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Hearthfire Romance #1
Saving Grace
From Whitney Award Winning Author, Michele Paige Holmes, comes SAVING GRACE, a regency romance from the Hearthfire Romance series:
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.
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.
388 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
373 people are currently reading
1898 people want to read
About the author
Michele Paige Holmes
30 books418 followersMichele Paige Holmes is the author of eighteen published romance novels and five novellas in the Timeless Romance Anthologies.
She loves history and all things romantic, though the reality of her life is often less so, with piles of laundry to be folded, meals to be cooked, and dishes to be washed. She finds those things blessings too, or evidence of the blessings in her life—her husband, five, mostly grown children, and five charming grandchildren (four of whom reside in her home).
She is married to her high school sweetheart, a true Ironman who considers doing ultramarathons and triathlons fun. The only time Michele logs serious miles is at Disney theme parks, but she and her super-fit husband have been happily married for thirty-five years, in spite of her lack of coordination and lagging fitness levels.
While her husband is out running, biking, or swimming, Michele’s furry companion Sherlock Holmes—a Cavapoo strongly resembling a teddy bear—keeps her company and keeps her feet warm during the cold winter months in Utah.
In recent years Michele has enjoyed traveling to some of the locations she writes about. This summer she will be returning to Scotland to do research for upcoming Hearthfire Historical novels.
You can find Michele on the web at michelepaigeholmes.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
She loves history and all things romantic, though the reality of her life is often less so, with piles of laundry to be folded, meals to be cooked, and dishes to be washed. She finds those things blessings too, or evidence of the blessings in her life—her husband, five, mostly grown children, and five charming grandchildren (four of whom reside in her home).
She is married to her high school sweetheart, a true Ironman who considers doing ultramarathons and triathlons fun. The only time Michele logs serious miles is at Disney theme parks, but she and her super-fit husband have been happily married for thirty-five years, in spite of her lack of coordination and lagging fitness levels.
While her husband is out running, biking, or swimming, Michele’s furry companion Sherlock Holmes—a Cavapoo strongly resembling a teddy bear—keeps her company and keeps her feet warm during the cold winter months in Utah.
In recent years Michele has enjoyed traveling to some of the locations she writes about. This summer she will be returning to Scotland to do research for upcoming Hearthfire Historical novels.
You can find Michele on the web at michelepaigeholmes.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 306 reviews
May 18, 2017
Regency romance Kindle freebie as of May 17, 2017, of the squeaky clean variety, with a sweet, spunky heroine who finds herself in a fix and a resulting engagement-of-convenience.
Grace Thatcher is a duke's granddaughter, but her father is a gambling addict and her mother (the duke's estranged daughter) died when Grace was eight. She pretty much singlehandedly raised her two younger siblings in poverty before her grandfather swooped in and rescued them, but now he's passed away as well and Grace's father is angling to marry Grace off, in any way that will bring him the most money to pay his debts and, one assumes, gamble some more.
Grace is sent off to visit several potential suitors, and she comes up with some admirably sneaky schemes to discourage them from making an offer for her. The last one goes bad, however, and she needs to take off in the middle of the night. The coach breaks down and Grace ends up, very sick and dirty, in the country home of one Nicholas Sutherland. The house has a few servants but most of the rooms aren't ready for company, so Nicholas' butler makes the mistake of putting an ill Grace in his master's bedroom. The master comes home unexpectedly and there's a scene (not at all a sexy one, though! ... too bad).
Grace thinks she'll play it smart and use this event to ruin her reputation and discourage the last of her suitors, Samuel Preston. She really doesn't want to marry ANYONE. But Nicholas, the habitually short-tempered kind of hero, nevertheless finds it in his heart to try to save Grace from her ruin, even though she doesn't really want to be saved. To spice up the story, Preston is actually a nice guy, but Nicholas is determined to destroy him because ... well, they've got a long, problematic history and you can read it for yourself if you're interested. :)
Not bad at all for a Kindle freebie romance, but the pacing gets pretty slow in the middle and I found myself skimming. There's a foolish misunderstanding, a feud to resolve, a bitter potential mother-in-law to win over, and a hardhearted hero to soften. And a few pretty good kissing scenes. Recommended for clean Regency romance fans.
Grace Thatcher is a duke's granddaughter, but her father is a gambling addict and her mother (the duke's estranged daughter) died when Grace was eight. She pretty much singlehandedly raised her two younger siblings in poverty before her grandfather swooped in and rescued them, but now he's passed away as well and Grace's father is angling to marry Grace off, in any way that will bring him the most money to pay his debts and, one assumes, gamble some more.
Grace is sent off to visit several potential suitors, and she comes up with some admirably sneaky schemes to discourage them from making an offer for her. The last one goes bad, however, and she needs to take off in the middle of the night. The coach breaks down and Grace ends up, very sick and dirty, in the country home of one Nicholas Sutherland. The house has a few servants but most of the rooms aren't ready for company, so Nicholas' butler makes the mistake of putting an ill Grace in his master's bedroom. The master comes home unexpectedly and there's a scene (not at all a sexy one, though! ... too bad).
Grace thinks she'll play it smart and use this event to ruin her reputation and discourage the last of her suitors, Samuel Preston. She really doesn't want to marry ANYONE. But Nicholas, the habitually short-tempered kind of hero, nevertheless finds it in his heart to try to save Grace from her ruin, even though she doesn't really want to be saved. To spice up the story, Preston is actually a nice guy, but Nicholas is determined to destroy him because ... well, they've got a long, problematic history and you can read it for yourself if you're interested. :)
Not bad at all for a Kindle freebie romance, but the pacing gets pretty slow in the middle and I found myself skimming. There's a foolish misunderstanding, a feud to resolve, a bitter potential mother-in-law to win over, and a hardhearted hero to soften. And a few pretty good kissing scenes. Recommended for clean Regency romance fans.
July 15, 2018
This story reminded me of Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden and The Stranger She Married by Donna Hatch, but of course it has its own twists and turns that make it a story worth reading- especially if you enjoy a Regency England setting and the marriage of convenience trope. I enjoyed the characters and the conflicts that had to be resolved as the story progressed and relationships grew complex.
July 2, 2015
4.5
I love picking up a book and falling into the story right from the start. I knew early on that I was going to enjoy this one, and I did. Grace Thatcher finds herself in a tricky spot, her father is trying to marry her off to any wealthy man that he can find to cover his extensive gambling debts. Grace has no desire to marry and simply wants to take her siblings and hide away in the country. Her plans run amok when her carriage breaks down and she finds herself in the home of Lord Sutherland. Through a series of unfortunate events the two find themselves engaged.
I loved the evolution of their relationship, from hating one another to eventually caring rather deeply for each other. I though this had a strong start, I did feel at times it was a tad slow, but I enjoyed it. Grace was a likable heroine, she was kind and honest. I liked that she always attempted to make the right choice, even if it didn't always turn out the best. Nicholas was pretty broody and full of revenge when the book starts, but Grace brings out his softer side. They were a good couple and it was fun seeing them together. There was a bit of a love triangle, but was well done. I actually came to like Samuel Preston quite a bit.
Overall, a fun regency story and one I'd recommend!
Content: Clean
Nominated for a Swoony Award.
I love picking up a book and falling into the story right from the start. I knew early on that I was going to enjoy this one, and I did. Grace Thatcher finds herself in a tricky spot, her father is trying to marry her off to any wealthy man that he can find to cover his extensive gambling debts. Grace has no desire to marry and simply wants to take her siblings and hide away in the country. Her plans run amok when her carriage breaks down and she finds herself in the home of Lord Sutherland. Through a series of unfortunate events the two find themselves engaged.
I loved the evolution of their relationship, from hating one another to eventually caring rather deeply for each other. I though this had a strong start, I did feel at times it was a tad slow, but I enjoyed it. Grace was a likable heroine, she was kind and honest. I liked that she always attempted to make the right choice, even if it didn't always turn out the best. Nicholas was pretty broody and full of revenge when the book starts, but Grace brings out his softer side. They were a good couple and it was fun seeing them together. There was a bit of a love triangle, but was well done. I actually came to like Samuel Preston quite a bit.
Overall, a fun regency story and one I'd recommend!
Content: Clean
Nominated for a Swoony Award.
May 21, 2017
Grace Thurston may be the granddaughter of a Duke, but she's the daughter of a gamester who hasn't lifted a finger to help his family in 25 years. Since the death of Grace's mother when she was only 8, she has been mother and sister to her two younger siblings. Determined to protect her shy sister Helen from her father's scheme to marry his daughters in exchange for a fortune, Grace agrees to his plan to meet her prospective suitors. Little does Papa know that Grace has a plan to reject them all, certain that none of them are suitable. Far more preferable is a quiet life in the country with her siblings once they receive the inheritance her late grandfather left them. Everything seems to be going according to plan until late one night when her carriage breaks down on the side of a deserted road. Assisted by her two faithful servants, Grace makes her way to Sutherland Hall and ill with fever, she collapses on the doorstep. Plans go awry in the morning and Grace finds herself in the midst of a scandal. Certain it would all work to her advantage, she thinks to manipulate the situation, however, she neglected to inform Nicholas Sutherland of her plan. Soon she finds herself in the suds again and this time she sees no way out. She is determined to make the best of a bad situation and thaw the black heart of Nicholas Sutherland, who has been suffering since the deaths of his sister and father two years ago.
