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The McRaes #2
The Edge of Heaven
When a sexy, protective stranger shows up on her doorstep, Emma McRae doesn't give a thought to falling in love with him. But she does just that—falls hard and fast, and for the first time in her life.
Then, she discovers his secrets.
Rye is a man with an ugly past. He didn't come to the pretty town of Baxter, Ohio, looking for a woman. But there she was; pretty and sweet, and the kind of woman he’d always wanted, but never dreamed he could have. Emma's innocent vulnerability tugs at Rye's weary heart, and the sizzling sexual pull between them can't be ignored.
But there's another: Emma's dangerous ex-boyfriend, an outraged and overprotective father with a family connection that means Rye and Emma's relationship is doomed from the start.
Then, she discovers his secrets.
Rye is a man with an ugly past. He didn't come to the pretty town of Baxter, Ohio, looking for a woman. But there she was; pretty and sweet, and the kind of woman he’d always wanted, but never dreamed he could have. Emma's innocent vulnerability tugs at Rye's weary heart, and the sizzling sexual pull between them can't be ignored.
But there's another: Emma's dangerous ex-boyfriend, an outraged and overprotective father with a family connection that means Rye and Emma's relationship is doomed from the start.
338 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 18, 2002
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466 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
September 17, 2013
4 Stars!! I love this family and adored this couple!
I wasn't sure the author could pull this off due to the age difference in the characters...correction, not the age difference, but more the age of Emma and Rye when they are first attracted to each other. I was squirming a bit in the beginning, but as the story progressed I felt more comfortable with the situation and appreciated the direction that the story took.
When Emma and Rye finally become intimate with one another, their waiting, and especially Rye's reluctance and restraint, truly had me believing the possibility of this working. It wasn't just a young girl's infatuation, or an older man's overactive libido...these two truly loved each other and I could accept it by the end of the story...I was actually rooting for them and willing time to move forward! I wanted Emma to be old enough for Rye. Emma had an especially difficult childhood, so she had at least 10 years maturity on most girls her age, and Rye was handed a raw deal in his teens and never experienced true love. Plus, once Rye reveals to Emma what his dating life was like...what he didn't do...while Emma was off experiencing college life, it made me a believer. You knew as the reader, in your heart, that Rye's heart belonged to Emma and that he was truly head over heels in love with her, and it made me fall in love with him even more!
Emma is also the adopted daughter of Sam and Rachael from Twelve Days, and Rye is Sam's brother. Sticky situation, but somehow it worked and I was okay with it all.
While some readers might not find these circumstances acceptable, I thought the author did a great job of removing the 'ick' factor and wrote a beautiful love story.
December 4, 2023
Short version:
- TSTL heroine that's also childish
- heroine is childish cause she's whiny and immature. Oh, and she's 18 for a majority of the book.
- Insta-love/insta-trust
- let's invite complete strangers to stay with us after knowing them a fcking DAY
- heroine with an abusive ex that's WAY too trusting (and too willing to jump into bed with another man) after leaving said ex only the day before
- hero is heroine adopt father's brother... so pretty much her uncle by law. (Creepy)
Now that you're all caught up here's my long assrant review:
First, you're immediately dropped into the story. No set up, no slow introduction of characters and/or their place in the story, no slow ease into things. Usually, stuff like this annoys me. I like to be well acquainted with characters (or at least given a nice built up) before I'm thrown into things. But given how interesting and well written it was, I was more intrigued than turned off.
You're immediately shown the hero, obviously looking for someone. He's crossing names- specifically one name- off a list: Sam McRae.
Apparently, there's more than one and he's looking for a certain man. The heroine's adopted father just so happens to share that man's name. The author gives little bits and pieces, vague mentions really, that the hero's past hasn't been good a good one. His motives for finding Sam McRae waver between sinister and innocent. Is he looking for a particular person to do them harm or to help them?
But just as quickly as I was intrigued, I was put off.
Not even a CHAPTER into the book and this stranger off the street (vaguely alluding to knowing the heroine's father) is invited INSIDE. The heroine then proceeds to tell him a bunch of family related business and cooking him breakfast as if they're old friends. Not literal strangers who've only just met two minutes before.
Now, I was getting the "Danger, Will Robinson!" blinking red light in my head. I, more than anything, like a good dose of reality in my Contemporary romances. And people inviting strangers into their home with only a vague mention of knowing a family member is stretching the imagination to be sure. Even more so when it's a WOMAN, inviting an UNKNOWN MAN, into her house. I don't even like opening the door to Amazon drivers unless someone's home with me.
BUT given the fact that the writing was good and the mystery of the hero had me intrigued, I was willing to go out on a limb. A very shaky limb.
Maybe she's super innocent and friendly. The author did describe Rye as sort of down on your luck character so maybe the heroine noticed his worn clothes and raggedy truck and took pity on him. Maybe she's curious as to why this stranger is lurking outside her parents- her- home. (snort)
But it's sure as fuck not curiosity cause not ONCE did the heroine ask after Rye's(the hero's) name. Sure, she asked what he was doing there for but his vague answers and his deliberate dodging of questions was shady and suspicious as fuck. It was only until AFTER he'd already come inside, AFTER she'd blabbed out all her business, and even then only AFTER she'd offered him to stay in her father's guest house that the heroine thought to ask the hero's name.
