Getting down to Business

by Nicolette Dane

ASIN moved from less recent edition

From the outside, Amy Barnes has it all. She’s a rising star at her Chicago tech start up. She’s well liked, she’s funny, she’s smart, she’s pretty. But despite all this, for some strange reason, Amy’s had an absolutely awful love life. It couldn’t possibly be Amy’s fault… right?

Enter Josephine Taft, rich and successful tech investor, swooping in to save Amy’s company from financial ruin. In addition to being wealthy and accomplished, Josephine is also a total fox and Amy can’t help but swoon over her. No pressure here.

As our quirky heroine maneuvers through this stylized romantic comedy, often butting heads with a whimsical cast of characters, she’ll have to look within to both save her company and get the girl. Will Amy be able to rein in her eccentricities and prove to Josephine that she’s worth the investment?

Genres: Romance, LGBT, Lesbian, Contemporary, Adult, Queer, Lesbian Romance

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 28, 2017

Reviews

[FionaH · Rating 1 out of 5]

When will I learn to avoid this author and not fall for the blurb. DNF. Crap.

[AnnMaree Of Oz]

This was another freebie, but eh just couldn't finish - the MC and her inner monologue is so quippy and outrageous - like that of one of those comedy shows with a running laugh track and super! quirky! characters! Constantly being 'on' cracking wise... Cringe-worthy yet supposedly funny whacky circumstances. I find that kind of media and personality type exhausting - so this is a no from me dawg. lol.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say, not my cup of tea and I just skipped through a lot of it.

[Heather Henkel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice and sweet

This was a really nice light romance. It was a fun read and doesn't take long but well worth it.

[Fran Sappharc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some laugh out loud lines! This felt unusual in that the mains view of ex’s was quite shallow, “only a barista”, “only a bar tender” then focussing on the rich part of rich date. This felt real life but unusual in fictional life. Peeing yourself laughing is a phrase. I don’t usually see it used as a reality in a book, especially at a bit I didn’t find amusing. The sex scene I was surprised was fade to black. I had started skim reading as the plot wasn't really going anywhere. As their relationship progressed, we were told it worked but didn’t really see any of it. Only the negative side of not seeing each other, but were ‘told’ of the positive side, where one character was less anxious and when they were together her anxiety washed away. Then the plot arc arched! I still didn’t quite get it. Then one main made a life style choice, supported I’m not sure how and still it didn’t seem to all come together for me. I sped read this, which suggests I was interested but didn’t feel I was going to miss any plot point or subtlety. 2.5 up to a three because it really read like a different from the norm novel and possibly just wasn’t my style despite some lol lines at the start.

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

So dull. The MC is unlikeable and whiny. The entire story drones and feels like it's all exposition or the MC talking to herself. I'm really trying here, but it might end up being a DNF.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm allergic to DNFing that's all I'll say

[Stacy Bruton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up since it was a free/cheap read and I was in the mood for a light romantic comedy.
The jist of the book is that the main character Amy falls for a billionaire who is investing her the tech startup where Amy works.
Overall the plot of the book was fleshed out and in the end the girl gets the girl.
What I found the most difficult part of this book was the authors inner monologue for Amy. It got a bit lengthy in some sections but very quick and clipped in others. I feel like this lead to some packing issues and that is what dropped by rating down to 2 stars.
If you are looking for a quick little lesbian romance novel this fits the bill.

[Kathleen Worthem · Rating 4 out of 5]

It doesn't always have to be about sex...

This was different from all the other lesbian romance books I've read. No drawn out slow burn page turner. At first I was disappointed but then I was okay with it. I actually enjoyed the way it was written. Like the main character was talking to me ... the reader. I'm not an English major so I don't know what to call that type of narrative. But I liked it! I also liked her self realizations and reflections on life. I felt like I actually learned a bit about myself! I enjoyed reading it!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

The well developed main character, Amy, is someone many people should be able to identify with in this well written tale of self-discovery. Her struggles are something plenty of people face daily, endearing her to the reader. Put this book on your must read list.

[Kexx · Rating 2 out of 5]

What is it about Nicolette's books that pull me in? Superb cover - Wow! LOVE IT - good blurb, must read this- then 10% in and I'm sunk. Every time! One star for the read +1 for the cover! Can't say fairer than that!

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book seemed promising, but the main character was to whiny. she,seemed to have every flaw known to man and then some. the ending barely redeemed the first 90%.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

First novel of Nicolette Dane that I have read and I was very pleased. It was a well written, well-paced novel with realistic characters and a happy ending.

[Lo'Ren A Mayler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Nicolette Dane and it was Hilarious!!! Had people in the next cubicle trying to figure out why i was laughing. Definitely being added to my favorites list!

[MizLiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books written in the first person are a drag. It is telling your story but embellished to the point of boring.

