(Petticoats and Pistols Series Book 3)
STORY-LINE:
In the Rumor Mill by author Emma Harper, we find Constance Williams resident of Leiper’s Fork. We also see, Constance. Unfortunately, her appearance is far from pretty; she has a massive gap in her front teeth, and her face is odd, bordering on ugly. While her sister, Odette, received all the beauty in William’s gene pool; she did not receive a heart of goodness, kindness, or unselfishness. For Odette is as mean as a snake and as wily as the coyote.
Constance, always the one “less,” has a good heart, a kind and helping spirit. She is less than pretty, less than loved, less than wanted, and used as a maid by her mother and sister. When Odette manages to have her accused of stealing, her life goes from bad to worse. Finding a copy of Matrimonial News on the street, she writes to a man who states he is not handsome. Finding life unbearable, she heads to Wyoming as a mail-order bride for Emmett Thompson. When Odette hears of her coming marriage, she and mother are determined it will never happen. Heading to Wyoming, they continue the lies and try to ruin Constance’s chance for happiness.
Will Constance find the love and acceptance she has always wanted? Or will the lying beautiful Odette turn Emmett against her? My romance book reviews follow.
CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, DEVELOPMENT:
Although a short tale, do not despair as Harper included 15 other stories in this collection for a total of 946 pages; quite a deal for 99 cents. I found this drama refreshing and original as it does not contain the usual handsome hero and beautiful heroine. Instead, the reader finds two lonely, almost, ugly people who desperately want relief from the loneliness with love, marriage, and family. I could feel Constance’s hurt as she faced the rumors in Leiper’s Fork; knowing she was innocence and her sister was behind the theft.
Rumors once started take on a gusto their own as Harper demonstrates. Odette’s a character you will love to hate; I wanted to smack her silly. As for her mother, don’t even get me started. Talk about two peas in a pod of vileness. Not only were her mother and sister vile, but her father was also a weak, weak excuse, for a father.
I don’t think Emmett realized how ugly he appeared to others, as he felt there were uglier men in town. But beauty is only skin deep, for Emmett has a heart of gold and the intelligence to ferret out the truth.
MY OPINION:
In conclusion, I found a heart-wrenching tale of two people seeking their happy ever after. The pace was smooth and steady and development of the characters and length of the story inline with the tale.
I cried reading Rumor Mill, it touched me so profoundly. While most people fall into the middle class in appearance, there are those of us who are almost ugly; noses too large, big ears which stick out, non-script hair, and bushy eyebrows. However, the people in Wyoming never commented on Emmett’s appearance; I think they saw the person inside. This short story is a clean, wholesome read filled with emotion, controversy, and villains. I would not hesitate to buy this collection for my self or a friend.
RECOMMENDATION: STARS 4
Not only is this collection an excellent buy for 99 cents as you receive 946 pages having 15 more stories, but I also found it suitable for anyone who enjoys clean emotional storylines.
ALSO, PLEASE NOTE:
Additionally, I borrowed this collection from Kindle Unlimited and voluntarily chose to review with honest romance book reviews voluntarily. Hence, opinions of any novel are dependent on the author’s opinion. Consequently, all book discussions online and on my blog, are my opinions.
OTHER HARPER BOOKS ON MY BLOG:
CLICK ON TITLE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: