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kebreads's review
4.0
The first chapter seemed a little slow, but once I got into the book I didn't want to put it down. I have not read the first book, so I don't know if that would have caused me to enjoy this book more. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading the first and the third books in this series. As well as re-reading a couple books I own that she wrote, though they are a different genre.
I found the characters in this book fascinating and endearing. I loved Helen's relationship with Beth. And I enjoyed seeing the romantic relationships develop. The story line took some turns I didn't expect, but that definitely added to the story.
Content: Clean
Source: Review Copy
I found the characters in this book fascinating and endearing. I loved Helen's relationship with Beth. And I enjoyed seeing the romantic relationships develop. The story line took some turns I didn't expect, but that definitely added to the story.
Content: Clean
Source: Review Copy
cammmiam's review
2.0
2.5 out of 5 stars.
In this companion novel to Saving Grace, the reader now follows Grace Thatcher’s younger sister, Helen, as she falls in love with Samuel Preston. Due to the events of this book happening at the same time as those in Grace’s book, I could not, unfortunately, help but feel under whelmed by this installment. Helen is a likable character, yet there is not much to her beyond her kindness. Some readers will certainly be endeared to her, but I am the type to like my heroines to be a bit more adventurous. I could read along while this story unfolded, but I in no way felt attached to the characters or the romance between them. To be honest, I liked Samuel Preston much more as he appeared in Grace’s book because I found there to be more chemistry.
In addition, this book also has a conflict that did not develop as I had hoped it would. Said conflict could have added some adventure or danger to Helen’s tale if something more had come about. As it stood, it simply served as an unnecessary plot device to push the characters together, and to create pointless and briefly experienced angst. The conclusion of the story could just as easily have reached the same point, so why bother to include it at all?
If you are the type of reader who likes clean romances with a kind and gentle character then this will be the book for you. Helen makes a good fit for the family she has become a part of, and it was nice to see her begin to experience moments of life rather than be so timid. However, if you prefer a heroine who is bold while her hero is rough around the edges, then I would recommend sticking with Grace’s story only.
(I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.)
In this companion novel to Saving Grace, the reader now follows Grace Thatcher’s younger sister, Helen, as she falls in love with Samuel Preston. Due to the events of this book happening at the same time as those in Grace’s book, I could not, unfortunately, help but feel under whelmed by this installment. Helen is a likable character, yet there is not much to her beyond her kindness. Some readers will certainly be endeared to her, but I am the type to like my heroines to be a bit more adventurous. I could read along while this story unfolded, but I in no way felt attached to the characters or the romance between them. To be honest, I liked Samuel Preston much more as he appeared in Grace’s book because I found there to be more chemistry.
In addition, this book also has a conflict that did not develop as I had hoped it would. Said conflict could have added some adventure or danger to Helen’s tale if something more had come about. As it stood, it simply served as an unnecessary plot device to push the characters together, and to create pointless and briefly experienced angst. The conclusion of the story could just as easily have reached the same point, so why bother to include it at all?
If you are the type of reader who likes clean romances with a kind and gentle character then this will be the book for you. Helen makes a good fit for the family she has become a part of, and it was nice to see her begin to experience moments of life rather than be so timid. However, if you prefer a heroine who is bold while her hero is rough around the edges, then I would recommend sticking with Grace’s story only.
(I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.)
linz's review against another edition
4.0
(I received a copy of this book from eBooks for Review in exchange for an honest review.)
Loving Helen is a charming companion novel to Saving Grace. Set in the Regency era, it is basically the same story as Saving Grace, but told from Helen's perspective rather than Grace's. I really enjoyed getting both sides of the story, and I thought it tied everything together nicely.
I could relate to Helen and her aversion to being around people until she was more comfortable with them, as I deal with the same problem. The author included a few wise words of advice - via her characters - and I definitely took them to heart.
Loving Helen is such a sweet, clean romance, and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, which is supposed to be released this summer. While Loving Helen can be read as a standalone, I would suggest reading Saving Grace first. If you enjoy clean Regency-era romances, I would highly recommend this series.
Loving Helen is a charming companion novel to Saving Grace. Set in the Regency era, it is basically the same story as Saving Grace, but told from Helen's perspective rather than Grace's. I really enjoyed getting both sides of the story, and I thought it tied everything together nicely.
