State of Grace

Sinclairs #2

by Delia Foster

Grace Sinclair likes baggy, comfortable clothes. She’s got one too many curves that she plans to never put on display. When she’s forced into a revealing bridesmaid’s dress for her brother’s wedding, she’s certain of one thing: the guests are bound to get an X-rated show during the wedding.

What she didn’t count on was attracting the attention from him...

Sean Holden has lost count of the number of times he’s been on the receiving end of her feisty tongue. He’s been engaged in battle with his best friend’s little sister for as long as he could remember. As best man, he’s dreading the inevitable encounter. His only options are fight or flight.

But then…

A curvy redhead with sparkling eyes enters his vision and he starts to wonder if he can add sugar to her spice.

And he suddenly finds himself wanting to stay…in a state of grace.

**This book contains adult language and is intended for a mature audience**

**This can be read as a standalone or after Beyond Bliss**

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, New Adult

201 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 3, 2014

About the author

Delia Foster is a hopeless romantic who fell in love with love after discovering her mother's old Harlequin novels in the garage--at the tender age of twelve.

A Texas transplant, she now works and lives in the Big Apple with her BFF and a seriously cute Morkie. Her hobbies include writing, reading, copious amounts of wine, imagining she is Henry Cavill's wife (or plaything, she's not picky about status) and a serious addiction to handbags (it's bad).

She still loves love even though she is single and seems to have encountered every dating disaster there is to be had.

She's saving those stories for her next venture into the horror genre.

Reviews

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I thought the plot line was good, I had a hard time reading this at some points. The 3rd person POV switched so erratically (from paragraph to paragraph and sometimes sentence to sentence), that it became confusing and distracting. The POV was not only just the two main characters but also secondary characters. It had no breaks for the POV switching and was so frequent that it didn't allow me to enjoy the well thought out plot line, but instead had me going back re-reading. There were also some points during scenes with conversation that it became confusing who was talking (eg. Ch.1 two male characters talking and 'he said' over and over that you can't figure out who 'he' is anymore). I want to reiterate that I did enjoy the premise of the story and that's why I felt compelled to write this review in hopes that it may help. I think this author has a lot of potential but I HAD to rate low because of the above reasons. They stopped the normal ebb and flow of reading for me. I'll definitely look out for other works by Delia and hope that those problems are minimal in her next work. Her plot line and characters were intriguing.

[Sheryl C. Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 stars*

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a recommended title that popped up on the kindle unlimited page. I believe this is Foster's first book, and its really good. The I had a difficult time putting it down and stayed up until 3 am kind of good. The characters were interesting, the premise was a bit different, and the dialogue was good.

Although I found the characters- especially Grace- relatable, the bitchy factor did become a bit much. I didn't think it portrayed her as an aloof, insecure person as much as just convey nastiness. The other drawback for me was the POV shifts. I enjoy dual POVs, don't mind if they aren't separated by chapters even, and a few of my fave reads are third person omniscient narrations. However, the shifts here were occasionally rough, sometimes happening sentence to sentence, disrupting the flow (like when we jumped into Sophie and Lucas's POV).

Other than that, Foster does a great job portraying emotions, my heart dropped along with the characters at a few points, and I couldn't go to sleep until I knew how it ended (even though you sort of know because it's a romance, after all). I really liked the tempo, and that the author lets enough time pass that the story is believable. It's not all said and done in a few weeks/months like so many romances. I also liked how the author approached Grace's curvy body and her hesitant acceptance of it. It set apart the story for me, and once again made Grace identifiable. I'll definitely add Delia Foster to my authors-to- read list.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grace and Sean

