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Sexy in NYC #1
The Pregnancy Test
Ordinarily, I'm a fan of pink-lovely colour, does smashing things for the complexion. But not when it's the bright, glaring stripe staring back at me on the pregnancy test. Then, pink is the colour of major oops, of morning sickness, of boyfriends who seemed decent but now are part of some Jerk Witness Protection Program.
Still, I've got a few things going for me-bitter humour, a divine right to eat till I'm the size of Marlon Brando, and good friends who've managed to get me a job interview with one Damien Sharpton: in need of a personal assistant, and some say, a good, swift kick in the arse. If you want to make a lasting impression, by all means, toss your cookies in your future boss's wastebasket, which is located directly between his excruciatingly sexy legs.
Apparently, Mr. Gorgeous-But-Unbearably-Anti-Social must like personal assistants who violate his trash can, because I got the job. And if I can avoid him via text messaging for the next seven months of health insurance, everything will be just fine. Except that he's just asked-no, insisted-that I go with him on a business trip to the Caribbean. Gulp. Ordinarily, this would be cause for celebration. Ordinarily, I'd shave my legs, pack my bikini, revel in day-glo drinks and my seething lust for Mr. Swarthy-And-Secretive. But there's nothing ordinary about this situation...which means it could be absolutely extraordinary...
Still, I've got a few things going for me-bitter humour, a divine right to eat till I'm the size of Marlon Brando, and good friends who've managed to get me a job interview with one Damien Sharpton: in need of a personal assistant, and some say, a good, swift kick in the arse. If you want to make a lasting impression, by all means, toss your cookies in your future boss's wastebasket, which is located directly between his excruciatingly sexy legs.
Apparently, Mr. Gorgeous-But-Unbearably-Anti-Social must like personal assistants who violate his trash can, because I got the job. And if I can avoid him via text messaging for the next seven months of health insurance, everything will be just fine. Except that he's just asked-no, insisted-that I go with him on a business trip to the Caribbean. Gulp. Ordinarily, this would be cause for celebration. Ordinarily, I'd shave my legs, pack my bikini, revel in day-glo drinks and my seething lust for Mr. Swarthy-And-Secretive. But there's nothing ordinary about this situation...which means it could be absolutely extraordinary...
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
107 people are currently reading
2983 people want to read
About the author
Erin McCarthy
215 books4,826 followersUSA Today and New York Times Bestselling author Erin McCarthy sold her first book in 2002 and has since written over a hundred novels and novellas in teen fiction, new adult, and adult romance. Erin has a special weakness for high-heeled boots, beaches and martinis. She lives in Ohio with her family, two grumpy cats and a socially awkward dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 305 reviews
May 18, 2015
Overall rating: 4.5 "Bun In The Oven" stars!
Triggers:
Cheating:
Love triangle:
Sex with om/ow:
Intimate pasts:
Sensitive subject for safety gang:
HEA:
My review:
I was looking for something cute, steamy, with lots of humor and this is exactly what I got and then some. I didn't expect it to be quite so funny AND steamy, but it was. It was also very light with no OTT drama or angst. Such a refreshing read! I found myself smiling through most of this book.
Mandy was desperate. After finding out she is pregnant from her boyfriend of 6 months, then subsequently being dumped AND either offered money to "deal with the problem" her whole life is turned around. She can no longer care for her toy store business that she just (three years in) became to break even at. She now had to worry about health care and child care and everything else to do with being a mommy. Many currently lives in an apartment with two other girls - one of whom works for a company where one of the bosses - The Ogre - is in need of a new assistant.
And who is that new boss other than Damien AKA The Ogre. Their first meeting was quite funny and it just gets more and more funny from there. I don't really want to say too much in regards to the storyline because it was a pleasure to read, but I will say this. If you like an office to lovers type of romance - this is the book for you. Damien was just adorable. Even when he couldn't make up his mind and was so vulnerable, he was still adorable. I know what you are thinking ladies, and he honestly didn't really push Mandy away. But his thoughts sometimes were stubborn and it did take him some time to let his past go so that he could move on with his future.
After the rape and murder of his wife three years ago, Damien just became a recluse and never dealt with her death or the aftermath. It was understandable how he felt and why he was so torn. He didn't feel worthy of someone like Mandy, but he didn't want her out of his life either. It was romantic and refreshing. There was no big secret that needed to come out so they would break up. None of that crap - just an easy, funny romance where you KNOW it's going to be a Happy Ending :)
Triggers:
Cheating:
Love triangle:
Sex with om/ow:
Intimate pasts:
Sensitive subject for safety gang:
HEA:
My review:
I was looking for something cute, steamy, with lots of humor and this is exactly what I got and then some. I didn't expect it to be quite so funny AND steamy, but it was. It was also very light with no OTT drama or angst. Such a refreshing read! I found myself smiling through most of this book.
Mandy was desperate. After finding out she is pregnant from her boyfriend of 6 months, then subsequently being dumped AND either offered money to "deal with the problem" her whole life is turned around. She can no longer care for her toy store business that she just (three years in) became to break even at. She now had to worry about health care and child care and everything else to do with being a mommy. Many currently lives in an apartment with two other girls - one of whom works for a company where one of the bosses - The Ogre - is in need of a new assistant.
And who is that new boss other than Damien AKA The Ogre. Their first meeting was quite funny and it just gets more and more funny from there. I don't really want to say too much in regards to the storyline because it was a pleasure to read, but I will say this. If you like an office to lovers type of romance - this is the book for you. Damien was just adorable. Even when he couldn't make up his mind and was so vulnerable, he was still adorable. I know what you are thinking ladies, and he honestly didn't really push Mandy away. But his thoughts sometimes were stubborn and it did take him some time to let his past go so that he could move on with his future.
After the rape and murder of his wife three years ago, Damien just became a recluse and never dealt with her death or the aftermath. It was understandable how he felt and why he was so torn. He didn't feel worthy of someone like Mandy, but he didn't want her out of his life either. It was romantic and refreshing. There was no big secret that needed to come out so they would break up. None of that crap - just an easy, funny romance where you KNOW it's going to be a Happy Ending :)
"Hey, I wanted to ask, could you tell if there was anything wrong like an embolism or anything?" Damien asked Cheryl (the ultrasound tech). "Because before we knew we shouldn't, we had oral sex. Cunnilingus. And I wanted to make sure we didn't inadvertently force air into the vagina."See what I mean? I was dying laughing. LOLOL
Mandy almost fell off the table. "Damien!" She was certain that nothing could sound more horrifying than the word cunnilingus when spoken in reference to her.
January 26, 2021
Spoilers ahead
A few things crashed this book for me and I never recovered
The h hid her pregnancy to get the job, I wasn't a fan of the deception but I understood her reason. She continued hiding for a couple months then the way the reveal played out had me scratching my head
Dead ex from the H whom he'd loved
The h was trying to be more mature because she'd been a spoiled rich girl her whole life but she still came across as immature to me
The weirdest relationship development I've read in a while
A few things crashed this book for me and I never recovered
The h hid her pregnancy to get the job, I wasn't a fan of the deception but I understood her reason. She continued hiding for a couple months then the way the reveal played out had me scratching my head
Dead ex from the H whom he'd loved
The h was trying to be more mature because she'd been a spoiled rich girl her whole life but she still came across as immature to me
The weirdest relationship development I've read in a while
December 24, 2013
Oh my God! She's pregnant and he can't resist her! He didn't know she was pregnant and she tells him. He wants her more than ever... and it's not his baby.
This was great!! I loved it! Definitely one of those stories where there is never a chance of that happening in real life, but hey! It was beautiful. A man seeing the beauty of creating new life regardless of DNA. Definitely a happy tears book.
Side note:
REEEEAAALLLY hot when our man stepped up to the plate and told the sperm donor to get lost while he stood up for his woman and his daughter. SWOON!
This was great!! I loved it! Definitely one of those stories where there is never a chance of that happening in real life, but hey! It was beautiful. A man seeing the beauty of creating new life regardless of DNA. Definitely a happy tears book.
Side note:
REEEEAAALLLY hot when our man stepped up to the plate and told the sperm donor to get lost while he stood up for his woman and his daughter. SWOON!
July 6, 2009
Reviewed for THC Reviews
The Pregnancy Test was a generally entertaining and enjoyable read that was mostly light, sexy fun. The hero does carry a pretty big secret that is revealed in bits and pieces throughout the story and toward the end, it becomes a little weightier as he deals with issues from his past. Otherwise it is a fairly breezy tale that has a hint of a Sex and the City vibe with an underlying plot about four girlfriends who share an apartment in New York, as well as all the details of their lives. In fact, based on reviews, it seems that a number of readers mistakenly thought this book was chick-lit, only to be disappointed and/or scandalized by the racy content. While it does have a certain chick-lit quality to it, in my opinion, The Pregnancy Test is still solidly grounded in the romance genre, and I can't say that I've ever heard of Erin McCarthy's books being categorized as anything else but romance. As an aside, the cover blurb for this book makes it sound like it is written in first-person point-of-view, so I was somewhat surprised to discover that it's not.
