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Leigh Mitchell is nearing thirty. Her lifestyle is no longer satisfying. She's tired of her sleepy little Indiana town; she's tired of being always proper. And, she's even tired of being Sheriff. She wants some excitement! She wants romance! She wants fun! And the only place around that might offer any of those things is the annual Glen's Crossing carnival.
Leigh finds more than she bargained for at the carnival. She finds Will Scott, a mysterious lonely drifter who harbors a host of secrets behind his eyes. He is an irresistible lure for Leigh's new adventurous side. After sharing a ride on the Ferris wheel, one thing leads to another, and they soon find themselves in the local bar, sharing a drink and a dance. A hot, emotionally charged, sensual dance. Leigh's uncharacteristic behavior immediately starts the wheels of the local gossip mill turning. Soon, everyone in town seems to know that Leigh shared something none-too-proper with a lonely-eyed drifter.
Will Scott is drawn to Leigh as well. He's drawn to the close-knit little town where she lives; he's drawn to her quiet strength and wholesome good-looks. He's drawn to the unreachable dream of having a normal life, just like the one Leigh takes for granted. Even knowing that he should continue on as a drifter, he takes a job as mechanic just so he'll have reason to be around Leigh.
But things around town soon get out of hand, and Leigh's responsibilities as Sheriff demand that she find the criminal behind the disappearance of one of the town's more colorful teenagers. The deeper she digs, the more the evidence seems to point to Will. Though she is unwilling to believe that he is involved, his reluctance to share anything about his past combined with the town's belief that Will is involved with the crime make it very difficult to prove his innocence.
Back Roads explores the chemistry between two very different people - each one wanting what the other possesses. Author Susan Crandall delves into the deep inner struggle between desire and duty, want and need, love and responsibility. She has done a stellar job of molding her main characters into realistic, believable people and the images that she crafts so smoothly with words practically leap off the page and into the mind of her reader. In this, her debut novel, she has created an evocative tale redolent with romance and sparkling with emotion – a story that will make readers sigh with envy when Will and Leigh finally find happiness.
Written for Road to Romance by Janean Nusz, http://www.authorsart.com
Reviewed by Janean Nusz
for The Road to Romance
April, 19, 2004
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