This review was first posted on http://www.rubysreads.com. 
 It's no secret that I loved this book. The male lead--Jacian--was, after all, My Book Boyfriend this week. However. Even the hottest male lead can't carry a book all by himself. Though I'd be curious to know if anyone disagrees with me on that point. My enjoyment of this book came as a surprise to me. I'm generally wary of main characters who suffer from mental illness, and Cryer's Cross helped me to figure out why. For Kendall, her OCD is a integral part of her character, but it's not the whole of it. Compared to, Monk, whose character was entirely driven by his disorder, Kendall is practically normal. Of course, as Kendall herself states, OCD is different for everyone, and she's lucky that she's not a compulsive handwasher, like some. Kendall's OCD is an important part of the story, and of her character development. At times it really sucks--it inhibits and restricts her life in ways she can't control--it doesn't mean that she doesn't have room left in her for others interests or emotions. Obviously, since there's a Jacian. Yum. 
 The other thing I really admired about this book was the tense it was written in. I generally prefer first person narrative, and McMann uses third. I think she accomplished the immediacy, the connection that I enjoy with first person by writing in the present tense. It's incredibly different to write as though you're following events as it happens--although maybe that's just me, I don't know--and I was very impressed with the way that McMann pulled it off. It's also completely the right choice for this book. 
 Finally, a word for Cryer's Cross, the town. This is the second book I've read this year that has put real meaning to the words "small town." I don't know if I'd want to live in such a small community, but I definitely love reading about them. The world is so big these days, it's nice to visit a place where everyone knows everyone else, where they have big, town-wide barbecues and form search parties for missing people. If you've recently read The Gathering and are in serious withdrawals, I highly recommend this book. It's a wonderful example of what I love about Rural Fantasy.