After a Fashion - Book Review

After a friend recommended Jen Turano for me to read, I picked up After a Fashion to try out. I expected humor, what I encountered was a zany cast of characters who got into scrapes and a good dose of mystery. If you enjoy Pepper Basham's historical romances or P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster series, you will love After a Fashion.

Plot Summary

After a hat delivery ends in disaster and facilitates a meeting with the city's most eligible bachelor, Harriet Peabody is out of job with the oddest proposal of her life on her hands. Said eligible bachelor, Oliver Addleshaw, has offered her money she needs in exchange for her being in a fake relationship with him as he negotiates a deal with a duke. This quickly lands Harriet and her friends in a great deal of trouble as she enters a world she has no experience with.

Oliver's workaholic lifestyle is blown apart when Harriet drops into his life. His former calm, orderly days are characterized by chaos and a spunky woman who's not intimidated by his wealth and has not problem speaking her mind. Soon the relationship is less about securing the deal with the duke and more about spending time with Harriet. When forces from Harriet's past come to haunt her, she and Oliver will have to work together to overcome them.

Personal Thoughts

This is one of the most quirky historical novels I've ever read. Heather and her two friends are a dynamic trio and I love each of them for different reasons. At first Oliver is a crank and a workaholic, but he evens out towards the end. However, my favorite character may be Mrs. Hart; she's the best!

Humor is the most prevailing aspect of the book, but there was also a thread of mystery. I wondered about Harriet's parents and why she was left with her Aunt Jane. I also wanted to know what Aunt Jane was up to and why she was having men follow Harriet. I didn't see the twist at the end coming at all!

Notes

Steam Level: 💋💋

This is the first book in the A Class of Their Own series.

For those of you who have read After a Fashion, what did you think of it? For those of you who have not read it, would you? Tell me in the comments below!