Having just read and loved 'Beyond Bliss' I just had to read 'State of Grace'
The book opens at Lucas and Sophia's wedding, where Grace is well out of her comfort zone in a black fitted bridesmaid dress, now she may not be happy about the dress but Sean's loving it well in a cruel torture kind of way. Now as we know from 'Beyond' Grace and Sean have a kind of hate/hate relationship and it's been like this since she was 5 years old, neither can admit that they might actually like the other.
This book was missing whatever it was that made 'Beyond' special and it just didn't work the same, one of the highlights in 'Beyond' was Liz, who was outspoken and hilarious and her relationship with Sophia, this book was missing that plus while I loved the bit of Grace we had in 'Beyond' I struggled with her in this book, it also seemed a bit repetitive and at times I just wanted to bang her and Sean's heads together and tell them to wake the hell up.
While I'm moaning it wasn't the easiest book to read, personally I'm a fan of different POV's, I love them but this switched a lot and it was difficult at times to keep up with exactly who's POV we were getting, it not only switched paragraph by paragraph but sometimes by sentence as well.
This is not a bad book despite my complaints above and I enjoyed reading this for the most part, I can't close this review without saying how much I loved Jack.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just okay.
Gracie was so stubborn at times I was wondering when she was going to get over shit and stop pretending she was angry or indifferent.

When so much time passes in between breakups or them seeing each other again it kind of sucks. Especially in their case since it happened TWICE. ridiculous.

Sean was a little more open to things progressing and moving forwards than Grace was and she really fudged that one up. Why was Jack added? So stupid considering she already admitted the feelings she had for Sean and assuming he had to have similar for her.

Lucas went a little overboard there he was a major reason things went off the way they did. Sophie, she should have just turned a blind eye and minded her business.

The epilogue was the best part of the book but I wish there was more, maybe a little farther in the future. We figure how it's all going to play out now but still I would have liked more since it seemed like 1/2 the book they were barely together if at all.

It is what it is. Read it if you want. There wasn't anything terribly wrong with it it was just kind of blah.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is currently a free read on amazon.co.uk

This was a quick read. I struggled at times with the POV and the sudden switch to third person narrative, no real break in paragraphs to allow this change without having to re-read a couple of times to get it straight. I would have preferred more from Sean, at times it was very one sided and repetitive with Grace's veiw or action on something...the "hate each other excuse" got very wearing, very quickly. Grace's stubborness got beyond a joke at times and the constant comments about her weight...meh. Sadly, this read was not for me.

[Linda Wimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more from this author. I am not a huge fan of 3rd POV but did find it was written well for third, although at times I found the dialogue hard to follow and had to re-read sections as I became confused as to who was saying what. With that being said I still could not put it down..from beginning to end loved Grace and Sean. Great ending would like to read a book two that continues their love story, marriage and babies.

[Fatmata Sankoh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every minute of it. A fantastic read from their banter to the amazing connection they share; I love it all. This is my first book from this author and as I enjoyed it so much, I'll definitely recommend.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet story about fated lovers. First book I've read by this author and really enjoyed it. I look forward to other books by Delia Foster.

[Lesley Peck · Rating 5 out of 5]

so sweet! I loved it!!

[KJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read but what a pleasant little hot surprise :)

[Katy Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet

this was such a sweet long time love story! I loved the love story between Grace and Sean, it was real and funny!

[S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

never thought that this book would be so good. Although it was a short book and I finished it in under 3 hours, I really enjoyed the characters and the story. Well done.

[***J*** · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more from this author. Hopefully a new release soon.....:-)

[Kirsten Bass · Rating 3 out of 5]

quick, cute love story.. enjoyed but POV was a bit hard to follow

[Aliena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of clichés and the thing with the brother was totally over the top. Otherwise it was a nice, quick read.

[Fyreball · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had trouble connecting with the characters because of their behavior. I get the tension, just not my cuppa tea - it reminded me of two kids who have trouble getting beyond junior high antics.

[Martha Castaneda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

Loved this book. I couldn't put it down. I loved the protagonists and their funny banter and history. Definitely would recommend this book

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

Surprised that I actually really enjoyed this one!

[QueenVee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please note, this review was previously published in 2014 under a profile used by multiple people. I am removing those reviews and republishing them on my new, personal profile.

STATE OF GRACE is my first book from Delia Foster but apparently it should have been my second. STATE OF GRACE is about Grace and Sean and starts out with both attending the wedding of Grace’s brother, Lucas and his fiancé, Sofie. Lucas and Sofie had their story in BEYOND BLISS, so it appears I should have read that first.

