Behind the Scenes by Jen Turano

Click on the cover to see on Goodreads. Alternatively, click here to view on Barnes and Noble.

After spending the last six years banished to the wallflower section of the ballroom, Miss Permilia Griswold has finally figured out a way to pass the time at all the New York high-society events she attends. Under the pseudonym “Miss Quill”, she is the author of society gossip columns filled with tidbits only an insider in society–albeit one on the fringes–would know.

When she overhears a threat against Mr. Asher Rutherford, the owner of one of the most up-and-coming department stores in the city, she’s determined to warn him. But the irritatingly handsome man doesn’t believe her, leaving her no choice but to take matters into her own hands. What she doesn’t anticipate is that she’ll end up putting herself at risk in the process–or that she and Mr. Rutherford, a man with secrets of his own, just might end up joining forces after all.

I tried. I tried really hard to get all the way through this book, unfortunately, I just couldn’t. Permilia was an interesting character. While I think Turano was going for comedy with this character, I also think she went a little too far. Mrs. Davenport, on the other hand, she was hilarious. I thoroughly enjoyed her character.

I found the plotline to be bogged down. The plotline of Asher about to die… that was interesting, but I had a really hard time getting caught up in the story because of all the dialog. They consistently talking and, it seemed, describing the action through their words! Often times, something would happen in one chapter and then, one or two chapters later, someone would spell out the situation again.

The plotline of Asher + Permilia was annoying to me. At first, they didn’t like each other. But then at the ball, Asher suddenly becomes possessive of her and starts to fall in love? Um. Okay.

My dislike of this story, I must admit, is probably just my preference. On Goodreads, it has a 4.06 rating. Christian Books gives it a 4.5 and Barnes and Noble a 4.4. There are clearly people who like this story. Simply not me.

If you get a chance to read the book, flip through a couple pages before you buy it to see if it’s your style or not. I hope you enjoy it and find it more satisfying than I did.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

This month is National Foster Care Month, so with each post, I’m going to include a quote about foster care or adoption.