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By Design
by
Emmie Brewster has a few choice words for whatever demon spreads the notion among women that life is over if you don't have everything locked down by the time you're 30. Its insidious message has gotten to her, because at mumble-mumble-mutter-something past that deadliest of deadlines, Emmie feels like she's about to turn into a turnip.
Lousy job? Check. Although she's an i ...more
Lousy job? Check. Although she's an i ...more
Kindle Edition, 268 pages
Published
May 16th 2013
by eKensington
(first published January 1st 2013)
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Interior Designer hopeful, Emmie Brewster, is stuck in a job going nowhere. Her boss, Wilma, is a monster to work for and her boyfriend is cheating on her. She starts surfing her high school classmates on the web and yearns for their success. Just when she thinks she’ll be stuck in this rut forever the most gorgeous man enters her office. After days of wish filled fantasies about the mystery hunk she discovers he is having an affair with the popular girl from high school that has just returned t
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By Design was my first book by Jane Denker and it will not be my last. This book brought all kinds of feelings in me. At times I found myself laughing out loud and other times I was yelling, inside my head, at the characters. I enjoyed it a lot!
Graham Cooper needs to get his life together. After the death of his wife he’s done all he could to be everything his little girl needs. He’s a good man, great father and a successful architect. Right now, his biggest problem is getting the beautiful, old ...more
Graham Cooper needs to get his life together. After the death of his wife he’s done all he could to be everything his little girl needs. He’s a good man, great father and a successful architect. Right now, his biggest problem is getting the beautiful, old ...more
his is an enjoyable romance with entertaining characters.
Emmie needs to get a backbone, she is letting others run her life and her best friend Trish, lets her know about it frequently. She is a budding interior designer with many dreams, yet seems to let her boss, whom she calls Wilma, run the show. Daily she sits at the front desk and makes coffee for clients and feels she is fading away. Trish can tell her anything and is constantly trying to boost her ego to get her to live her dream. Trish w ...more
Emmie needs to get a backbone, she is letting others run her life and her best friend Trish, lets her know about it frequently. She is a budding interior designer with many dreams, yet seems to let her boss, whom she calls Wilma, run the show. Daily she sits at the front desk and makes coffee for clients and feels she is fading away. Trish can tell her anything and is constantly trying to boost her ego to get her to live her dream. Trish w ...more
I finished this book last night and I have to say, I enjoyed it. Emmie Brewster was a regular woman with a life that was fine but kind of monotonous, and after meeting the captivating Graham (and reuniting with the still-frustratingly all-together former high school classmate Juliet) she starts to shake things up a bit.
I loved the humorous tone of the book; that helped to make it a much easier and more enjoyable read. One thing that intrigued me was just how 'every day' Emmie was...she was attr ...more
I loved the humorous tone of the book; that helped to make it a much easier and more enjoyable read. One thing that intrigued me was just how 'every day' Emmie was...she was attr ...more
DNF
I intially requested this title for review because the blurb sounded like a female empowerment romance. You know, the ones where the woman is tired of being in a rut so makes some positive changes in her life. After which a wonderful man enters the picture and enhances (not completes) her new life.
And this book may have been exactly that, but I don't know. The heroine was too whiny and self-absorbed in these pages for me to like her and I ended up stopping around page 60 on my iPad. I seriou ...more
I intially requested this title for review because the blurb sounded like a female empowerment romance. You know, the ones where the woman is tired of being in a rut so makes some positive changes in her life. After which a wonderful man enters the picture and enhances (not completes) her new life.
And this book may have been exactly that, but I don't know. The heroine was too whiny and self-absorbed in these pages for me to like her and I ended up stopping around page 60 on my iPad. I seriou ...more
I liked this book a lot. It was a very enjoyable read with a great main character who I could not help but root for from the very beginning.
Emmie is looking for a life filled with love and happiness, and it seems to her that everyone around her has what she wants, not noticing they are all as flawed as she is, and in some instances, even more so. Emmie, however, has some issues in the confidence department and does not think she has what it takes to get what she wants out of life, and as a resu ...more
Emmie is looking for a life filled with love and happiness, and it seems to her that everyone around her has what she wants, not noticing they are all as flawed as she is, and in some instances, even more so. Emmie, however, has some issues in the confidence department and does not think she has what it takes to get what she wants out of life, and as a resu ...more
This is a new to me author and I like her voice. The heroine is fun. Her friendship with her BFF made me laugh. There are some really well done scenes in this one.
The hero at the beginning is nice and sexy but he becomes a total weenie when he has to deal with an ex-lover. AND that lover is married. (bangs head). Granted - he didn't realize but then he did. And he SOOOO needed to grow a pair when dealing with her. UGH. The resolution with this is very weak too.
Oh - and no sex. Not even a make-ou ...more
The hero at the beginning is nice and sexy but he becomes a total weenie when he has to deal with an ex-lover. AND that lover is married. (bangs head). Granted - he didn't realize but then he did. And he SOOOO needed to grow a pair when dealing with her. UGH. The resolution with this is very weak too.
