At the Water's Edge (Annette Lyon)

Why I have this book: Total impulse purchase because I needed an "escape book"... QUICK! ;) I love Kindle. It's easy to get your escape right when you need it. No driving to a book store, no waiting days for a book to arrive if you order it online. Although the instant gratification can be dangerous if you're in a spending mood...

Anyway, this LDS fiction book was okay. I'm sensing a pattern with LDS fiction and villains. For some reason, the bad guys are always so corny. I mean... the writing about those characters just seems too contrived. I don't know why. It feels unnatural, too stereotypical...

For the most, I enjoyed this book. The ending was too easy and a little corny (who really mails an engagement ring overseas to someone they haven't even proposed to before? Good way to lose an investment, IMO.) Things tied up a little too neatly, conflicts worked out a little too simply... but the book served it's purpose and even though my first thought as the book ended was, "That was a dumb book"... it really was just because the end was so quick and too "perfect" to be realistic.

On second thought... here is another reason I get the "dumb" vibe from this book. There are several "heavy" topics thrown into the story: adultery, abuse, attempted rape, stalking, death. I find it disturbing when things like this are part of a story, but aren't given the weight they deserve. It feels wrong. Considering the traumatizing aspects of these things, the focus of the book was still just the romance. It seems contradictory to throw in all those things and then still be a light, escape-type book.

So... if this book was "real", I wouldn't keep it on my shelf. It would go to the library or to a friend. I didn't hate it, but it's not a candidate for a "re-read" at all.

I've read other books by the author that I really liked. This one didn't live up to her talent as a writer. Just my opinion.

Clean. There are instances of physical abuse in more than one relationship. There is an attempted rape, not described in detail. One extramarital affair is mentioned and is part of the storyline, but it is not discussed very much.