WILL'S SAVING GRACE

Author: Cynthia Scott ISBN: 159088647X 4/2005 HISTORICAL Publisher: WINGS ePRESS
Time Period: 1885

Will Donegan is an outsider, suspicious of any good fortune and convinced he’s never meant to live alone. Still he searches for his family, from whom he was separated as a small child, hoping that at least with his siblings he could find a home. His search leads him to a English-earl owned ranch in the Texas Panhandle, where he finds friendship, acceptance, and to his great surprise--love.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

When I read the premise for WILL'S SAVING GRACE, I knew instantly that it was going to be excellent. It is a story about a blacksmith from Texas who falls in love with an uppity Earls' daughter from England. I immediately thought... Wow! Fireworks!! I was not to be disappointed.

When we first meet Grace Aldridge she is up to her ears in heat and dust, traveling in a coach that will bring her to her father's ranch in Texas, Single Tree Ranch. She is trying very hard to be a studious daughter to her father and not complain, but she is just dying to get their business over with and head back to England. She is, in essence, a typical spoiled, rich girl who dislikes being without all of her comforts from home.

Will Donegan is a man who has been drifting for a while. He has been trying to find the family that he lost as a baby—which includes his twin, Lee—and make a new life for himself all at the same time. Currently employed as the blacksmith on Single Tree Ranch, he has become somewhat of a family member to the good folks there and doesn't want to lose his job due to the snobby English people, once they learn that he is an orphan.

Will and Grace have no idea of the surprise that awaits them. How in the world could these two people, who have nothing in common, ever fall in love? They do, and when they do, they fall hard. Will is everything that a woman would like in a man—he is manly, strong, good looking, and hardworking. Grace shows through many different obstacles and let downs, that she is a very courageous and strong woman who is deserving of a good man's love.

Through Ms. Scott's writing we truly see a shift in these characters as the story unfolds. We watch Grace go from a pampered, spoiled socialite into an easygoing, charming woman who is very concerned for the welfare of others and willing to help anyone at any cost—even that of her own life. We watch Will deal with the loss of his family and become a stronger man because of it, and watch Grace give him purpose and strength.

I was also very pleased with the addition of Will's twin, Lee. I love to read about twins, and the surprise having to do with Will's twin will answer a lot of questions that leave the reader confused throughout the story!

Ms. Scott writes a passionate, moving story about a couple who can beat the odds and find love, regardless of what they have to go through to get there. I found my eyes tearing up at times and found myself laughing and smiling at others. WILL'S SAVING GRACE has all of the components that I look for when I am looking to read a good book.

Kristal Gorman