Lady Magdaln is is travelling to Wolfberg to marry Duke Steffan, whom she met two years ago at Thornbeck Castle. But when she finds her fortunes turned when her serving maid holds her at knifepoint and demands that they switch places. When they arrive at the castle, she is dismissed to go tend the geese, there she meets a familiar goat herd, and realizes that more might be afoot than she originally thought.

Steffan is returning from Prague when he is attacked by men who seem to be intent on killing him. He cautiously comes back to the castle to find that his uncle has replaced nearly all the staff, and set up his own son as the Duke of Wolfberg. Steffan befriends a familiar goose girl called Maggie, and plots to reclaim his rightful seat.

I was thrilled to find out that this book was about Magdalen the kind hearted young woman who befriended Avelina in the Beautiful Pretender. Magdalen is from a struggling kingdom called Mallin, she knows that she must make a good match to save her people. She is pleased to receive the Duke's proposal, hoping that she will be able to marrying for love. Magdalen is kind to everyone, and is a good friend, humble, and a wants to please. She holds to her faith in difficult times, and does her best to make the most of where she is placed.

This is a fast paced read that is hard to put down. I loved the interaction between Magdalen and Steffan, and how it just seems so natural and at ease between them. Magdalen is a great encourager and edifies others around her, she truly treats others how she would like to be treated. Full of mystery and adventure, this is a engaging read from beginning to end. Definitely recommend!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and testimonials in Advertising."

The Noble Servant
A Medieval Fairy Tale #3
By Melanie Dickerson

Magdalen of Mallin is desperate to save her people who have been suffering since the region's copper mines ran out and her father died. Her only hope is marriage to a wealthy man, but Magdalen has always dreamed of marrying for love. And secretly she has had fond memories of her short time in the presence of the Duke of Wolfberg. But her dreams of the Duke are just that dreams or are they?

Suddenly Magdalen's hopes and dreams for herself and her people are about to come true. But when Magdalen's dream becomes a nightmare - when she is forced into a role of servitude by the very servants entrusted with her care - she finds herself living a life she never imagined. But who would believe a shamed servant girl that she is in truth the intended bride of the Duke of Wolfberg?

But there is more at stake in Wolfberg than Magdalen's future as something about the Duke seems amiss, but is Magdalen's memory of the Duke true or has it been altered by her dreams?

This is another delightful tale from Melanie Dickerson and those who have read her previous books will once again be enchanted. For those new to her work, this book is well worth reading as her books can stand alone though there are little snippets that refer to characters who have been in previous books. Tweens, teens and adults alike can enjoy this wholesome and refreshing reimagining of the Goose Girl. The cover is as beautiful as the story it wraps.

I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher through BookLook with no expectation of a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Good themes--the power of forgiveness over revenge, the importance of doing what's right regardless of what others do to you, etc. Sweet romance that is clean and appropriate.

This book was OK, not one of the authors better books

I was very excited to read Melanie Dickerson's new novel, The Noble Servant, because I really liked A Spy's Devotion. This was an enjoyable story that I read quickly; however, the dialogue was a little off. I'm not sure what it was, but it wasn't bad enough that I didn't want to keep reading.

The story itself was very interesting. I was quite entertained by Steffan and Magdalen being stripped of their identities, and trying to make things right while trying to blend in.

I don't see myself reading this again but I don't regret reading it. It was clean and entertaining. Three stars.

