Review: Saving Grace by J.M Hill

  Saving Grace by J.M. Hill 

  Publisher: Self-published

  Publication Date: April 25th 2012

  My rating: 3.5 Stars

 

Grace Burke doesn’t need a thing. She enjoys her quiet life in Fall Rivers, Colorado—running a bookstore and coffee shop with her cousin, Kate. The two have a successful business, a small circle of friends, and each other. What more could she want?

When the Anderson brothers move into the house across the street, it doesn’t take long for her to realize exactly what she’s been missing. At first sight, the youngest brother, Michael, captures Grace’s heart, and her quiet life is disrupted.

Then it turns upside down.

Grace isn’t the only one with eyes for Michael. Nina Sandler, one of Michael’s clients, threatens to come between them. When Nina can’t get Michael’s attention, she focuses on Grace—in a very dangerous way.

But love is never easy and if the best things in life are worth fighting for, then Grace must find the courage to fight. Not just for love and happiness but for her very life.

Grace and her cousin Kate are so close they’re like sisters.  They live together, run a bookstore/coffee shop, enjoy cooking, and watch sports religiously.  They lead a happy, but relatively uneventful life.   That is until the three gorgeous Anderson brothers move right next door.  They immediately hit it off with them and before you know it their lives are filled with friendship, and laughter, and for Gracie, longing.  She falls hard for Michael, the youngest of the brothers, and they form a close friendship.  Grace want to tell Michael how she feels, but is afraid of what that will do to their friendship.  Plus, there’s the issue of Nina, one of the Anderson’s clients.  Grace knows Nina likes Michael as more than a friend, but she’s not sure if Michael feels the same.  Nina makes it no secret to Grace that she doesn’t like her, and puts her down whenever she has the chance.  Of course, she only does this when Michael is out of earshot.   

Finally, at the urging of Garrett, one of the Anderson brothers, and Kate, Grace tells Michael how she feels and gets mixed signals back.  Something holds Michael back but he won’t say what, and Grace wishes she never said anything in the first place.  Add to that, Nina steps up her hate campaign.  Michael finally notices what’s been going on, and he takes immediate action, which infuriates Nina, pushing her over the edge.

Saving Grace was a sweet romance, but also a suspenseful read.  I seriously felt shades of Fatal Attraction, and I have to say, it creeped me the hell out!  I enjoyed the friendships between the Anderson brothers and also, between Grace and Kate.  Even though they weren’t sisters, they might as well have been.  Family tragedy bonded these two together, and it was touching to see their unconditional love for each other.  I loved the relationship Grace had with Garrett, the giant of a big brother she never knew she needed.  I enjoyed the romance between Michael and Grace, as well.  The gradual build from friendship to more, made their connection so much sweeter. 

I enjoyed this story overall, but it took a while to get going.   I felt the beginning to middle should’ve been shortened.  Also, this read more like a journal that Gracie was dictating, and there was a lot of telling rather than showing.  Once the story got going though, I was glued to the pages, anxious to find out what was going to happen next!