I just. That's not immature or even innocent thinking. That's plain fucking stupidity.
This insanely unbelievable scenery was even more so unbelievable when its revealed that the heroine had just THE FUCKING DAY BEFORE been beaten by her (now ex) boyfriend and was returning home because she was running from him.
So, you, the author, are telling me that this woman who'd just been abused by a MAN she'd been in a relationship with for AWHILE and had TRUSTED just... lets in a complete stranger, a man no less, and proceeds to unburden all of her woe's and feelings???? Offers him her guest house???
This TSTL attitude continues when the heroine REFUSES, no adamantly FIGHTS not to tell her parents about her (now)ex boyfriend being abusive and threatening. Even AFTER he shows up, threatens both her and the hero, she still doesn't tell her parents. She didn't even want to call the cops and I'm sure she wouldn't have had the fucking EX BOYFRIEND NOT GONE TO THEM AND COMPLAINED.
MAYBE if the author had taken the time to set up the characters and setting a bit more. Then I'd be able to better understand their (specifically HER) motives behind all this but it wasn't. MAYBE if there had been some more time for the two to know one another than literally fucking hours. 24 hours to be exact. But they didn't.
It was the insta-love without the love. It was the insta-trust. It's jumping the gun before the gun's even loaded.
Oh, but don't worry, there's still insta-love going on:
After she HERSELF admitted that she can't get into a relationship with all that's happening and with what HAS happened, she goes and kisses this stranger she's known for 24 fucking hours. THEN after a WEEK of knowing him, she's decided she "knows him, i mean really knows him" and confesses to her parents that she loves him. And with the way the hero's feelings were described, he was right along with her in that regard.
So the case of insta-love knocked down this book yet another star.
But it was the fact that not ONLY was there insta-love but that there was insta-love between this 18 year old girl and a 34 year old man who'd done time that really kicked the bucket for this book.
Her age explained her immature and TSTL actions(sure as hell didn't excuse them though). It explained her "stars in the eyes" innocence. But it no way did it make everything else after this acceptable or enjoyable. It didn't make her relationship with the hero all that plausible either.
Now, i love age gaps as much as the next person. But you know what makes them so fucking believable and enjoyable? What makes them not come off super creepy? When the younger love interest isn't bordering on barely legal territory. When the younger love interest actually acts FUCKING MATURE ENOUGH TO KEEP UP WITH THE OLDER LOVE INTEREST.
Everything the heroine said and did was immature and whiny. "Oh, this is all MY fault" "You wouldn't be in this situation if it weren't for ME". It got to the point where it went from angtsy to just plain selfish. Who cares that Rye might go back to prison, let's not get him out cause we care about him but because the fucking 18 year old girl would feel "really guilty if he went to prison".
Others said she was smart but she wasn't. She constantly did and said things that no real 18 year old with a brain would do. She made mistakes and cried about it instead of trying to fix them. Others said she was brave but she was sniffling and whining and running away at every chance. She said she was "old for her age, had been since she was 12" and yet there was no evidence to back that up.
There's a 2 year time jump, with little stops to catch up the reader on events that have happened in between like Christmas', birthday's, etc, but during those 2 years she did not learn a thing. She did not grow or mature. If anything she seemed to become even MORE whiny and immature: throwing a fit when the hero says she's too young, getting rebellious and putting on a small ass bikini to try and seduce the hero (not seeming to care about the position it would put her "father" and the hero in or their feelings on the matter), running away after she sleeps with the hero and refusing to talk with him. Why? Cause she's embarrassed.
I didn't understand how a 34 year old ex-con could find an immature 18 year old so attractive. Not without it coming off creepy.
This creep factor went up about 100% when its revealed (from early on too, even when the heroine was still "falling in love" with him those first few chapters) that the hero is the heroine's father's brother (aka Sam McRae, the man the hero has been searching for).
Yeah, okay, so it's stressed at every fucking opportunity that the heroine was adopted at 12. That the hero is Sam's YOUNGER brother. But this isn't helped when she sees and thinks of Sam McRae as her honest to god father in "every way that counts". This isn't helped that from the moment she finds out the hero is her (i'll call it) "uncle by association", she doesn't step back like any rational, mature, "adult" would and think about the situation. She immediately goes "pfft fuck it, it doesn't matter i LUUURVE him". It isn't helped when she purposely hid her age (18) from him cause she wanted to get with him, because she knew it was a problem but ignored it anyway.
And the kicker for all this: the father, the hero's brother, is fiercely AGAINST their little "fling" and just seems to be pissed off every time its mentioned or brought up. But that's not why i'm mentioning. Why I'm mentioning it is because he had a legit and REALISTIC reason for being against their relationship. He kept up that dislike for 90% of the book, even forced the hero to reject the heroine callously and hurt her feelings in the process. And for what? To literally do and say fucking nothing at the end of the book when they DO get together. He virtually disappears after that. I don't care if 2 years have passed. You're not even going to give us glimpses of him slowly coming to terms with it? Let him have some big speech about "how wrong he was to stop true love"?
NOPE. His purpose has served so he is gone. Good-bye, daddy-not-daddy.
