Out of the Ordinary is not your typical Christian romance. Jen Turano manages to take a predictable story and turn it on its head with quirky situations and humorous hijinks.
Gertrude Cadwalader is a paid companion for the eccentric Mrs. Davenport, a lady of means who seems to delight in pilfering items from high society functions and then later having Gertrude return them. While Gertrude knows what Mrs. Davenport is doing is wrong, she can’t seem to bring herself to quit her employer.
In addition to her “extracurricular activities,” Mrs. Davenport also delights in creating the “latest fashions”–much to the dismay of Gertrude, who is expected to be the public model for such creations.
When one new outfit finds her in a predicament at her friend’s engagement party, Gertrude begins to realize that it may be time to find employment elsewhere. To make matters worse, Harrison Sinclair always seems to stumble upon Gertrude when she’s in a compromised state.
But Harrison Sinclair has his own problems to handle. Known as the most eligible bachelor in town, Harrison finds himself at odds with every woman he comes into contact with. To add to his insecurities, he always seems to mismatch outfits, which cause quite a stir amidst his high society friends.
As news about Mrs. Davenport’s activities makes its way to the Pinkerton Detective Agency, Harrison and Gertrude find themselves being thrown together time and time again in the most out-of-the-ordinary ways. And there seems to be a real thief to find!
This book was just a delightful and easy read. While the ending was predictable, the humorous plot twists made the journey to the end quite enjoyable. Somehow, Turano uses humor in a respectful way to draw the reader back to God.
If you’re looking for something to read while you wait out the snow, then I suggest you take a break with Out of the Ordinary.
*I was given this book by Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.
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