Jazzy Reads

The Hagenheim Series – Book 2 – The Merchant’s Daughter

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The Merchant’s Daughter is a book about a compassionate young woman named Annabel and her journey to find true love. Annabel’s family fell on hard times when her father died of the pestilence and his ships were lost at sea.

Annabel does her best to do her share of the work and more, but her mother and brothers can’t seem to realize they must work for a living. Instead, they seem determined to live just like they always have.

For years they shirked doing their share of the work in the old lord’s fields. The old lord’s steward, a dishonest man, let them get away with it year after year, much to the town’s disgust.

Then one day, word comes that the new lord, lord le Wyse, has decided to come and live in Glynval. Maimed in an attempt to save a peasant girl from an attacking wolf, lord le Wyse is said to look absolutely beastly and with a temper to match his looks.

With only one eye, a mangled hand, and a fierce scowl, lord le Wyse is a force to be reckoned with. Everyone uneasily awaits for his arrival, including Annabel and her family.

Lord le Wyse’s newly appointed steward and clerk supervise the hallmote that is to settle the town disputes, as well as to judge Annabel’s family’s case. The jury demands that Annabel’s family must pay their debt or a family member must become a servant in the lord’s house.

Annabel’s family does not have the money to pay off the debt but they are horrified at the thought of one of them becoming a servant.

Then Annabel’s older brother comes up with a plan. Bailiff Tom has offered to pay off their debt if Annabel agrees to marry him.

But Annabel has seen the way Bailiff Tom has looked at her and she is horrified at the idea of marrying him. Despite her family’s pleas and coercion, Annabel refuses to marry Bailiff Tom.

In order to escape the threat of an evil marriage, Annabel chooses to become a servant of lord le Wyse to pay off her family’s debt.

The work in the fields is more grueling than she anticipated. Mistress Eustacia, the head servant of lord le Wyses’s house, decides that she would be more suited to working in the lord’s house.

Annabel works hard but more than once she is frightened by lord le Wyse. With his angry scowl and fiery temper, Annabel is anxious in his presence.

Despite his temper, she can see the true man inside. The man who despite his standing and position would risk his life to save a defenseless maiden……….

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His name was Ranulf, lord Ranulf le Wyse actually. He was traveling to one of his manors out in the country. He planned to build his home there.

He hoped he might finally find the peace that had eluded him all these years. Even after all this time the woman’s face still haunted his dreams, his every step that he took he carried the burden of her scorn.

When he arrives at his manor he quickly becomes busy directing the building of his new home and making sure the harvest is brought in and stored. He also has the town disputes to settle.

He is more than a little annoyed to find out that one family has been deliberately shirking their work.

Then, instead of sending the eldest son or someone capable to pay off their debt, they send their youngest daughter. Eventually Mistress Eustacia put her to work in the house.

Will he ever find peace in this town or will the past always haunt him?

BOOK DETAILS

Author: Melanie Dickerson

Publisher: Zondervan; Original edition (December 4, 2011)

Series: Book 2 in the Hagenheim series

Age Range: 14 and up

Media Type: Kindle, Paperback, Audiobook

ISBN-10: 9780310727613

ISBN-13: 978-0310727613

What to expect: Romance, AdventureN

What I liked about The Merchant’s Daughter:

I like how it is a clean romance story. It doesn’t have the junk that a lot of romance books have.

Melanie Dickerson is a christian author and I like how she includes that in her stories.

She is also a very good writer. When you read her books you want to read more. You want to find out what happens. She makes you care about the people in her story.

The complete list of Melanie Dickerson’s “Hagenheim” series:

Book 1: The Healer’s Apprentice

Book 2: The Merchant’s Daughter

Book 3: The Fairest Beauty

Book 4: The Captive Maiden

Book 5: The Princess Spy

Book 6: The Golden Braid

Book 7: The Silent Songbird

Book 8: The Orphan’s Wish

Book 9: The Warrior Maiden

Book 10: The Pipers Pursuit

The Gammage Cup Book Summary and Novel Review

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“The Gammage Cup” by Carol Kendall is a fictional book about the Minnipins defending themselves against the Mushrooms.   

Walter the Earl, Gummy, Curly Green, Muggles, and Mingy become outcasts from their village when their habits and differences become to much for the others.

As they begin working together building their new home they find out a terrible secret.

Mushrooms, the dreaded enemy of the Minnipins, are in their peaceful valley.

Walter the Earl, Mingy, Gummy, Curly Green, and Muggles work together on warning the villagers and defending the Valley.

Carol Kendall’s “The Gammage Cup” is a remarkable story showing us that differences can be good, listening more is important, and working together is essential.

Book Details                             

Author: Carol Kendall

Publisher: An Odyssey/Harcourt Young Classic Harcourt, Inc.

Age Range: 9-13

Media Type: Paperback and Hardcover

ISBN-10: 015202493x

ISBN-13: 978-0152024932

What to Expect: Adventure, Excitement, Fantasy,

Carol Kendall’s wonderful story shows us that differences can be good and are part of what makes each of us special.

In chapter one, Walter the Earl, Gummy, Muggles, and Curly Green wear different cloaks than the others and do different things than the others but that doesn’t mean they can’t be helpful(P.6,7).

If the villagers had tried to get to know them they would have realized that Walter the Earl knew a lot about their history that they didn’t know.

While Gummy looked like he was lazy all the time, he could work when he put his mind to it.

He made it fun for everyone too.

