Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
While this novel tells a very sweet story between two unlikely characters it fails to fully take flight. Del and Grace meet when he saves her from drowning. He's attracted to her but she's of course in love with someone else. While the plot thickens when he agrees to teach her how to sail, their scenes together lack sexual tension and natural chemistry. The story feels very slow and clichéd. Not what I was expecting.

My Saving Grace by Danelle Harmon is vibrant look at the navy and naval families in the UK in the past. Enjoyed the characters and the storyline. There was a little paranormal thrown in which added a dash of spice. This is an easy fun read about a spunky, headstrong young woman and a quiet, self contained man. Watching them grow together is heartwarming.

A charming romance that's painful and funny, of a young lady named Grace who is definitely not. At fourteen Grace became infatuated with Royal Navy Midshipman Sheldon Ponsoby.
At her mother's fourth(?) wedding, Grace, twenty - one, is infatuated with Royal Navy Captain Sheldon Ponsoby. His indifference hasn't changed. Grace's attempts to gain his attention keep failing, but the man who comes to her rescue time and time again is definitely not indifferent. Delmore Lord is hiding his true identity. Afraid of another broken heart, he tries to keep his distance, but the twinkle in Grace's eye is tearing down his barriers. Only Grace still has her eyes on Ponsoby. Grace, Grace, Grace. It took you so long to grow up, you almost lost him.

I love the swashbuckling nature of this series. The heroine in this one wasn't my favorite but the swoony hero makes up for it.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I found myself skipping parts of the story. The heroine was a bit clueless for me and the hero too reluctant to go after what he wanted.

Lady Grace Fairchild is known for being impetuous and a bit wild and with her mother on husband number four, she’s a bit tired of the instability. She’s determined to catch the attention of handsome navy Captain Ponsonby and thinks the way to do so is to earn his admiration of her heretofore nonexistent sailing skills. To accomplish this goal, she searches for a skilled mariner to teach her.

Captain Delmore Lord is a serious-minded rule-followed and as such is eager for a bit of a break from his duties whilst attending the wedding of his Vice Admiral’s sister in England. When he rescues the admiral’s feisty niece from a near-drowning, he’s dismayed to find his heart interested in the lady, especially since she’s obviously set herself after another man. When she enlists Del to teach her about sailing, he agrees, quickly becoming Grace’s friend and confidant. But Del wants much more than friendship, if only Grace would open her eyes to the obvious connection between them.

First off, I must say this author is responsible for some of my favorite books (specifically steamy scenes) ever, therefore I had high expectations for the long-awaited story of Delmore Lord. He’s been a quiet, steady presence in previous books, and I have so looked forward to his turn to finally be noticed and to seeing his devotion and passion channeled into a relationship. And yet, I was left disappointed. Potential spoilers from here as I get out all the feels. I’ll round the stars up for Del, but Grace killed this for me. She was insipid, fickle, and at times just stupid, repeatedly asking the same questions over. I never understood what her fixation on Ponsonby was about or why she was so blind that or willfully oblivious that she couldn’t see that he didn’t care about her in the slightest and that he wasn’t a particularly good man. Then she tried to justify her fixation by saying her family expected her to marry Ponsonby despite the fact that no one even really liked him or encouraged the match. I’m not a fan of other man/woman drama in the first place, but this was extremely excessive and drawn out, with Grace still actively pursuing the wrong man, even after she had acknowledged to herself that he was the wrong man, and willfully stomping on poor Del’s heart multiple times all the way up till about 80% of the book. Not only that, but there was all this build up of tension, at least from Del’s side, and then when he and Grace finally wound up together…nothing. No passion, no heat, very little steam. It was a letdown and I think Del deserved so much better than Grace. Besides that, I did love Del and found I his Bible reading and praying to be especially endearing, but, otherwise I felt like Del received too much belittling; he had a very prestigious position and wasn’t given nearly enough credit for it. Grace’s behavior was downright farcical and her constantly being referred to as “the girl” was rather off-putting, although, to be fair, that reference definitely fit her maturity level, which was sorely lacking for a woman of 21. Ned gets a special mention as my favorite supporting character and quite possibly the most intelligent of the lot. Del deserved to have a hero moment like the other heroes of this series and to not be overlooked for once and that just didn’t really happen here. I have loved the other books in this series and perhaps that’s why this fell short for me, but it just didn’t quite work.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lady Grace Fairchild has her eye on a certain young gentleman. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to return the sentiment. Grace us determined to gain his interest, but thus far, she has only made a fool of herself. She finds an unlikely ally in her uncle's guest, Delmore Lord.

