The Ways of Grace

August 1, 2002
Manhattan trauma surgeon Jack Berenger, the hero of Linda Francis Lee's The Ways of Grace, is a poor imitation of ER's Doug Ross, but dippy Grace Colebrook falls for his brooding charm anyway. Shortly after running out on her own wedding, Grace lands in bed with Jack, her new neighbor. Filled with regret the next morning, she vows to avoid him, but when she loses her job, she seeks solace in his arms once again. Their relationship continues in this manner for much of the novel even though it's never clear why Jack is drawn to the addlebrained Grace in the first place. Clich d hospital scenes, which feature Jack pulling patients back from near death, do little to enhance the story, but Ruth, Grace's young charge, adds humor and heart to Lee's (Nightingale's Gate) trite tale.

August 1, 2002
It's a cold, deserted winter night when, restless and edgy, a man walks to his window and sees a woman sitting on a bench in her bridal gown, picking the petals off her bouquet. To his surprise, he finds himself bringing her a coat. Irresistibly drawn to each other, they barely make it back to his apartment before they end up on the dining room table. So begins the funny and moving story of Jack Berenger and Grace Colebrook. Jack can't get her out of his mind, and figures he'll never see her again. Grace can't get Jack out of her mind, but her recent behavior is not how she conducts her life, and she hopes never to see him again, except that he turns out to be her new neighbor. As Lee expertly reveals the personal issues that make Jack and Grace kindred spirits, she creates two of the most lovable and convincing characters to appear in recent romances.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)