Review: Rumor Has It

Summary: Would you be tempted?

Newly single, Tilly Cole impulsively accepts a job offer in a small town as a “Girl Friday.” Fun job, country house, fresh start, why not? But soon she finds herself in a hotbed of gossip, intrigue, and rampant rivalry for the town’s most desirable bachelor—Jack Lucas.

Rumors of Jack’s “love ’em and leave ’em” escapes abound, and Tilly decides to do the mature, sensible thing... avoid Jack at all cost. But the more time Tilly spends with Jack, the more the rumors just don’t make sense. Tilly doesn’t know what to believe... and Jack’s not telling. -- Sourcebooks Landmark

I am a huge fan of Jill Mansell and I just love that Sourcebooks is releasing her books here in the United States. So far I have read three of her books and enjoyed all of them (PERFECT TIMING - review, MILLIE'S FLING - review, and MIRANDA'S BIG MISTAKE -review.) And I recently read a fourth, her the latest one RUMOR HAS IT. I don't read a ton of chick-lit anymore, but I always make an exception for Ms. Mansell!

I'm having a hard time writing this review because I feel as if I've already covered pretty much everything in my other three reviews. It's not that I didn't really, really enjoy RUMOR HAS IT. It's just that Ms. Mansell's books tend to follow the same basic format. Girl meets boy and really likes him (and then doesn't), but there are always reasons that they can't get together...until the end of the book. Chick lit at it's best!

In the case of RUMOR HAS IT, the girl is named Tilly and after she gets dumped by her boyfriend, she leaves London and heads to the country where her best friend Erin lives. She gets a new job as an assistant to an interior designer -- who just happens to have a teen daughter and is also gay! And she meets the town heart-breaker Jack! Although she is very attracted to Jack (and senses that he feels the same way), she tries to protect herself and keep her distance.

It's a very cute, albeit somewhat predictable, love story -- but that's why I read these books. But what I really appreciated about RUMOR HAS IT are all of the terrific supporting characters and side stories. As is the case with every Jill Mansell book, I love that she has so much going on besides the traditional "chick lit" story. And I really appreciate that although the books are light and funny, there always seem to be at least one story with some substance.

When I sat down to read RUMOR HAS IT, I was expecting an easy read that would make me laugh. I wasn't disappointed. But I was a little bit surprised by the seriousness (and sadness) of one of the storylines. I don't want to give away too much, but there are a few scenes in this novel which really touched my heart and even gave me a little lump in my throat. I so appreciate how Ms. Mansell is able to balance the mix of chick lit and heartache -- it's one of the reasons to me that her books really set themselves apart in this genre.

If you are a fan of chick lit (and especially Brit chick lit) or a fan of Jill Mansell, then you won't want to miss RUMOR HAS IT!

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy of this novel.