Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Your New Best Friend
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://jaynedenker.com/
CITY:
STATE: NY
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
Married with a son.
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married; children: one son.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Has worked formerly as an editor and proofreader.
AVOCATIONS:Spending time on social media.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Jayne Denker is a New York-based writer. She has been a writer all of her life, both as a passion and a career. She has worked as an editor, proofreader, and as a full-time writer. Wanting to focus on writing, Denker quit her last full-time job to raise her son and focus on writing romance novels. Denker joined NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) to motivate herself to write fiction. Her first book took three and a half years to complete. Denker lives in a small town in western New York. She is married and has a son. The family also has a cat. When Denker is not working on a novel, she enjoys spending time on social media.
By Design
Denker’s By Design tells the story of Emmie Brewster, in interior designer living in a small town. Emmie’s overbearing boss has unreachable expectations and treats Emmie like an unqualified receptionist. Emmie, highly talented, is lacking in confidence, and fails to speak up when her boss undermines or criticizes her.
Her personal life is not much better. Emmie’s deadbeat boyfriend clearly seems to use her for sex, and she has caught him cheating. Her mother recently died, and her father is dating with success, something Emmie does not totally approve of. Despite these unpleasant aspects of her life, in the small town in which Emmie lives, she feels that she does not have any better options. That changes when she meets Graham Cooper, a new client of her company’s. Graham, a recent widower and father of one, is an architect in need of an interior designer to help decorate the house he bought.
Emmie and Graham feel an immediate connection, and there is something about him that inspires Emmie to dream farther than the small town life she is currently living, but there is one problem. A woman from Graham’s past, Juliette, does not seem to want to let go. Graham is also having difficulty fully leaving Juliette behind, despite his attraction to Emmie. With her heart full, Emmie has a newfound confidence, and is eager to win Graham over.
Samantha March in Chick Lit Plus website described the book as “a fun contemporary romance with a cast of really likeable and fun characters that have lead really interesting lives.” A contributor to Smexy Books website wrote that protagonist Emmie is “funny and really engaged me with her internal dialogue,” while also noting that some of the other characters’ dispositions “felt too overdone and they exhausted me.”
Down on Love
In Down on Love, Georgiana Down is a blogger and self-proclaimed man-hater. Following a series of disappointing attempts at romance in Boston, Georgiana writes off men altogether. This choice inspires her blog, “Down on Love,” in which she writes wittily about her disastrous dates and rallies for other women to dump their boyfriends. The story takes a turn when financial difficulties force Georgiana to return to her hometown in Marsden in the Catskills of New York to help her sister care for her new baby.
Georgiana enjoys helping with the baby, but she looks forward to returning to Boston. That changes when she runs into Casey Bowen, her high school crush. To Georgiana’s surprise, her attraction to Casey has not dissipated. When she drunkenly publishes a blog post about Casey, everyone in Marsden reads it. And, just like the gossipy days of high school, everyone seems to have an opinion about the two.
Fab Fan Fiction website wrote that the book was a “highly enjoyable read and Denker’s humor was fabulous.” Heather Andrews in A Crazy Vermonter’s Book Reviews website wrote that Down on Love “did have funny moments, and cute and sweet moments but I felt like it was missing something.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, December 18, 2017, review of Your New Best Friend, p. 113.
ONLINE
A Crazy Vermonter’s Book Reviews, http://heather-andrews.blogspot.mk/ (September 22, 2013), Heather Andrews, review of Down on Love.
Chick Lit Plus, http://chicklitplus.com/ (June 27, 2013), Samantha March, review of By Design.
Dear Author, http://dearauthor.com/ (May 6, 2013), review of By Design.
Fab Fan Fiction, http://www.fabfantasyfiction.com/ (October 24, 2013), review of Down on Love.
Harlequin Junkie, http://harlequinjunkie.com/ (August 11, 2014), review of Picture This.
Sandra’s Book Club, http://sandrasbookclub.blogspot.com/ (September 14, 2016), review of Down on Love.
Smexy Books, http://smexybooks.com/ (May 29, 2013), review of By Design.
