Review: The Design by R.S. Grey

Rating: ★★★★★ stars
Date published: February 27th, 2015
Publisher: self published 
Synopsis: Five minutes until the interview begins. 

Fresh on the heels of her college graduation, Cameron Heart has landed an interview at a prestigious architecture firm.

Four minutes until the interview.

She knows she’s only there because the owner, Grayson Cole, is her older sister’s friend.

Three minutes.

For the last seven years, Grayson has been the most intimidating man Cammie has ever had the pleasure, or displeasure, of being around.

Two Minutes.

But the job opportunity is too good to pass up. So, Cammie will have to ignore the fact that Grayson is handsome enough to have his own national holiday.

One.

After all, she shouldn’t feel that way about her new boss. And, he will be her new boss.
…

“I’m not intimidated by you,” I said with a confident smile.
“Perhaps we should fix that, Ms. Heart. Close the door.” 

What I Thought:

I've been waiting for this story the moment I finished reading The Duet.  I wanted to know more about sassy Cammie and the brooding Grayson.  I wanted to know if the chemistry I saw between them was as explosive as I'd hoped.  Lucky for me it was.

I will admit to not always liking or agreeing with Cammie and Grayson's decisions.  Sometimes I down right abhorred them, but I realized they were their mistakes to make.  I couldn't dwell on them. It was really hard to when I spent the majority of this book expressing myself in various forms of humor.  I definitely laughed...a lot. There was smiling, chortling, soft "Ha's!", and maybe even a giggle or two. When I wasn't laughing I was hoping to see Cammie break down Grayson's walls. There were also some moments of rage and frustration I experienced.  These moments weren't just with Cammie and Grayson, but more frequently with some of their co-workers.  I will also admit to crying.  It was more like a handful of tears, almost a "pretty cry" if there is such a thing, but there are moments that stand out that made me emotional.

The story flowed really well.  So much so I read this book in one sitting and it feels like it went by too fast.  I easily could've read another hundred or so pages.  Of course, Cammie and Grayson didn't need another hundred pages, but it would've been nice.  I honestly feel The Design is one of the perfect examples of romantic comedy.  Romance is central to the plot, but the comedy is the real star. The story has a fresh feel to it, making the often used cliched office and forbidden romance tropes not seem out dated and over done.

I know this is a duology, with only two books in the series, but I would love for another book featuring Cammie and Grayson and/or Brooklyn and Jason.  It was wonderful to see Brooklyn and Jason again.  I loved the big surprises and there were a couple of revelations at the end of the book that me going, "Aha!  That's so clever!".  It really was ingenious.  In fact, most of the book is ingenious in my opinion.  This beautiful covered book will definitely by gracing my bookshelf.  Knowing R.S. Grey is talented and easy to read, I can't wait to see what she writes next!

Purchase Links:

Amazon US Amazon UK 

About the Author

I am a lover of books, chocolate, reality TV, black labs, and cold weather. Seriously, if I had it my way, I would be curled up on the couch with all of those things... everyday.
I live in Texas where I spend my free time writing and reading. My favorite authors include Mindy Kaling & Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm a comedy geek and love all things "funny". Women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling are definitely the biggest inspirations for my writing, though I think my work tends to skew a bit smuttier than theirs.

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* Thank you to the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner.*