I could relate to Helen and her aversion to being around people until she was more comfortable with them, as I deal with the same problem. The author included a few wise words of advice - via her characters - and I definitely took them to heart.
Loving Helen is such a sweet, clean romance, and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, which is supposed to be released this summer. While Loving Helen can be read as a standalone, I would suggest reading Saving Grace first. If you enjoy clean Regency-era romances, I would highly recommend this series.
ghumpherys's review against another edition
4.0
This is a companion novel to "Saving Grace" (which I loved) -- it takes place pretty much at the same time as the first book, only it shows you a different perspective. At times, I felt like I already knew what was going to happen from the first story, but then there were a few twists thrown in that changed the way I looked at things. A very sweet story - looking forward to the next story about the brother (loved his character)!
nicolepeck's review
4.0
This is a companion book to Saving Grace. It's not a sequel, as it takes place at the same time as the events in the first book. However, I don't think you can read them out of order because there is a lot alluded to about Grace in this book that the author assumes you know. Helen is a lot more timid than her sister Grace, and I like Grace's character more, but I still enjoyed the relationship developing between Helen and Beth and also the relationship between Helen and Samuel.
hmperson's review
5.0
This book was great! It was touching and witty and also had a great message about courage and faith. I really loved the first book and the story of Grace and Lord Sutherland and so I enjoyed that their story was able to continue in this book. It is exceptionally well written and a pleasure to read.
sonny's review
5.0
**Actually a 4.3.-4.5-rating**
I am willing to squander this to be around a 4.3, simply because...it was left to Zero hour for our heroine to buy a clue and for the Hero to make it known, succinctly, how he was genuinely feeling. Of course, Helen is 18...and Samuel is...telling his emotions to a buttinski Brother. Ugh, hate that shit...so, it loses some of its hardcore rating but still ends up being a nice counter-balance to Grace's book.
I knew this book would be infinitely better told than Grace's book, and it was, from beginning to end. We get the "other side" of the coin to what we saw in Grace story...where Mr. Preston, one of Grace's many suitors...who is named Samuel...is a right-proper gentleman and becomes her friend, thereby, he means to secure Grace's family to protect them so he can make it a better life should she ever decide he is good husband material. I would say Helen's book begins right at the 50%-mark of Grace's book. This is when Helen and Christopher, and their two staff, Harrison and Miranda come to live with Samuel on his estate which is neighboring Nicholas's...and in order to live out the gossip of their "ruination/being compromised" Grace lives on Nicholas's estate and then carries on this clandestine friendship, meeting in Samuel's beautiful gardens...
We walk in on Helen in the throes of her attempting to come to grips with what she could be feeling for Samuel. He is a much older man, with a 3-yr old child...he has been married/is widowed...and to her she believes him to be rather still enamored of his dead wife and quite possibly starting to care deeply for her older sister, Grace. Christopher only remained at Samuel's home one night before he went off to do his investigation of exactly what the family has inherited or if it still exists. Helen is young and very impressionable, but wow...in some instances, she has the conscious of a hardened abused woman. She flinches from people touching her, whom she doesn't know very well, and a very good reason not to, we later find out.
Watching this opening scene for Helen becomes a walking heartbreak. She will often turn out this way as she lays on piles upon piles of muddy confusion with Samuel. Whom does he love and can he ever love me...a silly 18yr old girl? Helen wears a very pretty dress...as she mentions, like something out of Camelot...and she has breakfast with Samuel and finds out she gets along very well with his young daughter, Beth. So well, in fact, that Samuel puts out a misconstrued compliment that Helen would "do well" as a governess. At first, Helen takes it for what it is intended but the deeper she sits in its meaning the more she fathoms...Samuel may not care for HER the way he had for his wife and the way he could be falling for Grace. Grace has given up so much for Helen already that...the level of self-sacrificing becomes a mad-race to compete. Helen is willing to give up on Samuel and her sad pursuit, since she has no experience with men, in order for Grace to be happy.
