Jen Turano: Caught by Surprise

By Kelly Bridgewater

Miss Temperance Flowerdew is on her way to work when a stranger suddenly grabs her off the street and sends her on a Chicago-bound train before she can figure out what happened.

When Mr. Gilbert Cavendish is called upon to rescue a missing woman, he follows the trail to Chicago only to discover that the woman is his good friend Temperance. Before they can discover who was behind the abduction, they're seen alone together by a New York society matron, putting their reputations at risk.

Gilbert is willing to propose marriage--except Temperance will have none of it. She's finally stepped out of the shadow of her relations and won't give up her independence. But when it becomes clear the misunderstanding in Chicago has escalated into a threat on her life and followed her to New York, accepting Gilbert's help in solving the mystery may lead to more than she ever could have dreamed.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Jen Turano does a fabulous job at creating hilarious tales of woe during the Gilded Age. I have loved and looked forward to all her writings. Her latest creating, Caught by Surprise, is really no surprise. It is a fabulous conclusion to the series. I have enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what the next series includes.

Turano creates a cast of characters worthy of any sitcom. They are unique, boastful, and proud to right the wrong in their lives. While in most romances, it is the girl who falls in love first and then has to practically drag the man to fall in love with her, Turano flips the story on its head and allows the women to be the ones that can't imagine following in love with these men who are interested in them. A number of times, she had me laughing at why the women weren't impressed by the men who obviously did outlandish things to try to impress them. It was nice to see the previous two wallflowers, who tell their stories in Behind the Scenes and Out of the Ordinary come back to support Temperance in her story.

It was nice to finally get to know and understand Temperance, the last girl of the wallflowers. She blossomed on the page, even though she was determined not to fall in love with her childhood friend, Gilbert Cavendish. Opposite Temperance is Gilbert, the hero who could have someone wanting him dead too. He protected Temperance like a true hero does and keeps begging for her to marry him.

The plot is funny and moves at a rapid pace. I wish I could spend more time with Turano's characters. The novel is comforting and a great way to spend a couple of hours. I truly enjoyed this whole series. I think I might return and re-read them from the start again.

Overall, Jen Turano's Caught by Surprise is a fabulous, yet surprising story filled with guns, knife fights, paint, and romance all set during the Gilded Age. I couldn't read through the novel fast enough. I anxiously await her next series to see what new characters and what trouble Turano allows them to get into.

I received a complimentary copy of Caught by Surprise by Jen Turano from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

About the Author:

From Amazon

 Jen Turano is a USA Today Bestselling author, known for her quirky characters and amusing story lines. Her novel, After a Fashion, was a Reviewer's Choice finalist with RT, as well as being named a top ten romance of 2015 from Booklist. Her book, A Most Peculiar Circumstance, was chosen as a top ten romance by Booklist in 2013, and Booklist has called her "One of the funniest voices in the inspirational genre." When she’s not writing, Jen spends her time outside of Denver, CO. She can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jenturanoauthor/ or visit her on the web at www.jenturano.com. She is represented by the Natasha Kern Literary Agency.