About Jayne
Jayne_DenkerHi and thanks for visiting my blog! I’m glad you stopped by! Hoping to have new posts up frequently, but…well…you know how it is. But I’ll do my best!
Important professional stuff: I’ve been a writer all my life, even—gasp!—getting paid for it, sometimes even—double gasp!—in full-time jobs. I’ve also worked as an editor and proofreader, which makes my novels, if nothing else, very clean. Of course, in publishing terms that means very few grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors, but it is tempting to legally change my name to Paul’s Grandfather. (Obscure reference clarification here.)
After I quit my last full-time job to stay home and raise my son, my husband said I should “knock out a few dozen romance novels over a couple of weekends” to get filthy rich. Hah! He’s a funny guy. In a misguided kind of way. Still, the idea of getting back to writing fiction after many years in the nonfiction biz was intriguing, so I joined NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and jumped right in. Overnight success took three and a half years.
And of course I’ve got no guarantee of that success thing, overnight or not, even with five romcoms out there in the, er, bookosphere (?)—By Design, Unscripted, Down on Love, Picture This, and Lucky for You—and a sixth, Your New Best Friend, publishing July 25, 2017!
Oh! Hey! Let me help you find my books with this handy-dandy linkie page right here!
Old lady sleeping, as usual. On my stomach, as usual.
Important personal stuff: I live in a small village in western New York with my husband, son, and a very sweet senior-citizen basement kitteh who loves nothing more than going outside, where she sits on the front walk and wonders why she begged to go outside. When I’m not hard at work on another novel (or, rather, when I should be hard at work on another novel), I can usually be found frittering away stupid amounts of time online. Check in with me on Facebook (“Jayne Denker Author”) and Twitter (@JDenkerAuthor). You can also drop me an e-mail (Jayne.Denker@gmail.com) anytime—I’d love to hear from you. And stop by and say hey on my Goodreads page!
Jayne Denker divides her time between working hard to bring the funny in her romantic comedies and raising a young son who's way too clever for his own good. She lives in a small village in western New York that is in no way, shape, or form related to the small village in her Marsden novels Down on Love, Picture This, and Lucky for You. When she's not hard at work on another novel, the social media addict can usually be found frittering away startling amounts of time on Facebook (Jayne Denker Author) and Twitter (@JDenkerAuthor).
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Heading to the mall with Jayne Denker
Introduction by Melissa Amster
Jayne Denker and I have many entertainment interests in common: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Jane the Virgin, Younger, The Bold Type, and, of course, Hamilton! When I heard she had a novel coming out this summer, I knew we had to feature her at CLC. That novel is Your New Best Friend and it's now available for 99 cents on Kindle! She's here to celebrate her pub day and talk about shopping.
Jayne has worked as an editor and proofreader. After becoming a stay-at-home mom, she started writing romantic comedy novels. Your New Best Friend is her sixth! She lives in a small village in western New York with her husband, son, and a very sweet senior-citizen basement cat. 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 online. (Another thing we have in common.)
Visit Jayne at her website, Facebook, and Twitter. She may become your new best friend!
Synopsis
Jane Austen’s Emma made a habit of meddling in other people’s lives, but Melanie Abbott has turned it into a cottage industry.
As “modern American royalty” living in Abbott’s Bay, Massachusetts, a town founded by her ancestor, Melanie Abbott feels it’s her right—even her duty—to employ her uncanny knack for knowing exactly what everyone needs to improve their lives. She eagerly shares her wisdom and insight with her friends and neighbors . . . whether they ask for it or not. If only Conn Garvey, her dearest friend, agreed with her.
Connacht Garvey has been keeping an eye on Melanie since they were kids. A bit older, far more level-headed, and infinitely patient, Conn feels it's his duty to pull Melanie back from whatever cliff’s edge she’s about to wander off. Conn thinks Melanie is egotistical, self-centered, irritating, infuriating, relentless, ridiculous . . . and irresistible. Not that Conn’s confessed to that last one. Yet.