Captain Delmore "Del" Lord might be called dull by some, but he enjoys his living. He is instantly taken in by Grace, but as luck would have it, she's interested in another. However, he can't resist when Grace asks for his help. The more Del is around her, the more he's falling for her. How can he prove to Grace he's the man she wants?

Absolutely love author Danelle Harmon. Her latest novel, MY SAVING GRACE is a page-turner. Del is one of those guys who's cursed to always being overlooked. I love how he sneaks up and surprises Grace. He's a wonderful friend to her. My heart ached for him. I'm so glad Grace was able to see him for who he truly was. I give MY SAVING GRACE 3.5 stars.

Del finally has his story. Grace is calamity personified and her first meeting with Del is when he saves her from drowning. Lots of people have reviewed by telling you what happens, I won't do that.

Ms Harmon has created these two fragile souls. Grace is attracted to someone else, Del doesn't do well with women. Grace wasn't very nice to Del and that annoyed me, but I didn't write the book! I do think you'll enjoy this story and cheer and pull for Del to win the day.

Grace set her cap for Capt Ponsonby years ago having been captivated by him in uniform. Looking for a way to finally get his attention, she decides to take a boat out to show off her nautical skills. The problem is that she doesn't have any...she ends up needing rescued. But it is not the captain that comes to her rescue. It is Mr. Del Lord. See that he has sailing skills, she enlists his help in developing hers to impress the captain.

What Grace doesn't know about Del is that he is a captain in his own right. He is just trying to relax and has decided to not wear his uniform. He agrees to help Grace, but soon realizes that he is fighting a losing battle. He is falling in love with someone that loves another.

Is Del destined to get his heart broken again or will Grace come to realize that her destiny lies with a different captain than the one she has set her eyes on?

I enjoyed Grace and Del's story. I was so happy when I learned that Del was finally going to get his HEA!! I loved that even when he found himself falling for Grace, that he continued to help her get her wish of winning Ponsonby because he wanted her to be happy. Even if that meant his heart was broken again. This was a great addition to the Heroes of the Sea series!

A wonderful story that grabbed me from the first page and wrapped itself around my heart.
Can fate come in the form of an ancient cross and a dream? Destiny determined?
Del held the ancient celtic cross that his mother passed around as she told the story, about their ancestress, the famous female pirate, Grace O'Malley. Something happened as he held her cross, he could feel it and that night he dreamed of her. She told him "You will grow up and you will find your true love. I'll send someone who will be your soulmate. A Mariner like yourself. A woman worthy of the man that you'll be."
Del had been five years old so his thoughts of women and love where far off and as he got older the dream faded...
Fast forward and Del Lord is now the flag captain of His Majesty's Ship Orion, and upon orders of Vice Admiral, Sir Graham Falconer, they return to England to attend his Sister's fourth wedding!
Then he meets her, or rather rescues her from drowning. Oh yes, Grace was trying to impress her crush of years, Captain Ponsonby, by sailing a boat on the little pond, but she ended up almost drowning and Del saved her.
Danelle created two characters, each with their flaws and feelings of inadequacy that begin to form a friendship and possibly much more.
I cannot say enough about this marvelous tale that has made this author one I will keep on the top of my reader's list!!