This story seems to be a retelling of Beauty and the Beast without the charm or magic. I really didn't care so much for the story but I had to know how it all worked out. I did put it down to sleep but picked it up again in the morning. The story went on a little long but it needed to in order to make the romance plausible. I didn't really buy the romance. I can see why the heroine is appealing but the hero is not. More on them later. I just wanted them to talk honestly with each other early on and avoid the pitfalls of the rest of the story. The actual falling in love is told more than shown. The key scenes are missing from the story! There's a secondary romance that I didn't seem coming and some other surprises that keep this story from being utter drivel. It ends up corny and heartwarming.
Grace, the heroine, is TSTL. She rushes headlong into a madcap scheme without thinking of the consequences. She discovers that her plan had very dangerous consequences and severe repercussions. Her actions reflect not just on her and her siblings, but also on the men she's playing a dangerous game with. I wasn't surprised when she revealed what sent her off running into the night and figured there would be more of that to come. Only illness saves her from complete disaster. Then the hero steps in and the two have conflicting plans. Nicholas is word which here means donkey or behind. He loathes his neighbor for no good reason and is busy plotting the man's revenge. SPOILERS ahead Nicholas holds anger and revenge in his heart for far too long. I kept yelling at him in my head to get over it and move on. Yes it was tragic but it's been 2 years! He also expected his enemy to feel the same as he does and expected them both to be in perpetual mourning. This anger in his heart makes Nicholas rude, selfish and domineering. He willfully misjudges Grace and doesn't bother to let her give her share of the story before judging her. His mother is even worse. She's word which here means female dog. The only Sutherland who seemed likable was Elizabeth and she's dead.
The supporting characters are better than the primary ones. I loved the servants. Harrison and Miranda are devoted to Grace and serve as substitute parents. They reward her for her kindness with loyalty and care. I was appalled at the way Nicholas treated them. He had no right at all to do what he did. His servants, Kingsley and Mrs. James are kind too, especially Kingsley. If Nicholas bothered to be kinder to his servants he might have avoided his conflict with Grace. Kingsley seems like a loyal man. I loved Samuel. He's a million times more appealing than Nicholas and though I don't approve of all of his actions, he makes up for it by being nice.
Grace's family rounds out the cast of characters. Her sister Helen is a bit of a ninny. She's more than shy-she seems to have social anxiety disorder. She's a little too sweet and innocent for my tastes but she's very young. Christopher isn't in the story much and I'd like to know more about him and his take on things. Their father is a louse and clearly had no intentions of ever doing anything to support his family. He complicates the situation and made it much worse than it would have been otherwise.
I think I'm in the minority with this one but at least it was free.
Kindle Freebie Thanks Tadiana.
This story seems to be a retelling of Beauty and the Beast without the charm or magic. I really didn't care so much for the story but I had to know how it all worked out. I did put it down to sleep but picked it up again in the morning. The story went on a little long but it needed to in order to make the romance plausible. I didn't really buy the romance. I can see why the heroine is appealing but the hero is not. More on them later. I just wanted them to talk honestly with each other early on and avoid the pitfalls of the rest of the story. The actual falling in love is told more than shown. The key scenes are missing from the story! There's a secondary romance that I didn't seem coming and some other surprises that keep this story from being utter drivel. It ends up corny and heartwarming.
Grace, the heroine, is TSTL. She rushes headlong into a madcap scheme without thinking of the consequences. She discovers that her plan had very dangerous consequences and severe repercussions. Her actions reflect not just on her and her siblings, but also on the men she's playing a dangerous game with. I wasn't surprised when she revealed what sent her off running into the night and figured there would be more of that to come. Only illness saves her from complete disaster. Then the hero steps in and the two have conflicting plans. Nicholas is word which here means donkey or behind. He loathes his neighbor for no good reason and is busy plotting the man's revenge. SPOILERS ahead Nicholas holds anger and revenge in his heart for far too long. I kept yelling at him in my head to get over it and move on. Yes it was tragic but it's been 2 years! He also expected his enemy to feel the same as he does and expected them both to be in perpetual mourning. This anger in his heart makes Nicholas rude, selfish and domineering. He willfully misjudges Grace and doesn't bother to let her give her share of the story before judging her. His mother is even worse. She's word which here means female dog. The only Sutherland who seemed likable was Elizabeth and she's dead.
The supporting characters are better than the primary ones. I loved the servants. Harrison and Miranda are devoted to Grace and serve as substitute parents. They reward her for her kindness with loyalty and care. I was appalled at the way Nicholas treated them. He had no right at all to do what he did. His servants, Kingsley and Mrs. James are kind too, especially Kingsley. If Nicholas bothered to be kinder to his servants he might have avoided his conflict with Grace. Kingsley seems like a loyal man. I loved Samuel. He's a million times more appealing than Nicholas and though I don't approve of all of his actions, he makes up for it by being nice.
Grace's family rounds out the cast of characters. Her sister Helen is a bit of a ninny. She's more than shy-she seems to have social anxiety disorder. She's a little too sweet and innocent for my tastes but she's very young. Christopher isn't in the story much and I'd like to know more about him and his take on things. Their father is a louse and clearly had no intentions of ever doing anything to support his family. He complicates the situation and made it much worse than it would have been otherwise.
I think I'm in the minority with this one but at least it was free.
Kindle Freebie Thanks Tadiana.
January 29, 2015
I think I am in Regency era fangirl swooning delight. I am an avid historical fiction fan of the Georgian era and its latter half sub-eras of the legal and cultural Regency. Of all the Regency era works I read this year, only this work and Prelude for a Lord by Camille Elliot totally blew my mind and I could find no fault in them.
This is a clean secular traditional regency romance. I know it’s unfair, but I hold clean secular historical romance authors and Christian historical romance authors to a higher standard when it comes to research compared to proverbial bodice or corset ripping explicit sexuality romance authors. On that note Michele Paige Holmes's regency era research is accurate and phenomenal for this novel. You can tell she bothered to research the strict British caste system structure, the life of the individual castes at the times, the sociological ills/social problems of the era, and “The Rules” of society.
I just loved the heroine in this novel with her strong moral character, unpretentiousness, work ethic, kind empathetic heart, and resilience through great adversities. Grace’s back life story that prequels the beginning events of the novel are hard not to feel some emotion about and endear you to her, as well as her strong kind character through the rest of the novel. Though she is the daughter of the daughter (granddaughter) of Eugene Durham, The Seventh Duke of Salisbury (a duke is next to being a prince) she is considered a commoner in the strict British caste system by her immediate patriarchal hereditary and mother’s marriage to a commoner. Her father has a severe life consuming addiction to gambling and a substance abuse problem with alcohol and has the family living in the urban slums never providing financially straight from the beginning of marrying the heroine’s mother. She and her two younger siblings suffered severe physical neglect in nutrition, warm shelter, and other basic life necessities. After her mother dies of tuberculosis when Grace is 8 years old, Grace has to pretend her mother is still alive to take over her mother’s clients as washerwoman (which she already had been helping out with) to become a parentified child and sole provider for her younger siblings and selfish father. Her hands are painfully scarred by boiling water, lye soap, and the infrequent scraping of her hands as a child against the wash board. The novel starts with her father trying to sell her to “suitor” after “suitor” to repay his gambling debts to these men and Grace with great entrepreneurship creativity getting rid of each one. Yet when she relates all this to one of the two heroes, she does this with pride, not to commiserate in self-pity and receive pity. Grace is not like that. When people think they are Saving Grace, she is actually saving them. Her grandfather told her, ”You are as the pearl emerged from an oyster after a long period of refining- every bit as strong as when you were a grain of sand, now polished into something beautiful.”
Yes, I did say above there are two heroes, but I promise you the love triangle accidentally caused by one of Grace’s grand schemes is not at all aggravating. I had a hard time at the 49% mark deciding if I was Team Samuel or Team Nicholas. There was Samuel, so Mr. Dreamy and so Mr. Right, whom had everything you could ask for inside and out if you made a list for Grace. Then there was Nicholas, the brooding beastly bad boy, poisoned and consumed with revenge, whom Grace might be the cure for.
A novel that kept me turning the pages that I recommend to historical and clean romance fans.
Sensuality content: kisses only
Source: Review copy in exchange for my 100% honest opinion.