I just
im done.
The more i think about this book the more it pisses me off.
- TSTL heroine that's also childish
- heroine is childish cause she's whiny and immature. Oh, and she's 18 for a majority of the book.
- Insta-love/insta-trust
- let's invite complete strangers to stay with us after knowing them a fcking DAY
- heroine with an abusive ex that's WAY too trusting (and too willing to jump into bed with another man) after leaving said ex only the day before
- hero is heroine adopt father's brother... so pretty much her uncle by law. (Creepy)
Now that you're all caught up here's my long ass
First, you're immediately dropped into the story. No set up, no slow introduction of characters and/or their place in the story, no slow ease into things. Usually, stuff like this annoys me. I like to be well acquainted with characters (or at least given a nice built up) before I'm thrown into things. But given how interesting and well written it was, I was more intrigued than turned off.
You're immediately shown the hero, obviously looking for someone. He's crossing names- specifically one name- off a list: Sam McRae.
Apparently, there's more than one and he's looking for a certain man. The heroine's adopted father just so happens to share that man's name. The author gives little bits and pieces, vague mentions really, that the hero's past hasn't been good a good one. His motives for finding Sam McRae waver between sinister and innocent. Is he looking for a particular person to do them harm or to help them?
But just as quickly as I was intrigued, I was put off.
Not even a CHAPTER into the book and this stranger off the street (vaguely alluding to knowing the heroine's father) is invited INSIDE. The heroine then proceeds to tell him a bunch of family related business and cooking him breakfast as if they're old friends. Not literal strangers who've only just met two minutes before.
Now, I was getting the "Danger, Will Robinson!" blinking red light in my head. I, more than anything, like a good dose of reality in my Contemporary romances. And people inviting strangers into their home with only a vague mention of knowing a family member is stretching the imagination to be sure. Even more so when it's a WOMAN, inviting an UNKNOWN MAN, into her house. I don't even like opening the door to Amazon drivers unless someone's home with me.
BUT given the fact that the writing was good and the mystery of the hero had me intrigued, I was willing to go out on a limb. A very shaky limb.
Maybe she's super innocent and friendly. The author did describe Rye as sort of down on your luck character so maybe the heroine noticed his worn clothes and raggedy truck and took pity on him. Maybe she's curious as to why this stranger is lurking outside her parents- her- home. (snort)
But it's sure as fuck not curiosity cause not ONCE did the heroine ask after Rye's(the hero's) name. Sure, she asked what he was doing there for but his vague answers and his deliberate dodging of questions was shady and suspicious as fuck. It was only until AFTER he'd already come inside, AFTER she'd blabbed out all her business, and even then only AFTER she'd offered him to stay in her father's guest house that the heroine thought to ask the hero's name.
I just. That's not immature or even innocent thinking. That's plain fucking stupidity.
This insanely unbelievable scenery was even more so unbelievable when its revealed that the heroine had just THE FUCKING DAY BEFORE been beaten by her (now ex) boyfriend and was returning home because she was running from him.
So, you, the author, are telling me that this woman who'd just been abused by a MAN she'd been in a relationship with for AWHILE and had TRUSTED just... lets in a complete stranger, a man no less, and proceeds to unburden all of her woe's and feelings???? Offers him her guest house???
This TSTL attitude continues when the heroine REFUSES, no adamantly FIGHTS not to tell her parents about her (now)ex boyfriend being abusive and threatening. Even AFTER he shows up, threatens both her and the hero, she still doesn't tell her parents. She didn't even want to call the cops and I'm sure she wouldn't have had the fucking EX BOYFRIEND NOT GONE TO THEM AND COMPLAINED.
MAYBE if the author had taken the time to set up the characters and setting a bit more. Then I'd be able to better understand their (specifically HER) motives behind all this but it wasn't. MAYBE if there had been some more time for the two to know one another than literally fucking hours. 24 hours to be exact. But they didn't.
It was the insta-love without the love. It was the insta-trust. It's jumping the gun before the gun's even loaded.
Oh, but don't worry, there's still insta-love going on:
After she HERSELF admitted that she can't get into a relationship with all that's happening and with what HAS happened, she goes and kisses this stranger she's known for 24 fucking hours. THEN after a WEEK of knowing him, she's decided she "knows him, i mean really knows him" and confesses to her parents that she loves him. And with the way the hero's feelings were described, he was right along with her in that regard.
So the case of insta-love knocked down this book yet another star.
But it was the fact that not ONLY was there insta-love but that there was insta-love between this 18 year old girl and a 34 year old man who'd done time that really kicked the bucket for this book.
Her age explained her immature and TSTL actions(sure as hell didn't excuse them though). It explained her "stars in the eyes" innocence. But it no way did it make everything else after this acceptable or enjoyable. It didn't make her relationship with the hero all that plausible either.
Now, i love age gaps as much as the next person. But you know what makes them so fucking believable and enjoyable? What makes them not come off super creepy? When the younger love interest isn't bordering on barely legal territory. When the younger love interest actually acts FUCKING MATURE ENOUGH TO KEEP UP WITH THE OLDER LOVE INTEREST.
