Description:

Working as a paid companion may be quite commonplace, but Miss Gertrude Cadwalader’s eccentric employer makes her job unpredictable, to say the least. She finds herself carrying out an array of highly unusual tasks, including wearing peculiar outfits and returning items the woman pilfered. But when the wealthy Mrs. Sinclair catches Gertrude sneaking around the Sinclair yacht with some of the missing items in her possession, she immediately jumps to the wrong conclusion.

Shipping magnate Harrison Sinclair is caught in the middle of a misunderstanding between his mother and Gertrude, but he can’t help coming to his friend’s defense. Even as he hopes their friendship might become something more, Harrison is unprepared for the outlandish escapades that seem to follow the lovely, anything-but-ordinary Gertrude at every turn.

You can purchase a copy here.

About the Author:

Jen Turano, author of nine books and two novellas, is a graduate of the University of Akron with a degree in clothing and textiles. She is a member of ACFW and lives in a suburb of Denver, Colorado. Visit her website at www.jenturano.com.

My Thoughts:

Jen Turano is without a doubt one of my very favorite authors and I was so excited to start this book! Her books are the ones I pick up on bad days when I need a smile and something to lift my spirits. She just makes me laugh! And I love it! Whenever I start one of her stories, I know I’m in for an adventure and this one is certainly no exception! She had me from the first couple pages to the turn of the final one, laughing and smiling, and falling in love with these dear quirky people.

As always, Ms. Turano had me in stitches from the very beginning! I love her writing style, how she can take something that sounds very mundane, and make it so very humorous! The descriptions, the wording, the historical details, the way she chooses to color in the scenes with such unique characters - I simply adore it! And I was so glad that several of the characters from the previous book were back in this one! I so liked Harrison from “Behind the Scenes” and have been looking forward to reading his story. I was also quite curious to learn Gertrude and Mrs. Davenport’s stories and what they had to share surprised me! Before I make this story sound like complete fluff, it’s not. It does touch on some heavier topics, such as depression and struggling marriages, but holds on to much of its lighter notes even within those moments.

Harrison Sinclair is a man with no sense of style, who sees the world differently than almost everyone else. I so enjoyed his sense of chivalry, his kindness, his desire to do what is best for Gertrude, even when he’s completely off the mark. This story didn’t seem so much to be his, as Gertrude’s. Though he is most definitely the “hero” in more ways than one, she is the one with the most story to tell. I so enjoyed getting to know her, as well. She’s also very kindhearted, though she doesn’t always see herself that way. She’s brave and quirky, and very forthright, something that makes for some humorous conversations. I loved seeing her come into herself more and go from seeing herself as simply “ordinary” to maybe becoming someone quite “extraordinary.” And the ending! I normally don’t care for endings, because it means the story is ending quite rapidly, but in this case, I’ll have to make an exception. It was perfect!

Overall, if you’re looking for a light-hearted tale filled with laughter inducing moments and a bit of a mystery, then I would highly recommend this book!

Now, for the reason you've made it this far down the page: Giveaway info! To celebrate the blog tour and the release of Out Of the Ordinary, Bethany House is graciously giving away a grand prize of two of Jen's novels and a $20 Starbucks gift card!

Click the form below to enter and be sure to leave me a comment (do you have a bad day go to book/author?) to gain 9 extra entries and check out the other sites listed below for even more chances to win!

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Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a lovely day and a Happy Thanksgiving!