Review: A different twist on Mail-Order Bride theme
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 19, 2014
THE NOT QUITE MAIL-ORDER BRIDE, by Leah Atwood is aptly named.  Caroline is postmistress in her small town, a job she worked very hard to obtain when her husband (who held the job before her) passed away.  She's self-supporting, literate, and has friends in her town.  One special friend is Wyatt, who breaks her heart when he asks her help in writing a letter as advertisement in a 'fancy Eastern newspaper' for a mail-order bride.  Caroline would prefer Wyatt court her, instead.  She's finally ready to consider marriage again....but is interested only in Wyatt.  It's a sweet premise.This short story is true to its 'sweet' rating (by the author).  It's very clean, both in language and in content.  Appropriate for all ages.  A light theme of Christianity flavors the story, but it's not overwhelming.  I think those who prefer clean romance but don't necessarily like Christian Romance will find this one to their liking.The writing was good.  It was good to see natural consequences from Caroline's choices...and good to see her make a choice early in the story to do the right thing (although it wasn't easy).  A few typos & errors snagged my attention.  My biggest reason for 3 star rating (rather than 4) is the story line simply didn't grab me.  I never felt much of anything for either main character, though I wanted to care about their outcome, their feelings, their growing love for one another.  It's a light story with very little conflict (and no villain) which simply doesn't allow for a lot of emotional investment from readers.Recommended for those who are selective about content (this is truly a Sweet romance), or are looking for a quick read without any angst.