PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
The first in a new series from New York Times bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray, Edgewater Road invites us into a world of family mysteries, small-town secrets, and perhaps a little romance along the way.
When Jennifer Smiley’s grandmother, Ginny, leaves her an old farmhouse on Edgewater Road in seemingly quiet Ross County, Ohio, Jennifer can’t pass up the opportunity for a new beginning. Almost immediately she meets a group of men who generously help her move in. When she realizes that they work for Lincoln Bennett, her next-door neighbor, she’s intrigued. Lincoln is gorgeous and has dark, lapis-blue eyes she could get lost in … but he doesn’t seem all that friendly. She’s torn between getting to know him and sticking with the solitude she knows so well. Maybe she could let down some of those walls she’s built around her emotions?
Lincoln Bennett likes to keep his head down and get his work done. He’s been to prison and he knows that a lot of folks don’t take kindly to a man with that kind of history. Plus, he’s busy helping other ex-cons get back on their feet. But when he meets Jennifer, he can’t help but feel an instant attraction. Will she be able to look past his unsavory history? Will she be able to accept the men he’s working so hard to help?
While Jennifer gets to know Lincoln and his friends, she also begins to unravel her grandmother’s story, putting together the pieces from scraps of memories and things she finds in her new home. She soon discovers that Ginny Smiley harbored some dark secrets on Edgewater Road—and that those secrets include both Lincoln and her own absent father. Is learning the truth worth the heartache it could bring?
As the weeks pass and she and Lincoln become closer, Jennifer learns there is a lot to uncover in Ross County—wonderful friendships, darling towns … and more than one secret that might be better left buried.
Click here to purchase a copy:
https://www.amazon.com/Edgewater-Road-Rumors-Ross-County-ebook/dp/B09N9FQXQL/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Edgewater+Road+Shelley+Shepard+Gray&qid=1645930976&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
My Review:
This book has a unique combination of sweetness, romance, courage, and a touch of suspense that surprised me in a good way as I began reading the story.
Shelley Shepard Gray’s books are guaranteed to always have interesting characters and an intriguing storyline. Both of these things are true of this book. Lincoln is an ex-con who now runs a program to help other ex-cons successfully re-enter society. Jennifer Smiley is a sweet, somewhat sheltered young woman who inherits her grandmother’s farmhouse, which also makes her Lincoln’s neighbor. These two opposites begin to suspect that they make a perfect match, but difficult circumstances arise that can either pull them apart or bring them closer together. This story took some turns that I never expected and I was very interested to see how things turned out for Lincoln and Jennifer.
Please note these two things about the book:There is a scene in the book where there’s physical abuse against a woman. It’s not overly graphic. But if physical abuse is an emotional trigger for you, please consider this before you read the book.
Also, even though there are several brief mentions of faith and scripture in the book, I wouldn’t consider it to be classified as “Christian fiction”. It’s more in the “crossover” category between “Christian fiction” and “general fiction”. This did not bother me at all, but since I usually review mostly Christian fiction, I need to mention this.
I’m looking forward to reading more about these characters in the next book in the series.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shelley Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time HOLT Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.