Anyhoo, Grace and Sean have known each other since they were 5 and 11 respectively, and both go out of their way to annoy the other to no end. 20 years pass and they’re still at it. Obviously, all this bickering and harsh words hide their true feelings for each other. Eventually, Sean makes his move and so starts the next year of on-again-off-again sex and relationship (sort of). There’s a big misunderstanding (due to Lucas’s interference and Sean’s history of being a man-whore) that nearly ends the relationship for good.

When are these male characters going to realise that their man-whoring only hurts the woman they want to be with. Instead of saying “Hey, I like you. Want to go out with me?”, they sleep with any woman they can get their dicks into, all with the hope that they can forget the woman they truly have feelings for. Said woman sees the revolving door of women, is disgusted and therefore can’t believe he’ll treat her any differently. She doesn’t fully trust him so of course the relationship is going to have problems.

I thought this book was a pretty good light read. I liked it when Sean was dominant, but he wasn’t overly dominant. It was more like Sean told Grace what to do and she did it. The sex scenes gave me a few tingles, but not enough I had to change my panties.

My favourite part in the whole book was at the end, when Grace and Sean’s families were all together. The interaction between all parents, and especially Grace’s father with Sean, were chuckle worthy. The final comment made by Grace’s father to Sean right at the very end had me laughing.

I also like that Sean acknowledged that his feelings for Grace when she was 13 (she developed very early) and he was 18 was inappropriate. I’ve read a few books recently where the M and F have known each other since they were kids, there’s a 6-8 year age gap, and the M talks about the love he had for the F when he was 18. At least in this book Sean realised it was wrong and felt absolutely disgusted with himself when he realised he’d just hit on a 13 yo girl.

Language wise, I only had a one main problem with this book. Sometimes the author switched the POV between the characters without any notice, which made some parts of the story hard to follow. I would suddenly realise that the story has shifted and I had to reread the previous couple of lines.

[Abby A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I did like this book for the most part, I did have some issues. First, I would have liked to read a little more about their actual history growing up with dual POVs before Grace and Sean hit the sack after Grace's brother's wedding. There needed to some sort of foundation to start this story with.

Second, I wish it would have been more obvious that there was more of an attraction on Sean's part towards Grace while growing up, especially since he claimed to have had feelings for her since they were young. The one scene where he came on to her when she was 13 and he was 18 didn't really have any validity since Sean didn't know it was Grace in the first place.

Third, what's up with the 6 months before they connected again. Considering that Sean was the one who initially came on to Grace, I would have expected him to try or try harder to contact her again. Eventually, they "fell" into a relationship anyway, but spent too much keeping everything too surface and not delving into any real feelings.

Fourth, after Grace's brother, Lucas, finds out about her and Sean's relationship and blows up about, the couple simply just cracks and ends their relationship so abruptly.

Then Grace practically jumps into another relationship with Sean wanting to work things out but waiting too long because by then, Grace is dating a co-worker, who by the way was too good for her. I really felt that she took advantage because she wasn't willing to deal with her feelings regarding Sean.

Having said all that, I still liked Grace and Sean and felt that they had good chemistry, if only they could get their act together. The storyline itself didn't really offer anything new or different, but the writing style was good enough for me to read the entire book.

[Chelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Having read the first book I downloaded this book. Again just like the first - really good story, fab characters, perfect pace etc. It was an easy read, the POV was a little confusing but I went with it.

However, like the first book there were stupid errors and its just so annoying. For example:
- Grace wore a strapless black dress as a bridesmaid which she was still wearing when she hooked up with Sean. yet he took offer her white bra pulling the straps over her arms. Not sure about everyone else but I would suggest that a white lacy bra with straps isn't really the choice of underwear for a black strapless bridesmaid dress??

- Sophie's mum got married at the end of the first book - before Sophie gets married. At the end of this book the mother makes an appearance but she's forgotten she's married!!!!