Accident prone Lady Grace Fairchild is in love with a navy man Captain Ponsonby, but she can’t seem to get him to notice her. In one of the accidents she’s out trying to sail a boat after all how hard can it be. When dull, quiet by the book kind of guy Captain Delmore Lord saves her life and ends up teaching her about sailing and losing his heart to Grace. I love this fun and witty story of two. I found the book captivating as we see Grace start to compare the two captains and captains and fall in love. An excellent story I voluntarily read and wrote this review.

My Saving Grace by Danelle Harmon, Heroes of the Sea number 10, has been several years in the making, and well worth the wait. Harmon writes an excellent historical romance and this is no exception. Delmore Lord, Colin's younger brother, was now flag captain for the fleet of Admiral Sir Graham Falconer, who was married to a pirate queen, Maeve. Readers know these folks well. They live in Barbados but have been recalled to England for a wedding. None are all that happy about returning but really have no option. It is difficult to be on dry land and in English society for so long, but they are managing. Enter Lady Grace Fairchild, who for years had been entranced by Midshipman, now Captain, Sheldon Ponsonby. She could think of nothing else. He could think of plenty else: other women. He never noticed Grace. They are all at the wedding, of course.

Harmon writes an excellent character, delving beneath the surface to the person within. She does a fabulous thing, the way she is able to interweave the past and present and create families that go on an on. Her stories have depth. They are more than simply romances. She reaches into the soul of the story and grabs the very heart of the people of whom she writes. She was one of my first introductions to historical romance and hold a special place for me, as do her characters. This is a wonderful book and not to be rushed. Read the others first or do not. Either way works. But, read this one. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of My Saving Grace by Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #mysavinggrace

This being book 10, IDEALLY you will want to read this in order. There's plenty of characters in this story that have had their own stories. Very little recap, just a story told her and there among family members that I would assume were in previous books. This was my first by Danelle Harmon, and even with it being book 10, it felt okay to me read out of order. I am not a stickler for that though. I wasn't left confused or annoyed by other characters or anything. It was nicely done.

This book takes place in 1814. Lady Grace's mother is celebrating her fourth marriage and Grace herself has her sights set on her future husband, naval officer Ponsonby. She will do anything to catch his attention, but so far it has consisted of extremely embarrassing moments that are from endearing her to him. She believes if she can just learn the basics of sailing, he will finally look upon her favorably. Lucky for her, Captain Delmore Lord is attending the wedding celebration and she soon ropes him into a scheme to get her married.

Del is a rather quiet, stoic individual. He blends into the background easily. He controls his emotions. He has had his heart broken and has backed into himself to prevent it from happening again. Grace's spunky personality keeps him engaged and on his toes and he finds himself drawn closer to her at every turn.

Give this book a try if you like
-roadtrip romance – this couple is on the go with a house party, quick sale on a frigate, visiting family members, and back to the ship
-sea captain hero with a decent amount of ship talk/learning and sailing
-low steam – this romance is almost sweet. Two very short kisses and one full scene that was short and not very explicit. The full scene happens after 90%
-A bit of angst and a bit of action. There's a bit of a 'villain' here, but it's not overwhelming. Just a few things here and there that causes instigation
-hero is involved in a duel
-a book where one of the main characters has another love interest in the beginning

I'm so conflicted with this book. The writing was wonderful. I was totally engaged in the story. I really loved the hero and my heart broke for him. But. The heroine. She drove me bonkers. I dislike when the hero or heroine is interested in someone else in the book. I find it really annoying unless it's a short part. But this was not a short part. I could have even forgiven her if by 70% she was willing to give it up. But she wasn't. No. She kept it going until the very end of the book. She put the poor hero through the ringer. Stomped on his heart. Kicked it. And that made me really angry. He deserved better than her I think, especially after the build up of the prologue for him finding the woman meant to be his.

