Solid historical romance. Exactly what I expected from a Melanie Dickerson book and enjoyed it thoroughly. Really enjoyed this series.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book.

This was an ok read, heavy on the religion which I didn't realize when I requested it. It wasn't a bad read, just wasn't my cup of tea.

A charming but slightly predictable story. I enjoyed the retelling aspect of the story and the romance was cute, but there was a lot of unnecessary worrying in my opinion and it hit a bit hard on the religious aspect at points

Due to a personal difference in beliefs (WITH THE PUBLISHER) I will not be reviewing this book outside of Netgalley nor do I plan to support Thomas Nelson in the future due to their decisions of late and the lack of fiction with good Biblical values.

This does not mean I do or do not like the book, it just means I will not be reviewing books for this publisher anymore as I do not care to support them when I do not agree with the way they have left their former standards.

This was a saccharine sweet, historical fairytale, based very loosely on Sleeping Beauty. Princess Elyce is determined to save her kingdom from her father who has sold out to the neighboring wicked king. She resolves to travel a long distance, in the dead of winter, to reach King Wenceslas in Prague and gain his support. She is accompanied by Gerard, who turned out to be the star of the book, at least as far as I was concerned.

I did not enjoy this book as much as her earlier fairy tale adaptations. This would be a good teen read for those Christian young women. No bad language, lots of asking God to help them.

This was a great escape from reality read. Well written and engaging.
Many thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a fairytale retelling of Sleeping Beauty. However, in this story Princess Elyce is spunky a leader in her own right. She desires to help her people despite her misguided father's wishes of who she marry and what the people of the kingdom do for work. Thus, Elyce puts herself into a deep sleep and is completely caught off guard to wake to a man's lips on hers.

Sir Gerard is not a prince but a noble Knight from England. After having a vision he travels to Elyce and tries to help her escape her father and get help for her people.

I loved watching Elyce and Gerard get to know one another. The story is full of adventure and was a quick read! I recommend this to anyone who enjoys fairytale retellings!

I received a complementary copy of the book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I read the first couple of chapters and I'm just not interested in reading any more. I don't care about anything happening or the characters.

Veil of Winter is the third installment in the Dericott Tale series and is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Princess Elyce’s father has formed an alliance that will bring prosperity to her father but enslave her people. The terms of the alliance is that Princess Elyce must marry. Princess Elyce is against the marriage alliance and wants to ask King Wenceslaus for help. She fakes her own death and sets out on her journey to Prague. She is accompanied by Ser Gerard who is instructed to protect her at all costs.

I found Princess Elyce to be an unlikable character. She was very annoying and irritating throughout most of the novel. She is cold and is mean to everyone around her. She treats Sir Gerard horribly for no reason. She doesn’t respect him and often uses him. Therefore, I found their romance to be unconvincing, and I did not believe she deserved him. Thus, Princess Elyce was mostly a passive and weak character. I found it hard to empathize with her and root for her.

Overall, this novel is about hope, love, and faith. The message of the story is to always embrace your emotions because they are part of what God has made you. There is very little character development. Sir Gerard is the perfect hero, and the villains are the cartoonish bad guys. The story moves at an evenly pace, but the ending was rushed. The setting is the best part of the novel because the wintry landscapes feel like a fairytale. This novel is a sweet and light read for those that like fairytale romances. However, I found Mrs. Dickerson’s other Sleeping Beauty retelling called The Healer’s Apprentice to be more enjoyable. Still, I recommend this for fans of Jody Hedlund, Nadine Brandes, and Tamara Leigh!

This is a fun retelling of Sleeping Beauty and I am a sucker for fairytale retellings. If you like fairy tales or alternate versions of them, I think you will like this book!

This book is just sheer wholesome fantastical goodness. I loved this reading experience, I just sank into it. I need to read more by this author now!

Full review to be posted soonish.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a combination of medieval, but also fairytale type story. I loved this latest release and it is probably my favorite book of this author. This book is the third book in the series, but can be read as a stand-alone. Princess Elyce is the main character and when she is forced to marry who her father says, she must decide if she will do as he says or will she do what she perceives to be the right thing to do. There are steep consequences to what her father wants her to do and if she refuses. She attempts to fake her death to put off the marriage and escape. Sir Gerard comes to help her after seeing a vision from God. Together, they seek to do what they perceive as right. Along the way, there are many obstacles and surprises. The author provides readers with a descriptive tale that seems so real as you read. Readers will be drawn into this story. I love how her book flows seamlessly from one scene to the next and how there are several surprising elements to the story. I highly recommend this book and know you will not be disappointed!
***I was given a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher. This is my honest opinion. Even though I received this copy free, this is my own opinion.

This book reads as a faith based historical retelling of the fairytale retelling of Sleeping Beauty. As a reader I connected more to the secondary character than the main character, but I absolutely enjoyed the tale. It's a clean and sweet romantic fiction. I love how quickly I can read through it and enjoy it. It would be a fun vacation or bedtime read.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC, provided in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good Dickerson novel, I have written every book that she has written. For me this novel fell a little flat. I still enjoyed the discussion between the characters and the overall storyline, but for some reason I had a hard time getting into this one and finishing it.

Elyce is a princess, the daughter of a minor king, who is himself seeking an alliance with a neighboring king, by marrying his only child and heir to the neighboring king's nephew. But the neighboring king is abusive, and his nephew admits he has no intention of keeping his marriage vows, nor does he expect Elyce to keep hers - the latter being a shocking idea in England in the 1300s. Gerard is the second-oldest brother of Delia, the main character of the previous volume in this series, The Court of Swans, which has a very similar storyline: girl runs from a controlling relative, must save herself and her family and/or friends, fumblingly finds love, and fights to do what she wants rather than what her controlling relative wants.

Based on the list on which I found this volume, I was expecting a rewritten fairy tale; instead, I found a medieval-period historical romance between a princess and a knight, with the princess fleeing an arranged marriage, and the knight's sister hoping to arrange a different one, between the princess and the knight, heavy on religion and with a passing nod to historical accuracy. If one likes such novels, it is a reasonable representation of the genre, but it is far too sappy for my taste.

I tried, but just could not get in to this story. The characters felt flat, and I found that I just didn’t care what happened to them. The climax felt rushed and it just happened way too easy. I did finish the book, but I skimmed a lot towards the end.

I couldn’t get through this one. I adore Melanie Dickerson’s early work, but I feel the quality has declined recently. The writing style is more basic than it used to be, and the characters more naive. Perhaps she is going for a different style with this new series? Regardless, I still appreciate her work and look forward to reading her adult series in the future.

I always enjoy Melanie’s books and her take on fairytale stories. This book was no expectation. It was very good and everything I have come to expect from a Melanie Dickerson book.

Elyce was a strong character but had many insecurities that I am sure a lot of readers can identify with. Gerard is everything a reader will want in a hero.

Also, just when you think all is resolved another shoe drops, Melanie is excellent at that.

Overall, a very good read.

A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This novel is loosely based on the story of Sleeping Beauty. Overall, it was an enjoyable book. I really enjoyed the setting and scenery; I’d love to see the mountains and forests of Europe one day! As for the characters, Elyce and Gerard, I kind of had trouble connecting with them. And at times it felt like the story dragged. But I appreciated the theme of faith throughout the novel, and Elyce’s devotion to saving the people of her nation. The end was quite satisfying. If you enjoy stories set in medieval times or fairytale retellings, this is one you’ll probably enjoy!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.