Another Fun Story...

A few years ago, Jen Turano wrote A Change of Fortune.  It was a fun, humorous read that made me laugh outloud.  I enjoyed the other stories in that series that Ms. Turano wrote, but not nearly as much as the first.  The humor was not as potent in the sequels.

BUT, in the first book of Ms. Turano's new melodramatic series, the humor has returned!  After a Fashion is the first book (I suspect) in a new series about three friends.  I laughed as I began this

book.  It is a melodrama, but a fun one.  Harriet Peabody, the main character, made me smile.  I appreciated her integrity and spunk.  She was admirable, but flawed.  But, first, I'll back up a moment.

After a Fashion is a historical Christian romance set in the 1800s (a similar setting to Ms. Turano's first series).  The story begins with Harriet Peabody, a hat maker being assigned the troublesome task of delivering  some hats to a Miss Bellingham, a difficult and quarrelsome young woman.  The funny scene that ensues upon the delivery sets the stage for the rest of the book.  Mr. Addleshaw forms an alliance with Miss Peabody which is the crux of the book.  A fake romance that will become a real one?  It's predictable of course and the one twist in the book I did see coming, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of reading the book.

Ms. Turano did create characters in this book that I could picture.  There were two scenes in the book that I wish had been written into the storyline rather than implied, but otherwise the writing held together and the flow was easy to follow.  I wished for a little more suspense, but all of the melodrama was there.

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Bethany House Publishers.