When Melanie impulsively starts up a new advice-giving business, it’s an instant hit. Conn doesn’t approve, as usual, which is too bad, because Melanie’s convinced he needs her VIP package. (Of advice!) His coffeehouse is showing signs of financial trouble, plus his toxic ex is suddenly sniffing around, acting like she’s having second thoughts about their breakup. Will their friendship be blown to bits because of Melanie’s meddling . . . or will it become something more? (Courtesy of Amazon.)
Tell us about a time you experienced buyer's remorse:
I’ve bought quite a few things that I’ve regretted, I admit. Let’s just say the clothes in the clearance section of the Sundance Catalog are there for a reason, mmmkay? Most recently...probably the fidget spinner I bought my son. He had bought his first one on a class trip to Canada, but it broke, and he was experiencing fidget withdrawal (I swear it’s a thing—I’ve witnessed it!) When I saw a bunch sitting on the counter of a respectable store that shall remain nameless, selling for $4, I bought him one. It lasted a week before it fell to pieces. One. Week. Lesson learned about stress fractures in plastic when it’s up against spinning metal bearings. Science!!
What store that no longer exists would you like to bring back?
I miss the old-fashioned, independently owned, local department stores. My hometown used to have a teeming downtown with three major department stores—two inside one of the oldest malls in the country (since torn down) and one across the street. The freestanding one, which dated back to the turn of the 20th century, was called Sibley’s. It was fabulous. Several floors of clothes, jewelry and accessories, household goods, toys, etc., plus a lunch counter and a bakery. There was a large clock high up on a pillar on the main floor, near the escalators, and people would say “Meet me under the clock at Sibley’s” when they needed to find each other in the heaving mass of people during a weekday lunch hour or on a busy Saturday. At Christmas, it was like something out of a fairy tale—or a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie! The whole store was decorated, the toy department was insane, and there was a long, darkened hallway, with lit-up holiday dioramas on either side, that you’d walk down to see Santa. And after you sat on Santa’s lap, you’d get a gold kazoo shaped like a trombone. Ah, parental migraines.
Would you consider yourself a shopaholic?
Not really. It’s not a recreational activity for me—I don’t go shopping if I don’t have something specific I need to buy. Although that might be more of a reflection on my financial state than my interest in recreational shopping!
What is something you purchase on a regular basis (excluding stuff you need)?
Oh, you know a writer is going to say books, right?! From browsing bookstores to one-clicking on Amazon, I cannot resist a good story. I also have a bad habit of buying blank notebooks and pens—definitely stuff I don’t need, but I neeeed, you know? And I love antiques and decorative household items.
Favorite splurge purchase?
Aside from books, I don’t tend to splurge on much. I don’t have a well-developed designer gene (my wallet thanks me), so designer clothes, shoes, and handbags and such can float right past me and I’d never notice. I do, however, have a weakness for graphic tees, movies (I like to buy digital versions of my comfort-flicks on iTunes so I can watch them dozens of times without having to root around for the DVD), earrings, and beads-with-which-to-make jewelry. I mean, I always swear I’ll find the time to get crafty, but I hardly ever do, so the beads sit in nice compartmented storage boxes, taunting me.
What would be your main character's favorite place to shop?
Unlike me, Melanie loves to shop—for herself, for others, doesn’t matter. She feels it’s her mission in life to help people discover their personal style—clothes, household décor, you name it. She frequents the cute, trendy, unique boutiques in her hometown of Abbott’s Bay, Massachusetts, on the North Shore, both as a way of finding unusual items and stimulating the local economy (very important to her), but she also likes to travel to Boston and New York City for the absolute latest fashions.
Thanks to Jayne for visiting with us today!
