Jen Turano – The Pajama Chef

Happy Monday, everyone! I’m excited to be sharing another fun book with y’all. Can I say y’all now that I live in Nashville? That still sounds weird, btw. I’ve been told that even Northerners start saying it after awhile though! I haven’t said it out loud yet, but as I’ve been talking and say ‘all of you’ or something similar, have realized that I could rephrase things a bit… But anyways. The book of the day is Jen Turano’s A Most Peculiar Circumstance and I had the opportunity to read it thanks to Bethany House Publishers‘ awesome book review program.

Here is a description of the book from the publisher:

An avid supporter of the women’s suffrage movement, Miss Arabella Beckett’s driving passion in life is to aid downtrodden women. Her most recent act to that end, however, has landed her in more trouble than even she can manage.

Still, Arabella is loath to accept help—especially from the arrogant knight in shining armor her brother sent to fetch her. But she’s about to learn that private investigator Theodore Wilder is just as stubborn as she is. Has this feisty suffragette finally met her match?

…and as usual, my five point review:

I read Jen Turano’s first novel, A Change of Fortune, earlier this year. This book is the sequel, and let me tell you… it is just as funny as the first one. These books are the first two in the series, and they are just great. Jen Turano is just so talented and comes up with great content for her novels.
The premise of the book, as you can tell from the description, is rooted in two things: the suffrage movement of the 1880s, and the blossoming romance between Arabella and Theodore. What I loved about this was just how well written, non-pushy, and non-feminist the portions about the suffrage movement were. Sometimes when things get too feminist, I am just turned off even though I agree with many of the ideals [especially historically with the vote]. I know that’s a touchy subject so I won’t get into too many details, but I felt this subject was treated with care and I appreciated that.
However, one part of the book that I just didn’t like was the romance aspect. I know! So rare for me. I think the story just turned into a full blown battle of the sexes between Arabella and her friends and Theodore and his. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for that kind of banter [1880s style], but it just kind of annoyed me. Perhaps it was also Arabella’s stubborn nature that did it too…
Speaking of stubbornness, I loved the theme of redemption and grace woven through the plot as Arabella works through her stubbornness and lack of love to those around her. The restoration of some of her relationships is just so cool to see!
All in all, this was a fun read even though parts were annoying. 🙂 Jen Turano is definitely an author to keep reading and check out if you haven’t already!

What are you reading lately?

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts expressed above are entirely my own. Thanks to Bethany House for the chance to read this great book!

Happy Book Review Day! Okay, that’s not really a holiday but I have a fun book to review today–A Change of Fortune by Jen Turano. This is a title received from the blogging review program offered by Bethany House Publishers.

Here is a description of the book from the publisher:

Lady Eliza Sumner has lost everything—her father, her fiancé, her faith, and now her fortune. Masquerading as Miss Eliza Sumner, governess-at-large, she’s on a mission to find the man who ran off with her inheritance and reclaim what’s rightfully hers.

When Eliza’s hapless attempts at her fortune’s recovery unexpectedly put her right in the path of New York society’s most eligible bachelor, Mr. Hamilton Beckett, sparks instantly begin to fly. But when their best-laid plans fall by the wayside, it will take a riot of complications for them to realize that God may have had a better plan in mind all along.

As usual… my five point review! 🙂

First of all–Jen Turano is hilarious! The style of this book [and I don’t know if this is a legit writing category or not, but it’s the best reference I found online] is historical romantic comedy. I guess it’s a style because rom coms are a type of movies, so it only makes sense that they could be books too. Seriously though, the antics that Eliza and her friend Agatha get into as the mystery of the story progresses are absolutely laugh out loud hilarious. I loved this book! It was just so light and fun.
This book is set in 1880, and reading about this time period is so fun. I’ve never been to NYC, but love seeing the city’s growth of this time through the eyes of a feisty British woman. I can’t imagine the sheer amount of culture shock a woman of her stature would actually have gone through if this story was real!
The story’s point of view switches mainly between Eliza and Hamilton, and this makes for a good balance for the fast paced storyline. There is never much confusion over where you are and the knowledge that each character has at a moment in time is appropriate. I appreciate this attention to detail by the author.
Though this is a Christian novel, its tone is not at all preachy. It’s clean and there are themes of faith [especially, and predictably, Eliza exploring what faith in God is], but overall, it is a fun tale of intrigue, mystery, and romance. It’s definitely a Christian novel for those who are looking for it, but if you aren’t, I still think you’d appreciate it.
To sum it up, this was pretty much the perfect book for me. The last page of the book had one of those… if you like this book, you’ll also like… pages. Guess what the three books were? None other than Against the Tide, Unending Devotion, and Love in Disguise. Fitting, huh? 🙂 Perfect, I think. You can’t go wrong with this book! The next book in the series comes out in June. #cantwait

P.S. You can download a free novella written by Jen Turano online from Amazon here. Gentleman of Her Dreams is a companion novella to this book.

What are you reading lately?