"A CLASS OF THEIR OWN" SERIES
PLAYING THE PART by Jen Turano
"One of the funniest voices in the inspirational
genre."--Booklist
Lucetta Plum is an actress on the rise in New York City, but is forced to
abandon her starring role when a fan's interest turns threatening. Lucinda's
widowed friend, Abigail Hart, is delighted at the opportunity to meddle in
Lucetta's life and promptly whisks her away to her grandson's estate to hide
out.
Bram Haverstein may appear to simply be a somewhat eccentric gentleman of
means, but a mysterious career and a secret fascination with a certain actress
mean there's much more to him than society knows.
Lucetta, who has no interest in Abigail's matchmaking machinations, has the
best intentions of remaining cordial but coolly distant to Bram. But when she
can't ignore the strange and mysterious things going on in his house, it'll take
more than good intentions to keep her from trying to discover who Bram is behind
the part he plays.
MY REVIEW: Awesome
author Jen Turano scores another solid hit with "Playing the Part", Book 3 in
her "A Class of Their Own Series". Thanks to her less than parental stepfather,
Nigel Wolfe, young actress Lucetta Plum must abandon her rising career on the
New York City
stage and flee from his disastrous gambling debts. Lucetta's friend, Abigail
Hart, finds refuge for Lucetta at the estate of Abigail's grandson, Bram
Haverstein. An immediate sparky attraction ensues between Lucetta and Bram, but
which of them is the better actor? Each of them is playing a role, and all
around them strange occurrences and quirky characters, including a misogynist
goat named Geoffrey, swirl with ever-compounding mystery. Behind the masquerade,
a real romance is being written, but with all the obstacles to overcome, will
the ending be one of lasting love and happiness? Ms. Turano effortlessly mixes
humor, romance, mystery, and faith into a perfectly-blended and entertaining
read. As a storyteller, Jen Turano is in a "class of her own". Highly
recommended.
Review Copy Gratis Bethany House Books
IN
GOOD COMPANY by Jen Turano
After growing up as an orphan, Millie Longfellow is determined to become the
best nanny the East Coast has ever seen. Unfortunately, her playfulness and
enthusiasm aren't always well-received and she finds herself dismissed from yet
another position. Everett Mulberry has quite unexpectedly become guardian to
three children that scare off every nanny he hires. About to depart for Newport,
Rhode Island, for the summer, he's desperate for competent childcare. At wit's
end with both Millie and Everett, the employment agency gives them one last
chance--with each other. As Millie falls in love with her mischievous charges,
Everett focuses on achieving the coveted societal status of the upper echelons.
But as he investigates the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of the
children's parents, will it take the loss of those he loves to learn whose
company he truly wants for the rest of his life?
MY REVIEW: Fans of author Jen Turano are "In Good Company"
with Book Two in the "A Class of Their Own" series. Millie Longfellow's
childhood as an orphan gave her the determination and insight to become a nanny
extraordinaire. However, her spirited nature and sense of fun don't mesh with
the conventional ideal of a nanny, and after one too many dismissals, her hopes
are dimmed for success in her chosen career. Everett Mulberry has unexpectedly
become the guardian for three wildly unmanageable children who have run off
every nanny sent by the agency. Acquainted with Miss Longfellow, whom he
considers to be charming, disastrous, and distinctly unsuitable for caring for
his wards, he is forced by circumstances to hire Millie for a summer in Newport,
Rhode Island. Since both Millie and Everett are quite verbal in their opinions
of each other, Millie is aware of his disdain for her capabilities. However,
they are left little choice other than to throw their lot in together, and she
soon becomes nanny to his wards. As Millie and the children get to know each
other and become fond friends, Everett works toward his goal of
societal acceptance and the hand of his chosen lady, Miss Caroline Dixon. His
personal investigation into the suspicious deaths of the children's parents
brings into sharper focus what really matters in life. Are his ideas and goals
for his own happiness beginning to change shape? As his appreciation and
admiration for Millie grows, could love be blooming between them? As always, Jen
Turano's writing inspires and entertains, and laughter is most definitely good
for the romance-lover's soul.