Also the steam was really low in this book. There was some decent tension building and if there was one explosive scene or even just a scorching kiss I think I would have been pacified. But it was all rather tame and I kept waiting for someone to lose it and it never happened.

Yet, there was something about this book that called to my heart. It had so much that I loved about it. I found myself thinking about it the next day and just wanted to get back to reading it. It really did have that historical feel in regards to propriety. The hero was always very concerned about the heroine's reputation. It gives a simple talk after night on a bench the most risky feeling. The breathlessness of if someone will catch them, even though they are just sitting, yet it feels so indecent. That is something I love about HR that I find lacking in more modern writers generally. Everyone seems to be doing whatever they want now. Not here. There's a scene where Del carries a seasick Grace to her cabin and sits with her. Unsupervised. Unchaperoned. And I was almost giddy with the forbiddeness of it.

So I will definitely be trying more by her in the future. I think she's a great storyteller. I do wish there was more steam, but I think with a few plot tweaks I could love it even being low steam.

I give 3.5 rounded to 4.

Will she realize in time the right man was standing next to her all along ...

This is my first read by Mrs Harmon and discovering an author’s work with her tenth book in a series might not be the best, yet, this book is very much a standalone and the three couples from past stories visiting this one do not impede the story’s flow.
Del is such a sweetheart, he can’t change whom he is at heart, an honorable to the fault man even when it may cost him his heart once again.
He is dutiful to the point, never thinking about himself, only the others. Not the one to act impulsively, yet for Grace, he will find himself in many unexpected situations.
My heart ached for him, I was many times heartbroken for him, the overlooked sailor, because he is straightforward, never playing the panache of the uniform.
Grace is something else, for her age, I found her very much immature. She lives through a childhood infatuation, blind to the faults of the man of her dreams when another demonstrates his respectability and is even willing to help reach her goal when she tramples all over his heart.
For a twenty something girl, she is quite feather-brained, blind to all the signs around her.
Why more than once I would have loved to shake some sense in her.
She is too much a silly chit to see only the social mask, so thickheaded she does only see the peacock and not the protector and defender of her personality as person.

Del is my hero, and time after time, I wondered if Grace even deserved him as she so repeatedly hurt him.
She could have shred the blinders a bit earlier than at the very end.

I loved the supportive characters and even felt sorry for the peacock by the end.
4 stars.

I was granted an advance copy by the publisher Gnarly Wool Publishing, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

My Saving Grace is the 10th book in Danelle Harmon's Heroes of the Sea saga. It was my first, and my first, but definitely not last, book by this author. Definitely can be read as a stand alone. The book introduced characters and family connections, but nothing was confusing, it just made me want to seek out their backstories!

The best part of this book is Captain Del Lord! He was such a noble and just character. He had a wonderful sense of duty and loyalty and was charming in how protective he felt. I liked that he was an Alpha without being a jerk. The heroine who caught our hero's attention from her very first mishap was Lady Grace. She got into several humiliating (for her) but very funny situations. Captain Lord always to the rescue. It took Grace much too long to realize just how wonderful Del was, as she spent most of the book pining for another man. She came across as a little too young and naive, and I really couldn't see what Del saw in her.

This book has a lot of humor, action, a little bit of paranormal thrown in, it wasn't bogged down with the sailing or nautical terms (something I really dislike). This book had a great balance.

Since some readers keep a steam score: There was only one chaste kiss about three quarters of the way through, and there was only one intimate scene towards the very end. It was not very long and not very descriptive. This book is pretty close to a "clean" romance. It was sweet.

I loved the epilogue, a bit short, but it wrapped the story up nicely and paved the way for future generations.

One thing I thought could have been handled better was the villain. Adding a gay character was very progressive, but I hated that he was used as a villain and a woman hater (because of jealousy).

But overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading others from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Gnarly Wool Publishing for gifting me a copy of this book. The thoughts and opinions are my own.

