Review: Romance, Suspense and Inspiration.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 15, 2012
This was a great read! I was sucked in from the first page and couldn't put it down. It's a well written story about the bonds of family and friendship, love and forgiveness and fighting for what you want without compromising your values.All of these characters have strength and integrity but are not without their flaws, making them completely relatable. The romance is heart-achingly tender, builds at a good pace and the suspense had my heart in my throat.I really enjoyed Grace's voice and she's a great example of true beauty.  While she's outwardly beautiful, her willingness to see the good in people and situations is what I liked most about her.  She also has a great sense of humor and her knowledge of sports makes her the dream girl of every jock that's ever donned a jersey and a foam finger!  Grace is content with her small town life, living and working with her cousin Kate and doesn't seem to fluster easily, until The Anderson guys move in next door.  Life as Grace knows it will be forever changed and her compassion will be tested in ways she never imagined.The Anderson guys, consisting of twins, Garrett and Miles and their younger brother, Michael are forces to be reckoned with.  Miles is good looking, intelligent, kind and caring and Michael is, well, he looks like he stepped off the cover of G.Q.  *fans face*  He may be the total package but he's also a real gentleman and it's easy to see why women swoon over him. *swoons* Michael has trouble holding onto things longer than necessary but Grace might be exactly what he needs, even if he doesn't realize it yet.All of the Andersons are the kind of men you can bring home to meet the parents which was refreshing but my favorite was Garrett!  I *hearts* him!  He's hilarious and vaguely resembles a giant teddy bear who will eat you out of house and home if you aren't careful. *offers him brownies*None of these characters are immune to pain or loss and even struggle at times with making the right choices where the heart is concerned. One of my favorite conversations is between Grace and Michael as she's explaining the importance of not "selling out" or compromising what's important and why..."Well, according to my uncle, most people-- girls especially-- tend to settle. Settling for the first guy that says she's beautiful, or the first guy that gives her attention. "She gives pieces of herself away to each guy, searching for that one guy. The one guy who thinks she's truly beautiful, seeing her inner beauty more than anything else."I watched him carefully, wondering if he thought I was insane. "She gives piece after piece, to guy after guy, until all that's left are broken pieces that have been used. Used and given back. Then one day, the right guy does come along, but there are so many pieces, she has to be put back together. And even though she can be put back together, the scars from stitching those broken pieces together, are there forever."I really enjoyed reading "Saving Grace" and it just so happened to be my 100th book this year! *crowd goes crazy* (OK, so, maybe just my Mom but still.) 100 books deserves some kind of celebration with food, and music, right?!  Hang on a second...I think I can hear Garrett voting "YES!" to the food part. *giggles* *hands him the entire plate of brownies* ;)