San Francisco, California – Present Day

When Grace O’Shaughnessy wakes up naked in a virtual stranger’s bed, she is ashamed of herself and determined to get out before he wakes up. After being left at the altar by her fiancé due to her ‘demanding’ personality, Grace came up with a list of characteristics that her perfect man would embody. Unfortunately, the naked man in the bed fits none of them and, even worse, he’s a footloose photographer. Will she ever learn?

There was something about the woman in the hat that intrigued Steven Levy at his art opening. Bringing her back to his home for a one-night stand was less about the sex and more about getting to know her, especially since nothing happened between them that evening. Though Steven isn’t looking for happily ever after, Grace certainly inspires him to give it a second thought. But will Grace even give them a chance to find out if there is something between them besides sexual attraction?

Grace and Steven struggle to let go of their past hurts and look to a new future in GRACIE AND THE BAD HAT. A milliner, Grace makes beautiful hats that capture the imagination. Unfortunately, her own fantasies with respect to love are mired in a cold, unrelenting reality. Though she’s very attracted to Steven, she doesn’t trust herself, or him, and spends most of the book running from her feelings. Steven carries his own baggage around with him as well, like a big chip on his shoulder. He didn’t have the greatest of childhoods, and it has colored his view of love and marriage. Though Grace arouses a desire in him unlike anything he’s ever felt before, it takes a bit of time for him to see the light at the end of their relationship tunnel.

The continuous love/hate back-and-forth between Grace and Steven lies at the heart of the book, much more like Chic Lit than a romance. Readers looking for a light and fluffy romance would be disappointed. This is a rough and exhausting, but more true to life, journey for these two protagonists. Readers also get to delight in a side romance between Mina -- a friend of both Grace and Steven -- and Robert, a widower and art gallery owner who wants to show Steven’s work. On a much smaller scale, their relationship mimics that of Steven and Grace’s as both try to figure out ways to let the other into their lives while also trying to keep their hearts safe from pain. There is a realism in both affairs that highlights the fact that sometimes love isn’t enough and relationships require work.

GRACIE AND THE BAD HAT is a heartwarming and charming odyssey through the up-and-down rollercoaster that is love.

Kathy Samuels