Review Copy Gratis Bethany House Books
AFTER
A FASHION BY Jen Turano
Miss Harriet Peabody dreams of the day she can open up a shop selling
refashioned gowns to independent working women like herself. Unfortunately, when
an errand for her millinery shop job goes sadly awry due to a difficult
customer, she finds herself out of an income. Mr. Oliver Addleshaw is on the
verge of his biggest business deal yet when he learns his potential partner
prefers to deal with men who are settled down and wed. When Oliver witnesses his
ex not-quite-fiance cause the hapless Harriet to lose her job, he tries to make
it up to her by enlisting her help in making a good impression on his business
partner. Harriet quickly finds her love of fashion can't make her fashionable.
She'll never truly fit into Oliver's world, but just as she's ready to call off
the fake relationship, fancy dinners, and elegant balls, a threat from her past
forces both Oliver and Harriet to discover that love can come in the most
surprising packages.
MY REVIEW: Author Jen Turano begins her new "A Class of
Their Own" series with the delightful "After a Fashion". Harriet Peabody knows
how to take a leftover or discarded item and make the most of it, turning into
something stylish and eye-catching. Her dream is to make life brighter for women
like herself, working women of limited resources, by selling "reimagined" gowns
and accessories that she has refreshed and refurbished. Toiling away in a
millinery shop, working for someone else, is just the means to an end until she
is able to achieve her goals. However, the end of her employment comes sooner
than expected through the histrionics of a most difficult customer. Oliver
Addleshaw is an ambitious businessman whose potential prime partner prefers his
associates to settled, married men. When the woman who has thrust herself into
Oliver's life with marriage on her own mind is the cause of Harriet losing her
job, he offers Harriet a reprieve from her unfortunate circumstances. If she
will pose as his fiancée while he makes a favorable impression upon the
gentleman with whom he greatly wishes to do business, he will pay her well and
provide for her necessities. After Oliver makes her an offer she finds
impossible to turn down, their own "partnership" begins, but it's a long, bumpy
road to reach the desired destination. Harriet and Oliver cannot refrain from
verbal jousting, and the very forthright Harriet frequently stymies the most
opinionated Oliver. As the verbal spears soar, the sparks between them fly, and
the cut-and-dried business arrangement begins to blur around the edges and takes
on more personal overtones. When an unexpected revelation from Harriet's past
threatens future happiness, faith and devotion must remain steadfast. Does real
love exist amid the war of words between Harriet and Oliver? Is it strong enough
to hold fast through all attempts to undermine its strength? I have loved every
one Of Jen Turano's books, and "After a Fashion" is my favorite so far. I also
highly recommend her "Ladies of Distinction" series.
Review Copy Gratis Bethany House Books
"LADIES OF DISTINCTION"
SERIES
After his departure from New York two years ago to meet up with his
almost-fiancée, Zayne Beckett is the last person Agatha Watson wanted to stumble
upon in her travels as a reporter with the New York Tribune. Quite
pathetically bedraggled, he clearly needs to be taken in hand and sent back East
to his family. Although she no longer has feelings for him, Agatha realizes, by
hook or by crook, she'll have to be the one to get the obstinate man home. Zayne
has no desire to be taken anywhere and is prepared to drag his heels all the way
home... until he finds himself slipping back into the familiar banter of his
former friendship with Agatha. Once they arrive in New York, Zayne realizes
Agatha's determined nose for news has earned her a few enemies, and he hopes to
repay her help with some help of his own. When she rebuffs all his attempts to
prove himself a knight in shining armor, the lengths to which they'll go to win
this battle of wills lead to some memorable antics. Everyone else may think them
a match, but nothing could be further from the truth--until Agatha finds herself
in real trouble. Have these two stubborn, too-smart-for-their-own-good people
been meant for each other all along?
MY REVIEW: The "Ladies of
Distinction" series, from author Jen Turano, continues with an entertaining
"Match of Wits". Intrepid reporter Agatha Watson is traveling throughout the
West, searching for stories to send back to her employer, the New York Tribune.
She's also been forced to leave New York while threats against her life are
being investigated. Agatha doesn't just invite trouble, she actively seeks it
out. Accompanying her on her western trek are a bodyguard and a paid companion.
