Customer Reviews

Hardly Working (Red Dress Ink Novels)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Hardly Working" by Betsy Burke centered around Dinah, who worked as a PR person for a non-profit organization focusing on environmental issues in Vancouver. Fresh from a recent breakup, Dinah was eager to start a new relationship with Ian Trutch, her new boss who was set by the headquarters to manage the Vancouver office. In midst of all this, Dinah was eager to find out more about her biological father as her mother raised her alone and she was never allowed to ask any questions regarding her father. Soon, Dinah discovered that Ian wasn't who he said he was.

This was not a very good chick-lit as there was never a strong storyline. The author focused on too many things and none of it was fully developed. It was hard to be engaged as a reader and I never had the urgency to keep on reading. There are definitely better books in this genre out there.

Wow...I don't even know where to begin. First, I finished this book because I have a long commute, so I had time to spare. However, this book was one of the worst books that I've ever read. The plot goes nowhere and new characters are continously introduced - none of which are well developed or make the book interesting. The author often brings up that a character has this "secret" but never tells us what it is. It was a terrible book. I wouldn't recommend it. I'm surprised because the Red Dress Ink novels are usually great. This one was terrible.

Betsy Burke works for an environmental agency doing PR work and soliciting donations. She has just turned thirty, and besides her eccentric mother and ongoing search for her father, is living life pretty happily, until the announcement that the new CEO is coming to check out the office and rumours are flying about layoffs. It has the entire office worried and anxious to meet the boss...the only thing is, no one counted on him being so handsome. Sparks fly between Betsy and him, but will this save her job? And is he everything he says he is?

This was a quick, entertaining read. I liked the fact that it had a little more of a storyline than some of the other Red Dress Ink novels I have read. I loved that it is based in Vancouver, B.C. and mentions familiar landmarks. A great book to curl up with for the weekend!

The workers at the Vancouver office of Green World International are concerned with the front office sending hatchet man Ian "Mr. Darkside" Trutch to shake up the place; in his last site in Ottawa, several empty desks appeared over night. Thirty year old public relations specialist Dinah Nichols finds herself fascinated with Ian and soon they sleep together. However, she and others become concerned with a water deal that Ian is working that seems ethically wrong.

Meanwhile Dinah, who is seeing a psychologist over a need to know the identity of who sired her, decides to search for her dad although her mother offers no help. Dinah is also attracted to her neighbor, Jon who she believes is gay even though they slept together once as he is always frequenting gay bars with and hugging his sometime roommate Kevin. Finally when the water deal seems a sure thing that will hurt people, Dinah and the "Eco-girls" form to warn the public through small "ecoterrorist" acts.

The environmental issue adds a serious tone to what otherwise is a lighthearted romantic romp. The story line moves on three plot lines with the impact on the staff by the downsizing vulture Trutch and the water deal converging while the third is more a parallel chick lit subplot focusing on the relationship between Dinah and Jon. Dinah matures during the tale as she learns some things are worth risking security for as she goes from HARDLY WORKING to a fully deployed person.

Harriet Klausner

Although the PR work Dinah Nichols does for the enviromental foundation that employs her is valuable, it tends to be less than personally rewarding, largely due to her co-workers. The chance to date one of the big shots in the company seems to serve a higher purpose for a while, but Ian might not be what he appears to be. In fact, virtually everyone in the office has hidden depths to them that Dinah is on the road to discovering. Her mother might be a Jacques Cousteau wannabe, but Dinah's is plunging into the sea of life, and finding that the guppies have teeth that are just as big as the ones the sharks have. Amid her own turmoil, life is made more dangerous by ecoterrorism and bad romance.

* Somewhere in all this might be a sound message, but it gets lost in the mix. Dinah's personality is shallow as a mud puddle, yet she is the heroine. Penelope would be a more intriguing character to explore, yet for the majority of the book, she's not the villain, but somewhat of an adversary. Whatever there is that is good can be found in larger quantities in other books. *

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore, Freelance Reviewer.

I thouroughly enjoyed this book. Ms Burke has a witty and sacastic view of office dynamics, and if you work in an office you can sure relate to Dinah. The back stabbing, gossip, inuendo and inappropriate office affairs are entertaining and funny.

I thought the misadventures of Dinah Nichols, PR chick were entertaining and funny. This book was easy to get into and you want to keep on reading with the hope that Dinah will get what she really wants, not what she thinks she needs. A captive and witty read.

I think this is Betsy Burke's bet book yet. A sarcastic view of the world of not for profit. I enjoyed the inner office dynamics and characters, every office seems to have at least one of the characters in Ms. Burke's book. I enjoyed the eco-conscious info that weaves through the storyline, makes for a different kind of romance and you will no doubt enjoy the outcome.