Book Review: Finding Grace by Rhea Rhodan

Title: Finding Grace
Author: Rhea Rhodan
Genre: Contemporary Romance with Paranormal Elements
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy from author
Published: June 2012 by Musa Publishing

Two damaged people with harrowing pasts, one with deadly visions of the future—both must confront their deepest fears before they lose themselves and each other.

Kidnapped by human monsters, Grace Thorne was ripped from her quiet intellectual life and left deeply scarred. She’s hidden herself for five years, but there’s no escape from the nightmares of the past, or visions of the future. When one foretells tragedy, she gambles her fragile defenses on a haunted man to prevent it—only to discover love is the biggest risk of all.

Jack Daggery doesn’t need a mirror to know why people avoid him, but he doesn’t really care. After years working deep undercover, immersed in betrayal and death, all he wants is some peace and the quiet security company he co-owns.

Dagger has no idea why the foul-mouthed little server of questionable gender bothers him. But he does know that living with the ghosts of his past was hard enough without being tormented by the mysterious thorn in his side—or finding how much he needs her.

Reviewed By: J9

In a Nutshell: One of the most unique heroines I’ve read in romance and an utterly compelling plot made this a novel I couldn’t put down.

The Set Up: Grace Thorne has survived a torture and kidnapping that most people never recover from. Instead of wallowing in self-pity Grace uses her psychic ability to help others. Thorne foils a kidnapping plot by telling a security expert, Dagger. Dagger is co-owner of a security company and he can’t figure out why his partner hires the foul-mouthed Thorne. But Thorne reaches a part of Dagger he didn’t know existed but will Thorne allow herself to believe someone could love her?

Why I Read this Book: The synopsis hooked me. Plus, I loved that the heroine was described as “foul-mouthed” and of a “questionable gender”.

What I Liked: It is rare that I love heroines as much as heroes but I adored Grace Thorne in this book. She fought her entire life just to be herself and she wasn’t apologetic about being simultaneous strong and soft. Her smart mouth made me giggle often and I could see why Dagger would fall for Thorne. As a survivor of childhood abuse, though nothing close to what Thorne suffered, I could relate to her view on the world and desire to seize life. Thorne is a stellar heroine which the complexities of a real woman.

What I Also Liked: I also loved the romance between Dagger and Thorne. Dagger is described as a lonely man who scares everyone around him so it was lovely to watch him fall for the tough-exteriored Thorne. The romance is a delicate dance between Dagger and Thorne and I loved watching it unfold. I also really liked how the author didn’t force unrealistic sexual intimacy too early in the book and when the sex did happen it seemed a natural progression of their romance and was delicately described. Nothing in this romance is heavy-handed or forced and that was utterly compelling.

The plot includes Thorne’s psychic ability to see futures and her forced recruitment to work for the U.S. Government. This provides great tension and kept a strong pace. I was reading this book on my Nook on a plane trip home from North Carolina and every time I heard “please turn off all electrical devices” I was tempted to brave it and keep reading! Don’t holler, I promise I turned it off, but I couldn’t wait to reach “cruising altitude” to delve in again!

What I Didn’t Like: Two minor things bothered me and kept this from being a five-frog book for me. First, was Dagger’s penchant for violence when he couldn’t control his emotions. I’m leery of men who hit things in anger and Dagger did this a few times in the story. He punches the inside of a car and breaks a chair. I don’t like this in real life and I don’t like it in books. It makes me fear for the safety of the heroine. Even though Thorne was never even in the area when Dagger did this, I just didn’t like it. Second, Thorne needs friends but the ones she develops where almost exclusively male. From her co-workers at Dagger’s security firm to the homeless man she befriends, and her gay dance teacher, they’re all men. I just wish Thorne had developed a friendship with a woman to help her balance and grow.

IMO: Don’t let those two minor things prevent you from reading this unique and compelling story. I’m going to be on the lookout for future books by this talented author.

J9’s Rating: