Really fun read.
I loved how the two main characters kept “collecting” friends along their journey. The side characters really helped the story move along.
I loved Sir Charles and how he interacted with Louisa.
I’m not sure how historically accurate the whole book is, but I didn’t care much- I was entertained and that was enough for me.
I listened to this one on audio and I thought the narration was well done (I do listen at a higher speed than normal).
The ending was satisfying as well.

This books reads like a YA medieval romance, not sure if this is the targeted audience or not but I would totally be fine with my teenage daughter reading this. It was heavy on religious themes as motivation for their behavior and quoted many scriptures. Quick easy read

Lady of Disguise
Melanie Dickerson
The setting is England and Scotland 1388. When her parents died Lousia and her younger sister, Margaret, were forced to move in with her uncle. He man is greedy and cares nothing for the sisters. Their only worth to him is how much they will bring on the marriage market. Her father used to regale her with stories about “Giant’s Treasure” which was hidden on a mountain in Scotland, protected by a ferocious giant. Louisa is determined to find the treasure and use it to fend off her uncle’s resolve to marry her off to the highest bidder. When her uncle begins to look for a husband for her twelve-year-old sister, Louisa realizes time is running out. She must find that treasure now. Louisa cuts her hair, dresses like a boy and runs away heading toward Scotland. Traveling by foot is more difficult than she expected. When Sir Charles, a knight, befriends her and assists her on her journey. He realizes she is a female but plays along with her disguise for a while. Sir Charles wants to protect Louisa/Jack. Along the way they meet some people that become dear friends and some enemies. Louisa finds herself falling in love with Sir Charles and wanting a future with him. Sir Charles realizes he loves her but before they can marry, they must find the treasure, settle things with her uncle and help some that have become friends.
I love the way Christian values are demonstrated in this tale. Louisa and Sir Charles both turn to God before making decisions. They trust Him. Louisa asked for a sign as in the story of Giddeon. The priest was judgmental and hypocritical. This book is delightful, a fairy tale, romance and
This is the first book I have read in this series, and I must read the rest of them.
Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book for review.

Lady of Disguise is the story of a young woman, destined to marry someone hand picked by her greedy and untrustworthy uncle. To save herself and her younger sister from such a fate, she sets out for a legendary treasure, dressed as a boy named Jack. Unexpectedly escorted by a noble knight, her journey is a story of blossoming love, bravery, and mercy.

I was struck by the overarching theme of Christ-like compassion throughout this story. The two main characters, Louisa and Sir Charles, wonderfully showcased how Christians are to treat widows, orphans, the poor and the needy with mercy and understanding.

Lady of Disguise is a sweet, light read that left me so excited to read more of Melanie Dickerson's books. I was hooked from the very first page, and often found myself thinking about this book when I was not reading (a sign of a very good story!).

Thank you Harper Collins Christian Publishing, NetGalley, author Melanie Dickerson and narrator Jude Mason for the opportunity to listen to this wonderful book. The tale of a lost treasure and quests for a new family was quite enjoyable. Louisa tries to rescue both herself and her sister Margaret from their unscrupulous uncle who wants to marry them off to rich husbands. On her journey she meets Sir Charles and in their quest they fall in love along the way. But they still have to find a way to make things work out for them to be together. This is a lovely book for the ones that love romance and adventure.

Life for sisters Louisa & Margaret has drastically changed since they had to move. Now with their parents gone, they live with their uncle and aunt in their manor house. It is not grand, but their uncle has made the most of all he has inherited from their parents.

The worst part of it all is his wish to marry them both off to wealthy men, so he can receive high bride prices. Louisa is 18 and Margaret only 12, but this is the way in the year of 1388.

Louisa is increasingly worried particularly about her young sister's fate, and decides to do something about it. She has had a dream since her father first spoke of it when she was a child. Find the Viking treasure.

This treasure is miles from Louisa. It is said to be on a mountain just outside a small town in Yorkshire. She believes that her faith in her father and his story will help her find the treasure she so badly needs to escape her uncle's arranged marriages.

Disguising herself as a boy, she sets off on foot, but soon finds she is in much danger. Luckily she meets a man named Sir Charles - a knight of King Richard himself. Their group of two becomes three then six, and she enjoys her adventure, with Margaret never far from her mind, and the new knowledge that the treasure is guarded by a giant. Then there is the added confusing problem of falling in love on the way.


Set in 1388, (which is a time in history that always fascinates me), Lady in Disguise is a wholesome love story of villains, knights and a beautiful young woman who scorns marriage. At least until she meets a knight who melts her misgivings.

This story would be perfect for Age 12+, looking for a happily ever after. Well written, with all the good-old-fashioned hallmarks of a historical tale of old.