This is a clean secular traditional regency romance. I know it’s unfair, but I hold clean secular historical romance authors and Christian historical romance authors to a higher standard when it comes to research compared to proverbial bodice or corset ripping explicit sexuality romance authors. On that note Michele Paige Holmes's regency era research is accurate and phenomenal for this novel. You can tell she bothered to research the strict British caste system structure, the life of the individual castes at the times, the sociological ills/social problems of the era, and “The Rules” of society.
I just loved the heroine in this novel with her strong moral character, unpretentiousness, work ethic, kind empathetic heart, and resilience through great adversities. Grace’s back life story that prequels the beginning events of the novel are hard not to feel some emotion about and endear you to her, as well as her strong kind character through the rest of the novel. Though she is the daughter of the daughter (granddaughter) of Eugene Durham, The Seventh Duke of Salisbury (a duke is next to being a prince) she is considered a commoner in the strict British caste system by her immediate patriarchal hereditary and mother’s marriage to a commoner. Her father has a severe life consuming addiction to gambling and a substance abuse problem with alcohol and has the family living in the urban slums never providing financially straight from the beginning of marrying the heroine’s mother. She and her two younger siblings suffered severe physical neglect in nutrition, warm shelter, and other basic life necessities. After her mother dies of tuberculosis when Grace is 8 years old, Grace has to pretend her mother is still alive to take over her mother’s clients as washerwoman (which she already had been helping out with) to become a parentified child and sole provider for her younger siblings and selfish father. Her hands are painfully scarred by boiling water, lye soap, and the infrequent scraping of her hands as a child against the wash board. The novel starts with her father trying to sell her to “suitor” after “suitor” to repay his gambling debts to these men and Grace with great entrepreneurship creativity getting rid of each one. Yet when she relates all this to one of the two heroes, she does this with pride, not to commiserate in self-pity and receive pity. Grace is not like that. When people think they are Saving Grace, she is actually saving them. Her grandfather told her, ”You are as the pearl emerged from an oyster after a long period of refining- every bit as strong as when you were a grain of sand, now polished into something beautiful.”
Yes, I did say above there are two heroes, but I promise you the love triangle accidentally caused by one of Grace’s grand schemes is not at all aggravating. I had a hard time at the 49% mark deciding if I was Team Samuel or Team Nicholas. There was Samuel, so Mr. Dreamy and so Mr. Right, whom had everything you could ask for inside and out if you made a list for Grace. Then there was Nicholas, the brooding beastly bad boy, poisoned and consumed with revenge, whom Grace might be the cure for.
A novel that kept me turning the pages that I recommend to historical and clean romance fans.
Sensuality content: kisses only
Source: Review copy in exchange for my 100% honest opinion.
October 1, 2017
Saving Grace is a Regency romance set in the latter part of the Regency period. Just like in most of these type books there was a lot of second guessing how the other person feels and being foolish about it, but for some reason I just keep enjoying these anyway. They are mostly great for when I don't have a huge attention span for reading, but just want to breeze through something light and easy. And they also warm the heart and make me feel good, sort of like a Hallmark movie. This one had a very grumpy love interest whose heart needed melting after the loss of his sister and father.
The novel started out a bit shaky, but got much better as it went on. At one point I wasn't sure if I liked the protagonist when she was so willing to ruin other people's reputations without seeming to give them much thought, even if it was to save her sister. But later she seemed to realize what she had done and she grew on me until I really liked her. This is a clean romance and can be read by teens as well as adults.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
The novel started out a bit shaky, but got much better as it went on. At one point I wasn't sure if I liked the protagonist when she was so willing to ruin other people's reputations without seeming to give them much thought, even if it was to save her sister. But later she seemed to realize what she had done and she grew on me until I really liked her. This is a clean romance and can be read by teens as well as adults.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
December 1, 2017
There is a lot of depth to the characters of this first book. The beginning starts off pretty fast paced and with some funny, wild haired ideas, all concocted by Grace and pulled off with help from her lady's maid and groom. I was laughing along with her spunk and great attitude throughout her first debacle(I think that's a great word for it although it's a self planned debacle).
Maybe I should explain a little...I don't want to give anything away so just enough to help. Grace is unfortunately left at the mercy of her father. Her mother has passed away years ago when Grace was young, leaving her to care for her two younger siblings. Grace will do anything to protect them. As she grew older, her saving grace came in the form of her grandfather who had disowned her mother. He takes the three in and saves them from their drunken, gambling, wheeling and dealing father. Unfortunately, Grace has fallen back into his clutches after the death of her grandfather and a new Duke taking control of his estate. Grace's father is ready to sell her and her sister to the highest bidder in the marriage mart. Grace would rather she be disgraced in name and reputation only(not in all actuality) and sacrifice suffering through the suitors who are all too similar to her father, if it means she can spare her sweet, gorgeous and overly shy sister Helen.
Hence we start off the novel with Grace enduring several encounters with said suitors and the help of two trusted servants(who are more like family) trying to outmaneuver her father and hope that her inheritance will be released to her by the courts soon.
Unfortunately Grace falls into a little bit of a conundrum and is stuck in the clutches of two men. I really want to explain what happens because it is quite funny(very shocking to Grace) but I don't want to ruin it for you. On a dark stormy night, a carriage accident occurs leaving a very sick and struggling lady to be taken to the nearest house by her servants. When she arrives nothing that she expects to happen, happens, everything opposite of her expectations occurs. The real question is...should she embrace it and use it to her advantage to help her siblings? Or will it cause a whole slew of other problems for her to try to wriggle her way out of? Either way has her in quite the sticky situation and quite frankly leaves us readers set up for a fun, witty and page turning read. Oh, and did I mention a very well written sweet and clean romance?
We have two male MCs, Nicholas Sutherland and Samuel Preston. Both are at a loss of what to do with the other. There is some pretty intense history between the two that is slowly revealed throughout the novel. Their shared history combined with Grace coming in between them causes quite a bit of tension. Yet I will spoil it here saying that we get a sweet HEA ending with plenty of swoony sighs.
I couldn't help feel while reading this that it is a type of Beauty and the Beast retelling. Not an overly strong tone of that unless you are looking but I love B&B so no complaints here and it added very nicely to the whole of the story.
I have read many of Michele Paige Holmes books and can say that I honestly have not been disappointed by any of them.
Oh can I just say, the carriage rides? The key in the lock? The garden fence? Lady Sutherland? The berry pie? The waltzing? Yeah there's lots of great moments written throughout. I had a hard time wanting to put it down. But luckily(well not really luckily) I've been sick and not really able to do much without coughing when I move so I've been able to enjoy some sick days and read lots. *happy dance-starts coughing* I'll save the dancing for when I'm better. >.<
Content: clean with some sweet kisses.
My own personal copy
Happy Reading!!!
Maybe I should explain a little...I don't want to give anything away so just enough to help. Grace is unfortunately left at the mercy of her father. Her mother has passed away years ago when Grace was young, leaving her to care for her two younger siblings. Grace will do anything to protect them. As she grew older, her saving grace came in the form of her grandfather who had disowned her mother. He takes the three in and saves them from their drunken, gambling, wheeling and dealing father. Unfortunately, Grace has fallen back into his clutches after the death of her grandfather and a new Duke taking control of his estate. Grace's father is ready to sell her and her sister to the highest bidder in the marriage mart. Grace would rather she be disgraced in name and reputation only(not in all actuality) and sacrifice suffering through the suitors who are all too similar to her father, if it means she can spare her sweet, gorgeous and overly shy sister Helen.
Hence we start off the novel with Grace enduring several encounters with said suitors and the help of two trusted servants(who are more like family) trying to outmaneuver her father and hope that her inheritance will be released to her by the courts soon.
Unfortunately Grace falls into a little bit of a conundrum and is stuck in the clutches of two men. I really want to explain what happens because it is quite funny(very shocking to Grace) but I don't want to ruin it for you. On a dark stormy night, a carriage accident occurs leaving a very sick and struggling lady to be taken to the nearest house by her servants. When she arrives nothing that she expects to happen, happens, everything opposite of her expectations occurs. The real question is...should she embrace it and use it to her advantage to help her siblings? Or will it cause a whole slew of other problems for her to try to wriggle her way out of? Either way has her in quite the sticky situation and quite frankly leaves us readers set up for a fun, witty and page turning read. Oh, and did I mention a very well written sweet and clean romance?
We have two male MCs, Nicholas Sutherland and Samuel Preston. Both are at a loss of what to do with the other. There is some pretty intense history between the two that is slowly revealed throughout the novel. Their shared history combined with Grace coming in between them causes quite a bit of tension. Yet I will spoil it here saying that we get a sweet HEA ending with plenty of swoony sighs.
I couldn't help feel while reading this that it is a type of Beauty and the Beast retelling. Not an overly strong tone of that unless you are looking but I love B&B so no complaints here and it added very nicely to the whole of the story.
I have read many of Michele Paige Holmes books and can say that I honestly have not been disappointed by any of them.
