Grace has given up on romance, on almost everything, since Rick Fleming betrayed her faith in him five years ago. Given her constant struggle with bad luck (her friend Murphy), being insanely accident prone, and having been the target of endless ridicule growing up, she has no reason to trust anyone.Rick made some mistakes as a boy, and as a young man, his worst was hurting Grace Evans. His heart still belongs to her, even if she doesn’t know it. Unfortunately, in the last confrontation between them, she demanded he never speak to her again.
Now, Grace’s best friend (and Rick’s sister) Hannah has invited her to a ten-day summer work-vacation to babysit Hannah’s teen cousins. A palatial cabin, a patio boat on the lake, and all the comforts of the rich and famous at their fingertips? A vacation made in heaven.
At least until they arrive and Grace finds Rick there. And neither can leave. Rick’s car is in pieces in the garage, and Grace forgot her driver’s license at home.
How will Grace survive it? Can she find a way to forgive? Can Rick learn to take
responsibility for his past mistakes? And even if they succeed, what will they do when Rick’s most recent wantabe girlfriend shows up on their doorstep, determined to make Rick hers?
Susan was born and raised a Southern California girl but is grateful to have lived on the Oregon coast and in the Rocky Mountains of northern Utah. She’s now enjoying living with her husband in the incomparable beauty of the Redwood forest, nestled against the rugged coast of Northern California.Susan raised a tribe of children, making ends meet as a registered nurse and lactation consultant, and now her tribe members have tribes of their own and she doesn’t get to see enough of them. She loves to travel and is thrilled with a good movie or a great book, but writing is her passion. She writes almost anything, especially epic fantasy and romance.
Susan would love to hear your comments. Please review her book at your favorite retailer or at Goodreads. Take a peek at her website, susantietjen.blogspot.com, and/ or drop her a note at:
stietjen.author@gmail.com.
I thoroughly enjoyed this romance, much of
which revolved around a girl who tended to be a klutz. Bad luck and Murphy’s
Law seemed to rule her life. The author presented Grace’s difficulties, none of
which were deliberate or due to a lack of reasonable care on her part, with a
touch of humor which helped me empathize with the character. Although Grace
recognized and accepted her tendency to be clumsy, she often made light of it.
Unfortunately, in many ways it ruled her life to the point that many of her
decisions were based on not tempting disaster.
The
romance elements of this story involve Rick, a man Grace has not seen or
allowed her best friend and family members to talk about for five years after a
particular incident left her emotionally devastated. Gradually, this thoughts
and true feelings about Grace, both those in the past and current, come to
light. I like how the author led her characters through developing a mutual
understanding of how each of them viewed the same incident, as well as share other
factors to which the other person had not been privy.
Besides
Grace and Rick, the book told of several of their family and friends at a
vacation retreat to celebrate a special event on top of the Fourth of July. The
author developed her characters very well, and they fleshed out and helped move
the main plot of the story forward.
This
story also included a Christian message about forgiveness—why it is important,
and who benefits the most. It included a lot of food for thought in many
respects.
This is a
book I whole-heartily recommend.
