Sheer Mischief
Jill Mansell
Sourcebooks, Jul 2018
416 pages, kindle, paperback, audiobook, audio cd
Contemporary romance, second-chance romance, women’s lit
Provided, NetGalley
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The cover is that typical Jill Mansell cover with soft colors, flowers and no real person. Yes, there is a woman standing there, but you can’t see her feet or anything above her waist, so she’s not an actual person, just a body shape. She can’t be identified.
The story is that typical Jill Mansell story where everyone gets a second chance, well, except for Bruno. In her wonderfully real-to-life style, the author shares the stories of her characters with us. These are real people, as usual. Maxine is a b*tch, Janey is great, Guy is sweet, Alan is a slug and a user, and Bruno was a player until he played once too often in the same sandbox.
The story was told with the heartbeat-of-life pace that makes stories so realistic with the tension slowly building as events took you.
I loved Janey who was lost, befuddled, confused, and hurt by the disappearance of her husband, Alan. And she was such a nice person, so sweet. Being a florist was the perfect career for her, a giving type of job and one that deals in beauty.
Maxine was a user, as I said, a b*tch. She could use anyone, Janey, Thea, the kids, Guy, Bruno…and lie straight-faced without remorse. Oliver and Thea were a great couple. Wish they had had more time.
The relationship between Guy and Janey builds like a jigsaw puzzle as they each take steps to put the pieces in place until their whole picture fits together. Until Guy finally puts the two dozen pink roses on order and she delivers them to his door. This is definitely a one thousand piece puzzle!
Highly recommended for romance readers.
a thoughtful reveal 