Flossophy of Grace By Ruth J. Hartman -- What happens when a dental hygienist falls in love with her patient? That's what Grace Hart discovers when she meets Bruce Gardener. The problem? Grace's boss has a strict policy against relationships with patients. Can Grace and Bruce find a way to be together without her employer finding out?
Ruth J. Hartman spends her days herding cats, and her nights spinning mysterious tales that make you smile. She, her husband, and their cats love to spend time curled up in their recliners watching old Cary Grant movies. Well, the cats sit in the people's recliners. Not that the cats couldn't get their own furniture. They just choose to shed on someone else's.
Ruth, a left-handed, cat-herding, farmhouse-dwelling mystery writer uses her goofy sense of humor as she writes tales of klutzy women who find trouble without even trying. Ruth's husband and best friend, Garry, reads her manuscripts, rolls his eyes at her weird story ideas, and loves her in spite of her insistence that all of her books have at least one cat in them.
This week, I had the pleasure of reading Ruth J Hartman's "Flossophy of Grace". In this book, Ruth has drawn from her experience as a dental hygienist to write a sweet, funny romantic tale about two lonely people who were destined to be together.
Grace Hart is a thirty-something lonely dental hygienist. Well, not exactly. She has six furry babies that require her to keep a job so she can feed and shelter them. Even with the companionship of her cats, she feels a void that can only be filled by a handsome patient that walks into the office one day.
Bruce Gardener--tall, dark, handsome, and goofy as they come--is new in town. He's lonely too. Seems like he's never found a woman that can match (or put up with) his zany character. When he meets Grace, though, he knows right away that she's the woman for him.
Unfortunately for them, Grace's wicked boss Dr. Beeth (rhymes with teeth, don't ya know) throws a wrench in their relationship when he declares that Grace cannot be seen cavorting with a patient. Bruce is undeterred, however, and signs up to receive every kind of dental treatment that Grace can offer. Yes, he's that brave.
Ms. Hart has written a light-heated, sweet romantic tale with characters so endearing, you'd like to meet them in real life. Grace and Bruce are both selfless and kind, and their conversations are hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud several times and was quite surprised I finished the 109 page-story so quickly. It's not that often that I find a piece of writing that flows so well from page to page.
If I had to nitpick about anything, I'd say that Dr. Beeth's portrayal at times felt a little TOO evil. Then again, I once worked for a man who's name also rhymed with teeth, who had a predisposition for four letter words, so his portrayal might not be that exaggerated after all. The obstacles he throws in Grace's way did serve to make her a stronger character, and I kept rooting for her and Bruce to have the last laugh.
Bottom line: If you're looking for a sweet romantic tale with lots of laughs that will tickle your heart with warm fuzzies, pick up Flossophy of Grace. It's a treat!
This is definitely a sweet, sweet book. Even the evil boss is relatively mild, although easily the nastiest person in the book (after two nasty little boys and a couple of rude men who have cameo appearances). The romance between our hero and heroine is very G-rated, and both characters are very easy to love. From an average-size heroine (as opposed to size 6 or so), to the obviously gorgeous hero, and a supporting cast of people just waiting for their own romances, the book led me into the top layer of a town at the same time as it introduces me to the protagonists, and then the secondary players. By the end, I was waiting for the NEXT book. If I were to change anything, I might make the bad guy boss worse. But that would only be so that the hero could step in and rescue Grace sooner! I really loved Grace. She is a realistic, under-appreciated woman in a regular job, struggling to make ends meet. She meets man who is, to her, the epitome of hero, and as the book ends, is becoming confident in herself. We need more stories that say this to today's girls and women. I received an ARC of this book in return for a review.
Captivating! Once I began reading this book I got so caught up in the storyline that time flew by and before I knew it I was at the end! The main characters have such a quirky sense of humor I found myself with a big smile on my face and giggling throughout. I loved that in Bruce's eyes Grace was beautiful though she considered herself "chunky" & unattractive. This is a lighthearted, fun, clean romantic read. Of course what would a story be without an antagonist and Dr. Beech certainly filled that role quite well. Oh and yes there are cats involved! Ruth has, yet again, given us another wonderful story that was a pleasure to read. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this complimentary copy for an honest review Ruth...I thoroughly enjoyed it and I can honestly recommend it!!
