Robyn Reviews: SAVING GRACE by Michele P. Holmes (Mirror Press, 2014)

From Amazon: After the death of her grandfather, the Duke of Salisbury, Grace Thatcher wants nothing more than to live quietly in the country with her younger siblings. Her father’s debts thwart those plans, and to protect her sister, Helen, Grace must marry a man of her father’s choosing. 

As each suitor proves less than desirable, Grace comes up with clever schemes, causing each to reject her. While staying at the mysterious Sutherland Hall, a middle-of-the-night mishap sends Grace into the arms of a stranger, Nicholas Sutherland—and provides inspiration for her grandest plan yet—one that will leave her reputation in tatters yet free both her and Helen from all possibility of marriage. 

Too late Grace regrets her rash actions when her father’s last choice, Mr. Samuel Preston, proves to be a gentleman and a friend. But Samuel is the sworn enemy of Nicholas Sutherland, the man responsible for her “ruin.” Now instead of being free, Grace is caught between two men—each with his own agenda.  

Audience: Adult

Genre: Regency Romance

Length: 339 pages

Rating: ***** (Loved it!)

Review:

“An early-morning mist shrouded the grounds of the Crosby estate as Grace Thatcher slipped out the front doors. For a moment, she stood alone in the chill and darkness, cherishing the silence and freedom where no one could see her. Then, blessing her good fortune at finding such cover, she crept down the wide steps and disappeared into the fog.”

With a beginning like that how can you not want to finish this book? One of the main things I loved about this book was the believability of the heroine, Grace.   She is human and fallible and makes many errors in judgment, but ultimately learns from her experiences. Nicholas and Samuel are the two men competing for her affections. Both have difficult pasts to overcome, yet each one goes about forgetting the past in different ways. Grace is the one who helps each of them while she is busy running from awful potential suitors whom her father has lined up for her to cover his debts. She is also trying to protect her siblings from his machinations.  Both Nicholas and Samuel are trying to save Grace, but ultimately, Grace ends up saving them.

This book has some light hearted moments, moments of forgiveness and learning, and moments of heartbreak. You will be uplifted and inspired as you read this book. You may even cry.

Grace’s upbringing helps her bridge the gap between classes and she is an honest and caring young woman who doesn’t always make the best choices. You will grumble and roll your eyes at the way she goes about doing this and sometimes you just want to shake the book and say “open your eyes!”  I loved this book from beginning to end.

I surely hope there is a book about Christopher!

Cons:

Sometimes I felt that there was not enough depth to Samuel and there should have been a few more details about his relationship with Grace’s siblings. Grace’s relationship with Lady Sutherland seems to have been resolved a little too easily, but I actually like the way they went about it. I would have liked a little more suspense for her whole situation with her father and the men he was trying to ‘sell’ her to.

Content:

Sex: 1

Violence:1

Language: 0

Overall Content Rating: PG

Source: Review Copy

You Might Like: “Kiss of a Stranger” by Sarah M. Eden; “Edenbrook” by Julianne Donaldson; Actually, anything by these two authors!

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