Books & Spoons Review ERIN'S WAY by Laura Browning

Welcome to Mountain Meadow, Virginia, where love is worth waiting for…
 
The town bad girl is back, and this time, Erin Richardson is in need of protection. Years ago, her youthful crush on handsome older man Sam Barnes nearly led to scandal. Now she’s on the run from an entirely different kind of trouble: a criminal intent on eliminating his witnesses—including Erin. As the local sheriff, Sam’s duty-bound to provide a safe haven. Though tongues will surely wag once Erin is sharing a house with the sexy lawman….
 
Erin is still too young, too vulnerable, and too irresistibly beautiful. But when Sam lays eyes on her again, all he wants to do is shelter her in his arms. It won’t be easy keeping her out of harm’s way. But it’ll be even harder keeping the woman he never forgot out of his bed—and his heart…

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I don't know if a story has ever had me so conflicted about it as Erin's Way has managed to do. I have been thinking about it for awhile now, and I don't know what to say, so I am trying to just list what worked for me and what didn't. 
I understand that the drug use was part of the story to show how low Erin had gotten in her life, to highlight the development she did through the story (that was admirable, by the way). I wish it would have been colored a little bit more on the negative side. Or maybe I should just say, I didn't like it. 
The characters, all of them, really made me work to like them, to tolerate them, to understand them. Nothing in this story comes easily, you really have to work for it as a reader. There's nothing light and fluffy about this story, it goes deep, it opens up infected sores in the characters (and readers) minds and relationships, and it stinks at times, badly. 
The way the family dysfunctioned, the way they treated Erin, was frustrating, annoying, and yet understandable. It was real, and it hurt with the rawness of it, to the bare bones it got, to the honest truth about family problems, not getting along, not liking someone or their behavior. At times I rooted for the family, at times for Erin, and at times I wanted to just walk away from the drama and angst because it got a little too real and authentic. 
The attraction between Erin and Sam was difficult to accept. And yes, it is palpable, deep, amazing, special connection and understanding they have. BUT it started when she was 14 and he is 12 years older. So how do I rejoice in their newfound happiness, that they both so deserve and  that took so much work to find when in the back of my mind is constantly the picture of the memory of their meeting when she was only 14? Not easy, I tell you.  
Even though there're hints of the possible danger through the story, the emotional turmoil had me so in check, the action still took me by surprise. It is well played, and I think it was well dispensed as well compared to the rest of the story. It is heartbreaking, and turns the emotions towards the characters, for them instead of against them. So, well played by the author, and most likely the reason why I sit here so conflicted right now. 
Did I enjoy the story, like it, was I entertained? Parts of it I couldn't stand, parts of it broke my heart, parts of it made me annoyed, parts of it got too close to home, parts of it was beautiful, touching, and parts of it sensual, and all of it made me think, and ponder, and evaluate, and wonder my own reactions, my own feelings, my own connection to the story, and why was it as it was. It certainly made an impact, it made an emotional connection, it most likely will stay with me for a long time, and the lessons the characters learned will be something I have to myself consider and speculate. Because it is the tough lessons that are worth the learning, I'll have to admit, this story is rather amazing in its brunt effect
~ Five Spoons 

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