This is the perfect summer read - great characters in a beach location, fun storyline that doesn't require a ton of thinking, and excellent writing.

It Started with a Secret by Jill Mansell Is a sweet contemporary romance that I really enjoyed. Lainey and her best friend Kit, pose as a couple to get a a job organizing and caring for a retired actor chaotic family. Kit is gay so there is no chance of them having a real relationship. Lainey and the actor's grandson Seth, have chemistry and are attracted to each other, but he thinks she is with Kit. Will they ever get together? An easy to read and fast paced book that kept me enthralled from beginning to end. The quirky characters are really entertaining. I highly recommend this book is you enjoy sweet romances, and I will be reading more of Ms. Mansell's books.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Jill Mansell continues to do what she does best- write lighthearted reads full of wit, emotion and diverse characters. Her books never fail to please book clubs since they are full of appealing characters of varying ages and demographics, giving everyone someone to root for and see themselves reflected in. There is enough light drama and romance to keep even the most cynical reader entertained, and the setting is easy to escape into.

What a fun book this was! It is not like one I have ever read, it was so unique and the colorful characters kept me captivated and laughing! It truly reminds me of a delightful sitcom that I would happily binge-watch. Pick this up for a light, refreshing, and easy read.

This book is just what I needed - a perfect beach read even if I can't go to the beach so far this year! This is my first book from Jill Mansell, even though she has so many - I will definitely add more to my to-be-read shelf. I absolutely fell in love with the area of Cornwall, and all of the characters were so likable. Yes, each character had some minor drama along the way of love in their life, but it was all good natured and just a really fun and relaxing book to read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Jill Mansell is back! I've really struggled with the last couple Mansell books that have been published in the US, but It Started With a Secret redeems her.

I highly recommend this as a fun summer read. Lainey and Kit lose their jobs working at a French chateau after the business fails, and they make their way to Cornwall to take over as household managers of a private estate. While there, they shake things up in the household, build strong friendships, and work on their love lives. It's Jill Mansell, so you know exactly where everything is headed, but I was happy to just go along for the ride.

This isn't Shakespeare, so don't expect anything serious, and the coming out of one character felt rushed and really easy, but this is a nice book to fit in between your more serious reads to give yourself a break. And as someone who has read most of her books, I also appreciated the brief call back to The Unpredictable Consequences of Love.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for providing me with an arc of this book. It has not influenced my opinion.

I have read many books by Jill Mansell over the years and have enjoyed every one. This book is now one of my favorites. It is not just a romance, though that is part of the story. It is what I call, a slice of life.

The story follows Lainey and Kit, two co-workers who want to work with each other again after losing their jobs due to a financial downturn by the owners.

Lainey finds the perfect job but the advert wants a couple. While Lainey is a woman and Kit a man, Kit is also gay. So, they decide to pass themselves off as a couple to get the job.

The family they become enmeshed with turns out to be a little bit crazy but that is okay because so are Lainey and Kit (please refer: passing off as a couple.)

The dialog is wonderful and the situations are both serious and hysterical. I laughed my way through the book and, when I was done, wished I had it to do all over again. Which I will do in the future.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

Looking for a good read with a happy spirit? Try this. Everyone has a little secret (well, some are bigger than others). Lainey and Kit pretend to be a married couple to get a job managing a home and family. Seth pretends he doesn't know several things. India has been shoplifting and won't say what's bothering her. Wyatt has been keeping a secret even from himself in some ways. Sir Richard, well he doesn't know what his secret is yet. All these people (and others) come together one summer in Cornwall. The characters feel real, the plot zips along, the storytelling is great, and there are some twists that surprised even me. This made for an excellent pandemic read but it will be great any time. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm a Mansell fan because she always writes a feel good novel and this is certainly that.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. All of the characters were so fun and interesting, and the story line moved quickly. It was upbeat and positive. I enjoyed this book and would read others by this author.

Description from the publisher:
Lainey and Kit arrive at their new jobs in blissful, summery Cornwall only to find themselves in the midst of a lovable but chaotic family—where every member is having an identity crisis at the same time. Widowed mom Majella has done her best for years, but can't quite grasp why things are falling apart. It's what she doesn't know that's causing the chaos, because everyone is keeping secrets.

I wanted to read this book because I have heard of Jill Mansell and the premise of the book sounded interesting. When I started reading and realized the book was set in the UK I almost stopped reading. Usually books set in the UK don’t work for me for whatever reason. I told myself to give the book more of a chance and after I read a few pages I knew I didn’t want to stop! The characters were interesting and I was invested in the story. I wanted to keep reading to see what happened! The characters were relatable and the story kept me wanting to know what happened next. This is definitely a good summer read!

Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of #itstartedwithasecret

Kit and Lainey find themselves out of a job, due to a botched marriage proposal. Actually the supposed bride said no. Out of a job on the train back to England they find an advert that is for a couple. Although good friend Kit is gay and Lainey excluded from her beaus plans, they decide to pretend to be a couple. They apply and are hired to maintain a somewhat chaotic disorganized and truly lovable family, the head of which is a renowned retired actor ,still determined to cause mischief. All goes well until early on it’s revealed that these two are not a couple as thought. A family meeting sees them keeping their jobs and finding their way romantically.

This is a fun, light, highly enjoyable book. Lots of quirky and interesting characters and a beautiful extended family setting in Cornwall. I’m ready to go there now! Several romances going on and lots of interesting family dynamics.