Lady Magdalen of Mallin is overjoyed. The Duke of Wolfberg has summoned her, asking for her hand in marriage. She has fond memories of the young, handsome man she danced with at Thornbeck Castle but never in a million years expected him to ask her to marry him. Even though she’s a baron’s daughter, her lack of wealth has caused many a suitor to turn away from her. Could the Duke really be interested in an impoverished lady?
As she travels to Wolfberg, Magdalen anticipates her first sight of Steffan. What she doesn’t anticipate is a change in her station. Just as the castle comes into view, her “loyal” maidservant and the maid’s father, stop the caravan and force Magdalen to change places with the maid. Magdalen enters the castle as “Agatha” and her maid enters as Magdalen. Banished to the lowly job of goose girl, Magdalen waits for the duke to take one look at Agatha and cry, “Foul!” When that doesn’t happen, she takes a good look at the “duke” and discovers that not everything is as it seems at Wolfberg. How can she reclaim her true identity when “Lady Magdalen” is putting on such a good show?
Steffan, Duke of Wolfberg, is called home by his uncle who was standing in his stead while Steffan gained some schooling. On the way back, Steffan’s two guards, sent by his uncle, turn on him and try to kill him. Instead, Steffan’s superior sword-fighting skills win the day. Suspicious of his uncle’s motives, Steffan dresses as a shepherd and enters Wolfberg to discover his cousin, Alex, ensconced as the “Duke of Wolfberg.” And, just as suspicious, the lady that everyone is calling “Lady Magdalen of Mallin” looks nothing like the delightful young woman he danced with at Thornbeck. What in the world is going on?
Assigned to the sheep of the castle, Steffan encounters a beautiful goose girl when they are both grazing their flocks in the same meadow. The more he looks at her, the more he sees Lady Magdalen but why is she out with the geese instead of inside with his cousin? What brought her to Wolfberg in the first place? So many questions. Can he ferret out the answers?
The Noble Servant is a follow-up book to The Beautiful Pretender by Melanie Dickerson. The romance is sweet, the intrigue is suspenseful and the two main characters are, above all, honorable. Both strive to follow the teachings in their Psalters and neither expects to love the other. Fans of Melanie Dickerson will love this addition to her booklist as will fans of sweet, gentle romance. I enjoyed this one!

Lady Magdalen is a woman with a good heart. She agrees to travel for days to marry a man that she met at an event two years ago. The book is set in Medieval times, so this is no small feat. She means to marry him to help her people from the escape the poverty they are experiencing, since the copper mines no longer produce.

She is faced with treachery right from the beginning. The funny thing is that this book is full of treachery. Few are who or what they seem.

Steffan is the Duke returning home after a two year absence. He has not idea that his Uncle asked Magdalen to marry him. He is returning home on false pretenses, only to find that treachery awaits him.

This book is full of plot twists. It is engaging and fun to read. I love medieval times. There is something about it that appeals to me, probably because it is so different from the life we have during the present day. I loved the setting, and I love the story of the Goose Girl. This book is a twist on the fairy tale. The characters are well written, and the book felt true to the time period.

There are many great things to recommend this book. It is clean with a tiny bit of kissing. Scriptures are quoted, but it is by no means preachy.

Source: I requested a copy from Netgalley to review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Reinvigorated my love of reading with <i>The Noble Servant,</i> by Melanie Dickerson, with an advance copy through NetGalley. Wicked “wanna-bes” steal the identities of Lady Magdalen and Steffan, Duke of Wolfberg. First not trusting each other, Magdalen and Steffan begin to fall in love as they steer around deadly treachery to reasserting their own true selves. Along the way, both characters draw strength and support from scripture.

I absolutely love this retelling. The Noble Servant is a sweet romance packed with adventure and faith. Both Steffan and Magdalen are strong characters with morals and flaws. Perfect for a story such as this.

I best love how, after being stripped of everything they knew and thought they wanted, they were able to wait patiently on the Lord. It’s a great picture of how our lives should look.

I also really appreciated that the romance was all emotional and not physical. With the exception of a few lip kisses in the last chapter, their romance focuses on friendship and trust – a perfect beginning.

While the author is one of my favorites this book is not one of my favorites. This is my least favorite from the author, which is disappointing. I loved Lady Magdalen in The Beautiful Pretender and couldn't wait to read her story.

This is a Christian Regency I guess? I liked the beginning of the story very much, the middle kind of dragged and was repetitious, but the ending was pretty good. Too light on the romance aspect though to read like the Regency titles I'm used to.

Let's start with the cover. While I think it's a beautiful cover, it doesn't scream Melanie Dickerson to me. Any one else think that? Maybe it's the title. That didn't seem to match any of the other books of hers either. I mean, this has nothing to do with anything, I just thought it was interesting that it was so different.

