Carolyn Brown comes to the blog today with a new release, all about second chances and revamping your life in the place where everyone knows who you are, and have done since childhood. Please read on for my review of
Small Town Rumors
Jennie Sue left Bloom, Texas as the “it girl”. Wealthy, well-mannered, social standout she’s gone to New York with her husband, bound to make a splash. But now, her husband outed as a lying, cheating thief, she’s back in Bloom, in her mother’s house, with a marriage that’s fallen apart, no direction and a handful of alimony cheques that are tagged ‘Insufficient Funds”. Of course, Jennie Sue wasn’t prepared for her fall from grace, and she’s never really been her own person – from her mother’s iron-fisted control to her husband doing the same – she’s tired of the superficial, the constraints and above all, the gossip.
Rick Lawson has come back to town after years in the military ended with an IED. He’s living and working at the family farm, and he runs the bookmobile – making a life for himself that wasn’t in his plans. The former star in high school, he’s working on a very different life for himself, and he keeps running into Jennie Sue.
After moving away from her mother’s constant criticisms and expectations, Jennie Sue is busily trying to find her own direction: living her life for others has always been her go-to, but now she’s determined to be ‘all grown up”, find her own path and do whatever it takes to make people see her as Jennie Sue – not ‘THE Jennie Sue”. Her new jobs – housekeeping and working in a bookstore, a small above-the-garage apartment, and a flirtation that may be more all make her days more exciting, even if the challenges are never-ending and the gossips never stop.
Several twists and turns, some unnecessary, add to the conflicts and struggles here: it was enough to see Jennie Sue reach for her own new life and overcome the negativity, and her interactions with the “older ladies” in town, with their own memories, desires and advice was lovely. A solid small-town feel with a rather predictable series of events, it was a nice read and perfect to while away a few hours.
Title: Small Town Rumors
Author: Carolyn Brown
Genre: Contemporary Woman's Fiction, Romantic Elements, Second Chance
Published by: Montlake Romance
ISBN: 1503902358
Published on: 3 July, 2018
Format:eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Pages: 302
Audio Length: 8 Hours: 24 minutes
Rated:
Heat:
Get Your Copy: Amazon ♦ Barnes&Noble ♦ IndieBound ♦Audible From New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown comes a funny heartache of a novel about overcoming the past, confronting the future, and defying all expectations.
Everyone is talking about Jennie Sue Baker and the mess she made of her life in New York. The former high school queen bee—and wealthy darling of Bloom, Texas—has returned home after all these years, riding on a common bus and bearing two bounced alimony checks. In a town that thrives on gossip, Jennie’s fall from grace has shamed her mother, set the town buzzing, and caused old, jealous enemies to whisper in delight. They say she’s taken a job as a housekeeper, gotten a garage apartment, and might be crushing on Rick Lawson, a simple farmer with modest dreams.
As romance starts to bud, Jennie relishes what it means to follow her heart, find real new friends, and finally be herself—regardless of all the lying town chatter. But fate has another twist in store. Rumor has it that Jennie now stands to lose what matters most…unless she can convince Rick of one true thing—and that’s love.
A copy of this title was provided via Publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
One response to “Small Town Rumors by Carolyn Brown”
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Sounds like a really good book, and I love the cover.