"Behind the Scenes" by Jen Turano

Behind the Scenes (Apr. 18, 2017) by Jen Turano.*

Just because she’s long been a member of the wallflower set doesn’t mean that Miss Permilia Griswold twiddles her thumbs. Indeed not! Working under the pseudonym “Miss Quill,” she fills the society gossip column of the New York Sun with such goings-on of the upper-crust that only an insider would know. With a reporter’s ear, she overhears a threat against Mr. Asher Rutherford, a dashing fellow, most eligible bachelor and owner of a top up-and-coming department store in New York City. When she informs him ever-so-helpfully, he doesn’t believe her, so she takes it upon herself to look out for him. Her fellow wallflower, Miss Gertrude Cadwalader, provides an assist, as does Asher’s good friend, Mr. Harrison Sinclair. Asher eventually realizes the threat to him is real, and Permilia, in trying to protect him, puts herself in danger as well. When they’re not annoying each other, they will find that they make a pretty good team. Now all they have to do is pinpoint their would-be killer. And would it hurt Asher to understand the value of a progressive woman in 1883?

            I love Turano’s books, and I don’t say that lightly. There are only a few authors that I’ve been introduced to through the blogger review program of whom I’ve gone out of my way to purchase their books if I didn’t already have them, and Jen Turano is one of them!

            This first story in her Apart from the Crowd series has me hooked. It has the charm of a picturesque village, the satisfaction of any happily-ever-after story and humor to tickle the funny bone. The sweet romance is tempered with a fascinatingly impulsive leading lady butting heads with a charming man, a dash of danger, a sense of fashion and cupfuls of faith. “Behind the Scenes” has dimension and history, but does not skimp on the light-hearted moments. It’s an inspirational fictional tale for the [Gilded] ages!

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”