Emily, a young Quaker woman, has a lot to handle while running her family's farm on her own, not to mention her duty as the mistress of a safe house along the Underground Railroad. It may or may not be too soon for Emily to anticipate a marriage proposal from a young farmer nearby, but besides that, war in her country and news regarding her farm may plunge her into a future she isn't ready for in Romance on the River by author Mary Ellis.

Now, despite the title, I wouldn't call this short read a romance. The focus of this prequel isn't centered on Emily's relationship with the farmer she loves but rather on Emily's overall situation as an orphan who's suddenly had the weight of so much responsibility placed on her shoulders while war has broken out in the country.

Even though the circumstances are dire (even more dire than the characters could know, as the Civil War has only just begun), the read makes a little room for comedy, and there's sass in Emily's sense of humor. And I appreciate her conviction that no matter how "well" some masters treat the enslaved people in their charge, the institution of slavery itself is still "an abomination."

This prequel isn't a short story so much as its a prelude to a story. There's no resolve to this layered and intriguing setup—a setup for the novel that follows. I'm not ashamed to say that if I'd first come across the cover of the novel, The Quaker and the Rebel, I would have skipped right over it, as there's nothing about a man in a Confederate soldier uniform that attracts me, particularly if the image is made to look romantic.

But now being familiar with who Emily is (and hearing that the hero in the following story isn't what he seems), I might check the novel out sometime. ( )

Mary Ellis is a genius!

This eBook whetted my appetite for the full story in a way that was very surprising indeed.

I have never been a fan of Civil War era romance, or for anything about the Civil War era, in fact.

But after reading this tantalizing tome, I simply had to read the book that it gave me just a peek into!

And it does not matter how short the story may be, it was expertly written – giving the reader just enough information without spoiling anything about the novel to come.

In point of fact, it gives us a glimpse into the start of Miss Harrison’s journey that makes “The Quaker and the Rebel” that much more appealing.

Don’t miss it – especially since it’s FREE!

You can download this short prequel on a number of eBook retailer sites and I have linked as many of them as I could find in the review on my blog. Nearly all of them support an app or a reading program that will work on your e-reader, tablet, phone or even your computer.

Happy hunting!
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