This book had one of my most favorite things to read...a multi pov and boy did it not disappoint.
This was a quick read for me. Only took me about 5 hours but it was a great 5 hours :)
Grace is not your standard romance size 3 bombshell. She is a self conscious, feeling in a rut, size 12 woman. And then, there is Bruce, the sexy stud muffin that's a lil goofy (in a hot way) that Grace thinks she doesn't have a chance with. Little does she know that Bruce has gone above and beyond to meet her.
I like my men a lil goofy at times and Bruce did not disappoint. Grace and Bruce fit so well together. They had great chemistry together and seemed to click really well as a pair. Their dialogue was great. They played off each other well. A few scenes I missed were their engagement and maybe a bit more of Bruce's pov. His were rather quick, half page sections mostly but at least they were there.
If you are looking for hot steamy sex....this doesn't have any. But, if you are looking for a sweet and quirky romance, this is the book for you! I like most of my books to be hot and steamy but I was not disappointed that this one didn't have it. It did not take away from the book and made it a nice relaxing read that I really enjoyed. And what can I say, I'm a cat lover (I've had 4 and now only have 1 and I drive a Jeep hehe) So Ruth is a kindred spirit I think :) If she keeps writing them....I'll keep reading them.
I am hoping there will be a book 2 for Heidi and Curt. Curt was a great side character and would love to see his story next.
So....Would I recommend this book: Absofreakinlutley
Flossophy of Grace is a great light and easy read. The book is fast paced and is packed with witty one line zingers between the two main characters Grace and Bruce. This book had me laughing throughout
the entire book which made it a delight to read. It lighted my spirits as I chuckled at the numerous very corny, cute, and out-in-out ridiculous humor to be found between these pages.
Grace is slightly unsure of herself having never really received any real encouragement in her life. She's great at her job and wonderful to her patients. She is however a slightly overweight, lonely dental hygienist who works for a horrid dentist - one of the very few in town.
Bruce hasn't had much luck with the ladies due to his goofy sense of humor. While visiting the dental office where Grace works he sees her and is instantly drawn to her. He knows in his heart that she is the one for him. He sets out to get to know her and to somehow convince her that he loves her.
After Bruce's first dental appointment with Grace they end up meeting at the same pizza parlor where they've ordered the same exact thing for lunch. They decide to eat together and spend an enjoyable lunch together. Hearing that she had lunch with Bruce, her employer Dr. Bleeth angrily tells her she is forbidden to see Bruce "socially" again or she will lose her job. Grace is greatly upset by his order as well as angry but see's no way around it. The way they find to circumvent her bosses edict is creative as they obey his order to the letter. Through several misunderstandings, confusion, and Grace's job loss they struggle to find a way to be together.
Ruth J Hartman is an amazing author. She had me laughing through out this entire book. I loved Flossophy of Grace. Grace is a funny, sweet and loving woman who has had her fair share of let downs in life. She has always been told she is too large and feels like no one will ever be attracted to her. She falls for the gorgeous man who comes into the dental office where she works and believes he could never want her. Little does she know that she is the sole reason he keeps coming back. You will be hooked from page one and laugh throughout at Grace and Bruce's banter and jokes. They have a crazy road to travel to get what they want but true love almost always wins. I loved their connection and all of the obstacles they have to overcome together and separately in order to be happy. I hope we get to learn more about Curt in the future. Thank you Ruth for another charming story.
I am an avid fan of Ms.Hartman's historical novels, so when I saw she had a contemporary novel, I had to read it! As always when I am reading one of her works, I found myself laughing out loud several times (and may also have gotten a couple dirty looks from people from being a bit too loud about it).
