Playing the Part Book Review

A Class of Their Own Series

Book Three

SUMMARY:  Lucetta Plum is an actress on the rise in New York City, but must abandon her starring role when a fan's interest turns threatening.  Lucetta's widowed friend, Abigail Hart, seizes the opportunity to meddle in Lucetta's life and promptly whisks her away to safety at her eligible grandson's estate.
     At first glance, Bram Haverstein appears to be a gentleman of means - albeit an eccentric one - but a mysterious career and a secret fascination with a certain actress mean there's much more to him than society knows.
     While Lucetta has no interest in Abigail's matchmaking machinations, she can't ignore the strange things going on in Bram's house and the secrets he hides. As the hijinks and hilarity that Bram, Lucetta, and their friends are swept into take a more dangerous turn, can they accept who they are behind the parts they play in time to save the day?

REVIEW:  If you like books where everything works out in the end, the characters make you laugh, and you try to figure out how everything will play out, this book is for you.  Even though this book is not listed as a series, it completes the story of three friends.  You do not need to read the other two stories but they will tie up some loose ends and help you understand the characters much better.
      Lucetta is a fun character who does not let the social norms of the late 19th century tell her what to do.  She has her own ideas, own way of doing things and is not out looking to play the victim so she will be taken care of.  I love how she uses the skills God gave her (a photographic memory and a head for numbers) to help her family and friends.  Sometimes I wished she wasn't so independent but she was a fun character to read.
     The members of Bram's household add to the strange air around Bram.  Their odd behaviors, along with the menagerie of animals that he has rescued, just make things seem chaotic and unsettling.  Bram himself is a little mysterious by disappearing for days with no explanation.  I like the secret he keeps and how it ties into Lucetta's career.
    Things aren't always what they seem: actions, people, and events.  But, if you look hard enough and give people a chance, you will be amazed at what you can learn.
     This book was a fun wrap up to the stories about Harriet, Millie, Lucetta and Abigail.  Check it out if you are looking for a lively and pleasant read.

This book was provided by Litfuse Publicity Group and Bethany House 

for review without compensation.

Jen Turano is the author of seven books, including the Ladies of Distinction and A Class of Their Own series.  Her novel, After a Fashion, is a Booklist Top 10 Romance of 2015 and a nominee in the 2015 RT Book Reviews Reviewer's Choice Awards.  She makes her home in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and son.  Visit her website at www.jenturano.com.

In Good Company Book Review

SUMMARY:  After growing up as an orphan, Millie Longfellow is determined to become the best nanny the East Coast has ever seen.  Unfortunately, her playfulness and enthusiasm aren't always well-received and she finds herself dismissed from yet another position.

     Everett Mulberry has quite unexpectedly become guardian to three children that scare off every nanny he hires. About to depart for Newport, Rhode Island, for the summer, he's desperate for competent childcare.

     At wit's end with both Millie and Everett, the employment agency gives them one last chance - with each other.  As Millie falls in love with her mischievous charges, Everett focuses on achieving the coveted societal status of the upper echelons.  But as he investigates the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of the children's parents, will it take the loss of those he loves to learn whose company he truly wants for the rest of his life?

REVIEW:  This book is really good!!  Millie's unorthodox nannying methods grabbed my attention and made me admire and respect her even more.  She doesn't let the restrictions of the day interfere with her methods of taking care of her charges.  She brings out the best in the children by listening to them and tries to understand their wants and needs.  While sometimes it seems like she is being thoughtless, there is a method to her madness.  

     At times, Everett made me irritated and mad, the way he put his demanding fiancee' Caroline ahead of the kids.  But, once he realized his actions were only damaging his relationship with them, I like how he stepped up and became the dad these children needed.  

     The mystery surrounding the children's parents' deaths had me guessing until the end.  Just when I thought I had the problem solved and figured out what happened, the author had me guessing again.  

     This is a wonderful and fun read!!  Now, this book is not marketed as part of a series, but you can read After A Fashion to better understand how Everett and Millie first meet and their feelings towards each other.  It also helps you understand Millie's relationship with Mrs. Abigail Hart, Lucetta, Harriet and Oliver and Reverend Gilmore and how they all met.

This book was provided by Bethany House for review without compensation.

 

Jen Turano is the author of six books, including the Ladies of Distinction series.  She makes her home in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and son.  Visit her website at www.jenturano.com.

After a Fashion Book Review

SUMMARY:  Miss Harriet Peabody dreams of the day she can open up a shop selling refashioned gowns to independent working women like herself.  Unfortunately, when an errand for her millinery shop job goes sadly awry due to a difficult customer, she finds herself without an income.
     Mr. Oliver Addleshaw is on the verge of his biggest business deal yet when he learns his potential partner prefers to deal with men who are settled down and wed.  When Oliver witnesses his ex not-quite-fiancee causing the hapless Harriet to lose her job, he tries to make it up to her by enlisting her help in making a good impression on his business partner.
     Harriet quickly finds her love of fashion can't make her fashionable.  She'll never truly fit into Oliver's world, with its fancy dinner and elegant balls, but just as she's ready to call off the fake relationship a threat from her past forces both Oliver and Harriet to discover that love can come in the most surprising packages.

REVIEW:  Oliver, a member of one of the elite Knickerbocker families, lives the luxurious life in a very fashionable neighborhood.  Harriet lives in the Lower East Side of New York City, the heart of the slums, and had a very abnormal childhood.  While the story was fun and very entertaining, I found myself distracted by the timeline.  The first third of the book takes place all in one day.  After that, it was difficult to figure out the total passage of time for the rest of the book.  I wasn't sure if the rest occurred in two weeks or two months.  Knowing this would have helped me in completely understanding the decisions made by the main characters at the end of the book.
     Now, I loved the middle and end!!  At first, I wasn't sure if I trusted Abigail but after a little bit, I found her very likable and fun.  The ending was not what I was expecting but I was very pleasantly pleased with everything.  Another thing I found refreshing was that Harriet told Oliver about her past and her aunt's plans and how Oliver accepted it.  I was also satisfied with how Oliver stepped up and was very supportive of Harriet when some information about her past came to light.
     This is a good book with potential of sequels about Millie and Lucetta (two wonderful friends of Harriet's) to come. 

This book was provided by Bethany House for review without compensation.

Jen Turano is the author of five books, including A Most Peculiar Circumstance, which was one of Booklist's Top 10 Romances of 2013.  She makes her home in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and son.  Visit her website at www.jenturano.com.