Susan May Warren's Licensed for Trouble ~ Reviewed

LICENSED FOR TROUBLE
By Susan May Warren
Published by Tyndale
ISBN# 978-1-4143-1314-6
375 Pages


Back Cover:

PJ Sugar receives shocking news that she’s inherited the Kellogg family mansion. Though she has no idea why, the timing is perfect—PJ has clearly worn out her welcome at her sister’s house. Unfortunately, the mansion is in shambles, and PJ is short on cash. Rescue comes in the form of Max Smith, a mysterious handyman willing to trade his services for PJ’s investigative skills. But PJ already has a full docket with cramming for her PI license and nurturing a growing romance with her boss, Jeremy Kane. Can she take on Max’s case without dropping the ball?

Review:

I’m so thankful to have received a review copy of Licensed for Trouble, which is the final installment of this fun, amusing series. In this last book, PJ is still working towards becoming a Private Investigator. The reader learns if PJ will finally pick between Boone, her high school sweet heart, or Jeremy, her boss in the private eye agency, as her boyfriend, or if she dumps them both. I didn’t think PJ would ever make up her mind - Susan May Warren kept us guessing throughout all three books. I appreciated the thought process the author takes PJ on while uncovering her real feelings, figuring out what God wants and what is best for her life. PJ learns how she can listen for the gentle voice of God speaking to her heart. I enjoyed the spiritual thread throughout all three books; it was real and not preachy.

P.J. uncovers some lies she believes about herself and realizes that if she holds onto these lies, she’ll never be all that God intended for her to be. Dare she believe the following things about herself? She was chosen by God. Royal. A possession of God. Heiress, Beloved. Princess. Isn’t that what Jeremy called her?

Can PJ walk out who she is in Christ? She hadn’t considered this a possibility and it’s a huge revelation for her. I appreciated how the author also let the reader think about this powerful message and hopefully learn from PJ’s journey, too. Susan May Warren’s book is entertaining, fun, thought-provoking, mysterious, laugh out-loud funny in parts, light hearted, and has a wide variety of quirky characters I enjoyed reading about.

PJ’s sister finds Max, the handyman, to help PJ fix up a house that was given to her. PJ meets Max and decides that they can help each other. She is feeling overwhelmed by the task of renovating this amazing old house and Max is a handyman who has amnesia and seeks his identity. He says to PJ, “You ever felt like you don’t know yourself? Like when you look in the mirror, you wonder how you got here, how you became the person you are?”

PJ can totally relate to Max and hasn’t lost her memory. She was trying to figure out where she fit in everyday and what God wanted her to do. PJ was adopted and never felt like she was totally a part of the Sugar family. Will she figure out who she is and where she belongs?

I really enjoyed this entertaining novel. It was better than a bubble bath. It whisked me up into PJ’s mystery, with the fun and intriguing facts she uncovered about the house and Max. I liked the spiritual thread and struggle PJ encountered throughout the course of this book. It’s a conflict most of us could relate to. I was fascinated and enjoyed the case PJ tries to get to the bottom of, in her search for Max’s past and her attempts at catching the bail jumper. I have to say, I enjoyed every minute of reading Licensed for Trouble. Susan May Warren gave a very satisfying conclusion to this really enjoyable, tender and likable PJ Sugar series. I’ll definitely be reading more of her books in the future.

Reviewed by: Nora St.Laurent
The Book Club Network