Book Review: "Love by Design" by Effie Kammenou

As we learn in Effie Kammenou's Love by Design, sometimes the biggest obstacle to happiness is our fear of being hurt.

Effie Kammenou returns with Book 2 of her Meraki series featuring the Andarakis sisters. Once again she brings us romance and drama and a little steam, as well as some beautiful imagery and some fantastic-sounding recipes!!

Mia has been dreaming of ultimately becoming creative director for a magazine. When she is tapped to work on Opul, a new luxury magazine, she’s so excited to be a step closer to her professional goal, and she’s more excited when she learns she’ll be working directly for Nick Aristedis, the handsome man she’s been swooning over from afar.

But her excitement is quickly dashed when every encounter with her new boss ends with them fighting with each other. He doesn’t seem to respect her talent or want to work with her, and why is it that everything he says and does seems to rub her the wrong way? (Well, we all know the answer to that even if they don't!)

Although it seems this working relationship is doomed, they keep trying, and little by little Nick not only realizes how talented Mia is, but he also can’t deny his feelings for her. And for Mia, the last thing she needs is a relationship with her boss, but she feels an unbelievable connection with Nick...until the next time he says or does something to drive her away.

What is causing Nick to act this way toward Mia? Should she try and see if there’s a possibility for a relationship with him or should she just keep things professional? Both have secrets they’ve kept tightly guarded, causing them to be more afraid of moving forward than ever before.

"Tragically, people die. Lovers break up, sometimes shattering our hearts. But when the right person comes along, they not only glue those shards back together, they also penetrate your soul in a way no one else can."

It’s great to be back amongst the Andarakis family again after reading Love Is What You Bake of It. I enjoy all of the characters and their relationships so much, and I liked getting more insight into a familial mystery that was touched on in the first book. I'm definitely looking forward to Book 3!

Kate Rock Book Tours and Effie Kammenou invited me on the tour and provided me with a complimentary copy of Love by Design in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks so much!!