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Saving Grace Cassette
written by Julie Garwood
Studio : Audioworks
by Audioworks
Publisher : Audioworks
Released : 1993-08-01
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 2
EAN : 9780671869663
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 112 reviews)
List Price : $17.00
Our Price : $16.95
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Product Description |
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In this splendid New York Times bestseller, Julie Garwood brilliantly crafts the majestic story of a young Englishwoman determined to fight for her freedom...a woman whose life would be transformed by the rare, unexpected gift of love. When Lady Johanna learned that she was a widow, she vowed she would never marry again. Only sixteen, already she possessed a strength of will that impressed all who looked past her golden-haired beauty. Yet when King John demanded that she remarry -- and selected a bridegroom for her -- it seemed she must acquiesce, until her beloved foster brother suggested she wed his friend, the handsome Scottish warrior Gabriel MacBain. At first Johanna was shy, but as Gabriel tenderly revealed the splendid pleasures they would share, she came to suspect that she was falling in love with her gruff new husband. And it was soon apparent to the entire Highlands clan that their brusque, gallant laird had surrendered his heart completely. But now a desperate royal intrigue threatened to tear her from his side -- and to destroy the man whose love meant more to her than she had ever dreamed! |
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A truly marvelous work of fiction! |
I won't bother the reader with a detailed synopsis of the book, since there seem to be enough of those, so I'll go straight to my opinion about 'Saving Grace'.
To start with, I would have to say that this is one of the best romances I have read so far, and as an avid reader, I've read a LOT of those. Julie Garwood's best works are her historicals, especially her Highland romances (The Bride, The Secret, etc.), and she surpasses herself here. The characters are beautifully portrayed, the author's style of writing so intricate and whimsical that almost every character (except the villians, of course) endears himself / herself to the reader. I have read reviews which are less than complimentary about the heroine Johanna's behavior, claiming that she is too timid to find sympathy with the reader. While I do not want to comment on them, I would like to point out here that considering the trauma she had undergone for years, her behavior was perfectly justified. If a woman who was married off when she was in her teens had spent years being abused physically and emotionally by her husband, chances are that she would naturally be extremely wary, or even frightened, for many years later till the scars of that abuse had faded. And when she does get her courage back, she manages to hold her own beatifully, and in many cases, with amusing results. Again, it would be very narrow-minded if one were to expect her to become aggressive, given the period in which this story is set.
To move on to the hero, Gabriel is one of the best - perhaps THE best - male protagonist I have come across. Not only is he extremely protective and possessive of Johanna, he also turns out to have such an endearing character under all that tough, gruff exterior that it is impossible not to fall in love with him. And as a delightful departure from the regular romance novel, he is the first to acknowledge that he is in love. Most romances follow the trend where the hero admits his love only in the last five pages of the book. Such being the case, it is wonderful to encounter a hero who is honest enough to at least acknowledge to himself that he is in love with the heroine.
All in all, we have a lovely heroine, a hero who manages to be both overwhelmingly masculine and just plain adorable at the same time, and a storyline that, while not exactly action packed, is fascinating in its own way, and manages to draw you in and enagage your emotions completely. If you love romances and like historicals, I could recommend no better book. In fact, give it a try even if you don't care much for historicals. The romance in it is more than enough to hold your attention and engage your emotions long after you've finished the book. |
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Totally riviting! |
I absolutely LOVED this book. I couldn't put it down, which only means that I was extremely annoyed when I had to do mundane things like feeding cats and cleaning house. The whole time I was doing chores my thoughts were with Johanna and Gabriel.
I loved both Garwood's characters and loved how Johanna became self assured toward the end of the book. I hate giving away endings so I won't do so now, suffice it to say that Gabriel was good for her. I also liked her secondary characters of Nicolas and Clare.
Aside from The Bride and Ransom, this is the best Garwood I've read to date. I have all her medievals except Shadow Music which I have coming and look foward to reading. |
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Boring |
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I am obviously not a fan of Julie Garwood, since the only novel of hers I've liked so far is Castles. I didn't even manage to finish "The Bride" and had hard time finishing this. I really hated The Bride, but Saving Grace was not a bad book; it just failed to grab my interest. All three books of hers I've read so far have the same type of heroine: weak and naive bordering on stupidity. My main objection about Mrs Garwood stories though, is the slow development. I'm generaly looking for drama or action or at least a mystery to keep the story going. This happily living together for days or weeks, nothing changing in the premises but the couple's growing affection while all is well, is making me tired and bored. But then a lot of people probably like that stuff since Mrs Garwood is one of the most loved writers of historical romance. So no more Garwoods for me from now on, even if Castles was great. |
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trust me, not worth your time |
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I have read A LOT of historical fiction books... I got this one, trusting the raving reviews on it. I couldn't even finish it. The plot was dreadfully boring. The writing was choppy, and blunt, and it really bugged the heck out of me. It didn't flow. It makes me really not want to read another one of her books if its written like this one. The premise was good... I just wish I wasn't so bored! Gabriel, the male lead, was just downright mean! He wasn't likeable at all to me... and the female lead... she was just too accepting. There are much better books out there... please, don't waste your money on this one! Selling my copy! |
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Johanna and Gabriel Sigh...... |
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What a great story. Gabriel is Johanna's protector, boy does she need one and yes a sequel to this book is so needed to follow Johanna's brother and new wife love story! Anyways, I do so love how Gabriel shows his love to Johanna but doesn't say it, and I love how Johanna accepts Gabriel as he is. My favorite part of this book is at the end the speech Johanna gives to her ex-husband. I had to reread several times. You will love this story. |
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