Review: Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Jill Mansell

Don't Want to Miss a Thing
By: Jill Mansell
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
ASIN: B00DZPNBAS

Review:

With a high-paying job and good looks and charm to spare, Dexter Yates epitomizes the life of a carefree London bachelor. Addicted to the thrill of the chase, once a woman succumbs to his charm he quickly loses interest, leaving him with a reputation of something of a heartbreaker. The only stability in Dexter's personal life comes in the form of his beloved older sister Laura and her newborn daughter, Delphi -- the only women in his life of whom Dexter will never tire. When tragedy strikes, Dexter is left reeling and faces a shocking choice -- grieving his sister's death and returning to the freewheeling emptiness of the life he's always led, or forsaking his playboy ways and honoring his sister's wish to raise Delphi as his own. Taking a leap of faith Dexter applies for guardianship and gives up his flat in London for a cottage in the quiet village of Briarwood. But although Delphi has capture his heart, the challenges of raising an infant alone -- in the midst of his grief -- threatens to derail Dexter's best intentions. Can the man who strove to avoid commitment of any sort find the courage to commit to his niece, and in the process find a love worth fighting for?

Molly Hayes's love life is a series of disasters, and after her latest messy break-up she resolves to forswear men -- at least temporarily -- and concentrate on her art. The genius behind a popular comic strip, she loves the quiet atmosphere Briarwood provides, allowing her to focus on her work and teach aspiring artists at the local cafe. But the day she lobs an unwanted fish into Dexter's backyard, her resolve to avoid romantic entanglements is put to the test the moment she sees the playful glint in her handsome new neighbor's eyes. As the months pass, Molly and Dexter find themselves forming an unorthodox family, but when the local doctor sets her sights on winning Dex, Molly is faced with a choice: move on with another or fight for a chance at happiness with the last man she ever thought she could trust with her heart?

Oh how I loved this book! Is it predictable? Sure -- but that is part of its charm. This is a novel that takes all the tropes of a romantic comedy and makes them shine. Mansell had me from the novel's first pages, when we're introduced to Dex and one of his fated-to-fail girlfriends. His transformation from romantic lout to caring brother and uncle just KILLED me -- because I immediately knew he was fated to lose his sister, the only person capable of keeping him honest. And as I'm a complete sucker for a redemption story, I was immediately charmed. I loved how Mansell took the time to develop a true relationship between Dexter and Molly, the seeds of a relationship that blossomed over time. While each party's respective detours on the road to happiness was oft-times maddening, I loved Mansell's honest portrayal of the rewards and frustrations of friendship, and the fear attendant with risking the same on the possibility of something more.

As I've quickly learned is the norm with a Mansell novel, in addition to the core romance she peppers each book's world with a host of fully realized, wonderfully flawed support characters, each as in desperate need of a happy ending as Dex and Molly. I loved the idea that Briarwood once played host to a classic BBC television show -- the fictional Next To You -- and one of that "classic's" stars unexpected chance to rekindle a love once thought lost forever. And then there is Frankie, the proprietress of the local cafe, and the completely INSANE discovery that her husband has -- with the best of intentions (*eyeroll*) been concealing the existence of a SECOND FAMILY for nearly twenty years. People, I KNOW this is the stuff of soap opera INSANITY, but for once I just didn't care. Mansell actually made me care about Frankie and her daughter and the fact that somehow, something of their relationship with her husband might be salvageable in a more or less believable manner.

I've quickly come to love losing myself in one of Mansell's frothy romances. Don't Want to Miss a Thing is replete with Mansell's trademark humor and warmth, from comic misunderstandings that leave you gasping with laughter one moment, to poignant moments of loss and uncertainty. Despite its arguably over-long length, there isn't a chapter or storyline I'd want to see cut. Like the best of romantic comedies, Mansell is a master at hitting all the right notes that hook a reader and tug at the heartstrings. One knows the story beats -- the meet cute, the dark moments, the reconciliation -- and while the conclusion may be foregone, here the joy is in the journey. And this is a ride I for one was more than happy to take. I'm so happy I still have multiple volumes of Mansell's backlist to discover. If you're looking for a frothy confection of a read with which you can while away a few hours, this is just the ticket. Enjoy!

About the book:

He knows all about women, or so he thought...

Dexter Yates leads a charmed existence in London, with money, looks, and girlfriends galore. Life's fantastic until Dex's sister dies and his world changes overnight. Astonishing everyone, including himself, Dex leaves the city behind, takes charge of his eight-month-old niece Delphi, moves to a beautiful Cotswolds village, and sets about working on his parenting skills. His neighbors, including cartoonist Molly Hayes, seem friendly enough—but Dex can't shake the notion that he's missing something important.