Lainey loves her job at a French chateau and is devastated when the owners decide to sell. Her beau, Anton, decamps to south France without her, leaving her to return to England with her friend, Kit. An appealing ad for a couple to help organize a large family in Cornwall compels Lainey and Kit to pretend to be a couple.

Lainey immediately adores her new employers: the outrageous Sir Richard Myles, erstwhile Brat Pack actor; his daughter-in-law, Majella; her three children; and most of all, Seth, Richard’s eldest grandson and Majella’s stepson. As Lainey tries to ignore her growing crush on Seth, she senses his disapproval but can’t begin to realize the concern weighing on his mind.

A large cast of appealing characters drive this novel. IT STARTED WITH A SECRET is Jill Mansell at her finest—entertaining, lovable, slightly madcap. A perfect escapist read with happy endings for everyone.

Thank you to Netgalley, Jill Mansell, and Sourcebooks Landmark for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO READ A JILL MANSELL BOOK?!?!?
Lainey finds herself out of a job and relationship, and looking for something in the hotel industry. When she sees an ad for a couple to help manage a household, she enlists her friend to help her out. The house is in absolute chaos and comes with many surprises!!!
Lainey is such an easy character to spend time with. She is kind, relaxed, and a lot of fun! She is one of many characters and everyone is so different (I love that!!!)
This story brought me back to my British love and I love small-town England! The setting is perfect for this story and I could so easily picture it in my mind when I was reading this!
A heartfelt, fun, perfect-summer-Read, I started recommending it before I was even halfway through lol. Mansell has a way with words and her writing and storyline flows so well, it’s seamless. I absolutely cannot wait to read more of her books!!!!

A charming little love story that is light and airy and full of characters. Lainey and her best friend Kit take a job and pretend to be a loving couple. That's the hitch though...Kit is gay and soon Lainey finds herself falling for the boss! Such a small secret, right? This is a quick and entertaining summer read, just right if you want to lift your spirits.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

What a wonderful romance (actually numerous romances) that incorporates family life and drama realistically. Perfect to put in your bag and take with you to the beach this summer… or to read in your backyard with a drink of choice!

Besides a bunch of romances (will they/won’t they, old love, and lost love) there is a gregarious and grumpy Hollywood actor learning to love others besides himself, a person realizing they are gay and the support system they find, a widow wanting to find someone to share their life with, a driven woman wanting to find a partner and realizing she’s strong enough to have a family on her own, teenagers dealing with secrets, a son dealing with his mother and his past, and a family that finds bonds with those that don’t share their blood. I think I covered all the storylines, but I may have missed a couple.

This was such a fantastic book that tied all the storylines together in an organic way. Almost all of the characters are likeable (except for the ones that aren’t supposed to be) and I know I would enjoy getting to know them if they were real people. This is the first book that I’ve read by Jill Mansell, but when I’m looking for a sweet romance with characters that make me believe in the good of people, I will be reading more of her books.

Total honesty here. I tried to like this book. But I couldn’t. It all felt very predictable and cringeworthy. The characters were not very likeable. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.

An easy, breezy, fun summer read for fans of womens fiction (although I completely hate that term...) Lainey losses her job at a chateau in France and poses as boyfriend and girlfriend with her gay best friend, Kit. They become live-in help for a large, chaotic family. Everything works out for everyone in the end, of course. But that's the fun of books like these, you know it's going to end happy. Even the secondary characters are well-drawn. A nice, fun read.

This book hit just the spot. It was light and airy and full of fun characters and lots of happy at the end.

Jill Mansell has perfected this lane and she stays in it. Sometimes she colors outside her own lines, some of her books skew a littler darker and heavier-- even for her special brand of fizzy chick lit. Some just don't have the sparkle or the characters are duds. This one, though, hits every on every cylinder: Great banter, engaging individual plots, root-worthy romances, and nice little surprise ways in seeing how all the various characters' lives and stories intersect.

The main character is Lainey. She is one of those bright, energetic people with lots of optimism. She and her bff Kit work in the hospitality industry at a vacation destination chateau in France owned and operated by an older couple. Only the couple can't keep up with the extravagant expenses to keep the chateau going and the most recent event there, a very public staged engagement proposal by a multimillionaire to his girlfriend does not go as planned so they won't get the income they'd been counting on for the grand wedding. Hence they have to close and Lainey and Kit are out of a job.

On their way back to London they happen upon an advert for a live-in couple to work as household staff for a family. The advertisement makes the family sound fun and the two are a bit desperate for work. But, the catch, they are not a couple. Lainey just broke up with her player boyfriend and Kit is gay. But they tell a small fib. Hence the title of the book.

As you can guess that small fib works as a bit of conflict of the book.

For Lainey that is Seth, the oldest son of the family they are working for. Seth is one who hires them, having done a back ground check vetting them. Lainey and Kit vow to make sure no one would ever doubt they are a couple so as to not muck up their new job. Yeah... that doesn't go so well.

While Lainey and Seth are pretty much the main characters, the books if filled with a lot of other good characters. Seth's entire family have their own side plots, as does Kit and even the multimillionaire from the failed engagement party in France.

All in all this was a quick, easy and super enjoyable read. Just the sort of book that is perfect for the summer and definitely something to lighten the mood when you need something to do just that.

A nice little cozy with rebirth and becoming who you truly are, as the themes of this novel. The characters are very real and fleshed out well. I really enjoy Kit and Wyatt for their humor and truth.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc