Saving Grace (48 page)

“Every day?” Grace asked.

He nodded. “So that you will never forget how very much I love you.”

“I intend to hold you to that promise.” Grace wrapped her fingers around the lapels of his coat and pulled him closer, kissing him until her head spun again and her heart beat loudly, and she knew without a doubt that Samuel was right.

Love was always worth the price.

Dear Reader,

Thank you for reading
Saving Grace.
I hope you enjoyed Grace’s journey to finding love.

The book you just read is the first in the Hearthfire Historical Romance series. A companion novella to
Saving Grace
will be coming in 2015, as well as another full-length historical, this one set in eighteenth-century Scotland. Watch for previews and teasers on my
website
in coming months.

Reviews are always appreciated, by authors and readers alike. Thank you in advance if you are able to take a few minutes to post one.

If you would like more information about my other books and future releases, please visit
www.michelepaigeholmes.com
. You can also follow me on Twitter at
@MichelePHolmes

Happy reading!

Michele Paige Holmes
spent her childhood and youth in Arizona and northern California, often curled up with a good book instead of out enjoying the sunshine. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in elementary education and found it an excellent major with which to indulge her love of children’s literature.

Her first novel,
Counting Stars
, won the 2007 Whitney Award for Best Romance. Its companion novel, a romantic suspense titled
All the Stars in Heaven
, was a Whitney Award finalist, as was her first historical romance,
Captive Heart
.
My Lucky Stars
completed the Stars series.

When not reading or writing romance, Michele is busy with her full-time job as a wife and mother. She and her husband live in Utah with their five high-maintenance children, and a Shitzu that resembles a teddy bear, in a house with a wonderful view of the mountains.

You can find Michele on the web:

http://michelepaigeholmes.com

Facebook:
Michele Holmes

Twitter:
@MichelePHolmes

Writing novels continues to be one of the joys in my life. Figuring out what to do with those stories, once they are complete, continues to be my challenge. To that end, I am thankful for an army of people who encourage, cajole, and otherwise motivate me to dust off the files on my hard drive and get them published. With this story in particular, there are several whose help made that possible.

I am grateful to Angela Eschler, whose insights often make my brain hurt and always make a story better. Her first look at early drafts changed my heroine from wimpy to one who took action and proved an equal to Lord Sutherland’s temper.

I am grateful to Cherie Maclean for being particular about her romance reads and for her genuine and helpful comments.

I owe many thanks to Sarah M. Eden, who graciously pointed me in the direction of the best Regency Period research and then patiently explained the rules over and over again when I confused them.

Rob Wells is likely not aware of his contribution in getting this published, but during one of our rare critique group meetings, his comment, “This is good stuff,” carried significant weight, since we all know Rob’s first genre was romance.

J. Scott Savage and Jennifer Savage continue to be the best cheerleaders around. I am thankful for conversations around their kitchen table, especially those about painful, big-picture problems Jeff is so great at catching.

Lu Ann Staheli cleaned up my chapters at critique and set an enthusiastic example with her flurry of self-publishing last year. So much of what I know about writing has come from her, and I count myself fortunate to have learned from the best.

I am grateful to Annette Lyon for the most thorough edit I have
ever
received and for being a continually supportive friend the past fifteen years. Both our children and our writing have grown up during that time; Annette has always been there, offering support with each.

Heather Moore was more than instrumental in getting
Saving Grace
from my computer to Amazon. Heather is a generous and patient friend. She is also brilliant and always willing to share her knowledge with others. Thank you, Heather, for guiding me along, answering ridiculous questions, and otherwise hand-holding during the process of self-publication. I appreciate it more than you will ever know.

I am thankful for great children, who, at times, put up with a cranky mom and frequent leftovers. I hope you are each able to discover and pursue your dreams as I have mine.

And finally, it would simply not be possible to write without the support of my wonderful husband. Thank you, Dixon, for devoting your Fridays and Saturdays to being an awesome dad, giving me that time to finish manuscripts. Thank you for believing in me — even when I choose the more difficult path. I will always cherish our whirlwind East Coast trip — seven states and fifty thousand words make for a great vacation. I’m looking forward to a future that finds us walking the streets of Edinburgh.