I really wasn't that impressed with this story, as I found it slow moving and unable to keep my attention for long periods of time.

Gracie made a mistake in judgement when she was a teenager, and wound up suffering for that lapse, to the point where she had to change her name to escape it. That mistake made her a virtual prisoner to fear. However, I felt she took the wounded victim mentality too far. Why didn't she continue with therapy? She was far from cured, especially when the only semi-healthy relationship with a male she could come up with was her lawyer from all those years ago!

Josh didn't come across as a good politician. He wasn't that concerned about how the rumors were affecting his campaign, in fact, he didn't seem all that concerned about his campaign, period! It was totally unbelievable! Not only that, I couldn't see where the attraction to Gracie was coming from! That made it very hard for me to invest in their relationship, especially since it felt that they were forced into it!

This book really soured me on reading the final book in the trilogy.

Good Gracie by Inés Saint
The Piper Sisters #2

Gracie Piper made a mistake in high school that haunted her for years. Returning to her childhood home, as leader of a team of renovators that will be working to update a building, she finds herself faced with both memories and people from her past. She has come a long way from her seventeen year old self but with the support of her family and others she comes further out of her shell and eventually finds a bit of romance with Josh Goodwin. In addition to romance there is a political election going on with some underhanded shenanigans and a bad person or two to be dealt with. Easy to read and somewhat predictable this was a fun way to spend the afternoon and it also dealt with the issues of bullying, coercion and how the internet can change people’s lives.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books – Lyrical Shine – this is my honest review.

3 Stars

I always enjoy taking a trip to Spinning Hills, with its tight-knit families and the café run by three interfering, eccentric but wonderful old ladies, and this was no exception. Gracie is a woman who has been through a lot and it’s taken its toll on her relationships, while Josh is a man whose pursuit of justice has left him with very little life outside of his job. Nine years ago they changed each other’s lives for the better, but at a cost, and now it seems like everything is about to change again.

I liked Gracie, and I really felt for her about her past. It was completely understandable that her emotional development was effectively shut down by what she went through as a teenager, but it does make things occasionally awkward between her and Josh. At the same time, it added a layer of sweetness to their interactions – and provided plenty of room for amusing lessons in flirting and other such teasing from her family. She’s a sweet woman, but she’s also strong and I loved how she stood up for herself when pushed far enough. I also really liked how she slowly settled back into the person she had always been before everything went wrong. She’s fun and colourful and I really wanted her to find her happiness.

Josh is a good man. He works hard and is fully aware of the advantages his privileged life have gifted him – which makes him work even harder to overcome them and help those who weren’t born so lucky. He does treat Gracie a bit too carefully at times, forgetting that she’s a woman who is more than capable of caring for herself, but I did like how they worked through their issues and finally saw each other for who they really were. Admittedly, some of these issues get resolved a bit quick, especially towards the end, where the steady pace is swiftly accelerated in a way that I found a little rushed after such a long build up.

This is mostly because of the mystery plot, which bubbles quietly away in the background for most of the book before making itself fully known towards the end. It was useful because of the way it kept giving Josh and Gracie reasons to talk and defend each other, it also helped to keep things interesting.

Not nearly as interesting as Gracie family, though. I love the old women and their cheeky, caring, meddling ways, whether it be baking or breaking and entering, they are always entertaining. I like Gracie’s sisters too and it was great to see more of Alex from the last book.

In all, I thoroughly enjoyed this. I love the setting of Spinning Hills and the unusual characters that inhabit the place, and it was great to see Gracie finally find the healing she deserved. I can’t wait to read Hope’s story, even though I fear it might be a real heart breaker.

Gracie Piper got the job that many bid on! She is ecstatic but reserved when she finds out where it will be. It reminds her of a past she wants to forget. She has worked hard to get where she is and she wants to leave the hurt behind that she experienced some time ago.

Josh Goodwin is surprised to see Gracie late one night as he is leaving the building, especially right as he is running for County Prosecutor. He has no idea what he is in for when he decides to just check on Gracie to make sure she can handle working in the same building with him. He isn't sure if it is a coincidence or there is something else going on since she comes in his life at a time when it can cause controversy. He doesn't know how dangerous things are about to get.

Gracie doesn't know how she keeps ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time. She is devastated to be the object of so many people's evil schemes. And once again, she will learn what it's like to be humiliated. What she doesn't expect is for things to ever fall into place in a way that makes perfect sense. Is that chance available? And is Josh going to be a good friend or a stranger as he takes on more commitments in his career?

This novel is well written and very clear about so many topics that one can learn about so many things in this one novel! It had so much variety and fun! It keeps you guessing and is a delight!

years ago gracie piper learned a hard lesson about trust and men and the cost of justice. and since then she'd tried to stay out of the spotlight and do everything possible to put her past behind her. in good gracie, she's back where it all started and her past is doing everything possible to make sure it isn't forgotten.

not that she could ever forget josh goodwin, or his role as her savior during that awful time. he was the first person she told who believed her and who then went about making things right. and she still couldn't shake the feeling that all he'd ever gotten from her was some nasty rumors about their relationship that had destroyed his relationships with his parents and his fiancée.

except she's totally wrong about how josh sees her. he remembers her, of course, but it's with real fondness. her case was the one to show him his true calling as a prosecutor. and now he's about to throw his hat in the ring and run for district attorney.