So, lemme say this...the rest of Helen's story is what Grace's book sped up in the back half until the end. This is why I enjoy Helen's book more but some things nagged at me that were disappointing. Grace's book was a little heavier on her and Nicholas's side, so things got told from only their own POVs, which became cloudy and not so clear. Coming from Helen & Samuel, their POVs and then seeing or knowing what happen on Grace's end/POV...you almost get a glorious 360-perspective that is rather eyeopening. We should already know what happened from Grace's book, but we truly do not...because it's simply Grace's POV...not Samuel's and then Helen's because Helen sadly will often stumble upon, during her walks in the gardens, overhearing Samuel and Grace conversations and they will leave her more saddened and despondent.
I both loved and disliked Helen for her naivety. She was like a woman-child...too young to know better but so old to have seen things that no 12yr old should. She is a female who had been growing up to only know her worth to men, never to her own self...which is why she is so often awkward and standoffish. Samuel will be curious and want to ask her, but it's such a long story to be told, Helen wonders if she won't simply bore him to death.
What I loved most is Helen with Beth. Helen is still very much like Beth. Helen never had a caring and loving father, so she bonds instantly, becoming truly great friends and playmates. Helen will create play-dates where they are "in" Camelot and dress like them...or maybe they are in Sherwood Forest...and Helen is Maid Marian and Beth... Robin Hood... Here is why Samuel's "compliment" before rankles Helen so much is... yeah, she could be an awesome Governess, but what she really and truly needs [and desires] to be is a Mother...and a mother to her own children, not just Beth. And truly not other people's children far away from Samuel's house.
I enjoyed Samuel even more in this book, except toward the eventual end, as I said at the top of this review. Samuel has pretty awesome "brotherly" conversations with Christopher...except, Samuel really should be having these talks with Helen, herself. We see several friendly, very emotional talking over feelings chats between Samuel and Christopher...especially since we also begin learning what our 3rd book is going to be, which will be Christopher's story. But when Helen rejects Samuel's outright proposal, thinking he didn't SAY "I Love You"...Christopher is running to Helen's side...to beg her to reconsider because HE AND SAMUEL had a convo the other day or night and...he told me he loved you, yadda, yadda...and I'm like how Helen was, "WHUT?" It's not like Helen is a brat or a petulant child...but I suppose Samuel's fears got the better of him and he didn't want to cry or lament to her since she had refused him and his proposal...so he confessed to Christopher instead...but grrrarggghhh....see...lemme explain...
As I said, Grace's story is told in a broken, hop-around manner, but Helen's lays it all out a little more smoothly. It makes a helluva better sense coming from Helen's book than Grace's...because we were allowed the space and patience to tell the whole story, allow it to unfold properly, without speeding it up to an hurried HEA. With Helen we see the moments right from Grace learning about Beth and Samuel and Grace's growing friendship, where Grace is torn between Samuel & Nicholas--she leans heavy toward Nicholas, though. We see a lot of behind-the-scenes taking place because we mostly learn Helen & Christopher have been living right next door much, much later, even though they are fully aware they need to "hide from" Grace until the right time.
Christopher returns and this is when the story amps up a bit--where things don't look so spectacular at Nicholas's house and Samuel & Grace have to fake an entanglement. This all stems from Christopher's mad-cap little male brain as he had been given the task by their Grandfather to look after his sisters and make damn sure they were happy when they were married off. He takes this as, like, a task to the death...because he will do anything and everything to create feasible situations where Grace & Nicholas and then Samuel & Helen are being forced or hoodwinked into spending time together; he knows whom his sisters' love and likes both men whom he already is sure love them. He simply believes every one of them is silly and stupid...just admit love and get wed already. Nuff said!! Especially at the very end, during Grace & Nicholas's wedding day, when it could have also been Samuel & Helen walking down the aisle, too...except...recall, I told you Samuel had a convo with Christopher about loving Helen, but not HELEN...which made it dumb and kind of implausible to an extent.
Helen is still so fresh, young and naive to believe her brother and then feel like an utter nincompoop for turning Samuel away. SHE was the one who had to prostrate herself at his feet and admit love, since he seemed to be scared witless. He could barely even give her a mild stare when she walked down the aisle to stand next to Grace, ready and willing to wait for her own Groom...I mean, dude...do you not remember she is 18, never been loved or touched by a man, never been loved by a man-other than her brother & Grandfather...so, ya know, help a sister out, can you? Sheesh...
