Reversing over Liberace

by Jane Lovering

Life, love and unlikely legacies. Willow runs into Luke, the university lust-of-her-life, ten years on and this time around he's interested--she's lost twenty pounds and found fashion. But their meeting turns out to be no accident. What is Luke really after, Willow or her new inheritance? Her best mate Cal is gorgeous and.well. gay. Then reveals himself to be more than a mild, unassuming computer geek and she is no longer sure exactly who is telling the truth or who to trust. Is anyone in her life what they seem to be? Add to the romantic confusion, twelve pairs of rubber boots, two elderly spaniels, a pregnant sister and the unexpected contents of a matchbox and you get a funny, touching story of a woman in search of revenge and getting what she needs, rather than what she thinks she wants. Warning, this title contains the following: graphic language.

Genres: Chick Lit

295 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2007

About the author

Jane Lovering was born in Devon, England but, following extradition procedures, now lives in Yorkshire. She has five children, four cats, two dogs and doesn't believe in housework so the bacteria and dust are approaching sentience and now rank among the pets. Incidentally, she doesn’t believe in ironing either, and the children all learned self-defensive cookery at early ages. She works in a local school and also teaches creative writing, which are extreme ways of avoiding the washing up.

Published since 2008, she writes romantic comedies which are often described as ‘quirky’. One day she's going to find out what that means. Jane is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and has a first class honours degree in creative writing. In 2012, her novel Please Don't Stop the Music won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the RNA.

Reviews

[Emmie Dark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love this as much as "Please don't stop the music", but it was still a good, fun read.

Unfortunately the heroine skirts dangerously close to TSTL status (too stupid to live) although through sheer charm she manages to claw back from the edge. Still, I found it was a little pantomime-like, and several times I wanted to call out to Willow, "Look out behind you!".

It's very clear right from the start who is the good guy and who is the bad guy, but that doesn't necessarily get in the way, because I hung in there for the eventual revelation to Willow (she's pretty slow to catch on) and the revenge plot that was quite satisfying.

Like "Please don't stop the music", the book is peppered with cute and quirky secondary characters and funny situations and lines.

[glitrbug · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this book was a play, it would be a screwball comedy. As a movie, I can see it made with Sandra Bullock as Willow and Joseph Fiennes as Cal so that should tell you a little. It's hard to review the book without giving anything away. It's kind of a comedy of errors. The main character, Willow, is the sister that keeps the home fires burning for her family, is still best friends with people from college 10 years later, and has a strange nervous response to attractive men.
There are references to British TV and some slang but if you like English humor, you will like this book. There is some shagging but it's "off camera." There is an occasional use of the "F" word and the best friend describes one of the guys as "such a ride" which is going to be my new favorite phrase. LOL
Fun book.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant read! I loved the fact that the bookwas set in York. The eclectic mix of characters made for a very entertaining story.

[LindyLouMac · Rating 3 out of 5]

A heroine who is literally sick if she finds a man attractive and a nose as a legacy, really does this sound like my sort of book? Well when I first started out I did not think so either, but this comedy of errors grew on me. It is not a great literary masterpiece but I do not think that was what the author intended anyway. She has written a very funny story though at times I found it a little farcical for my personal taste. The title I also find far from appealing and would never have picked it to read.
It is the sort of comedy that I can imagine would translate well to television sit com status, no real memorable action but lots of laughs. The protagonist is Willow, the sibling whose family depend on her, although she seems to be incredibly naive. A lot of the time making me feel I wanted to shake her, I mean are there really people that are physically sick from nerves all over people they fancy!! Quirky characters, awkward situations and laugh out loud lines kept me reading. The reader realises a long time before Willow that she is being taken for a fool and I needed to know if she got her revenge in the end.
An easy read for a summer afternoon that will appeal to those looking for (to quote the back cover) ‘a funny touching story of a woman in search of revenge and getting what she needs, rather than what she thinks she wants.


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[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tempted to give this one five stars for pure entertainment value. It had me giggling on nearly every page and I have been desensitized to most obvious jokes so trust me these will take you unawares. The witty bawdy reparte! The suspenseful frustration of waiting for willow to get her head out of her behind! Oh right, that was why it didn't get five stars. But oh is it a wonderful read.

[Ger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light-hearted, fun, if predictable, read. Enjoyed it!

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing! But then I have come to expect nothing else from Ms Lovering. Her quirky humour is unlike anything else I have read.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant read if you like British humour!