ARC Review: 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.

I was really looking forward to Natalie's story. We meet both her and Eugene in Housebroken as they are brother and sister of the main characters in that book. When you first meet Natalie, she is going through an unhappy marriage that has made her both stressed and a bit of a bitch. You understand with all she's going through, but she wasn't always likeable. You also meet Eugene and think of him as kind of a playboy. 

What I love about meeting characters in prior books is that until you are reading their story you don't really know who they are. You learn how Natalie's crappy marriage really pulled her under and caused her to feel like she wasn't anything more than a mom and wife. Her husband didn't really respect her and treated her like she was less than. I liked seeing a happy Natalie. She is a hardworking mom who loves her kids and family. 

You also learn much more about Eugene. Turns out he's a workaholic who often gets lost in his job. You also see how much responsibility he has at his job. He seemed kind of carefree a man that lived for the next party but really, he's not like that at all. He's a very hardworking guy who cares about those around him.  

I really enjoyed the story and watching Natalie and Eugene fall in love. I liked how sweet he is to her kids and her. They work together even if it took them a while to figure that out. I did feel at times Natalie worried about too much. She seemed to be taking her feelings from her first marriage and mixing it with this relationship. They are two different men and her relationship with each of them will be different. 

You don't have to read Housebroken first because neither book is considered part of a series, but I will say that you meet these characters in it and the characters from that book play a big part in this one. I'd read them in order just to enjoy them more. 

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