The Peasant's Dream

Written by Melanie Dickerson

Narrated by Jude Mason

The duke's daughter, Adela, masquerades as a peasant for a small taste of freedom . . . until she falls in love with a commoner who has no idea who she really is. In this reverse reimagining of the Cinderella story, secrets and dangerous enemies threaten a fairy-tale romance.

Adela, daughter of the powerful Duke of Hagenheim, is rarely allowed outside the castle walls. Longing for freedom, one day she sneaks away to the market disguised as a peasant. There, she meets a handsome young woodcarver named Frederick.

Frederick is a poor farmer and the sole provider for his family, and he often has to defend his mother from his father’s drunken rages. He dreams of making a living carving beautiful images into wood, and he is thrilled when the Bishop of Hagenheim commissions him to carve new doors for the cathedral. As Frederick works on the project, he and Adela meet almost daily, and it doesn’t take long for them to fall in love. Even as their relationship grows, her true identity remains hidden from him, and he believes she is a commoner like him.

When disaster separates them, Adela and Frederick find themselves caught in the midst of deceptions far more dangerous than innocent disguises. As the powerful lords set against them proceed with their villainous plans, secrets emerge that put Frederick and Adela’s future at risk.

• Full-length, clean fairy-tale reimagining
• The final Hagenheim story; can be read as a stand-alone
• Also by Melanie Dickerson: The Golden Braid, The Silent Songbird, and The Orphan’s Wish

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Jul 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9780785228356

Melanie Dickerson

Melanie Dickerson is a New York Times bestselling author and two-time Christy Award winner. Melanie spends her time daydreaming, researching the most fascinating historical time periods, and writing and editing her happily-ever-afters. Visit her online at MelanieDickerson.com; Facebook: @MelanieDickersonBooks; Twitter: @MelanieAuthor; Instagram: @melaniedickerson123.

Reviews for The Peasant's Dream

[Lori Heston · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good story. I enjoyed it. I considered it worth the time and money. Thank you.

[mishker-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Adela, the youngest daughter of the Duke of Hagenheim longs for adventure and true love, just like her older siblings have found before her. When Adela hears that yet another suitor, the son of the Duke of Grundelsbach, Lord Barthold will be calling on her she decides to leave the castle unguarded and dressed as a peasant. While at the market, she meets Frederick. Frederick is a peasant who works tirelessly on his father's farm where his drunken father often beats Frederick and his mother. In his free time Frederick hones his wood carving skills and has found a job carving for the bishop of Hagenheim. Adela and Frederick ease into one another's company as they talk of art and their families. However, Frederick doesn't know of Adela's true identity and when some boys from the countryside hatch a plan to kidnap the Duke's daughter for some extra money, Frederick becomes caught up in their plan and his future as well as his relationship with Adela are compromised. The Peasant's Dream is the eleventh book in the Hagenheim series. While reading the previous books will help fill in some details, it is not necessary to read them all in order to enjoy The Peasant's Dream. In this reversal retelling of Cinderella, Adela and Frederick are able to find love on their own and form a deeper and meaningful bond than simply meeting at a ball. There were enough elements from the Cinderella story to make it recognizable, but also plenty of new twists to add excitement and suspense. Adela and Frederick's character's both had depth and interesting backstories. I really enjoyed that they were able to bond over art and tales of their family even though they were from such different backgrounds. The suspense and excitement was kept heightened as the plan to capture Adela goes awry, Barthold's jealousy takes over and Lord Conrat begins to meddle further. One thing I didn't particularly enjoy was the addition of the overly religious themes. I understood its place in Frederick's wood carvings, but it seemed overbearing at points. Overall, The Peasant's Dream is a fast-paced, enjoyable fairy tale retelling and a pleasant addition to the world of Hagenheim. This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

