50 Books Challenge 2012 - # 29: Solo by Jill Mansell

Title: Solo
Author: Jill Mansell
Story: When Tessa Duvall meets Ross Monahan at a party, she knows that he's only after one thing, and just for that night, she's happy to go with the flow. But weeks later, she realizes that she may have got a little bit more from the one-night stand than she bargained for. Tessa is determined to go it alone, but Ross, unaccustomed to being rejected, has other plans.
Start: july 17th 2012
End: july 23rd 2012
Comment: Jill Mansell is my go-to author when I want something fun, light and solid. It's never a five-star book, but I always enjoy them, they have fun characters and they make me laugh. It's almost a guarantee. This Mansell book doesn't have any of those elements. It's my least favorite so far. I really had to wrestle my way through the book. First of all I didn't sympathize with the leading character Tessa, couldn't relate to her on any level. She was very one-dimensional and normally they will become more likeable throughout the book. Tessa just didn't. The plot didn't interest me either. It was kind of a drag and my mind wandered of sometimes while reading the book. That never happened before. I didn't like "Solo", though I'm not giving up on Jill Mansell. One bad book doesn't make her a bad author.
Rating: 1/ 5

50 Books Challenge - # 13: Mixed Doubles by Jill Mansell

Title: Mixed Doubles
Author: Jill Mansell
Story: New Year is looming and best friends Liza, Dulcie and Pru are making their resolutions. Liza wants to get married - she's never had any trouble hooking a man. The trouble is, she can never stay interested once she's got him. Dulcie thinks marriage sucks. Her husband, Patrick, may be gorgeous and charming, but the impulsive Dulcie needs more excitement in her life. She wants a divorce. Pru loves her roving husband, and she secretly enjoys the periods when he's making up for his outrageous behaviour. All she wants is to stay married. Liza, Dulcie and Pru have no idea what the New Year has in store - but Fate has some sneaky plans up her sleeve
Start: march 7th 2011
End: march 10th 2011
Comment: I love Jill Mansell books. They are easy to read and sometimes I just need to read one because it so light and uncomplicated. The story starts with three friend who all have their own plan. One wants to get married, one wants a divorce and the third just wants to stay married. Off course nothing works out the way they planned it. It's a book with multiple storylines and I always like those stories. I really liked their friendship, it was natural and I didn't get the impression that were joined at the hip. They had different interests and ran in differernt circles. Mansell knows how to create lovable characters. Liza was my favorite, especially when the story developed. I also liked Pru, because she was so sweet, kind and insecure. She changed later on in the book and became more self confident. Dulcie kinda annoyed me. She wants to get rid of a perfectly good man and she's very shallow, because she started dating another man just for his looks. When he dumps her, she off course realizes how much she misses her husband. I liked the individual happy endings, in those books that always works. Mansell is my go-to author when I need a no-brainer that is just fun to read and doesn't make you think too much. Not high standing literature, but very enjoyable.
Rating: 3/ 5