By Love and Grace

Byrnehouse-Davies & Hamilton Saga #7

by Anita Stansfield

A Powerful Novel of Love, Faith, and Redemption. When Sean O'Hara meets a beautiful young woman in the library, he senses that his life will never be the same. He quickly learns that Tara is the woman he wants to spend eternity - but at what price? Alone in the world, disowned by his family when he joined the Church, and separated by a continent from his good friends Michael and Emily Hamilton, Sean is suddenly drawn into the eye of an emotional tornado over which he has no control. Or does he? Tara Parr has every reason to believe that her life will follow a predictable pattern - college, dating, temple marriage, a beautiful family. And indeed, when she meets Sean, the dream promises to become a reality.Until one dark night, when the dream is shattered into a million pieces. Her life is beyond repair . . . or is it? Can Sean help her? Will he help her? Or has he come into her life too late, with too little to give? From the very first page, you'll be totally captivated by this incredible story of love, sacrifice, healing, and renewal. Stansfield has created characters that will live forever in your heart as you laugh, cry, grieve, and rejoice with them. If you loved her First Love and Forever series, this novel is required reading.

Genres: Lds Fiction, Romance, Lds, Fiction, Religion, Christian Fiction, Contemporary

261 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1996

About the author

Anita Stansfield, the LDS market's #1 best-selling romance novelist, is an imaginative and prolific writer whose romantic stories have captivated her readers.

"With sales approaching a half million, Anita Stansfield has clearly found a niche in this market," said Nicole Martin, Publicist for Covenant Communications. "Her popularity stems from her ability to empathize with and write about the issues that LDS women deal with on a daily basis."

"I always write for women like me. It's through my interaction with other women that I've found there are some personal and emotional struggles that are typical," said Anita Stansfield. "I hope my writing makes women feel better about themselves and shows them these real problems can be solved through gospel principles."

Reviews

[Lover of Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story that just about broke my heart!! The heroine here while at college, ends up falling in love with Sean but when she is attacked and brutalized....Sean is her rock and we see the horrid after effects of rape and the survivors. We see inner strength and the healing power of love. Quite a memorable story and I had a great fun time reconnecting with Sean and Tara and their journey in overcoming the worst pain to embrace a beautiful love.

[Lynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a good, quick read but not my piece of cake. Enjoyable because the characters are LDS and I enjoyed the gospel references. But it's just ... well ... sappy. I don't know how else to say it. I only read these things because I can pick them up for free or next to nothing at the annual Girl's Camp Fundraiser Garage Sale and I know they're clean. But the writing just isn't all that great. They're akin to the romance novels I refuse to waste time on but without all the hot and steamy love scenes.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anita is just not my type of writer. I can't handle the writing where someone cries for 4 pages and it's all feelings and emotions. I like more action and story.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When Sean O'Hara meets a beautiful young woman in the library, he senses that his life will never be the same. He quickly learns that Tara is the woman he wants to spend eternity with-but at what price? Alone on this world, disowned by his family when he joined the Curch, and seperated by a continent from his good friends Micheal and Emily Hamilton, Sean is suddenly drawn into the eye of an emotional tornado over which he has no control. Or does he?
"Tara Parr has every reason to believe her life will follow a predictable pattern-college, dating, temple marriage, a beautiful family. And indeed, when she meets Sean, the dream promises to become reality. Until one dark night, when the dream is shattered into a million peices. Her life is beyond repair...or is it? Can Sean help her? Will he help her? Or has he come into her life too late, with too little to give?
"From the very first page, you'll be totally captivated by this incredible story of love, sacrifice, healing, and renewal. Stansfield has created characters that will live forever in your heart as you laugh, cry, grieve, and rejoice with them."
I loved this book because it totally draws you into the world of Sean and Tara. I laughed, cried, grieved, and rejoiced every step of the way. This romance novel will forever live in your heart with every struggle, character, and trial. Every word will draw you further into this book.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the things I like about Anita Stansfield’s books is how she tackles real life problems. Her characters experience difficult problems and overcome. It has been awhile since I last read one of her books, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. There was great depth to this story. I loved Sean and Tara’s relationship and learned from it. Their love for each other was inspiring. I liked how they learned to work out their problems together, to bear each others burdens, and to talk to each other about what they thought and felt. Through reading this book, I gained more compassion for people facing trials like the characters in this book faced such as rape, being disowned by family, infertility, and past bad choice. It was also a reminder to not judge others.

Another thing I really liked about this book was how the gospel was so intertwined with the story and in the lives of the characters. And I liked how she tactfully handles difficult subjects, like rape. She is also a very good writer. Sometimes as I read, a sentence would stand out to me because it was so beautifully written, because a sentiment was so perfectly expressed. I am grateful I finally got around to reading this book. It has been on my shelf for a long time, but I am glad a read it now.

Content: a few swear words, tactful handling of rape, drug use, etc., closed door (marital) sex
See my review at http://www.iamareader.com/2013/10/boo...

