Rattlesnake Road by Amanda McKinneyMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Beware of the spoilers in other reviews!
Difficult topics dealt with sensitively, becoming your authentic self through amazing character growth, overcoming devastating losses, small town romance with a cold case murder mystery thrown in. And in no way did I feel that all of this overwhelmed the story. Amanda McKinney did an excellent job in keeping the threads together while gently pulling the reader along; this book combines great Female Literature with Cozy Mystery under the broad umbrella of Romance.
Some reviews have spoilers that can ruin the crumbs the author left the reader - so be careful what you read before deciding to buy this book.
The story is told only in Grey's point of view and given her struggles and the demons she fights this is perfect for this book. Declan is introduced to us quite late in the book but this does not mean that he and his story features any less. Together, I do think that each builds the other up in some way - less obvious for Declan as we are not privy to his thoughts. I loved the way their relationship developed. Yes there is a moment that I worried that Declan would be too much of a crutch for Grey, but his ease in just accepting with limits clearly drawn in certain instances is what makes this relationship progression so real. It really is not the hot, quick, flat character driven romances that we see so much of. ( Not that there is anything wrong with those, I need the escapism as much as anybody else that they give) This is a story with substance - and substance abuse, and heavy topics - so be aware but enjoy a really good book.
I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
