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| TITLE: The Princess Spy (Hagenheim #4) AUTHOR: Melanie Dickerson PUBLISHER: Zondervan PUB DATE: Nov 4 2014 |
A new suitor. A shocking discovery.
Margaretha has always been a romantic, and hopes her newest suitor, Lord Claybrook, is destined to be her one true love. But then an injured man is brought to the castle, claiming to be an English lord who was left for dead by Claybrook's men. She convinces herself "Lord Colin" is just an addled stranger, until Colin retrieves an heirloom she lost in a well and asks her to spy on Claybrook as repayment. Margaretha knows she could never be a spy---not only does she tend to talk too much, she's sure Colin is completely wrong about her potential betrothed. But she soon discovers her romantic notions may have been clouding her judgment about not only Colin but Claybrook as well. She soon finds herself running for her life--and it may be up to her to save her father and her family from one man's wicked plot.
- Source: Goodreads
Rating:
A whole lot of 'princess' but not enough 'spying'.
Melanie Dickerson has immediately caught my eye with The Fairest Beauty. While I know that it's the third book from the Hagenheim series, it's the first book I've read from her. I liked it enough that it encouraged me to read The Princess Spy when I chanced upon an ARC on NetGalley.
Sadly this one fell rather short for me. I am aware that this is a fairy tale, but the whole gushy instant romance just wasn't working. While the author did put effort to build the romance within the entire book, it still lacked the spark I was hoping for.
Compared to The Fairest Beauty, the characters of The Princess Spy were not as appealing. I found it hard to like Collin and Margaretha. What is up with their planning and execution skills? I feel like they're the worst sort for things like that. Nothing went accordingly. Ha! Ha! I still want them together as a couple though, because well, who else is there to pair them up with?
Another matter I can't seem to tolerate is the repetitive narratives. It was something I noticed before in The Fairest Beauty, and it's still a thorn on my side with this book.
The Princess Spy didn't have the kind of elements I look for in fairy tale retellings. I feel that it's missing a few key pieces I find to appreciate in the retellings I've previously read and liked. But this did not discourage me. I still look forward to reading more of the books from Melanie Dickerson.
*Thank you, Zondervan, Zonderkidz-Books and NetGalley for granting my request to view The Princess Spy.
