leahegood's review against another edition
3.0
I'll start by saying that my three star rating may not be entirely fair. See, I'm not a fan of romance stories (even so called "squeaky clean" ones) and, despite my recent fairy-tale binge, I'm not a regular reader of fairy tales. If I was a bigger fan of one or both, this book would have ranked higher.
The fairy-taleness of this story was well great. Sophie is sweet and innocent and easy to sympathize with. Her stepmother is quite hateable. Gabe is a wonderful hero who sweeps in and saves the day and has some character flaws to make him a bit more real. And their falling in love was...partly sweet.
My complaints (and star deduction) pertain to the romance. There was way to much emphasis on physical attraction for my comfort. You know, looking at each other's lips, the guy's muscles, the girl's lush hair. Some people like that, but I don't and it makes me uncomfortable. And then there was the fact that they were both betrothed to other people. That didn't sit well. Especially not Gabe's betrothal since he had agreed to it, where Sophie was only a baby when her's was made.
So good (sweet) story, good characters, good writing. Too much romance.
The fairy-taleness of this story was well great. Sophie is sweet and innocent and easy to sympathize with. Her stepmother is quite hateable. Gabe is a wonderful hero who sweeps in and saves the day and has some character flaws to make him a bit more real. And their falling in love was...partly sweet.
My complaints (and star deduction) pertain to the romance. There was way to much emphasis on physical attraction for my comfort. You know, looking at each other's lips, the guy's muscles, the girl's lush hair. Some people like that, but I don't and it makes me uncomfortable. And then there was the fact that they were both betrothed to other people. That didn't sit well. Especially not Gabe's betrothal since he had agreed to it, where Sophie was only a baby when her's was made.
So good (sweet) story, good characters, good writing. Too much romance.
psheflin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
starfish9991's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
caslater83's review against another edition
4.0
This was a good book! But I will admit that I prefer "The Merchant's Daughter" over this one. (Sorry, I think we all have our favorites, don't we?)
Sophie grew up not knowing her own lineage. For years, she slaved away as a servant in the castle of her step-mother. Sophie is sweet, innocent, and helpful to those she meets. Everyone comes to love and respect her. Only her step-mother hates her with every fiber of her being. She hates her so much that she throws Sophie into the dungeon/prison for every little offense she can think of. Nothing gives the old bat more delight than to punish Sophie and make her suffer. No wonder Sophie dreams of a life away from there. When she realizes that she may be the dead/missing daughter of a duke---wow. It should come as no surprise to her as to why she has been terribly mistreated by her step-mother.
Gabe is a man who is tired of being lesser than his older brother. He wants to prove to everyone around him that he is just as good, if not better, than Valten. So when he hears this possibility of Sophie being alive after all these years, he sets out to play the hero by simply saving the damsel and charming whoever stands in his way. This is all supposed to be fairly simple. But he's never met someone this evil before.
Love comes unexpectedly for both Gabe and Sophie. It is sweet without being overly mushy. You will love the seven men. They are definitely not what I had in mind, but Melanie Dickerson certainly did her best to make them outstanding and memorable.
Sophie grew up not knowing her own lineage. For years, she slaved away as a servant in the castle of her step-mother. Sophie is sweet, innocent, and helpful to those she meets. Everyone comes to love and respect her. Only her step-mother hates her with every fiber of her being. She hates her so much that she throws Sophie into the dungeon/prison for every little offense she can think of. Nothing gives the old bat more delight than to punish Sophie and make her suffer. No wonder Sophie dreams of a life away from there. When she realizes that she may be the dead/missing daughter of a duke---wow. It should come as no surprise to her as to why she has been terribly mistreated by her step-mother.
Gabe is a man who is tired of being lesser than his older brother. He wants to prove to everyone around him that he is just as good, if not better, than Valten. So when he hears this possibility of Sophie being alive after all these years, he sets out to play the hero by simply saving the damsel and charming whoever stands in his way. This is all supposed to be fairly simple. But he's never met someone this evil before.
Love comes unexpectedly for both Gabe and Sophie. It is sweet without being overly mushy. You will love the seven men. They are definitely not what I had in mind, but Melanie Dickerson certainly did her best to make them outstanding and memorable.
bookscrystals93's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty good. Little bit longer than the first two books. Two of the main characters from the first book are featured and tied into this book. Good series so far.
ankeb04's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
thearosemary's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
The Fairest Beauty was a sweet retelling of Snow White. To whom it will concern, this is Christian fiction, which I do not mind, but I noticed a few people rustling from discovering the genre.
Anyways, this book was a nice conversion of the original story. Melanie kept the book on the realistic side by omitting magic. I do love magic, but I was completely fine with fantasy being removed.
I really like the characters, but I think they could have used a little more development. I did not feel like I knew the characters too well.
The Fairest Beauty was a sweet retelling of Snow White. To whom it will concern, this is Christian fiction, which I do not mind, but I noticed a few people rustling from discovering the genre.
Anyways, this book was a nice conversion of the original story. Melanie kept the book on the realistic side by omitting magic. I do love magic, but I was completely fine with fantasy being removed.
I really like the characters, but I think they could have used a little more development. I did not feel like I knew the characters too well.
lexislovelylibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
piperkitty81's review against another edition
3.0
An enjoyable Snow White retelling. Some aspects were quite refreshing, but some traits about Gabe irritated me, so he’s not my favorite love interest for a story.