Out of the Ordinary
by Jen Turano
Bethany House
Pub Date 07 Nov 2017


Netgalley and Bethany House Publishers sent me a copy of Out of the Ordinary to review:

I definitely recommend this one, full of fun and adventure with a dash of humor:


Gertrude Cadwalader hoped her position as Mrs. Davenport's paid companion would be easy. However, as she gets to know her boss, she realizes she's a bit light-fingered with other people's stuff. When Mrs. Davenport decides to have a quiet summer away from the social scene, Gertrude is relieved--until she changes her mind to help a young socialite get started.



As Gertrude tries to return one of the trinkets to Mrs. Sinclair, mother of shipping magnate Harrison Sinclair, she jumps to an unfortunate conclusion. Harrison's determined to mend fences with Miss Cadwalader, but he's not ready for what a friendship with her will bring.



I give Out of the Ordinary five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Jen Turano knows how to write an entertaining story line. Her characters are always fun and usually I get a few laughs while reading along. This book is all about Gertrude and her escapades. This book was a struggle for me to get into at times. The humor was a tad over the top for me but I still enjoyed this light read. If you like silly humor and have read Turano's previous novels you will probably enjoy this one. Her first book is still my favorite!

Four stars.

"I received this book from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review."

Miss Gertrude Cadwalader hoped her position as the paid companion to Mrs. Davenport would be easy. But as she becomes acquainted with her employer, she realizes the wealthy Mrs. Davenport has a strange tendency to be a bit light-fingered with other people's trinkets. Gertrude is relieved when Mrs. Davenport decides to have a quiet summer away from the social scene--until the woman changes her mind in order to help a young socialite launch into society.

When Gertrude is caught in the act of trying to return one of the trinkets by Mrs. Sinclair, the mother of shipping magnate Harrison Sinclair, the woman jumps to an unfortunate conclusion. Harrison is determined to mend fences with Miss Cadwalader, but he's unprepared for the escapades a friendship with her will entail.

You cannot go wrong with a Jen Turano book. Always a great story, with lots of humor and wit, not to mention romance!

I said in my first Jen Turano Review that I was looking forward to the next book, and I meant it. So when Celebrate Lit offered a chance to review it, I jumped at it. I even spent hours trying to download the NetGalley copy of it. Um… yeah. Didn’t work. Just sayin’!

And I will say that for the most part, I wasn’t disappointed. There are several things about this book that I much prefer over the first.

The opening:
So about the first half of the book (almost) takes place in one day. Much like the last one, actually. But unlike Behind the Scenes, I wasn’t bored. Not at all. This one did everything that one tried to do and it did it well. I was captivated from page one. BRAVO!

And the characters?
They were just as quirky and unique as the last. Actually, I have a lot to say about the characters. I think characterization is Jen Turano’s best writing skill. She has an amazing talent for creating consistent, rich, and quirky characters–just like the real people we meet in our everyday lives. [clickToTweet tweet=”She manages to create the quirkiest characters and not make them look ridiculous in the process.” quote=”She manages to pull out the quirkiest characters imaginable, give them a stage, and not make them look ridiculous in the process.”]

And like I said in my last review, because she does it this way, she can have characters who do incredibly modern things or things out of the social norm for the time period without making them all annoying and anachronistic progressives. They’re just being themselves–whether plucky industrialists or people with an unusual upbringing. It’s sooooooo refreshing.

And her characters are nowhere near the “Mary Sue” variety.
Even her most dashing heroes do a rather unsuccessful job of being that dashing hero sometimes. And it works just beautifully.

I’d say the biggest improvement of this book over the last is the pacing. It was infinitely superior.

But I did run into problems.

A few things I did not like.
I don’t recall if I noticed this in the last book or not, but I think I did. Ms. Turano has a tendency to repeat herself–often. Sometimes using the same phrase back to back. Sometimes that works. A character will say, “Well, for the life of me, I don’t know what happened,” and someone else will reply, “Well, ‘for the life of me,’ I do!” That’s interesting and shows a bit of personality.

But there was a line somewhere about how one person wouldn’t have to lift a finger and the other person said she would be lifting a finger–no “scare quotes” or teasing emphasis shown or implied. Just repetitive.

And it happens often.
There are also mini to long near monologues telling us what we supposedly need to know about something–things they’d never say to each other. She doesn’t go so far as to do the, “Well as you know, George, you did propose under rather unusual circumstances” bit, but there were places where that reminder was made in less direct but just as “dumpy” ways.

