The Merchant's Daughter

by Melanie Dickerson

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310727613
Publisher:	Zondervan
Publication date:	12/04/2011
Series:	Fairy Tale Romance Series , #2
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	112,682
Product dimensions:	5.45(w) x 8.45(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	15 - 17 Years

About the Author

Melanie Dickerson is a New York Times bestselling author and two-time Christy Award winner. Melanie spends her time daydreaming, researching the most fascinating historical time periods, and writing and editing her happily-ever-afters. Visit her online at Melanie Dickerson.com; Facebook: @Melanie Dickerson Books; Twitter: @Melanie Author; Instagram: @melaniedickerson123.

Editorial Reviews

'True, readers will peg the happy ending at the start, but the progression of Annabel’s honorable love affair will have the rapt attention of Christian-fiction fans.' - Courtney Jones, Booklist Review

Booklist Review

Dickerson's second novel (after The Healer's Apprentice) is a twist on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale (with a little Cinderella thrown in). Annabel, the daughter of a once-wealthy merchant, must become an indentured servant to get her family out of debt after her father's death leaves them in dire straits. Her new master is Lord Ranulf le Wyse, who is so disfigured physically and emotionally that Annabel would rather die than have to serve him. Over time, she comes to see that there is more to him than meets the eye. VERDICT Dickerson's writing doesn't meet the high expectations set by her acclaimed debut. The pacing sometimes lags, and the conflict is not believable enough. Still, adult and YA readers who enjoyed the previous novel will pick this one up.

Library Journal

Living in rural Glynval, England, in 1352, a beautiful but penniless merchant's daughter discovers appearances can be deceiving. As she did with The Healer's Apprentice (2010), Dickerson spins period romance from a fairy tale, in this case, "The Beauty and the Beast." When their wealthy father loses his ships in a storm and dies of pestilence, 17-year-old Annabel and her family must pay a huge fine to avoid the indenture of one of them to Lord Ranulf le Wyse. Although her "dearest wish was to enter a convent," Annabel opts to work as Ranulf's serving maid rather than enter an arranged marriage with the lecherous bailiff. Rumored to have a fierce temper and beastly appearance, Ranulf finds himself attracted to kind-hearted Annabel and, to her joy, asks her to read him the Bible every evening. When the bailiff is brutally attacked and Annabel implicated, Ranulf knows he should send her away to a convent, but he can't bear to lose her. Should Annabel flee or stay to defend lonely, disfigured Ranulf, whom she has come to love? Awash in meticulous medieval detail and heavily glossed with Christian overtones, this thinly veiled homily pulses with self-sacrifice, good intentions and suppressed sexuality. A virtuous romance with characters who "fall in love with each other's inner beauty in spite of outward appearance." (author's note) (Historical fiction. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews