Amazing Grace by Kim Nash

 I am so happy that this moment has finally arrived. 

I remember talking to Kim Nash at a book event a couple of years back and her telling me she had been working on a novel. Kim has very similar book tastes to me and she is as passionate about reading as I am so I have been keeping everything crossed that one day I would be reviewing her book on my blog and that moment has finally arrived.

AMAZING GRACE IS OUT NOW!

Grace thought she had it all. Living in the beautiful village of Little Ollington, along with head teacher husband Mark and gorgeous son, Archie, she devoted herself to being the perfect mum and the perfect wife, her little family giving her everything she ever wanted.

Until that fateful day when she walked in on Mark kissing his secretary - and her perfect life fell apart.

Now she's a single mum to Archie, trying to find her way in life and keep things together for his sake. Saturday nights consist of a Chinese takeaway eaten in front of the TV clad in greying pyjamas, and she can’t remember the last time she had a kiss from anyone aside from her dog, Becks.

Grace’s life needs a shake up – fast. So when gorgeous gardener Vinnie turns up, his twinkling eyes suggesting that he might be interested in more than just her conifers, she might just have found the answer to her prayers. But as Grace falls deeper for Vinnie, ten-year-old Archie fears that his mum finding love means she’ll never reconcile with the dad he loves.

So when ex-husband Mark begs her for another chance, telling her he’s changed from the man that broke her heart, Grace finds herself with an impossible dilemma. Should she take back Mark and reunite the family that Archie loves? Or risk it all for a new chance of happiness? 

My Review

Amazing Grace is the debut novel by Kim Nash and what a beautiful novel it is too. Our protagonist in this novel is Grace who is a single mum to her adorable son Archie. Grace is on a learning curve as her life has changed since leaving her husband who still lingers around like a bad smell in the background, she is now working but she still has her own dreams and goals too. Grace is thrown back in to the daunting dating world by her best friend but can Grace find a man worthy of her heart and who her little son Archie would agree with?

Grace is a very down to earth and realistic character which only made me love her even more, she soon felt like a friend who I wanted to see grab the happy ever after she deserved for her and her son. She is a devoted mother, Archie is the centre of her world and the bond between them both shines through in this novel.

Archie was such an adorable little lad who has clearly been brought up well, some of his little ways made me chuckle especially when grilling the potential new man in his mum’s life to make sure his intensions were honourable!

What I found refreshing was the witty tone in this book especially from the rather painful dates that she finds herself on! The worries that we face in the world of dating and intimacy after being in a long term romance and how hard it is to let the barriers down so as not to get hurt again is shown so well in this book. As well as romance, grief is also a strong part of this book and I found it really touching the parts written from Grace’s mum and found comfort in the idea that our loved ones could still be around watching over us. Her part in this novel were so tender and beautifully written.

The story was quite simple and wasn’t farfetched it was a believable situation that touches on day to day struggles that we all face at some point in our life.

I think the majority of readers will swoon over the handsome Vinnie who is an A-star gentleman who we all could do with in our lives!

The pace of this book flowed perfectly holding my attention right up to the very last page but then I sat and felt so sad having to let the characters go. This was an enjoyable storyline and I enjoyed my journey with Grace as she finds herself and paves out a new life for her and her son. I look forward to reading future books by this author.