Gracie Mae, a Story of Courage and Love

Donna
Marie
Genre: 
Contemporary

Gracie Mae and her two young children are on the run from her abusive husband, Rich.  When Gracie is forced to get medical attention for her son a few days after leaving home, the pediatrician sees all of the signs of domestic abuse.  Dr. John Azzari is every woman's dream, especially for a woman who has only known violence from men.  John is drawn to this little family - maybe it's his innate desire to help people in need, maybe it's the wild attraction he feels for Gracie.  Either way, he lends her his support, and she and John begin a delicate courtship that gives Gracie and her children a stability they are desperate for.  But Rich isn't letting his family go without a fight...and Gracie's past is bound to catch up with her.

The story behind Gracie Mae's plight is all too common, and the message in this book is bold and admirable.  The execution, however, was awkward.  Dialogue was stilted and formal most of the time, and the text was in need of a heavy-handed editor to weed out the numerous grammatical mistakes. The characterization of John and Gracie Mae is a bit old fashioned, but they fit together well.  Their romance plays out like a modern day fairy tale, and John is Prince Charming in scrubs.  Gracie is a heroine to admire. She is so fiercely protective of her children that she overcame her circumstances to give them all a better life, yet retained enough of herself to search for love again.

Nicole Duke