If cozy romantic fantasy were a genre, then Melanie Dickerson has honed it into an art. Her books never fail to surprise me and make me feel like I just wrapped myself in a warm blanket and settled in for the winter. Although in this case, that is exactly how I read the book.

The book begins with sweet Mazy, darling of her father, dealing with her father's death and her brothers' lack of concern for her. I loved how fiercely independent she was, as well as how she had learned to shoot a bow, throw knives, and other things that women were not generally taught at the time because she didn't want to learn typical girl stuff and her father had coddled her. I loved how creative she became when she discovered that she was the only one looking out for her, and how she figured out not only how to create business opportunities, but also how to care for others in the process. She was always generous and compassionate to those in need regardless of how she had been treated. I also loved her childish crush. Of course she would fall for the kind, handsome knight who was five years older and worked with her brother. Any 16 year old girl would. And I loved how he never stopped deserving her childish adoration even as he grew older.

There were a few tense moments, and a few dangerous situations, but nothing overly frightening or concerning. Mazy showed constant faith in God's guidance and provision. And that faith was not put to shame. I think my only disappointment was the constant reinforcement that one must be married to have a man's protection. I think she proved otherwise as she protected others who were not her family, and in her case, I think marriage was a bonus, not a necessity. Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend it to anyone who would like a sweet Christian romance.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley and have reviewed it willingly. ( )

Melanie Dickerson’s fairytale reimaginings are some of my favorites. I’m always curious to see how she puts her own spin on them. Fortress of Snow is loosely based on The Snow Queen. I didn’t know anything about this fairytale going in and that was a good thing because there are some twists in this story where it’s better not knowing what might happen next. I liked the clear battle of good versus evil. The villainess is one of those characters you love to hate. She’s particularly nasty.

The story takes place in England in the late 1300’s. Mazy runs away to Strachleigh Castle to be with her brother John when her father dies unexpectedly and her oldest brother is trying to force her to marry. There she befriends Sir Berenger who is hoping to make a name for himself and earn the king’s favor. When duty calls Berenger away to Prague and Sir John is called to London, Mazy goes with John despite his indifferent treatment of her. She learns to live on her own after befriending a girl named Ro and learns to make and sell bread. She also develops some pretty great knife fighting skills which come in handy.

When Berenger returns to London, he finds Mazy all grown up. There’s definitely an attraction there, but with precarious financial prospects, he accepts the offer of the King to court the beautiful Lady Bristow. He travels to her castle to see if they would suit. Mazy who is secretly in love with him is saddened over his choice. But, all is not as it seems at the castle especially with regard to Lady Bristow’s young ward. When Mazy finds out that Sir Berenger may be in danger she decides to travel to Bristow castle to warn him.

I enjoyed this story especially the second half. It started out a little slow, but once Berenger meets Lady Bristow, the story really gets going. She’s definitely a temptress with questionable intensions. Berenger is such a good and noble knight who takes his oaths and responsibilities seriously and thank heavens, because it takes all his strength to resist Lady Bristow. I loved the way he wants to protect Mazy and the kindness he shows towards Lady Bristow’s ward, Juliana.

Mazy is definitely a heroine you can cheer for. She’s independent, caring, and dangerous with a knife. She doesn’t hesitate to defend those she cares for. I loved the way she helped the widows and doesn’t hesitate to go after Berenger when she thinks he’s in danger. Her brother Sir. John was a bit disappointing and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Mazy and her lack of family support.

I listened to the audiobook version of the story and thoroughly enjoyed the narrator. She really made these characters and the story come alive. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley, but also listened to the audiobook. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review. ( )

The historical world of knights and kings comes to life in a book, which concentrates on the life of a pretty normal girl and her journey of finding a family to call her own.

Mazy had a wonderful life as the daughter of a Baron, but when her father passes away, and the title and estate is completely passed on to her cold, oldest brother, her world collapses. In an attempt to escape a horrible, arranged marriage, she seeks the help of her other brother, who has become a knight, but he isn't anything like she remembered him to be. While he doesn't completely disown her as her oldest brother does, she ends up fending for herself in a huge town of London. While she does meet kind souls and gains a special interest in particular knight, even the dreams of finally finding someone to depend on a little disappear as the king requests him to marry another. But heart-break is the least of the problems with the arrangement.

I did not read the first three books of this series, but that didn't cause any problems when diving into this one, since it seems that each book carries its own twists and plots.

The world building is very well done. Historical England not only comes to life, but it does so in a natural way, which makes the world and characters familiar enough to easily identify with. Mazy starts as a naive girl, who has enough with and independence with her to known when it's better to head out and not fall victim to circumstances. She carries strength, and while displaying a few more physical talents (knives, etc), she never allows these to be more than a side aspect and still stays pretty close to the female role at that time.

The story is grabbing, and Mazy has more than a few situations to conquer...many of which have nothing to do with the romance. This tale centers more on her struggles with life and learning to deal with things as possible. The Christian aspect glides in smoothly and as natural as a prayer, and never becomes preachy or takes over any levels of plot lines. There are a few action scenes, and these also were exciting while staying mostly realistic. The rest is really accompanying Mazy on her journey. I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style (a little more telling than I prefer), but I still had to read this one until the end just to find out how everything turns out for Mazy. ( )

Dericott adventures continue …

Interesting storyline! Mazelina of Westcombe’s father has died and has left her with nothing. She turns towards her thoughtless brother John, training as a knight, for help. Only to be quashed by her brother’s attitude, part blame and part helpful. Repudiated by her half brother awareness after she’d refused to be married to a much older man, because she left in the company of a hired villager, Piers. Warin who’s petulantly bitter, and filled with his own sense of entitlement, casts her aside with no care for her reputation. All Mazy wanted was to lean on her brother and have him care. Is that too much to ask?
Someone does care and that’s a Knight of the Duke of Strachleigh’s guard, Sir Berenger Dericott, also brother to the Duchess.
Sir Berenger is called to court by King Richard. The king seeks to marry Sir Berenger to the Earl of Bristow’s widow Catherine Everdon. Sir Berenger is hesitant. This is a king’s request after all. But the Lady is Bristol is not at all the charming, fearful widow she seems, and it’s Mazy who needs to rescue Sir Berenger.
Part reworked fairy tale, part tales of knights and daring do, the main characters are somewhat flat despite their being plenty of opportunity for them to be more engaging. Just sayin‘ the chemistry unfortunately wasn’t that believable for me. However it’s good to see they all came about!

A Thomas Nelson—Fiction ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher. ( )