At less than 250 pages, The Pregnancy Test was a pretty quick read that I thought could have benefited from being a little longer. I liked that the hero and heroine had know each other for two months before their tryst in the Caribbean, but during that time they rarely saw each other in person with most of their communications taking place via text messaging and e-mail. I thought it was a rather neat way to build a relationship, because it was virtually all based on them being attracted to each other's personalities and intellect rather than just looks, which is something I really appreciate. However, the whole two-months worth of interactions took place during a scant single chapter, that didn't really create enough of an emotional connection between the characters to suit me. The book is very fast-paced, but the first two-thirds or so seemed almost rushed to me. I just found myself wishing that things would slow down a bit, so that I could savor the moment. When Damien and Mandy begin to realize that they have feelings for one another is the point when I thought the story developed a little more depth.
Damien is a very appealing hero, who we are led to believe at the beginning, is an ogre of a boss who scares away all of his executive assistants. It becomes quickly apparent though that he is mostly just a workaholic who uses his job to hide from the pain of the past. I thought that the circumstances of his first marriage and especially what happened to end it were rather unique and not something I've come across yet in my romance reading, but the experience quite understandably left Damien very cold and lonely. I really liked that he had been celibate for three years and hadn't been with anyone since his wife. In my opinion, it showed that he was more of a relationship kind of guy and not just one who was into casual flings, and to me, it made his time with Mandy more special because she was the one with whom he wanted to end both his emotional and sexual drought. I also loved that Damien barely batted an eyelash when Mandy told him she was pregnant, and if anything, it made her all the more attractive to him, even though the baby wasn't biologically his. I really like when romance heroes still find their pregnant wives or girlfriends sexy, because that's a time when many women tend to feel unattractive. I thought it was cute that after reading Mandy's pregnancy book, Damien was trying to be so gentle with her, practically treating her like she was a china doll and thinking he might hurt her. Even though it practically drove Mandy to distraction, his attentiveness to her pregnancy was very sweet too. In my opinion, it showed that he was ready to step up to the plate and be a father to her baby in every way that counts. I also enjoyed that Damien wanted to take their lovemaking slow and savor every bit of Mandy for as long as he could. What woman wouldn't want a guy like that?
I really liked Mandy too. She had grit and determination to throw her ex-boyfriend's offer of money to never bother him with the baby again, back in his face, sell her dream business, and then apply for a job with a guy who had been dubbed “Demon” by everyone in the office, while in the throes of morning sickness. She is also a very intuitive heroine, anticipating Damien's every need as his assistant and recognizing the pain in his eyes almost from the moment she meets him. I loved that when Damien's secret comes out, she stands by him completely, sympathizing and never doubting him even for a moment. Mandy starts out the story with her own secret, trying to hide her pregnancy from Damien, at first so he'll hire her and later so that he won't fire her. Yet the moment Damien started pursuing her on their trip to the Caribbean, she told him the truth immediately, leaving no room for silly misunderstandings which was a big relief. I thought it was also rather amusing and different to have Mandy be the one who was being more sexually aggressive, while Damien was trying to take things slow. Mandy is also a somewhat unique heroine in that she was born and raised in Britain but now living in New York. I'm sure it's probably more common than I think, but I can't say that I've run across a main character yet in my reading of contemporary romances who was a native of another country, residing in the US. I was also really impressed with the author's use of a number of British colloquialisms in both Mandy's dialog and thoughts.
While the author may have added some unusual elements to this story and thankfully avoided any “big misunderstandings,” she did unfortunately still fall into the romance cliche of the hero and heroine fighting their feelings for one another. Mandy doesn't think that she should get seriously involved with anyone because of the baby, and Damien thinks that he can't have a real relationship because of his past. Although each of them had some decent reasons, I still thought they protested a little too much, and this kind of push-and-pull can be a little irritating to me. I think I just have a preference for characters who simply lay their hearts on the line. I'm also not a big fan of relationships that begin with sex-only agreements. It's a plotline that's just too predictable, and I always know where it's going to end up. Not to mention, as I've said many times before in other reviews, I simply prefer for the hero and heroine to be in love or well on their way before making love. That said though, Damien's aforementioned celibacy and their more-than-skin-deep attraction did make it more palatable for me, and I can't deny that the love scenes were very steamy and well-written. The Pregnancy Test may not have been a perfect read for me, but the characters were certainly enjoyable. Overall, it was a pleasant distraction with many things to like about it. The Pregnancy Test is the first book in the NY Girlfriends series. The second book in the series is You Don't Know Jack which features Jamie, one of Mandy's roommates, as the heroine. So far these are the only two books in the series, and Ms. McCarthy's website indicates that the series has been suspended for now. I had previously read one short novella by Erin McCarthy that I greatly enjoyed, but this was the first of her full-length novels I've tried. Since I had an agreeable reading experience with both, I am definitely open to continuing the series and trying more of her works in the future.
The Pregnancy Test was a generally entertaining and enjoyable read that was mostly light, sexy fun. The hero does carry a pretty big secret that is revealed in bits and pieces throughout the story and toward the end, it becomes a little weightier as he deals with issues from his past. Otherwise it is a fairly breezy tale that has a hint of a Sex and the City vibe with an underlying plot about four girlfriends who share an apartment in New York, as well as all the details of their lives. In fact, based on reviews, it seems that a number of readers mistakenly thought this book was chick-lit, only to be disappointed and/or scandalized by the racy content. While it does have a certain chick-lit quality to it, in my opinion, The Pregnancy Test is still solidly grounded in the romance genre, and I can't say that I've ever heard of Erin McCarthy's books being categorized as anything else but romance. As an aside, the cover blurb for this book makes it sound like it is written in first-person point-of-view, so I was somewhat surprised to discover that it's not.
At less than 250 pages, The Pregnancy Test was a pretty quick read that I thought could have benefited from being a little longer. I liked that the hero and heroine had know each other for two months before their tryst in the Caribbean, but during that time they rarely saw each other in person with most of their communications taking place via text messaging and e-mail. I thought it was a rather neat way to build a relationship, because it was virtually all based on them being attracted to each other's personalities and intellect rather than just looks, which is something I really appreciate. However, the whole two-months worth of interactions took place during a scant single chapter, that didn't really create enough of an emotional connection between the characters to suit me. The book is very fast-paced, but the first two-thirds or so seemed almost rushed to me. I just found myself wishing that things would slow down a bit, so that I could savor the moment. When Damien and Mandy begin to realize that they have feelings for one another is the point when I thought the story developed a little more depth.
Damien is a very appealing hero, who we are led to believe at the beginning, is an ogre of a boss who scares away all of his executive assistants. It becomes quickly apparent though that he is mostly just a workaholic who uses his job to hide from the pain of the past. I thought that the circumstances of his first marriage and especially what happened to end it were rather unique and not something I've come across yet in my romance reading, but the experience quite understandably left Damien very cold and lonely. I really liked that he had been celibate for three years and hadn't been with anyone since his wife. In my opinion, it showed that he was more of a relationship kind of guy and not just one who was into casual flings, and to me, it made his time with Mandy more special because she was the one with whom he wanted to end both his emotional and sexual drought. I also loved that Damien barely batted an eyelash when Mandy told him she was pregnant, and if anything, it made her all the more attractive to him, even though the baby wasn't biologically his. I really like when romance heroes still find their pregnant wives or girlfriends sexy, because that's a time when many women tend to feel unattractive. I thought it was cute that after reading Mandy's pregnancy book, Damien was trying to be so gentle with her, practically treating her like she was a china doll and thinking he might hurt her. Even though it practically drove Mandy to distraction, his attentiveness to her pregnancy was very sweet too. In my opinion, it showed that he was ready to step up to the plate and be a father to her baby in every way that counts. I also enjoyed that Damien wanted to take their lovemaking slow and savor every bit of Mandy for as long as he could. What woman wouldn't want a guy like that?