On a stop in Colorado, Agatha is shocked to come across Zayne Beckett, the
longtime friend who held a very special place in her heart. However, this is not
the Zayne she knew--the handsome, charming, society man--this is a dispirited,
disheveled, drunken man. She has not seen Zayne for two years--not since he left
New York to marry his childhood sweetheart in California. He had taken a piece
of Agatha's heart with him when he left. What could have brought him to this
state, and how can she help him to find his faith and find himself again? With
the full force of her considerable determination, Agatha vows to make Zayne once
again a whole man. Zayne can't believe that Agatha has found him, but he knows
he is not in the best of shape to be suitable for her company. Nonetheless, he
can't help but admire Agatha's spirit and fiery beauty, and the sparks that fly
between as they engage in verbal battle are highly enjoyable. If only there
weren't so many complications in each of their lives, they might find happiness
together. With faith and true love can they somehow find a way to grad hold of a
bright and beautiful future? I have greatly enjoyed each book in the "Ladies of
Distinction" series, and I highly recommend the wonderful storytelling of author
Jen Turano.
Review
Copy Gratis Bethany House Books
Miss Felicia Murdock firmly believed her destiny was to become
a minister's wife. When the minister on whom she had set her sights marries
another lady, Felicia is forced to take a close look at her life and comes to a
few uncomfortable conclusions. Determined that something needs to change--and
soon--Felicia discovers she is finally ready to spread her wings and embrace
life the way she's always wanted.
Grayson Sumner--or Lord Sefton, as he's officially known--has
had more than enough of spreading his wings and only hopes to settle into the
life of a normal, respectable New York gentleman. Prompted by some well-meaning
friends to lift the spirits of the disappointed-in-love Miss Murdock, he is
surprised to encounter a young lady who seems to have become quite adventurous
and quite determined to get herself into all sorts of troublesome situations.
Intent on remaining independent, Felicia is reluctant to accept Grayson's help,
especially as she finds herself developing feelings for him. However, just as
Grayson decides he's had quite enough of her antics, his past comes back to
haunt him and his presence in her life has endangered Felicia. Will Grayson and
Felicia decide they want to spend the rest of their lives keeping one another
out of trouble?
Miss Arabella Beckett has one driving passion: to help the
downtrodden women of America. Naturally, she supports the women's suffrage
movement and eagerly attends rallies and lectures across the country. On her
travels, she makes a simple offer of assistance to a young woman in need that
goes sadly awry and lands both ladies in more trouble than they can manage. An
independent sort, Arabella is loath to admit she needs help and certainly
doesn't need help from an arrogant, narrow-minded knight in shining armor. Mr.
Theodore Wilder, private investigator extraordinaire, is on a mission. A mission
that began as a favor to his good friend Hamilton Beckett, but swiftly evolved
into a merry chase across the country. By the time he finally tracks down
Hamilton's sister, Arabella, he is in a less than pleasant mood. When the lady
turns out to have radical ideas and a fiercely independent streak, he soon finds
himself at his wit's end. When they return home to New York, circumstances force
their paths to continue to cross, but the most peculiar feelings growing between
them certainly can't be love. When the trouble Arabella had accidentally stirred
up seems to have followed her to New York and threatens her very life, the
unlikely couple must face the possibility that they might have landed in the
most peculiar circumstance of all: love.
MY REVIEW: The writing of Jen Turano is a true
treat for readers. Her words sparkle on the page. Her heroines are fantastic,
feisty females who are strong-willed, high-spirited, and hilarious. In "A Most
Peculiar Circumstance", Arabella Beckett is a traveling suffragette whose
long-suffering family sends a private investigator to locate her and bring her
home in time for her brother's wedding. When she disappears, well-known
investigator Theodore Wilder finally locates Arabella--bedraggled, bespattered
with mud, and behind bars. Theodore is very much set in his opinion that a
woman's place is in the home as a wife and mother. Although the two of them
immediately stir each other's ire, and a fiery verbal battle ensues, there are
banked embers beneath the sparks--an attraction they both try to fight. Fate has
plans for Arabella and Theodore, however, and once they return to New York, they
continue to be drawn together like magnets to metal. The situation becomes
serious when they realize that Arabella didn't leave her troubles behind--she
brought them with her. Theodore is much more than a private investigator. He is
an agent for the United States government, and he is drawn into uncovering the
fiends behind the kidnapping and prostitution ring that Arabella had stumbled
upon. While he finds Arabella infuriating, he also finds her intriguing, and she
is no less beguiled by him. Can two people who have traveled such opposite
trails meet in the middle of the road and head in one direction toward true
happiness? Jen Turano's historical romances are written with great heart and
humor, and a welcome measure of faith.