Everything the heroine said and did was immature and whiny. "Oh, this is all MY fault" "You wouldn't be in this situation if it weren't for ME". It got to the point where it went from angtsy to just plain selfish. Who cares that Rye might go back to prison, let's not get him out cause we care about him but because the fucking 18 year old girl would feel "really guilty if he went to prison".
Others said she was smart but she wasn't. She constantly did and said things that no real 18 year old with a brain would do. She made mistakes and cried about it instead of trying to fix them. Others said she was brave but she was sniffling and whining and running away at every chance. She said she was "old for her age, had been since she was 12" and yet there was no evidence to back that up.
There's a 2 year time jump, with little stops to catch up the reader on events that have happened in between like Christmas', birthday's, etc, but during those 2 years she did not learn a thing. She did not grow or mature. If anything she seemed to become even MORE whiny and immature: throwing a fit when the hero says she's too young, getting rebellious and putting on a small ass bikini to try and seduce the hero (not seeming to care about the position it would put her "father" and the hero in or their feelings on the matter), running away after she sleeps with the hero and refusing to talk with him. Why? Cause she's embarrassed.
I didn't understand how a 34 year old ex-con could find an immature 18 year old so attractive. Not without it coming off creepy.
This creep factor went up about 100% when its revealed (from early on too, even when the heroine was still "falling in love" with him those first few chapters) that the hero is the heroine's father's brother (aka Sam McRae, the man the hero has been searching for).
Yeah, okay, so it's stressed at every fucking opportunity that the heroine was adopted at 12. That the hero is Sam's YOUNGER brother. But this isn't helped when she sees and thinks of Sam McRae as her honest to god father in "every way that counts". This isn't helped that from the moment she finds out the hero is her (i'll call it) "uncle by association", she doesn't step back like any rational, mature, "adult" would and think about the situation. She immediately goes "pfft fuck it, it doesn't matter i LUUURVE him". It isn't helped when she purposely hid her age (18) from him cause she wanted to get with him, because she knew it was a problem but ignored it anyway.
And the kicker for all this: the father, the hero's brother, is fiercely AGAINST their little "fling" and just seems to be pissed off every time its mentioned or brought up. But that's not why i'm mentioning. Why I'm mentioning it is because he had a legit and REALISTIC reason for being against their relationship. He kept up that dislike for 90% of the book, even forced the hero to reject the heroine callously and hurt her feelings in the process. And for what? To literally do and say fucking nothing at the end of the book when they DO get together. He virtually disappears after that. I don't care if 2 years have passed. You're not even going to give us glimpses of him slowly coming to terms with it? Let him have some big speech about "how wrong he was to stop true love"?
NOPE. His purpose has served so he is gone. Good-bye, daddy-not-daddy.
I just
im done.
The more i think about this book the more it pisses me off.
March 14, 2016
Totally surprised at how much I loved this story. It was totally believable in the way that the older man/younger woman romance was handled. The writing was very well done and the emotions believable. The hero almost ripped your heart out. He wasn't perfect and he had some anger issues but you could really see where they were coming from. He had some hot button issues and was solidly written not waffling all over. The author did a fine job of making him totally in love with the heroine and giving enough to let her grow up without any interference from him. I totally believed that if in the interim she had found a younger man to love he would never have said a word. I also believed in her feelings for him. She was a very grownup 18 year old. Still they didn't actually get together for 3 years after that which just made it all the more believable/acceptable.
April 29, 2013
A sweetheart of a book!!
I loved, loved, loved this story. It hit all the right spots for me, it was sweet, dramatic, emotional and bittersweet. I loved both characters, Rye and Emma, from the beginning, i did not even mind that they had to be separate for most of the book, because the love they shared was so clear to me. The character of Rye was so strong but he touched my emotions with his story and his willingness to do the right thing. As for Emma, she is my favorite kind of heroine, sweet, kind, a caretaker of others and deeply and sweetly in love. Well done, Teresa Hill!! I will read more by this author.
I loved, loved, loved this story. It hit all the right spots for me, it was sweet, dramatic, emotional and bittersweet. I loved both characters, Rye and Emma, from the beginning, i did not even mind that they had to be separate for most of the book, because the love they shared was so clear to me. The character of Rye was so strong but he touched my emotions with his story and his willingness to do the right thing. As for Emma, she is my favorite kind of heroine, sweet, kind, a caretaker of others and deeply and sweetly in love. Well done, Teresa Hill!! I will read more by this author.
October 31, 2013
And another example where I LOVED the first one and hated the second book. :-(
This book is on my "books-i-didn-t-finish" shelf. Before I put a book there I tried at least twice to finish it. After that, I gave up one it.
This book is on my "books-i-didn-t-finish" shelf. Before I put a book there I tried at least twice to finish it. After that, I gave up one it.
February 23, 2017
This was cute and I'm glad it was over a few years rather then a few months like books tend to be. I wish we could have seen Zach and Grace more a little kids around that first Christmas but was glad they still had little parts in the book.
July 28, 2016
A nice romance.
