This was a great book! Jennifer has just buried her grandmother and moved into her grandmother’s house that was willed to her. She has met her neighbor at the funeral and wanted to thank him by being him a chocolate cake she baked. When she arrives at the house she is taken back. She had no idea that all of the men that are her neighbors are ex cons. The men start making trips over to her house to help her out. She starts to get to know them including the main person, John “Lincoln”. She is starting to have feelings for Lincoln but he is being very hot and cold with her. She then turns to a dating site thinking she will have better luck there. Little did she know how wrong she would be and the person who wants her has been there the entire time. Will they find their way to each other after a tragedy occurs? I was given an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

loved Jennifer and Lincolns story. Second chances are a wonderful thing. The secondary cast was amazing and everyone seemed like family. Read this. Gray never disappoints

I have not read anything by this author in years and only then her Amish series. This book was fantastic and I highly recommend it - nicely paced, the characters and setting are well fleshed out, and it was an enjoyable read.

I liked this book. I enjoyed just about everything about it. The only criticism would be the use of babe and girlie when the guys talked to Jennifer.
Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read this.

I was so excited when I was approached to review this book. The author writes incredible stories and takes the reader on an experience with each book!



The story revolves around Jennifer who moves in to her grandmother's house on Edgewater Road after her passing. She is quickly surrounded by Lincoln and his men. Lincoln is a neighbor who helps to rehabilitate people who have been released from prison. I really enjoyed how the men worked to protect Jennifer.

The story has lots of secrets and it keeps the reader turning the pages to find out what will happen in the story.

Thanks so much to the publisher and netgalley for the arc. The opinions are my own.

When Jennifer inherits her grandmother's property in rural Ohio, she doesn't expect to find more than she bargained for. Jennifer moves into her grandmother's home after the funeral - with only the expectation of living a quiet life. Her neighbor, Lincoln, has lived next door his whole life - but Jennifer's grandmother had never introduced them or even talked much about Lincoln. Lincoln - in turn - had felt closer to Jennifer's grandmother, Ginny, than anyone else in his life. But Ginny had kept a large part of her life away from Jennifer - including a lot of information about where she got her money from.

Lincoln spent some time in prison - and while he was there found faith and a "reluctant mission" to help others get back on their feet after serving their time in prison. He came out the other side of his experience stronger and better for it. Jennifer is a sweet, somewhat naive person. When the blinders come off to her grandmother's life and to the folks living next door - her worldview is shaken. Seeing her growth throughout the book was lovely.


Overall - I liked this book - but I would have liked more between Lincoln and Jennifer. I think their relationship got lost a little bit in the drama surrounding them. They are a great couple and I liked Lincoln so much - I think I just wanted more.

You should also be aware that this book features an assault of Jennifer - that is hard to read and may be triggering for some readers.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

I enjoyed this read, and it really made you think! How would you feel inheriting a home that your Grandmother left you, and having it right next to a home with a lot of ex-cons? Well, once you get over the initial shock, I found that I really liked most of these kind hearted fellows.
Jennifer Smiley’s life changes tremendously as she embarks to make the home her own, and has the task of cleaning out mountains of boxes and crates. She also learns things, that she really didn’t want to know, but how Lincoln Bennett is tied to her Grandmother is also revealed.
We get to meet and assortment of characters here, from a young Amish boy to not really hard core criminals. We meet her parents, and wonder how this will all play out, and lastly her on line date!
Yes, this is a page turner for answers, and we are gifted with an epilogue!
I received this book through Net Galley and Blackstone Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.

Very nice book. It surprised me in a lot of ways. Mostly the writing style. The author didn't take the "everything is a rose garden” approach. So it left the plot with a slightly gritty flare. Also, I don’t know why; but in my mind, Jennifer's grandmother reminded me of the grandmother in (if you’ve ever played it) Merge Manor. She had a very checkered past of which the heroine finds out about slowly over time throughout the book. I know that's kind of random, but there it is.

My favorite aspect of this book was the way the hero Lincoln and his fellow employees called the heroine Jennifer “baby” or “babe.” I thought it was very cute, and on several occasions when Lincoln did it, I may or may not have swooned a little.

I’ve read several books by Shelley Shepard Gray before, and she always graces her readers with outstanding books. I'm hoping she will continue this particular book as a series and tell some of the other ex-convicts' stories, like Bo and Seth. Also, if you're interested, Ms.Gray sets this book around an Amish community. She has several excellent series set around them. Overall I am very pleased with this installment. Looking forward to Ms.Gray’s future books.

"Edgewater Road" by Shelley Shepard Gray
More than a Love Story
Yes, I loved this story. This contemporary tale of people learning to trust each other and themselves. I thought I might get a bit bored at some point, but it never happened; there was always the curiosity as to what I would find on the next page. I do hope that you will enjoy your time in this story as much as I did. A Sweet Clean Romance & Friendship story. Happy Reading ! !
NOTE: I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley.
This review expresses my honest opinon.

This one just confused me. It sounded like a mystery from the book blurb, but there was so much different stuff going on it never got there. There is some mysteries - but they're not fleshed out enough to make sense to me. Why are there boxes of ammo in the barn, how did Ginny get involved with Lincoln, why does Eric want the house.

