I love Jill Mansell books and am very lucky to be able to read them in advance. Beachcomber bay goes right up to the top of her titles.. a great read about Clemency and her friends and family I love how the characters all slot together so well. I was rooting for Clemency and Sam from the start and for a while thought everything was conspiring against them. A fantastic read to take you away from the cold winter days and transports you to the beach.

I have been reading Jill Mansell for as long as she has been writing and her books rarely fail to hit the mark. This latest offering certainly ticks the boxes, but for me wasn't quite as good as her last book. Clemency is a lovely character and the usual descriptive offerings of the seaside town St Cary's make you want to visit. I especially liked her colleague and friend Ronan. Clemency's sister Belle also makes an appearance with her new boyfriend Sam in tow. The story is set around the town and many additional characters make their appearances all of which form part of the overall story and add depth to it all. However, although I really liked everybody I didn't love them and I'm not sure why? Having said that this was certainly a hugely enjoyable book, but it seemed the extra 'Mansell Magic' was missing for me in this book.

There are certain more serious elements touched on such as adoption, race and sexuality but all done in a way that is easy to read about and not made too depressing! I read this in two sittings and the writing is as flawless as ever, yet I am not a huge fan of the cover of this book. I'm not suggesting that it affects my review it's just so unusual as I normally LOVE her covers but this one seems too boring? Overall this was an enjoyable read but for me I felt like a little something was missing, however Jill Mansell is producing first class books and I remain a lifelong fan!

Clemency and Belle are step sisters and as different as chalk and cheese, but nevertheless agree on one important matter. They carry a secret code of conduct in their hearts as far as boyfriends are concerned – they have each promised the other sister that they will NEVER poach a boyfriend off the other sister and this vow is sacrosanct and each sister can rely on the other to act accordingly.
Clemency lives in St Carys and is an estate agent. She has always loved the area and is as happy as a lark with her life. She works with handsome heart-throb Ronan and they make an excellent team with a really warm friendship and respect for each other. When Belle introduces Clemency to her new boyfriend, Belle is shocked to discover that she already knew him. She should have come clean then – it would have saved so much trouble. They had met three years earlier on a plane journey homebound. The only reason they didn’t take their instant attraction any further then was that he was happily married at the time. But the spark of attraction was unmistakable then, as it is now.
Still he was off limits to Clemency so she hatched a plan and Ronan agreed to pretend that they were a couple to keep Belle unaware of her predicament. The trouble with this plan is that Ronan is secretly in love with a prospective client who becomes more and more confused every day. Talk about mixed signals. But that turned out to be the very least of his worries. ‘Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive’ – this ‘Rom-Com’ of a novel certainly proves this quotation by Sir Walter Scott and wrongly attributed to William Shakespeare, as more and more confusion and subterfuge rains down on the plethora of couples who fall in and out of love with each other both secretly and openly throughout the duration of ‘Meet Me at Beachcomber Bay’ written by seasoned veteran author and comic romantic novelist, Jill Mansell.
With easy fluid storytelling and a host of well crafted characters, this story continues to build with secrets steadfastly kept near to the chest and a series of revelations that caused me to suspend my disbelief at what I was reading. It was a bit on the manic side for my liking. However it kept me smiling, as Jill Mansell always does. I must confess it was way off my favourite of her novels, but her many fans are sure to revel in the romantic mayhem. I did like the ending though, it was happy and satisfying, just as I always like them. I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher Review for my copy of this novel, Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive’ sent out to me in return for an honest review.

Love Jill Mansell books so was excited to see that she had a new book on the horizons. Meet Me at Beachcomber Bay is set in St Carys in Cornwall. The title of the book sounds lovely, the setting is lovely, the story is lovely. What is there not to like about this book.

The story begins with Clemency meeting the man of her dreams on a flight she is on. Even though they get on very well, unfortunately Sam is married and when Clemency gives him her business card, he puts it in the bin. Fast forward some time later and Clem gets a call from her stepsister, Belle, who announces that she is moving back to St Carys with her new boyfriend. Surprise surprise, this turns out to be Sam, the man from the plane.

Whilst the ending is hugely predicable, (who doesn’t like a happy ending) the rest of the story has so many different twists, turns and tales that it just takes you on a rollercoaster of an emotions. The stories of the different characters all mix together and whilst there are some tears, there are lots of love and laughter also. The characters, Clem, Belle, Sam, Ronan, Kate, Marina and all the others are so delightful. You can just see yourself living in such a beautiful place surrounded by such lovely people.

As expected from Jill Mansell, a wonderful feel good book that will keep you hooked to the last page.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this advance copy.