Oh can I just say, the carriage rides? The key in the lock? The garden fence? Lady Sutherland? The berry pie? The waltzing? Yeah there's lots of great moments written throughout. I had a hard time wanting to put it down. But luckily(well not really luckily) I've been sick and not really able to do much without coughing when I move so I've been able to enjoy some sick days and read lots. *happy dance-starts coughing* I'll save the dancing for when I'm better. >.<
Content: clean with some sweet kisses.
My own personal copy
Happy Reading!!!
October 2, 2014
This book is sigh-worthy. It's a pleasure to read a story in which it's plain that the author took her time and put her heart into it. I got to read an advanced copy of Saving Grace, and even though I have a million other books stacked up to read, this was worth moving to the top of the stack. Grace is spunky, sweet, and incorrigible. Nicholas is living in the past and can't see past his vengeful heart. He needs Grace, and she needs him. But they are almost both too stubborn to see it. Many tender moments, plenty of sweet romance, and great humor as well.
October 18, 2014
Grace Thatcher is the granddaughter of Eugene Durham, the Seventh Duke of Salisbury. She is also the daughter of a useless gambler who doesn't know how to care about anyone but himself. Grace's grandfather has passed away and her father is now trying to marry her off to a rich man to pay his gambling debts. But Grace has no interest in being married. She is trying to stall until the inheritance from her grandfather (that her father knows nothing about) comes through so she can take care of her younger brother and sister. With the help of her servants Miranda and Harrison, she has done a great job being turned away from each of her suitors... until she meets Nicholas Sutherland, the Earl of Berkely - a man not even on her father's list.
Nicholas wasn't always a tyrant. But when he lost his best friend and sister, Elizabeth, three years ago he became obsessed with revenge, a man who lived for little more than destroying his former brother-in-law, Samuel Preston. Until Grace shows up and turns his life upside down.
I don't think this story is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but there are definitely some of the same elements in the story. Once I got into the story, I did not want to put it down! I love how kind and gentle Samuel Preston is, and I loved watching Nicholas learn how to live again. Grace was such a likable heroine, kind and tough at the same time, and so unselfish! I was glad to read that this author is planning more books in this series because I definitely want to read more!
Content: Very clean
Source: Review copy (review is 100% my own opinion)
Nicholas wasn't always a tyrant. But when he lost his best friend and sister, Elizabeth, three years ago he became obsessed with revenge, a man who lived for little more than destroying his former brother-in-law, Samuel Preston. Until Grace shows up and turns his life upside down.
I don't think this story is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but there are definitely some of the same elements in the story. Once I got into the story, I did not want to put it down! I love how kind and gentle Samuel Preston is, and I loved watching Nicholas learn how to live again. Grace was such a likable heroine, kind and tough at the same time, and so unselfish! I was glad to read that this author is planning more books in this series because I definitely want to read more!
Content: Very clean
Source: Review copy (review is 100% my own opinion)
November 27, 2014
Review originally posted on blog: http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/20...
*Thank you to ebooks4review for the review copy*
I am someone who loves a good historical fiction. Seeing as I have also been trying to read more romance as well, putting the two together seemed like a good idea. And this novel definitely followed through.
We get Grace Thatcher, a girl who has been trying to escape marriage and avoid her father selling her off to pay his debts. I had to admire her, because she was someone who had a tricky past, living underneath a father who had gambled away everything they owned, her mother dying when she young and being left to care for her two younger siblings. She had a hard life as a child, and when her Grandfather came to show her the life of luxury it was the best thing that happened to her. Yet Grace didn’t let it take over who she was. She may have joined the upper class, but she hadn’t forgotten her own hard life. It made her a caring, responsible and graceful character. I loved her.
We also have the two love interests who she was torn between. Mr. Preston seemed to be almost as perfect as possible – slow to anger, kind and willing to hear your opinion on matters before making a judgment. Lord Sutherland seemed to be just the opposite – a storm of emotions, commanding and cold. But really, both of them were suffering from the grief of loving someone they both lost who happened to be Nicholas Sutherland’s sister and Mr. Preston’s former wife.
The plotline of this book was good, because although it was a romance with a love triangle, it wasn’t just a romance. I can’t stand when the book goes on and on about which guy to choose. Instead this one was more about what it means to be part of a family, about making choices and also about trying to be independent. All the time Grace is caught between her difficult situation and with the two men at each other’s throats, she is also trying to help them escape from her grief and watch over her siblings. She was definitely a strong woman.
The one thing that lacked for me in this novel was the setting. It did have the customary things like maids, balls and carriages and horses, but I felt like it could’ve delved a bit deeper into the historical side of things. But that aside it was a great book! I look forward to 2015 when the next in the series is published.
*Thank you to ebooks4review for the review copy*
I am someone who loves a good historical fiction. Seeing as I have also been trying to read more romance as well, putting the two together seemed like a good idea. And this novel definitely followed through.
We get Grace Thatcher, a girl who has been trying to escape marriage and avoid her father selling her off to pay his debts. I had to admire her, because she was someone who had a tricky past, living underneath a father who had gambled away everything they owned, her mother dying when she young and being left to care for her two younger siblings. She had a hard life as a child, and when her Grandfather came to show her the life of luxury it was the best thing that happened to her. Yet Grace didn’t let it take over who she was. She may have joined the upper class, but she hadn’t forgotten her own hard life. It made her a caring, responsible and graceful character. I loved her.
We also have the two love interests who she was torn between. Mr. Preston seemed to be almost as perfect as possible – slow to anger, kind and willing to hear your opinion on matters before making a judgment. Lord Sutherland seemed to be just the opposite – a storm of emotions, commanding and cold. But really, both of them were suffering from the grief of loving someone they both lost who happened to be Nicholas Sutherland’s sister and Mr. Preston’s former wife.
The plotline of this book was good, because although it was a romance with a love triangle, it wasn’t just a romance. I can’t stand when the book goes on and on about which guy to choose. Instead this one was more about what it means to be part of a family, about making choices and also about trying to be independent. All the time Grace is caught between her difficult situation and with the two men at each other’s throats, she is also trying to help them escape from her grief and watch over her siblings. She was definitely a strong woman.
The one thing that lacked for me in this novel was the setting. It did have the customary things like maids, balls and carriages and horses, but I felt like it could’ve delved a bit deeper into the historical side of things. But that aside it was a great book! I look forward to 2015 when the next in the series is published.
November 26, 2014
I love a good Regency romance and this one was great! When Grace attempts to escape a man who has less than desirable intentions, she finds herself without a carriage and with poor health in the middle of the night. Her servants take her to a home to rest up and she ends up in the funniest situation. It had me laughing out loud! That's where the story really got interesting.
I wasn't really excepting a love triangle, but that what happened. Grace is very clever, resourceful, and kind-hearted. She will go to any length to finally be free of her father--including "ruining" herself. I adored her character. Grace is a good mixture of strong and meek, if that makes any sense.
There's something about Grace that both endears her to Nicholas and riles him up. He is a suspicious man by nature, one who holds grudges for far too long, but he's a big softie with so many walls built around his heart, that it's hard to break in. He can be gruff and prickly, yet underneath that exterior, I really liked him.
Samuel, the closest neighbor, doesn't need anyone else to blame him for things that have happened in his life--he heaps enough guilt on himself. Grace regrets trying to ruin herself when she realizes that Samuel is a very kind man and a dear friend. From what I read, I was expecting to hate Samuel, but there's more to him than I realized.
I enjoyed watching the story and relationships play out. There were some secrets that needed to be uncovered and a few things that needed to be resolved. I thought everything was wrapped up nicely when a few twists happened that I wasn't expecting. I love to be surprised! This is going to be a fun, new series.
Content: no language or violence; mild romance--very brief and vague talk of mistresses, mild kissing. Clean!
*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review*
I wasn't really excepting a love triangle, but that what happened. Grace is very clever, resourceful, and kind-hearted. She will go to any length to finally be free of her father--including "ruining" herself. I adored her character. Grace is a good mixture of strong and meek, if that makes any sense.
There's something about Grace that both endears her to Nicholas and riles him up. He is a suspicious man by nature, one who holds grudges for far too long, but he's a big softie with so many walls built around his heart, that it's hard to break in. He can be gruff and prickly, yet underneath that exterior, I really liked him.
Samuel, the closest neighbor, doesn't need anyone else to blame him for things that have happened in his life--he heaps enough guilt on himself. Grace regrets trying to ruin herself when she realizes that Samuel is a very kind man and a dear friend. From what I read, I was expecting to hate Samuel, but there's more to him than I realized.
I enjoyed watching the story and relationships play out. There were some secrets that needed to be uncovered and a few things that needed to be resolved. I thought everything was wrapped up nicely when a few twists happened that I wasn't expecting. I love to be surprised! This is going to be a fun, new series.
Content: no language or violence; mild romance--very brief and vague talk of mistresses, mild kissing. Clean!
*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review*
June 2, 2016
I am disappointed. And it will be my first review with only two stars (I have given two stars earlier but I haven't written full review then).
