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An Unforgettable Lady
by
J. R. Ward as Jessica Bird
contemporary romance in a paperback edition that was published by Berkley on July 6, 2010 and has 336 pages.
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First in the An Unforgettable Lady romance series revolving around a group of friends and their families on the East Coast.
My Take
This a warm, intelligent romance between powerful people with interesting insights into the professional issues that plague them. It also shows us that the grass is not greener just because you have money as well as a rather graphic exposé of the different views on women’s intelligence held from one generation to another.
It’s a tragicomedy of misperceptions fueled by fear of change, of love, and its loneliness. It’s the need to find a frickin’ backbone as Grace allows her mother and Lamont to walk all over her! Fortunately, Grace finds some unepected allies and some very welcome loyalty when Lamont spreads his manipulations beyond the Foundation.
I do not understand what the miscommunication is with the caterers. Grace keeps telling the ones she hired that Fredrique is NOT a part of the event and the caterers she did hire keep letting him upset the apple cart. I do love the evidence John digs up on Ranulf! Hee-hee . . .
The Story
Stalked and a potential victim for a murderer, Grace Woodward Hall is terrified when she shows up at her friends’ home. So terrified that Nick Farrell insists on calling in Black Watch, a private personal security firm. Too proud to accept John Smith’s help, it takes another murder before Grace hires him.
It’s bad timing as Grace fights to win the battle of the board at the same time she combats her desire for John, the backstabbing maneuvering of her board, her husband’s cruelty, and the expectations of her snooty mother. If the annual Hall Foundation Gala isn’t a resounding success, Grace will be ousted from its helm; the first time a Hall isn’t guiding the organization.
But then Grace learns her father’s horrible secret. A betrayal that could ruin everything.
The Characters
Grace Woodward Hall, the Countess von Sharone, is the newly-installed head of the Hall Foundation with the death of her beloved father, Cornelius Woodward Hall. Now she’s left with her overly-critical mother, Carolina. Her jerk of a husband, Ranulf, Count von Sharone, is about to become Grace’s ex-husband. Callie Burke is eventually welcome even if a surprise to two too many people.
John Smith has shed his childhood identity and submerged himself completely into the Rangers and now his career as a personal security expert protecting the important and powerful from danger. He’s the best in his field and, unknowingly, teetering on the brink. Tiny and Eddie are both a part of his firm, Black Watch.
Lou Lamont is campaigning behind the scenes to be voted in as the head of the Hall Foundation. Grace’s mother is aiding him in this betrayal. Fredrique is a chef and, it seems, an event planner who has gotten overly full of himself.
Carter and Nick Farrell along with Jackson Walker and Blair Stanford are friends of Grace’s.
The Cover and Title
The cover certainly reflects Grace and how she’s perceived by most people, at least from the back—dressed in a beautiful couture gown. Wearing a mellow-turquoise gown with oval outlines of chunky beads scattered across the gown and decorating the straps crisscrossing the low-cut back.
Grace is most definitely An Unforgettable Lady.
