A Love by Design

The Secret Scientists of London, Book 3

By: Elizabeth Everett

Narrated by: Elizabeth Jasicki

Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

You couldn’t design a better hero than the very eligible and extremely charming Earl Grantham. Unless, of course, you are Margaret Gault, who wants nothing to do with the man who broke her youthful heart.

Widowed and determined, Margaret Gault has returned to Athena’s Retreat and the welcoming arms of her fellow secret scientists with an ambitious plan in mind: to establish England’s first woman-owned engineering firm. But from the moment she sets foot in London her plans are threatened by greedy investors and—at literally every turn—the irritatingly attractive Earl Grantham, a man she can never forgive.

George Willis, the Earl Grantham, is thrilled that the woman he has loved since childhood has returned to London. Not as thrilling, however, is her decision to undertake an engineering commission from his political archnemesis. When Margaret’s future and Grantham’s parliamentary reforms come into conflict, Grantham must use every ounce of charm he possesses—along with his stunning good looks and flawless physique, of course—to win Margaret over to his cause.

Facing obstacles seemingly too large to dismantle, will Grantham and Margaret remain forever disconnected or can they find a way to bridge their differences, rekindle the passion of their youth, and construct a love built to last?

©2023 Elizabeth Everett (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

One of Cosmopolitan’s Best Romance Books of 2023

My fave of the bunch

Earl Grantham is a sweet cinnamon roll too good for this world. I absolutely loved him and Margaret’s story. Need more male leads like this.

Author's note was not necessary.

Fun book series but I don't read romance books for lectures. I read fantasy and romance to escape. I don't need your afterthoughts.

Charming!

Elizabeth Everett has crafted an absolutely delicious second chance romance with a Hero that everyone will fall in love with and a smart and independent Heroine. This novel was wonderfully delightful, deliciously sensual and heartwarmingly sweet. I am not one to typically love a second chance romance, but Everett definitely hit it out of the park for me. Her writing is witting and engaging, the pacing is well balanced, and her characters are intriguing and endearing. A Love by Design is the third installment in Everett's The Secret Scientists of London series, and it is a glorious addition to the series.

Lovely book

Great narriator and excellent story. Really enjoyed the dynamics between all the characters especially the comical parts. So many great themes with real relationships and with how things can turn out. This series is one that I also may get digitally because there are some really great nuggets of wisdome to highlight. The first in the series I needed to slow down and repeat many passages because there the verbiage is concise and I didn't want to miss anything...I couldn't put it on in the background and cook as it needed more attention which is a good thing. Excellent series. I would read more!

Story is better than the writing

I am giving up on this about halfway through - the story is somewhat intriguing, if perhaps a bit fanciful, but the writing is all over the place. Characters act in no realistic way with each other, changing their viewpoints and attitudes regularly. And then there’s the soft porn. Which I really don’t mind, except not in this particular context. So it’s not for me. I’ll leave out the narration which is sometimes quite good and sometimes no differences made between a half dozen female voices so you have no idea who is speaking.

Story was weak

I did not enjoy this nearly as much as I had the previous books. I felt this story was weak and boring. The resolution was not that satisfying, either.