What is good: the main idea, the main thread of the story and the idea about characters. Thanks to these there are a few interesting scenes.
But it isn't all used as it could and should be. There is to many descriptions of emotions, hopes, regrets and so on. [I would never thought that I would write it "to many descriptions of feelings", because I think it is one of important things in the books, but...] An author repeated all over again the same things. I was so bored that I skipped many paragraphs. I know, there are authors who write much about feelings (and I like some of them) but when you are doing it you have to do it good. In other case, your book will be... some kind of cheap and rubbishy piece.
So, I liked (during reading some parts of books) Grace, Nicholas and Samuel. But then in another parts I have difficulties with acceptance what they did. Not because it was wrong but because it didn't fit to their personalities, in my opinion.
By the way, sometimes the hardest thing is don't write about feelings at all and do it in such a way that a reader learns what those feelings are.
What is good: the main idea, the main thread of the story and the idea about characters. Thanks to these there are a few interesting scenes.
But it isn't all used as it could and should be. There is to many descriptions of emotions, hopes, regrets and so on. [I would never thought that I would write it "to many descriptions of feelings", because I think it is one of important things in the books, but...] An author repeated all over again the same things. I was so bored that I skipped many paragraphs. I know, there are authors who write much about feelings (and I like some of them) but when you are doing it you have to do it good. In other case, your book will be... some kind of cheap and rubbishy piece.
So, I liked (during reading some parts of books) Grace, Nicholas and Samuel. But then in another parts I have difficulties with acceptance what they did. Not because it was wrong but because it didn't fit to their personalities, in my opinion.
By the way, sometimes the hardest thing is don't write about feelings at all and do it in such a way that a reader learns what those feelings are.
October 21, 2014
I just finished this book and I loved it, especially the ending. In fact, during the middle I might have given it 3.5 or 4 stars, but the last part was so good! I highly recommend it to lovers of clean romance, especially regency. There was no mystery, suspense, or danger, just a well-told story about an "arranged" engagement (a forced engagement where both parties don't like each other but ending up falling in love), love, forgiveness, and making the best out of life's tough situations.
October 30, 2014
This book grabbed me from the beginning and didn't let up the entire time. Grace's father has a lot of debt and needs her to marry someone wealthy asap. Grace, however, has her own plans and is determined not to get married and finds ways for her suitors to reject her. They are quite entertaining and I got a laugh out of her antics.
On the way to the last suitor's house, Samuel Preston, she is forced to make a stop at Nicholas Sutherland's home. While there, something happens and she concocts a plan to get her out of marriage altogether. However, when she meets Samuel Preston and gets to know him, she starts to wonder if she's made a huge mistake.
Grace is a great character! As she described the men her father wanted her to marry, I didn't blame her at all for trying to get away from them! She cares about her brother and sister and has a plan for them to live safely and happily together. While she's trying to figure a way out of her current predicament, she gets to know Samuel Preston and Nicholas Sutherland and begins to realize that maybe marriage wouldn't be so bad after all.
I loved Samuel and was glad that Grace got to know him. Nicholas had a gruff personality and it took more effort for her to get to know him. I was torn between the two men, but felt that she made the correct choice for her in the end. There were big issues between Samuel and Nicholas and as we got to know more of their history, I felt for each of them and wanted them to find a way to come to terms with each other. I thought the ending was perfect! This is a fantastic book for anyone looking for a clean regency romance!
I received a copy of this book to review. My opinion is 100% my own.
Mel's Shelves
On the way to the last suitor's house, Samuel Preston, she is forced to make a stop at Nicholas Sutherland's home. While there, something happens and she concocts a plan to get her out of marriage altogether. However, when she meets Samuel Preston and gets to know him, she starts to wonder if she's made a huge mistake.
Grace is a great character! As she described the men her father wanted her to marry, I didn't blame her at all for trying to get away from them! She cares about her brother and sister and has a plan for them to live safely and happily together. While she's trying to figure a way out of her current predicament, she gets to know Samuel Preston and Nicholas Sutherland and begins to realize that maybe marriage wouldn't be so bad after all.
I loved Samuel and was glad that Grace got to know him. Nicholas had a gruff personality and it took more effort for her to get to know him. I was torn between the two men, but felt that she made the correct choice for her in the end. There were big issues between Samuel and Nicholas and as we got to know more of their history, I felt for each of them and wanted them to find a way to come to terms with each other. I thought the ending was perfect! This is a fantastic book for anyone looking for a clean regency romance!
I received a copy of this book to review. My opinion is 100% my own.
Mel's Shelves
October 21, 2014
Oh my goodness, this book is perfect. I loved it! The characters are brilliant and enjoyable. I loved Grace in an instant. What she does at the beginning of the book to get herself out of a bad situation, had me liking her from the start. She is in an impossible situation, put there by her father's stupidity and heartlessness. I admit I was nervous about Grace's scheme at first, but I enjoyed how events unfolded and I loved the end result. For a little bit, I was torn between who she should end up with, but during the course of the book, and getting to know the characters, there was a clear winner. Grace puts herself in a tough situation and didn't think initially about what could transpire. Not only to her, but everyone around her. Nicholas reminded me of the beast from Beauty and the Beast. He needed his tough, strong-willed heart softened and Grace worked her way into it. She had a way of doing that with everyone she came in contact with. Grace's genuine demeanor and kindness were my favorite things about her.
5 out of 5 stars. This is an excellent, clean romance that will have you quickly turning pages. I have always enjoyed Michele's books, but I have to say, this one is my favorite.
5 out of 5 stars. This is an excellent, clean romance that will have you quickly turning pages. I have always enjoyed Michele's books, but I have to say, this one is my favorite.
November 1, 2014
I'm really glad I had the chance to review this book. I saw it and immediately knew it was a book that I wanted to read. Sweet and clean romances are right up my alley.
Michele Holmes does a fantastic job of setting up the time, place and characters in this book. I loved how friendships and romances developed slowly but never left me feeling bored or anxious. It was a great book from beginning to end. Such a great diversion!
Grace is tenacious. She is a fighter but in a very soft way. She knows hard work from a hard life but still remains gentle and full of hope and love.
I loved the play on the title throughout the book. The cover is gorgeous! I hope this author continues to write along these lines. Yay for clean romances!!
Michele Holmes does a fantastic job of setting up the time, place and characters in this book. I loved how friendships and romances developed slowly but never left me feeling bored or anxious. It was a great book from beginning to end. Such a great diversion!
Grace is tenacious. She is a fighter but in a very soft way. She knows hard work from a hard life but still remains gentle and full of hope and love.
I loved the play on the title throughout the book. The cover is gorgeous! I hope this author continues to write along these lines. Yay for clean romances!!
January 7, 2018
I forced myself to finish this book because I was genuinely curious how it would turn out but in order to do that I had to skim a lot of it. I was so bored reading this book that I actually fell asleep a few times. On a positive note, I really liked the characters.
I will not be reading anything else in this series.
I will not be reading anything else in this series.
February 4, 2016
I read this series out of order. Don't do that. Start with this book. Despite already knowing the outcome this was still my favorite. Such a fun regency romance. I both laughed and cried while reading this one.
Content: Clean
Content: Clean
December 31, 2021
Well this was a pleasant surprise! I wasn't sure about how I was feeling about the story at first, but after I got through the 30% mark, it picked up and I started to get to know the main characters more.
I’d be interested in finishing the rest of the series soon.
I’d be interested in finishing the rest of the series soon.
April 10, 2015
I thought the story was charming! I loved Grace's character and I really was guessing up until the end how it would all play out.
March 19, 2020
A clean, well-written Regency novel that I enjoyed reading. I do wish there had been a little more actual romance, instead of all the (perceived) reasons why there couldn't/shouldn't be. I did admire the strong family ties between ALL the families, and of course, the HEA.
September 16, 2015
Excerpt from full review at http://smilingbookreviews.blogspot.co...
I enjoyed this clean regency romance series about two sisters and a brother. The first one is about the oldest, Grace, and her schemes to avoid marriage to the men her scoundrel father is trying to marry her off to in order to pay his debts and support his degenerate lifestyle. Grace is feisty, hard working, and very loyal to her siblings. The story kind of has a Beauty and the Beast vibe going on. While escaping her latest suitor by leaving in the middle of the night, Grace's carriage has a mishap that essentially leaves her at the mercy of the brooding Lord Sutherland. With a little bit of a love triangle with Lord Sutherland's neighbor, Samuel Preston, you get a good dose of regency romance.
*I received a complimentary copy of all three of these books for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are my own.*
I enjoyed this clean regency romance series about two sisters and a brother. The first one is about the oldest, Grace, and her schemes to avoid marriage to the men her scoundrel father is trying to marry her off to in order to pay his debts and support his degenerate lifestyle. Grace is feisty, hard working, and very loyal to her siblings. The story kind of has a Beauty and the Beast vibe going on. While escaping her latest suitor by leaving in the middle of the night, Grace's carriage has a mishap that essentially leaves her at the mercy of the brooding Lord Sutherland. With a little bit of a love triangle with Lord Sutherland's neighbor, Samuel Preston, you get a good dose of regency romance.
