First Chapter, First Paragraph No. 2: The Healer's Apprentice, by Melanie Dickerson

Welcome to First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intros,

hosted by Diane @

Bibliophile By The Sea!!

Every Tuesday, each participant
shares the first paragraph 

(sometimes two) from a book
they're reading,

or thinking about reading.

The book I've picked this week is....

The Healer's Apprentice
Melanie Dickerson
Trade Paperback, 272 pages
Zondervan 
September 15, 2010
Christian Fiction, Fantasy,
Fairy Tale Retellings, Historical Fiction,
Romance, Young Adult Fiction

 
Rose has been appointed as a healer's apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, a rare opportunity for a woodcutter's daughter like her. While she often feels uneasy at the sight of blood, Rose is determined to prove herself capable. Failure will mean returning home to marry the aging bachelor her mother has chosen for her—a bloated, disgusting merchant who makes Rose feel ill.

When Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, it is Rose who must tend to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to understand emotions she's never felt before and wonders if he feels the same. But falling in love is forbidden, as Lord Hamlin is betrothed to a mysterious young woman in hiding. As Rose's life spins toward confusion, she must take the first steps on a journey to discover her own destiny.



Chapter 1


Spring, 1386, Hagenheim, 
The Harz Mountains, Lower Saxony

The townspeople of Hagenheim craned their necks as they peered down the cobblestone street, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Duke of Hagenheim's two handsome sons. The top-heavy, half-timbered houses hovered above the crowd as if they too were eager to get a peek at Lord Hamlin and Lord Rupert.

Rose shifted her basket from her left hip to her right and wrinkled her nose at the stale smell of sweat from the many bodies pressed close, mingled with the pungent scent of animal dung. Chickens and children skittered about, the clucking and squealing adding to the excited murmurs.

"I'll wait with you to the count of one hundred, Hildy, then I'm leaving." Rose couldn't let Frau Geruscha think her apprentice was a lazy dawdler. 

"Are you not curious to see if they've changed?" Hildy asked, her green eyes glinting in the sun.  
 

     

Have you ever read this novel?

If so, what did you think?

If not, would you continue reading,
judging from the excerpt above ?