It's the first book in a new series, maybe it'll come together more with the rest of the series. It just wasn't what I thought it was going to be when I started reading.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

I was given an advance copy of this book by the author in exchange for my thoughts on the story.
I really enjoyed this first book in a new series by Shelley Shepard Gray. All of the characters are very interesting and there is lots of room for more stories from all of them! Plus still lots of things to learn the back history of, which is one of my favorite parts of a series.
One of the story lines I could really identify with is finding out more in adulthood about the relatives that we loved the most as children. Of course, with adult eyes we know that lives are always more complicated than we saw when we were young. And it's not a BAD thing to learn more of the way people really were, it just helps us understand that life is not perfect. Everyone needs grace, even in retrospect.

I love all of Shelley Shepard Gray's books! It doesn't matter whether they're her Amish series or contemporary romances. She is on my To Be Read list no matter what it is!

I was so excited to be able to read her latest and I did so in one afternoon. In this contemporary romance, Jennifer meets Lincoln, an ex-con who is now on the straight and narrow. As they get to know each other she not only learns about secrets from his past, but her grandmother's as well. Like Jennifer, we all struggle with forgiveness at times but God is faithful to help us move on and leave the past behind.

I really loved Edgewater Road and can't wait for the next in the series.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publishes 1 March 2022

Edgewater Road ( The Rumors in Ross County #1 )
By: Shelley Shepard Gray
Edgewater Road is the first book in a brand new series in The Rumors in Ross County. When I got started Idid not want to put it down. Gray did not disappoint. I cannot wait for the next book in this series. The characters was great. A young lady inherited her grandmother’s farm house. Jennifer finds out that her home holds a lot of secrets she did not no about. Her neighbor and his crew are a mystery to her. The story holds secrets, mystery, ex-cons, friendship, and starting over. This story keeps you turning the ages to see what is going to happen next. Loved it.
I was given a complementary copy by the author and NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

I am used to reading Amish books written by Shelley Shepard Gray, so I was thrilled to give this book a try. I enjoyed the characters and the book kept me on my toes guessing what was going to happen next. There was some mystery, secrets and a little bit of romance that brought the book full circle. I would recommend this book for someone who was looking for something different to read than the usual Amish books by this author.

I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest opinion and review.

I received an arc of this story from Netgalley for a honest review

Edgewater Road by Shelley Shepard Gray is about personal growth and not fearing the unknown. Jennifer Smiley has inherited her grandmother's house and with it her grandmother's secrets. Lincoln Bennet is her neighbor and a ex-con, he has know her grandmother for a long time and through him Jennifer starts to see her grandmother for who she really was. It takes great courage to want to see the truth about life and the ones we love I liked both Jennifer and Lincoln and I really wanted them to find their happy ever after because I felt these two suited each other really well. Both character's grow throughout the story and it was lovely to have both POV's, so that we can hear how they are feeling and feel closer to them.

Edgewater Road is a romance between an ex con and his new neighbor, Lincoln runs a home for ex cons like himself to help them get acclimated to life outside of prison.. Jennifer is a sweet and precious soul who just inherited her grandmother's home and her secrets. This a great story with suspense, and mystery. I certainly hope there will be more stories to come from Edgewater Road.
Also, I love the cover but the heroine is described with golden blonde hair. The woman on the cover is a brunette.
*I was given a copy of the book by the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

This book was not at all what I normally have read from this author, that being lots of Amish books. It was about Jennifer Smiley, a young woman who inherited a house from her grandmother and finding out family secrets and that all is not always as it appears.

Jennifer finds new friendships and then is concerned when she finds out about these new friends that are not what she would have expected. It's a most interesting book and the storyline is new and different. There is a touch of Amish here as well! The book is about forgiving, moving on, and acceptance of those people that have made past mistakes and are trying to repair the past. And that love is not always perfect.

Such a good book. I really enjoyed this page-turner. And I am enjoying how this author is branching out into different styles of writing. I highly recommend this well-written book.

I received an ebook copy from the author. All thoughts are my own.

"Edgewater Road", by Shelley Shepard Gray, is the first in "The Rumors in Ross County"series. Its protagonist is Jennifer Smiley, a single young woman whose grandmother has passed away and left her house (and all of its secrets) to. Along the way, Jennifer realizes that her grandmother had so much more going on behind the scenes than she ever realized. Her new next door neighbor is Lincoln (who sometimes goes by John?), a former convict who has to show Jennifer that she should write him off. I appreciated a lot that he did for her, but his hot-and-cold emotion changes were very unhealthy and their relationship didn't feel like something to be admired. I also didn't like how he was calling her "baby", "honey", and "sweetheart" the day after he met her. Overall, this was a good book but had some questionable elements.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book was sent to me electronically for review by Netgalley…it is a quick read,and I look forward to more stories by this author…the characters are likable and the story moves along at a good pace…I could not get past the “babe” comments…that was distracting…try this one…

Edgewater Road is the first in a new series by Shelley Shepard Gray. Set in Ross County Ohio, Jennifer Smiley inherits her grandmother Ginny's old farm house. Wanting a different life, Jennifer moves into the farmhouse with help from her neighbor Lincoln Bennett and his crew. However, Jennifer has a moment of unease when she realizes who these men really are. Will she be able to overcome her anxiety and accept his help and protection? Lincoln finds instant attraction but is worried that she won't see past his past. Can he convince both himself and her that not everyone holds one's past against them?
Edgewater Road is a book about forgiveness, acceptance, and learning that not everything is as it seems. The characters in the book must learn to come to love themselves before they can be loved by others. I look forward to the next in the series. I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.