Designed by Destiny by Maya Tyler ~ a Review

by MK French

Bethany Clarke has sworn off love to focus on her career and will be a fully licensed architect in about three years. Confirmed bachelor Nicholas Gray is portrayed as a playboy in the tabloids but is president of the architecture firm Grey and Company. Fairy godmother Faye Delmore poses as a publicist and pitches having Bethany pose as Nicholas' wife to improve his image. Faye knows he needs a polished image to land a big project, but that Bethany will improve him as a person as well.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

November 2022; Tirgearr Publishing
ebook (216 pages); romance

In true form, people treat interns like Bethany badly, and investors will always look for a sure thing. Nicholas appearing unstable puts a bad light on his ability to lead his company, making investors nervous. It starts out in the beginning as a business arrangement, then turns into a drunken Vegas wedding. Only once that deed is done do we get Faye's story, then her role as a publicist. The couple has dates for publicity, and Beth initially manages Nick's family with ease. Of course, it's a difficult transition for her to integrate into his world, where even his own parents doubt him and undermine him, and everyone in his life seems determined to drive them apart.

Having the chapters alternate POVs is a common means of getting inside each character's heads, but we wind up backtracking and seeing the same scene from the other perspective. I skipped through some of those and found the time skips a little annoying to read. I like that Nicholas and Bethany acknowledge the power imbalance of the situation, but a lot of the situations that serve as a wedge seem too over the top to be credible. I don't know the upper-class world of Chicago, but it felt too melodramatic. Overall, I liked Beth and her friend Cara, and Nick was a pretty good romance novel hero. This book is a pretty fast read.

Buy Designed by Destiny at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever. 

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