Much kindness, compassion, prayers and belief in God are present, and if that's not your thing, it is quite authentic, as religion was a huge part of everyday life in the 13th Century.

An enjoyable read with just the right amount of angst, tension and good deeds rewarded.

(Thank you Net Galley, Harper Collins & Thomas Nelson Fiction for the audio ARC of this title)

This is a reimagining/retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tale. Louisa and her sister are orphans living under the guardianship of her mercenary Uncle. He only wishes to marry them off to the highest bidder, despite the younger sister, Margaret, being only 12 years old. To escape this Louisa runs away to find the buried treasure hidden on top of a mountain and protected by a giant. She goes away disguised as a boy. She is lucky to run into Sir Charles, a knight, who agrees to let "him" travel with him.

This story is set in England in the 1300s. It's a pretty good travel story. There is a lot of praying. It also becomes gushy as the characters fall in love.

It's more appropriate for middle grades or teens, not so much for adults. It's not at all spicy. The characters are very simple, good or bad, with little in between.
Jude Mason narrated this audiobook and she did a good job with all the characters voices.
Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins Christian Publishing and Thomas Nelson Fiction for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Lady of Disguise is a sweet retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk. I really enjoyed the emphasis on seeing the person for they really are and not the image or first impression they present. Sir Charles is truly a gallant knight who made some poor decisions in the past. Louisa is determined to outrun the greedy motives of her relatives and find a better future for both her and her sister. She has heard about the Giant’s Treasure all of her life and sees it as the way forward for her and her sister. Louisa sets out and finds more than she could have asked for. I did enjoy how they grew into friendship through their travels. Different types of personalities were met along the way and really show how people respond to first impressions. I loved Louisa’s brave yet tender heart and Sir Charles’ determination to right the wrongs. The love story is sweet and endearing.
I had the added bonus of listening to an audiobook in which the narration brought the story to life a whole new way for me.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

I absolutely loved this book. The only bad part about it was that it ended. It did end well though. I quickly became vested in the lives of the Lady and her knight. I was defiantly in the mood for a happy ending. The book was very virtuous and I loved that about it. It will be making it to my list of best books. It was written really well. The plot was just far enough different that it was fun to read and not a re read of the same thing over again. I did spend some time laughing and felt some anger for the Lady of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Thomas Nelson Fiction, Melanie Dickerson, and Jude Mason (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of Lady of Disguise in exchange for an honest review.

Lady of Disguise is the 6th novel in The Dericott Tales, a series of novels written as retellings of various fairy tales and myths with a historical England setting to them. You do not need to read the other tales to enjoy this novel.

This story is a very loose retelling of "Jack and the Beanstalk," of which Luisa dresses as a man and goes by the name of "Jack" to find a treasure in hopes of saving herself and her sister from unwanted marriages. Taking place in England 1388, women certainly don't have much say about their futures. Under the care of their aunt and uncle after their mother's passing, Luisa wants what is best for her sister first and foremost, and saving her from a terrible man by being able to support her on their own is the best way she can think of.

In her trek to Scotland to find the treasure, she encounters Charles, a knight. Little does she know he sees right through her disguise. Wanting to make sure nothing happens, he joins her on her journey. When her secret is unveiled, the two start to fall for each other. On their journey, they encounter a number of different people who join them, to some extent, at least part of the way. When Luisa starts to share who she is as a girl, buzz makes the rounds of why a woman is traveling alone with a knight, both unmarried.

The part with the giant, as alluding to the beanstalk tale, is actually not what the reader would quite expect, and I thoughouthly enjoyed where that part of the novel went. 

In a testament to new love and sisterly bonds, Jude Mason does an excellent job of voice acting Luisa and her story. This novel doesn't go over-the-top, but rather keeps things subtle, while still in an exciting manner. The thrill of the cross-dressing trope is always one of my favorites. I wish it lasted just a bit longer, but it was certainly a fun aspect to the story.

This book is perfect for lovers of English history, English society romance, fairy tale retellings, and hopeful romantics.

A goodly (and heartbroken) knight (Sir Charles) becomes the traveling companion and protector of a motley crew of vulnerable and downtrodden travelers including a damsel in drag disguise (Louisa, aka Jack), and mother and child with congenital limb difference. The yellow brick road this group is heading towards is a mythical treasure supposedly guarded by a giant, á la jack and the beanstalk.

It starts with good pacing and character development, but drags in the middle as the two main characters agonize over but don’t do anything to advance their love interest, tangled up in propriety and failing to read each other’s cues.

