I’ve always been a sucker for a good fairytale, especially if it includes romance. So when I discovered Melanie Dickerson’s fairytale retellings in 2013, I instantly fell in love! I randomly downloaded Melanie’s debut novel, which had been out for three years at that point, and devoured it in one day. I know for many of my fellow bookworms out there, this is a fairly common occurrence, but for me it is the one and only time I have read a book so quickly. I’ve read some in two or three days, but The Healer’s Apprentice remains the only book I have read in 24hrs.
Melanie’s first book introduced the characters Rose & Wilhelm, and is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty.
In Melanie’s second book, she moved from Hagenheim, Germany to the English countryside. The Merchant’s Daughter (which I didn’t read until after having read a few of the following books in the series) is retelling of my FAVORITE fairytale, Beauty and the Beast! Annabel and Lord Ranulf Le Wyse will always have my heart. **sigh**
After reading The Healer’s Apprentice, the next book of Melanie’s that I purchased was actually her third book–The Fairest Beauty. My sweet daddy purchased it for me while we were spending the day together and made a stop at our local LifeWay. (Who else is sad that LifeWay christian bookstores are no more!)
I loved this book so much! Melanie’s reimagining of the Snow White tale was so clever to me, and Gabe and Sophie’s love story is so sweet! The cover of this one remains my favorite of the Hagenheim series. The vibrant colors, Sophia’s beautiful black curls, red lips, and outfit that is perfectly reminiscent of Disney’s Snow White, not to mention Gabe standing in the background with his bow! It is truly a striking cover.
By the time Melanie’s fourth book came out, I was a confirmed fan, and from that year on, I eagerly anticipated the release of each of her books. Book four, The Captive Maiden (a Cinderella retelling) is tied with The Merchant’s Daughter for my favorite of the series. That scene in the tower when Gisela and Valten are trying to escape… If you’ve read the book I’m sure you know what I mean. For the rest of you, let’s just say it is sigh-worthy, makes-you-want-to-squeal-in-delight romantic goodness.
Book five, The Princess Spy is a Princess and the Frog retelling and finally answer the question of how The Merchant’s Daughter’s English characters and the Hagenheim characters from the other books (i.e. Rose, Wilhelm, and all of their children) are connected. In this book, Rose and Wilhelm’s eldest daughter, Margueretta falls in love with Annabel and Ranulf’s grandson, Colin Le Wyse! The cover of this one sits pretty high on my list of favorite Melanie Dickerson covers too. Just look at all those lovely, rich colors!
In all, Melanie’s bestselling Hagenheim series is 11 books long, with the final book having just been released in July 2020! The other six books after The Princes Spy retell the stories of Rapunzel (my second favorite fairytale!), The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Mulan, The Pied Piper, and finally, Cinderella–again!–but in reverse.
In The Silent Songbird, we once again get to travel back to England and the Le Wyse family, as the main characters are Evangeline and Westley Le Wyse, who is the son of Annabel and Ranulf, and the father of Colin!
In between publishing the last six books of the Hagenheim series, Melanie also released a different fairytale retelling series! The first two books are mashups of different fairy tales, though the third book is not (not sure what happened there, as it also has a totally different style of cover that is more in line with the Hagenheim series than the Thornbeck series). This series consisted of The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest (Swan Lake meets Robin Hood), The Beautiful Pretender (The Princess and the Pea meets Beauty and the Beast) and The Noble Servant (The Goose Girl). Of the three, The Beautiful Pretender was my favorite. It was so romantic and in addition to the fairytales it was supposed to be retelling it also gave me some Queen Esther vibes! If you know me, you know I love the Bible story of Esther–hence why my upcoming book is a retelling of it!
Melanie is, of course, most famous for her retellings. However, in the last several years she has also released a Regency romance series called The Regency Spies of London. She published these through Amazon’s Waterfall Press imprint, and while I did not think they were as strong as her medieval tales, they are still fun reads!
Two years ago, Melanie took another leap into a different genre with her southern, 1800’s romance Magnolia Summer. I have yet to read this one, but I am interested in doing so. From what I understand, this was one of the first books Melanie ever wrote, if not the first one, years ago. It has held a special place in her heart for a long time, so she decided to finally share it with the world!
In 2021, Melanie will once again be sharing fairytale retellings with her readers with the launch of a new medieval series set in England. Book one, A Court of Swans, comes out in January, and I’m super excited about it! Don’t you just love the cover? I like that it’s still got that recognizable “Melanie Dickerson” vibe about it, but it looks distinctly different from her Hagenheim books. This one will be a retelling of The Wild Swans (which I had never heard of before now!). I’m eager to see what Melanie has planned for the other books as well!
Have you ever read of Melanie’s books? If not, I hope you found something that interested you and that you’ll give her stories a try! While I would not call Melanie one of the most “eloquent” writers, what she really excels at, and what makes her books consistent best-sellers, is her ability to weave an exciting, romance-filled plot. Her books just make you feel good inside!
If you decide to try one of Melanie’s books for the first time, or if you have read some of them but just discovered some new ones you want to read, be sure to let me know! I’d love to hear what you think, and I always enjoy knowing I’ve helped fellow readers find books and authors they love!
Happy reading, friends!
