Meeting Her Match by Jen Turano

Publication July 16, 2024-Bethany House-Christian-Historical Fiction-Romance-384pp

Book Summary

Miss Camilla Pierpont, a renowned matchmaker and influential member of the New York Four Hundred, has vowed never to marry after suffering a devastating heartbreak during her debut years ago. However, when she is nearly abducted along the Hudson River, she finds herself rescued by an annoyingly outspoken, albeit fascinating, gentleman who challenges her in a manner she wasn’t expecting.

After learning that Camilla Pierpont has enjoyed success with taking wayward young ladies in hand, Mr. Owen Chesterfield travels to the Hudson River Valley determined to convince Camilla to sponsor his sister, who is in desperate need of social rehabilitation.

Knowing her life is in danger, Camilla agrees to Owen’s proposition and travels with him to West Virginia, finding herself charmed by the less-than-formal attitude of his small hometown, as well as by Owen himself. But danger waits in the shadows, disrupting what she knows would be the most spectacular match she’s ever made–her own.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

This rollicking, Gilded Age romance whisks readers from New York City to Wheeling, West Virginia, at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains. Jen Turano, known for her quirky, historical romances fills Meeting Her Match with hilarious verbal skirmishes between Camilla, a spinster and matchmaker of New York society and Owen Chesterfield, a wealthy Wheeling businessman, creating tension and turmoil. Camilla agrees to sponsor Owen’s unconventional sister Luella, who loves to fish, has a philanthropical bent, abhors frocks with bows, and has been shunned by the local society.

Camilla and her entourage arrive in Wheeling: Bernadette, her lady’s maid, Lottie, her paid companion, and Mr. Timkin, the butler. Fans of Downton Abbey’s Mr. Carson will appreciate the “butler brotherhood rule of proper behavior,” that Mr. Timkin often invokes. Camilla’s matchmaking days are revived as she becomes enamored with Owen’s family and their busy-body ways. West Virginia traditions and suspicions, not to be dismissed, play a real, but comical role in Owen’s Grandma Beulah’s plans. Hoping to prove worthy, Camilla’s competitive spirit shines as Beulah assigns daily challenges; chores like whitewashing fences and chicken coop shenanigans, all to sneak an apple pie recipe into Camilla’s possession. It’s apparently quite a powerful recipe! Local fare, river trout, potato pancakes and rhubarb pie are woven into the locals’ jargon as they relate sentiments and entertaining stories. Terms like “prickly, beyond the pale, and fit as a fiddle” lace this charming tale of Camilla, the spinster. While in the heavenly countryside of West Virginia refining Luella, learning parlor games such as Key of the King’s Garden and teaching the Star Quadrille, Camila’s “ennui” is kept at bay. Discover the charms of Owen, Camilla, and West Virginia in Jen Turano’s Meeting Her Match; brimming with themes of family, kinship, and camaraderie.

Named one of the funniest voices in inspirational romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today bestselling author known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publishers Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from RT Book Reviews, and praise from Library Journal. She’s been a finalist twice for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards and had two of her books listed in the top 100 romances of the past decade from Booklist. She and her family live outside of Denver, Colorado. Readers can find her on Facebook, Instagram, and X, and at JenTurano.com.

Under a Gilded Moon by Joy Jordan-Lake

A “Throwback” post from a year ago-Still aching to see Biltmore in person!

“A meticulously researched, well-crafted mystery; this is historical fiction at its best.” Publishing December 1, 2020 To Pre-Order: https://www.amazon.com/Under-Gilded-Moon-Joy-Jordan-Lake/dp/1713518384

The setting for Under a Gilded Moon is Biltmore House in North Carolina. Left: Biltmore under construction Right: October 26, 1895 George Vanderbilt moved in!

Joy Jordan-Lake is the bestselling author of eight books, including the #1 Amazon Bestseller A Tangled Mercy and Blue Hole Back Home, which won the Christy Award in 2009 for Best First Novel. Her upcoming novel Under a Gilded Moon to be released on 12.01.20.

She holds a PhD in English Literature, founded a food pantry in New England for women and families experiencing homelessness, and has taught literature and writing at several universities.

https://www.joyjordanlake.com/at-a-glance

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

The Approach Road leading to Biltmore is a three-mile drive lined with trees purposefully planted to shield the view of the towering spires and laced with twists and turns until the magnificent residence comes into focus. In Under a Gilded Moon Joy Jordan-Lake takes readers on a similarly breathtaking journey through the Blue Ridge Mountains right up to the grand entrance of the estate as it nears completion. Welcome to Biltmore!

Christmas Eve, December 1895, is a few days away and the manor is crawling with stonemasons, bricklayers, carpenters, and painters from around the world. George Washington Vanderbilt II, youngest child of eight, an artist and a scholar, is preparing to entertain and house his guests in America’s largest, fabulously ornate mansion. As guests are arriving a “bad thing at the station” occurs and just like the twists and turns of the Approach Road, the mystery of how and why slowly unwinds.

