A Most Peculiar Circumstance by Jen Turano

Back Cover: Miss Arabella Beckett, a defender of the downtrodden women of America, is returning from her travels in support of the women's suffrage movement when she suddenly finds herself in a spot of trouble. Arabella, always loath to accept help, is particularly reluctant to receive assistance from the arrogant, narrow-minded knight in shining armor who shows up just in time.

Private investigator extraordinaire Mr. Theodore Wilder is on an assignment that began as a favor to his good friend Hamilton Beckett but swiftly evolved into a merry chase across the country. When he finally locates Hamilton's sister, and she turns out to have radical ideas and a fiercely independent streak, he's at his wit's end.

Much to their chagrin, Theodore and Arabella's paths continue to cross when they return to New York. When the trouble Arabella accidentally stirred up in her travels follows her home and threatens her very life, the unlikely couple must face the possibility that they have landed in the most peculiar circumstance of all: love.

Review: What a delightful, funny, witty, entertaining read! This is my favourite book so far for 2013. I just loved it! Miss Arabella Beckett and Mr. Theodore Wilder provided no end of amusement. The sharp barbs that flew back and forth, the teeth-griding aggravation that they provoked in each other, and the befuddling sense of attraction that tormented them both throughout the pages had me giggling for hours.

Arabella and Theodore are convinced that they are completely and impossibly ill-suited for each other. At the beginning of the book, the thought of being stuck in each other's presence for more than a few minutes is akin to suggesting one expose themselves to a cruel type of torture. It's funny how events can change a person's feelings though... and how closely love and hate can be linked!

Through a cleverly woven scheme of mystery, spying, human-trafficking, and kidnapping, Arabella and Theodore find themselves thrust together in ways they would have never imagined. This novel, although quite hilarious and exceedingly entertaining, did have a surprising dark side. Most romance novels that involve a mystery or a crime keep the crime itself rather light and generally not too threatening. Jen Turano did a fabulous job of creating a very real and believable threat in her story and crafted a rather dark and evil villain that quite surprised me with his twisted mind.

I loved this read, and am now quite motivated to get my hands on the first book of this series.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group