My Saving Grace by Danelle Harmon

Have you ever wanted that new shiny toy, but your mom warned you that it was just junk and was not going to last!? However, you were bound and determined that you had to have it and nothing else would take its place! That is what Grace the ungraceful clumsy seen in Sheldon Ponsonby, he was all shiny and slicked up and this dreamboat of a man. But, never judge a book by its cover. Take Delmore Lord he was considered to be the plain guy with the bland sense of humor and dull as dishwater. Once again do not judge by the outward appearances. This book will have you laughing out loud but it will have you remembering when you liked the jock and did not want to like the nerdy boy! But, in the book you will be rooting for Dull Del because we always root for the underdog in the movies right! Danelle Harmon had just enough lightweight levity with evil on the side that makes you keep turning the pages wanting to know who was going to do what to who!! I almost wish there was more done to certain somebodies, but I wasn’t the author!! LOL This was a great book and I cant wait to read Ned’s story someday!! I hope she writes it, because I am sure it will be a great one.
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and willingly am giving my thoughts and opinions!

Sometimes love is staring you right in the face but you're so preoccupied, thinking you're in love with someone else, you almost miss your chance at true love. It is this dilemma that Grace finds herself in. I really enjoyed this story and although I found it dragged a bit at times and I wanted to shake both Grace and Del to bring them to their senses, everything turned out the way it should:)

I also loved seeing some of the characters from previous books in this series and the mention of the great female pirate, Grace O'Malley, always peaks my interest! I must also add that Ned's character melted my heart, what a wonderful lad he is!!

There is danger, adventure, humour, twists and turns, as well as romantic angst in this story so it is very much a worthy read.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

such a fun story. a little sad towards the end but i'm glad everything worked out. grace is definately accident prone. Del is sweet and patient. This is my first read from this author but it won't be the last.

For the grim beginning of this book, about ancient tales and fortellings of doom, this was a sweet (but sensuous) story. I personally thought it was pretty funny. This tale about a heroine who is in live with a man who wouldn't save her from drowning (No, it's true. She was drowning in a pond/lake and he just watched her from the sidelines.) The hero is a flag captain travelling incognito with his admiral who brought him, the admiral, and the admiral's family back to England from Barbados for the admiral's sister's fourth wedding. The admiral is not too happy about it. The heroine decides to show the man she loves, who is also a naval captain, how adept she is will sailing, takes a small sail boat onto the pond/lake and has a mishap. Apparently, she has many mishaps. This mishap is when she gets whapped in the head with the boom when the wind shifts and pushes the sail over. So she falls out of the boat, knocked out, to the bottom. The flag captain is watching her and almost predicts the accident, sees it happening and dives into the water before she is even submerged. He saves her and the boat, but loses his new hat in the process. When she comes to her senses, after being saved, bathed, napped, et al) she begs the hero to help her impress and attract the captain that she wants. I laughed al lot. I truly enjoyed this story, but I felt it took to long because of all of the refusing to see that each loved the other and to accept them and tell each other. And it seemed to be a part of a series because it had so many minor characters who were paired off with an amusing antidote for each couple. But this was a truly stand alone, non-serialized story. I easily give it 5 stars, more if I could. I highly recommend this story for anyone who wants a well written story that focuses on familial relations and their importance.

I have enjoyed Danelle Harmon''s De Montforte Brothers books and was looking forward to this but was disappointed. It isn't sexy or as emotionally involving as they were. The heroine, Grace, seems like a childish ninny. At 21 years old, she shows the judgement and emotional maturity of someone years younger. She decides, for no logical reason, that a naval officer she barely knows is the man for her and constantly embarasses herself chasing after him. She asks the hero, Delmore, to help teach her to sail, because she thinks it will make her more attractive to her target. Delmore is an attractive, mature man with years of experience as a ship's captain. After Grace spending most of the story acting silly and ignoring their mutual attraction I couldn't imagine what he could see in her. They didn't make a particularly romantic or satisfying couple.