Just on the border of the estate, in the shadow of “fairy tale turrets and the glint of copper on gables and towers,” is the run-down cabin of Kerry McGregor. Determined to retain this generational land, she has returned from Barnard College, her chance to escape her mountain life and Dearg Tate, in order to defend her cause and care for her dying father and twin siblings. George Vanderbilt, John Cabot, Madison Grant-all are well- aware of Kerry, the raven-haired daughter of John McGregor, and one of the last holdouts of the mountain folk refusing to sell.

New Orleans elite, Lilli Barthelemy and her mother, due to unrest and protests, have been induced to depart the muggy Delta for the sidewalks and streetcars of New York City. Now Lilli travels to Biltmore with more on her mind than trunks brimming with a wardrobe from posh department stores. Will her past follow her to the hollows of North Carolina and Biltmore?

Entanglements with Sicilian immigrant, Sal, and his brother, Nico, who have connections to George all the way from Florence; keep the reader traipsing the estate from the stables to the kitchens, and from the library to the dining room-breathless-as guests, detectives and George Vanderbilt bolt into the night in search of a murderer. There are many twists and turns on the Approach Road to Under a Gilded Moon. Clasp your diamond necklace and step into a stunning designer gown in anticipation of this exquisite Christmas Eve gift. It is definitely worth the wait. ***** GR

Biltmore Estate is a historic house museum and tourist attraction in Asheville, North Carolina. Biltmore House, the main residence, is a Châteauesque-style mansion built for George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895 and is the largest privately owned house in the United States, at 178,926 square feet (16,622.8 m²) of floor space (135,280 square feet of living area).^[2] Still owned by George Vanderbilt’s descendants, it remains one of the most prominent examples of Gilded Age mansions.

**Visit this site for a beautiful tour-** https://www.biltmore.com/visit/biltmore-estate/biltmore-house/

The Social Graces by Renée Rosen

“A peek behind the curtain at one of the most remarkable feuds in history: Mrs. Vanderbilt and Mrs. Astor’s notorious battle for control of New York society during the Gilded Age.”

Renee Rosen is the bestselling author of historical fiction. Her novels include Park Avenue Summer, Windy City Blues, White Collar Girl, What the Lady Wants and Dollface as well as the young adult novel, Every Crooked Pot. Her new novel, The Social Graces, a story about Mrs. Astor and Mrs. Vanderbilt vying for control of New York society during the Gilded Age, will be out April 20, 2021 from Penguin Random House/Berkley).

Renee is a native of Akron, Ohio and a graduate of The American University in Washington DC. She now lives in Chicago where she is at work on a new novel.

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Nouveau riche vs. Knickerbockers

The Social Graces is a season ticket to an unfolding drama of gilded proportions! Alva Smith from Mobile, Alabama, married railroad millionaire, William K. Vanderbilt, joining the nouveaux riche, new money. Alva Vanderbilt, a new bride in 1875, naively believed her entrance into New York City society was guaranteed.

Caroline Webster Schermerhorn wed William Backhouse Astor, Jr., in 1854. His family wealth from early fur trade and more recently real estate investments, combined with Caroline’s inherited wealth made them Knickerbockers, “old money.” Caroline was now Reigning Queen of Society in 1876.

These two ladies share the lead in this enthralling saga played out in ballrooms, opera houses, and even on the streets of New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. Renee Rosen weaves beautiful gold threads through vividly painted tableaus of dining rooms to seat one hundred, balls attended by society’s “adored” in lavish costumes costing thousands, and homes designed and built with a competitive spirit filled with marble, gilding, and priceless antiques; but mostly pride and boasting.

Between weddings, funerals (followed by two years of mourning) and divorces readers are treated to the ‘social graces’ explained by “Society’s” voice in alternating chapters. This is especially helpful insight into the minds of women and the accepted or expected behaviors of New York’s high society and the Seasons.

As the Gilded Age is coming to a close, Vanderbilt vs. Astor newspaper headlines have moved from the “battle of the ballrooms” to women’s rights; not just those in high society, but for ALL women. The shiny glow cast by the chandeliers, gilded mirrors and Paris gowns dripping with jewels will peak readers’ curiosity and interest in visiting New York’s Fifth Avenue and the “cottages” of Newport. Don those white gloves, set out the fine china and indulge in The Social Graces by Renee Rosen.

Share this:

Joy Jordan-Lake is the bestselling author of eight books, including the #1 Amazon Bestseller A Tangled Mercy and Blue Hole Back Home, which won the Christy Award in 2009 for Best First Novel. Her upcoming novel Under a Gilded Moon to be released on 12.01.20.

​She holds a PhD in English Literature, founded a food pantry in New England for women and families experiencing homelessness, and has taught literature and writing at several universities.

https://www.joyjordanlake.com/at-a-glance

Share this:

Renee is a native of Akron, Ohio and a graduate of The American University in Washington DC. She now lives in Chicago where she is at work on a new novel.

Share this:

She holds a PhD in English Literature, founded a food pantry in New England for women and families experiencing homelessness, and has taught literature and writing at several universities.