I was a bit surprised with this story, with how fast Steffan and Magdalen figured out who each other were. I think I was expecting most of the story to be of the discovery, but instead it happens really quickly at the beginning, and the most of the story focuses on how to restore each of them to their titles and privileges.

This made me want to go back and reread Beautiful Pretender since this is the next book. However, that being said, even though I didn't remember anything from Beautiful Pretender I didn't have any problem following along with this story, so if this is the first Melanie Dickerson book you are picking up you will be fine and not lost at all.

Ah. Another satisfying fairy tale retelling from Melanie Dickerson. I honestly didn't know this Grimms fairy tale so had to look it up before reading the book.

The storyline loosely follows the original Goose Girl fairy tale. Of course, the plot is filled with evil scheming villains who almost overpower the good, the handsome chivalrous noble hero, the beautiful and gentle heroine, twists and turns that have the reader holding her breath to see what happens next...and a generous dose of faith and prayer in the midst of dire circumstances. The writing, as always, is superb and draws the reader into the medieval world of the Holy Roman Empire.

Steffan is vulnerable, noble, compassionate, thoughtful, and kind even though his rightful place as a duke has been deceitfully taken away. Magdalen is gentle, kind, compassionate, loving, and resourceful even though her rightful place as a baron's daughter has been deceitfully taken away and is forced to serve the deceiver.
There are mentions of characters from her previous medieval fairy tale books and some cameo appearances. I've only read the Golden Braid prior to this book so wasn't familiar with the characters but that did not detract from this book in any way. Now I'm eager to go back and read the other six books in the Hagenheim series.

I especially enjoyed Steffan and Magdalen's sharing of Scripture together and prayer times together. It reminded me why Scripture memorization is so important and nudged me to be more like Magdalen, thirsting for His Word.

I received ARC of the book from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley. I was not required to give a favorable review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.

Goose Girl reimagined! (3.5 stars)

Dickerson continues to take a well known fairy story and reimagine it to life in a new way. This time Grimm's tale of the Goose Girl is reborn. Lady Magdalen is to marry Steffan, the Duke of Wolfberg. This marriage will help lift her province out of poverty. En route she is forced by her maid and maid's father to exchange places. Agnes her maid will now marry the Duke. However at the Duke's castle, the wicked Lord has seen to it that his son Alexander will take Steffan's place. Men are sent to kill Steffan. Fortunately that plot fails.
Steffan and Magdalen have to find a way to regain their respective proper places and come to a mutual understanding of what love and worthiness truly is. I liked Magdalen, but Steffan left me somewhat unmoved. He certainly has more growing to do than Magdalen.
Theirs is not a straightforward path. However both Magdalene and Steffan have right, faith and endurance on their side. And after all this is a 'fairy story'.
I must say that Magdalene has far more compassion for Agnes, the maid who betrayed her, than I would have.
At times I found the going a little strained. I understand the perspective underlying Dickerson's faith based writings and applaud her for it. I sometimes felt that there was an over inclusion of Magdalen and Steffan's references to scripture and the God's will, leading to a somewhat stilted reading process that interfered with the flow of the storyline. What had all the hallmarks of being a nuanced literary endeavour just didn't eventuate to its full potential.
Dickerson's works do however continue to break new grounds in the realms of Christian fiction specifically, and fiction more generally, and that's very promising.

A NetGalley ARC
(May 2017)

Lady Magdalen is out of options and gets a letter to come and marry the Duke! Before she gets there she is forced to change places with her Servant. She is put in an impossible situation yet shows great resilience and humbleness throughout the ordeal. Steffan is the Duke and his Uncle has tried to have him killed and replaced with his son. They have to work together to regain their rightful place and save their people. A lot of growth must take place as well along the way. Danger lurks at every turn. Another excellently written book in this series!

