Tuesday, August 5, 2014

A Match of Wits - Ladies of Distinction 4 - by Jen Turano

Cover Art

About the book:

After his departure from New York two years ago to meet up with his almost-fiancée, Zayne Beckett is the last person Agatha Watson wanted to stumble upon in her travels as a reporter with the New York Tribune. Quite pathetically bedraggled, he clearly needs to be taken in hand and sent back East to his family. Although she no longer has feelings for him, Agatha realizes, by hook or by crook, she'll have to be the one to get the obstinate man home.

Zayne has no desire to be taken anywhere and is prepared to drag his heels all the way home... until he finds himself slipping back into the familiar banter of his former friendship with Agatha. Once they arrive in New York, Zayne realizes Agatha's determined nose for news has earned her a few enemies, and he hopes to repay her help with some help of his own. When she rebuffs all his attempts to prove himself a knight in shining armor, the lengths to which they'll go to win this battle of wills lead to some memorable antics.

Everyone else may think them a match, but nothing could be further from the truth--until Agatha finds herself in real trouble. Have these two stubborn, too-smart-for-their-own-good people been meant for each other all along?

My review:

What a crazy, amusing story!  I enjoyed independent Agatha, who always seemed to have an answer for everything, and obtuse Zayne, who didn't really understand women all that well.  I also liked Agatha's companion and bodyguard, along with the other interesting characters who made up her world, including one pig who can spell!  It's one adventure after another as Agatha bounces from one bad situation to the next.  While I found the story and banter amusing, sometimes it felt a little too crazy.  I like a little more relaxation in the novels I read.  There's a little bit of a spiritual message, with Zayne feeling bitter about an accident he'd had that he thought ruined his life, but he realized he was mistaken.  That seemed to get resolved too easily.  There's also a hint of romance and I wished for more.  Many characters were in Turano's other three novels and some events are mentioned that occurred in previous books, though you can read it on its own.  If you like amusing historical fiction, you should check it out!

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

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