December 2, 2023
Reviewed for THC Reviews
"3.5 stars" The Edge of Heaven is the second book in Teresa Hill’s McRaes series. This one follows Sam and Rachel’s oldest adopted daughter, Emma, who has just returned home from her freshman year of college for the holidays. She’s also running away from an abusive boyfriend, but when she arrives home to find her family urgently leaving to go help an aunt, she chooses not to tell them yet. They’ve no sooner left, then a stranger shows up at the door. Rye is in Baxter searching for the older brother he barely remembers. He isn’t even sure he has the right Sam McRae when he knocks on Emma’s door, but even though he’s keeping his real reason for being there on the down-low, she warmly welcomes him into her home and life. Emma immediately takes to Rye and feels safer when he’s there, especially when her ex-boyfriend begins stalking her. When he finds out that the details of this Sam don’t match the records he found of his brother, Rye plans on leaving town, but when he discovers that Emma was abused by a young man who won’t leave her alone, he decides to stay just until her family gets back. One thing leads to another and they start falling for each other, but then Emma’s ex shows up, leading to a fight that could put Rye back in prison for a long time. Even if he can avoid jail time, when Sam and the rest of the family finally return, he discovers the truth that Emma was reluctant to tell him. She’s much younger than he suspected and between the significant age gap between them and their familial connection, it seems that their budding romance may be doomed unless they can figure out a way to smooth things over with Sam.
Emma and her two younger siblings were adopted by Sam and Rachel (Twelve Days) when she was eleven. Seven years have passed and she’s now a college freshman. After her boyfriend knocked her around, she rushed home to Baxter, hoping for the love and support of her family, only to find them leaving in a hurry to help an aunt who is experiencing a dangerous pregnancy. Not wanting to further burden them during this difficult time, she chooses not to tell them. They’ve no sooner left, than Rye shows up at the door, claiming to be a friend of Sam’s, looking for work. Emma welcomes him in, and feels immediately drawn to him. They start getting to know each other a bit, and even though he’s rather secretive about his reasons for being there, she trusts him. Eventually she realizes that there are things about Rye that remind her of Sam and begins to suspect that he may be Sam’s long lost brother. When her ex starts making threatening phone calls, she all but begs Rye to stay and he agrees, but only until Sam returns. Even though he’s considerably older than her and possibly her adoptive father’s brother, Emma can’t seem to help falling for Rye. But then her ex escalates things by breaking into her house, resulting in Rye protecting her the only way he knows how and ending up in jail. Emma fights hard to keep him from going back to prison, but even if she succeeds, she failed to tell him that she’s only eighteen, while he’s thirty-three, and the age difference may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle to an HEA.
I have to admit that there were a number times that Emma frustrated me. For starters, she lets Rye into her home and trusts him implicitly in spite of what just happened with her ex-boyfriend and her biological mother’s history of abuse at the hands of her biological father, something that Rye himself chided her for more than once. I just didn’t feel like the author established strong enough reasons for her doing so. She eventually realizes that Rye reminds her of Sam and suspects they’re brothers, but still she didn’t even know him. Emma also has a martyr complex when it comes to what happens with her ex. I understand that many women blame themselves when abuse occurs, but her self-flagellation got to be a bit much after a while with her trying to take responsibility for every bad thing that occurs, even when Rye and her family keep telling her it’s not her fault. Then much later in the story, when Emma has lost hope that a relationship with Rye will ever materialize, she decides to try to forget him by getting drunk and losing her virginity to some dude she barely knows, which again, given her background seemed like a foolhardy move on her part. She even admits that she tried to do it with some other guy at college who she’d been seeing for a while and couldn’t, so why she thought this would work better, I couldn’t really fathom. It just seemed like a weak set-up for Rye to come to her rescue when the guy gets a little rough with her. But the thing that really bugged me is that all throughout the story, Emma keeps touting that she’s very mature for her age, because she had to grow up so fast when she was younger. However, after she and Rye finally make love for the first time, she behaves like an immature teenager, running away from him in embarrassment (something I didn’t really get at all since it’s what she’d wanted for years) and then refusing to answer his calls or have a mature conversation with him about it. Emma is a kind, caring person, so I didn’t exactly dislike her, but she often didn’t make much sense and definitely wasn’t a standout heroine for me either.
Rye was adopted by a couple who rejected his older brother, Sam. He was too young to remember much and they changed his name, so he didn’t learn the truth about his background until his teens. It upended his life and led him to get into some trouble with the law. However, a stint in juvie ended with a felony manslaughter conviction for killing another kid who was trying to kill him, and he spent ten years in prison for it. Since getting out, he’s been trying to live on the straight and narrow and got a job in construction. Rye recently decided to start searching for his brother, but he’s running out of Sam McRaes when he ends up on Emma’s doorstep. He doesn’t have much faith that this is the right Sam either, and even if he is, that Sam will want anything to do with him. The only problem is, the man isn’t even home and according to Emma might not be back for some time. However, Emma welcomes him in a way he wouldn’t have expected under the circumstances. He’s deeply attracted to her, but when he finds out she’s just a college student, he figures she’s too young for him. But things start to heat up between them anyway when he decides to stay after finding out what her boyfriend did and that he’s still stalking her. When the ex breaks into the house, Rye once again finds himself fighting for his and Emma’s lives against someone who’s trying to do them harm, and it ends with him in jail and possibly going back to prison for violating parole. He’s surprised when both Emma and Sam go to bat for him, but even if they can get him off the hook, he’s now become aware that Emma is only eighteen and the age difference doesn’t prove to be an easy thing to overlook. Overall, I liked Rye pretty well. He’s a chivalrous guy who wants to protect Emma right from the start even though he barely knows her. I appreciated that he also wanted to give her some time to experience life and grow up a little before getting into a lasting relationship.