Review: A Walk in the Park by Jill Mansell

A Walk in the Park
By: Jill Mansell
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
ASIN: B008NCAUKW

Review:

When her father kicked her out of the house at the age of sixteen, Lara Carson left her hometown of Bath with nary a word or a look back. Moving in with her late mother's sister, Nettie, Lara moved on with her life, but never quite forgot the one she left behind -- the charming golden boy Flynn. Eighteen years pass, and she hasn't set foot in her hometown until she receives word of her father's death. Returning for the funeral, Lara is shocked to discover that her mother's will provided she be left her childhood home after her father's passing. When she reconnects with her one-time best friend Evie and learns Flynn is back in town, Lara is faced with a choice -- whether or not she can build a future at the site of her most painful memories, and if risking a second chance with Flynn can survive the revelation of a secret she's kept for nearly two decades.

Evie is thrilled when her one-time best friend returns, and just in time for her wedding to the drop-dead gorgeous Joel. But when she discovers on the morning of her wedding day that Joel's been carrying on numerous affairs during their relationship, she leaves him at the altar -- and every insecurity she's ever had about her appearance and judgement return to haunt her. When a new man enters her life, Evie begins to wonder if there could be a man out there who'd find her and her alone to be enough. While Joel refuses to stop his efforts to win her back, Evie must decide if she's strong enough to risk her heart on a future full of uncertainties and unknowns -- is the hope of promise as yet unrealized worth the risk?

After my first successful venture reading a Jill Mansell novel (Millie's Fling), I was left eager to try another -- and this second outing met with mixed results. Similar to Millie's Fling, A Walk in the Park features a large cast of quirky, generally likable characters attempting to navigate the twists and turns of relationships and romance. But where the former is pure, frothy, laugh-out-loud escapism from start to finish, this novel is more serious in tone with humorous moments sprinkled throughout -- and therefore the tone of the novel is decidedly uneven. The premise of the novel works well enough for a chick lit, but the problem in my view lies with making Lara's the main storyline. I get that she had a terrible childhood, one that would -- understandably -- make it difficult for her to trust Flynn. That said, none of her reasons for withholding the existence of their child for EIGHTEEN YEARS hold up -- she never gave Flynn a chance to reject their baby, never gave him a chance to choose -- and while he was certainly immature as a teen, who isn't? While Lara's search for her mother's history provides some welcome suspense, ultimately her unfounded distrust of Flynn and her insistence on keeping him at arm's length until the novel's final pages sour any humorous anecdotes sprinkled throughout their storyline.

On the other hand, Evie's story is thoroughly enjoyable by comparison. A very relatable heroine, Evie's struggles with self-image, her dismay at the discovery of Joel's infidelities, and her struggle over whether or not to move on from that chapter in her life play out with believability, warmth, and humor. I particularly loved the "meet cute" between Evie and Ethan, a local hotel "gardener." The subsequent misunderstandings that strive to keep them apart are the stuff of romantic comedy gold, but serve an important dual purpose in how they force Evie to confront her deepest fears and, for the first time, decide that not only is she worthy of a swoon-worthy love story, but that her self-worth (or lack thereof) needn't determine the course of her future.

While I liked A Walk in the Park, overall it lacked the spark, the life, the humor that I crave when diving into a novel of this ilk. That's not to say there isn't a place in chick lit for touching on more serious personal and/or relational issues (i.e., Orla and Hester's storylines in Millie's Fling, or Amy's character arc in The Runaway Princess by Hester Browne), but when those issues are dealt with in a completely surface, cursory manner, as in Lara's case, it cheapens the character and frustrates the reader. And while I generally like the idea of Mansell penning novels with sprawling casts, hopefully further tangential storylines will not involve almost borderline, offensively stereotyped characters the likes of rapper EnjaySeven -- that didn't work for me at all. That said, Flynn is such a winning hero and Evie's story so enjoyable that I'll definitely be reading more Mansell novels in the future.

About the book:

No one could have planned for this...

Lara Carson left her family and boyfriend Flynn eighteen years ago without a word to anyone. Why has no one heard from her since? Does it mean anything that she's suddenly reappeared in Bath just in time for her ex–best friend Evie's wedding? And what about Flynn? Even the most eagle–eyed observer can't tell whether he's happy to see her, or just stunned.

