A Most Peculiar Circumstance

'Miss Arabella Beckett had always been proud of the fact that she'd never ended up in jail'

An eyebrow raising opening line that grabbed my interest From the start. Questions blossomed and I hadn't even left that opening shot, fired as it were over my readerly bow!
Great internal dialogue enlightens and reveals the quirky character of one Miss Beckett, general fixer of problems and suffragette extraordinaire.
Arabella seems to have a decidedly interesting relationship with God and I was amused by
her brief, but to-the-point, somewhat understated prayers for help in the positions she finds herself.
Enter the enigmatic detective Mr Theodore Wilder--and watch the sparks fly.
Add in the search for a group of criminals who are luring young women show more into prostitution and all the makings of a good story are present.
This is my first reading of a work by Jen Turano and she is definitely going my list of author's to pursue.
A fun read.

A NetGalley ARC show less

This fun, entertaining romp finds suffragette Arabella Becket in jail. She has been looking for a missing woman, shot a man, and been arrested after fleeing the sheriff through a pig pen. Theodore Wilder, a private investigator, comes to her rescue at the request of her family and escorts her back to New York. They both find the other person extremely annoying--she is too independent and he is chauvinistic. This is a very humorous look at 1880 American society. Arabella's interest in women's rights eventually expands to helping some prostitutes who are seeing many of their friends simply disappear. Much of the story is preposterous (Arabella can get into more trouble than 3 ordinary people), but this only adds to the fun and humor. It show more is laugh-out-loud funny in places, yet carries a message about the dangers of judging others without really knowing them. Arabella finds herself in a number of peculiar circumstances, not the least of which are her changing feeling toward Theodore. show less

This is my second Jen Turano book to read. If you are looking for deep and serious, she is not the author for you. These are period pieces with a great sense of humor, fun banter, and unusually entertaining predicaments. I look forward to her next novel.

Arabella Beckett is active in the suffrage movement and finds herself being rescued by a family friend who is known for his dislike for anything that involves women speaking up. He believes, as did society at the time, that they have a very distinct role that involves not having opinion about pretty much anything. This is an entertaining tale of their struggle with opposing views mixed with attraction.

I received this book from Bethany House for the purposes of providing a review. This is show more my honest opinion of A Most Peculiar Circumstance by Jen Turano. show less

What I liked: Arabella is not the helpless damsel in distress waiting for a man. She is strong, courageous, and passionate about what she believes is right. And the obstacles to a relationship with Theodore are very real, not just a flimsy plot device. He is extremely traditional, while she campaigns for women's rights. Can such different people be compatible? I love the story, but the ending, and the villain didn't feel as well done. A fun read, but unlikely to reread it soon.

"A Most Peculiar Circumstance" captured my attention on the first page and held my interest through the final page. It is one of those wonderful novels which one can't put down!

The main character, Miss Arabella Adams, is a women's suffrage activist intent on helping women better their circumstances. Her good intentions get her into quite a bit of trouble.

Private Investigator, Theodore Wilder, is sent in search of Arabella when her family can't locate her. Theodore finds her in jail as a result of Arabella trying to help a naive young woman who thought she was going to marry a man she never met. That situation is the basis for the plot of the story and leads to much more trouble for Arabella and Theodore.

Independent and unwilling to show more admit she needs help, Arabella is immediately at odds with Theodore Wilder. He is chauvenistic and believes a woman's place is in the home, catering to her husband.

Thus, "A Most Peculiar Circumstance" takes off and leads the reader down a high-spirited path of adventure, suspense and romance. Along the way, you will meet many interesting characters, most of whom try their matchmaking skills with Arabella and Theodore. A most unlikely match, indeed!

While enjoying this book, I found myself laughing out loud, cheering for BOTH Arabella and Theodore, and learning much about the women of the 19th Century. This novel also carries a serious message about our judgment of others. Arabella and Theodore have strong opinions, but through their involvement with one another, they learn to accept differences in others. This leads them to realize they can overcome their own stubborn, independent streaks and find themselves accepting each other, too.

It truly is a "Most Peculiar Circumstance" when they find themselves falling in love!

Thanks to "Library Thing," I was provided with an "Early Reviewers" copy of this book. What good fortune it has been to receive the novel, as I am now an avid Jen Turano fan! show less

Starting to really enjoy these inspirational romances. Not only do they give me my little romance fix that I crave once in awhile but they turn out to be real entertaining and fun to read!

So, I didn’t know this was the second book in the series. It can be read perfectly as a stand alone. But! because I enjoyed reading this one so much I will be getting the first book. The plot itself is well written and provided a good mix of romance, comedy, and a bit of action moments. The romance and comedy do make up the bulk of the story but nevertheless it’s still a fun and entertaining read.

Arabella and Theodore make such an excellent couple. Their banter was fun to read and the way they just drive each other insane was absolutely hilarious. show more Although Arabella was first seen as a typical ‘bluestocking’ fighting for women’s rights and not being your typical stay at home and be pretty woman, she’s really just a girly girl! her chemistry with Theodore was definitely there and although he was unbearable at first, he does grow on the reader and on Arabella. Eventually.

Although I liked Arabella, I liked Katherine as well. There’s one particular scene where she just irritates Theodore and almost makes him see red which was one of my most favorite scenes. I guess it’s because you could just see her do the action and it suits her personality and character. I liked her character throughout the book. She went from unhappy wife to someone who suddenly did not become afraid of speaking of her mind and standing up to her husband when she was unhappy and voiced her opinion on it.

The action part of the book was good. Definitely enjoyed the last bit of the book although I wish there was just more background information on the women disappearing. I understand perhaps, not much should be said, as then the book would take a darker turn than the light read it should be. But it was just as if criminal was just dumped on in the plot in the last 20 pages and I was hoping there would be more to that than just those last few pages.

Otherwise, I really enjoyed the book. The characters were excellently written and make the book a great read. Definitely recommended. show less

I enjoyed this book so much.

Arabella Beckett, whose brother's story was told in the first book, is off on her own working for the suffragette movement when she lands in jail in another state. Her parents hire Theodore Wilder (we met him last book, too) to find her. Theodore is a private investigator of the first rate, by the way. I really enjoyed getting to know him in this book and he is a very romantic character, despite his avowals to the contrary.

He chases Arabella down and the scene in the jail is absolutely hilarious and wonderful. Both of them can't stand the other, constantly arguing and baiting each other, but something is definitely afoot in this relationship.

Throw in even more mayhem, kidnapping, murder, assuming identities show more and you have the most wonderful and delightful book you'll read this year.

And even MORE good news is that there is another book in the series coming in October!!! Yay!!!! show less