A Talent for Trouble by Jen Turano

 

Read an excerpt here.

For years, Miss Felicia Murdock's every thought and action have been in pursuit of becoming a minister's wife. When the minister she'd set her sights on has other ideas, she decides something in her life needs to change--and soon--before she wastes any more time pretending to be someone she's not. If that means spreading her wings and embracing a more lively way of life, who's to say nay?

Grayson Sumner, Lord Sefton, has had more than enough of spreading his wings and only hopes to settle into the life of a respectable New York gentleman. Prompted by some friends to lift the spirits of the disappointed-in-love Miss Murdock, he is surprised to encounter an adventurous young lady with an unfortunate knack for stumbling into troublesome situations.

Just as Grayson decides he's had quite enough of her antics, his past comes back to haunt him and his presence in Felicia's life endangers her. As they work together to extricate themselves from this latest complication, will Grayson and Felicia decide they want to spend the rest of their lives keeping one another out of trouble?

A Talent For Trouble by Jen Turano was a spunky and fun novel that I enjoyed immensely. This novel is a sequel to both A Change in Fortune and A Peculiar Circumstance and adds additional depth to characters seen in both previous novels. The plot line is fun, with humorous situations and witty dialogue. It also has some suspense, and, of course, lots of day dreams and romance. The suspense felt contrived at times and was not particularly thrilling or believable, but I enjoyed the rest of the storyline immensely. The story was told from the alternating perspectives of Felicia and Grayson, which allowed the reader to have an idea of what both were feeling.

The characters and their relationships with one another were by far the best part of A Talent For Trouble. Grayson is the brother of Eliza (the main character of A Change in Fortune), and it is neat to see him grow as a character and learn more about his past. He was very mysterious in the first book and experiencing his struggles with faith in God and trusting others was convicting and believable. Felicia had appeared previously in the first and second novels and the reader learned more about her in each novel. However, in this novel her full, vibrant personality was finally revealed, and it was very pleasing to see. She is very mischievous, fun loving, and a truly kind person, and her interactions with her family and friends were very amusing. She also experienced growth as she tried to understand what God's plan for her life was and as she tried to help Grayson re-evaluate his supposed lack of belief. Felicia and Grayson were hilarious together, and it was great to watch Grayson try to understand her complete change of personality as she revealed who she really was. The other minor characters were all familiar from the previous novels, especially Agatha, whom I really hope gets her own novel soon.

Overall, I really enjoyed A Talent for Trouble, and I would highly recommend this novel and all of Jen Turano's novels to anyone looking for a fun and enjoyable read.