*I received a complimentary copy of all three of these books for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are my own.*
November 7, 2018
Idk, it started out promising but I just couldn’t get into it. The characters had me feeling emotionless and this was so boring that I skimmed most of it. I think I’ve discovered that no one will ever write regency like Melanie Dickerson does 🤷🏻♀️
August 27, 2022
This book was enjoyable, but very frustrating. Grace had been sent around to meet the gentlemen that her father owed money too. It had become desperate after the death of her grandfather. He had saved the family from ruin, although ,it had not saved her mother, from years of lack of food, and hard labor, an a washer woman, while her husband gambles, and drank her earnings. Grace had agreed to go,instead of her timid, and frightened sister. Yet at every house she could not even pretend to agree. They were either seducers, of the worst kind, or rich tyrants that would keep her heart locked away, to become someone the Ton would approve of. Her driver, maid, and she left in the middle of the night from the last place, since the would be seducer promised her, he would visit her bed chamber by midnight, and she had no plans to be there. All the traveling, and the outwitting, of these so called men of the Ton, had left her sick in spirit, and body. The next disaster was the overturning of their old carriage, and her in the mud. The wheel was broken, and she was so sick they must take the horses, and head toward a faraway light. That is when all the mix up happens. Nicholas is a Lord that lives in London most of the time, only coming to his estate for quiet. Fighting the storm had not been the worst ,of the evenings when he crawled into his bed, to find a young woman already in it. All the plotting, all the temper, and bickering to the point, that ruined , or not.I would have left his foul temperament. His mother's arrival was worse. When they learn that she was heading to his arch enemy Mr, Preston' s home, he is so angry that he was duped, he will not listen to reason. It goes on, and on this way for most of the book. They are both nice, followed by yelling, or accusations.I wanted to quit the book. Her father is a scoundrel, and Samuel Preston who has lost the love, of his heart in childbirth decides he wants Grace. Then Nicholas wants Grace. She is so worried over her siblings, at her father's hand, she becomes near death with pneumonia. Yet , still Nicholas fights on, as to who has the right to secure Grace in marriage. Months forward, and just when you think that Grace may trust her heart , their is another argument. It finally ends with several people becoming more tolerable, and several people find a happy ending. It was a clean romance, but their is anger, vengeance, hurt feelings, mistreatment, and lonliness every where. Grace does bring on some of the trouble herself, which only made me more upset. Despite all my negative feelings about their pride, arrogance, and stupidity the book flowed well. It was meant to leave you with forgiveness, charity, kindness, and understanding towards other people, and that was pointed to the reader several times, but believe me, we got the hint by the fifth chapter. Dragging us through thirty , or more chapters , was just unkind. I gave it a three.
September 5, 2021
I never thought that i’ll be this attached to the couple, Grace and Nicholas. Still, im so mad and hate him for ever letting her go when obviously she loved him and wanted to be with him but at the same time i do understand his reasons but still that hurt so fking bad. The pain is still here😭 Like he should’ve reached out for her earlier. my poor grace. I HATE HIM BUT I ALSO LOVE HIM. help-
and there are quite some things that i don’t really like when i was reading it
i know for sure my review doesn’t even make any sense as im not even good with giving reviews. also i cried reading this. from that you can tell i dig deeply into the storyline
and there are quite some things that i don’t really like when i was reading it
i know for sure my review doesn’t even make any sense as im not even good with giving reviews. also i cried reading this. from that you can tell i dig deeply into the storyline
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. It made my heart happy :)
April 22, 2019
Maybe 2 stars is a little harsh but it honestly took me months to finish this book. I finally just got to the point where I would skip pages at a time. Pages. Way too wordy for my taste. But thee were also things explained in detail then 5 chapters later explained again. And I knew that even skipping pages. Besides that it was a good story. I liked the characters.
May 22, 2020
**Actually 4.5-rating**
I am having such a hard time coming to grips with this heroine's sensibilities, or what she is actually trying to do in order to--well, she is making it very difficult for her to be a viable "wife' prospect for a bunch of random men in Society that her father has deemed profitable for marriage. Her father has a huge gambling problem, in fact, it is possible the only thing he has done with himself that reeks of a "job", but he isn't very good at it. He has acquired a shit-ton of debts and having these prospective rich fiances/future husbands/sons-in-law in his sights makes him sleep better at night. But Grace, as the eldest sibling of a trio [Helen & Christopher], is the one their father is attempting to marry off first.
This is what is boggling my mind. I think her father is scheming. He is sending his older daughter, Grace out, on the random invites of these prospective husbands [I don't know that this is something that would be proper etiquette, but I am giving the benefit of doubt here] with a Lady's maid and a groomsman and a terribly cheaply constructed coach. Grace is thinking she can get out of these horrid men's betrothals by doing something or quite a few things that are "un-ladylike".
Hence why the first prospective groom we see her dressing to go fox hunting with him, and then he is so horrified on her antics that he kicks her out of his hunting party and his house. So she moves on to the next groom...and another situation happens where she injures herself, falling off her horse and has a Doctor/medical professional lie through his teeth to her possible fiance by saying she might never have children ever again because of HOW she was bruised in the fall--?? And she is on her way to another man's dwelling--another stranger called Mr. Preston, one who is actually hosting her at a nice ballroom soiree.
Anyway, caught in the rain, she and her servants get in an accident. Not an overturned coach, but they lose a wheel and the mud is so thick, I believe the coach is teetering a little, about to tip over. Not only is Grace drenched, she still has residual injuries plus new ones, especially from hitting her head in the coach accident--quite possibly a severe concussion. They had to walk in the rain, but only to the nearest dwelling, which just happened to be our male MC's estate, Lord Sutherland, or Nicholas. He is not there at this time of night, so his own servants put her in the only room that has been prepared. Because the house does expect their master to show, they simply do not know when he will arrive. Grace goes to rest in the bed, having taken off all her wet, sopping clothing and wearing a dry nightgown. It is very likely this woman is close to pneumonia and side effects of the concussion, as she is dizzy and unable to stay awake for long periods.
Little do the servants at this house know that Nicholas will be returning this very night, in the very hour that Grace is sleeping in his bed. Well, readers do not know this as it was simply mentioned "let's put her in the Blue Room" and we don't know what room that is at this point in time. When Nicholas arrives at home, his butler/valet thinks he has time to switch Grace out of the bed as he puts his master in his office, off to read all the piled-up correspondences. But one piece of mail disturbs him, sets him on edge of anger, and wishing to quit everything and head off to bed. It is an invitation to a ball/soiree at Mr. Preston's house and we are given this idea that Nicholas HATES this man with the fire of a thousand suns. It has something pretty tragic to do with Nicholas dear departed sister, Elizabeth, who he was genuinely close to during their years growing up in the very house he lives in.
Now we come to the moment when our two MCs meet, Nicholas & Grace. Nicholas was thought to spend quite a few hours inside his office, reading correspondences, but he won't...and he will do everything he can to leave in order to return to his bed-chamber. It feels peculiar to him because yes, it does look prepared for him, except he had sat in his chair near the fireplace and felt how "wet w/moisture" it was while he was fully dried off at this point. He pays it no mind and simply goes over to his huge bed and climbs in...only the minute he stretches out an arm, he literally hits another body laying beside him, somewhere.
This is where the book never quite "got" me, or that anyone with common sense would wrap their head around and understand why Grace took this moment to the levels she did. And why was she so desperate to ruin herself yet when she had a great opportunity, literally, dumped into her lap, she ran away like a frightened virgin or another female MC TSTL? Grace had varying moments of hardness, strength, determination and then that would all crumbled into being this fragile, simple-minded unicorn. I was frustrated enough to consider just backing out of the story, but I moved on because it became better, and Grace improved in personality to a certain degree. Well, maybe it was that she stopped being such a dichotomy and she was stable in one personality--the strong, independent one.
NOTHING HAPPENED IN THAT BED. Except maybe in the darkness and from rolling around blindly in tangled covers, Grace's long flowing nightgown got ripped at a seam. But even all his servants knew nothing had happened and her own knew this as well. Grace's reaction was... confounding, because while she did want to look unappealing and no way close to "wife material" to these strange men her father sent her to seek out proposals from... as I stated, the minute she is handed this moment she freaks out, becomes apoplectic almost and doesn't know what to do.
Except she knows exactly what to do which is to have her servants talk to HIS servants and spread false rumors that something actually DID happen. Which was all the more confusing with Grace's odd virginal freak-out. Privately she was outraged, and she knows she didn't do ANYTHING sexual or intimate, but then to discourage any man from marrying her ever again--thereby possibly ruining her family name as well and any chances of her two younger siblings marrying...she forces fake rumors to fly about them through the grapevine.
