Making Mischief

It is apparent from the start of this novel that the witty Abby Morland, a 30-something Londoner with an extended family that views her as an island of emotional stability, deserves to end up with the dashing Guy, but Young [A Promising Man [and About Time, Too] ] forces us to plod through pages of cliché dialogue and verbose inner monologues before Abby finally snags the bloke. With a cast that could fill a school bus, this book draws on a teenage dalliance to serve up a conflict of suspicion and gossip that will push Guy out of the gorgeous arms of Abby's cousin Fleur and into Abby's own deserving but not so gorgeous arms. Peppering this tale is an evil aunt (Fleur's mom), who thinks Abby is out to steal Guy just as Abby's mom once stole her own boyfriend, an abrupt wedding between Abby's brother and his pregnant socialite girlfriend, and an accident at the Barbados wedding that provides Abby a chance to be alone with Guy. Serving as a diversion from the predictable coupling of Guy and Abby is the intricate family subplot that shows Abby as the intermediary between her fiery older brother and her delicate mother, and a woman more than worthy of handsome Guy. (Oct.)