About the Book
Title: Small Town Rumors
Author: Carolyn Brown
Release Date: July 3, 2018
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Genre: Contemporary RomanceSummary
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.
I quickly have to thank Montlake Romance for sending me a eArc of Small Town Rumors by Carolyn Brown for my review today.
I realized as I was sitting down to write this review that this is only my second book I have read of Carolyn Brown. She has written roughly a hundred books in various genres such as historical romance, cowboy romance, women’s fiction and contemporary romance which is one of my favorite genres to read when I get the chance.
Back in 2009 I read Lucky in Love and I did enjoy reading but at the time I wasn’t reading a whole lot of romance books so I never continued to read her books but I have to say that this is possibly one series I want to continue reading but as of right now I see that this is only a one time book but I can clearly see that there is so much more to this small town of Bloom, Texas and its residents.
I was instantly sucked into Small Town Rumors right from the get go and breezed through it fairly quickly although I think it needs to come with a have tissue on hand warning because you will definitely need it in the last 1/4 of the book. This literally came out of left field and I was crying as I was reading it. I wasn’t expecting that to happen.
Having spent almost 20+ years living in a small town I can honestly say that what Carolyn wrote was the god’s honest truth. Everyone knows everyone’s business almost before you even have the chance to take a breath. The rumors and gossip people would spread about their neighbors was crazy and trust me I have heard my fair share that was about my family and about other family’s and this was all before social media was around. If you had a party line then there was nothing off limits as your neighbors could pick up the phone and listen it.
I have to say that this small town gossip was the premise behind the book and it all worked well within the book and it was funny the things that would be said because everyone would believe a little lie or an exaggerated version of a situation.
The main character is Jennie Sue and for her entire life she has lived to please her parents and her husband but in all honesty it was never enough and Jennie Sue was beginning to realize that. Her mother is a true definition of a southern woman who has been taught her way of life from previous women and that is you be the perfect daughter who will eventually marry the perfect man and live happily ever after and you do nothing that will disgrace your name or your family’s.
Its not until Jennie Sue’s marriage ends in a divorce because her husband is a jerk in my opinion. He was a liar, cheater, control freak, abuser who took over on Jennie Sue life in New York. When she signed the divorce papers she was expecting so much more but ends up with basically nothing and is forced to go back home to Bloom, Texas on a bus. Which I have to say appalled her mother and she made it a point to let Jennie Sue know that she was bringing disgrace to the family name and it all comes to a head when her mother continues to belittle her that she can’t take it anymore.
Jennie Sue decides to leave the house and look for a job, since she isn’t allowed to work in her father’s company (because women don’t work) she decides to take any off job she can to make a living for herself just until she can figure things out because she really has no desire to stay in Bloom any longer then she needs to. Which all this upsets her mother and makes it known that what Jennie Sue is doing is causing rumors to be spread about her.
Jennie Sue is content with the way her life is going and more so when she starts making friends especially when she catches the eye of Rick who is someone she knows from high school who also has his own issues with life and the world in general and its nice to see this budding relationship grow between them and even between Nadine, Cricket and Lettie. Will Jennie Sue decide to stick around or will she ball the first chance she gets?
As the story progressed you got to see what a jerk her ex husband was and I am so happy that he actually left so that she could go back and rebuild the life she wanted even if it was against what her mother had wanted.
There is so much more I could say but I can’t because I will end up spoiling the ending so all I will say is that if your looking for a fun summer read I highly recommend this book.