Review: “Indigo Ridge” by Devney Perry

Series: The Edens, #1

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

Steam: 🔥🔥🔥

Release Date: October 26th, 2021

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CW/TW: murder and death, character with Alzheimer’s disease

Winslow Covington believes in life, liberty and the letter of the law. As Quincy, Montana’s new chief of police, she’s determined to prove herself to the community and show them she didn’t earn her position because her grandfather is the mayor.

According to her pops, all she has to do is earn favor with the Edens. But winning over the town’s founding family might have been easier if not for her one-night stand with their oldest son. In her defense, it was her first night in town and she didn’t realize that the rugged and charming man who wooed her into bed was Quincy royalty.

Sleeping with Griffin Eden was a huge mistake, one she’s trying to forget. He’s insufferable, arrogant and keeps reminding everyone that she’s an outsider. Winslow does her best to avoid Griffin, but when a woman is found dead on Eden property, the two of them have no choice but to cross paths.

As clues to the murderer lead to one of Quincy’s own, Griffin realizes Winslow is more than he gave her credit for. Beautiful and intelligent, she proves hard to resist. For him. And the killer.

Devney Perry has a magic touch when it comes to writing captivating and exciting romantic suspense. And the first in a new series hooks you and gets you so involved in the lives of every single character you meet. Let’s not forget that the only reason I want to visit Montana is because of the stories Devney sets there, and of course Yellowstone.

Indigo Ridge follows Winslow “Winn” Covington as she moves to Quincy, Montana to take over the position of Chief of Police. While she’s not a local, having spent countless summers there with her grandfather, Winn likes to think of herself as someone who is from the town. Her job is cut out for her, though and I loved her so much because she was determined and relentless. Winn knows that the previous Chief just took things sitting down and didn’t do the work that was necessary, but she’s not going to be that way. She’s tough, she’s smart and she’s hardworking. I really enjoyed seeing how while Winn wanted to have everyone like and approve of her, she was okay dealing with all of them taking their time adjusting to her presence. Especially at the precinct.

And then we have Griffin Eden, one of the famous Eden siblings. Even if you didn’t read Christmas in Quincy (it’s currently free!) you’ll already know that the series is about the Eden family. Griffin is one of many siblings that are descendents of the founders of the small town. He’s a cowboy and a rancher, and has no time for local women. He’s made his fair share of mistakes with local women and he chooses not to get too wrapped up in them to make things complicated. Griffin is a grumpy cowboy and I loved that even though he’s loving and caring with his family, he’s still pretty grumpy with them too. Griffin reminds me of a few of Devney’s earlier heroes, but somehow that only makes him even more interesting to me.

Winn and Griffin’s relationship kicks off with a one night stand on her first night in Quincy, and neither of them know who the other is. But when one night turns into more and they start finding themselves sharing lots of tight spaces and counter spaces, it becomes clear that what they have is so much more. While we don’t really get too much of their steam till halfway through the book, it’s always implied. We get mornings after and flirty glances, pretending to shake off the assholes in their midst and the like. Their relationship is a slow burn on page, but not really one given how much time they end up spending together.

Obviously it’s a romantic suspense, and the suspense kicks off right at the start. A dead body leads Winn on a wild goose chase and she starts upsetting the people of Quincy with questions and asking for too much information. I enjoyed a lot of the twists and turns, and the final twist totally caught me by surprise. But there was a moment in the book where I completely forgot that Winn was hunting a murderer, because their relationship took precedent. I know it’s a romance, but I was hoping for a good balance and I think that was a  little lacking in my opinion.

However, Winn and Griffin’s relationship is great. I loved Winn so hard and I really liked the fact that Griffin was the one that tripped and fell first, because he was so sure that he wouldn’t let feelings get the better of him. I also really loved the Eden family and I cannot wait to see what comes next. Since I read Christmas in Quincy, I have already met Knox (who is the hero in book 2: Juniper Hill), Mateo and Eloise. And I’m curious to see how all their stories play out.

Thanks to Devney Perry and Valentine PR for generously providing me with an advance copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.