Review: A Love by Design by Elizabeth Everett

 

A Love by Design ( The Secret Scientists of London #3) by Elizabeth Everett

Publication Date: January 17th 2023 by Berkley

Pages: 336

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Margaret and George were childhood friends, running wild in the countryside and then fell in love. Margaret thought they had a future together but then George broke her heart. She went on to study engineering, moved to Paris and married while honing her skills.

Now a widow, Margaret’s back in London staying at Athena’s Retreat with the goal of starting her own engineering firm, the first woman owned in England. Her latest project, designing and building an underwater tunnel would go a long way to establishing her career, but when Margaret discovers the main investor is an enemy of Athena’s Retreat, a man set on keeping women down, she knows things will not be smooth sailing. I was on edge over the information coming out and wished she would’ve shared it once she found out.

George, now the Earl of Grantham, knew his decision to break things off with Margaret broke her heart and his, but if he didn’t Margaret wouldn’t have gone on to become the accomplished woman she is now. Now that she’s back in London he hopes to explain his actions and have a chance to win her heart again. He’s also working on making the title he inherited mean something by pushing through reforms that would make education accessible to all children, boys and girls and not just in the upper classes.

A Love by Design was another great installment in the Secret Scientists of London series. I do love a good second chance romance and Margaret and George’s was full of longing and passion. I enjoyed their relationships with all the ladies at the retreat and laughed over the shenanigans George pulled with Arthur, frustrating him with over-the-top gifts to baby Mirren.

4 Stars

Book Description:

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?