Seriously - this is just silly and inexcusable. Its not self published - there's a publisher behind this. I only ready the book once and picked up these issues - if I read it again I hate to know what I would have found!

[Brittany Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I found the first of the series to be a little better, but this story was definitely another 5 star read! A hidden romance with a lot of sexual tension makes for a good story. You know it'll eventually lead to a whole lot of drama, especially when an older brother becomes involved! The love/hate relationship between Grace and Sean kept the pages turning. I never knew what the outcome of their confrontations would be. They had a long history, and I enjoyed reading about some of the torturous scenes he put Grace through, but then hearing his reasoning once they had finally admitted their feelings. The bromance between Sean and Lucas was pretty entertaining, too! There were steamy scenes, but I'd have been okay if there were more. A lot of them ended up being cliffhangers and just faded out. Overall, this was a great book and I'm looking forward to reading more of Delia's work!

[Emily Goodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

State of Grace is the story of Grace- a young nurse who is severly concerned with her body image. She's spent years hiding behind her clothes and snarky attitude to keep people at bay. Forced to wear the "bridesmaid dress of terror" for her brother's wedding, she catches the eye of Sean, her brother's best friend and her arch enemy since she was five. All the years of pent up agnst and rivarly create an unbelievable tension and spark between the two leaving you to wonder if they might just spontaneously combust. If you want a great read with plenty of steamy, angst ridden moments and a great love story, then this is the book for you. I loved these characters and would easily pick up more reads from this author.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed watching Grace and Sean realize their attraction for one another and then realize it ran deeper. Although Sean came across kind of shallow at first, only noticing her once her boobs were on display, I quickly grew to love him and his persistence. They were amusing when they were fighting and hot when they were getting it on, basically the only two settings they had. Of course drama ensued because of their secret and sh** hit the fan as expected. I felt more of their emotions toward the end. Grace's insecurities were deeply rooted and hard to overcome and some of her actions as a result were kind of annoying, but it was a part of her character. Overall, I liked the characters, I liked the story. It was well written and didn't drag.

[For the Love of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this book can be read as a standalone, I think that it will be more enjoyable to read it after book 1. State Of Grace is a wonderful book with a superb female lead in Grace. Grace is one of my favourite female characters ever because she is real, her body, is normal, she has curves and flaws and insecurities, just like most of us normal woman, she is a character I can relate to more than any other!! This is like a breath of fresh air so Bravo Delia Foster, Bravo!! The storyline itself is full of twists and turns leaving us guessing until the very last moment. I now am a true fan of this author and will look forward to reading all she produces ~ 5 stars~ Rosie

[Anjie Kendall · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise was good, but I think it would have been better done in dual first person POV. The reader needed to be in Sean's head more. Grace was so stubborn it was ridiculous. It was repetitive with the "we hate each other", which I just didn't feel at all, and the constant quips about her weight. It didn't work. Also the bit about Lucas killing Sean, then at the end with her father, was way over done. There were other details that should have been revealed earlier and misused words that distracted.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm gonna be honest, I could read this story line all the time! There is nothing better for me than the childhood friends to lovers theme. Not sure why these stories always appeal to my sentimental side but they do and this story was no different. Sure Sean starts out as somewhat of a tool but it doesn't take long till your rooting for him and his love for a curvy girl! I love that Grace is a beautiful woman with curves! I enjoyed their story and I'm looking forward to more!

[BethyMac · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy the premise of the story but the execution wasn't as good as I had hoped. I found it to be jumpy in scene transitions especially when it jumped large chunks of time. I am not a huge fan of 3rd POV but did find it was written well for third , although at times I found the dialogue hard to follow and had to re-read sections as I became confused as to who was saying what.

I enjoyed the characters and their relationship, I just felt it all needed more, I was left feeling underwhelmed

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was really cute.

The point of view kind of jumped around, but it was pretty easy to figure out what was going on. I really liked Sean and Grace both individually and as a couple. Their interactions with each other were adorable.

I did not read the first book in the series and I had no trouble following along with and enjoying this book.

It was very good for a free read, to be sure!