I really liked Mandy too. She had grit and determination to throw her ex-boyfriend's offer of money to never bother him with the baby again, back in his face, sell her dream business, and then apply for a job with a guy who had been dubbed “Demon” by everyone in the office, while in the throes of morning sickness. She is also a very intuitive heroine, anticipating Damien's every need as his assistant and recognizing the pain in his eyes almost from the moment she meets him. I loved that when Damien's secret comes out, she stands by him completely, sympathizing and never doubting him even for a moment. Mandy starts out the story with her own secret, trying to hide her pregnancy from Damien, at first so he'll hire her and later so that he won't fire her. Yet the moment Damien started pursuing her on their trip to the Caribbean, she told him the truth immediately, leaving no room for silly misunderstandings which was a big relief. I thought it was also rather amusing and different to have Mandy be the one who was being more sexually aggressive, while Damien was trying to take things slow. Mandy is also a somewhat unique heroine in that she was born and raised in Britain but now living in New York. I'm sure it's probably more common than I think, but I can't say that I've run across a main character yet in my reading of contemporary romances who was a native of another country, residing in the US. I was also really impressed with the author's use of a number of British colloquialisms in both Mandy's dialog and thoughts.
While the author may have added some unusual elements to this story and thankfully avoided any “big misunderstandings,” she did unfortunately still fall into the romance cliche of the hero and heroine fighting their feelings for one another. Mandy doesn't think that she should get seriously involved with anyone because of the baby, and Damien thinks that he can't have a real relationship because of his past. Although each of them had some decent reasons, I still thought they protested a little too much, and this kind of push-and-pull can be a little irritating to me. I think I just have a preference for characters who simply lay their hearts on the line. I'm also not a big fan of relationships that begin with sex-only agreements. It's a plotline that's just too predictable, and I always know where it's going to end up. Not to mention, as I've said many times before in other reviews, I simply prefer for the hero and heroine to be in love or well on their way before making love. That said though, Damien's aforementioned celibacy and their more-than-skin-deep attraction did make it more palatable for me, and I can't deny that the love scenes were very steamy and well-written. The Pregnancy Test may not have been a perfect read for me, but the characters were certainly enjoyable. Overall, it was a pleasant distraction with many things to like about it. The Pregnancy Test is the first book in the NY Girlfriends series. The second book in the series is You Don't Know Jack which features Jamie, one of Mandy's roommates, as the heroine. So far these are the only two books in the series, and Ms. McCarthy's website indicates that the series has been suspended for now. I had previously read one short novella by Erin McCarthy that I greatly enjoyed, but this was the first of her full-length novels I've tried. Since I had an agreeable reading experience with both, I am definitely open to continuing the series and trying more of her works in the future.
March 14, 2009
I was not sure that I would like a book about a girl who gets pregnant by one guy and then ends up falling in love with someone else. This is the whole concept behind this book. However, somewhere in between is a very sweet love story between two people who are meant to be together.
Mandy is a very likable character and Damien is one sexy man. Together they create a lot of heat together. I really enjoyed this book a lot. It is going on my keeper shelf.
Once again I cannot get enough of Ms McCarty! She is on my auto buy list!
Mandy is a very likable character and Damien is one sexy man. Together they create a lot of heat together. I really enjoyed this book a lot. It is going on my keeper shelf.
Once again I cannot get enough of Ms McCarty! She is on my auto buy list!
June 28, 2010
This was pretty good.
I didn't mind the heroine, wasn't too found of the "mysterious" (notice the quotes) hero. The story was a little choppy and I didn't feel any sort of attachment or curiousity about the other "NY Girlfriends" that appearently each have a book in this series.
I enthusiastically read through this book in record time, but now that I'm done I'm not suer why I read through it with such gusto.
I do think I will investigate more books by Erin McCarthy. I don't think she can hold a flag to my beloved Lori Foster, but I noticed that some of her stories are included in Anthologies with Foster (and that I had previously ignored them) so I am curious to go check them out.
I didn't mind the heroine, wasn't too found of the "mysterious" (notice the quotes) hero. The story was a little choppy and I didn't feel any sort of attachment or curiousity about the other "NY Girlfriends" that appearently each have a book in this series.
I enthusiastically read through this book in record time, but now that I'm done I'm not suer why I read through it with such gusto.
I do think I will investigate more books by Erin McCarthy. I don't think she can hold a flag to my beloved Lori Foster, but I noticed that some of her stories are included in Anthologies with Foster (and that I had previously ignored them) so I am curious to go check them out.
June 18, 2007
Mandy Keeling is pregnant with another man's baby when she falls in love with her boss, Damien 'Demon' Sharpton. There was virtually no plot in the whole book and I could not wait to put it down. I would strongly recommend avoiding this selection.
July 13, 2018
I have been going through my first kindle and starting to read some books that I have had forever.
I know I have had this book for at least 5 years, as that is the last time I put any books on that device.
Mandy and Damien find love when they least expect it, when neither is looking for it, and see past each others flaws.
Mandy and her friends give off a bit of a a Sex and The City vibe at times to me.
The Pregnancy is a cute, sweet, drama free story, and was just what I needed after a run of darker and more emotional stories. It didn't have much substance, but at times what we need is a bit of a fluff story - and this was perfect for that.
I know I have had this book for at least 5 years, as that is the last time I put any books on that device.
Mandy and Damien find love when they least expect it, when neither is looking for it, and see past each others flaws.
Mandy and her friends give off a bit of a a Sex and The City vibe at times to me.
The Pregnancy is a cute, sweet, drama free story, and was just what I needed after a run of darker and more emotional stories. It didn't have much substance, but at times what we need is a bit of a fluff story - and this was perfect for that.
March 28, 2015
★★★½
I suppose I expected that this'll be a romance where the MC goes crazy cause of her hormones, starts to lust for her new boss, who initially gives her the cold shoulder, but eventually falls prey to her persistent charm. Yeah, my fault for assuming the worst. However, I'm so relieved that Mandy and Damien turn out to be quite different from my imagination, in a better way that is. The attraction between them is pretty instantaneous, but it is mostly on the hero's part rather than the heroine's, which is kind of refreshing. I mean, why should the woman be seen falling in love first even if the guy is model-handsome and intelligent and caring, to boot?
To be honest, I was really looking forward to reading how the author makes the stuffy, staritlaced Damien fall for Mandy, who is not only his employee, but also pregnant.
I suppose I expected that this'll be a romance where the MC goes crazy cause of her hormones, starts to lust for her new boss, who initially gives her the cold shoulder, but eventually falls prey to her persistent charm. Yeah, my fault for assuming the worst. However, I'm so relieved that Mandy and Damien turn out to be quite different from my imagination, in a better way that is. The attraction between them is pretty instantaneous, but it is mostly on the hero's part rather than the heroine's, which is kind of refreshing. I mean, why should the woman be seen falling in love first even if the guy is model-handsome and intelligent and caring, to boot?
To be honest, I was really looking forward to reading how the author makes the stuffy, staritlaced Damien fall for Mandy, who is not only his employee, but also pregnant.
October 25, 2015
Loved this sweet, cute, funny book. Just what I needed for a drama free read.
Check out my reviews here
Check out my reviews here
January 29, 2021
A boss and his pregnant assistant find their HEA together
March 7, 2021
i just couldnt put this book down
January 9, 2012
ERIN MCCARTHY
THE PREGNANCY TEST
Hidup Mandy Keeling berubah seratus delapan puluh derajat sejak ia mengetahui kalau dirinya hamil. Ayah sang bayi memutuskan hubungan mereka dan mengatakan pada Mandy kalau dirinya tidak menginginkan anak lagi. Mandy terpaksa menjual took mainan yang dimilikinya supaya ia bias bekerja dengan waktu yang tidak terlalu lama dan mendapatkan tunjangan kesehatan.
Damien Sharpton, biasa dijuluki Demon oleh karyawannya, adalah seorang bos yang gila kerja, angkuh, tidak berperasaan, berlidah tajam dan sering membuat bawahannya menagis.
Novel kontemporer ini lumayan untuk dibuat bacaan senggang setelah agak “kenyang” dengan historical romance, novelnya ringan (harlequin style-lah), percakapannya ringan dan lucu, seksi, penuh dengan hot scene yang melimpah (walaupun heroin nya lagi hamil muda),walaupun chemistry kedua tokohnya kalau aku rasa terlalu cepat dibangunnya. Covernya juga cukup merepresentasikan ceritanya, yang kira2 sekitar 70% ber-setting di Karibia, Punta Cana.
Jalan ceritanya dimulai dengan kehamilan yang tidak diduga oleh Mandy, hasil hubungan nya dengan pria berumur 40 tahunan, yang dijalin selama 6 bulan, yang salut disini Mandy tidak menggugurkan kandungannya seperti yang akan dilakukan oleh orang yang berada di posisinya. Didesak oleh kondisinya yang hamil dan membutuhkan tunjangan kesehatan akhirnya Mandy menjual toko mainan miliknya. Dibantu oleh teman satu apartemennya, Mandy melamar pekerjaan sebagai sekretaris di NY computing.
