Thursday Tea

Thursday Tea is a little meme hosted at BirdBrain[ed] Book Blog. 

The Book: I've got two books on the go at the moment, but the one I'm curling up with for tea is Fast Friends, by Jill Mansell. It was just time for another of her books! I'm still getting into it, so learning about each of the characters, trying to work out the relationships between them all, but there seem to be three women who will be the centre of this story: Roz, LouLou and Camilla - the fast friends obviously!

The Tea: I've chosen  'Fresh & Fruity: blackcurrant, ginseng, and vanilla'. 

Do they go together: Absolutely! The tea is a bright pink colour which is just as vivid as the colours on the cover of this book, and I think the "fresh & fruity" element is going to complement these characters perfectly. The box also suggests this tea would work well as an iced summer drink - maybe I'll save that for my next Jill Mansell treat!

Book #42: An Offer You Can't Refuse

Oh, it feels like a long time ago that I read this one of Jill Mansell's. So long ago in fact that I'm probably due another fix of this wonderful, light hearted chicklit. An Offer You Can't Refuse was just as good as any of Jill Mansell's other books. A quick, light read perfect for a Friday night on the sofa, vino in hand, or to simply flick through a book to get the reading momentum going again.

An Offer You Can't Refuse was the story of Lola and Doug. Well, mainly the story of Lola. Her and Doug are highschool sweethearts, but as the years of university approach, Doug's mother confronts Lola with an offer (one she can't refuse funnily enough!). Doug's mother is prepared to give Lola £10,000 to break up with Doug and leave his life forever.

And does she? Indeed she does - but not for reasons you may initially think. However, as is the predictability of Mansell's books (and why we love them so), Lola and Doug are reunited through an intricate web of circumstances. Yet along the way, there are plenty of colourful characters to keep us entertained and throw us slightly off plot.

Is there a happy ending? Ah - I won't spoil it for you. Suffice to say, you won't be disappointed.

Enjoy!

I overindulged... and Book #29: Millie's Fling

You know that feeling when you've already eaten a few too many chocolates but you go back for just one more?

Well, lets just say it didn't take me long to pick up another Jill Mansell. Two weren't quite enough - I had to go back for more.

This one was Millie's Fling, which had everything Mansell does well - a colourful collection of characters, sticky situations, love triangles, secrets, the rich and famous, and of course a happy outcome!


From: http://www.jillmansell.co.uk
Millie's Fling 
When Millie Brady saves Orla Hart's life she doesn't realise how drastically it will change her own – not least because the boyfriend who was asking her to move in with him at the time stormed off in a huff. Actually, Millie's relieved. She's happy to enjoy a man-free summer in Cornwall. But Orla has other ideas. She's determined that Millie should meet the man of her dreams. Trouble is, Millie's taste in men doesn't tally with Orla's. The one who really interests her is Hugh Emerson, and he's the man with whom Orla's adamant she mustn't get involved...

However, if I'm being honest, it didn't turn out to be one of my favourites. There almost seemed to be a few too many story lines in Millie's Fling, which meant there wasn't enough time, words, or pages to properly develop the central plot - well, the characters I wanted to find out more about anyway! Yet who am I to criticise. I picked this book up knowing full well that I wasn't about to read a mind-blowing historical saga, or a contemporary novel that left me pondering what I do with my days.

I just wanted one more mouthful. Yet another sweet, but perhaps it serves me right for reaching for yet another helping. Next time, I'll just wait and savour what I've already had... and try not to overindulge.

That way, I can still go back for more!

Light relief... and books #26 and 27

Book #26 Head over Heels and Book #27 Two's Company, both by Jill Mansell

I was in need of light relief a few weeks ago, so who should I turn to but Jill Mansell of course. The covers of her books alone are enough to but a spring in my step... and with spring finally arriving in my neck of the woods, I figured it was perfect timing.

From http://www.jillmansell.co.uk:

Head over Heels

Jessie has kept the identity of her son Oliver’s father a secret for years. She’s stunned when she discovers that the man in question, actor Toby Gillespie, has just moved in next door. The truth’s about to come out. One glance at Oliver, and a little mental arithmetic, and Toby has the situation sussed. Meeting the son he never knew he had is the shock of a lifetime. It’s a shock, too, for Toby’s wife, the beautiful Deborah, though she seems to take it in her stride. Would Deborah be so relaxed if she knew just how close Toby wants to get to the mother of his firstborn? As the attraction between them flares up again, Jessie just can’t see her way to a happy ending. But no one is quite what they seem, and there are more surprises to come…

Two’s Company 

Jack and Cass Mandeville are a dream couple, ridiculously happy together and successful to boot - Jack as a journalist and Cass with her own hugely popular radio show. Indeed, almost every member of the Mandeville family is famous in their own right: from stunning Cleo, a supermodel with attitude, to Sean, the rising star of the comedy circuit. Incredibly good-looking and likeable, the family have captured the hearts of the nation - and the nation's press. But on the day that Jack hits the big 40 - the same day that a redhead called Imogen turns up to interview Jack and Cass for Hi!magazine - their proverbial bubble is about to burst...

One thing I love about Jill Mansell's books, apart from the fact that one doesn't have to think when reading them - is how she connects each of the characters together. There's always a slight twist as to which direction the book will take, how each story line is going to unfold, and who will eventually end up with who... because romance always wins out in the end!

I do find, that the connection of characters takes a little bit to unravel at first. Mansell often introduces them quite quickly in the first few chapters, and at times I have to remember who's who, but as the stories - and characters - develop.... oh does the fun begin. You are immediately transported into the village community, where there's always a character to love, a character who frustrates you, a character who annoys you, and a character who you want to win out in the end.

It's chicklit at its finest, and to date, Jill Mansell has yet to disappoint. So, if you're in need of light relief...