Jen Turano: Finding Margo

By Kelly Bridgewater

Off the charts and on the run.

International pop star Margo Hartman could use a night off. A grueling tour and overbearing entourage have sent her over the edge. It's time for this diva to disappear. And who would think to look for the superstar in a small Dutch town in Ohio?

Sheriff's deputy Brock Moore is undercover as well. He knows Margo isn't who she appears to be, but her uncanny resemblance to a local Amish woman is raising all sorts of questions... the kind that make her a target for a killer.

Both are determined to find answers, but their mutual attraction stands in the way of either of them doing it alone.

Is finding Margo the solution to Brock's problems or just the beginning...?

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I have read all of Jen Turano's Gilded Age historical romances and enjoyed them thoroughly. She features brave heroines who are not afraid to stand up to the men in their lives and reach for their ultimate goals in life. She brings the time period and setting to life with her writing. As an end result, I figured I knew what I was expecting when I picked up another Turano novel.

Jen Turano is a good writer who uses concise words to invite her readers into the story. This time around in her latest novel, Finding Margo, is a contemporary novel set in a Amish community located in Ohio. Usually with Turano's novels, I have no problem imagining the setting. This time around Turano uses vague descriptions that left much to the imagination. I had to use my stereotypical ideas to create the setting. Also, she does a good job at staying in Margo and Brock's point of view. They never cross and interrupt each other.

The problems I had was with the plot and the characters. The plot has been done a number of times.  I figured out the ending the moment Margo entered the town and noticed it all looked familiar. While the suspense with her being shot at might have ramped up the tension, I really didn't see it that way. It felt odd and out place in this novel. I had no problem staying glued to the story, but it was completely predictable. On the other hand, the characters appeared really one-dimensional. I didn't feel bad for rich, rock star Margo who finds out the truth about her past. She seemed fake and careless. With Brock, the hero, he is in town to help solve the murder of her sister-in-law, but there appears to be something not mentioned with him.

Turano reminds the readers about God waiting for everyone to return to him in time. It wasn't preachy, but it was a gentle reminder that God always loves us. Even though this book wasn't for me, I still believe the novel will be enjoyed immensely by fans of contemporary romance books. Not for the romantic suspense fans because the story doesn't rely on the suspense that much.

In conclusion, Jen Turano's Finding Margo is a well-written novel about returning to God, but I had a hard time with the predictable and unoriginal plot riddled with lackluster characters.

I received a complimentary copy of Jen Turano's Finding Margo from Gilead Publishing and the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

What do you think of writers who have written in one genre, then dip their toes in a different genre? Does it usually work? Or is it hard to accept their new genre