Portobello Book Blog

About the Book

Three friends come together in the hope of finding love.  

Caz is determined to find The One and, keen to speed up the process, believes in ‘asking the universe’ for help in matters of the heart. Her friends Mallory and Olly think it’s a lot of nonsense. 

When Mallory accepts a job designing the interior of a new Greek restaurant she is horrified to learn that she accidentally handed in a CV that she wrote as a self-help exercise It’s filled with skills and accomplishments she’d like to have…..but doesn’t. So when co-owner Alex, the sexy son of a millionaire, asks for her help preparing a gourmet meal, she has no choice but to start trying to live up to her fictitious resume. Even if she can’t cook! 

Meanwhile Caz and Olly have their own to do lists – and Olly’s includes either telling Mallory that he is her One or learning how to move on from unrequited love. 

Caz is certain that the gods move in mysterious ways and romance is just around the corner. Although it may lie in the most unexpected places…… 

My Thoughts

Well, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There was mention of Richard Curtis and his famous romcom films at one point and I think he should keep his eye on this book as I think it would make a terrifically fun film.

It’s a book that had me laughing from the start when Mallory disastrously bumps into her new boss – quite literally! When she realises that her rather exaggerated CV has been sent in for the job she’s been offered she’s somewhat horrified. The CV was never meant to be sent but was something she made up for fun with her good friends Olly and Caz. The CV was full of things she’d like to be able to do, like speak fluent Italian, be an accomplished horse-rider and be an expert on fine wines and gourmet food. I’m sure that many people have embellished their personal achievements on their CVs but, like Mallory, don’t really expect to have to live up to the claims. Rather than coming clean immediately, she gets herself into all kinds of funny situations relating to the things she said she could do. I felt sorry for her but couldn’t help laughing too.

Now back to that boss, Alex. “With his heavy eyebrows and pale eyes he looked every bit as dark and brooding as Heathcliff, Darcy and pretty much every other fictional romantic hero rolled into a sexy, tousled body”. Well, he sounds pretty irresistible doesn’t he? Certainly Mallory is attracted to him and it seems he’s attracted to her but they just never quite seem to get together. Life is full of complications and interruptions for this pair, to quote a famous line from one of my favourite Richard Curtis’s films (Love Actually). I loved reading about them as the heat between them began to grow and the sexual tension between them fizzed off the page.

Mallory’s friends, Caz and Olly, are also on their own missions to find love and although their stories play a smaller role in the narrative, they are no less entertaining. Will Olly find the courage to tell Mallory how he feels? Who is the mystery man who Caz keeps bumping into or just missing? I had an inking as to how these stories would pan out and it was fun finding out if I was right or not. It would be great to read more about them in future books.

Twelve Labours of Love was a really enjoyable read. It had just the right balance of romance and comedy to hit the spot as a romcom. The characters were great fun to read about (apart from Louisa, the less said about her the better) and you’ll be cheering them on in their search for true love. It’s funny, with more than a few surprises and has an ending that’s definitely worthy of any romcom.

Buying Link