While secrets pile up on secrets, and the gossip mill wings into high gear, the brand–new life Lara's searching for becomes ever more elusive. There's a lot of catching up for everyone to do, and Lara's return is going to be anything but a walk in the park.

Review: Millie's Fling by Jill Mansell

Millie's Fling
By: Jill Mansell
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
ASIN: B003H2Z4GS

Review:

When Millie bolted from her boyfriend's oh-so-romantic proposal in Lover's Lane that they move in together (the cheapskate just wanted to save money on his rent) to the side of a would-be jumper, she little realized that her reflexive action would change her life forever. That would-be jumper was best-selling romance novelist Orla Hart, determined to end it all over the heartbreak of her husband's latest affair. But Millie convinced her to give life a second chance -- and when the flamboyant, larger-than-life Orla takes stock of her career and Millie's (lack of a) love life, she concocts an outrageous plan. Millie will be the fictionalized subject of her next book, a literary, true-to-life account of a working class girl's struggle to find love. When Millie first accepted Orla's offer it was merely as a lark -- but having a multi-millionaire author as one's fairy godmother proves more complicated than she'd imagined. Soon Millie is juggling more male attention -- from more unlikely quarters -- than she's seen in an age, but when the one man who actually makes her heart leap isn't a part of Orla's plotline, will she ever realize her own happily ever after?

People, sometimes nothing of a chick lit will do. And if you're at all like me, an Anglophile at heart, a British chick lit is a dream come true. After seeing reviews of Mansell's titles around the blogosphere and purchasing an e-book or two on sale (and promptly losing track of the titles in my Kindle's packed files), I finally decided the holiday weekend was the perfect time to give one of Mansell's novels a try -- and goodness did that risk pay off in spades.

Millie's Fling is a delightful, frothy confection of a novel, replete with humor, misunderstandings (both comic and heart-breaking),and romance. Clocking in at roughly five hundred pages, Millie's Fling is quite a bit longer than I'm used to when it comes to breezy, entertaining fiction of this ilk -- and honestly it could have used a bit of judicial editing to tighten the storyline. But when you're having such fun indulging in pure, fluffy escapism it's hard to fault story length when you've become so wholly immersed in the story's world, with characters who, foibles and all, have become friends.

Mansell as an apparent knack for peopling her novels with delightfully zany, very human characters, relatable in both their triumphs and heartaches. And here, at least, she favors large casts of characters -- for though this novel is called Millie's Fling, that quickly proves to be something of a misnomer. This is hardly a chick lit about one woman's search for love and fulfillment -- in a welcome turn significant page time is given to her entire circle of acquaintance. Her benefactress-cum-employer Orla and her struggling marriage, her housemate Hester and her romantic travails, her affably eccentric, divorced parents, and all of the men who dance in and out of this circle of women whose lives are rife with romantic possibilities receive significant page time. More than one woman's story, this little novel could perhaps be more aptly likened to an ensemble comedy like the film Love Actually -- this is a novel love wherein each experience is as unique and fully realized as the colorful characters that spring from its pages.

While the novel started a bit slowly, once the characters and premise where established the pace picked up and my fingers flew through the pages. Like comfort food or, better yet, chocolate, Millie's Fling is pure, unadulterated escapism at its finest. This is a novel and world that is a joy to lose oneself in, peopled with characters you can't help but love (even when they're incredibly stupid) and a few twists that may surprise you. I absolutely love Mansell's sense of humor and laughed out loud more than once descriptiosn of between Millie's job as a gorilla costume-wearing kissogram to Orla's well-meaning attempts at matchmaking (and Orla's payoff at the end of the novel? PRICELESS). The perfect summer read, for sheer fun my introduction to Mansell's fiction cannot be beat -- and I'll definitely be checking out her other novels sooner rather than later.

About the book:

He's the best thing that ever happened to her. He's also the worst. He's Millie's Fling.

From one of the premiere contemporary authors in the UK, here is a fun and romantic tale that proves the road to matchmaking hilarity is paved with good intentions.

Bestselling novelist Orla Hart owes her life to her friend Millie Brady, whose rotten boyfriend has just left her. So Orla invites Millie to Cornwall, where Millie looks forward to a summer without any dating whatsoever. But Orla envisions Millie as the heroine of her next novel and decides to find Millie the man of her dreams. Except the two women have drastically different ideas about what kind of guy that should be.

With Orla and Millie working at cross-purposes, and a dashing but bewildered hero stuck in the middle, the summer will turn out to be unforgettable for all concerned...