NEW RELEASE
The Unexpected Consequences Of Love - Jill Mansell (2014)
This is an amusing and heartwarming story about a young man named Josh who returns to Cornwall to help his grandmother run the family business. He wants to get to know local photographer Sophie Wells better and on a personal level, but she keeps him and every other man at arm's length. Sophie shows absolutely no interest at all in the dating ritual and would rather bury her wounded heart in her work, where she focuses all of her energy. The more Josh tries to draw Sophie out of her shell, the more resistance he meets, but he is determined to get to the bottom of the matter, no matter the outcome. I really liked all of the characters in this story. Sophie and Josh were wonderfully written and just perfect for each other. I just kept turning pages in anticipation of how they would eventually get together. The secondary characters breathe glorious life into the story in their own right. There's Sophie's impetuous friend, Tula, who finds herself unemployed and moving to Cornwall after she gets busted calling off sick when she wasn't. There's Riley, the attractive beach bum who appears to have no prospects and is living with his successful author aunt and last but not least, Josh's divorced grandparents who are still quite fond of one another. I was rooting for all of these characters to receive a happy ending because they were all so likable. I loved the setting of Cornwall - the pace seems slower, which fits this story beautifully. No big city noise or smog polluting the air or the ears here. I got a very real sense of tranquility, peace and relaxation. I'm fairly new to the writing of Jill Mansell, but after reading this book, I am a fan. I highly recommend this book if you like stories that feature characters who surprise you with their actions. This story will reaffirm that love happens in the most unexpected ways so there is no use fighting it or trying to avoid it. (SH)
The Unpredictable Consequences of Love, by Jill Mansell, is about a woman who has turned her back on love. The summary says: "When Josh Strachan, newly returned to his home in north Cornwall from sunny California, first meets Sophie Wells, he's immediately smitten. Sophie's pretty, she's funny, she has lots of friends and she clearly loves her job as a photographer, despite the sometimes tricky clients. There's just one problem: Sophie has very firmly turned her back on love. It's nothing personal, she tells Josh, but she just doesn't do dates. And no one - even Sophie's scatty best friend Tula - will tell him why. Josh is sure Sophie likes him, though, and he's just got to find out what's put her off romance. And then put things right..." The Unpredictable Consequences of Love is out in January 2014.