After finishing The Edge of Heaven, I found myself having mixed feelings about it. I’m not usually bothered by age-gap romances like some readers are, but this is the first time I’ve read one that wasn’t a historical in which there’s such a big age difference and the heroine is still a teenager at the beginning. It’s also the only one I can recall reading in which there was some kind of familial connection. Granted she is a legal adult and in college, and in spite of Rye being her adoptive dad’s brother, he and Emma had only just met, so it wasn’t like she’d grown up around him. However, I have to admit, it all still felt a little strange. I suppose things like this occasionally do happen in real life, though, so I guess it wasn’t that bad. Given the subject matter, I’d say the author handled it as sensitively as she could have without entirely changing the story. She fast-forwards two and a half years until Emma is twenty-one and finishing college before allowing things to really progress between her and Rye, so that was a good thing. Also, during that time apart, Rye and Emma’s feelings for one another never changed even though they both tried to fight them, so it was clear that they were crazy in love. I enjoyed the small town vibe of the story and the close-knit ties within the McRae family are heartwarming. I got a little teary when the entire extended family welcomed Rye that first Christmas, giving him something he’d never really known he was missing. The plot is rather slow-paced with the main excitement being Emma’s ex coming after them, and then at the end, when Rye and Emma finally get together. I waffled a bit on whether to rate it lower than I did due to my misgivings, but ultimately decided not to. Overall, I thought it was a decent story as long as the reader won’t have issues with the somewhat taboo nature of it all.
"3.5 stars" The Edge of Heaven is the second book in Teresa Hill’s McRaes series. This one follows Sam and Rachel’s oldest adopted daughter, Emma, who has just returned home from her freshman year of college for the holidays. She’s also running away from an abusive boyfriend, but when she arrives home to find her family urgently leaving to go help an aunt, she chooses not to tell them yet. They’ve no sooner left, then a stranger shows up at the door. Rye is in Baxter searching for the older brother he barely remembers. He isn’t even sure he has the right Sam McRae when he knocks on Emma’s door, but even though he’s keeping his real reason for being there on the down-low, she warmly welcomes him into her home and life. Emma immediately takes to Rye and feels safer when he’s there, especially when her ex-boyfriend begins stalking her. When he finds out that the details of this Sam don’t match the records he found of his brother, Rye plans on leaving town, but when he discovers that Emma was abused by a young man who won’t leave her alone, he decides to stay just until her family gets back. One thing leads to another and they start falling for each other, but then Emma’s ex shows up, leading to a fight that could put Rye back in prison for a long time. Even if he can avoid jail time, when Sam and the rest of the family finally return, he discovers the truth that Emma was reluctant to tell him. She’s much younger than he suspected and between the significant age gap between them and their familial connection, it seems that their budding romance may be doomed unless they can figure out a way to smooth things over with Sam.
Emma and her two younger siblings were adopted by Sam and Rachel (Twelve Days) when she was eleven. Seven years have passed and she’s now a college freshman. After her boyfriend knocked her around, she rushed home to Baxter, hoping for the love and support of her family, only to find them leaving in a hurry to help an aunt who is experiencing a dangerous pregnancy. Not wanting to further burden them during this difficult time, she chooses not to tell them. They’ve no sooner left, than Rye shows up at the door, claiming to be a friend of Sam’s, looking for work. Emma welcomes him in, and feels immediately drawn to him. They start getting to know each other a bit, and even though he’s rather secretive about his reasons for being there, she trusts him. Eventually she realizes that there are things about Rye that remind her of Sam and begins to suspect that he may be Sam’s long lost brother. When her ex starts making threatening phone calls, she all but begs Rye to stay and he agrees, but only until Sam returns. Even though he’s considerably older than her and possibly her adoptive father’s brother, Emma can’t seem to help falling for Rye. But then her ex escalates things by breaking into her house, resulting in Rye protecting her the only way he knows how and ending up in jail. Emma fights hard to keep him from going back to prison, but even if she succeeds, she failed to tell him that she’s only eighteen, while he’s thirty-three, and the age difference may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle to an HEA.