Your New Best Friend
Publishers Weekly. 264.52 (Dec. 18, 2017): p113.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* Your New Best Friend
Jayne Denker. Gemma Halliday, $11.99 trade paper (304p) ISBN 978-1-5470-7538-6
Good intentions go awry in this delicious romantic comedy by Denker (the Marsden series). During a chance encounter with an upset young woman, 29-year-old real estate agent Melanie Abbott hands out some well-meaning suggestions and soon finds herself in a thriving business as a professional friend, advice giver, and matchmaker. Denker nods to Jane Austen's Emma and George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion with her likable protagonist, who's dubbed Henrietta Higgins by the local paper. Judgmental, self-confident Melanie rises to stardom by bluntly doling out resolute advice to remold the characters in her small Massachusetts seaside town. Denker credibly conveys her fall from grace and the consequences of her inaccurate predictions, along with her inability to examine herself and her insensitivity, which cause heartaches for both Melanie and her clients. The relationship between Melanie and her childhood friend Connacht Garvey strongly parallels that of Austen's Emma and Mr. Knightley; Connacht repeatedly scolds Melanie for her blunders. Her gradual development of self-awareness and determination to repair the damage she's caused are heart-warming. In addition to Melanies lively first-person narrative, there are a few surprises that keep this sweet story about social graces entertaining. (BookLife)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Your New Best Friend." Publishers Weekly, 18 Dec. 2017, p. 113. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A520578900/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=db49014e. Accessed 4 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A520578900
REVIEW: Picture This by Jayne Denker
Posted August 11th, 2014 by Sara @HarlequinJunkie in Blog, Contemporary Romance, HJ Recommends, Review / 1 comment
In Picture This (A Marsden Novel #2) by Jayne Denker, Celia is working in New York as an assistant to a big name photographer. When Celia is forced to take the place of a leg model very unexpectedly, she meets Niall…a famous actor. Niall manages to make her laugh and relax, and stays on her mind after the photo shoot. Celia is also on Niall’s mind. Especially after she shows up at his place, in the midst of a party, and they hide out in the closet for a while together. Niall is very intrigued by Celia, but he is also famous and has a girl friend. As much as Celia wants to get to know Niall, she knows they can’t be together. Niall is determined though. Celia doesn’t know the whole story and he Pthwants to get to know Celia even if it’s just as friends for now.
Just as Celia decides to try a friendship with Niall, she has to rush back home to Marsden to help with her Grandmother. When the opportunity arises for Niall to go with her he jumps at it. And once he gets there, he’s staying for a while, much to Celia’s surprise! Helping with a local talent show puts Niall smack into the middle of not only Marsden, but of Celia’s life. Especially since she’s taking pictures for the show. With romantic conflict galore and small town life, Celia is spending a lot of time in Niall’s company. As Celia struggles with family issues and her growing feelings for Niall, soon Celia will have to decide if it’s time for her to follow her own dream…and does that include a future with Niall?
Jayne works the theme of small town girl and a super star very well in Picture This. Niall can play the part when he has to, but the more I got to know him, the more down to earth he really was. It was fun seeing Niall trying to get used to living in a small town! Celia has a lot going on in her life…her grandmother’s health, her job, her family, and Niall. I loved how Jayne grew Celia’s character. At first she seemed a bit immature and inexperienced, but that thought was soon set aside as Jayne delved deeper into Celia’s character…her responsibilities and past heart breaks for example. Niall and Celia are two opposites who really do attract! They have real life issues that make them believable characters, and that makes it easy to fall into their world.
The small town of Marsden is a lot of the charm in Picture This. There is gossip galore, no one forgets anything, but everyone really cares! With many secondary characters adding so much depth to Picture This, I was most intrigued with the relationship of Celia and her family, especially her Grandmother. This is a strong secondary plot in Picture This, one that I found just as intriguing as the developing relationship between Niall and Celia. The dialogue and interactions between all of the characters provided lots of laughter and entertainment.
Jayne’s writes Picture This with smoothly flowing prose that is easy to follow. I haven’t read the first book in this series, but didn’t feel like I had missed out on anything. I would recommend Picture This to romance readers who want to be entertained enormously, and feel that heart squeeze only great main characters can give you.