Lucunya pada saat interview dengan calon bosnya Damien “Demon” Sharpton, Mandy malah muntah [image error] Bayangin aja kejadiannya kalau kejadian sama kita…
Walaupun ada kejadian muntah, Mandy tetap diterima kerja karena tidak ada kandidat lain (Damien nya rada susah nyari sekretaris). Hebatnya Mandy ini walaupun kerja sebagai sekretaris si bos Damien tapi jarang ketemu sama Damien dan … hal ini yang bikin Damien penasaran sama Mandy, kerja jadi sekretaris tapi bisa “invisible” dan style kerjanya gak kaya para pendahulunya.
Penasaran abis sama si Mandy, pas Damien dapet jatah liburan dari kantor ke Karibia dia mutusin kalau Mandy harus ikut, Mandy-nya mikir kenapa mesti ikut ya? Emang dia mo kerja apa di sana ? Tapi karena dipaksa sama Damien, jadinya dia gak bisa nolak.
Ternyata Damien selama ini ngerasain “sesuatu” ke Mandy (rada nyetrum gitu…) walaupun mereka belum lama kerja bareng dan Mandy nya juga sama. Akhirnya setelah sama-sama ngaku kalau secara fisik mereka saling tertarik (walaupun awalnya Damien udah usaha niyh buat menghindari Mandy), ya udah deh, pelepasan fisik alias uhuk-uhuk. Akhirnya selama liburan di Karibia mereka liburan di sekitaran tempat tidur (bayangin ya… dari bab 8 sampe bab 11).
Setelah liburan berakhir dan mereka harus kembali ke NY, mereka juga mikir mesti balik ke hubungan profesional lagi niyh… walaupun otak berkata apa… tapi tetep hati gak bisa bohong… Nah … ternyata Ben (ayah anaknya Mandy) nyari2 Mandy buat balikan lagi… Mandy gak mau lah, setelah balik dari liburan di Karibia Damien malah gak bisa ngelupain Mandy, malah makin kepikiran dan malah makin perhatian Mandy, pokoknya yang berkaitan sama bayinya Mandy di perhatiin deh … (ugh… so sweet… sampe sakit gigi niyh). [image error]
Akhirnya Damien mutusin dia mesti nyelesain masa lalu dia dulu, yang ternyata dulu istrinya Damien meninggal karena diperkosa dan dibunuh …. Walaupun setelah 3 tahun Damien masih trauma dengan kejadian itu karena Damien yang dituduh sama polisi bahwa dia yang bunuh istinya…. Tapi ya begitulah kekuatan cinta mengalahkan segalanya… yang paling sweet pas Mandy bilang I love you sama Damien via telepon [image error] padahal Damien waktu itu ada di Chicago dan lagi di tatoo dan setelah urusan masa lalu Damien di beresin,
buru2 Damien pulang dengan penerbangan terakhir dan nge-bel apartemen Mandy jam 2 pagi sampe temen2nya Mandy ngomel semua….
Tapi ada yang bikin ilfil niyh… kenapa Damien suka gigitin kuku kalo lagi panik ya????? [image error]
THE PREGNANCY TEST
Hidup Mandy Keeling berubah seratus delapan puluh derajat sejak ia mengetahui kalau dirinya hamil. Ayah sang bayi memutuskan hubungan mereka dan mengatakan pada Mandy kalau dirinya tidak menginginkan anak lagi. Mandy terpaksa menjual took mainan yang dimilikinya supaya ia bias bekerja dengan waktu yang tidak terlalu lama dan mendapatkan tunjangan kesehatan.
Damien Sharpton, biasa dijuluki Demon oleh karyawannya, adalah seorang bos yang gila kerja, angkuh, tidak berperasaan, berlidah tajam dan sering membuat bawahannya menagis.
Novel kontemporer ini lumayan untuk dibuat bacaan senggang setelah agak “kenyang” dengan historical romance, novelnya ringan (harlequin style-lah), percakapannya ringan dan lucu, seksi, penuh dengan hot scene yang melimpah (walaupun heroin nya lagi hamil muda),walaupun chemistry kedua tokohnya kalau aku rasa terlalu cepat dibangunnya. Covernya juga cukup merepresentasikan ceritanya, yang kira2 sekitar 70% ber-setting di Karibia, Punta Cana.
Jalan ceritanya dimulai dengan kehamilan yang tidak diduga oleh Mandy, hasil hubungan nya dengan pria berumur 40 tahunan, yang dijalin selama 6 bulan, yang salut disini Mandy tidak menggugurkan kandungannya seperti yang akan dilakukan oleh orang yang berada di posisinya. Didesak oleh kondisinya yang hamil dan membutuhkan tunjangan kesehatan akhirnya Mandy menjual toko mainan miliknya. Dibantu oleh teman satu apartemennya, Mandy melamar pekerjaan sebagai sekretaris di NY computing.
Lucunya pada saat interview dengan calon bosnya Damien “Demon” Sharpton, Mandy malah muntah [image error] Bayangin aja kejadiannya kalau kejadian sama kita…
Walaupun ada kejadian muntah, Mandy tetap diterima kerja karena tidak ada kandidat lain (Damien nya rada susah nyari sekretaris). Hebatnya Mandy ini walaupun kerja sebagai sekretaris si bos Damien tapi jarang ketemu sama Damien dan … hal ini yang bikin Damien penasaran sama Mandy, kerja jadi sekretaris tapi bisa “invisible” dan style kerjanya gak kaya para pendahulunya.
Penasaran abis sama si Mandy, pas Damien dapet jatah liburan dari kantor ke Karibia dia mutusin kalau Mandy harus ikut, Mandy-nya mikir kenapa mesti ikut ya? Emang dia mo kerja apa di sana ? Tapi karena dipaksa sama Damien, jadinya dia gak bisa nolak.
Ternyata Damien selama ini ngerasain “sesuatu” ke Mandy (rada nyetrum gitu…) walaupun mereka belum lama kerja bareng dan Mandy nya juga sama. Akhirnya setelah sama-sama ngaku kalau secara fisik mereka saling tertarik (walaupun awalnya Damien udah usaha niyh buat menghindari Mandy), ya udah deh, pelepasan fisik alias uhuk-uhuk. Akhirnya selama liburan di Karibia mereka liburan di sekitaran tempat tidur (bayangin ya… dari bab 8 sampe bab 11).
Setelah liburan berakhir dan mereka harus kembali ke NY, mereka juga mikir mesti balik ke hubungan profesional lagi niyh… walaupun otak berkata apa… tapi tetep hati gak bisa bohong… Nah … ternyata Ben (ayah anaknya Mandy) nyari2 Mandy buat balikan lagi… Mandy gak mau lah, setelah balik dari liburan di Karibia Damien malah gak bisa ngelupain Mandy, malah makin kepikiran dan malah makin perhatian Mandy, pokoknya yang berkaitan sama bayinya Mandy di perhatiin deh … (ugh… so sweet… sampe sakit gigi niyh). [image error]
Akhirnya Damien mutusin dia mesti nyelesain masa lalu dia dulu, yang ternyata dulu istrinya Damien meninggal karena diperkosa dan dibunuh …. Walaupun setelah 3 tahun Damien masih trauma dengan kejadian itu karena Damien yang dituduh sama polisi bahwa dia yang bunuh istinya…. Tapi ya begitulah kekuatan cinta mengalahkan segalanya… yang paling sweet pas Mandy bilang I love you sama Damien via telepon [image error] padahal Damien waktu itu ada di Chicago dan lagi di tatoo dan setelah urusan masa lalu Damien di beresin,
buru2 Damien pulang dengan penerbangan terakhir dan nge-bel apartemen Mandy jam 2 pagi sampe temen2nya Mandy ngomel semua….
Tapi ada yang bikin ilfil niyh… kenapa Damien suka gigitin kuku kalo lagi panik ya????? [image error]
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2012
Mandy Keeling hamil & ben bukan saja tidak mau bertanggung jawab malah memberikan uang pada mandy agar mandy tidak lagi mengganggu ben.
mandy marah & sakit hati pada ben tapi dia tidak akan pernah menggugurkan bayinya. jika ben tidak mau bertanggung jawab maka mandy akan mengurus sendiri bayinya.
itu berarti mandy harus melepaskan toko mainannya & mencari pekerjaan yg bisa memberinya tunjangan kesehatan. pekerjaan apapun itu selama mandy tidak harus kembali & berada dalam kontrol ke 2 orang tuanya.
sudah cukup mandy tumbuh besar dalam kukungan ke 2 orang tuanya. ayah yg selalu sibuk & tidak memandangnya, ibu yg sibuk dengan hidup sosialnya & selalu membuat mandy rendah diri.
untunglah mandy memiliki 3 sahabat yg baik, yg selalu mendukungnya. jaime, caroline & allison.
berkat caroline pula mandy mendapat pekerjaan sbg asisten damien "demon" sharpton, tapi dengan syarat tidak ada yg boleh tau ttg kehamilan mandy.
semuanya mungkin akan sempurna kalo saja dihari mandy harus wawancara dengan damien sharpton, mandy tidak mengalami morning sickness.
tidak tau bahwa pria yg 1 lift denganya adalah damien "demon" sharpton, mandy mual2 sampai meminta wadah kopi pria tersebut untuk menampung muntahnya (euwwww), sudah gitu mandy tanpa sadar berceloteh ttg reputasi damien.
parahnya lagi mandy muntah di keranjang sampah saat sedang diwawancara damien.