I decided that if I’m going to read Ms. Turano’s books, I’m going to have to get used to it. It’s her writing style, and I suspect others may not mind it at all.

But it isn’t what I disliked the most.
I’d say the roughest bit was the last third of the book. It dragged–much like the first third of the first book did. It was also full of long speeches designed to share backstory and reveal things that we were made to be curious about in the last book. Unfortunately, I just found them rather tedious.

And, I confess, I found myself skimming. A lot. I frankly wanted to be done with it. It got to the point where I no longer felt sorry for Mrs. Davenport and her sad history. I began to feel like she got what she deserved and wanted to plead with Samuel the Pinkerton dude to haul her away!

The denouement? Yeah. Too neat and tidy for me. Much too neat and tidy. Still, it got Mrs. Davenport to stop yapping, so I forgave it.

I sound horrible and mean.
I don’t mean to. Because, even with my complaints, I liked the book. A lot. I know I’m going to have to decide if I can handle these issues in future books or not, because I suspect I know who the next book is about, and I am DYING to read it.

And I think that’s what makes Jen Turano a really amazing writer. She can do things that annoy you like crazy, make you skim parts you don’t care about, and still have you coming back for more.

That’s actually why I’m giving this book 4 stars on ALL platforms–even Goodreads. Technically, their system would have bumped it down to a 3 star (that’s their “I liked it”) but I refuse to do that to this book. I liked the book. I almost “really liked” it. And I want more. That earns 4 stars in my book.

I just hope Ms. Turano doesn’t hate me. 🙂

Out of the Ordinary
Apart from the Crowd #2
By Jen Turano

Let me just start out by saying this is a fun book to read. Gertrude is a delight whom any reader would love to call a friend. This is the second book in the Apart from the Crowd series and just as much fun to read as the first Behind the Scenes.

Miss Gertrude Cadwalader finds herself in the most unusual situations and they are not of her own doing but rather the ill-advised works of her employer Mrs. Davenport. Once again Gertrude finds herself at the mercy of Mrs. Davenport's lack of fashion design and the unlikely victim is Harrison Sinclair's fainting couch aboard his yacht. And Gertrude's predicament allows Mrs. Davenport to partake in her favorite pastime that which involves her reliving others of their possessions. What follows is a series of unfortunate and unexpected occurrences that finds Gertrude soon to be on the wrong side of the law.

Harrison is determined to right the wrongs and rescue Gertrude from the tangle she finds herself in but his efforts find him misspeaking and hurting Gertrude and her feelings. What follows is a hilarious attempt to undo Harrison's whoops moment. And with the "help" his good friend Asher Rutherford Harrison and Gertrude's potential romance may be stymied before it ever gets a chance to begin. And sweeping a woman off her feet takes on a whole new meaning and should be avoided if you value your life. Yes, it was that bad.

This book is a perfect mood lifter with its hilarious missteps. Gertrude and Harrison are perfect for each other with their quirky personalities, but finding this out might mean ditching their well-meaning friends who seem determined to help them. And Harrison's sisters are quite the threesome who have their own strong opinions on romance and just how it should be achieved or not depending on the sister.

This series is worth reading and if you have yet to read the first book in the series that is fine as you can easily go back and read it at a later date. Out of the Ordinary can be easily read without the backstory that was established in Behind the Scenes. The author has developed a cast of characters that one looks forward to visiting again in future books.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher Bethany House through their blogger program but was under no obligation to post a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Love Jen's books, just don't have time to write a review. Love the relationship between the main characters, the clean romance, and the setting. It's what I look for in a book when I need to relax.

Jen Turano never disappoints! Her historical screwball comedies are in a class of their own, Out of the Ordinary is chock full of all the wit, zany antics, and sweet romance Turano's fans have come to expect. Highly recommend!

I enjoyed my time with Permilia in the first book of this series and loved having Gertrude as a supporting character. She had so many fun escapades that were don't ask don't tell that I couldn't wait to read more about her and her adventures.

Book two does not disappoint! In this one, we get to know Gertrude better as well as the dashing Harrison. I have to admit I hoped throughout the first book that the two of them would get together.

Here we find Gertrude still making amends for her employer. She doesn't want anyone to know so she sneaks about but when she's caught in the act she's sure she's in for it this time. She'll never again show her face in polite company.

