Healer's Apprentice

Rose is the daughter of a wood-cutter, and has been appointed as the apprentice to the healer.  She tries to her best to do well and make the healer proud, but the sight of blood makes her queasy!  When the prince comes in needing assistance with a gash in his leg, Rose must gather the strength to mend his wound thus beginning an unlikely friendship.  Hamlien encourages Rose to accept his brother Rupert despite his reputation in an effort to get her off his own mind and heart.  Hamlien has other things to worry about such as finding an evil sorcerer so that his betrothed (whom he has never met) may come out of hiding.  Rose and Hamlien struggle to hide their feelings for one another, will they be able to forget their feelings?  Will the prince find his betrothed?  Read on to find out!


I have read Melanie Dickerson's Merchant's Daughter previously and enjoyed her re-telling of Beauty and the Beast.  Healer's Apprentice is her take on Sleeping Beauty.  She does a wonderful job at presenting a new story for these classic fairy tales.   The novel is considered Christian fiction and Dickerson does a great job incorporating those elements into the story without them being too overwhelming, such as the characters praying or encouraging one another with a verse.  It didn't feel overdone or thrown in the readers face.  Perfect execution of this.  Another thing she does wonderfully are the romantic elements.  She develops the romance through friendship and interaction.  Anytime Rupert suggests something scandalous Rose rebukes him informing how inappropriate it would be.  She even flusters at either man kissing her hand in public or being seen unaccompanied with them.


This being the second book of Dickerson's that I have read, I have come to love this author.  She has an outstanding talent for writing and captivating her audience.  While this is a "romance" novel it is not typical romance in that it does not have sex scenes and shows healthy development of the relationship, something young women need to read.  I think this is a great book for a young woman and older women as well to pick up and read on a Saturday afternoon.  I finished it in an evening, okay I may have been  up until 2 am wanting to finish it.  The story really draws you in and makes you eager to know what happens next.  I know there are other books in this series and I certainly will be looking for them.


Healer's Apprentice is the type of book to make young woman daydream about the perfect man.  Every woman wants a valiant man like Hamlien, some may even want a little imp like Rupert.  I am excited and happy to have this book in my collection.  I am giving it a rating of 4 out of 5.  The story of the evil sorcerer seemed to have taken a backside to the romance, I would have liked to see more of that in the story.

A Christmas Promise By Thomas Kinkade and Katherine Spencer

It is that special time of year when families gather together to celebrate the holidays.  I felt it was appropriate to review a book that takes place during the same time of year.

A Christmas Promise is the 5th book in the Cape Light Series and follows the story of James Cameron (not the director), a missionary who decides to spend the holidays in Cape Light.  When his car collides with another, a hint of trouble comes down to this tiny village.  The woman in the other car Leigh Baxter is no hurt, but she needs to remain in town while her car is getting fixed.  She never expect to fall in love with this quaint little town, or James.   But she is worried that he will not accept her dark secrets, could someone love her after finding out about her past?  Meanwhile Sam and Jessica's relationship is put to the test, and the attempt to have a baby of their own.

I fell in love with this series when I was a young teenager, my mom had bought me the first Cape Light novel and I devoured it.  I found the characters to be relatable to an extent, some of the things the family went through and experienced didn't seem like something most families would, but then again it is a work of fiction.  Thomas Kinkade is known as the painter of light, and with this novel, he brings light into the reader's life through his words with Katherine Spencer.

I found the religious aspect of the story to be light and breezing, it did not seem like the authors were trying to "shove it down readers' throats."  The romance in the novel focused on the building of the relationship rather than the physical aspect of the relationship.  I like stories that focus on a couples struggles and how they work them out rather than the couple constantly in the sack.  It feels more realistic and plausible when a couple fights and then work together to come to a solution.

I think this series is more relatable and would be more enjoyable to women rather than men, but hey guys might enjoy a good light romantic novel from time to time right?  For a rating I would give this a 4 out of 5.  I'll  have to see if there is more to the series than the last book I read.

Treasure of the North

Treasures of The North (Yukon Quest Book #1), by Tracie Peterson
Media: ebook - Nook
Rating 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation:  I would recommend this novel for those who enjoy both Christian novels with focus on relying on God as well as those who like old west novels, novels about the gold rush and romance.


Treasures of the North is the story of a young woman, Grace Hawkin, who travels to the Yukon with her governess, Karen Pierce, to escape the potential to marry an abusive man.  Karen travels to the Yukon in hopes of finding her father who has gone missing during a missionary trip among the natives in Alaksa.  Along the way they met and make new friends in Peter Colton, a ship captain who sees the gold rush as a way help establish the family shipping business and Bill, a widower who packs his kids up to head north in hopes of achieving riches with the gold to be found.  Martin Paxton makes his way to the Yukon unbeknown to Grace and Karen.  Martin continues to manipulate her family to bring down their ruin, and he is determined to bring down Grace as well.

This is one of those novels that you can find yourself getting lost in and lose complete track of time.  I almost finished it in one night.  The story is compelling, the characters are thrilling, and you find yourself hoping each of their dreams come true (aside from Martin who you love to loathe).   There are a lot of references to religion and God throughout the novel, so if that is not something you dislike, this isn't a book for you.  That being said those references were done very well, it displayed the beliefs of Grace and Karen, and sometimes Peter.   It added quality to each of the characters to see how their faith fit into their lives. 

Peterson does a wonderful job with this story. It flows nicely and the changes in storylines, meaning changing to the different characters flowed together well. Readers aren't left wondering what is happening or where the story is headed.  There are questions that arise and go unanswered, but that is why there is a second book in the series.  The novel doesn't necessarily end, but prepare readers for the next novel.  It almost leaves you hanging which drops the rating down slightly.

Will I return to it?  I am not sure if I would return to this particular novel, but I will continue to read the series.