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Review from LASR

Acts of Grace by Misa Buckley

April 25, 2014 by completedreviews Leave a Comment

Acts of Grace by Misa Buckley
Publisher: Champagne Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (24 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

After stopping the power-hungry CO of Global Solutions from burning the world, Grace McKenna turns her attention to Hammel Mental Institute, the asylum where Benedict was locked up without reason, determined to close the place down.

Her investigation uncovers mysterious donations, vanishing patients and a hidden laboratory beneath the building.

Still coming to terms with her abilities, Grace faces the possibility that the mutation was manufactured. But who by and, more importantly, what for?

There’s no such thing as a bad question. Whether Grace and Benedict will actually want to know the answers to their questions, though, remains to be seen.

The last time I met Grace I wished I knew a little more about her as an individual. Her personality shines through this short story, and the scenes that tread into sensual territory make much more sense this time around given everything I’ve figured out about the characters involved in them. Seeing how Grace reacts to what happens to her in this story gives me the urge to reread the first instalment of this series in order to see if there are any clues about her personality that I’ve missed.

There was uneven pacing in the beginning due to all of the references to what has happened to these characters in the recent past. As soon as the plot thickened, though, I became caught up in what Grace and and Benedict might discover in the asylum. A strong ending provided some much-needed answers and made me wish I could start part three right away.

This short story can be read as a standalone tale, but I the importance of certain scenes is easier to understand for readers who are already familiar with what happened in Grace Under Fire. It was especially interesting to see how the Grace and Benedict have grown as individuals since I first met them as not all of the changes are necessarily obvious right away.

I didn’t want Acts of Grace to end. This is a great choice for anyone in the mood for a short, satisfying dip into the science fiction genre.