His confessions got a bit better as the ending was stretched out a bit and we got a lovely scene of wedded life with Beth as their mutual "daughter" during breakfast. I just didn't appreciate that Helen was the one who had to work hard to "win" Samuel...instead of him, ya know...telling her he loved her and proposing. He had to make it sound like marriage was simply going to be a "thing" they did to be proper because of their relationship, not that he was actually there already, waiting FOR HER. Samuel was the one with the constant mention of a dead wife and he also constantly made mention of Grace, who he was a suitor to, under their father. And really, he never "saw" Helen as a full-blooded wo-man until later on, as their bond and friendship grew. Plus the more she "mothered" Beth, the more Samuel took a 2nd and a 3rd look at her as another prospect since Grace could/and would refuse him...man, oh, man...
I, also, didn't appreciate what Christopher was doing to Helen, despite her aversion to strange men touching her. I know he had a process to complete--get his sisters happy and wedded to good men, but my gawd was he a damper on simply allowing Helen and Samuel to grow or build-on organically. No, he had to strong-arm Helen and Samuel...force them to think of Grace and how sad she was that Nicholas sent her away. So he lay a heavy guilt trip on them...and would NOT let up, for once. He knows his sister was not just sexually assaulted...but sold by their own father to sketchy, slimey men. And their own father was abusive, too...yet, Christopher would not stop putting Helen in awkward and uncomfy positions. Granted this forced her to grow-up and gain confidence, maybe grow a much-needed spine, but...my lordy did he get on my last nerve...
This still was a good book, with a better story told once you've read Grace's story, except...it loses its luster a bit more because now we know all the dirty mysterious secrets...we know how the chicken gets made!! Yikes...nah, seriously...a great book, only lackluster in the "I LOVE Us" which is genuinely something I NEED with a book like this...Helen cannot suss it out herself unless she KNOWs, for sure...ya know...and it never helps to tell your future Brother-in-law instead of your future wife...
I am willing to squander this to be around a 4.3, simply because...it was left to Zero hour for our heroine to buy a clue and for the Hero to make it known, succinctly, how he was genuinely feeling. Of course, Helen is 18...and Samuel is...telling his emotions to a buttinski Brother. Ugh, hate that shit...so, it loses some of its hardcore rating but still ends up being a nice counter-balance to Grace's book.
I knew this book would be infinitely better told than Grace's book, and it was, from beginning to end. We get the "other side" of the coin to what we saw in Grace story...where Mr. Preston, one of Grace's many suitors...who is named Samuel...is a right-proper gentleman and becomes her friend, thereby, he means to secure Grace's family to protect them so he can make it a better life should she ever decide he is good husband material. I would say Helen's book begins right at the 50%-mark of Grace's book. This is when Helen and Christopher, and their two staff, Harrison and Miranda come to live with Samuel on his estate which is neighboring Nicholas's...and in order to live out the gossip of their "ruination/being compromised" Grace lives on Nicholas's estate and then carries on this clandestine friendship, meeting in Samuel's beautiful gardens...
We walk in on Helen in the throes of her attempting to come to grips with what she could be feeling for Samuel. He is a much older man, with a 3-yr old child...he has been married/is widowed...and to her she believes him to be rather still enamored of his dead wife and quite possibly starting to care deeply for her older sister, Grace. Christopher only remained at Samuel's home one night before he went off to do his investigation of exactly what the family has inherited or if it still exists. Helen is young and very impressionable, but wow...in some instances, she has the conscious of a hardened abused woman. She flinches from people touching her, whom she doesn't know very well, and a very good reason not to, we later find out.
Watching this opening scene for Helen becomes a walking heartbreak. She will often turn out this way as she lays on piles upon piles of muddy confusion with Samuel. Whom does he love and can he ever love me...a silly 18yr old girl? Helen wears a very pretty dress...as she mentions, like something out of Camelot...and she has breakfast with Samuel and finds out she gets along very well with his young daughter, Beth. So well, in fact, that Samuel puts out a misconstrued compliment that Helen would "do well" as a governess. At first, Helen takes it for what it is intended but the deeper she sits in its meaning the more she fathoms...Samuel may not care for HER the way he had for his wife and the way he could be falling for Grace. Grace has given up so much for Helen already that...the level of self-sacrificing becomes a mad-race to compete. Helen is willing to give up on Samuel and her sad pursuit, since she has no experience with men, in order for Grace to be happy.