[Becky Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice plotline, but would have liked more explicit sexual scenes. The scenes were implied and too 'vanilla' for me.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, light-hearted romance... laugh out loud in some places! Perfect for a rainy weekend or a beach read!

[Samara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book

I'm no wordsmith so I'm saying it as it is. A nice easy going book with a cute ending. Definitely worth reading

[Amy Kussmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun

A realistic look at life & all the things we do to overthink it. I like happy endings. Relatable characters with honest reactions.

[Robin Tweede · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm. While reading this I went back and forth on what kind of rating I would give this. It is long on narration as the MC inner-dialogues throughout the book and there is comparatively not much action going on. At times it was funny (or punny) and other times the jokes fell flat. There are a lot of jokes! This made me not take the MC seriously. And then there are those times that the MC is serious and and honest in her self-reflections and becomes more relatable and somewhat more likeable. She admits she is narcissistic and anxiety-prone about the future (who isnt?) and her babbling incoherency is part of her defense mechanism. She is also elitist and the way she treated and talks about her past lovers is mean-spirited and definitely not endearing. Instead of having a HEA I was pretty much hoping she would be left out in the cold to do her soul-searching and then have the courage to ask for people's forgiveness and rebuild herself into a better 2.0 version. However, it seems narcissistic sociopaths have a way of escaping justice and Fate has decreed they will flourish and be a bane on us all. (I may be projecting, here.)

Robin Tweede, author, "Lady Adora's Valiant Pet"

[Petrina Binney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amy Barnes is kind of a mess. She has a great job, a nice apartment and a cat who doesn't look down her nose at her, but Amy has no love life. At thirty years of age, she's starting to get to grips with her attitude to relationships and when her company receives a cash injection from a beautiful billionaire, Amy does her damnedest to turn herself into girlfriend material. But can she compete with the spectre of lost love?
A sweet story. I really enjoyed the character of Amy. Told in the conversational style, I quite liked the life lessons that Amy learnt for herself and then quickly imparted to the reader.
However, I can't bear the use of 'off of', it's peppered through the text - I understand it's very American but it's a personal bug bear. Otherwise, a good read.

[Hans · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 … not as good as Geek Girl, ironically I think this one would have been better as a short story. Perhaps I just didn’t connect with the protagonist as much. Too much “dear reader” and introspection. Also largely predictable. Some of the writing I found a little dry, but the dialogue was at least sparky and kept it readable.

[Sharon Weekley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fall in love with Amy

Amy is irreverent, occasionally clumsy and disorganised and funny as hell! I loved being in her head while she figured out some things about herself, and life, as she fell in love.

[Joyce Trudelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicolette Dane was unknown to me and boy, she delighted me from the start, chuckling while imagining Amy dancing without knowing she was being caught on her cat's camera. It reminded me of the naive Ally McBeal. Keep us smiling !!

[Adina Mocanu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d read another

I enjoyed it , it was funny, the sexy parts were brief but overall it was a good story. Engaging with the readers in the story was a nice touch.

[Andrew Mcintyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read,.

I really enjoyed this shortly by Nicolette. It was a well written book with good characters and a very funny MC.

[Glenna · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF, MC way too self-absorbed for my reading taste.

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm probably rounding down from 3.5. Well done, it's just how much you connect with the main character, who narrates the entire book. She's a high-femme, horny, wine abusing, dramatic, self-absorbed, Bridget Jones type, lesbian who comes with a basket of issues. Around the halfway point the book turns and the character starts to "find herself" and it gets self-helpesque.
I almost didn't read past the first ten pages because of the voice. Pushed past it. Identified with a few of the issues the mc had, and that kept me going. Not likely to reread, and probably won't recommend to anyone I know, but if that sounds like a character you would like or identify with, you should definitely read. Most likely if you are similar to the character, you'd never admit it and thus miss out on this book.

[Monique S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This certainly is among the best romance novels I have yet read, witty, funny and full of caring insight into the weaknesses of humanity. Through the process of fallig in love and and finally becoming aware of her own role in her failures we are lookig into mirror images of some of our own habits and learn how the protagonist Amy finally finds herself, by laughing at her and some of the other characters and thus ourselves.

Though this is a lesbian romance novel it's meaning concerns anyone, who falls in love, whatever the sexual orientation. A wonderful story and, other than previous books I read by Nicolette, without too much focus on the sex. In all a thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Karen Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great character

I think everyone should have some Amy Barnes in them- i can't believe there wouldn't be several people who don't see similarities of her and them and a familiarity. I really liked the story. This character had a few issues to work out and most of us do- especially being attracted to someone society says is not normal- while i was anxious for the two main characters to restart their relationship, i thought the insight into Amy's inner thoughts was just a little wordy. Having said that, i still enjoyed it and would recommend it.