Grace: The Shackleford Sisters, Book 1

HILARIOUS and heart-warming series!!
LUCKY YOU if you haven’t started this series, because you get to read all of the books without having to wait for a release!! I stumbled upon these novels looking for a lighthearted regency romance series, and what a serendipitous thing! Start with GRACE and work your way through the series; you will not be disappointed!! I never write reviews, but had to with this one, because I loved each and every book. All the characters are well-developed, including my favorite, Freddy, and the descriptions and story are so charming.

It was just okay for me
Nicholas Sinclair comes back from the Battle of Trafalgar with more wounds in his heart and mind than those obvious ones in his body. He has a secret that is keeping him from feeling as if he deserves to find any kind of happiness, and he isn’t sure he’d find anyone who could deal with his constant nightmares from the war anyway. He swore, when he left the estate, that he would never become his father because he had a hard enough time living with himself and the way his brother died as it was. Yet, when news of his father’s passing reaches him, he knows he has a duty to his station as Duke of Blackmore to return home and take a wife so he can produce heirs.Reverend Shackleford has eight daughters and thinks little of them, but he must marry them off well so that he has the funds for his only son to be able to gain a position of influence in the upper echelon. When he promises his eldest daughter Grace to the new Duke, she is not only entirely opposed to the union but doesn’t know how she could possibly live up to the reputation the Duke desires to make for himself. She’s a bit of a wild child who likes only to read and get into trouble. It doesn’t help that she’s keeping a secret of her own and her reverend father is complicit in the scandalous that could ruin all of them.It was a cute short read that only took an afternoon, but with all the hype from others, I expected so much more. The fact that it was written in Omniscient POV was a complete turn-off for me. I not only find it confusing because I have to reread spots to figure out who’s speaking, but I simply find Omniscient POV to be lazy writing. It could have been a much better-developed story if only one point of view was used at a time because, without the head-hopping, the story wouldn’t be so confusing, but also because characters are more prone to misunderstand each other, and it keeps the reader on their toes to not have all of the facts.I also thought the characters were fairly one-dimensional, and I wanted to know more about each of them. I wanted to feel more of their personalities and know more about who they were as individuals. There was little interaction between the sisters, so the hierarchy was difficult to establish. I did like Reverend Shackleford, however, because had he not spent so much time “in his cups,” there wouldn’t have been a large enough conflict for the story to move forward. And, I liked the fact that Grace was headstrong and independent because it made the underlying story between her and her husband more interesting – especially since he was not receiving the wife he expected.Although I found it a bit too shallow for my tastes, I thought the story had some good bones. I may read the others in the series at some point in the future on KU to find out how the other daughters fare, but I’m unsure when because I just didn’t feel invested.

Storyline good, but…..
The plot was good in this book, but the words she used from that era were too much. I had to check what some words meant until I just had to give up and just kept reading, not focusing on the sayings and words I guess that were from that time.I am not against the romantic verbiage of their first night together, but I personally do not care for a lot of detail in that area.I am a Hallmark kind of gal and do not care for cussing, which there was not a great amount of in this book.The book Grace held my attention and I read quite a bit at each setting, so I gave it 4 stars.

Good book
Good quick read. It ended well I suppose. From the first encounter between Grace & Nicolas, it seemed that she was feisty.. strange that the feistiness left her when it counted, when her husband automatically thought the worst of her and her behavior after he’d pretty much abandoned her right after their wedding..Her father’s antics and part in the whole thing wasn’t funny to me either. It seemed very thoughtless and he thought of her but seemed that his own situation was more important.I wouldn’t categorize this as a comedy. I’ll read another and see if I continue with all the sisters’ stories.

Loved Percy he was so funny and saved the day! The Duke, Grace and her father wonderful characters. Going on to Book 2 hope it’s as good as this one. Highly recommend!

Good read

Fascinating story of a practical marriage that blossoms into love for both parties, but not before miscommunication, resentment, and severe consequences without thought!