“Caught by Surprise” ~ Book Review

Aug 13, 2018 by Rachel

Welcome back to Rachel’s Back Talk! I’m so glad you could join me again. Today I am reviewing Jen Turano’s newest release, Caught by Surprise.

As is my custom, if I could ask Jen one question about Caught by Surprise it would be — “Is it easier or harder to make lifelong friends fall in love?” And if you want to know why I asked that question, I guess you’ll just have to read the book to find out!

And without further ado, onto Rachel’s Back Talk!

caught by surprise back

From the Back Cover:

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.

Rachel’s Back Talk:

5 – award winning covers

What a delightful read!! This book was filled with such adventure, mystery, humor, and a fantastic love story! I always love Jen Turano’s books and am quite sad that this series has come to a close.

Reading about each of the “wallflower” girls (Permilia, Gertrude, and Temperance) has been a charming adventure, and it neat to read a bit more about their life in each of the subsequent book. But Temperance is perhaps my favorite wallflower heronie. She has such a matter-of-fact personality and this desire to be independent, however she has this ideal of romance which leads to her continually refuse Gilbert’s offer to marry her over and over again. As the book progresses, her feelings gradually change but Temperance is still afraid to change her answer.

Gilbert was also a wonderful hero! Though he seemed overly practical and not at all romantic at the beginning of the book, he wanted to do what was right and save Temperance’s reputation (and life!!). I loved watching that as Gilbert became closer with Temperance he tried to be the more romantic type in order to convince Temperance that he really did love her and he didn’t just want to marry her to protect her reputation.

This book was truly wonderful and I enjoyed the mystery aspect of it! The ending did come at such a surprise, making it the perfect ending and I appreciated how Jen could through it in where the reader would have had no idea. I also loved seeing how Gilbert and Temperance grew in their friendship with one another to realize that opposites are sometimes made perfectly for each other.

I received a free copy from the author. No review, positive or otherwise, was required — all opinions are my own.

Want to learn more about Jen Turano and her Apart from the Crowd series? Stay tuned for her Q&A coming to Rachel’s Back Talk tomorrow!