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first Anita Stansfield book I've read, and I believe it is the book that "The Wednesday Letters" wanted to be. While I heaved giant sighs and nearly rolled my eyes out of their sockets through every page of TWL, "By Love and Grace" raised some painful and thought-provoking issues. Also, I definitely prefer Stansfield's writing to Jason Wright's; he's so determined to set the mood that he feels the need to describe everything - right down to how everybody's hair smells - while Stansfield doesn't waste one word on unnecessary detail.
That being said, BLAG sort of feels like an extended story from an LDS young women's teaching manual, and it gets pretty sappy every now and then.

I suppose this was less of a review and more of a comparison, but it seems inevitable since both books deal with rape and have LDS authors and I read them only a few months apart.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

After trying super hard to get past my dislike of Stansfield as an author of story characters that are too perfect and very unrealistic, I was able to read this story with an open mind. I was hoping my friend Jessica and her husband Andrew did not disappointment me on saying I HAD to read this. I was surprised that this was one of Stansfield's stories where the main characters where FAR from perfect and completely realistic to believe. By Love and Grace brings up tough subjects that are difficult for a lot of people to get past or even deal with. I ended the book thinking, "Glad I listened to them". It was worth the read.

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read by Anita Stansfield...I could not put this book down and I think it was probably one of my favorites of hers that I have read so far! I think part of it was it had a great adoption story-line in the book that I was impressed with. Any book that protrays adoption in a good light is bound to me among my favorites because it's so personal for me. I read the book in two days and absolutely loved it!

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the character development in most of Anita Stansfield's books. They have good & bad, and their personalities are very different. I also like how she deals with subjects that can be sensitive in such a way that they can be very therapeutic for those who are struggling - or who have struggled - with the same things. This isn't my favorite, but that is probably because it is a trial I personally haven't dealt with. I still enjoyed it.

[Rocky · Rating 5 out of 5]

God's grace heals

I gave this book a 5 star rating because it held me from the first page. Sean and Tara were a great couple, full of love and devotion for each other. When the very worst degradation that a woman can suffer happens to Tara, Sean not only doesn't leave her in disgust but he stays with her and marries her. Through the many trials they go through their love is only is only deepened.

[Shaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's about a rape victim but it doesn't go into too many details thankfully. I thought that it needed to stress that you shouldn't be alone with the opposite gender in a house unless you are married...it causes problems. But after reading this book I felt so grateful for things in my life. I also can understand better how victims view things. It was an eye opener.

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, loved the book! Easy read, quick moving and interesting plot. The author doesn't waste any time in the story, there are no boring parts. I love how even though they have so many struggles, they are always strengthened and blessed, and by the end you're in awe of how everything works out. Can't wait to start the next one when is arrives in the mail!

[Maggie]

From the very first page, you'll be totally captivated by this incredible story of love, sacrifice, healing, and renewal. Stansfield has created characters that will live forever in your heart as you laugh, cry, grieve, and rejoice with them. If you loved her First Love and Forever series, this novel is required reading.

[Myra Marangi]

I think this was the first one I ever read but I don't remember. Shortly after I joined the church and moved to Gardnerville, I had a great friend (someone I visit taught) give me whole stack of Anita's books and I read them all in a few weeks. They actually helped build my testimony back then!! I want to read this one again.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great love story about triumph over tragedy. This is an LDS author, and the story is set in Utah (BYU), so you must like that genre to begin with. Not a bad read though, totally liked the relationship between the 2 main characters. I recommend this book. EASY read!

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It poses real problems that can happen to anyone, and presents them in a realistic way. I love how much stansfield develops the characters, by the I absolutely loved them, they are the kind of characters that you just want to win. This book is one of my all time favorites!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one takes you down a road with a topic most of us have never had to deal with personally and hope never to. It was inspiring to see how the characters rise above everything that happens to be able to build a life and to keep the gospel as the focus in their lives.

[Jenifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

i decided to reread some of my high school favorites, including this series...this is the 4th out of about 16, and it ranks high in comparison. it's not my normal choice of books, but a little romance is enjoyable. the author has talent for her style of writing.

[Hailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had a lot of depth and I really enjoyed it. The difficulties that the characters faced were very real and heartbreaking struggles and it was really nice to see them overcome them. I gained a lot from reading this book and I think that the story was told really well.

[Debra Cryer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good book, I am just partial to her Gables and First love series.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 7 in the Byrne-House Davies Saga.

[Jeana]

Didn't love it, but it's probably just because I don't particularly like this genre.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was about dealing with rape.

[Kristilynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it, because it related to me and my family on adoption.

[Liesl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Anita Stansfield books get a little too sappy here and there in my opinion, but they are definately a good fun read.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my fav's by Anita!

[Camille · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a while ago but absolutely loved it! It's a great story of the courage to correct a life which has badly strayed from the path..An easy and worthwhile read!

[Cherisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just read this today(and really late last night) I like it because it seems like it really did happen. and I'm a fan of sappy chick flicks;)

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably one of the best books I have read. I've read it 4 or 5 times, I cry everytime. I absoultly love it.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Own: Book/Tape