I loved Mrs. Davenport and learning more about her story and why she is the way she is. It's really rather endearing and I'd love to follow her more. She's definitely quite the storyline.

And let's not forget Harrison's fashion style or rather lack thereof. Even though he has no fashion sense whatsoever he loves his sisters and cares about them in only a way a brother can which endears him even more to me.

I loved this one so much and can't wait for the next in the series. I'd also love to read more about Harrison's sisters and how they fare.

So many instances where I laughed so hard at this book. But Jen Turano is like that. She creates my best friends and I am so invested in their lives. Can't wait to read more!

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.

Okay fellow fiction lovers this is a hilarious and witty read. I have never read books by Jen Turano, but it is laugh out loud funny and totally engaging. I was particularly impressed with the intelligent and engaging dialogue. As an avid reader it isn’t that often that I truly am brought to tears in laughter or think “that’s some awesome vocabulary” and I said both these things while reading Out of the Ordinary. It’s the second book in the series but I read it as a stand alone book. However, I enjoyed he chatacters so much I’m going back to read the first book in the “Apart from the Crowd” series, Behind the Scenes. My guess is that the story will be even better as I make more friends from these well developed and believable characters.

I loved that amidst the humor there were also themes of faith and worth and value found in Christ laced through the story.

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book, all the opinions are honest and my own.

This was my first experience reading a book by Jen Turano and I’m now eagerly looking forward to picking up another one. I wasn’t sure if her books would be my style but I think she could easily become one of my favorite authors.

Filled with wittiness, humor, drama, and great clothing descriptions, this book was a ton of fun. The characters in this book were some of my favorites. I particularly loved Gertrude and Harrison. Gertrude didn’t always conform to everyone else and she had a very sweet spirit. I also adored Harrison, who seemed a bit clueless at times, which causes some funny moments. His personality is very sweet and endearing, even though some of his gestures result in unplanned results. There are also some side characters who really added to my reading enjoyment.

The plot was original and the fact that a portion of it was set on a yacht made it very fun. I was surprised by some tender moments that brought tears to my eyes. There were also some moments that had me laughing out loud, one scene in particular that I described to my husband because I thought it was so funny.

I can honestly say that I enjoyed every moment I spent with this book and I would definitely recommend it. It is book 2 in a series (Apart from the Crowd series) and even though I hadn’t read book 1, I was easily able to read and enjoy the story.

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

Out of the Ordinary
Harrison and Gertrude
I have read all of Jen’s books. Gertrude and Harrison make very supportive friends to Asher and Permilia from The first book in this series. Everyone in the series is good but you get the most our of it if you have read each one, like a Dee Henderson. I love the fairytale style of each of her books. The name of Gertrude Calderwalder alone sets it apart.because it is Out Of The Ordinary. We meet Harrison in the first of The Wallflower series. The friendship of Asher we, should be so lucky to have that kind of friend. If a friend is giving advice, make sure said advice works before you copy it. i.e The coat over a puddle does not work and shows you may not have any common sense if you try it. This book really kept me laughing. I bought this book on Amazon. I was given this book for my true and honest opinion.

Rachel’s Back Talk:

5 – award winning covers

Jen’s stories always make me laugh — and I’m pretty sure I chuckled my way through this one as well! I loved that this book also touched on the characters from book 1 (Behind the Scenes) because I always love to see what happens to the characters I fall in love with! And then this book touched on some secondary characters from book 1 and it was so fun to learn more about Gertrude, Harrison, and even Mrs. Davenport!

Gertrude was definitely a unique character with quite the interesting personality! Some of her quirks involve her tracking down Mrs. Davenport, who seems to have a mind of her own though. But I really loved Gertrude’s patience with Mrs. Davenport even when she makes Gertrude do some things she would rather not.

I also enjoyed ‘watching’ Harrison and Gertrude’s friendship change into something more very gradually! It was comical as they both tried to convince themselves that they were just friends — and then how they both realized that they felt something more, but were convinced the other didn’t.

I can’t wait for book 3, Jen! And to all you readers — go, read them all before it comes out! This series is worth it!


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

I loved every moment of this book! Jen Turano once again does not disappoint! Empowering women and a love story, through in some humor and you have the makings of a great read!

