I have to admit that one of my favorite parts of this story are the bits from the newspaper that would occasionally appear at the start of the chapters. They give a fun little peek into the quirkiness of Coldwater and endear the residents to the reader even more. Small town life often has its own rhythm and this one is no different.

Lacy is not a perfect heroine and she has a lot of self-evaluation that she needs to do. Her time away from her hometown has changed her in ways that might not have been all that great. After life pushes her down a little, being back with a slower pace and extra time on her hands means she's looking at who she is (and who she wants to be) a little more closely … and looking at an old classmate a bit differently as well.

For the most part, Jake may seem to have himself all figured out but he has more scars from the war than a missing leg can account for. The opportunity at a relationship with Lacy is throwing things a little off kilter for him – mostly in a good way, but it’s also shining a light on some things that he’s not looked at all that closely. Unfortunately to move forward he has to look at his past as well. And it could prove painful.

There are also some great secondary stories involving Lacy’s old flame Daniel & his family and an old Vietnam vet whose life has spiraled out of control for years. All of the plot lines, major and minor, deal with quite a few deep issues – addiction, PTSD, homelessness, abuse … they aren’t easy things but they are important and Eddings does a fantastic job of addressing them well.

It's the start of a new series and I’m really liking what I’m seeing here. Can't wait to see what comes next!

*** I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***