This was more of a 3.5 for me as a reader, but rounded up because it was still very intricately detailed. Definitely more cute than serious period, but that being said, it was still a fun read. Magdalen and Steffan's story is part of this Medieval story series, but it is a standalone read. Magdalen's kind and tender heart, her willingness to stand for others as they face evil and cruelty attract the eye of Steffan. Both are hiding their real identities, and both fall for each other in disguise. Things conspire against them, and they are compelled to join together to fight the evil that is hurting both them and their loved ones and servants. Lovely fall, sweet and tender feelings, create the magic in this story. My wish for stronger side characters, and maybe more true to historical norms (would they really have been able to sleep in the same room/same cave without a chaperone, and not have her reputation ruined?).

About this 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.”


Series: Book #3 in the “Thornbeck” series. Review of #1 Here! and #2 Here!


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, quoted, & prayed; Many Prayers & crossing; A confession; Talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Many mentions of God & Jesus; Many mentions of prayers, praying, & crossing; Mentions of talks about God & faith; Mentions of Bible reading & studying; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of churches, cathedrals, convents, nuns, priests, & confessions; Mentions of sins & forgiveness; A few mentions of Heaven & angels; A few mentions of blessings & being blessed; A couple mentions of miracle & passion plays at Easter; A couple mentions of Christians; A couple mentions of saints; A mention of the pope;
*Note: A couple mentions of superstitions; A mention of heathens.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: two ‘stupid’s; Some eye rolling; Quite a lot of fighting, hitting, swords, blood/bleeding, & killing/murdering (self-defense) (up to semi-detailed); Being held at knife point & threaten (up to semi-detailed); Pain, being bit, beatings, blacking out, blood/bleeding, & injuries (up to semi-detailed); Being freaked out in small spaces & imagining the worse (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of fighting, violence, nearly being killed, being struck, beatings, being strangled, knifes/swords, being threaten, pain, blood/bleeding, & injuries (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of assassins, killing/killings, murders, attacking, & blood (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of executions, hangings, & torture; Mentions of deaths, bodies, & those starving to death (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of drinking, wine, poisons & poisoning someone; Mentions of nightmares of animals & a man attacking a girl or her geese (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of hunting animals preying on geese; Mentions of a young child being stuck in a well, screaming & very scared (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of thieves & stealing; Mentions of hatred & threats; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of gossip; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of a lady having to use the bathroom outdoors; A few mentions of a father beating his son; A couple mentions of the thought of stabbing/killing someone in their sleep; A couple mentions of boys throwing rocks at a dog; A couple mentions of throwing up.


Sexual Content- an almost kiss, four cheek kisses, two not-detailed kisses, five barely-above-not-detailed kisses, two semi-detailed kisses; Wondering about/Wanting to kissing someone (five times, barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Holding/Embraces, Smelling, & Flutters (barely-above-not-detailed); Remembering touches (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing & Staring; Mentions of being tempted to kiss, kissing & kisses; Mentions of seeing & hearing a couple kissing (twice, no details); Mentions of touches; Mentions of having to share a room with the opposite gender (nothing happens); Mentions of falling in love & not marrying for love; A few mentions of men staring at Magdalen & winking; A few mentions of blushes; A couple mentions of a man having “a little fun” with a woman & doing unspeakable things (it doesn’t happen); A couple mentions of an apprentice who has bedded half of the maidservants; A couple mentions of unwanted advances; A couple mentions of flirting; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of men pursuing women & carousing; A mention of a hand kiss; Love, falling in love & the emotions;
*Note: Mentions of a mother & baby that died in childbirth; A mention of kicking someone in his groin.

-(Lady) Magdalen of Mallin, age 19
-Steffan of Wolfberg, age 21
P.O.V. switches between them & Hazen (4x)
Set in 1365 {Medieval}
313 pages