[meganleigh844 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"The Peasant's Dream" by Melanie Dickerson is the eleventh and final book in the “Hagenheim” series. It is a sweet, gentle, reverse “Cinderella” story, telling the story of Adela, the youngest daughter of Duke Wilhelm. It can be read as a standalone.I love the diversity of Melanie’s characters and their personalities. In this series, there is a hero and heroine to suit everyone. There are kick-butt heroines and valiant knights. In this installment, the hero and heroine are both gentle, kind and artistic. Adela loves to paint, and Frederick loves to carve wood. I love how they bond over their passion for art and creating things with their hands. Frederick, especially, is very masculine, but also kind and gentle. I love how he looks out for others; one example being how he is kind to his prison guard and even prays for him. Adela grapples with the reality that she may have a hard time going from the privileged life of a Duke’s daughter, to the poor wife of a woodcarver and farmer. I find it very refreshing to see a character not jumping headlong into a new life without really considering the ramifications. I admit, some parts of this story were a little slow for me. But the end picked up and it was one of my favorite Dickerson endings! I loved not only seeing the conclusion of Adela and Frederick’s love story, but the love story of Frederick’s mother pan out. And the family reunion and updates on characters from the other books in the series were so satisfying to read. I am sad to see the end of this wonderful series! I cannot wait to see what Ms. Dickerson writes next!Content: I give this book a PG rating. Some examples of the content are: a man drinks a lot of alcohol and is verbally and physically abusive; a woman is pregnant out of wedlock; some of the more “uncomfortable” Bible stories are mentioned; it’s said that men curse, but the words aren’t actually written.Rating: I give this book 4 stars.I want to thank Melanie Dickerson, Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.

[acargile-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The Peasant's Dream was my first Melanie Dickson novel. I always think of stories of peasants, dukes, and set in the past as fantasy. I shouldn't unless there is magic/folklore/creatures. Therefore, I guess this is historical fiction? It's also book eleven, but it stands on its own. The couples who are mentioned are obviously from earlier books.Adela is a flat character with no depth. She calls herself spoiled; others say she is not. She wants adventure, so she says, but really doesn't. She meets another flat character, Frederick, who loves to carve. His sisters are not the nicest girls but their father is an abusive man. Their mother cares for all of her children. Frederick ignores his father and takes care of the farm, spending his free time carving in wood. He's an artist like Adela. Adela paints and sews. They meet when he performs a good dead and goes to a healer for his neighbor. Adela, too, is a good person. Adela determines to see more than castle in which she lives. Disguised as a servant, she sneaks out to the marketplace alone. She finds Frederick selling his carvings. They are drawn to each other. There are some kinks thrown into the plot for them to overcome before the novel can end. Nothing is terribly clever or unexpected Everyone is basically good. One man is the "bad" guy; well, the father is bad as well, but good overcomes bad.In this end, the characters are simple characters, the plot is unoriginal and the ending is expected. It sounds like I didn't like the novel. It was a pleasant couple of hours for my brain to get a complete break. If you want a light-hearted, no-brainer, you'll enjoy this simple, escapist wholesome novel.I received this review copy from Netgalley.

[constant2m · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Melanie Dickerson consistently writes sweet fairy tales. This one was no different. It reminded me of Aladdin at the beginning - the rich girl, Adela, sneaking out to the market in disguise. The hero of the story, Frederick is a poor farmer who wants nothing more than to make and sell his woodcarvings. Loved by his mother, abused by his father, and ridiculed by his two sisters, he works the farm by day and carves by night, only sneaking away to the market when his father is sleeping off his alcohol. Of course, he would meet Adela at the market, as well as catch the eye of the bishop who needs his skill for a project. And of course, a villain would be out to get him because, well, I don't want to spoil the story. But I assure you, there is a reason.The story was cute, predictable, a little too happily-ever-after for everyone (seriously, everyone). But some fairy tales are like that. And it had a nice storyline with a few surprises that totally worked for the story. The main characters were lovely if a little too flawless. And I loved Adela's mom. But then, I've always loved her since the first book in the series. I eagerly look forward to reading whatever Melanie Dickerson writes next.I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and reviewed it because I wanted to.