So, lemme say this...the rest of Helen's story is what Grace's book sped up in the back half until the end. This is why I enjoy Helen's book more but some things nagged at me that were disappointing. Grace's book was a little heavier on her and Nicholas's side, so things got told from only their own POVs, which became cloudy and not so clear. Coming from Helen & Samuel, their POVs and then seeing or knowing what happen on Grace's end/POV...you almost get a glorious 360-perspective that is rather eyeopening. We should already know what happened from Grace's book, but we truly do not...because it's simply Grace's POV...not Samuel's and then Helen's because Helen sadly will often stumble upon, during her walks in the gardens, overhearing Samuel and Grace conversations and they will leave her more saddened and despondent.
I both loved and disliked Helen for her naivety. She was like a woman-child...too young to know better but so old to have seen things that no 12yr old should. She is a female who had been growing up to only know her worth to men, never to her own self...which is why she is so often awkward and standoffish. Samuel will be curious and want to ask her, but it's such a long story to be told, Helen wonders if she won't simply bore him to death.
What I loved most is Helen with Beth. Helen is still very much like Beth. Helen never had a caring and loving father, so she bonds instantly, becoming truly great friends and playmates. Helen will create play-dates where they are "in" Camelot and dress like them...or maybe they are in Sherwood Forest...and Helen is Maid Marian and Beth... Robin Hood... Here is why Samuel's "compliment" before rankles Helen so much is... yeah, she could be an awesome Governess, but what she really and truly needs [and desires] to be is a Mother...and a mother to her own children, not just Beth. And truly not other people's children far away from Samuel's house.
I enjoyed Samuel even more in this book, except toward the eventual end, as I said at the top of this review. Samuel has pretty awesome "brotherly" conversations with Christopher...except, Samuel really should be having these talks with Helen, herself. We see several friendly, very emotional talking over feelings chats between Samuel and Christopher...especially since we also begin learning what our 3rd book is going to be, which will be Christopher's story. But when Helen rejects Samuel's outright proposal, thinking he didn't SAY "I Love You"...Christopher is running to Helen's side...to beg her to reconsider because HE AND SAMUEL had a convo the other day or night and...he told me he loved you, yadda, yadda...and I'm like how Helen was, "WHUT?" It's not like Helen is a brat or a petulant child...but I suppose Samuel's fears got the better of him and he didn't want to cry or lament to her since she had refused him and his proposal...so he confessed to Christopher instead...but grrrarggghhh....see...lemme explain...
As I said, Grace's story is told in a broken, hop-around manner, but Helen's lays it all out a little more smoothly. It makes a helluva better sense coming from Helen's book than Grace's...because we were allowed the space and patience to tell the whole story, allow it to unfold properly, without speeding it up to an hurried HEA. With Helen we see the moments right from Grace learning about Beth and Samuel and Grace's growing friendship, where Grace is torn between Samuel & Nicholas--she leans heavy toward Nicholas, though. We see a lot of behind-the-scenes taking place because we mostly learn Helen & Christopher have been living right next door much, much later, even though they are fully aware they need to "hide from" Grace until the right time.
Christopher returns and this is when the story amps up a bit--where things don't look so spectacular at Nicholas's house and Samuel & Grace have to fake an entanglement. This all stems from Christopher's mad-cap little male brain as he had been given the task by their Grandfather to look after his sisters and make damn sure they were happy when they were married off. He takes this as, like, a task to the death...because he will do anything and everything to create feasible situations where Grace & Nicholas and then Samuel & Helen are being forced or hoodwinked into spending time together; he knows whom his sisters' love and likes both men whom he already is sure love them. He simply believes every one of them is silly and stupid...just admit love and get wed already. Nuff said!! Especially at the very end, during Grace & Nicholas's wedding day, when it could have also been Samuel & Helen walking down the aisle, too...except...recall, I told you Samuel had a convo with Christopher about loving Helen, but not HELEN...which made it dumb and kind of implausible to an extent.