She leaves Nicholas's home with her two loyal servants - who know the falsehoods yet spread gossip; Grace asked them to - because she HAS TO show at this Mr. Preston's home next in order to arrive safely or the "party" being held in her honor. This is quite possibly when the book became something completely different from what it had been, and probably why Grace improved and finally chose whom she wanted to portray herself as. Grace has never met Preston, though HE has met her, from afar, and knows of her, which is why he asked to be introduced and is holding this party for her.
And, yes, Preston is looking to get married again, and there are several reasons why. One of which we finally discover why he and Nicholas are at such severe odds. Nicholas's dear precious sister, Elizabeth, was Mrs. Preston, once upon a time. Nicholas holds Preston [whose real name is Samuel] responsible for Elizabeth's death. But he is keeping a very huge secret from them, one that could most likely squash all this large divide between them [Nicholas & his mother] and Preston.
When Grace meets Preston, she sees not only a very handsome man but a kind, helpful and gentle one, too. He is very unlike all these creepy older men she has been sent to in order to seek out betrothals. She LIKES Samuel, so much so she strikes up an easy friendship with him and she can even see a "prospect" in maybe this once, giving in, except she still has conviction about NEVER giving into her father and marrying rich, because he will always use her...her sister and brother to get more and more cash to gamble away and pay off debts he owes.
Nicholas will show at Preston's house - because he did get an invite from his former BIL - but also because someone has made it impossible NOT to move on from the tiny mistake he did by climbing into his own bed and finding Grace there. If he is the "gentleman" he says he is he cannot walk away from all these fabricated rumors and gossip, and he's going to search for Grace and bring her back to his home in order to "protect" her name and good fortune. Maybe even become a stop-gap from any other men her father wishes to send in order to propose and seek out better income thru marriage. Nicholas not only is a better man but an even better human being. He does have ONE pittance against which is his trident anger toward Preston.
When Grace figures she will be safer in Nicholas's protection, [they BOTH determine they will merely give off the sense of being a couple and moving on close to an engagement] the only reason Grace will live with Nicholas is to eat up time. Time for them to allow their family to search out a proper lawyer so they can finally read with their own eyes how legal the situation is and where each sibling stands...especially in being prepared for their father going into a rager about Grace not securing a husband so they can move onto Helen's prospective husband.
Like I said the back half of the book is a much better story than the first half, and not only did Grace achieve a better sense of herself, but she also treated the people in her life, mainly Nicholas, much better than she had started out the gate. Not ALL men were bad guys; it's just she has a POS father. Nicholas does bring in viable chaperones so that it's not as if Grace and he are living in sin.
But, because Nicholas & Preston are neighbors...Grace carries on a secretive relationship with Preston where she will learn some pretty heartbreaking things...plus the biggest secret of all. Elizabeth - his wife...had a child, who is now 4yrs old. Nicholas nor his mother know of this young girl's existence and Preston has kept it this way because he fears what will happen if they do find out. This was quite possibly the only situation I really had misgivings with Grace for. The fact she kept seeing Preston and then when she did find out there is a "part" of Elizabeth living and breathing next door to Nicholas & his mother...O_O...she promises to never reveal it to Nicholas.
I get it. I understood not wishing to get involved in secrets and thinking someone's truth is MY TRUTH and I need to pass it on because...whoa, what a difference it could make to patching things up between everyone. I hated that the more Grace and Nicholas got closer, became friends and a little bit closer to intimacy and having feelings...she has THIS SECRET in her grasp and feels it's never going to be all right for her to reveal it to Nicholas. I just...yeah, I'm flabbergasted. She didn't have to wait, because...well, Elizabeth's daughter did find her way over to her Uncle's property and she introduced herself. So, yeah...the secret at this point just kind of exploded in everyone's face.
There is also a moment where Preston does something truly kind for Grace and it showed me that he could quite possibly be gaining feelings for Grace to a certain degree. Grace could sense it, too, but she was still doing her personal struggle with Nicholas, as they ebbed and flowed back to one another. Preston actually went and found Grace's siblings and brought them back to his house, so they are living with him, in his protection. Grace will know this but never tell Nicholas that the sister she writes to is actually RIGHT NEXT DOOR.
Let me say this...Nicholas had the patience of a god damn saint which is why I like him a step or two above Grace. I enjoyed them together because they did develop slowly and intricately, but the shit he had to put up with from Grace's family drama and her father's lechery and gambling was just unheard of. Thing is - and I kind of saw this happening, as well - other romances are going on in the background that we are not privy to.
Mainly that Preston and Grace's sister, Helen, actually got to know one another and formed their own close intimate bond that flourished into love and marriage. Preston did make a random proposal to Grace, during one of their final secret meetings, but she outright rejected him to his face. While he was a little hurt he wasn't utterly devastated. And since Helen's book is next up, I think we will find out exactly what occurred when that happened. Readers might assume the same situation Grace was in will plague Preston/Helen in the next story. Lets really hope that Helen has a better head screwed on her shoulders than her sister.
I am having such a hard time coming to grips with this heroine's sensibilities, or what she is actually trying to do in order to--well, she is making it very difficult for her to be a viable "wife' prospect for a bunch of random men in Society that her father has deemed profitable for marriage. Her father has a huge gambling problem, in fact, it is possible the only thing he has done with himself that reeks of a "job", but he isn't very good at it. He has acquired a shit-ton of debts and having these prospective rich fiances/future husbands/sons-in-law in his sights makes him sleep better at night. But Grace, as the eldest sibling of a trio [Helen & Christopher], is the one their father is attempting to marry off first.
This is what is boggling my mind. I think her father is scheming. He is sending his older daughter, Grace out, on the random invites of these prospective husbands [I don't know that this is something that would be proper etiquette, but I am giving the benefit of doubt here] with a Lady's maid and a groomsman and a terribly cheaply constructed coach. Grace is thinking she can get out of these horrid men's betrothals by doing something or quite a few things that are "un-ladylike".
Hence why the first prospective groom we see her dressing to go fox hunting with him, and then he is so horrified on her antics that he kicks her out of his hunting party and his house. So she moves on to the next groom...and another situation happens where she injures herself, falling off her horse and has a Doctor/medical professional lie through his teeth to her possible fiance by saying she might never have children ever again because of HOW she was bruised in the fall--?? And she is on her way to another man's dwelling--another stranger called Mr. Preston, one who is actually hosting her at a nice ballroom soiree.
Anyway, caught in the rain, she and her servants get in an accident. Not an overturned coach, but they lose a wheel and the mud is so thick, I believe the coach is teetering a little, about to tip over. Not only is Grace drenched, she still has residual injuries plus new ones, especially from hitting her head in the coach accident--quite possibly a severe concussion. They had to walk in the rain, but only to the nearest dwelling, which just happened to be our male MC's estate, Lord Sutherland, or Nicholas. He is not there at this time of night, so his own servants put her in the only room that has been prepared. Because the house does expect their master to show, they simply do not know when he will arrive. Grace goes to rest in the bed, having taken off all her wet, sopping clothing and wearing a dry nightgown. It is very likely this woman is close to pneumonia and side effects of the concussion, as she is dizzy and unable to stay awake for long periods.
Little do the servants at this house know that Nicholas will be returning this very night, in the very hour that Grace is sleeping in his bed. Well, readers do not know this as it was simply mentioned "let's put her in the Blue Room" and we don't know what room that is at this point in time. When Nicholas arrives at home, his butler/valet thinks he has time to switch Grace out of the bed as he puts his master in his office, off to read all the piled-up correspondences. But one piece of mail disturbs him, sets him on edge of anger, and wishing to quit everything and head off to bed. It is an invitation to a ball/soiree at Mr. Preston's house and we are given this idea that Nicholas HATES this man with the fire of a thousand suns. It has something pretty tragic to do with Nicholas dear departed sister, Elizabeth, who he was genuinely close to during their years growing up in the very house he lives in.
Now we come to the moment when our two MCs meet, Nicholas & Grace. Nicholas was thought to spend quite a few hours inside his office, reading correspondences, but he won't...and he will do everything he can to leave in order to return to his bed-chamber. It feels peculiar to him because yes, it does look prepared for him, except he had sat in his chair near the fireplace and felt how "wet w/moisture" it was while he was fully dried off at this point. He pays it no mind and simply goes over to his huge bed and climbs in...only the minute he stretches out an arm, he literally hits another body laying beside him, somewhere.
This is where the book never quite "got" me, or that anyone with common sense would wrap their head around and understand why Grace took this moment to the levels she did. And why was she so desperate to ruin herself yet when she had a great opportunity, literally, dumped into her lap, she ran away like a frightened virgin or another female MC TSTL? Grace had varying moments of hardness, strength, determination and then that would all crumbled into being this fragile, simple-minded unicorn. I was frustrated enough to consider just backing out of the story, but I moved on because it became better, and Grace improved in personality to a certain degree. Well, maybe it was that she stopped being such a dichotomy and she was stable in one personality--the strong, independent one.