Out of the Ordinary is laugh-out-loud enjoyable. Honestly. This novel is a lovely escape from reality into cheek grinning, snort filled moments. I love her eccentric characters. It is one of her trademarks, IMO. Mrs. Davenport - goodness she's fun. With addition silliness and a romance to boot, what's not to like.

This was one of the sweetest most sentimental stories. I think I too fell in love with Harrison Sinclair. Gertrude is a true friend and very loyal to her employer Mrs. Davenport. Finally, we find out why she’s a wackadoo. It’s a sad and devastating tale. Most upsetting is how the wealthy treat their poor relations. If your wealthy and your cousins fall in hard times they can become your servants.... That’s harsh and uncaring. Geez

I can’t wait for the next in the series. Jen Turano is quickly becoming a favorite author. Her books are entertaining and heartwarming.

If you havven't read any of Jen Turano's book, what are you waiting for? I'm always excited when a new book of hers is released. The title to this new release "Out of the Ordinary" really describes her writing style. Its out of the ordinary and entertaining to the max. This new story carries her signature style of writing throughout the book. The names of her heroines are amusing, heroine Gertrude Cadwalader has her job as companion keeps her busy keeping up with her employer and tolerating the wild wardrobe the lil ole lady insists on making for Gertrude.

I love how in Jen's story the heroine is just a everyday girl

and the hero, a bachelor in the social elite seem to meet up and click. Reminds me that no one is better than anyone else and love finds its way in any circumstance and any social class. When you read this beware you will be looking for the others to read.


Blessings,

Karen

Rating: 5*

I received this as a gift and all opinions are my own.

I have deemed myself an official wallflower. I just love these heroines & heroes.

So fantastically funny and romantic as I have come to expect from Jen Turano. A great read. If you have read the others in the series, this one won't disappoint.

I laughed out loud so many times reading the "romantic gestures" I got a bunch of strange looks. If you are looking for a light, comedic and romantic read, turn no further.

Recently I had the opportunity to review Out of the Ordinary by Jen Turano. I received the Kindle version of this book, and it was a pre-release copy. This book is set in the late 1800s in New York.

Gertrude Cadwalader is a companion to a very interesting lady... Mrs. Davenport has the horrible habit of taking things that don't belong to her. But she always has Gertrude secretly return them later! This makes for some interesting events in the book. Gertrude is such a generous person, she happily tolerates being the person that Mrs. Davenport, an aspiring clothing designer, experiments on.




Harrison Sinclair is a handsome and eligible bachelor. He truly enjoys his work in the family shipping business, but feels he has no time for anything else in life. Women flock to him, despite his strange clothing choices (is he colorblind?) He is a wonderful brother, always taking care of his sisters and watching out for them.

Gertrude and Harrison think of each other as good friends, but the more time they spend together, the more they wonder if the other person has the same strange feelings of connection. They both soon realize they are in love, but Harrison has quite a hard time communicating this and instead makes things awkward. The romance is clean and sweet. Easily something a young adult or older teen could read.

Jen Turano's writing style is different from other authors. The characters are long winded (which adds to the charm), and enjoyable to imagine. This book was humorous yet reasonably realistic for the most part. I enjoyed the entertaining writing style quite a bit. Partway through the book I recognized a couple of other character's names, and couldn't help but think I'd read another of her books in the past... though I just can't recall which one. As I read this story I got the same feeling, the story was entertaining, but I wasn't sure that I'd be able to remember having read it in 6 months. I wouldn't hesitate to read this book again!

Out of the Ordinary by Jen Turano was a great romantic read! Besides having an amazing cover, the book is full of adventure and suspense that is exciting to read about. The extreme devotion this girl has for her employer was astonishing. Her employer would have “sticky” fingers and she found herself having to return all the things she had taken. This put her in some major predicaments for sure. And the man she falls in love with has the reader sailing along with her.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is such a fun book (and series!), and I'm so glad I was able to review a complimentary ARC of it from the Celebrate Lit! Turano has an amazing ability to create unique and quirky characters who find themselves in hilarious and yet somehow believable situations that are so much fun to read about! After meeting Gertrude and Harrison in the first book, I was so excited to read their story in this book, and it did not disappoint! Both of them grew and developed as characters throughout this book and their romance was delightful to read. Even more than that though, I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed getting more time with many of the secondary characters from the first book - Gertrude's employer, two elderly spinster sisters, and one of Gertrude's wallflower friends just blossomed and became even more beloved characters in this second book!