I have to admit that there were a number times that Emma frustrated me. For starters, she lets Rye into her home and trusts him implicitly in spite of what just happened with her ex-boyfriend and her biological mother’s history of abuse at the hands of her biological father, something that Rye himself chided her for more than once. I just didn’t feel like the author established strong enough reasons for her doing so. She eventually realizes that Rye reminds her of Sam and suspects they’re brothers, but still she didn’t even know him. Emma also has a martyr complex when it comes to what happens with her ex. I understand that many women blame themselves when abuse occurs, but her self-flagellation got to be a bit much after a while with her trying to take responsibility for every bad thing that occurs, even when Rye and her family keep telling her it’s not her fault. Then much later in the story, when Emma has lost hope that a relationship with Rye will ever materialize, she decides to try to forget him by getting drunk and losing her virginity to some dude she barely knows, which again, given her background seemed like a foolhardy move on her part. She even admits that she tried to do it with some other guy at college who she’d been seeing for a while and couldn’t, so why she thought this would work better, I couldn’t really fathom. It just seemed like a weak set-up for Rye to come to her rescue when the guy gets a little rough with her. But the thing that really bugged me is that all throughout the story, Emma keeps touting that she’s very mature for her age, because she had to grow up so fast when she was younger. However, after she and Rye finally make love for the first time, she behaves like an immature teenager, running away from him in embarrassment (something I didn’t really get at all since it’s what she’d wanted for years) and then refusing to answer his calls or have a mature conversation with him about it. Emma is a kind, caring person, so I didn’t exactly dislike her, but she often didn’t make much sense and definitely wasn’t a standout heroine for me either.
Rye was adopted by a couple who rejected his older brother, Sam. He was too young to remember much and they changed his name, so he didn’t learn the truth about his background until his teens. It upended his life and led him to get into some trouble with the law. However, a stint in juvie ended with a felony manslaughter conviction for killing another kid who was trying to kill him, and he spent ten years in prison for it. Since getting out, he’s been trying to live on the straight and narrow and got a job in construction. Rye recently decided to start searching for his brother, but he’s running out of Sam McRaes when he ends up on Emma’s doorstep. He doesn’t have much faith that this is the right Sam either, and even if he is, that Sam will want anything to do with him. The only problem is, the man isn’t even home and according to Emma might not be back for some time. However, Emma welcomes him in a way he wouldn’t have expected under the circumstances. He’s deeply attracted to her, but when he finds out she’s just a college student, he figures she’s too young for him. But things start to heat up between them anyway when he decides to stay after finding out what her boyfriend did and that he’s still stalking her. When the ex breaks into the house, Rye once again finds himself fighting for his and Emma’s lives against someone who’s trying to do them harm, and it ends with him in jail and possibly going back to prison for violating parole. He’s surprised when both Emma and Sam go to bat for him, but even if they can get him off the hook, he’s now become aware that Emma is only eighteen and the age difference doesn’t prove to be an easy thing to overlook. Overall, I liked Rye pretty well. He’s a chivalrous guy who wants to protect Emma right from the start even though he barely knows her. I appreciated that he also wanted to give her some time to experience life and grow up a little before getting into a lasting relationship.
After finishing The Edge of Heaven, I found myself having mixed feelings about it. I’m not usually bothered by age-gap romances like some readers are, but this is the first time I’ve read one that wasn’t a historical in which there’s such a big age difference and the heroine is still a teenager at the beginning. It’s also the only one I can recall reading in which there was some kind of familial connection. Granted she is a legal adult and in college, and in spite of Rye being her adoptive dad’s brother, he and Emma had only just met, so it wasn’t like she’d grown up around him. However, I have to admit, it all still felt a little strange. I suppose things like this occasionally do happen in real life, though, so I guess it wasn’t that bad. Given the subject matter, I’d say the author handled it as sensitively as she could have without entirely changing the story. She fast-forwards two and a half years until Emma is twenty-one and finishing college before allowing things to really progress between her and Rye, so that was a good thing. Also, during that time apart, Rye and Emma’s feelings for one another never changed even though they both tried to fight them, so it was clear that they were crazy in love. I enjoyed the small town vibe of the story and the close-knit ties within the McRae family are heartwarming. I got a little teary when the entire extended family welcomed Rye that first Christmas, giving him something he’d never really known he was missing. The plot is rather slow-paced with the main excitement being Emma’s ex coming after them, and then at the end, when Rye and Emma finally get together. I waffled a bit on whether to rate it lower than I did due to my misgivings, but ultimately decided not to. Overall, I thought it was a decent story as long as the reader won’t have issues with the somewhat taboo nature of it all.
January 23, 2021
I found this book a bit slow in the beginning but ended up enjoying it. Ms Hill touched on sensitive issues in her first book and has carried them through to this book.
It was really great to read about the children from the first book and see how their past has shaped their lives.
It was really great to read about the children from the first book and see how their past has shaped their lives.
January 17, 2025
Nice romance. It’s book two of the McCrae series. I will probably read the entire series. In this one their adopted daughter Emma fall for all the wrong men. First one who abuses her then one who loves her is 15 years older with a past.
January 17, 2018
A little unbelievable but still an enjoyable read. A family you want to be a part of
August 15, 2018
The first half or so of the book was a good solid 4 stars. The second half was probably closer to 2. So I guess it averages out to 3.
April 6, 2021
Good read
The story of Emma and Rye was well told. Emma was all heart on her sleeves and Rye was the older tough guy hiding a gentle heart under a rugged demeanor.
The story of Emma and Rye was well told. Emma was all heart on her sleeves and Rye was the older tough guy hiding a gentle heart under a rugged demeanor.
February 1, 2025
17 year old girl and 35 year old kind of relatives fall in love!
May 9, 2013
oh, Rye and Emma. I think anyone who's ever been in love before, real true love, knows that live has no bounds. This book is just further proof of that. I have seen weird relationships before, some I thought were doomed from the beginning, only to see them going stronger than ever after 10 years.