NOTHING HAPPENED IN THAT BED. Except maybe in the darkness and from rolling around blindly in tangled covers, Grace's long flowing nightgown got ripped at a seam. But even all his servants knew nothing had happened and her own knew this as well. Grace's reaction was... confounding, because while she did want to look unappealing and no way close to "wife material" to these strange men her father sent her to seek out proposals from... as I stated, the minute she is handed this moment she freaks out, becomes apoplectic almost and doesn't know what to do.
Except she knows exactly what to do which is to have her servants talk to HIS servants and spread false rumors that something actually DID happen. Which was all the more confusing with Grace's odd virginal freak-out. Privately she was outraged, and she knows she didn't do ANYTHING sexual or intimate, but then to discourage any man from marrying her ever again--thereby possibly ruining her family name as well and any chances of her two younger siblings marrying...she forces fake rumors to fly about them through the grapevine.
She leaves Nicholas's home with her two loyal servants - who know the falsehoods yet spread gossip; Grace asked them to - because she HAS TO show at this Mr. Preston's home next in order to arrive safely or the "party" being held in her honor. This is quite possibly when the book became something completely different from what it had been, and probably why Grace improved and finally chose whom she wanted to portray herself as. Grace has never met Preston, though HE has met her, from afar, and knows of her, which is why he asked to be introduced and is holding this party for her.
And, yes, Preston is looking to get married again, and there are several reasons why. One of which we finally discover why he and Nicholas are at such severe odds. Nicholas's dear precious sister, Elizabeth, was Mrs. Preston, once upon a time. Nicholas holds Preston [whose real name is Samuel] responsible for Elizabeth's death. But he is keeping a very huge secret from them, one that could most likely squash all this large divide between them [Nicholas & his mother] and Preston.
When Grace meets Preston, she sees not only a very handsome man but a kind, helpful and gentle one, too. He is very unlike all these creepy older men she has been sent to in order to seek out betrothals. She LIKES Samuel, so much so she strikes up an easy friendship with him and she can even see a "prospect" in maybe this once, giving in, except she still has conviction about NEVER giving into her father and marrying rich, because he will always use her...her sister and brother to get more and more cash to gamble away and pay off debts he owes.
Nicholas will show at Preston's house - because he did get an invite from his former BIL - but also because someone has made it impossible NOT to move on from the tiny mistake he did by climbing into his own bed and finding Grace there. If he is the "gentleman" he says he is he cannot walk away from all these fabricated rumors and gossip, and he's going to search for Grace and bring her back to his home in order to "protect" her name and good fortune. Maybe even become a stop-gap from any other men her father wishes to send in order to propose and seek out better income thru marriage. Nicholas not only is a better man but an even better human being. He does have ONE pittance against which is his trident anger toward Preston.
When Grace figures she will be safer in Nicholas's protection, [they BOTH determine they will merely give off the sense of being a couple and moving on close to an engagement] the only reason Grace will live with Nicholas is to eat up time. Time for them to allow their family to search out a proper lawyer so they can finally read with their own eyes how legal the situation is and where each sibling stands...especially in being prepared for their father going into a rager about Grace not securing a husband so they can move onto Helen's prospective husband.
Like I said the back half of the book is a much better story than the first half, and not only did Grace achieve a better sense of herself, but she also treated the people in her life, mainly Nicholas, much better than she had started out the gate. Not ALL men were bad guys; it's just she has a POS father. Nicholas does bring in viable chaperones so that it's not as if Grace and he are living in sin.
But, because Nicholas & Preston are neighbors...Grace carries on a secretive relationship with Preston where she will learn some pretty heartbreaking things...plus the biggest secret of all. Elizabeth - his wife...had a child, who is now 4yrs old. Nicholas nor his mother know of this young girl's existence and Preston has kept it this way because he fears what will happen if they do find out. This was quite possibly the only situation I really had misgivings with Grace for. The fact she kept seeing Preston and then when she did find out there is a "part" of Elizabeth living and breathing next door to Nicholas & his mother...O_O...she promises to never reveal it to Nicholas.
I get it. I understood not wishing to get involved in secrets and thinking someone's truth is MY TRUTH and I need to pass it on because...whoa, what a difference it could make to patching things up between everyone. I hated that the more Grace and Nicholas got closer, became friends and a little bit closer to intimacy and having feelings...she has THIS SECRET in her grasp and feels it's never going to be all right for her to reveal it to Nicholas. I just...yeah, I'm flabbergasted. She didn't have to wait, because...well, Elizabeth's daughter did find her way over to her Uncle's property and she introduced herself. So, yeah...the secret at this point just kind of exploded in everyone's face.
There is also a moment where Preston does something truly kind for Grace and it showed me that he could quite possibly be gaining feelings for Grace to a certain degree. Grace could sense it, too, but she was still doing her personal struggle with Nicholas, as they ebbed and flowed back to one another. Preston actually went and found Grace's siblings and brought them back to his house, so they are living with him, in his protection. Grace will know this but never tell Nicholas that the sister she writes to is actually RIGHT NEXT DOOR.
Let me say this...Nicholas had the patience of a god damn saint which is why I like him a step or two above Grace. I enjoyed them together because they did develop slowly and intricately, but the shit he had to put up with from Grace's family drama and her father's lechery and gambling was just unheard of. Thing is - and I kind of saw this happening, as well - other romances are going on in the background that we are not privy to.
Mainly that Preston and Grace's sister, Helen, actually got to know one another and formed their own close intimate bond that flourished into love and marriage. Preston did make a random proposal to Grace, during one of their final secret meetings, but she outright rejected him to his face. While he was a little hurt he wasn't utterly devastated. And since Helen's book is next up, I think we will find out exactly what occurred when that happened. Readers might assume the same situation Grace was in will plague Preston/Helen in the next story. Lets really hope that Helen has a better head screwed on her shoulders than her sister.
February 20, 2024
I’ve actually read this book before, but apparently never added it to my read list or anywhere else. As a historical romance, it isn’t terrible, but it’s also pointless. The main character is obsessed with his sister and her death, and continues to blame his brother in law for it (she dies in childbirth). The brother in law thinks he’s in love with Grace, but I just found him boring and a little creepy. I also have forgotten all their names. It’s an easy read with little tension and conflict. Also, the choices Grace makes are stupid - let me ruin my reputation so that I can live in isolation with my family? Huh? So let’s make sure that all of society also shuns your brother and sister? Seems like a terrible plan. Apparently there are sequels, about Grace’s sister and the brother in law, but why exactly would I want to read that book when I already know they end up together? Pretty sure this was a freebie, and again, while not the worst book I’ve ever read, I don’t know if I’ll read it again now that I’ve reviewed it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2014
The romance and the characters were written so well in Saving Grace. I enjoyed every moment of the book.
Although there was somewhat of a love triangle, it was not an aggravating one; it was quite clear as to whom Grace would end up with. All the characters were written out very realistically, and the romance developed in a slow, believable way. There was no insta-love or insta-lust; in fact, Grace and Nicolas actually did not find each other attractive at all in their first meeting. The whole romance was fun, but heavy at some times. Grace was a delightful and enjoyable character to read about, and I loved the fact that she had flaws of her own but accepted them and tried to fix them. There was a cliche "future mother in-law versus future daughter in-law" in this, but I really liked how the two fixed their relationship.
The only qualm I had about this book was its somewhat ridiculous and unrealistic plot. What happened to Grace would be almost impossible in real life, and the repercussions she suffered for her actions were not realistic at all. A lady losing respectability during that time period would have had much more heavier consequences compared to the ones that Grace faced. Although this story is historical fiction, it did not have many historical elements to it at all. It focuses more on the characters rather than the setting.
Despite the plot, the book was a very enjoyable romance novel overall to read. I would highly recommend it for those less focused on the time period and searching for a good romance.
Although there was somewhat of a love triangle, it was not an aggravating one; it was quite clear as to whom Grace would end up with. All the characters were written out very realistically, and the romance developed in a slow, believable way. There was no insta-love or insta-lust; in fact, Grace and Nicolas actually did not find each other attractive at all in their first meeting. The whole romance was fun, but heavy at some times. Grace was a delightful and enjoyable character to read about, and I loved the fact that she had flaws of her own but accepted them and tried to fix them. There was a cliche "future mother in-law versus future daughter in-law" in this, but I really liked how the two fixed their relationship.
The only qualm I had about this book was its somewhat ridiculous and unrealistic plot. What happened to Grace would be almost impossible in real life, and the repercussions she suffered for her actions were not realistic at all. A lady losing respectability during that time period would have had much more heavier consequences compared to the ones that Grace faced. Although this story is historical fiction, it did not have many historical elements to it at all. It focuses more on the characters rather than the setting.
Despite the plot, the book was a very enjoyable romance novel overall to read. I would highly recommend it for those less focused on the time period and searching for a good romance.
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