Review: The Right Design by Isabella Anderson

**** 4 Stars

I'm very pleased to be reviewing Isabella's debut novel as part of her blog tour for The Right Design which is out now. I am very much a lover of the ocean & love being by the sea and for that very reason I am always drawn to covers that feature the beach & the ocean. So this is definitely a book that I would pick up when browsing a book store or a library.

The synopsis immediately grabbed me as I needed to know that when Carrie's life obviously seemed so perfect what devastating decision did she make that would change the course of her life.

The Blurb

Interior designer Carrie Newman could not have envisioned a more perfect life for herself. She had a great job doing what she loved, wonderful friends, and a close relationship with her sister and brother-in-law. Add in an amazing man who she’d hoped would soon become her husband, and her life was perfect. Until one devastating decision ruins her relationship and changes the course of her life.

Determined to make a new start, Carrie leaves Texas and heads to Palm Beach to pick up the pieces of her shattered and broken life. The last thing she expects is to find herself attracted to her first client at her new job--Brad Larson, who has proven himself time and time again to be caddish.

But there’s something beneath the surface of Brad’s arrogant exterior that keeps her craving more of him--something almost sweet that Carrie can’t seem to resist.

Is Carrie ready to take another chance on romance? And will this new design of her life prove to be the right one?

My Thoughts

Carrie is an interior design and everything is going really well for her. She has a good job, an almost perfect boyfriend and everything seems to be going very much in the right direction for her. She sees only a positive future and is secretly expecting a proposal from her boyfriend, Roger on their sixth anniversary. Unfortunately things aren't quite as rosy as she thinks they are and she ends up fleeing her home & job in Texas and moving to Palm Beach, Florida where she begins working for another  design company.

Once in Palm Beach she swears off men deciding to concentrate on her new job & herself so she is more than a little surprised when she finds herself attracted to her first client who is a known ladies man, Brad Larson. He's good looking, rich, single and she is having to help him design his home but it's a home that he is going to sell on once it is finished. However as with any good romance novel the path of true love is never going to run smoothly.

This was a typical romance novel, it was sweet with no real surprises thrown in but for me the character of Carrie was written in a way that made me want to follow her story & find out what happened to her. I found her to be very engaging & your are rooting for her to make the right decisions in her life. What happens to her is something that I am sure many women have experienced and her response might seem a little extreme & impulsive in that she pretty much moves to the other side of the country but for her it is ultimately the right decision.

I loved the secondary characters. Carrie has a wonderful relationship with her sister Sara & her brother-in-law Sean, there is great interaction between her and her work colleagues and her new boss is the ultimate matchmaker. 

At first I didn't take to Brad, he came across as a little too arrogant and I honestly thought that there was going to be more a story for Carrie with the hot bartender Oliver. Slowly however Brad grew on me when I got to see what was going on below the surface and that his attraction to Carrie was the real deal.

For me this was a perfect holiday beach read or a book that will whisk you off somewhere warm on a cold, dreary day. My only criticism is that I thought it was too short. There were certain points in the story where I felt that Isabella could have expanded and drawn out a little bit & that is not something that I say very often. Normally I am critical of authors drawing things out too much but there was certainly some scope for it with The Right Design. Overall this was a sweet, sexy romance and a wonderful debut novel.

Please visit CLP Blog Tours for all the tour stops!

Author Bio: Isabella grew up with a book in her hand, and to this day nothing has changed. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and has been featured on several blogs. While Isabella doesn't blog a lot, she focuses her time on featuring other writers, along with writing and editing. Isabella Louise Anderson created Chick Lit Goddess to share the love of the following genres: Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance, Romance, and Romantic Comedies! She loves featuring authors and their books. She lives in Dallas with her husband and cat. She enjoys spicy Mexican food and drinking margaritas, and can be found spending time with family and friends, cheering on the Texas Rangers, and reading. Isabella's short story, Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, was featured in Simon & Fig's Christmas anthology, Merry & Bright, in November 2013. The Right Design is her first novel. 


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