Love By Design
by Effie Kammenou
Publish Date March 24, 2021
About Love By Design
Mia Andarakis just landed her dream job at a luxury magazine. And even better, her boss is the handsome and enigmatic Nicholas Aristedis, a man she has crushed on from afar. But Nicholas isn’t who she imagined. Irascible and mercurial, his instant dislike for Mia makes it almost impossible for her to work with him.
Nicholas has faced many losses and heartaches in his thirty-two years. Determined to avoid heartbreak, he has closed his heart to love. But Mia awakens feelings in him he had long since denied. And soon he discovers their connection is deeper than he realized.
Mia and Nicholas embark on an adventure across picturesque locations as they launch a new publication and uncover the mystery behind her grandfather’s disappearance. But perhaps the greatest challenge is in learning to set aside their insecurities and fears. Can the two forget the traumas of their past? And will they ever learn to trust in the possibility of love? Find out in the second novel of The Meraki Series.
My thoughts
Oh man, this book is even better than the first!
Love By Design is book 2 in the Meraki Sister Series and in this installment we learn more about Mia Andarakas, who finally lands her dream job at a luxury magazine. When she gets transferred and promoted to a new department where she becomes the Associate Art director working directly under her secret crush Nicholas Aristedis, she feels like she is in over her head. When Mia and Nicholas meet for the first time, things don’t go so well, and it appears the both of them bring the worst out of each other and they just can not work together at all. As they both struggle to attempt to make their work relationship manageable, they find out that they have a much deeper connection than expected and their true feelings towards each other start to break through. Nicholas has been hurt before and has given up on love, but will Mia be the one to change his luck?
While traveling all over the world to work on the magazine, the pair end up in Greece and while there, they unearth more about the unexplained disappearance of Mia’s grandfather that happened years ago. Will Mia’s Yiayia be a able to deal with the truth?
Just when you think Effie Kammenou couldn’t top the relationship with Kally and Max in book 1 of this series, she unleashes book 2 and gives us Mia and Nicholas. The love – hate relationship between these two is so sultry and sizzling, you can’t help but tear through the pages. It’s clear this couple is perfect for each other. We still have interaction with the beloved Andarakas family, catch up with Max, Kally, Yiayia and everyone else, as well as meet Nicholas’s family. Carrying through from Book 1 we continue the sub-story for the search for Kally and Mia’s missing grandfather and it is a welcome addition to the overall tale. I have a strong feeling we will be getting a Book 3, as Kammenou ends this one with the start of Krystina Andarakas story (the youngest sister) and if she continues that adventure anything like the first 2, we are in for one hell of a treat. Absolutely loved this read. These books can be read as stand alones, but I seriously recommend reading the first book before this one, it just makes book 2 so much better. Highly recommend this series.
I just would like to thank Effie Kammenou and Kate Rock from KateRockBookTours for the gifted copy of this book for my unbiased and honest opinion for review.
Buy the Book
click site to immediately go to book link
Amazon
Bookshop.org
IndieBound
About the Author
Effie Kammenou is a believer that it is never too late to chase your dreams, follow your heart, or change your career. She is proof of that. At one time, long ago, she’d hoped that by her age, she would have had an Oscar in her hand after a successful career as an actor. Instead, she worked in the optical field for 40 years while raising her two daughters.
In 2015, three years after the death of her mother from pancreatic cancer, she published her debut novel, Evanthia’s Gift, book one in a women’s fiction, multigenerational love story and family saga, inspired by her mother and her Greek heritage. Kammenou continues to pick her father’s brain for stories of his family’s life in Lesvos, Greece, and their journey to America. Her interview with him was published in the nationally circulated magazine Reminisce.
Evanthia’s Gift: Book One in The Gift Saga was a 2016 finalist in the Readers Favorite Book Awards. Waiting for Aegina: Book Two in The Gift Saga was awarded finalist status in the 2019 International Book Awards and Chasing Petalouthes, the last book in the trilogy, had also placed in the Readers Favorite Book Awards for the 2018 contest.
Her latest novel, the first book in a new contemporary romance series, is now complete. Love is What You Bake of It, follows Kally’s path to independence despite her sometimes stifling family and her tumultuous road to finding love. But it wouldn’t be a Kammenou novel without a delve into the past, or the references to mouth-watering foods.
Effie Kammenou is a first-generation Greek-American who lives on Long Island with her husband and two daughters. When she’s not writing or posting recipes on her food blog, aptly named cheffieskitchen, you can find her entertaining family and friends or traveling for ‘research.’
As an avid cook and baker, a skill she learned from watching her Athenian mother, she incorporated traditional Greek family recipes throughout the books for a little extra ‘flavor.’
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater Arts from Hofstra University.
To be first to learn about new books, get exclusive content and more sign up for Effie’s newsletter here: EffieKammenouNewsletter
You can find out more about Effie on her website: www.effiekammenou.com
Author Contact/Social Media
Facebook Instagram Twitter
Happy Reading & Be Kind!
Blog Tour Promotion brought to you by:
Readinggirlreviews 