Each (Oh Them) had something that would contribute to making the village awesome.

Because the villagers looked down on them they finally decided to leave and live by themselves on the edge of the surrounding mountain.

But as they begin building their new home they find out that the Mushrooms have come through the mountains and are getting ready to attack the valley.

Together, Walter the Earl, Gummy, Curly Green, Mingy, and Muggles used their unique talents to help defend and warn the others.

Because they were different from the other Minnipins they were able to save their village.                   

Carol Kendall’s book is a remarkable portrayal of why listening more is important.

Because Muggles listened only to the villagers she didn’t find true friends until she listened to the others.

If the Periods had listened more they would have realized that their museum labels were all messed up and that they didn’t have the whole story about their ancestor, Fooley.

Instead, they stubbornly kept it the same way and looked down even more upon Walter the Earl, Gummy, Curly Green, and Muggles.

If the townspeople had listened they would have been more prepared to fight the Mushrooms and fewer Minnipins would have been hurt.

When the Minnipins in the village finally decided to listen they were able to defeat their enemies.

Finally, Carol Kendall’s book shows us why working together is so essential to life.

In order to survive, Walter the Earl, Gummy, Curly Green, Muggles, and Mingy worked together to build their house and gather food.

If they hadn’t worked so hard, they wouldn’t have had shelter when the Mushrooms attacked them.

Walter the Earl, Mingy, Curly Green, Gummy, and Muggles worked together when they set up a spying system to see how the Mushrooms were getting through the mountains and into their valley.

Because they did that, they were able to rally the villagers before the Mushrooms reached the village.

When the townspeople worked together they were able to defeat the Mushrooms.

Carol Kendall adds so much depth to her story by having these things portrayed in her book.            

In”The Gammage Cup” Carol Kendall shows us that differences can be good, listening more is important, and working together is essential.

By having these things in her book she makes it so much more enjoyable.

“The Gammage Cup” will continue to be popular because it shows continually why these simple truths are so important.

Walter the Earl, Muggles, Gummy, Curly Green, and Mingy’s companionship and care for each other should continue to find themselves in other peoples hearts for generations to come.

Other Books You Might Like:

The Whisper of Glocken(another tale of the Minnipins)

The Outcasts(The BrotherBand Chronicles)

BrotherBand Chronicles – Book Seven – Review

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If you are interested in book seven (click on link here) of The BrotherBand Chronicles, you have probably read in book 6.

When Hal and his crew got lost out at sea and how they found a mysterious land.

Now in John Flanagan’s new exciting book, The Caldera, Hal and his friends find themselves visited by a surprise stranger.

He has a secret mission for them. Hal and his friends agree to the mission but find themselves encountering marauding pirates.

But time is ticking with a volcano about to blow. Can they complete this mission?

Book Details

This is the cover of my audio book. I got it from my library on my Fire Kindle. I love the colors in it. Oh, and by the way it’s just a picture so you can stop clicking it. It’s not going to play.

Author: John Flanagan

Publisher: Philomel Books

Series: The BrotherBand Chronicles, book 7

Age Range: 12 and up

Media Type: audio book, hard cover,

Pages: 432

ISBN: -10: 0399163581

-13: 978-0399163586

What to expect:

Humor, fighting, sailing, mystery, rescue mission.

And though they don’t say that the BrotherBand are vikings it definitely has a viking feel to it.

Introduction:

Hal and his crew are asked if they can help save a young emperor who has been kidnapped by pirates.

In order for Hal and his friends to save the young boy they must go where they’ve never gone before, Byzantos.

This is where the angry empress, Justina is waiting for her son.

This is John Flanagan’s fictional map of Skandia! Now because I did the audio book it didn’t have this picture but it is in some of his other books. And I decided that I would put it in anyways.

They quickly sail from there to Santorillos where the young boy is being held captive in a rocky fortress.

Hal and his friends try to help the young boy.

But their progress is checked by the  tremors that constantly are shaking the ground.

Can they get the young boy out in time? Or will the volcano get to him first?

The Caldera is a fantastic book filled with escalating highs, danger and much more.

Once you start reading The Caldera you won’t want to put it down.

What I liked about The Caldera:

I liked The Caldera because it was full of surprises.

Things kept happening that I hadn’t even really thought of.

This book captured my attention from beginning to end.

The last meeting between the stranger and Stig left me feeling a bit sad.

I am really glad that all of the original crew are still in it and haven’t died or anything.

I really enjoy reading the struggles of Ulf and Wulf, or rather the struggles of the crew as they try to deal with their incessant arguing.

It is always interesting when they enter the scene, you never quite know what will happen with them.

Well, besides the fact that they’re arguing all the time.

It is also hilariously funny how they always know what the other is up too.

And how they seem to always have a trick up there sleeves.

What I didn’t like about The Caldera:

This is Hal’s ship, the Heron.

The Caldera was good but there were some fighting scenes, but they weren’t gory.

It’s a little weird because there’s a bit of a time lapse.

Between the last few books it’s supposed to be a couple of years put together somehow.

But I always thought that everything happened in one year.

But then of course, that could just be me. I don’t know.

Overall I think that The Caldera was pretty good.

A list of the BrotherBand Chronicles:

Book 1: The Outcasts

This is the cover of the my book, in some places the cover is different.

Book 2: The Invaders

 

Book 3: The Hunters

Book 4: Slaves of Socorro

Book 5: Scorpion Mountain

Book 6: The Ghostfaces

Book 7: The Caldera