of course, gracie's return and the fact that she's working in his office building makes it likely that people are going to be talking about the long-ago case. and gracie isn't thrilled with the idea of rehashing her case in public, but as her family urges her to face her past, maybe she needs to find a way to accept everything that happened in order to move forward with it. and the flutters her heart gets every time she's around josh encourage her to push herself.

josh is also getting those heart flutters, except this is dreadful timing. the last thing he needs in his life at the moment. but as interest in gracie's case and the rumors about their relationship continue to crop up, it becomes impossible to stay away from her.

poor josh and gracie have all this drama surrounding them, but their relationship is understated. because of her past gracie is an innocent and she's terrified of opening herself up to someone fully because the last time she trusted someone she was horribly betrayed. she knows that josh won't hurt her. but she doesn't know how he feels about her. and she's not going to tell him first. at least not with words. she keeps trying to show him.

and josh gets it. but he's scared of opening up too. he thinks that the only reason gracie wants to be with him is because he's safe. and he is safe. but gracie feels more than that for him. and she can't read his mind. she thinks he's just being a good friend.

but friends don't have the chemistry that they do. and they eventually figure it out. luckily unraveling the mystery of who keeps trying to hurt them by dredging up their past.

I love books by Ines Saint. Her stories have such heart in them and yet, they also say something powerful at the same time. Ms. Saint has a gift for making her books easy to read, full of romance and humor and also incorporating something that will make you think. This book is no exception.
This is the second book in Ms. Saint’s series about the Piper sisters. We get to know Gracie Piper who has changed her name to Grace Dearborn. Gracie may be the youngest Piper sister, but she has definitely had some real difficulties. A horrible event as a teenager left her exposed to the world and the only people who would stand up with her were her family and Josh Goodwin, a young lawyer. Gracie has returned home to help her oldest sister heal and to redesign the office space in the Montgomery County Courts building. Professionally, this is a huge opportunity for Gracie. Personally, it takes her right back to the nightmare of all those years ago.
Josh Goodwin is now the first assistant prosecuting attorney and is running for Montgomery County Prosecutor. He knows that his life is so different than what he thought it would be because he met a teenager named Gracie Piper. Josh isn’t sure what to think when he runs into her again especially when old rumors start circulating that could put his campaign in jeopardy. When the rumors become more real, Josh realizes that Gracie could also be in danger.
I am going to try to be a little vague because I don’t want to give too much away. That being said, there are some minor spoilers that follow. If you want to learn what happened to Gracie without prior information, please stop reading.
Ms. Saint tackles sexual harassment and assault as well as cyber threats as she explores what life is like for young girls who have their lives exposed by uncaring boyfriends. Through her discussion of how the exploitation of Gracie has altered her life and her lifestyle, Ms. Saint shows the trauma that sexual assault can cause and its lingering effects. Gracie is moving on with her life, but it hasn’t been easy. Returning to the place where it happened and being reminded through comments on political articles doesn’t help. Ms. Saint shows how damaging anonymous comments on websites and news reports can be. Those being harassed have little legal recourse.

Gracie Piper is one of the most likeable characters I've been exposed to in a long while. Her growth and cheerful attitude is so engaging, and her love for her family and Josh is an example to emulate. The mystery in 'Good Gracie' is crisp, the social media issues real and all too painful, and the ending is surprising and very satisfying. This little trip to Ohio was absolutely wonderful!

excellent read. I loved it.

Good Gracie,  Inés Saint

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  romance,

I’ve not read any of Ines works before, and this one is set in the same place as the Spinning Hills books, but features three sisters.
I enjoyed it, a romance with a side of gentle-ish mystery and suspense. By that I mean that the romance is centre but the mystery and what evolves is very connected to it. Its not heart stopping drama type suspense, though brings the characters into very real danger when it comes to a head.

So, Gracie – poor girl, she’s been through what is a horrible reality for too many kids in this age of technology, when a private picture or video can get shared and seen by thousands, millions even, so easily when that trust is betrayed.
That happened to her at 17, she stood up for herself but at great personal cost. Nine years on and she still bears the scars of it in her behaviour. No longer is she the happy, outgoing “goof” as her family describe her, but someone determined to blend in at all times, to go unnoticed.
She’s worked hard on her career and its brought her back to Spinning Hills for a job that is the biggest she’s had and very important to her. Someone seems determined to stir up the past though, to cause trouble for her.

Josh was her defender at the time, early in his career, and went against his very wealthy and influential family in taking her case. He’s still in the town, and now campaigning for the position of County Prosecutor. Those old rumours and misconceptions are muddying the waters for his campaign, and he doesn’t need the scandal.
He’s always admired Gracie though, and when he sees her now something about her really pulls to him. Its an attraction that Gracie feels too though neither will admit it for a long while.
With rumours and inferences of the past having been more than was revealed the anonymous person seems set to ruin their careers. Who is the target though ? Gracie or Josh? And why?

I enjoyed the pull between them, the way they were both so careful, so guarded. The family too, Gracie’s sisters, grand her her friends are a scatty bunch, and provided so levity to the story.
I didn’t work out who dunnit – though once its revealed there’s that “ah! Of course” moment. Its a story I enjoyed but not one I’d reread. I would like to see more when the other sisters stories come out.

Stars: Four, fun read with some light suspense.

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers