**Blog Tour & Giveaway ~ Banished from Grace ~ Aria Williams**

Hey y'all! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Aria Williams' Banished from Grace. My stop includes my review and a giveaway.

This tour is presented by YA Bound Book Tours. To check out all the stops on the tour, click here.

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Banished from Grace by Aria Williams

Fall from Grace Series #1

Release Date: May 30, 2013

Synopsis:

Nardia is a very special nurse, one with a unique gift. With the touch of her bare hands, she can heal any physical ailment. With the help of her angel guide, Benilde, Nardia has healed her way through countless centuries.

Life should be easy for this attractive (not to mention, immortal) woman, but throw in two handsome men, a coffee addiction and memory loss that dates back to the medieval ages, and you’ve got a life that’s more than complicated.

When she meets AJ at her favorite coffee shop, she can’t help but feel an immediate attraction to him. At the same time, she knows there’s more to his story than what he’s letting on. And then there’s the handsome Doctor Regan, who she feels a connection with, but is she trying to make it more than is really there in order to spare her the heartbreak of being with AJ?

Only adding to her problems is the new resident, Dr. Jeffries, who seems out to get her from day one, and a murder case she can’t help solve without revealing her own secrets.

Can Nardia uncover the secrets of her own past while still moving forward and saving those in need of her help in the present?

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My Review

I was excited about reading Banished from Grace. This is the first in a series and it sets up an intriguing world. I had a little difficulty getting into the story, but a revelation about halfway through helped. Once this was revealed, I was really drawn into the story and the characters.

Nardia is a special being. She's lived for centuries not knowing exactly what she is, but knowing she has the special ability to heal. She's always had an angelic guide, Benilde, to aid her when she needed it. Presently, she's working as a nurse where her special ability is more easily used. Every day she has cause to use her healing ability. On the day we meet her, Nardia is involved in caring for a family brought in with gunshot wounds. This case ends up being a central part of the story.

A.J. appears in a local coffee shop that Nardia frequents. Nardia has an immediate and visceral reaction to A.J. A reaction unlike any she's ever felt. And that's saying something since she's lived for centuries. Nardia and A.J. enter into a relationship despire Nardia's reservations. But A.J. is hiding something and when it's revealed, Nardia feels as though she can no longer continue their budding romance.

Enter Dr. Regan. Nardia has worked with him for awhile at the hospital. Dr. Regan is stable and chivalrous but doesn't make Nardia's heart beat wildly. However, she does feel a connection with him. So the two work out an arrangement for a relationship that seems to work for them both.

Gladys is Nardia's daughter. However, because she's aging, Gladys poses as Nardia's mom. Although she's not featured a lot, I really like Gladys. She puts things in perspective quite often for Nardia. And it is she that talks Nardia into giving A.J. a second chance - to let him explain about what he was hiding from Nardia.

Ms. Williams injects suspense in the novel through both the hospital case and a new doctor. As I mentioned, Nardia is involved in caring for a father and his two children when they're brought in with gunshot wounds. A murder investigation ensues. I won't say more on this subject so as not to be spoilery. Then there is the new doctor, Dr. Jeffries. Following his arrival at the hospital, Nardia begins experiencing problems both professionally and physically. Nardia enlists the help of A.J. to solve the mysteries of both what happened with the family of gunshot victims and the sudden illness Nardia seems to be suffering from. Oh, and there are the answers Nardia would like to have regarding what she is and what her life was like prior to waking up in a time during the plague. A.J. agrees to help with Nardia's memory loss from centuries ago as well. 

There is quite a bit going on in Banished from Grace. In fact, there are quite a few things I can't talk about without being spoilery. Suffice it to say, there is more going on in this story than the synopsis leads you to believe. And it's good. 

As I said, I did have trouble getting into the story. It may be me, but I felt the beginning was a bit convoluted and I had lots of questions. Once a particular revelation is made, some of my questions were answered. I better understood what was going on and became more invested in Nardia's story. Although she frustrated me with a few of her decisions. The ending is not quite a cliffhanger, but definitely sets the stage for the next book in the series. Nothing is resolved at the end of Banished from Grace.

I ended up enjoying Banished from Grace. Although the initial worldbuilding was a bit bumpy for me, Nardia intrigued me. The twists in the plot kept me guessing, and I do want to know what happens next. Perhaps, the next novel will grab me on page one now that the initial worldbuilding is done. I hope so! :)

**I received an ecopy of this book, as part of the tour, in exchange for my honest review.

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Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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About Aria

I am an author with Limitless Publishing who loves to write YA and paranormal romance.

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