Helen is still so fresh, young and naive to believe her brother and then feel like an utter nincompoop for turning Samuel away. SHE was the one who had to prostrate herself at his feet and admit love, since he seemed to be scared witless. He could barely even give her a mild stare when she walked down the aisle to stand next to Grace, ready and willing to wait for her own Groom...I mean, dude...do you not remember she is 18, never been loved or touched by a man, never been loved by a man-other than her brother & Grandfather...so, ya know, help a sister out, can you? Sheesh...
His confessions got a bit better as the ending was stretched out a bit and we got a lovely scene of wedded life with Beth as their mutual "daughter" during breakfast. I just didn't appreciate that Helen was the one who had to work hard to "win" Samuel...instead of him, ya know...telling her he loved her and proposing. He had to make it sound like marriage was simply going to be a "thing" they did to be proper because of their relationship, not that he was actually there already, waiting FOR HER. Samuel was the one with the constant mention of a dead wife and he also constantly made mention of Grace, who he was a suitor to, under their father. And really, he never "saw" Helen as a full-blooded wo-man until later on, as their bond and friendship grew. Plus the more she "mothered" Beth, the more Samuel took a 2nd and a 3rd look at her as another prospect since Grace could/and would refuse him...man, oh, man...
I, also, didn't appreciate what Christopher was doing to Helen, despite her aversion to strange men touching her. I know he had a process to complete--get his sisters happy and wedded to good men, but my gawd was he a damper on simply allowing Helen and Samuel to grow or build-on organically. No, he had to strong-arm Helen and Samuel...force them to think of Grace and how sad she was that Nicholas sent her away. So he lay a heavy guilt trip on them...and would NOT let up, for once. He knows his sister was not just sexually assaulted...but sold by their own father to sketchy, slimey men. And their own father was abusive, too...yet, Christopher would not stop putting Helen in awkward and uncomfy positions. Granted this forced her to grow-up and gain confidence, maybe grow a much-needed spine, but...my lordy did he get on my last nerve...
This still was a good book, with a better story told once you've read Grace's story, except...it loses its luster a bit more because now we know all the dirty mysterious secrets...we know how the chicken gets made!! Yikes...nah, seriously...a great book, only lackluster in the "I LOVE Us" which is genuinely something I NEED with a book like this...Helen cannot suss it out herself unless she KNOWs, for sure...ya know...and it never helps to tell your future Brother-in-law instead of your future wife...
readawaytherain's review
4.0
This review was also posted at Books are stories.
When I read Saving Grace I quite enjoyed the book, but I have to say Helen and Samuel Preston, the main characters of Loving Helen, were my least favorite characters. I was especially a little annoyed with Helen's extreme shyness. This book however, completely changed my view on them and I think I actually ended up liking them more than Grace and Nicholas Sutherland, who are the main characters of Saving Grace. I really enjoyed getting to know Helen better, there was a lot more to her than was apparent in the previous book. She went through a wonderful tranformation throughout this book; she really grew as a person. Now that I got to know Samuel better I also liked him a lot more, his love for both Helen and his daugther Beth was wonderful.
The end of Saving Grace felt a little rushed and it was nice to see some details explained more in this book. I generally really enjoyed seeing the story from another viewpoint. There where a lot of reminders throughout this book of the previous story, but not so much that it became annoying.
I did feel like the ending of this book was again a bit rushed, but all in all I enjoyed this book even more than the previous one!
When I read Saving Grace I quite enjoyed the book, but I have to say Helen and Samuel Preston, the main characters of Loving Helen, were my least favorite characters. I was especially a little annoyed with Helen's extreme shyness. This book however, completely changed my view on them and I think I actually ended up liking them more than Grace and Nicholas Sutherland, who are the main characters of Saving Grace. I really enjoyed getting to know Helen better, there was a lot more to her than was apparent in the previous book. She went through a wonderful tranformation throughout this book; she really grew as a person. Now that I got to know Samuel better I also liked him a lot more, his love for both Helen and his daugther Beth was wonderful.
The end of Saving Grace felt a little rushed and it was nice to see some details explained more in this book. I generally really enjoyed seeing the story from another viewpoint. There where a lot of reminders throughout this book of the previous story, but not so much that it became annoying.
I did feel like the ending of this book was again a bit rushed, but all in all I enjoyed this book even more than the previous one!
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