(31) An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell

Let's talk about moral dilemmas.

What would you do if the mother of your boyfriend offered you an obscene amount of money to walk away from the love of your life? What if you found out just a few hours later that someone in your family desperately needed that money.

Would you do it? Would you make that sacrifice for your family?

That is the dilemma that Lola has been faced with. Her boyfriend, Dougie, comes a posh, uppercrust London family. His mother approaches Lola with an offer that she refuses at first. Then she discovers a member of her family has a desperate need for that money. So Lola walks away. She goes abroad & tries to put Dougie out of her mind.

Flash forward ten years and Lola is back in London. She is managing a bookstore. And as a bookseller, I love to read about booksellers & bookstores in books. I can always tell which authors have BEEN THERE. It is obvious to me, that Jill Mansell is one who has been there.

"She adored her job and she loved her customers -- dealing with the public
was her forte -- but sometimes they were capable of testing her patience to the
limit. Especially in the run-up to Christmas, when vast hordes of people who
didn't venture into bookshops at any other time of the year came pouring through
the doors with a Great Need to Buy coupled with Absolutely No Idea What. It
could be an enjoyable challenge."

The accuracy of this passage had me laughing out loud. So very accurate. And very cleverly written.

Returning to London does mean the possibility of running into Dougie. And through a freak accident, it happens. Lola decides that enough time has passed and the statute of limitations on the "deal" she made has expired and she is determined to get Dougie back.

But at the same time , there are several other sub plots going on in the book. Some of them seemed a bit forced and really unnecessary. But at the heart of the book is Lola's story. Trying to figure out exactly what (and who) she wants in this life.

An Offer You Can't Refuse is written in a smart, funny way that will have you chuckling in several spots. You will find yourself getting emotionally attached to Lola, Dougie, Gabe & Sally. You will finding yourself rooting for them all and hoping for the best. Trust me, Jill Mansell will not disappoint you in the end.