Review: A Graceful Mess by Nacole Stayton

Hiding behind the anguish from my past, my coyness seeps off of me like an aroma. I have felt like a stranger in my own skin, trying to claw my way out for far too long, allowing very few people to see past my façade…until my eyes met with his. I felt a sudden rush of energy all the way to my core. It jolted me in ways I never thought possible.

Never in a million years would I have expected to be in the mess I am today. It all leads back to the night Parker Porter turned my world upside down. The night his hazel eyes undressed me, peeling away the layers of the woman I tried so hard to be. He awoke desires that burned deep within me and changed me in one quick glance, leaving me vulnerable and exposed, picking up the shattered pieces of my carefully constructed life…a life I should not be living…a life I was not born into, but placed into by the state of Maine.

Parker opened a door that I am far from closing until I have answers and am able to face the life I was destined to live. I just have to decide if his love is worth the mess.

“They say be careful of the quiet ones.” –Grace


Warning: This book is intended for readers 18+ due to explicit language and sexual encounters.

5 Star Review by Amy Bustard

A 5-Star- Couldn't Put the book down-1-Day read.

Loved the story. Mixed with a little bit of everything. 

Grace's story is full of love, loss, betrayal and secrets. Adopted from an orphanage at a young age and losing her best friend Brody, Grace doesn't remember anything from those years, not even Brody. She grows up not even knowing she was adopted. Always the quiet girl, Grace lives life more cautiously after a traumatic incident involving her ex-boyfriend until she meets Parker.

I think for the first time since I was eighteen, I have finally felt alive. I think Parker brought me back to life, and the scary part is that the version of me that was awakened isn’t a Grace anyone knows, but the Grace that has been buried deep within me. His touch unleashed her, and there is no going back now.

Parker- a Private Investigator hired by Grace's biological father to follow her and keep her true identity away from his political campaign. Parker is drawn to Grace's beauty when he meets her in a night club prior to starting her case. 

Trying to protect her, I’ve caused her more pain. The worst part is I know I’m just going to hurt her like every other man she has ever known. Once she finds out who I am, and what I really do for work, she will hate me, but that’s a chance I’m going to have to take because I have no willpower left to continue to push her away.

Every time things seem to be going great for between Grace and Parker the past interferes forcing the two of them apart. When Brody comes back things intensify and someone gets hurt, things get so bad and all the secrets come out- Grace is pushed over the the edge. Grace must decide if the love she feels for Parker is enough to forgive him for his betrayal. 

I really loved all of the characters in this book except for one.. That one I truly hate! 

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