The Trouble with Jenny

 Title: The Trouble with Jenny

Series: Wind River Chronicles  #1

Author: Kathy Geary Anderson

Publisher: Purple Autumn Press

Genre: Historical Fiction

My Review:

"Clad in a sensible gray suit with a frilled white shirtwaist, she reminded Jenny of a pigeon, except for her hat." I will stop there as I do not want to spoil the scene, but this is just a small sampling of the colorful and descriptive language that was used throughout the book. There were many moments that made me laugh out loud.

I enjoyed The Trouble with Jenny. At times I felt sorry for Jenny and at other times I wanted to wring her neck. The title is perfectly suited to the story. Jenny has a propensity for getting into trouble without any effort. She is willful, stubborn, but easy to love.

Ben is working his tail off trying to impress his father and become a partner at the law firm where he works. He is best friends with Jenny's brother Ted, so the three of them grew up together, which is where Jenny's trouble started. He has always bailed Jenny out, but will he continue to do so?

The writing is descriptive, the plot flows seamlessly, and the characters are well-developed. The story line is unique and I appreciated the way each character fits into the story. You can feel the emotions behind the scenes, not just read them, which is a sign of a great story.

The Trouble with Jenny is a debut novel for Kathy Geary Anderson, but you cannot tell it from her writing. I look forward to reading the next book in this series when it comes out. I would recommend this book to fans of Karen Whitemeyer, Mary Connealy, and Deanna Gist. I would also recommend it to those who love historical fiction.

I volunteered to review this book for JustRead Publicity Tours. I was not required to give a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

★★★★/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

She’s always getting into trouble. He’s always getting hurt.

At the turn of the 20th century, New York socialite Jenny Westraven is in trouble . . . again. An orphaned heiress from a large banking family, she’s expected to follow the rules of society and marry according to her wealth and status. But Jenny craves adventure and anything BUT the ordinary. So, when her guardian aunt and uncle return from a European vacation to find Jenny working as a typewriter girl in a Newark law office, they are appalled. Worse yet, they interrupt a kiss between her and her young boss Mr. “Ben” Bennett.

Jenny has been getting Ben in trouble since he was ten, so he’s secretly relieved when her guardians reject him as a suitor. He has other plans for his life, and they don’t include his troublesome childhood friend. When Jenny uses outrageous methods to reject the suitors her family does approve for her, her aunt and uncle decide to send her to her brother in Wyoming.

Then, a family tragedy takes Ben out west as well, and his path crosses with Jenny’s once again. As they work together to end an injustice, what was merely an attraction between them develops into something more. Unfortunately, Jenny’s involvement with another man comes between them and puts her in the worst trouble of her life.

Now Ben must decide whether to risk his heart to rescue her once again or cut his losses and let her go.