Book Info:
4SPublished July 17th 2014 by Kensington Publishers | (A Marsden Novel #2)
It’s where everyone knows your business—and remembers everything you’d rather forget. But somehow the little Catskills town of Marsden draws the most unlikely people back home, turns their lives every which way, and helps them finally figure out what—and who—they want most…
As a celebrity photographer’s assistant, Celia Marshall is used to seeing all kinds of weird antics. But subbing as the model in irrepressible movie star Niall Crenshaw’s latest endorsement ad—while wearing his silk boxers, no less—is definitely not in her job description. Neither is falling for him, especially since he’s dating his latest co-star. To complicate things further, Celia is returning to Marsden to keep an eye on her eccentric grandmother—and Niall is driving her there, then staying to judge a talent contest…
Soon Celia is pulled in a dozen different directions, trying to get her grandmother to act her age, placating her frantic former boss who’s organizing the contest—and attempting to stay away from funny, sexy Niall. Celia’s always been level headed, but suddenly she’s wishing she could get reckless right along with him. Has the time come for sensible Celia to cut loose?…
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Review: DOWN ON LOVE by Jayne Denker
One way to get over your ex is to write a blog about it. That’s what Georgiana Down does. Her blog, “Down on Love” (cute play on the title, BTW) dishes out the realities of bad relationships with horror stories of her own past. George is a simple gal with a snarky mouth and quiet beauty.
Her motto: Why start something if it’s going to end badly?
In the blink of an eye, financial woes force her back to Marsden, a quaint NY suburb in the middle of nowhere, where she must contend with a nosy town, a lesbian sister she hasn’t seen in years, and a newborn niece she must care for. Once home, George must mend old wounds and contend with a secret hidden crush. Casey was one hot cookie then and is even hotter now!
I especially liked the comedic snafus that happened throughout like the exploding faucet and dropping a can of beans on a guy’s testicles. Ha, ha! =)
Love the story!
My rating: 5 stars
24 OCTOBER 2013
Jayne Denker's Down on Love proves that sometimes you can go home to discover what you were searching for
It's not often that I'll open a book up and while I'm reading find myself literally in my backyard, but with Jayne Denker's Down on Love, that's the situation I'm in. Her Catskill Mountain hometown of Marsden seemed SOOO familiar that at one point when I was making a run to the general store I thought I might bump into George. Denker captured this area perfectly and while the people here are not quite as nosy as George's neighbors, somehow there is some truth to that description as well.
With that in mind how could I not love Down on Love? I couldn't. From the moment I started reading, when George was still blogging about her love disasters in Boston, I emphasized and identified with her. Her return to Marsden, absolutely perfect. And the tension between her and her sister… spot on. Now, I just wish I had a friend like Casey somewhere round here too…but maybe he'll show up someday as well.
This was a highly enjoyable read and Denker's humor was fabulous. I was reminded of Jill Shalvis' Lucky Harbor series when I read this and do hope that there might be more about Marsden (or Mars) to come. I have to admit to wanting to nudge George and Casey on, but loved the depictions of their circle of friends and the environs.
So, with George, I'll give this a five pie salute and I've got to run as that apple pie from Denker's recipe is almost done.
___________________________________________
From the Publisher
Down on Love by Jayne Denker
Kensington Books / eKensington
ISBN 9781601830852
Price $5.99
When it comes to love, she's a professional skeptic. Is it too late for a career change?
If there's one thing Georgiana Down is an expert in, it's bad relationships. That's what inspired her blog, Down on Love, where she gives snarky advice--usually along the lines of "dump him." In fact, George is abstaining from men all together. At least that's the plan--until she makes a trip back to her tiny hometown in the Catskills, where meddling is an art form…
George loves helping out with her new baby niece, but she's counting the days until she returns to Boston. Then she runs into Casey Bowen, her high school crush. The boy she once loved is now a handsome grown man--and suddenly George needs a little advice of her own. She's in the right place, because when she drunk posts on her blog, everyone in Marsden has something to say about George and Casey. It's like high school all over again--but maybe this time she'll get things right…
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Down on Love by Jayne Denker
First off the guy on the cover totally reminds me of Josh Bowman from the show 'Revenge' so of course I needed to have this book (I keep telling ya'll I'm obsessed with book covers.) One scene in this book had me rolling over in laughter, "then she gasped and scrambled as a can of beans rolled out of one of those bags. She made a valiant grab for it, but she was never good at fielding. She bobbled the can, and it went even farther then it would have on it's own - straight into the worst possible spot for a metal can to hit a man." And to make matters worse George tried to help Casey relieve some of the pain, "George held the bag of peas above the area in peril as she nervously turned it one way, then another, trying to figure out what to do with it. Then he moved his hand from out between his legs, and George grabbed the opportunity to push the bag onto the spot at the base of his zipper....
