Everything except, of course, her freedom. So when a powerful movie producer forces an experimental treatment on Grace--one that's purported to make beauty immortal--she stages her own death to escape him.
With the help of trusted friends, Grace slips into hiding. She's forever flawless, forever young and forever pursued by her past.
But when a stranger arrives on her doorstep, holding the key to a life she thought she'd left behind, Grace must decide between the safety she's known... and embracing the role she was born to play.
Here is an excerpt from Grace Doll:
I sit, dig into my backpack and pull out my sketchpad. Racing through my blood is a need that slides like captured fire desperate to explode out. My pencil touches paper and that fire brands the first curve of her face onto the page. Second. Chin. Right cheek. Left. Forehead. I can’t draw fast enough. Light, full strokes create a blazing image of her head, hair pulled back in a knot. Face. Eyes. Feathered brow. My hand slows, so does my pulse. With care I sketch her gaze, shading the inexplicable guardedness simmering there. She’s watching me, I feel it. I hunger for it.
Here is an excerpt from Grace Doll:
I sit, dig into my backpack and pull out my sketchpad. Racing through my blood is a need that slides like captured fire desperate to explode out. My pencil touches paper and that fire brands the first curve of her face onto the page. Second. Chin. Right cheek. Left. Forehead. I can’t draw fast enough. Light, full strokes create a blazing image of her head, hair pulled back in a knot. Face. Eyes. Feathered brow. My hand slows, so does my pulse. With care I sketch her gaze, shading the inexplicable guardedness simmering there. She’s watching me, I feel it. I hunger for it.
I need.
Her.
I spend excessive time on her mouth. As if drawing it will bring me the satisfaction of tasting her.
It doesn’t.
Skimming a half-dozen more strokes over her face, I taper down to her long elegant neck before vanishing into the white paper.
Finished.
I examine my work. Sweat coats my skin. I have her. My fingertips skim her lips, smudging lines into shadow and light, mystery and completion.
She clears her throat.
My likeness is more accurate than Dad’s impression hanging in her bathroom. I understand now why he’d done the drawing—he’d had to.
Like me.
“It’s…” Her voice is tentative. ”It’s…” She looks away.
”You,” I say.
Though her face is averted, she nods. When she finally faces me again, I see the track of a tear down her cheek. Why? I set the drawing aside, ready to reach out. But I don’t.
Her.
I spend excessive time on her mouth. As if drawing it will bring me the satisfaction of tasting her.
It doesn’t.
Skimming a half-dozen more strokes over her face, I taper down to her long elegant neck before vanishing into the white paper.
Finished.
I examine my work. Sweat coats my skin. I have her. My fingertips skim her lips, smudging lines into shadow and light, mystery and completion.
She clears her throat.
My likeness is more accurate than Dad’s impression hanging in her bathroom. I understand now why he’d done the drawing—he’d had to.
Like me.
“It’s…” Her voice is tentative. ”It’s…” She looks away.
”You,” I say.
Though her face is averted, she nods. When she finally faces me again, I see the track of a tear down her cheek. Why? I set the drawing aside, ready to reach out. But I don’t.
Grace Doll is a story filled with haunting emotions. I was pulled into Grace's world of heartache and sadness. Her life under the control of the sick and demented mind of Rufus is so disheartening that I was ready to bust. But, thankfully, there is a glimmer of hope and I held onto that hope as much as Grace, I think.
You will love to hate Rufus. He is perverted, sick and obsessed. All the way around.
You will love Oscar and Jonathan. They are heroes.
Brenden will grow on you. I didn't love him out of the gate. It took some time but by the end it was there.
I love the setting in the first part of the book all 1940's Hollywood movie style. It's a fun era to picture in my mind. I also enjoyed the pictures in the book. It really helped bring the story to life.
The ending left me with questions. I'm not sure everything could have worked out quite so pat for Grace in the end but it was a good ending and my heart's desire for a happily ever after ending came true. At the end of the book is a link to a YouTube video that really gave a real feel to the happy ending for Grace. Fun, that.
My cautions as far as content would be some language and some instances of rape (although nothing described in detail).
My thanks to Kathy over at I Am a Reader, Not a Writer for setting up the tour and allowing me to be a part of it. You can find the full tour schedule for Grace Doll here.
Links:
website: http://www.
twitter: https://twitter.com/
facebook: http://www.facebook.
Buy Links:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
I've written since junior high school. An only child, I grew up writing big stories about big families. I also write YA under the name of JM Warwick. My hometown of Palos Verdes, California figures in much of my work, as does my current home of Pleasant Grove, Utah and other favorite places. I love to travel.
They say "write what you know" and I do. I am a mother, I have six children, five cats and a huge doberman/dane dog. I have a supportive husband and we've been married 25 years. Our lives, though challenging with a handicapped child who has autism, are centered in our family.
My life experiences have worked into all of my novels. Some more heavily than others, but parts of me are in each story. I love stories rich in family drama, where family members overcome obstacles through love and miracles.
Thanks for being a part of the tour!
ReplyDeletethanks for the giveaway :)
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