10 Things That Never Happened

Prolific and wildly successful Hall’s (A Lady for a Duke) latest romantic comedy is the first in the “Material World” series, a spin-off of his popular “London Calling” series. Sam, the reluctant manager of the Sheffield branch of a home goods store, inadvertently claims to have amnesia after a shower door falls on him during an argument with his grumpy boss, Jonathan. Hoping to stop Jonathan from making drastic staffing cuts at store his during the Christmas season, Sam moves into Jonathan’s house for two weeks of concussion monitoring. Falling in love is difficult when one man is fibbing and the other is concerned about being sued, but the two men end up with a happily-ever-after, following a few roadblocks. Narrator Will Watt superbly handles English accents from Liverpool, Sheffield, and London and delivers the novel’s comedy with perfect timing. It’s generally lighthearted, but Hall creates realistic backgrounds for secondary characters that involve economic downturns and complicated familial relationships.