Caught by Surprise - Jen Turano

In this third installment of the Apart from the Crowd series, Temperance Flowerdew comes front and center.  We learn that she's been kicked out of her distant cousin's, Wayne Flowerdew, house, after having lived there as basically a servant since her parents died.  She has recently decided, however, that she is done being the meek, servantile, poor relation, and is reclaiming her spunk and creative spark, thanks in no small part to the reappearance of her childhood friend, Gilbert Cavendish.  This newfound zest will serve her well as she and Gilbert encounter one strange situation after another.  With the whole city thinking that they are engaged, after being caught in what appeared to be a compromising position, can they salvage their reputations and escape gracefully, or will they even want to?

I adore Jen Turano, and her witty, spunky, clever female characters.  Temperance is just another in a growing list of Ms. Turano's heroines who have made me laugh out loud while following their stories.  Temperance and Gilbert's friendship is so precious; I loved how well they knew each other and looked out for each other.  I was glad to see the previous characters from this series making their appearances as well, both Temperance's friends Gertrude and Permilia, as well as their fiances and Gilbert's friends Harrison and Asher.  I feel like this trio of couples would be highly entertaining to spend an evening with.

Characters aside, however, this installment felt a little over the top for me.  The "twists" in the plot had a bit of a soap opera feel, with zany characters and dramatic turns that didn't fit the rest of the series' tone.  Perhaps if you approach the book expecting comedic drama, you'll be able to enjoy it from that point of view.

I give this book 3 stars, based on my enjoyment of the characters themselves, and leaning heavily on the previous books in the series to give this finale a bit more weight than it might deserve.

You can find Caught by Surprise HERE.
You can find the author's page HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

The House at Saltwater Point - Colleen Coble

Ellie Blackmore is knee-deep in her renovation business, which she runs with her ex brother-in-law, and making plans to renovate a house for herself, when her sister Mackenzie goes missing.  There's a large bloodstain on the deck of her beloved sailboat, and now rumors of her involvement with a missing cocaine shipment are circulating. The main source of those rumors have swept into town with Coast Guard Intelligence Officer Grayson Bradshaw.  As Ellie and Grayson both seek answers to Mackenzie's disappearance, Grayson has family questions of his own to sort out.

This was a tough book for me to review; once again, I didn't realize this was part of a series, and thus I was not familiar with the characters and hints of backstories sprinkled throughout this book.  That always puts me at a disadvantage, but it does lead me to say that this is probably not best read as a stand alone novel.  Also, there was a lot going on in this book, and I feel like several of the plot lines could have been better served by having their own book.  It was a lot to try to get invested in as a reader, and it was hard to believe that any of the characters could have been dealing with that many major things at once. 

I could see how readers who enjoy suspenseful romance books, however, could enjoy this.  Grayson and Ellie were thrown together because of the case of her sister, but there were reasons for them to not just be at odds on opposite sides of the case.  These side storylines fed their relationship and kept it interesting.

While this book wasn't quite for me, I give it 3 stars.  Ellie's persistent faith in her sister, and a group of connected friends made me want to see how it all turned out.

You can find The House at Saltwater Point HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.