Edgewater Road

GIVEAWAY

GRAY, SHELLEY SHEPARD

EDGEWATER ROAD

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 neighbour, 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 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 harboured some dark secretion 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.

My Review:

Definitely not your usual Shelley Shepard Gray sweet romance! In fact, I wouldn't recognize Edgewater Road as her writing if I had gone in blind. This book has a very different style and not just in content but the pacing and word choice as well. It's brilliantly done, but very edgy if you're used to her former storytelling style. There's a darker ambiance that hangs over the story and the characters are a whole lot of rough around the edges! Think raw and gritty with touches of sardonic humour.

I'll mention here that there are a couple of instances of some mild cussing and a few scenes I found disturbing (because they were unexpected.) The publisher has tagged this book as Religious Romance on Amazon and some Good Reads users have tagged it as Christian Fiction. That's why I was taken aback by some of the content. 

Lincoln is a Christian (converted in prison) and he runs a business rehabilitating ex-cons, but his life style and some of the things he allows to go on in his home don't always reflect that. He's definitely a work in progress (aren't we all?) and I can understand that portrayal but Edgewater Road reads more like a milder secular novel than an edgier Christian novel, if that makes any sense.

Lincoln is a gruff, macho, over protective, bossy hero! And oddly appealing despite that. I found parts of his story disturbing -- and parts of his personality irritating but the man does have a heart of gold and good intentions. You just have to look past the hardened exterior to see it. There were times his over bearing got to be too much. Continually calling Jennifer "Babe" in a proprietary way from the first time they meet and staking his claim in front of his crew of men without planning on acting on it. A kind of "hands off, she's mine but I'm not good enough for her but no one else can have her either," which raised a bit of a creep factor for me.

Jennifer is the classic introvert who works at home and only sees people virtually in the occasional office meeting. Can't we all relate to that after COVID?! So she's pretty overwhelmed by the guys next door while Lincoln both infuriates and fascinates her. She's unusually naive and struggles with finding confidence in herself. There's some great character growth as she gradually comes to grips with her family's past and Lincoln's connection them. 

Oh -- and there's this really weird thing with his name which bugged me through the whole read but had me particularly confused in the beginning few chapters -- maybe because I was listening to the audio edition. His full name is John Lincoln Bennett but he goes by Lincoln. For some unknown reason, Jennifer insists on referring to him as John. I was so lost  when she kept thinking about John and seeing John and greeting John. I literally rewound my audio book several times to try to figure out who this mystery man was until I clued in that John and Lincoln were the same man! Gah! So keep that in mind when you start reading.

Two secondary characters have captured my interest -- Bo and Seth -- and I'm hoping they both get their own stories in the Rumors in Ross County series. Both seem much more grounded than Lincoln so I'm thinking (hoping) their stories won't be as unsettling as I found this one. I'm intrigued enough to give the second book a try, now that I know what to expect.

This review is all over the place and I honestly don't think I can give it a star rating. It did hold my attention, kept me listening (the narrator was fabulous!) but I was discombobulated enough by some of the content to be uncertain as to whether I'd be rating a secular novel or a Christian one.

Special Note: Edgewater Road is currently available for free on Audible Plus.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for an ebook copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Edgewater Road, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT AND DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday March 19 2022. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck