6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An fun easy read, May 5, 2010
This review is from: Rumor Has It: In a town this small, a secret is hard to keep (Paperback)
I've just recently discovered the writing of Jill Mansell and even though some of her books are harder to get here in the states she's worth the wait to have them shipped from England if you have to. Rumor Has It is no exception; fun, quirky characters make this book a quick can't miss hit.
Tilly Cole has just been left by her boyfriend but she's not all that disappointed because she's been trying to get him to break it off for awhile. A previous breakup has made her afraid to end it with men so she usually acts in a way that will guarantee an end of the relationship by her boyfriend. Not having any attachments she impulsively finds a job in the small town her best friend lives in and moves in with her new employer. Her new job as a "girl Friday" which basically means she takes care of her employer's daughter, cooks dinner and does odd jobs allows her to meet the town heartthrob Jack Lucas. She is warned by everyone she knows in town to stay away from Jack because of his reputation for sleeping with all of the women in town and Tilly's resolved to remain friends with him and resist his romantic advances.
If you've read Jill Mansell before then you know there is always lots and lots of interesting subplots in each book that can sometimes be more engrossing than the main plots. This book has Erin, Tilly's best friend and her many speed bumps in the road to love. I won't go into detail but dating a man who is separated from his wife is no easy task for Erin.
I love the easy style in which Mansell writes. Her books are always quite long (300+ pages which is a lot for chick lit) but they never seem to take long to read. I always find myself having a hard time putting the books down when it is time to go to bed, which to me is a the measure of a good book. Generally speaking I don't like books where there are more than one plot going on but for some reason I don't have a problem with it when reading Jill's books. She writes characters that I would like to be friends with and that is why her books are so fun to read.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is such a Hoot!, April 15, 2010
This review is from: Rumor Has It: In a town this small, a secret is hard to keep (Paperback)
I am going to say right off the bat that I really could never get into Chick Lit, that is until now. This is the most hilarious story with that off the wall pure British comedy that will make you chuckle from page one to the end. This author has certainly shown me that light and fluff with a great storyline, a few important messages and some just down and out comedy is what you need every now and then. OMG, I'm still chuckling. I am so going to have to check out the rest of this author's line of books.
Rumor Has It is about Tilly who being dumped by her live in boyfriend ends up taking a live in position as a Girl Friday. Her boss is a hunka hunka but low and behold he is gay. Oh well, not the end of the world for Tilly as she's not looking really and there are plenty of fish in the ocean.
Along comes Jack Lucas. Tall, dark, oozing with sexual charm that draws you in like bees to honey. Oh baby is he hot. So hot in fact that he is known about town by every female old enough to have her hormones in working order.
Tilly is warned by everyone to stay away from Jack as he would only break her heart and chalk her up as another notch on his bedpost. Thank goodness Tilly has the strength of Hercules in the will department. Ahhh, but who says that even that will protect her in the end. Will she give in or will Jack break her heart into millions of shattering pieces.
The author has done a fabulous job above and beyond anything I would have ever expected. I love the sense of humor, the solid storyline with it's hidden messages that are a strong reminder to one and all. The play of emotions is outstanding and oh gee I just don't know what more to say without giving it all away. Guess you'll have to read for yourself and see what a hoot this book truly is.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An Entertaining Romp, July 2, 2010
This review is from: Rumor Has It: In a town this small, a secret is hard to keep (Paperback)
THREE QUICK POINTS
* Point 1: Predictable. It's the nature of the beast with chick lit, but in the case of Jack & Tilly, it's a bit more obvious than necessary.
* Point 2: Slow start. The really "good stuff" doesn't begin to reveal itself until about chapter six, so a reader will need to exercise a bit of patience.
* Point 3: Culture shock. I've read a bit of Brit chick lit, but this one seemed especially heavy on the Briticisms. Fair warning for the Yanks.
SHORT SYNOPSIS
Tilly Cole's boyfriend has left her. Just like that. She comes home one day to find all his stuff moved out. So she takes a trip to visit her best friend Erin in the small town of Roxborough to drown her sorrows. But the small town dug its claws into Tilly and she ends up taking a job as a Girl Friday with one of its more prominent residents, Max Dineen and his teenage daughter Louisa. Through her connection with Max, Tilly meets the most coveted (and infamous) bachelor in town, Jack Lucas and Tilly tries everything in her power not to fall for his charms.
MY THOUGHTS
I had to start this book a couple different times because it took a while to get into. It does open with a relative bang--Tilly coming home to a half cleaned out apartment--but I found Tilly to be a rather bland character. Then around chapter six when the other characters and sub-stories were introduced, the pace, and appeal, of the book immediately picked up.
For me, Tilly was too plain Jane. Every once in a while she trips over something or says the wrong thing, but it felt more contrived than anything. Then there's Jack. Everyone is whispering that he's a playboy and warning Tilly off of him. Yet another contrivance and I never really got into the blossoming of their relationship.
Thing is, I adored the side stories of Erin and Kaye. They were hilarious. Erin seemed far more real and affable than Tilly and Kaye was just off the wall wacky (reigned in when necessary, of course). Even Louisa, Kaye and Max's teenage daughter, was just the right amount of quirky; watching her story unravel was quite pleasant. These would be the reasons I'd recommend reading this book and although the relationship between Tilly and Jack is supposed to be center stage, it read like a placeholder.
Also, (speaking to the Non-Brits, here) if you aren't used to reading British literature or watching the BBC, this book will take some getting used to. There are a number of slang terms used throughout-- enough to make you raise an eyebrow and wonder what just happened. Once you get used to them, though, it's smooth sailing.
At the end of the day, I'd recommend reading it for the lighthearted and often comical side-stories, but don't expect too much from the two main characters' romance. It's sweet, but not Earth-altering.
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