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh benar2 hari yg kacau........
bagi mandy mungkin kacau tapi bagi damien, sejak bertemu dengan mandy hidupnya berubah.
3 tahun sejak kematian jessica, istrinya, damien menutup diri sepenuhnya. tapi bertemu mandy membangkitkan perasaan & hasrat yg tidak pernah dirasakannya lagi.
damien menyukai kegesitan & ketrampilan mandy dalam bekerja, serasa punya asisten super yg tau segala kesukaan & ketidaksukaannya, bahkan tau apa yg diinginkan damien sebelum damien mengatakannya. damien juga menyukai selera humor mandy.
hanya masalahnya 2 bulan bekerja damien br bbrp kali bertemu dgn mandy. mandy spt asisten bayangan :p
tapi kali ini damien ingin mengenal mandy & damien akan memastikan mandy tidak dapat lagi bersembunyi.
maka jadilah damien mengajak mandy ke karibia dengan alasan dia membutuhkan bantuan mandy, pdhl tidak ada yg dapat dikerjakan mandy di karibia.
akhirnya kerjaan mandy hanyalah bermalas2an & berjemur.
& ehm menjadi kekasih damien.
akhirnya damien memang mengenal mandy. luar & dalam.
damien akhirnya tau tentang kehamilan mandy, & bukannya ketakutan tp damien malah takjub pada mandy serta bayinya.
aq ngakak abis2an waktu damien dalam waktu semalaman membaca buku the everything guide to pregnancy trus besoknya langsung nanya ke mandy tentang apakah dia meniup vagina mandy saat oral seks...wakakakakakakaa bayangkan mandy yg menganga kaget berat, ini bos 1 bukannya tidur malah baca buku orang. lagian apaan pagi2 ngungkit hal kayak begitu??? bener2 deh si damien ini :D
tapi damien sweet banget, mandy yg hamil aja paling males baca buku2 ttg kehamilan apalagi ben yg lari dari tanggung jawab, eh si damien di meja kantornya penuh buku2 ttg kehamilan yg dibaca semua.
damien juga nganter mandy ke dokter kandungan. damien bener2 memikirkan mandy & bayinya.
damien tidaklah sedingin apa yg dikatakan orang2, justru damien adalah pria paling baik & lembut yg dikenal mandy.
damien menerima mandy apa adanya. dia juga menerima bayi mandy bahkan lebih antusias dibandingkan mandy sendiri. bahkan damien dengan pedenya menyodorkan nama buat bayi mandy, xixixixixxii sok pede amat :D
novel yg cukup menghiburlah buatku ^_^
ceritanya terlalu sweet bagi selera-ku tapi bukan berarti buku ini jelek ya.
buatku syarat utama buku itu bagus yaitu kalo ku baca ga buat aq berkunang2 sendiri & novel ini ga buat aq berkunang2 jd buatku novel ini bagus (hehehehehe mbingungi karepe dhewe).
alurnya cepet ga kayak sinetron, so itu tambahan nilai plus-nya lho.
kalo di skala 1 - 10 kukasih 7,5 deh.
mandy marah & sakit hati pada ben tapi dia tidak akan pernah menggugurkan bayinya. jika ben tidak mau bertanggung jawab maka mandy akan mengurus sendiri bayinya.
itu berarti mandy harus melepaskan toko mainannya & mencari pekerjaan yg bisa memberinya tunjangan kesehatan. pekerjaan apapun itu selama mandy tidak harus kembali & berada dalam kontrol ke 2 orang tuanya.
sudah cukup mandy tumbuh besar dalam kukungan ke 2 orang tuanya. ayah yg selalu sibuk & tidak memandangnya, ibu yg sibuk dengan hidup sosialnya & selalu membuat mandy rendah diri.
untunglah mandy memiliki 3 sahabat yg baik, yg selalu mendukungnya. jaime, caroline & allison.
berkat caroline pula mandy mendapat pekerjaan sbg asisten damien "demon" sharpton, tapi dengan syarat tidak ada yg boleh tau ttg kehamilan mandy.
semuanya mungkin akan sempurna kalo saja dihari mandy harus wawancara dengan damien sharpton, mandy tidak mengalami morning sickness.
tidak tau bahwa pria yg 1 lift denganya adalah damien "demon" sharpton, mandy mual2 sampai meminta wadah kopi pria tersebut untuk menampung muntahnya (euwwww), sudah gitu mandy tanpa sadar berceloteh ttg reputasi damien.
parahnya lagi mandy muntah di keranjang sampah saat sedang diwawancara damien.
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh benar2 hari yg kacau........
bagi mandy mungkin kacau tapi bagi damien, sejak bertemu dengan mandy hidupnya berubah.
3 tahun sejak kematian jessica, istrinya, damien menutup diri sepenuhnya. tapi bertemu mandy membangkitkan perasaan & hasrat yg tidak pernah dirasakannya lagi.
damien menyukai kegesitan & ketrampilan mandy dalam bekerja, serasa punya asisten super yg tau segala kesukaan & ketidaksukaannya, bahkan tau apa yg diinginkan damien sebelum damien mengatakannya. damien juga menyukai selera humor mandy.
hanya masalahnya 2 bulan bekerja damien br bbrp kali bertemu dgn mandy. mandy spt asisten bayangan :p
tapi kali ini damien ingin mengenal mandy & damien akan memastikan mandy tidak dapat lagi bersembunyi.
maka jadilah damien mengajak mandy ke karibia dengan alasan dia membutuhkan bantuan mandy, pdhl tidak ada yg dapat dikerjakan mandy di karibia.
akhirnya kerjaan mandy hanyalah bermalas2an & berjemur.
& ehm menjadi kekasih damien.
akhirnya damien memang mengenal mandy. luar & dalam.
damien akhirnya tau tentang kehamilan mandy, & bukannya ketakutan tp damien malah takjub pada mandy serta bayinya.
aq ngakak abis2an waktu damien dalam waktu semalaman membaca buku the everything guide to pregnancy trus besoknya langsung nanya ke mandy tentang apakah dia meniup vagina mandy saat oral seks...wakakakakakakaa bayangkan mandy yg menganga kaget berat, ini bos 1 bukannya tidur malah baca buku orang. lagian apaan pagi2 ngungkit hal kayak begitu??? bener2 deh si damien ini :D
tapi damien sweet banget, mandy yg hamil aja paling males baca buku2 ttg kehamilan apalagi ben yg lari dari tanggung jawab, eh si damien di meja kantornya penuh buku2 ttg kehamilan yg dibaca semua.
damien juga nganter mandy ke dokter kandungan. damien bener2 memikirkan mandy & bayinya.
damien tidaklah sedingin apa yg dikatakan orang2, justru damien adalah pria paling baik & lembut yg dikenal mandy.
damien menerima mandy apa adanya. dia juga menerima bayi mandy bahkan lebih antusias dibandingkan mandy sendiri. bahkan damien dengan pedenya menyodorkan nama buat bayi mandy, xixixixixxii sok pede amat :D
novel yg cukup menghiburlah buatku ^_^
ceritanya terlalu sweet bagi selera-ku tapi bukan berarti buku ini jelek ya.
buatku syarat utama buku itu bagus yaitu kalo ku baca ga buat aq berkunang2 sendiri & novel ini ga buat aq berkunang2 jd buatku novel ini bagus (hehehehehe mbingungi karepe dhewe).
alurnya cepet ga kayak sinetron, so itu tambahan nilai plus-nya lho.
kalo di skala 1 - 10 kukasih 7,5 deh.
September 12, 2016
I really don't know how I found this book but I'm really glad I did.
“Love, no matter how it’s expressed, is still love. We all have flaws, and so our love will be flawed. But that doesn’t diminish it.”
Damien. He is damaged and who blames him? Something really hurtful happened in his past but he's still him somewhere.
“I’m not sure I agree with you, Mandy. Just because we’re flawed doesn’t mean it’s okay to let those flaws bleed into our feelings.”
