Behind the Scenes

When Miss Permilia Griswold's father decides that his daughter needs a society debut, he does the unthinkable and marries again. While the woman he marries is impoverished, she is well-versed in the "rules of society", and one of those rules means Permilia must learn to use the "right" eating utensil, how to dance, and how to converse with a proper gentleman. However, since she has her own daughter to present to society, she is half-hearted in her efforts to train Permilia, making every lesson seem more like a punishment than a treat. 

When Permilia's first season passes with not one offer for her, she finds herself firmly "on the shelf", a place she actually prefers. Unless the men talk mining, she is tongue-tied. Her attempts at dancing have been known to cause grave injury to her partners, and her lack of knowledge of the numerous eating utensils used at grand banquets, has caused her to be ridiculed. As a Wallflower, she has no need to converse with men or dance with them. Offered a job by one of the biggest newspapers in New York as an incognito gossip columnist, Permilia takes her job as "Miss Quill" very seriously. When she overhears a plot to murder Mr. Asher Rutherford, a man who had been at least friendly in the past, she does her best to rescue him. What happens when her rescue attempts ensnare both of them in the propriety of society?

Asher Rutherford has spent years rebuilding his family's fortunes. Most of society believes that he's living on his family's old money, but in truth, his father squandered that long ago. He built and runs one of the most affluent department stores in the city, and he has angered other merchants by stealing their best workers by paying a fair wage. When he keeps running into Miss Permilia Griswold at society events, he is intrigued by her outspoken manner, and the fact that she doesn't consider herself worthy of a man's attentions. Then, at the Vanderbilt Ball, she comes up with the outlandish idea that someone is going to kill him. Is she off her rocker, or the most sane person he knows?

Oh, my word! This book tickled me endlessly. Ms. Turano's description of Permilia attempting to dance the "Go As You Please Quadrille" was hysterical, as was her description of Permilia finding the light-fingered Mrs. Davenport in the Vanderbilts' personal living quarters with a filled satchel. Then, to top it off, she rescues Asher from someone shooting arrows at him by driving up in a filled milk wagon. Again, too funny. This woman careens from one mishap to another, completely clueless as to what is wrong with everyone else. She believes her actions are completely logical, never once considering that she actually appears to be defying every convention of society.

If you like your romance with a side of giggles, you definitely need to pick this one up! This is a historical romance set in New York in the 1800s. I listened to the audio version, and can absolutely recommend that as a way to enjoy this book.

I loved this read! Permilia is definitely quite the name and one I can say I've never heard before. But she's as remarkable a character as her name is. You're not going to be forgetting her anytime soon!

She's determined to rescue a man she doesn't know and hardly is sure if she likes or not, but along the way she's going to get to know him and some unlikely helpers along the way.

I loved meeting Gertrude and can't wait for her book to come out which I'm sure it will. She's another unique character.

Jen Turano is an author like no other. She writes wonderful books that draw you in. I get so sucked in that I can't put them down and I always look forward to her next one coming out. They're that good. When you start on a new one in the same series where you get to revisit old characters it's like catching up with your best friends after a hiatus. No time has passed at all.

I often find myself laughing aloud when I read these books. There are such funny parts and the characters steal your heart. Of course, I also find myself shaking my head at a character saying that they should not have done that!

Within her book, you'll find danger and mystery but also you'll find love and romance. And interwoven through it all you'll find faith in God.

I highly recommend and would definitely read this one again and again!

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.

Hands-down, Jen Turano is the one author that is guaranteed to have me laughing at or along with her characters. She is one of the few authors that manages to make it to my bookshelves. Behind the Scenes is a light (and delightful) read as well as highly entertaining. The main character, Permilia, is introduced during a Gilded-Age costume ball (and completely misinterprets it) - and things just go on a lark from there. Overall, the characters are extremely delightful, humorous, and a fun addition to a reading stack!

Always love everything by Jen Turano. Her quirky and laugh-out-loud characters always keep me reading to the end. You definitely won't want the story to end. I highly recommend this book and series. You won't regret reading this story and won't be able to stop till you finish. Miss Permilia Griswold is one of my absolute favorite characters. She is everything and more.

My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

Permilia reminds me of myself in some ways. She prefers to be behind the scenes, a wallflower in society, which is much like me. Those qualities don't stop her from being a charming, lovable, and enchanting girl and it was fun to watch her try accomplish her goals at the newspaper.

Turano has created a niche for herself with her quick and easy stories that are sprinkled with quirky, adorable characters who find themselves dabbling in humor and mystery. This is an enjoyable historical adventure that is highly entertaining.

Content: mild romance; mild religion

Miss Permilia Griswold may have been given the opportunity of a debut into New York high society, but no one warned her she wasn't guaranteed to "take." After spending the last six years banished to the wallflower section of the ballroom, she's finally putting her status on the fringes of society to good use by penning anonymous society gossip columns under the pseudonym "Miss Quill."

Mr. Asher Rutherford has managed to maintain his status as a reputable gentleman of society despite opening his own department store. While pretending it's simply a lark to fill his time, he has quite legitimate reasons for needing to make his store the most successful in the country.
When Permilia overhears a threat against the estimable Mr. Rutherford, she's determined to find and warn the man. Disgruntled at a first meeting that goes quite poorly and results in Asher not believing her, she decides to take matters into her own hands, never realizing she'll end up at risk as well.

As Asher and Permilia are forced to work together and spend time away from the spotlight of society, perhaps there's more going on behind the scenes than they ever could have anticipated. . . .

This has to be one of my favorite authors.  Readers will truly enjoy and be entertained with this novel..