Designs on You by Jaci Burton

Natalie Parker is in her mid-thirties, divorced, and firmly focused on her newly resurrected career and her two children. When her sister asks her to help design the backyard in the new home she shares with her boyfriend, Linc, Natalie’s more than happy to take on the project. What she isn’t prepared for is Linc’s younger brother, video game designer Eugene Kennedy. He’s smart, incredibly good-looking, and constantly flirts with Natalie. He’s also too young for her, which makes him totally off-limits.

 

Eugene is intrigued by Natalie’s beauty, smarts, and especially her sarcastic wit. When he teases her, she throws it right back at him. Besides that, they have an instant chemistry, but she keeps trying to get rid of him despite the sparks that fly between them. And Eugene never backs down from a challenge.

 

Natalie is running out of reasons to think being with Eugene is a bad thing. Her kids adore him, her sister loves him, and even her always negative mother does, too. The only person holding her back is...her. Maybe it’s time she take that leap and design herself a love for the ages. After all, if she can create the perfect home, she sure as hell can design a happily ever after.

Series: See below* | Publisher: Berkley Romance |  Release Date: 12/03/2024 | Genre: Contemporary Romance  | Source: Publisher | Rating: 3.5

A single mother, a slightly younger man, two young children, and an adorable rescue pup? Yes, please!

When newly divorced Natalie finds herself agreeing to decorate her sister’s boyfriend’s brother’s new place, she’s thrilled to have a new project. What she’s not so thrilled about is Eugene and the attraction they share. While she does not want to get into another relationship, there’s no harm in a little fun. There’s no denying that Eugene’s enamored by Natalie and more than ready for a good time but he has to convince her he’s in for more than just a little fun.

I always enjoy Jaci Burton’s books so I knew that I was in for a good time but I was a bit worried as Natalie wasn’t a favorite of mine in the previous book. Thankfully, she’s changed in this one.

Natalie’s been through some things and she’s trying to figured out who she is and what direction she’s taking with her life. She’s starting a new career, healing things with her sister and mother, and trying raise two young children on her own. She’s also determined not to enter into another relationship. Natalie has a lot of fight and determination in her and, while it’s not a bad thing, it seems to interfere with her happiness at times.

Eugene’s easy to like, which surprised me given his job as a video game designer. I’ve known a few game designers who have been very immature so I wasn’t expecting a lot of maturity from Eugene, so I was pleasantly surprised at how adult he was and how eager he was to enter into a relationship with a single parent. He’s just a fun, charming, family-first guy but I don’t feel that we really go to know Eugene down to his core.

There’s no denying there was chemistry from the start and they fit perfectly into each other lives but Natalie was cautious, which I understood. What I struggled with was how much Natalie was in her own head. Every time something great would happen between the two of them, Natalie would start an inner monologue of why they wouldn’t work. She also made too big a deal out of the fact he was younger than her but it was only 5 years, which I don’t feel is a major difference. I also found the conflict lacking, as it could have been settle with a conversation, which is something I’ve noticed in several of her romances.

I’m on the fence about rating this one. I think I’m going to settle on a 3.5. While I liked this one, I don’t feel that it was a romance but rather a women’s lit with a side of romance due to all the issues Natalie was going through. I also feel like too much of book took place in Natalie’s head.

Overall, I do recommend this one. I enjoyed it but it did have its issues.

  

*I want to say that while this is labeled as a ‘stand-alone’ this does follow Housebroke and they are connected. While you don’t have to read one to follow the other, I do recommend that you read them in order just to get a better sense of the characters and their behavior. I can’t seem to find a title for this series, and I’m not sure if there is one, but if you know what it’s called, please let me know.