“Do you think there is a perfect love, then?”
“No.” That he was sure of. And he wasn’t even sure there was love.
“I think perfect love is any time you love unconditionally, without selfish intent, without concern for personal gain.”
“And do you think people really do that?”
“I do, Damien. I really do.”
I have to admit, is a big Woah! the whole pregnant and falling in love with another guy concept. I know is hard to grasp, BUT is not impossible. I can tell you that this love story can happen from personal experience. And MAYBE thats the reason I liked this book so much. I can relate. My grandpa fell in love with my grandma when she was pregnant with my mom. We actually don't know the whole truth behind all of their history but Im completely grateful to my gramps that he took the position as a father and raised my mom like she was his daughter. So with this I can tell you it is not something made out of a foolish writer's mind or imagination (NOT that I think Erin Mccarthy is foolish. This is my first book and I really liked it) or a concept out of a crazy movie like "The back-up plan"; There are guys like that in this world :) Love comes in soo many different forms, there's not just one formula, there's not only one way to find it or how things should be, there isn't a pattern, a multiple steps program. When it comes, knocks you over, it changes us to be better or stronger it gives us purpose. I truly believe this. And also, I agree with Mandy's perspective of love...
“Love, no matter how it’s expressed, is still love. We all have flaws, and so our love will be flawed. But that doesn’t diminish it.”
McCarthy was able to create characters that I loved and felt real. They were mature and did not waste time complaining or having one side conversations with themselves about what was wrong or how they felt. Mandy is honest, independent, open minded, she likes herself and it doesn't matter what life has thrown her way she still has it in her to live, to fight for her life to overcome whatever has happened and even when she doesn't think has all figured out she thrives, in my opinion, shining and winning the battle.
Damien. He is damaged and who blames him? Something really hurtful happened in his past but he's still him somewhere.
“I’m not sure I agree with you, Mandy. Just because we’re flawed doesn’t mean it’s okay to let those flaws bleed into our feelings.”
Damien.Through the story we can see he's an excellent human being. Has character, is considerate, passionate, responsable, protective, driven and handsome... Who doesn't want a guy like that?! I know I do. When he meets Mandy they start this weird-out-of-place relationship that grows into something really beautiful... were they get to grow up and have the so called and well claimed happily ever after.
“Do you think there is a perfect love, then?”
“No.” That he was sure of. And he wasn’t even sure there was love.
“I think perfect love is any time you love unconditionally, without selfish intent, without concern for personal gain.”
“And do you think people really do that?”
“I do, Damien. I really do.”
At first, I had problem getting acquainted with the writing style because is a mixture of firsts and third persons points of view. But I got used to it and liked how I could see both perspectives right away. I really cannot come with any complains right know. Would have liked and epilogue about "years later" seeing how Rebecca grows up and they have more children of their own still living happily ever after but Im planning to read the second book of this series so I have some more details about them.
July 8, 2012
Goodreads Description- Ordinarily, I'm a fan of pink-lovely colour, does smashing things for the complexion. But not when it's the bright, glaring stripe staring back at me on the pregnancy test. Then, pink is the colour of major oops, of morning sickness, of boyfriends who seemed decent but now are part of some Jerk Witness Protection Program.
Still, I've got a few things going for me-bitter humour, a divine right to eat till I'm the size of Marlon Brando, and good friends who've managed to get me a job interview with one Damien Sharpton: in need of a personal assistant, and some say, a good, swift kick in the arse. If you want to make a lasting impression, by all means, toss your cookies in your future boss's wastebasket, which is located directly between his excruciatingly sexy legs.
Apparently, Mr. Gorgeous-But-Unbearably-Anti-Social must like personal assistants who violate his trash can, because I got the job. And if I can avoid him via text messaging for the next seven months of health insurance, everything will be just fine. Except that he's just asked-no, insisted-that I go with him on a business trip to the Caribbean. Gulp. Ordinarily, this would be cause for celebration. Ordinarily, I'd shave my legs, pack my bikini, revel in day-glo drinks and my seething lust for Mr. Swarthy-And-Secretive. But there's nothing ordinary about this situation...which means it could be absolutely extraordinary...
This is a book where I think it was extremely important to copy the book description into my review. The reason for this is because this is a book where the book is NOT what is as advertised. Not saying that is a bad thing in this case but the story was NOTHING like I expected it to be. I thought this would be a light chick lit read about a British girl in New York, classic chick lit by the way, who finds herself pregnant with the guy not wanting the baby and from there the sillyness begins. Well that is sort of what happens but what I didn't expect was all the graphic sex scenes. I mean this was Harlequin romance all the way under the disguise of a chick lit cover. And again that isn't a bad thing....unless that isn't what you are looking for in a book....and some people aren't. This book is a very quick read about Mandy and her boss Damien falling in love very quickly but during that process most of what you read is them having sex...and in very graphic terms. I wanted to make sure that I reviewed this book because it certainly wasn't what I expected and I haven't read this author before. I'm not a prude and the sex scenes don't bother me but if they bother other readers I wanted to post a review that those readers could learn that this isn't a Shopoholic type book at all. Close but sex sex sex. So as always....don't read a book by its cover or description apparently because I did not expect it to be so Harlequin like. If it weren't so cliched and had a better story line it would have had higher ratings for me, but I just couldn't because I am having buyers remorse and it just wasn't the type of book I thought I was buying. I liked the story but wanted better writing and less sex filler. 3 stars.
Still, I've got a few things going for me-bitter humour, a divine right to eat till I'm the size of Marlon Brando, and good friends who've managed to get me a job interview with one Damien Sharpton: in need of a personal assistant, and some say, a good, swift kick in the arse. If you want to make a lasting impression, by all means, toss your cookies in your future boss's wastebasket, which is located directly between his excruciatingly sexy legs.
Apparently, Mr. Gorgeous-But-Unbearably-Anti-Social must like personal assistants who violate his trash can, because I got the job. And if I can avoid him via text messaging for the next seven months of health insurance, everything will be just fine. Except that he's just asked-no, insisted-that I go with him on a business trip to the Caribbean. Gulp. Ordinarily, this would be cause for celebration. Ordinarily, I'd shave my legs, pack my bikini, revel in day-glo drinks and my seething lust for Mr. Swarthy-And-Secretive. But there's nothing ordinary about this situation...which means it could be absolutely extraordinary...
This is a book where I think it was extremely important to copy the book description into my review. The reason for this is because this is a book where the book is NOT what is as advertised. Not saying that is a bad thing in this case but the story was NOTHING like I expected it to be. I thought this would be a light chick lit read about a British girl in New York, classic chick lit by the way, who finds herself pregnant with the guy not wanting the baby and from there the sillyness begins. Well that is sort of what happens but what I didn't expect was all the graphic sex scenes. I mean this was Harlequin romance all the way under the disguise of a chick lit cover. And again that isn't a bad thing....unless that isn't what you are looking for in a book....and some people aren't. This book is a very quick read about Mandy and her boss Damien falling in love very quickly but during that process most of what you read is them having sex...and in very graphic terms. I wanted to make sure that I reviewed this book because it certainly wasn't what I expected and I haven't read this author before. I'm not a prude and the sex scenes don't bother me but if they bother other readers I wanted to post a review that those readers could learn that this isn't a Shopoholic type book at all. Close but sex sex sex. So as always....don't read a book by its cover or description apparently because I did not expect it to be so Harlequin like. If it weren't so cliched and had a better story line it would have had higher ratings for me, but I just couldn't because I am having buyers remorse and it just wasn't the type of book I thought I was buying. I liked the story but wanted better writing and less sex filler. 3 stars.
December 27, 2022
Bos yang jatuh cinta sama sekretarisnya? Udah sering denger. Perempuan hamil ditinggal cowoknya? Udah banyak. Tapi tetep aja seru baca buku ini. Cengar-cengir sendiri waktu baca sembari ngebayangin si tokoh wanitanya mirip ga, ya, sama Bridget Jones. Mungkin. Bahasanya mudah dicerna dan ceritanya cukup ringan. Pokoknya bikin terkekeh-kekeh sendirian tengah malam. I don't know if I could be that tough as Mandy does if I were her. Dia membuat keputusan sulit, menjadi mandiri dan melahirkan anak tanpa seorang ayah. Hmm, jadi inget kasus Sheila Marcia. I feel a little bit sympathetic to her. Not that I'm righting her wrong-doing, though.
