Castle of Refuge

by Melanie Dickerson Narrated by Jude Mason

Overview

In this Ugly Duckling retelling, New York Times bestselling author Melanie Dickerson brilliantly crafts a high-stakes, encouraging tale about a brave young woman, the true meaning of beauty, and the power of love.

Ever since she was a child, Audrey wanted her life to be extraordinary. But as the daughter of a viscount born in late fourteenth-century England, the only thing expected of her was to marry-until an act of malice by her sister, Maris, four years ago damaged her face and her prospects. Though Maris was sent away, twenty-year-old Audrey is still suffering the scars of her sister's cruelty. When her father announces his plans to marry off his damaged daughter and bring Maris home, Audrey decides to flee in search of her true destiny.

Life outside her home is dangerous, and Audrey soon finds herself attacked, sick, and in desperate need of help. She is taken in at Dericott Castle to be nursed back to health. While there, she decides to keep her identity a secret and work as a servant in the castle. But she doesn't count on falling in love with the young and handsome Lord Dericott, who lost his arm several months earlier and bears scars of his own.

Meanwhile, Edwin-Lord Dericott-is curious about the new, well-educated servant's identity. All he knows is that he's quickly becoming smitten with her. When the man Audrey's father wanted her to marry comes looking for her, she and Edwin must make life-changing decisions about what to believe and whether or not love is truly worth trusting.

Praise for Castle of Refuge:

“When it comes to happily-ever-afters, Melanie Dickerson is the undisputed queen.”-Julie Lessman, award-winning author

• Full-length clean fairy-tale reimagining
• Second in a brand-new series set in England: The Dericott Tales
• Includes discussion questions for book clubs

Editorial Reviews

Booklist

'This second volume in best-seller Dickerson's Dericott Tales series follows two narrators who overcome self-doubt in accepting their physical differences and gain the confidence to love while finding solace in their Christianity . . . Dickerson writes a well-developed and wholesome romance between pleasant characters whose happy ending readers will easily root for.'

School Library Journal

07/01/2021

Gr 7 Up—Audrey, the daughter of a viscount in 1300s Britain, dreams of a life where she can have a true purpose. More than that, though, she wants to be free of her older sister Maris's cruelty. All their lives, Maris has tormented Audrey, but the situation becomes more serious when the girls come of marriageable age. Maris, who is jealous of Audrey's prospects, purposely trips her sister so that Audrey falls into a fire and burns her face. Four years later, Audrey runs away from home rather than live with Maris, who is set to return from time spent at a convent. She finds refuge at Dericott Castle, which happens to be the home of the lord of the castle, to whom she was once intended for marriage. Lord Dericott has also had his chances for a good marriage damaged in the time that has passed, as his family was embroiled in a scandal and he lost an arm in battle. The two grow close during Audrey's time at Dericott Castle and eventually a romance blooms, until Maris reappears and threatens her sister's happiness once again. The main character and her love interest both engage in a fair amount of negative self-talk about their physical differences throughout the story. The villain, Maris, is described as "addled" and "crazed" which implies a mental illness and reinforces stereotypes of disabled people as being self-hating or villains. Characters are cued as white. VERDICT A sweet, if flawed, romance with an era-appropriate Christian perspective.—Mindy Rhiger, Hennepin County Lib., MN

Kirkus Reviews

2021-04-14
Audrey thinks Edwin, the young squire her father’s chosen for her future husband, is attractive—but she has to contend with her evil older sister, Maris.

Maris, who is filled with jealousy and rage, deliberately trips Audrey, pitching her into the fire and leaving her with disfiguring facial scars, thus ending the possibility of a high-status marriage. Maris is sent away to a convent, but four years later, the convent makes her leave, and she returns home angry and filled with resentment. Her father betroths Audrey to a much older man, and, still dreaming of a love match and unable to cope with the double threats ofdangerouslyvindictive Maris and a marriage prospect she despises, she flees. Luckily—and most conveniently—she falls desperately ill just outside Edwin’s castle. Sadly, he’s lost an arm in a battle, so he’s no longer the highly desirable bachelor he once was—except to Audrey. After he discovers her true identity, each gradually reveals their admirable and gentle characters and their shared faith in God. Although sometimes overinclined to tell rather than show, Dickerson does a nice job of evoking late-14th-century England and has succeeded in crafting a pair of engaging—if sugary-sweet—characters that romance readers will enjoy following. The Christian flavor of the story feels natural and appropriate to the time period. The cast defaults to White.

A charming period romance. (Historical romance. 12-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173218766
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	06/01/2021
Series:	A Dericott Tale , #2
Edition description:	Unabridged

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