Oh - and no sex. Not even a make-ou ...more
Firstly I have to say that this author is a fellow writer who is with my literary agency, however, that did not taint my view on this book -- either in a good or bad way.
I loved this right from the first chapter -- because Emmie is an every-girl. She acts and says things just as I would, and is thoroughly beleiveable, althought I did want to kick her butt a few times for letting herself being walked over. In saying that, I loved her, and laughed my way through the book. Jayne has a great sense o ...more
I loved this right from the first chapter -- because Emmie is an every-girl. She acts and says things just as I would, and is thoroughly beleiveable, althought I did want to kick her butt a few times for letting herself being walked over. In saying that, I loved her, and laughed my way through the book. Jayne has a great sense o ...more
By Design is an engaging story not only about finding love, but also about finding yourself. - Full review available at http://romanticreadsandsuch.wordpress...
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I love Jayne's books! They're light-hearted and funny with realistic characters.
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holy doormat of a heroine! I just couldn't get passed that - the writing wasy good; hero was a bit of a DB and Emmie - well, ugh
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Nice, clean romance. Easy read
I enjoyed reading this book. The characters were likable and I laughed out loud many times. My only issue was how it read on the kindle - there weren't separations within chapters which made it confusing. ...more
I enjoyed reading this book. The characters were likable and I laughed out loud many times. My only issue was how it read on the kindle - there weren't separations within chapters which made it confusing. ...more
Sep 14, 2013
Liz
rated it
liked it
Recommends it for:
romance lovers
Recommended to Liz by:
bn free friday
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I can tell it's summer when I start a book one day and finish it the next. A quick read about a 30 something year old who seems to be stuck in a job where there is no prospect of moving up, with no relationship to speak of and certainly no grand kids to make her family and friends happy. Until, she meets Graham and Juliet who will change her life in so many ways.
My only problem was the Juliet/ Kevin follow up at the end. It didn't seem like a strong solution though I did like other conclusions, ...more
My only problem was the Juliet/ Kevin follow up at the end. It didn't seem like a strong solution though I did like other conclusions, ...more
This book was a cute story. I liked it but only 3 stars because the heroin starts to get a little annoying. I know everyone has their "ditzy" moments but I get annoyed when she just takes what is thrown at her and says "oh well" ugg! The so called "great guy" just starts making me want to punch him and I start wanting the girl to just dump his a&&! It's a good quick easy read and funny at times and cheap so I don't regret reading it. It was just okay.
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I liked the author's voice, but the hero spoiled the book for me. He is supposed to have a hero complex, but in my eyes he came across as seriously weak. So did the heroine at first, but least she grows some at the end of the book.
The book reminded me a bit of another book, btw: The Boat Builder's Bed by Kris Pearson. At first I thought I had read this book already. ...more
The book reminded me a bit of another book, btw: The Boat Builder's Bed by Kris Pearson. At first I thought I had read this book already. ...more
The friendships in this novel were great, but the various pairings just didn't ring true to me. (view spoiler)
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PG13
Violence: none
Language: some swears, including deity; FBombs <5
Sex: only referenced post fact; descriptive kissing
Super cute story. I realized after reading how quick to judge and pigeonhole a character I am. Definitely in this book, things are not always as they seem.
Violence: none
Language: some swears, including deity; FBombs <5
Sex: only referenced post fact; descriptive kissing
Super cute story. I realized after reading how quick to judge and pigeonhole a character I am. Definitely in this book, things are not always as they seem.
Jayne Denker, NookBook, @ 2013, 9/13. Romance novel about an interior designer stuck with a crumby boyfriend, a crumby boss who does not let her design, and a depressing period of her life, when her ex-boyfriend burns down her house. Okay.
This was a cute book. It started off kind of slow but once it started moving I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed it.
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3.5 stars. Good light reading before bed.
A freebie from B&N Free Fridays. An okay read, but not one I would pay to read.
Sweet story. A little slow at times, but sweet.
Quick, lighthearted romance novel. Got it through Free Nook Fridays, and it's a LendMe, if anyone would like to borrow. Enjoyed it.
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This was a free Nook book and decided to read it after the summary caught my attention. I really liked this book and the story has humor, romance and a believable story. I was glad I read it.
'Twas free. Seems like a young version of chick lit. Wanted to smack a few people, but they are young, so maybe they need to go round the block a few times...
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This was a free Friday nook book....Cute but the love interest was a little bit of a jerk in the beginning of the story......
No need for the F word!
To slow, not easy to follow
This was a very predictable little, love story. The language was a bit offensive for me in parts, but it was a quick, easy, little read.
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Jayne Denker is the author of romantic comedies. When she's not hard at work on another novel (or, rather, when she should be hard at work on another novel), she can usually be found frittering away stupid amounts of time on Facebook. Check in with her there (“Jayne Denker Author”) or on Twitter (@JDenkerAuthor), or at her blog, jaynedenker.com.
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“When snooty high school bitches grow up, their meanness is distilled into its purest, most lethal form,” Emmie whispered fearfully. “Don’t you watch Real Housewives?”
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