Sedikit tertipu sama judulnya. Kirain mirip sama Test Pack. Well, and the story goes. She'd fallen for her boss who take her to Carribean to 'work'. Then you can figure out what happen next. The problem is Damien still caught in his past. He was accuse for strangle his wife till death, which as you could guess, not proven. And suddenly, Damien involve himself in Mandy's life, and her baby of course--it's a package. Rada tersentuh waktu Damien nemenin Mandy ke Ginekolog buat USG... this is the melancholy me speaking :p tapi tiba-tiba Damien merusak suasana romantic sama pertanyaannya soal cunnilingus. Apaan sih??? Karena penasaran gw sampe googling, dan ternyata oh ternyata... its... you know lah... (rofl)
Sebagai dampak membaca buku ini, I'm starting looking for a name for my would-be-baby. Lho??? Coraline sound nice, isn't it? hehehe.... udah ah, ngelantur aja :D
Sedikit tertipu sama judulnya. Kirain mirip sama Test Pack. Well, and the story goes. She'd fallen for her boss who take her to Carribean to 'work'. Then you can figure out what happen next. The problem is Damien still caught in his past. He was accuse for strangle his wife till death, which as you could guess, not proven. And suddenly, Damien involve himself in Mandy's life, and her baby of course--it's a package. Rada tersentuh waktu Damien nemenin Mandy ke Ginekolog buat USG... this is the melancholy me speaking :p tapi tiba-tiba Damien merusak suasana romantic sama pertanyaannya soal cunnilingus. Apaan sih??? Karena penasaran gw sampe googling, dan ternyata oh ternyata... its... you know lah... (rofl)
Sebagai dampak membaca buku ini, I'm starting looking for a name for my would-be-baby. Lho??? Coraline sound nice, isn't it? hehehe.... udah ah, ngelantur aja :D
September 28, 2010
3.5 stars. Nicely done. I liked it.
A few scenes had me chuckling. Both characters are likeable. I enjoyed Mandy’s competence and efficiency at work. I loved Damien’s involvement with the pregnancy. He read more pregnancy books than she did. When she was getting an ultrasound, she asked the technician a question, but Damien gave the technical answer. A minor occurrence happens at the very end which totally surprised and delighted me. Lovely ending.
STORY BRIEF:
Damien is wounded from his past. He was married to Jessica who was murdered. He was a suspect but later cleared. He has avoided relationships with anyone for three years. Mandy is British, living in New York. She accidentally gets pregnant from Ben. He wants nothing to do with it. She wants health insurance for the baby so she gets a job as an assistant to computer executive Damien. She is great at her job. Damien is intrigued with her and asks her to go on a trip to the Caribbean for work. When there, he learns she is pregnant and they have an affair. When they return to NY, they resume their previous relationship, but Damien continues reading about pregnancy and emails information to her.
DATA:
Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: five. Setting: current day New York and the Caribbean. Copyright: 2005. Genre: contemporary romance.
OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Erin McCarthy books, see my 3.5 star review of “Flat-Out Sexy” posted under 3 stars 11/11/08.
A few scenes had me chuckling. Both characters are likeable. I enjoyed Mandy’s competence and efficiency at work. I loved Damien’s involvement with the pregnancy. He read more pregnancy books than she did. When she was getting an ultrasound, she asked the technician a question, but Damien gave the technical answer. A minor occurrence happens at the very end which totally surprised and delighted me. Lovely ending.
STORY BRIEF:
Damien is wounded from his past. He was married to Jessica who was murdered. He was a suspect but later cleared. He has avoided relationships with anyone for three years. Mandy is British, living in New York. She accidentally gets pregnant from Ben. He wants nothing to do with it. She wants health insurance for the baby so she gets a job as an assistant to computer executive Damien. She is great at her job. Damien is intrigued with her and asks her to go on a trip to the Caribbean for work. When there, he learns she is pregnant and they have an affair. When they return to NY, they resume their previous relationship, but Damien continues reading about pregnancy and emails information to her.
DATA:
Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: five. Setting: current day New York and the Caribbean. Copyright: 2005. Genre: contemporary romance.
OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Erin McCarthy books, see my 3.5 star review of “Flat-Out Sexy” posted under 3 stars 11/11/08.
January 25, 2016
This book didn't really know if it wanted to be funny or not. Mostly it was funny and I enjoyed that element. I did find it totally unbelievable that she could be his assistant for two months and he only saw her twice. That was just stretching my willing suspension of disbelief too far. I also liked the element of his wife's murder and how he began to heal when he fell for the heroine. I liked that when she found out that he had been arrested for the murder she never had that moment of doubt that most romance authors throw in to increase tension. She believed in his innocent without a moment of hesitation. But really the two elements were jarring together for me. So his character didn't seem really solid in either the humor or the healing from murder thing. Maybe these should have been two stories? Still I enjoyed it and it was overall a nice pleasant read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2014
This book was fine. It just wasn't for me. If you are into gratuitous sex, then you will LOVE it. I would have loved it in middle school, for the masturbatory value alone. However, I am past that stage, and to be honest with you, I am no prude, by ANY definition of the word, I am just way past the point where long, drawn out sex scenes do anything for me. I liked the characters. The story is tied up nicely. I just think I am at a point, personally, where I want more story, less sex. On the positive side, if I could meet a guy like Damien Sharpton, I'd be all over him in a hot second. Murder accusation or not.
March 11, 2011
This was my first attempt at full blown chick lit and most probably my last (Never say never. I might have a stroke or something to change my mind).
Some people read this and enjoy it. I don't know why though.
Pregnancy Test is just someone's wet dream turned into a book. Seriously. There's a chapter when they have sex on the bed while it's covered in biscuits and marmelade. That can't be good? Sounds even worse than sex on the beach, because of the added stickiness.
Thank you book for making me the laughing stock of my friends and myself for a week.
Bad, bad, bad book!
Some people read this and enjoy it. I don't know why though.
Pregnancy Test is just someone's wet dream turned into a book. Seriously. There's a chapter when they have sex on the bed while it's covered in biscuits and marmelade. That can't be good? Sounds even worse than sex on the beach, because of the added stickiness.
Thank you book for making me the laughing stock of my friends and myself for a week.
Bad, bad, bad book!
January 24, 2016
3.5* The story was sweet and simple. It seemed to have a lot of potential to turn into a great book;Unfortunately it fell short. I don't have any specific complains except that it didn't live up to my expectations. The book, on the whole was nice, light, sweet... and since it was quite short, I'm satisfied with having read it.
April 2, 2011
Enjoyable light read that is well written with likable characters and good dialogue. Refreshingly absent...relationship drama. This couple moves quickly. Be aware that there are pretty explicit sex scenes. I recommend this as a good beach or weekend read.
January 2, 2012
Ah...gak bisa suka sm Mandy. Mungkin karena hamil sm laki2 lain, n mungkin karena dia tipe cewek yg aktip secara seksual (aku lebih suka tipe yg malu2). Temen2 ceweknya malah lebih nyenengin.
Kok banyak bed scene-nya yaaaaaa, smp bosen+gak sabar bacanya.
Kok banyak bed scene-nya yaaaaaa, smp bosen+gak sabar bacanya.
November 11, 2008
This is one of the funniest books I've read in a really long time. Erin McCarthy is now one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. Truly all of her books are good, even her earlier ones!
March 19, 2012
Fun, light, humorus, feel good read with great characters that you will love to get to know.
September 13, 2014
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
February 18, 2015
Une belle petite romance bien sympathique, avec de chouettes personnages, des notes d'humour, des moments torrides et d'autres attendrissants...un agréable moment de lecture.
March 10, 2024
I knew going in that this wasn't going to be a groundbreaking piece of literature. But there were parts in this book that were so unexpected and random that it made me laugh.
Firstly, I thought the setup of the book was particularly cliche. The female lead being messy and undone in a sexy-but-she-doesn't-know-it way is a classic. Add onto that, the male lead being an emotionally closed off, angry, pedantic, high-flying businessman who's one true love is work, and you've got yourself the textbook rom-com. If the chemistry of the characters makes up for the lack of imagination, then I can excuse this... but it didn't.
I just couldn't believe that these two characters had any emotion between them, negative or positive. They never had a conflict to begin with (for which the start of the book seemed to prepare), and the timeline of their relationship was so quick and lack-luster that I didn't believe in their love either.
Another key issue I had with this book was Damien and Jessica's story. This is only a 250 page book - there isn't enough room to add in a crazy plotline about how Damien's first wife was r^ped and m*rd#red and how he stood trial but wasn't indicted and how it's scarred him for the rest of his life and this is why he's so closed off to his family, his friends and the rest of the world... WHAT?!! That doesn't work - it's super dark for such a lighthearted, tongue in cheek book and it's also not well written. We never actually found out who k!lled Jess, which was immensely frustrating. Plus, she was painted in an awful light, in order to make Mandy seem like the favourite love interest, which was just poor taste.
