Friday, December 4, 2015

Blog Tour: the Beauty of Grace by Nicole Richard

Title: The Beauty of Grace
Series: She's Beautiful Series #1
Author: Nicole Richard
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 13, 2015
At age eighteen, Grace Bowman's life crumbled right in front of her. The man who held her heart—her forever—was gone, and her family ties were in tatters. As a result, she forged a steel wall round her heart and vowed never to let anyone get close again. 

Now, six years later, she has been given a chance to start fresh in Savannah, Georgia. A chance to leave the struggle of day-to-day life behind, find a career, and give Drew, her five year old son, a shot at normal.
A balloon and a flat tire had her crossing paths with AJ Watson, and she realized normal probably wasn’t in her cards. 
AJ was handsome, thoughtful, and fiercely loyal to his family. Yet, behind his baby-blue eyes and Southern boy charm, he was just as broken as she was. She told herself to stay away from him, and she tried, but the lines between friendship and lover are blurred. 
When Grace realizes history may be repeating itself, will she be able to let go of the past, or will she walk away from her future?


4 Stars!!

Review by Jen Skewes

The Beauty of Grace is Nicole Richard’s debut novel and I think that she did a wonderful job.  This is a second chance love story but not where the two main characters have been in love before and get a second chance.  This is about two people who are both in their own way broken from their past relationships.  Given their past heartbreak they both have a hard time trusting and opening up their hearts to someone again.  This story was sweet, sexy, funny, and at times angsty.  I fell in love with AJ and Grace but it was a little 5 year old boy that stole my heart.

Grace grew up in a wealthy family.  But when she found out that she was preganat at the age of 19, her father gave her an ultimatum, basically having to choose between her family and her unborn child. She chose her child.  Now 6 years later she is still struggling and trying to give her son the best life he could possibly have.  She moves in with her Aunt hoping to give her and her son a better life and at the same time hoping to live her life a little.  For the past six years it has been just her and her son, and no one else. So this is her time to live.

AJ is the guy that is messed up from his past, being betrayed in a way that had caused him to go down a path that he never wants to visit again.  He still has issues with trust and relationships.  He has  no desire to find love again or to stop having meaningless sex with his “go to” women.  But a chance meeting, a balloon, a flat tire and an adorable five year old boy may just change things for him. 

AJ and Grace become friends and agree that it is nothing more than that.  That is all that they can give each other despite how much they want each other.  But feelings start to come into play and Grace and AJ must decide if they want to take their friendship to the next level.  Is it worth the risk?  Can they both admit their feelings for each other and open up their heart? 

Grace and AJ have this connection and you can feel how much they want each other and see how much they are falling for each other.  No matter how much they both try to dismiss their feelings.  Falling for Grace was never in the cards for AJ but there is just something about her that makes him want to love again.  But fear has a way of screwing with your mind.  AJ was a really great guy.  Yes he made some stupid mistakes but they were forgiveable ones.  When you see a man fall for not only a women but her little boy, your heart just melts.  From the very start Drew held onto AJ’s heart and never let go.  And that is one of the things that I loved about this story.  AJ understood that Drew came first and he didn’t just want Grace he wanted her and her son.

I have to admit that for me this little boy stole the show. He had my heart from the beginning.    He was such an adorable little boy and so well mannered.  He had a big part in this story and of course Grace and AJ’s life.  At times I wanted I wanted to just squeeze him and then times where my heart hurt for this little boy who wanted a father and a family so bad.  He was an amazing little boy and I just loved his part in this book

Overall I loved this book.  I think at times it was a bit predictable. There were also a few times where I felt that forgiveness may have come a little too quickly when it came to the conflict.  I loved AJ and I saw how much he loved Grace and how at times the conflict in the story hurt him just as much as it hurt Grace.  But I felt like some things may have been resolved a bit too quickly with no real explanation until after it was all said and done.  This is just my personal opinion and regardless I still really loved this book.  Nicole Richard is a wonderful writer who pulled out my emotions in this one.  I loved the supporting characters and hope that RJ and Natalie get their own book.  I am curious to see RJ’s story. 



“This book is really good. It's hard to believe it's her debut novel.” ~ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2 Star Amazon Review
“It was a book you just didnt want to put down till the end though and that too means a book has all the things you want!!!! Super glad I got this book and will be recommending it.” ~ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️  Star Amazon Review
“I loved this book. It was a beautiful story about love and life and finding yourself…..I can't wait to read more from this author and look forward to what she has in store for us next.” ~ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️  Star Amazon Review

Chapter One Excerpt
I was just about to open my driver’s side door when I turned toward the rumbling of a motorcycle that came to a halt next to me. A black leather jacket covered, chiseled-to-perfection male specimen kicked the kickstand and removed his helmet. My breath hitched at the sight of our grocery checkout friend. A warm pool of heat flowed effortlessly through my veins. What in the world was going on with my traitorous body? I watched his movements as he placed his helmet on the handlebars and swung his leg, lifting himself off his bike.
“You need some help there?” he asked blankly and sauntered to the side with the flat.
“I do.” I said softly.
Closely watching his every move, I should have been tense, on guard—for heaven’s sake this man was technically a stranger—but I felt a sense of safety in his presence. I think he just asked me something, but for the life of me, I had no idea what he said. With a kind voice and a sexy grin, he asked if I had a spare in the trunk.
I hoped I did, my car wasn’t that old. Sometimes I missed that damn Mercedes, but with a baby to support that was not a practical choice. So, I traded it in for this Altima and lived off the rest.
“I think so.” I popped the trunk.
Standing at the open trunk, he searched until he found what he was looking for. Spare tire and jack in hand, he got to work.
Ten minutes later, my tire was changed and just in time. It started to drizzle again. Our mystery friend slammed the trunk shut and tapped it twice before looking at me. I felt so out of sorts near this man, and a faint flush warmed my cheeks.
“Thank you, Mr. . . ” I realized I didn’t even know his name. Smirking he stuck his hand out.
“Name’s Alex, or AJ, as everyone else calls me.”
“Well thank you, Mr.—umm, I mean, Alex.” And for the third time that day, I felt the blush in my cheeks.
“My pleasure, Miss—”
“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s Grace, and thank you again for your help, and the balloon.”
Alex nodded like a gentleman. “I’d tell you to have your husband get you a new tire but didn’t see a ring on your finger. So maybe have your boyfriend get that looked at. You don’t want to be driving around on a spare tire for too long.”
“Thank you, I’ll let him know.” I knew his angle, and I wasn’t falling for it. Clearly, he was trying to fish around for information about if I had a man in my life. Even though he was a Good Samaritan, I still had some level of skepticism.
I smiled, waved, and got in my car, only to sneak a peek through the rearview mirror. Watching Alex straddle his motorcycle and put his helmet on made that instant pool of heat slowly shift south again, and I wondered if I needed to get myself checked out. I couldn’t recall ever being this flustered by the opposite sex before.
Nicole was born and raised in Hawaii, where she currently resides with her husband and teenage daughter and son.
At an adolescent age, she took a strong liking to reading and even had a pipe dream of writing her own book. Life and growing up had put reading on the far end back burner and recently came alive again.
A hopeless romantic, she has a love for romance novels, which she credits her late mother passing on to her and now an even stronger love to write her own stories.
When Nicole, isn’t working, writing or reading, she enjoys her chocolate frozen yogurt with mini Reese’s pieces addiction, Starbucks in moderation and a once-a-year (if she’s lucky) trip to visit her best friend in Vegas.

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