Review Copy Gratis Author
Lady Eliza Sumner is on a mission. Her fortune was the last
thing she had left after losing her father, her fiancé, and her faith. Now,
masquerading as Miss Eliza Sumner, governess-at-large, she's determined to find
the man who ran off with her fortune, reclaim the money, and head straight back
to London. Mr. Hamilton Beckett, much to his chagrin, is the catch of the
season, and all the eyes of New York society—all the female ones, at least—are
on him. He has no plans to marry again, especially since his hands are full
keeping his business afloat while raising his two children alone. Eliza's
hapless attempts to regain her fortune unexpectedly put her right in Hamilton's
path. The discovery of a common nemesis causes them to join forces and, before
she knows it, Eliza has a whole retinue of people helping her. Eliza's
determination not to trust anyone weakens when everyone's antics and bumbling
efforts to assist her make her wonder if there might be more important things
than her fortune and independence. When all of Hamilton's and Eliza's best-laid
plans fall by the wayside, it will take a riot of complications for them to
realize that God just might have had a better plan in mind all along.
MY REVIEW: Delightful mischief and mayhem ensue when a
downtrodden and determined heiress leaves her home in England to follow her fate
to New York City of 1880. Lady Eliza Sumner struggles to endure the loss of her
father and her fiance, but when her fortune is misappropriated, she determines
to take matters into her own hands and regain her rightful inheritance. Posing
as a governess, complete with an unflattering "makeover", she searches for the
scoundrel who stole her family funds. Her quest inadvertently crosses her path
with that of Hamilton Beckett, a widower with two small children who is
considered to be "the catch" of the social elite. Hamilton's keen eye determines
that Eliza is far more than a governess, and eventually they discover that they
pursue a mutual enemy. After rescuing Eliza from an ill-advised investigatory
incident, Hamilton is struck with the realization that he is meant to keep Eliza
in his care. It seems Eliza's predilection for perilous predicaments brings out
his best "knight in shining armor" behavior, and he finds that he enjoys his
role as guardian. However the increasingly complex circumstances around Eliza's
stolen fortune and the mysterious death of Hamilton's first wife cause both
Eliza and Hamilton to ponder their own loss of religious faith. As the two of
them grow closer, their enemies draw ever near, and the love blooming between
them is threatened. Will Eliza regain what has been taken from her, or has she
found something even more precious? Will Hamilton overcome painful memories and
truly learn to trust his heart again? Has each incident in the chain of events
been part of a master plan to bring them together after all? "A Change of
Fortune" is a fast-paced, funny and thoughtful historical romance. Very
enjoyable. A prequel story, "A Gentleman of Her Dreams", is available as an
e-book novella.
Review Copy Gratis Library Thing
When Miss Charlotte Wilson asks God for a husband, she decides
He must want her to pursue Mr. Hamilton Beckett, the catch of the season. The
only problem? She's never actually met Hamilton. Fortunately, one of her oldest
and dearest friends, Mr. Henry St. James—who has returned to New York after a
two-year absence—does know Hamilton. Much to Henry's chagrin, Charlotte
immediately ropes him into helping her meet Hamilton. However, none of her plans
to catch Hamilton's eye go as she expected, and she is even more confused when
her old feelings for Henry begin to resurrect themselves. In the midst of the
mayhem Charlotte always seems to cause, she wonders if the gentleman of her
dreams might be an entirely different man than she thought.
This novella is a companion to A Change of Fortune,
Jen Turano's full-length debut
novel.
JEN TURANO
Jen Turano is a graduate of the University of Akron with a
degree in Clothing and Textiles. She pursued a career in management for nine
years before switching to full-time motherhood after the birth of her son. When
she's not writing, Jen can be found watching her teenage son participate in
various activities, taking long walks with her husband and dog, socializing with
friends, or delving into a good book. She lives in suburban Denver, Colorado.
Learn more at
www.jenturano.com.
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