This is described as both a “sweet historical medieval romance” and “Christian fiction” book. While the characters discuss the meanings of bible stories and Christian values,it’s not done in a preachy way and mostly is held up to show the hypocrisy of a pastor and various townsfolk who claim Christianity but fail to live the value of taking care of the downtrodden. And ultimately it’s the (Christian) kindness of the two protagonists that ties the whole story together and provides a clever and earnest twist.

I received an ARC audiobook from @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I truly love this family and how their stories are told. Once again, it's an amazing love story where it ends in true love. This whole series has been such an uplifting one that I love every second of the stories. I hope there will be another story soon.

A fun twist on Jack and the Bean Stalk, I enjoyed this medieval Christian retelling with a sweet romance. The characters in this story were both the kind of characters you can aspire to be. They did what they believed to be correct and good and were inspirational to those around them as well as the reader. I liked Charles's and how he faced his challenges. I appreciated Louisa's strength of character, especially how she approached the giant. The ending was sweet and happy, though it seemed like the actual wrapping up of the story was a little quick. I listened to the audiobook version of this novel and while I enjoyed the narrator and her accent to bring the setting and time period to life, it was hard at times to know which POV the story was in as it was a single narrator. Overall, I did enjoy the story and recommend it. It's appropriate for teens+. Content, Christian themes, medieval vibes.
I received an advance listening copy of this novel from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Melanie Dickerson has written another sweet YA but great for adults as well book with "Lady of Disguise". I had a chance to listen to the audiobook an really enjoyed the narration that was done for this book. The story and narration flowed together and the narrators brought the story alive for the listener.

The story is about a young woman Louisa, who grew up listening to tales of a giant guarding a treasure. Her parents died when she was young, leaving her and her sister that is 4 years younger in the care of an evil aunt and uncle. Louisa decides to strike out on her own after her uncle is forcing her and her 12 year old sister to marry men of his choosing. The greedy uncle will be paid a high price by the men who will marry them, so he is just looking for the highest price, not necessarily for the best interests of his nieces. Louisa hopes that she can find that treasure for her and her sister so they can get away from the evil uncle and be allowed to live their lives freely and choose to marry men of their choice.

Along her travels she meets up with a brave knight, Charles who is part of the Dericott family. Charles decides he wants to protect her and joins her on her journey. They meet up with various people along the way that add to the story and end up having quite the adventure...but how will it end?

This book is in a series with other Dericott family members in the earlier 5 books. It is a retelling of "Jack and the Beanstalk" and is a great and clean YA read that I can see being read by young adults as young as 14 years old.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction and Harper Collins Christian Publishing for the opportunity to review the audiobook prior to release. The preview of the audiobook did not affect my review in any way.

Lady of Disguise by Melanie Dickerson offers a charming retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk set in 1388 England and Scotland. Louisa, disguised as a boy named "Jack," seeks the fabled "Giant's Treasure" to protect her sister from unwanted marriages. Along the way, she forms an unlikely partnership with Sir Charles, leading to a sweet romance amidst their perilous journey. With themes of courage, sacrifice, and faith, this novel is perfect for fans of Christian fairy tale retellings. Gratitude to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Lady of Disguise by Melanie Dickerson (Book 6 in The Dericott Tales, but can be read as a Standalone) - 4 Stars

Another great retelling in the Dericott Tales! This is a Jack and the Beanstalk retelling and I really enjoyed this one! Set in 1388 England and Scotland, Louisa dreams of finding the rumored "Giant's Treasure" in Scotland. After her father has died and Louisa and her sister go live with their greedy uncle, Louisa is determined to find the treasure. She wants to run away from her Uncle's home and take her sister with her to keep her safe and away from forced unwanted marriages. She runs and disguises herself as a boy, using the name "Jack", and encounters a young knight, Sir Charles, who accompanies her on her journey. Charles knows she did pretending to be a young boy but does not reveal this knowledge as he wants to help her along the way as much as possible. However, things come to a head along their trip and they find themselves starting to care for one another once everything is revealed. The story goes on from here as her Uncle is on the hunt for her and they continue their journey for the hidden treasure.
This is one of my more favorite ones in the series. I loved Louisa and how she would do anything to protect her sister. I love how determined Louisa was in her journey and is always wanting to help others along the way. Sir Charles was an honorable man and I love a good protector in a story and he sure was a great one!

My favorite part of this story though has to be the scenes with the giant - very good faith and prayer content in this section and very heartwarming.

The romance was fast but sweet. Overall I recommend this one to anyone who loves a good Christian fairy tale retelling and romance and wants a sweet, light read.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lady of Disguise was my first time reading anything by Melanie Dickerson. While this is the sixth in The Derricott Tales, I believe this can be read as a standalone without any issue so if you, like me, have yet to experience Melanie's stories, there's no need to be concerned as far as this one goes.