Another issue I had was with Mandy's roommates - yet another huge cliche in the book. They were all written as various stereotypes and had no dimension at all. Plus, the way they acted when they found out Mandy was in love with Damien was inappropriate and disappointing. They started talking about Mandy behind her back as if she were a child incapable of using her brain, purely because she's pregnant. If she's pregnant, apparently, she must not be thinking straight, according to these girls. And after they found out the harrowing story of Damien's past, they immediately labelled him a killer, actually using the line 'he wasn't indicted, that doesn't mean he didn't do it'. Excuse me?!! Firstly, you don't even know this man, and secondly, this is the kind of discourse that destroys lives. You're not being a good friend by saying things like that. Some people might think I'm taking too much from this, as it is just a silly lighthearted book - I understand that. I was just really frustrated by that part of the story. Not to mention, it was never resolved.
My final issue is the way in which the book was written. The story jumped from Mandy's perspective to Damien's halfway through the chapter which was extremely strange! And the ending occurred so abruptly, I didn't even realise it was happening.
Overall, I didn't think this book contained any discernable high points. It was silly and lighthearted, but it lacked any depth, talent or uniqueness to set it apart.
Firstly, I thought the setup of the book was particularly cliche. The female lead being messy and undone in a sexy-but-she-doesn't-know-it way is a classic. Add onto that, the male lead being an emotionally closed off, angry, pedantic, high-flying businessman who's one true love is work, and you've got yourself the textbook rom-com. If the chemistry of the characters makes up for the lack of imagination, then I can excuse this... but it didn't.
I just couldn't believe that these two characters had any emotion between them, negative or positive. They never had a conflict to begin with (for which the start of the book seemed to prepare), and the timeline of their relationship was so quick and lack-luster that I didn't believe in their love either.
Another key issue I had with this book was Damien and Jessica's story. This is only a 250 page book - there isn't enough room to add in a crazy plotline about how Damien's first wife was r^ped and m*rd#red and how he stood trial but wasn't indicted and how it's scarred him for the rest of his life and this is why he's so closed off to his family, his friends and the rest of the world... WHAT?!! That doesn't work - it's super dark for such a lighthearted, tongue in cheek book and it's also not well written. We never actually found out who k!lled Jess, which was immensely frustrating. Plus, she was painted in an awful light, in order to make Mandy seem like the favourite love interest, which was just poor taste.
Another issue I had was with Mandy's roommates - yet another huge cliche in the book. They were all written as various stereotypes and had no dimension at all. Plus, the way they acted when they found out Mandy was in love with Damien was inappropriate and disappointing. They started talking about Mandy behind her back as if she were a child incapable of using her brain, purely because she's pregnant. If she's pregnant, apparently, she must not be thinking straight, according to these girls. And after they found out the harrowing story of Damien's past, they immediately labelled him a killer, actually using the line 'he wasn't indicted, that doesn't mean he didn't do it'. Excuse me?!! Firstly, you don't even know this man, and secondly, this is the kind of discourse that destroys lives. You're not being a good friend by saying things like that. Some people might think I'm taking too much from this, as it is just a silly lighthearted book - I understand that. I was just really frustrated by that part of the story. Not to mention, it was never resolved.
My final issue is the way in which the book was written. The story jumped from Mandy's perspective to Damien's halfway through the chapter which was extremely strange! And the ending occurred so abruptly, I didn't even realise it was happening.
Overall, I didn't think this book contained any discernable high points. It was silly and lighthearted, but it lacked any depth, talent or uniqueness to set it apart.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2019
Nice Amateur Threesome
I heard this was good, but I know the author (we hang out in the same coffee shops!!) so I don't think you should take my review seriously. I guess just read it?
--UPDATE--
I stopped hanging out at the same coffee shops; he always beats me to the power outlet and then stays FOREVERRRRR...ARGHHHH RUDE!
—UPDATE #2–
okay, seriously, this guy sucks! he spilled coffee all over my notebook and barely apologized; just soaked it up with his shirt and ran out of the coffee shop hella quick—like, ummmm 🤔 this book can’t be good!!
--UPDATE #3--
guys.
guyssss.
okay, so i told myself i wasn't going to post here anymore, but this author...i mean, he's THE WORST (i mean i actually took the time to capitalize those two words so you KNOW i mean it)!!
first of all, i'm sorry, man, but just because you're wearing earbuds doesn't mean no one else can hear your music!?! ummm, hello, we're only a table apart, that's like four feet at most, author guy; not the entire continent you seem to believe it is. TURN YOUR MUSIC DOWN!
also, hasn't anyone ever told you that's TERRIBLE for your eardrums. i mean i know this goes without saying but i'd hate to be his audiologist.
but wait, there's more! when i tried to give him the universal signal for "hey, buddy, turn that noise down" (you know, where you twist your face into the most annoyed expression ever while simultaneously rolling your eyes and forming your hand into a down arrow and then on a non-stop loop pointing that hand-down-arrow at the floor--you know the one) but he had the nerve to smile at me and wave. ummm, no, author guy, this isn't me attempting to initiate a friendly game of table charades. TURN YOUR MUSIC DOWN! finally, after about two minutes of my gesturing i got his attention again and this time he removed his earbuds.
"hey," he said all coolly.
as if he had no idea what this was all about. can you believe that? "hey"--like he doesn't know that he's THE WORST!
and you know me, i was ready to give him a piece of my mind except here he kept looking at me with that goofy, lopsided grin and those pathetic i'm-a-sensitive-artist-who-just-wants-to-be-loved-please-love-me eyes and well, i'm not a monster, people.
"hey, cool playlist. we should trade sometime." okay, okay, i have no clue how those words came out of my mouth, but don't worry, i quickly get back on track.
author guy laughs like he's embarrassed. "actually i have pretty terrible tastes in music but it's nice of you to say. by the way, i'm not playing it too loudly, am i? i'd hate to be THAT GUY."
i shrug. "hahaha, no way. noooo waayyyy. hahaha. hey, believe me, if you were, i'd tell you hahaha."
ugh, did i mention he's THE WORST?!?! i didn’t have the heart to tell him this, but i am telling you; there’s NO WAY this book is any good!!
I heard this was good, but I know the author (we hang out in the same coffee shops!!) so I don't think you should take my review seriously. I guess just read it?
--UPDATE--
I stopped hanging out at the same coffee shops; he always beats me to the power outlet and then stays FOREVERRRRR...ARGHHHH RUDE!
—UPDATE #2–
okay, seriously, this guy sucks! he spilled coffee all over my notebook and barely apologized; just soaked it up with his shirt and ran out of the coffee shop hella quick—like, ummmm 🤔 this book can’t be good!!
--UPDATE #3--
guys.
guyssss.
okay, so i told myself i wasn't going to post here anymore, but this author...i mean, he's THE WORST (i mean i actually took the time to capitalize those two words so you KNOW i mean it)!!
first of all, i'm sorry, man, but just because you're wearing earbuds doesn't mean no one else can hear your music!?! ummm, hello, we're only a table apart, that's like four feet at most, author guy; not the entire continent you seem to believe it is. TURN YOUR MUSIC DOWN!
also, hasn't anyone ever told you that's TERRIBLE for your eardrums. i mean i know this goes without saying but i'd hate to be his audiologist.
but wait, there's more! when i tried to give him the universal signal for "hey, buddy, turn that noise down" (you know, where you twist your face into the most annoyed expression ever while simultaneously rolling your eyes and forming your hand into a down arrow and then on a non-stop loop pointing that hand-down-arrow at the floor--you know the one) but he had the nerve to smile at me and wave. ummm, no, author guy, this isn't me attempting to initiate a friendly game of table charades. TURN YOUR MUSIC DOWN! finally, after about two minutes of my gesturing i got his attention again and this time he removed his earbuds.
"hey," he said all coolly.
as if he had no idea what this was all about. can you believe that? "hey"--like he doesn't know that he's THE WORST!
and you know me, i was ready to give him a piece of my mind except here he kept looking at me with that goofy, lopsided grin and those pathetic i'm-a-sensitive-artist-who-just-wants-to-be-loved-please-love-me eyes and well, i'm not a monster, people.
"hey, cool playlist. we should trade sometime." okay, okay, i have no clue how those words came out of my mouth, but don't worry, i quickly get back on track.
author guy laughs like he's embarrassed. "actually i have pretty terrible tastes in music but it's nice of you to say. by the way, i'm not playing it too loudly, am i? i'd hate to be THAT GUY."
i shrug. "hahaha, no way. noooo waayyyy. hahaha. hey, believe me, if you were, i'd tell you hahaha."
ugh, did i mention he's THE WORST?!?! i didn’t have the heart to tell him this, but i am telling you; there’s NO WAY this book is any good!!
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