How to use this Page

If you're looking for a fun chicklit escape, I recommend Jill Mansell's latest book,Take a Chance on Me.





The blurb:
Even in a small town the drama is larger than life. . . Living in the small town of Channings Hill, Cleo has grown used to the fact that there are some people you just can't avoid, no matter how much you really, really want to.

When her job throws her into constant contact with her childhood nemesis Johnny LaVenture, she's perfectly content to leave the past behind.  But for someone she'd rather have nothing to do with, Johnny is getting harder and harder to ignore. . . .

Review:
In Take a Chance on Me, Jill Mansell delivers another fun chicklit escape. She gives us heroines that we can't help but like - they're funny, a bit lost, kind - and secondary characters that make us laugh.  Cleo, the romantic lead,  her married sister Abbie and even Cleo's rival Fia are so likable that you wish you knew them in real life.   Then there's Ash, the hilarious and witty DJ who is actually quite shy around women that he fancies. 

Mansell combines complex and interesting characters with all sorts of funny situations and coincidences to give us a treat of a novel in Take a Chance on Me.

ISBN-10: 1402237510 - Paperback $14.00
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (October 1, 2010), 432 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

About the Author:
Jill Mansell lives with her partner and children in Bristol and writes full time.  Actually, that's not true; she watches TV, eats gum drops, admires the rugby players training in the sports field behind her house, and spends hours on the Internet marveling at how many other writers have blogs.  Only when she's completely run

Add a Comment

Farm Fatale: A Comedy of Country Manors by Wendy Holden is light, fun, and a perfect example of British chicklit.

The blurb:
A witty, beloved novel of heart and heartland, Farm Fatale skewers the culture clash of city vs. country in the snappy, observant style that made Wendy Holden famous.

Cash-strapped Rosie and her boyfriend mark are city folk longing for a country cottage.  Rampant nouveaux riches Samantha and Guy are also searching for rustic bliss -- in the biggest mansion money can buy.  The village of Eight Mile Bottom seems quiet enough, despite a nosy postman, a reclusive rock star, a glamorous Bond Girl, and a ghost with a knife in its back.  But there are unexpected thrills in the hills, and Rosie is rapidly discovering that country life isn't so simple after all.

Review:
Farm Fatale: A Comedy of Country Manors opens in present day London which sounds busy, exhausting, and expensive.  We're seeing the city from the point of view of Rosie, an illustrator, disillusioned with what the City has to offer.

Rosie is tired of London -- the expensive and cramped apartment, the crowded subways, and the noise. She dreams of moving to the country, having a small cottage and a garden, but unfortunately, her boyfriend Mark prefers living in the City.  Mark isn't interested in moving -- he's far more interested in his career as a journalist and eventually getting his own column.

When Mark sells his editor on a new column "Green-er Pastures" where Mark will write about swapping city life for "rural heaven," Rosie gets her wish.   The couple searches for the ideal home on their tiny budget -- the real estate journey fun on its own. But the real adventure begins when they settle into the village of Eight Mile Bottom.

Eight Mile Bottom has a fun crew of characters  - here are a few that you'll meet:

Samantha - wealthy B-movie actress who has an A+ ego. Samantha's got an eye

Add a Comment

Welcome to the Book Blog Tour of Jill Mansell's Rumor Has It!


The blurb:
This man doesn't seem to match his reputation. . .

Newly single Tilly Cole impulsively moves to a small town, only to find she's arrived in a hotbed of gossip, intrigue, and rampant rivalry for the most desirable man -- irresistible Jack Lucas, whose reputation is beyond bad.  Tilly has no intention of becoming another notch on his bedpost.  But the thoughtful, caring guy she comes to value as a friend doesn't seem to fit the town's playboy image.

Till doesn't know what to believe -- and Jack's not telling.

Review:
In Rumor Has It: In a town this small, a secret is hard to keep, Jill Mansell comes up with another hilarious madcap and satisfying read!  In the best British chicklit tradition, Mansell creates slightly spacey but sympathetic women romantic lead characters.  When Tilly comes home to find her apartment ransacked, it takes a while before she realizes that her boyfriend has left her.   Tilly's response is to take the commuter rail to the small town of Roxborough -- to visit her best friend, Erin, for cheering up.

Tilly comes across an ad for a "Girl Friday" job in Roxborough just as she decides that she's ready for a change of scenery.   A string of events make it possible for Tilly to chuck her old life and start anew, surrounded by a new set of friends.  Among the different characters, we meet:

• Max - a loving father, who has recently come out of the closet and separated from his wife;
• Kaye - Max's ex-wife, a famous daytime television star in the US, based in California;
• Louisa - Max and Kaye's teenage daughter, ginger haired, pale, lively, and fun.  Louisa draws everyone together and decides quite early on that Tilly would be a good addition to the household;
• Jake - Max's best friend, the most sought-after bachelor in the area, deadly good looks, wealthy, and not looking for a serious relationship; and
• Erin - Tilly's best friend from college, the owner and manager of a vintage/high end thrift shop in Roxborough.

As Tilly, Max, Louisa, Kaye, and Erin are upbeat and supportive of each other as they each face their personal crises.  Coincidences, misunderstandings and mishaps abound to create a fun, romantic comedy.   Mansell's humor, sense of timing and wit come together so well to make Rumor Has It a surefire hit!  If you're looking for a hilarious and satisfying read in the realm of women's fiction, I highly recommend Rumor Has It!

ISBN-10: 1402237502 - Trade Paperback $14.00
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (May 1, 2010), 416 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

About the Author, in her own words:
Jill Mansell lives with her partner and children in Bristol and writes full time.  Actually, that's not true; she watches TV, eats gum drops, admires the rugby players training in the sports field behind her house, and spends hours on the Internet marveling at how many other writers have blogs.  Only when she's completely run out of ways to procrastinate does she write.

Thank you so much to SourceBooks for this review opportunity!

Display Comments Add a Comment