The Golden Braid
Authors: Melanie Dickerson
A
DVANCE
P
RAISE FOR
The Golden Braid
“Melanie Dickerson's
The Golden Braid
reimagines a beloved childhood fairy tale with wit, heart-thumping action and wonderfully endearing characters. Her mastery of faith-woven tales enveloped in the charm of a true storybook world simply can't be beat. It's enchanting from once upon a time to the very end.”
âK
RISTY
C
AMBRON
,
AUTHOR OF
T
HE
R
INGMASTER
'
S
W
IFE
AND THE
H
IDDEN
M
ASTERPIECE SERIES
“
The Golden BraidÂ
is a delightful, page-turning retelling of the story of Rapunzel. Dickerson brings this familiar fairy tale to life with a fresh and unique plot that is full of complex characters, a sweet romance, and danger at every turn. Rapunzel's search to understand her place in the medieval world is a timeless identity struggle that modern readers will relate to. Her growing courage and faith are inspirational and will have readers cheering her on and sad to see the story come to an end.”
âJ
ODY
H
EDLUND
,
BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF
A
N
U
NCERTAIN
C
HOICE
“Fans of Melanie Dickerson's fairy tale retellings will love the chance to return to Hagenheim with Rapunzel in a story about the price of revenge, the rewards of forgiveness, and the unfailing love of God.”
âS
TEPHANIE
M
ORRILL
, A
UTHOR OF
THE
E
LLIE
S
WEET SERIES
“If you like beautiful medieval romance that leaves you with weak knees and butterflies in your stomach, then Melanie Dickerson's latest book,
The Golden Braid
, is for you. I fell in love with sweet, determined Rapunzel from the very first chapter, and Gerek's tortured past made me ache for him to succeed. Packed with mystery and adventure, Melanie's tales never disappoint!”
âK
ATIE
C
LARK, AUTHOR OF THE
E
NSLAVED SERIES
“Readers who love getting lost in a fairy-tale romance will cheer for Rapunzel's courage as she rises above her overwhelming past. The surprising way Dickerson weaves threads of this enchanting companion novel with those of her other Hagenheim stories is simply delightful. Her fans will love it.”
âJ
ILL
W
ILLIAMSON
, C
HRISTY
A
WARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE
B
LOOD OF
K
INGS TRILOGY AND THE
K
INSMAN
C
HRONICLES
P
RAISE FOR
The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest
“Readers will find themselves supporting the romance between the sweet yet determined Odette and the insecure but hardworking Jorgen from the beginning. Dickerson spins a retelling of Robin Hood with emotionally compelling characters, offering hope that love may indeed conquer all as they unite in a shared desire to serve both the Lord and those in need.”
â
RT B
OOK
R
EVIEWS
, 4½
STARS
“I'm always amazed at the way Melanie Dickerson creates a world. Her writing is as fresh and unique as anyone I know, and I am always pulled into the story and taken far away on a wonderful, romantic, and action-packed journey.”
âM
ARY
C
ONNEALY
,
AUTHOR OF
N
OW AND
F
OREVER
,
BOOK TWO OF THE
W
ILD AT
H
EART SERIES
“Melanie Dickerson does it again! Full of danger, intrigue, and romance, this beautifully crafted story will transport you to another place and time.”
âS
ARAH
E. L
ADD
,
AUTHOR OF
T
HE
C
URIOSITY
K
EEPER
AND THE
W
HISPERS ON
THE
M
OORS SERIES
“Melanie Dickerson's
The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest
is a lovely, romantic read set during one of the most fascinating time periods. Featuring a feisty, big-hearted heroine and a hero to root for, this sweet medieval tale is wrapped in a beautiful journey of faith that had me flipping pages well after my bedtime. Delightful!”
âT
AMARA
L
EIGH
,
USA T
ODAY
BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF
B
ARON OF
G
ODSMERE
“
The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest
reminds me of why adults should read fairy tales. Author Melanie Dickerson shoots straight to the heart with a cast of compelling characters, an enchanting story world, and romance and suspense in spades. Reaching “The End” was regrettableâbut oh, what an ending!”
âL
AURA
F
RANTZ
,
AUTHOR OF
T
HE
M
ISTRESS OF
T
ALL
A
CRE
“For stories laden with relatable heroines, romantically adventurous plots, once-upon-a-time settings, and engaging writing, Melanie Dickerson is your go-to author. Her books are on my never-to-be-missed list.”
âK
IM
V
OGEL
S
AWYER
,
AUTHOR OF
W
HEN
M
ERCY
R
AINS
“Ms. Dickerson deftly captures the flavor of life in medieval Germany in a sweet tale filled with interesting characters that will surely capture readers' hearts.”
âK
ATHLEEN
M
ORGAN
,
AUTHOR OF
T
HESE
H
IGHLAND
H
ILLS SERIES
,
E
MBRACE THE
D
AWN,
AND
C
ONSUMING
F
IRE
O
THER
B
OOKS BY
M
ELANIE
D
ICKERSON
T
HE
M
EDIEVAL
F
AIRY
T
ALE
N
OVELS
The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest
The Beautiful Pretender (Available May 2016)
Y
OUNG
A
DULT
The Princess Spy
The Captive Maiden
The Fairest Beauty
The Merchant's Daughter
The Healer's Apprentice
Copyright © 2015 by Melanie Dickerson
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansâelectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherâexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.
Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.⢠Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.â¢
Publisher's Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
ISBN 978-0-7180-2627-1 (eBook)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dickerson, Melanie.
The golden braid / Melanie Dickerson.
pages cm
Summary: In medieval Hagenheim, Germany, seventeen-year-old Rapunzel asks God for guidance as she tries to dutifully serve and obey her unpredictable mother, yet fulfill her dream of learning to read and marrying.
ISBN 978-0-7180-2626-4 (hardback)
[1. Mothers and daughters--Fiction. 2. Love--Fiction. 3. Christian life--Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.D5575Go 2015
[Fic]--dc23
2015020898
15 16 17 18 19 20 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
