Monday, January 21, 2013

First Chapter Review and Giveaway: Saving Grace by Pamela Fagan Hutchins



The first chapter of Saving Grace comes to us from author Pamela Fagan Hutchins. This is a women's fiction mystery type novel she is currently touring with Pump Up Your Book.

BLURB:  If you're at all inclined to be swept away to the islands to fall in love with a rainforest jumbie house and a Texas attorney who is as much a danger to herself as the island bad guys, then dive headfirst with Katie Connell into Saving Grace.

Katie escapes professional humiliation, a broken heart, and her Bloody Mary-habit when she runs to the island of St. Marcos to investigate the suspicious deaths of her parents. But she trades one set of problems for another when she is bewitched by the voodoo spirit Annalise in an abandoned rainforest house and, as worlds collide, finds herself reluctantly donning her lawyer clothes again to defend her new friend Ava, who is accused of stabbing her very married Senator-boyfriend.

COVER: I love the color scheme of this cover. The flash of blowing red hair and the yellow-orange dress works well against the green-blue of the water and that stunning sky filled with puffy clouds.

FIRST CHAPTER: After a tough win and an even tougher year, Katie Connell and her paralegal, Emily, head to Louisiana to join the rest of their law firm at a company retreat. While there, Katie hopes she might get a shot at spending some extra time with Nick, a co-worker she thinks has designs on her.

KEEP READING: Yes. At first I didn't really care for Katie. I mean, what attorney uses the word "suck" twice in five paragraphs? But as the chapter flowed, I discovered she might be rough around the edges, but she is definitely worth getting to know. She's had a difficult time dealing with the sudden death of her parents  who died in an "accident" on their Caribbean vacation, but hasn't had the time to deal with it because of this major case she was working on. Now that the case is won, she can wind down.

Nick and Katie have this playful relationship and it looks like it could be leading somewhere. I found Nick funny and sexy; two very good traits in a man.

While the opening didn't have much to do with the overall plot stated in the synopsis, it is a great way to share Katie and her world with the reader. It allows the reader to get invested in what might happen to her in the future.





Paperback: 278 pages
Publisher: Skipjack Publishing (September 24, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0988234807
ISBN-13: 978-0988234802

Pamela Fagan Hutchins writes award-winning mysterious women’s fiction and relationship humor books, and holds nothing back. She is known for “having it all” which really means she has a little too much of everything, but loves it: writer, mediocre endurance athlete (triathlon, marathons), wife, mom of an ADHD & Asperger’s son, five kids/step-kids, business owner, recovering employment attorney and human resources executive, investigator, consultant, and musician. Pamela lives with her husband Eric and two high school-aged kids, plus 200 pounds of pets in Houston. Their hearts are still in St. Croix, USVI, along with those of their three oldest offspring.





Enter for a chance to win a Kindle Fire HD using the Rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


or enter at the Saving Grace Tour Page:

http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2012/12/26/pump-up-your-book-presents-saving-grace-virtual-book-publicity-tour-win-kindle-fire-hd/

I received the first chapter of this book from the author through Pump Up Your Book. This review contains my honest opinions, for which I have not been compensated in any way.


2 comments:

Eric Hutchins said...

I really liked your review of the first chapter, honest and insightful. I also completely agree with your comments about the cover. I LOVE the cover, think it really jumps out at you with the colors, her hair, and the images.

Cheryl said...

Thanks Eric. I'm glad you stopped by.