My Review of The Way of Grace

Here's a description of the book from the author's website:

"In pursuit of justice, in need of grace . . .

A justice-seeking perfectionist pursues her dream of a perfect life in her hometown of Miller’s Creek, Texas. Sidetracked by a desire to be a prosecuting attorney, Grace Soldano launches into uncharted waters, making herself over to please her boss and mentor. Then a disheveled free spirit turns her perfectly ordered world upside down, challenging her concept of personal goodness. A fall from perfection leaves Grace teetering between vengeance and grace, caught in a deadly crossfire that leaves her dreams in a heap of ashes. Can she learn to joyfully accept the life God has given her–far from perfect–but one completely immersed in His grace?"

My Rating

Spring

My Review

The Way of Grace is a heartfelt story that starts out as a contemporary romance, builds up into romantic suspense, and then comes back around to contemporary romance. The emotions and situations are complex, and the themes of grace and justice are explored in intriguing ways. Fans of Bryant's writing style should be pleased with this third addition to her "Miller's Creek" series, and newcomers should have no trouble making this their first visit to Miller's Creek. (I read the second book in the series a while back, and, from what I recall of my reading experience, this one seems to have a different "feel" and works well as a stand-alone.)

I admit that the pace came across as a little drawn-out at times. It's likely that some will not find the courtroom and office drama as interesting as others might. And yet, the characters kept me engaged, and the suspense eventually came into a more prominent role that held my attention. The mixture of faith crises and romantic quandaries, troubles fitting into a community and issues dealing with fellow professionals, communication problems and some sinister activity - all of it came together and even included some surprises (some pleasant, and others far from it).

Grace's character is generally easy to relate to, although she didn't always come across as consistent to me (but she did have a lot to deal with that would cause some flip-flopping emotions!). And Matt is such a sweet, loyal guy. All in all, The Way of Grace has some thought-provoking things to say about how we view ourselves and how we should treat others - with a strong, straightforward look at grace and how it applies to a person's life.

*With thanks to the author for providing me with an e-copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.*