"Stop...helping," he choked out."
Yeah... good scene. Casey really does care for George that he's willing to fix whatever problem she has, "what? Tell me what's wrong, I'll fix it -" This book did have funny moments, and cute and sweet moments but I felt like it was missing something I'm not sure what, but it was missing something.
BOOK REVIEW: BY DESIGN BY JAYNE DENKER
JUNE 27, 2013 / LEAVE A COMMENT
by designI received a copy of By Design by Jayne Denker in exchange for an honest review.
SUMMARY:
She’s got loads of talent, a massive crush–and no confidence. Now she just needs a plan…
Interior designer Emmie Brewster is having one of those…decades. Her overbearing boss believes she’s only qualified to make coffee. Her boyfriend treats her like a booty call. And her widowed father is dating again–more successfully than she is. Then Emmie lands a client who happens to be the hottest man she’s ever encountered. Too bad Graham Cooper is already involved with the kind of woman Emmie longs to be. If only she had the courage…
Emmie’s always been content to dream–about having her own business, her own Mr. Right–but something about Graham makes her want to take action. Maybe it’s time she used her talent for creating beauty and order on herself. She has Graham’s admiration–does she dare go for more? With a little encouragement from her friends, and a lot of newfound motivation, Emmie’s ready to try…
REVIEW:
I must say that I really enjoyed this book. It is a fun contemporary romance with a cast of really likeable and fun characters that have lead really interesting lives. I really enjoyed Emmie and loved watching her grow throughout the book. I loved the relationship between Emmie and her friend, Trish, and enjoyed their crazy banter. Graham is a really solid guy and I enjoyed him as well. Overall, Jayne does a really great job at creating a quick paced story that reads very easily. Very light for the summer time and this book would make a great read lounging pool side.
4 STARS
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May 6, 2013
REVIEW: By Design by Jayne Denker
JaneC- REVIEWSContemporary1 Comments
Dear Ms. Denker:
While told in the limited third person, this book read like a chick lit story reworked into a romance. Emmie Brewster is a young interior decorator working in a small town under an overbearing boss with overblown and stifling tastes. As the story opens, Emmie is too timid to voice her ideas in front of clients for fear of her boss’s reprisal. Her good friend, Trish, provides the comic relief and encouragement. Emmie has a terrible boyfriend who she has caught cheating on her and she develops a crush on a potential new client but does nothing about it.
By Design by Jayne Denker
The plot of the book is obvious from the beginning. Emmie will grow a backbone, pursue her crush, get rid of her old boyfriend, and move out from under the oppressive shadow of her boss. The problem is that the story doesn’t actually start until chapter seven. The first six chapters are all set up and backstory. We learn that Emmie’s father is recovering from the death of his wife (Emmie’s mother) in a way that Emmie doesn’t approve. Emmie and Trish look up old classmates on a made up social media network. We witness Emmie having a run in with her ex. The connection between Emmie and her crush doesn’t occur for some time.
The lack of progress in the story was frustrating. I felt like I was in a ride at Disney World where you’d stop, observe a vignette and then be jerked forward. A few contrivances were needed to bring Emmie and her crush together. Graham is an architect and without seeing any of Emmie’s work or having any kind of referral, Graham decides he’ll hire her to redecorate his recently purchased home he is in the process of restoring.