This story is supposed to be in the vein of Jack & the Beanstalk and I would say that it is loosely based on that (particularly in the first two thirds)- I'm not sure I would even make the connection if I wasn't aware of that going in. Personally I didn't mind that at all, but thought it was worth mentioning. I did really like what Melanie Dickerson did with the character that would resemble the giant and honestly those were some of my favorite times within the story.

We follow Louisa as she embarks on a journey to find treasure that is guarded by a monster in hopes to save her sister from being married off to whatever creep was the highest bidder. Watching Louisa's determination in her trek to find it and the love for her sister shine through was sweet. Both of the main characters, Louisa and Charles, I felt had good values and I liked them both as individual characters & in terms of watching their relationship grow. I would've liked some more development in between the start & end of the story with them, though, but was still rooting for things nonetheless and thought everything was respectful & portrayed well.

The writing was very straightforward, the adventure wasn't particularly fast paced and there was not, in my opinion, much (if at all) tension on their journey. Yes, there is the possibility of getting caught but no real "oh no" moment happened. Nothing wrong with that at all, but just wanted to share in case that's important to you, the reader.

With that said though, I have not read Melanie before so now that I have, I have a better understanding of what to expect which is certainly a good thing. Sometimes this type of story is exactly what we need and the kind of escape one wants (myself included). I certainly appreciate stories like that as well and am glad to now know that's what I can anticipate moving forward. Also, for all my faith content lovers this story did have a good amount of faith content which I really liked reading as well (the best was a scene with Allistor, loved that one).

Overall I'm rating this a 3.5 star!

I would definitely pick up more by Melanie now having a little more idea of what to expect and would certainly pick her up if I wanted a solid story, quick read, faith content & a little bit of love. It was a good story & one I do recommend.

*Note I was gifted an advanced listening copy via the publisher & netgalley which I am incredibly grateful for. All opinions expressed are honest and entirely my own.

I have been provided with a review copy of Lady of Disguise from NetGalley for an impartial review. Awwww this was such a cute story. I was just captivated by everything that was taking place. It was just so easy to get into these characters lives and you just can't help but fall in love with them. I can't wait to see what's next from this author.

I enjoyed the plotline and found it fast paced and interesting. Louisa is living during the 1300s, in a time when marriages were anything but a matter of love and choice. Like the other women of her day, Louisa is paraded before men of every age, from sixteen to sixty. The sole reason is that her uncle wishes to profit from her marriage, since he will basically sell her to the man she marries. When Louisa's uncle makes it clear that he plans to find a husband for her twelve year old sister, Louisa is determined to save herself and Margaret from such a fate. She sets off to find the legendary treasure which is said to bring good fortune to all who possess it. Along the way, she meets Sir Charles of Dericott, as well as several others who become her friends and companions along her journey. In the end, she finds that there is no greater fortune than being happy with those you love.
This said, I did have several negative feelings about the story. Several elements of the story felt a little too coincidental; Sir Charles just happens to come along just when she is in danger. Also, in real life, the relationship between Louisa and Sir Charles could have become inappropriate very quickly since for a part of the journey they are traveling alone.
The story did shine light on (1) the difference between men who use women as playthings rather than human beings and those who treat women with respect and kindness (2) the differences between men and women and how important their roles are in this world.
In conclusion, I would not recommend this to a girl younger than myself.

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to review this book before the publication.

I really enjoyed this sweet story! Louisa was a delightful character who wasn't afraid to risk everything to protect her and her younger sister. Even dressing up as a boy and going in search of a guarded treasure. I loved her spunk and determination!

Sir Charles, is a knight setting off trying to heal his broken heart when he and Louisa stumble upon each other. I loved their initial meeting! It was so fun! These two are a bit of a mismatched pair trying to travel together but Louisa thinks she's safe disguised as a boy and no one will know who she is or question a young woman traveling with a knight. Boy, oh boy is she in for a surprise!

And Charles truly is a knight in shining armor so to speak! He stands up for the downtrodden and lowly and needy. Which made for such a great addition to this story. I love the band of travelers that they become in their adventure.

The sweet love story blooms and is just darling and full of heart! I loved it! Even when peril abounds and they are separated!

I listened to the audiobook version of this one and thought the narration was well done. I was pulled into the story and captivated by the way the narrator brought these characters and story to life!

Content: Clean. Some moments of mild peril but nothing graphic. Some kisses but nothing further.

I received a copy from HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Thomas Nelson Fiction, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading (Listening)!!!