From the endearingly sweet couple of Bruce and Grace, to the deviously annoying Dr.Beeth (yes his name does rhyme with teeth), this novel has something for everyone. You will find yourself cheering on the characters as they do anything to thwart Dr.Beeth's orders, and you may even find yourself contemplating giving Dr.Beeth a good smack upside the head (just remember, he's a fictional character as you can't)!
I would definitely recommend this novel to those who love a good, sweet romance.
A clean read with a quirky fun dental hygienist, Grace Hart, who works for an obnoxious overbearing dentist for a boss, Dr. Beeth. Grace is a sweet, compassionate person who genuinely cares about the patients she treats. A new patient, Bruce Gardener, comes to Dr. Beeth's office and upon seeing Grace, wants to get to know her better. Dr. Beeth informs Grace that she may not see Bruce outside of the office or else he will fire her, but he enjoys threatening her about anything and everything. But love has a way of refusing to let a grumpy dentist get in the way. Bruce see Grace as beautiful, just the way she is, even though Grace sees herself as fat because of her family's view on size. This is a fun read with great characters and six fur babies too!
Such a heart warming book! This book really did leave me feeling all warm and fuzzy! I've enjoyed every book I've read by this author and this one didn't disappoint. It was full of fun, light-hearted, just the right amount of struggle and happy-the-villain-didn't-win moments! As usual, there were plenty of cats to keep us entertained and the secondary characters did add to the story in a very natural and fluid way. I ended up staying up late a couple of nights because I got so caught up! I love how well-rounded the story was and would recommend this book to everyone.
Very fun quick read. Grace is a very likable character who is caring and whitty but feels very alone. Then Bruce comes into her office and turns her world upside down! Bruce is an awesome guy who is quite sneaky! It was fun for me to read as I am a hygienist and to see what they did to elude her insane boss! I love how there was Ruth's normal inclusion for cats as well:). This was a fun afternoon read!
So nice I read it twice! This is a sweet and funny, very G-rated tale of 2 people who have never had much luck in the love department, but know immediately upon meeting that they are destined to be soulmates. The problem is that she works for a dentist that reminds me of Steve Martin's character in "Little Shop of Horrors" and he's a patient. The dentist has a strict policy against dating patients, so Grace and Bruce find creative ways to be together.
This was both a heartwarming and funny story about two people who have had no luck with love. I was laughing out loud just a couple of pages in! Grace was a girl who thought she couldn't get a good looking guy (Bruce) because she wasn't pretty and thin. Bruce was a good looking guy who didn't think he good get a beautiful woman (Grace) because he was goofy. Factor in 6 cats, a funny cousin, a horrible boss, and you have the perfect recipe for a romantic comedy.
I seriously laughed so hard reading this book. I'm surprised I didn't wake my husband I was shaking the bed so hard. Grace doesn't think she will ever find love...little does she know it will find her. Bruce sees Grace and immediately is attracted to her. Can they overcome their circumstances and have a chance? I absolutely adored this book. I highly recommend it. You will not be disappointed. I love the corny jokes.
I really enjoyed this fun, light, romantic read and fell in love with Gracie and Brucie. Plenty of laughter, snorting, and purring along with a villain and a herd of cats, oh my! There are a few references to dental words, since Grace is a dental hygienist (just like my sister). Which made me think of her.
I received a free copy on exchange for an honest review.
Flossophy of Grace is a fun story about Grace, a dental hygienist who is kind and beautiful, though she thinks poorly of herself because she is not skinny. And it is the story of Bruce, a tall, handsome patient who has fallen for her. When her boss forbids her from having contact with him at the threat of losing her job, she has to choose, her job or the hope of love. . .
Both Bruce and Grace have a fun sense of humor, and as you can guess from the title, this is a humorous romance. The story is sweet and entertaining as are the other books I've read by this author.
Flossophy of Grace was OK. I bough this book on a recommendation from a friend who enjoyed it. Its funny how individual tastes are so different. There to much of the story left to the imagination and so much that could have been added into the book, but hey I"m not an author just a reader and for me I was left disappointed at the end.