Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - Indigo Ridge

Listen, you’ll never see me turn down a cowboy romance and you add a bit of crime in there? I’m sold. Get me a pen ‘cause I’m signing on the dotted line.

With that in mind, Indigo Ridge was *fast*. Things happened quickly in this book. Small plot points that piqued my interest weren’t dug into further (e.g. Officer Smith or Emily), and I feel like I’ve finished the book with far more questions than answers. Do I know how the romance turned out? Yes. But everything else in the story? Not so much.

I did really enjoy the suspense of the whodunnit and, though I had my (apparently accurate) suspicions from the start, I was gripped by the reveal. I would have liked to have seen more of Winn’s pushback from the town.

I also would have liked to have seen Winn and Griffin talk a bit more before progressing with their situationship because it felt unrealistic for feelings to start developing when we’d really only heard about their physical relationship.

I did enjoy the story. I just wish there was more to it!

Content Warnings

herbookarchives's review against another edition

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hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

l_piller's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

nyquillll's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Wow - I’ve been searching for a book that would deliver on the romance aspect and this book did not disappoint.

When I first downloaded the book, I originally thought it was a mystery/thriller/detective story with a hint of romance. After reading, I learned the reverse was true. Though one of my critiques was that sometimes the detective plot fell to the wayside for the romance, the plot lines were closed up by the end and I was hooked regardless.

Also on the subject of critiques: I didn’t super enjoy how for the first part of the book, the MCs were mostly into each other based on looks and

sexual prowess

, it kind of detracted from the romance bit for me. But, what did make up for that is that once they were honest about their feelings, it was easy to tell they appreciated each other for much more than physical appearance. (But for how much Griffin mentioned in the beginning how much he wanted to jump Winn’s bones 🙄 Didn’t need all that, haha)

The book is self-described by the author as enemies to lovers, but I wouldn’t say it felt like that trope. Though there were some feelings of tension and resistance, it felt like this was the case because

they were denying their attraction and feelings for one another. They couldn’t have been “enemies” because they’d only just met a few days before their first real encounter.

Anywho, I loved how this book touched on death of a loved one/parents,

the grief that comes with losing a family member to dementia and early-onset dementia

, finding a healthy work-life balance, finding people we can be soft with, the joy of being around family who loves you, ageism and sexism in the workplace, chosen family, how slowly and quickly one can fall in love, the empathy that is necessary in police work when dealing with gruesome crimes - and how to deliver heartbreaking news to family members, losing yourself to build a better version, and trusting our experience and our training to tackle any problems we face.

AND THE TWIST - CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE TWIST!1!1!!1 I DIDNT SUSPECT IT UNTIL 2 PARAGRAPHS BEFORE IT HAPPENED, AND EVEN THEN IT WASNT HOW I THOUGHT IT WOULD GO DOWN. MY GOD. what a twist

I am so eager to read the rest of the 5 books in the story and learn about the rest of the Eden siblings!! This might make me cave and buy Kindle Unlimited sooner than I planned…

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexism, Suicide, Blood, Dementia, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Infidelity

Quotes I highlighted:

"Think you'll fly, little bird?"

"...sometimes it wasn't about choosing right from wrong. It was choosing the right wrongs."

"Heartbreak was an ugly, black sound."

"I said a lot of stupid things."

"From the time I was a kid, I'd known that I'd live and die on this place. My heart belonged to the land. My soul was tethered to the earth."

"Don't take your mind for granted, Griffin. Or your heart. They are your gifts. And they are not guaranteed from one day to the next."

"Bring Winslow around for dinner one night."

"I was in it with this woman. So fucking in it."

"Another shift. She belonged by my side, not standing alone."

"At the moment, I was thinking of tangling her up so tight she'd never get free."

"Those indigo eyes seared into mine. They saw the fears. The doubts. The frustrations. They gave me a place to put it all. A place to just...be real."

"Like I was out for a short drive, and when I looked back to where I'd started, instead of traveling yards, I'd gone miles."

"You good with that?" "Yes." Another word, too small. Or maybe it was the perfect word.

"Life was destined to end, but I wasn't ready to lose Pops. I wouldn't ever be ready."

"Hey, baby."

"I'm losing my mind. I'm losing myself. That's a humbling realization for a man."

"I don't think I hurt those girls."

"It's just been a long few days." "Lean on me."

"Baby. Spill it."

"But something about going to the grocery store together, pushing a cart up and down aisles, about moving in tandem through the kitchen, made me fall for her just a little bit more."

"We all have favorites...Lyla is mine."

"Knowing that this was my forever home, I'd spent the money. I'd given myself plenty of space, not just for the family I might have, but for the one I already did."

"I want to be there the day she finds out." "You will."

"It was too soon to declare they'd be hers too. That tonight, each of my siblings had found a quiet moment, like Eloise had before falling asleep, to tell me they loved Winn."

"This house is yours."

"I'm proud of you, Pops. All you've done for Quincy." "You know, Winnie? I'm proud of me too."

"He's an asshole...We used to talk about him behind your back."

"They'd love Griffin."

"We don't talk about them enough, sweetheart."

"For too long, I'd held Mom and Dad close. I'd hoarded their memories. But we needed to bring them into our lives."

"'Driving,' Frank answered. 'Somehow this summer, she lost a hubcap.' 'Frank, close the door.'"

"It was a small comfort, knowing that I'd fought enough for my corpse to raise more questions."

"Our family stayed for an hour..."

"Turns out, I was a bit sentimental when it came to my wife."

"I loved that about my wife. Her curious mind. Her thirst to understand."