I love this book. I love how they talk about Emma and her past. Sadly, it happens all the time, woman from abusive homes go in to date or marry , men that end up abusing them too. It's so hard to understand why women stay in those relationships, but I loved the way Emma explained it . The disappointment, shame, guilt, and humiliation. I think its hard for so many to actually realize thay they didn't do anything wrong.
super great book
I love this book. I love how they talk about Emma and her past. Sadly, it happens all the time, woman from abusive homes go in to date or marry , men that end up abusing them too. It's so hard to understand why women stay in those relationships, but I loved the way Emma explained it . The disappointment, shame, guilt, and humiliation. I think its hard for so many to actually realize thay they didn't do anything wrong.
super great book
January 31, 2014
This book was great, I love Older men/Younger women romances. The main characters are Emma who's 18 and Rye who's 33. Both of them assume they are older/younger than they actually are and before they figure it out it's too late, they've already fallen for each other. When Rye finds out her age and adds that to the fact that he's her long lost brother's adoptive daughter, he does everything he can to push her away, and hates himself for what has already passed. But Rye and Emma have an undeniable connection, they've both had a rough life and get each other the way no one else has or can. They understand and comfort each other, Rye makes Emma feel safe and Emma makes him feel not so alone in the world. I could not put this book down, I read it all in one afternoon, it was just that good.
January 25, 2013
Many reviewers have told the story line so I won't do this here.
I really enjoyed this novel, finding it poignant and realistic. Younger women do fall for older men and it does work out! I liked the fact that the couple do not have a relationship immediately (spoiler, I guess!. The hidden pain and yearnings for acceptance and closure for both Emma and Rye is something that many readers in including myself,can relate to in their childhood.
Well written and paced, this novel is a gem :)and I am currently reading the next in the series.
I really enjoyed this novel, finding it poignant and realistic. Younger women do fall for older men and it does work out! I liked the fact that the couple do not have a relationship immediately (spoiler, I guess!. The hidden pain and yearnings for acceptance and closure for both Emma and Rye is something that many readers in including myself,can relate to in their childhood.
Well written and paced, this novel is a gem :)and I am currently reading the next in the series.
December 30, 2014
I love it when I can find a book that makes me feel that clenching feeling around my heart/lungs area. I wish I knew what to call that, but its THE reason I read. To get that feeling. And this book was full of it. Full of the feeling, that is. I read book 1 about a year ago, and since I found out there is actually a series, I am flying thru the series so fast. I will be diving right into book 3 as soon as I am done here. I fully recommend this book, as well as the book before it. Awesomeness all over!!
December 28, 2015
I just finished this this morning. Love happens, just not usually to an 18 year old and a 34 year old. The situation is even more twisted knowing it's between the adopted daughter and the father's long lost brother. Throw in the girl's crazy woman beating ex boyfriend from college and the long lost brother's prison record and you have one romance with lots of twists and turns. The whole premise is unlikely, but the author still wrote a very enjoyable romance.
February 8, 2016
The Edge of Hell
This is a difficult book for me to review as it hits too close to home.
You know you have a good author when she makes everything so realistic. All the feelings were there, the PTSD was real. Anytime one goes through a traumatic experience, it's always lurking in the background with a thought word or deed. It NEVER goes away. I am 79 and living proof
This is a difficult book for me to review as it hits too close to home.
You know you have a good author when she makes everything so realistic. All the feelings were there, the PTSD was real. Anytime one goes through a traumatic experience, it's always lurking in the background with a thought word or deed. It NEVER goes away. I am 79 and living proof
December 31, 2012
It was good interesting story line wanted to see what happened so could not put it down. Another story to battle through a not so perfect life and problems to find love and bring out the good in people.
July 25, 2013
This romance has an unusual story and is cast over years. Some hot scenes, great characters, lovely ending.
The characters show growth and thought. Would recommend for anyone who wants a romance to read.
The characters show growth and thought. Would recommend for anyone who wants a romance to read.
November 4, 2013
I loved this book. even more than the first one. I loved how angsty it was and I love prohibited love, so that was just amazing. Poor Emma, she suffered a lot, but at least she got what she wanted at the end. I'm looking forward to the next book now.
November 13, 2013
Could not get behind this one. Didn't like the familial tie thing, and the age diff thing was just squicky (maybe she just spent too much time trying to justify it. The more she tried, the more I got squicked). Hill's writing was solid but I wanted more for Emma.
January 3, 2015
Another angsty read. Still, it's engaging and the characters are interesting. Had some problems with some bits of the storyline, but I let it go. But I do wish there was more about the relationship between Rye and Sam - it was shortchanged.
July 19, 2012
Teresa is slaying me with these stories.
November 1, 2012
This was the second book of this series... im not starting the third.... so far they have all been very good books... can't wait to finish this one and read the last of the series.
October 30, 2012
Not as good as it's prequel. I probably won't read the next in this series. Too much description. I skimmed a lot.
December 19, 2012
A man and a woman who weren't looking for romance, but hearts don't always operate on the same timetables as brains do.
January 2, 2013
Teresa Hill just keeps the awesomeness coming with this book. Twelve Kisses had me crying and this book kept the tears coming!
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