the series, I picked up this second book in The Selection series by Kiara Cass, and I have to say I liked this one as well. Although I’m not entirely sure I agree with all the twists and turns she took throughout this book, I am looking forward to being able to finish this series.

When Mercy Rains

        I have been a fan of Kim Vogel Sawyer for quite some time now, so I was sure I would enjoy this series. What I didn’t expect, however, was just how touching this novel would be. It was so sweet and inspiring, and I absolutely loved the storyline.

When Grace Sings

        I (obviously) loved this second novel in the series as well, and was very pleased with how Kim Vogel Sawyer continued the previous themes in this book, while still creating this novel a story of its own. I really loved getting the chance to continue to get to know the Zimmerman family, and I cannot wait to read the final book in this series as soon as I get the chance.

The Governess of Highland Hall

        Another debut novel, this was (obviously) the first book I had ever read by Carrie Turansky. I immediately fell in love with her early 20^th century historical, and with the many characters she introduced in this novel. It was such a sweet, interesting story that made me a definite fan of Carrie’s.

The Daughter of Highland Hall

        As the second book by Carrie Turansky, I knew a little more about what I was getting into when I picked up this novel. I already loved one of the main characters—I had met her in the previous novel—and I quickly fell for the other, and their story together. Now I cannot wait for the final book in the series!

The Promise of Palm Grove

        This was such a cute, sweet little book that was such fun, fluffy reading to fill my summer. I really enjoy the way Shelley Shepard Gray spins her Amish stories, and that, added to some loveable characters, made for a wonderful series that I have been enjoying.

The Proposal at Siesta Key

        The second book in Shelley Shepard Gray’s Amish Brides of Pinecraft series, The Proposal at Siesta Key is my favorite one so far, even though I’ve only read two. It was just as sweet, cute, and fluffy as the one before it, but I liked the love story just a little bit better. Or a lot. Either way, this was another enjoyable summer read.

        And those are the books I’ve read this quarter! What about you? How many books have you read the last three months?

        Happy Fall!

Linking up at Let it Shine, Monday's Musings, Literacy Musing Mondays, Bloggers Who Have Inspired Me, and Totally Terrific Tuesdays.

All credit for the photos featuring the wonderful outdoor scenery goes to my awesome sister Allie. Check out her blog here.

My book: Lives Changed

So, despite the fact that I haven't gotten anywhere near ten comments on my Struggles post, I am going to post a synopsis on the book I'm working on anyway. I'm getting super excited; I'm on my final stages of editing before I publish it as an E-book. I haven't decided on a cover image yet, but I am pretty happy with how the story's turning out.
I don't really know what else to say on the subject, except that I hope you really enjoy the synopsis below, and the book to come!

Six friends. Six lives. Six months. How many trials can one group take? Is God still there in the midst of it all?
Jessica, Austin, Lindsey, Landon, Tia, and Luke are all just figuring out how to love and what being a Christian in this world really means when their lives are turned upside-down. Will they turn to God and each other to get through the pain? Or will things be lost as they find their lives changed?

(Let me know what you think!!)