Most Peculiar Circumstance by Jen Turano - Review

FTC required disclosure: I received this book in exchange for my opinion. This post contains some book advertising.

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.

Available online at Bethany House Publishers or Deeper Shopping

 

My Thoughts:

My daughter read the first book in this series and loved it, so this one caught my eye. I had never read any books by Jen Turano before. There were parts of this book that held my attention, and honestly parts that did not. Arabella is an independent woman in the days of the suffrage movement and very involved in it. She travels across the country giving lectures and attempting to further the cause. There is a battle going on between the feminists and male chauvinists in the book, to a certain extent even between husband and wives. Arabella has a worthy cause in that she desires to see women treated more respectfully and allowed to play a more important part in society. She loves God and has a burden for the women He created that live on the streets. At times she comes off with an I'm-better-than-you-attitude and instead of making an impression, she distances the women. But, in her favor, she also searches her heart and seeks to change. Theodore is a gentleman but mostly chauvinistic and believes women should not be so outspoken. Yet, he is intrigued and fascinated by Arabella's strength of character. The outcome to the plot is pretty much a given. It includes quite a bit of humor, and a hint of mystery. Overall I enjoyed this book. Although the book is second in a series, it most certainly can stand alone. Keep your eyes open for the next book, A Talent for Trouble, coming in the fall.

About the Author:

Jen Turano is the author of A Change of Fortune and A Most Peculiar Circumstance, along with the newest book coming in the fall - A Talent for Trouble. She grew up enjoying books such as Nancy Drew and Trixie Beldon. She spent some time working in the fashion industry before embracing life as a stay at home mom and author. You can learn more about her and her book by visiting her website: http://jenturano.com/

A big thanks to Bethany House for providing me this book to review. All opinions are my own.