Amber, Lachlan and Raffaele met as teenagers in the Cornish seaside home of kind-hearted foster parents. Years on, the bond between them is unbreakable.
But Amber has a secret. She's in love with Lachlan. She can't tell him, because that would never work - he's definitely not the settling-down type. Surely it's better to keep him as a friend than to risk losing him for good?
Raffaele has his own dilemma. He had the dream girlfriend in Vee, until it all went horribly wrong . . . and he still can't understand why. Is Vee hiding something from him?
Now their widowed foster dad Teddy has found new love. Younger, charming and beautiful, Olga seems perfect. But is she? Or will she break Teddy's fragile heart?
I'd like to thank Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour and for my copy of Should I Tell You? to review. Firstly apologies to Anne, Jill and Headline Publishing for the delay in uploading this review which was due on Thursday but broadband connection issues prevented me publishing the review.
Should I Tell You? is the latest book from bestselling author Jill Mansell who has an impressive back catalogue that I've been reading ever since I first discovered her books in the mid 90s. To date I think there's only a couple that I haven't read yet but I do have copies waiting for me in my ever growing TBR piles.
The story features three central characters, Amber, Raffaele and Lachlan who met as teenagers when they were all placed with the same foster parents Teddy and May. With the love, support and guidance of Teddy and May they were able to put their troubled childhoods behind them and develop into the strong, independent adults they are today. Their bond is as close as ever even if distance keeps them apart until circumstances sees them all back together in the Cornish seaside town of Lanrock for the first time in years.
I always love the settings that Jill Mansell creates and the fictional seaside town of Lanrock was just perfect. The descriptions of the places and the scenery made the town feel so real, welcoming and somewhere that I could picture myself walking around.
Amber has stayed in the town making a successful career for herself as a glass artist whereas both Lachlan and Raffaele had moved to the bright lights of London and became famous in their respective fields. Now Lachlan has returned to Lanrock to open his own restaurant and Raffaele has temporarily returned following the break up with his girlfriend and business partner Vee. We also get to follow Teddy's new relationship with Olga who he met on a cruise, his first trip away since he lost his beloved wife May a couple of years previously.
All of the characters were well-developed and it was great being able to get to know them all a little more as their stories progressed. Lachlan was definitely the more guarded of the three, he has never let anyone get too close to him, apart from Amber, Raffaele, Teddy and May, so he'd rather stick to his casual relationships rather than risk anyone breaking his heart. His wariness of people means that he's instantly suspicious of Olga's intentions. Amber is the more trusting of the three friends, although she's keeping her own romantic feelings a secret rather than risk breaking up their bond. Her kind nature means that she welcomes Olga with open arms but only time will tell whether her trust is misguided. As for Raffaele, he really was a shadow of a man when we first met him. It's clear that he's still in love with Vee but it's only over time that we find out what exactly happened between them, will time be a healer that will unite them or tear them apart for ever.
As well as the central characters, we are also introduced to a few others who each play their part in the various storylines that are running throughout. Some are larger than life that certainly make their presence known such as gallery owner Peggy, or others lurk in the background such as her son Benjie who has lived in her shadow his whole life. The more I got to know Benjie, the more I was championing him and wanting him to take the initial steps to overcome his fears and create a happier life for himself. As for Peggy, she means well, especially with her intentions with her son, but maybe she could have gone about things a little differently.
Should I Tell You? proves that Jill Mansell is a master of her craft bringing us feel-good reads that will have us rooting for all the characters to find their true strength, love and happiness.
Thank you x
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