While there were some interesting plotlines such as Emmie trying to find the nerve to start her own business and her mixed eomotions with her dad moving on with his wife after her mother’s death, some of these were underused. For instance, Graham was a widower and I expected and wanted to see some parallels drawn between how she and Graham were falling for each other and how it would be natural for her dad to seek out companionship. Instead of coming to some deeper understanding with her father due to her own burgeoning feelings for a widower with a young daughter, the conflict primarily revolved around a former high school classmate who had dated and lost Graham but was trying to lure him back through emotionally manipulative ways.
There was a lot of the story told almost allusively, particularly the attraction between the two. Perhaps if the story had focused primarily on Emmie’s journey instead of inserting a romance it would have been more interesting. There was almost no sexual tension between the characters and their intimate contact seemed as if it was a real struggle to write.
As tentatively and tenderly as they had kissed earlier that day, the hungrier and more calamitous their collision was at that moment. Emmie thought she was going tolaunch herself at Graham? No, Graham launched himself at her; suddenly he was kissing her lips, her eyes, her chin—
Emmie let out an involuntary yip, and Graham immediately pulled back. “What is it? Did I step on your foot?”
And she laughed softly. “No. You . . . uh . . . that was . . . my . . .”
He grinned wickedly. “Oh, that’s a good bit of information to have. Where was it, now . . . here?” And he kissed her again at the base of her neck. Emmie’s knees buckled.
I read this section a few times. What was it that caused her to yip? A nibble on her chin? She was embarrassed to say that? The next scene is Emmie telling Trish she gave Graham something to think about. What was it that she gave him? Kisses? Are they dating? Did she sleep with him? What kind of relationship do they have? I needed more than a few ellipses to provide the basis for the romantic connection. I think for romance fans the expectation of a strong romance wouldn’t be met. Emmie does get a backbone and there are moments of comedy but the ending wasn’t as fulfilling as I hoped for. C-
Best regards,
Jane
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Review: By Design by Jayne Denker
May 29, 2013 By Mandi 6 Comments
bydesign
By Design by Jayne Denker
May 16, 2013
Contemporary Romance
Kensington
Reviewed by Mandi
Emmie is a talented interior designer who works for a man who disrespects her and treats her like a secretary rather than an associate. But Emmie doesn’t have a lot of options in her small town, so she goes to work and deals with it. She finds herself spending a lot of time with her best friend Trish, drinking away her woes. She is in a rut with her life, with a loser boyfriend and a dad who is still reeling from her mother’s death. She needs a change. Then she meets Graham.
Graham’s wife died two years ago and he was left with a young daughter. He is an architect looking for an interior designer to help with renovating a house he just bought. Previous to meeting Emmie, he became involved with a woman named Juliette, (someone Emmie happened to go to school with) but once he found out she was married (she had told him she was divorced) he tried to break things off with her. Now he has met Emmie and wants to pursue her, but Juliette doesn’t want to let him go.
I have good and bad points to make about this book. This book has a strong heroine in Emmie. She is funny and really engaged me with her internal dialogue. She has great chemistry with her best friend Trish and their scenes together made me laugh a lot. She also has great tension when she first meets Graham and starts to fall for him. But then Juliette comes into the picture and it all kind of goes to hell. You see, Graham fell for Juliette when he was vulnerable after his wife’s death, and believed her when she lied and said she was divorced. Later he learned she was still married and tried to get distance from her. “Tried” being the keyword there because he really needed to grow a pair and end it with her. But he doesn’t – the entire book. It’s annoying. He is in love with Emmie, but goes running to Juliette every times she calls and threatens to do something. And Juliette felt too overwritten. Too caricature. As did Emmie’s boss. Their personalities felt too overdone and they exhausted me.
Besides Graham being a weenie, we never get a sex scene in this book. Not even a make-out session. BARELY a kiss. What the heck? Graham is super sexy and I wanted some nakey time damn it. At least a little over the zipper action or something.
Emmie by herself is a well done character who amused me and I enjoyed. Graham without the Juliette storyline (and maybe some chest hair action) would have equally satisfied me. But the distraction storyline with Juliette and the fact that Graham couldn’t break it off with a married woman really frustrated me. I was not a fan of that, at all.
Rating: C
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Dear Author – C-
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