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Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
*sigh* It’s over already? Oh, what a perfect ending.
Being a loose retelling on The Goose Girl (a story I wasn’t familiar with) and The Princess & the Pauper, I could see the elements of both worked into this plot.
This was such another great Melanie Dickerson novel! I feel like I say it again every book she comes out with, but this might be one of my favorites! However, I would say this is probably my favorite of out this trilogy.
Just like all of Miss Melanie’s past books, the main girl is incredible, relatable, loveable, & inspirational for readers on her faith. Magdalen didn’t hate Agnes even after everything that happened, asking God to help her forgive and even mentions that she doesn’t want Agnes killed for she might repent someday. Steffan did kill a few men out of self-defense or protection for Magdalen, but I honestly don’t think it was gruesome or icky in the mentions due to the way it was written.
Even though it had more of a serious undertone, there were many times I giggled out loud at Steffan or comments he made. There also was a part where I literally yelled out, “They’re just like Mandie & Joe!” {Mandie series by Lois Gladys Leppard} (pg. 234)
But that ending took the cake and I loved seeing Avelina again! Awww! :)


*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.
*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Thomas Nelson) for this honest review.

The Noble Servant by Melanie Dickerson is yet another fairytale retelling, but these never get old! This one is loosely based off the story of the Goose Girl, as you may be able to tell from the cover. Speaking of which, I really like this cover. The model’s long, blond hair reminds me of Buttercup from The Princess Bride, and the golden lettering is just so pretty. I also love that you can tell which fairytale it’s based off of by the cover, as most times it’s very hard to figure that out until you read it with other Dickerson works.
As for the story itself, I really enjoyed it. A few of Dickerson’s last works didn’t “float my boat”, but this one did. I was hooked by the plot and was cheering for the main characters. I appreciated the instances of prayer and belief in God, and that there seemed to be more of them in this book than in some of the author’s other works, but I didn’t think that they flowed into the story very smoothly. Overall, I would highly recommend Dickerson’s fairytale books to tween and teenage girls who want an exciting, romantic, clean, and inspirational story that they can learn from and feel as if they are in some far-off castle at the same time.
Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Net Galley for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and were not required to be positive.
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion – which I’ve done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

I'm not very familiar with the goose girl fairy tale, so I can't really say how closely this novel followed or connected with that story. I would also mention that I'm reviewing this novel with the Young Adult (YA) categorization in mind, as I feel that this novel is more relevant for that age group.

The overall storyline of The Noble Servant was entertaining. I liked the plot twists and the way that different characters were posing as other people, so there were always different consequences happening as a result of that. The lies and corruption were not glamorized, so I felt that this was a good moral lesson that was shown in the story. It was also a very clean novel. While there was some mild romantic tension, I thought it was appropriate for a YA novel. Magdalen and Steffan's moral character grew through the story, as they learned humility through their circumstances. For those reasons, it is a novel I believe my young daughter would enjoy.

The only things that, in considering it's a YA novel, that concerned me was the way that murder was the constant threat to the characters. It seemed to be the only option in dealing with those who stood in opposition the evil characters plotting against the more virtuous one. For example, one character consistently told Magdalen if she didn't do something, she would be killed and her friend would be killed, If someone came to her aide, they would be murdered. Basically all the "good guys" were threatened to be killed. At one point even Magdalen herself found pleasure in the idea of murdering her adversary in her sleep by stabbing her in the heart. While very few killings actually took place, and the ones that did were in self-defense, I found that aspect a little intense for a YA reader. For an adult, not so much. I've read several YA novels, and many of the mainstream books in this category can be much more intense. With Christian fiction, I tend to be a little stronger with my critique.

**I received a free copy of this novel to give an honest opinion, which I did.**

After reading The Silent Songbird last year, I became an instant fan of Melanie Dickerson. She has a great talent for weaving a story that is adventurous and engaging. Her characters are full and easy to sympathize with, and upon finishing her tales you feel as if you’ve stepped out of a fairytale.

The Noble Servant is an engaging medieval Christian read that deals with loss and love. It is a retelling of The Goose Girl fairytale. If you aren’t familiar with that fairytale, no loss, for I’ve never even heard of it and enjoyed the re-imagined story tremendously. There is a strong element of faith woven throughout that gives an even richer fullness to the story.

If you love fairytales, you’ll enjoy Magdalen and Steffan’s story. The author weaved a wonderful tale that enchanted this reader well into the night turning page after page.

Cover: LOVE
Title: LOVE
Pages: 336
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 978-0718026608
First Line: “Where do you think you are going looking like a beggar?”
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley.