4 out of 5 If you’re looking for an adorable romantic chick lit to read on your way to work or school I would highly recommend ‘The Mischievous Mrs. Maxfield’ by Ninya Tippett. It surprises me that this novel isn’t published yet but it is available on Wattpad for you to read. It’s a story about a woman named Charlotte Samuels that leads a tough life of a waitress who is knee deep in her late father’s debt. She dreams of one day returning to Paris and becoming a pastry chef but she barely has the money to feed herself. One day she gets offered a million dollars, enough to repay her debts, fund her trip to Paris and get her through pastry school, however there’s a catch (there always is, isn’t there?) She has to marry Brandon Maxfield, the arrogant son of Martin Maxfield who has blackmailed him into marrying Charlotte for the C.E.O position of his company. As Brandon and Charlotte try to get comfortable with each other for their 1 year arrangement they realize that they work well with each other and form a tight bond in the process while not even realising. |
Tippett brilliantly builds the relationship between the characters making you almost think that they’re your real life friends. You feel what the characters feel, you identify with them as you grow and learn about their ways. At times Brandon and Charlotte’s bond was so intense that I had to take a minute to squeal a bit before returning to the story and I often found myself commenting out loud at their ignorance of each other’s feelings (LIKE COME ON CHARLOTTE. NO ONE BUYS YOU A WHOLE NEW WARDROBE JUST FOR FUN!)
My favourite character would have to be the cheeky yet vulnerable Jake who makes you want to shake him and ask him what on earth he’s doing yet makes you want to kiss him and tell him that deep down he’s such a softie. I absolutely loved the various plot twists and complications that Tippett had included within the story, each one as intense as the other creating a strong hold on the reader and not letting them move until the story was over and done with. The story had a great sense of realism that contained the fact of life that not everything runs smoothly and perfectly.
Overall, great plot, lovely characters and excellent writing. Well done, Tippett. Well done.
X Aditi