Title : Me and Mr Jones
Author : Lucy Diamond
Publication date : 06 June 2013
Publisher : Pan Macmillan
Purchase eBook: Kindle
Purchase paper book: Amazon
Rating : 4 out of 5 LeeLee’s!
Meet the women in love with three very different brothers . . . Izzy’s determined to escape her troubled past with a new start by the sea – but flirtatious Charlie Jones is causing complications.
Alicia’s been happily married to loyal Hugh for years but secretly craves excitement. Maybe it’s time to spice things up?
Emma’s relationship with David was once fun and romantic but trying for a baby has taken its toll. Then temptation comes along . . .
As the future of the family’s B&B becomes uncertain, Izzy, Alicia and Emma are thrown together unexpectedly. It seems that keeping up with the Joneses is harder than anyone thought . . . From the queen of summer reading, this is a sparkling tale of heartbreak, hope, friendship and love.
My Thoughts
Me an Mr Jones is the first novel I have read by Lucy Diamond and I don’t think it will be the last. The Jones family live in lovely Lyme Regis in Dorset running a family B&B from their home Mulberry House, Lillian and Eddie raised their three sons in the very same house. Hugh Jones their eldest son is married to Alicia and has three beautiful children, David Jones is married to Emma who is desperate to start a family of her own and their youngest Charlie Jones is still in a bit of a limbo as to what he wants to do with his life.
As old age is creeping up on Lillian and Eddie they have decided they can no longer run the B&B and would prefer it if one of their son’s were to take over the family business rather than them sell to a stranger but now they must decide which son if any of them would want to or is capable of taking on their beloved family home and still run the b&b.
The story is told via the wives of the Jones brothers, Alicia, Emma and Izzy who isn’t a Jones wife but a friend and love interest of Charlie. I really liked how the story was told from their point of view and not the Joneses themselves, it’s a bit like an outsiders point of view and they weren’t afraid to speak their minds whether it be about the brothers or their mother-in-law they have a lot of opinions!
My favourite character had to be Alicia, I really liked her and the way she was handling her turning 40 crisis of wanting to be exciting and fun instead of just a house wife in the kitchen. I’d have liked a bit more of the book to have been about Alicia and Emma rather than Charlie and Izzy, although I really liked Izzy and her story of running away from an abusive relationship. This gave the book a much more serious side and the way it was told gave the book a dark side that kept you in suspense. I also loved how each of the women at some point crossed paths and their relationships went from almost being strangers who see each other at annual family events to becoming good friends who choose see one another outside of the family circle.
Verdict
Overall this book is a bit of a feel good story of family, romance and fun with some deep underlying past stories for good measure. It makes you wish your family were as close as the Jones’. Long summer evenings where everyone is at the in-laws house all with their children together playing sports and enjoying each others company after a mad few weeks of drama. It also shows how the most perfect of families aren’t always what they seem when behind closed doors.
What more could you want from a lovely summer read?
