Spicy, male female, 1st person dual point of view, contemporary romance. This is the third interconnected standalone book in the Manhattan Bossholes series. Fun, well paced, perfect length read. This had fake dating and grumpy/sunshine (though they were both delightfully antagonistic) tropes. I will definitely read the other books in this series.

「 ★ ★ ★ ★ 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀 」

Trent & Natasha

Excuse me miss ma'am! But to give me a man groveling for forgiveness and making me ball my damn eyes out in the process so much that I couldn't see the words is just diabolical.

Trent is very jaded man with crappy parents and some past family trauma, who is learning how it feels to actually be loved unconditionally. And Natasha is a firmly independent woman with a creative flair and a passion for challenging the man she is falling in love with.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has me shocked, giggling, kicking my feet, crying and swooning.

This would be loved by any romance reader.

She laughed at his coffee spill. He got her fired. Now he’s offering her a dream job and fake-dating chaos—because of Grandma, obviously. This rom-com serves up zingy banter, awkward sparks, and just enough sweetness to keep you hooked. It’s frothy, fun, and perfect for fans of "I-hate-you-but-also-maybe-love-you" vibes.

Designed for Disaster" is the third installment in Leslie North's Manhattan Bossholes series. The novel follows Natasha, a passionate furniture designer working as a barista, and Trent Saunders, a grumpy billionaire. Their story begins with a contentious encounter in a coffee shop, leading to Natasha's dismissal. Subsequently, Trent offers her a job designing furniture for his grandmother, Nana Dee, who mistakenly believes they are romantically involved. To maintain the ruse, Natasha and Trent agree to a fake relationship, which gradually evolves into genuine affection as they navigate personal challenges and trust issues. The novel combines elements of humor, romance, and emotional growth, culminating in a satisfying happily-ever-after.

Leslie North is a USA Today Bestselling author known for her romantic comedies and contemporary romances. Her works often feature strong characters and humor, providing readers with engaging and heartwarming stories.

The third book in the series begins with Natasha working as a barista and meeting Trent. The meeting does not go well since he is a customer and she is fired. Later they meet again when he wants to commission a piece of furniture for his grandmother Dee who is in the other books. After meeting again he offers her a designer job at his family's furniture factory. The story from there has the same moments as the other books and they will break up and get back together eventually, but getting there and with all of the characters this book worked for me. I enjoyed the story.

Designed for Disaster by Leslie North is the third book in her Manhattan Bossholes series. It is, however, the first book in the series I’ve read. I had zero problem following things so I assume they are set up to be read as standalone, but the lives of the characters in the story are all connected so I’m sure I’d have gotten a bit more out of the story had I known what had happened in the previous stories. This is a spicy romcom with a surprising amount of heart. As I said there is a decent amount of ‘heat’ so if you prefer a ‘clean’/closed-door romance, you might want to skip this one…or skip certain scenes. That info out of the way, I must say I loved the characters from the very start. That snappy/antagonistic meet-cute was excellent. Natasha is a struggling furniture designer/maker, though she works a handful of other jobs to make ends meet. Trent (aka Mr. Moneybag/Coffeezilla man) happens to run a major furniture business, not that Natasha knows that at the start. Loved the banter between Natasha and Trent, and you could already feel the chemistry. The story implements one of my favorite tropes, fake dating. And I loved the how much Trent (and everyone really) cares for his grandmother, Nana Dee. While a bit spicier than what I normally read, I enjoyed the heck out of it and will definitely be checking out the earlier books in the series. 4.5 stars. I’d like to thank Relay Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Designed for Disaster.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1E2GTOS48LCAI/ref=pe_123899240_1043597390_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Loved this even more than the 2nd book of the series. This book has the perfect blend of characters, plot, drama,love and happiness.
Highly recommend, one of Leslie North's best books

Natasha and Trent are both passionate and hard working individuals, with such soft hearts too. They're so perfect for each other, and their relationship felt very natural and not forced. They had such fantastic, simmering chemistry, and the author captured the classic grumpy and sunshine trope very well.

This book handled the difficult topics the characters had experienced, like parent loss, really well. Although Trent had come across in the beginning as cold, he was very kind and emotionally intelligent towards Natalia's pain, and vice versa. I loved the way they opened up to each other and how understanding they were. It was refreshing and comforting to read.

I will say the 'conflict' of the book and the resolution wasn't my favourite. It would have worked better if Trent hadn't seemed so emotionally intelligent and present throughout the book, but the way he reacted felt very blown out of proportion. At least there was an explanation as to why he reacted the way he did, so I can forgive it a little.

The book was also just super fun. There was lots of banter and a natural (and every hot) sort of flirting between the characters. The dialogue was really well written, and I sunk into the scenes like they were playing before me. I breezed through this book and had a great time. I often find romances to feel a little unrealistic to keep things comedic and fun, but I loved how realistic and possible this romance read as.

All the friendships were so good in this, it was just so heartwarming to read. Everything felt well balanced, and the pacing was spot on. I had a much better time than I expected, and ended up really loving this novel.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to review this!

*I received this book as an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Relay publishing and the author for providing me with a copy for review purposes!

3 ⭐

Designed for disaster was my first approach to Leslie North, this is the third book in the Manhattan Bossholes series but since it’s interconnected standalones they can be read in any order. I really liked the premise of this book, and when I started reading I really enjoyed the meet cute and the banter that came from it. But as I kept going, I realized I didn’t really care for the characters. The story was fine, and that was it. There wasn’t anything that was keeping me focused on the book and away from distractions.

It was an enjoyable read but nothing more. It was funny and cute, but as I already said I personally felt no connection to the characters.

OMG, another fantastic book from Leslie. I was smiling through the entire thing and enjoying the pure SASS from Tash is wonderful. I love the relationship she has with Trent and how it evolves within the story. Seeing how Trent is with his brother is adorable as ever and I loved seeing the resolution with Nana Dee. This book was a wonderful wrap up and I cannot wait to see what Leslie has in store for us next.

This is a delightful read for fans of lighthearted, humorous romance novels that explore the complexities of trust, vulnerability, and the blurred lines between love and deception, with a dash of witty banter and a swoon-worthy hero.

3.5 star

This was a quick, entertaining read that kept me hooked from start to finish. The fast pacing worked well, and I never found myself bored with the story.

The side characters were a fun addition, but the real standout for me was the main male character. He’s the perfect blend of grumpy and soft, especially when it comes to his grandma. I also appreciated how he sets boundaries with people who don’t deserve a place in his life—it made him feel grounded and relatable.

The chemistry between the main characters was great, and the spicy scenes were just right—not overdone but enough to keep things interesting. I also loved how the FMC and MMC had such opposing views on family, which created a lot of tension and added depth to their personalities.

The only downside for me was the ending. It felt a bit too rushed, and I wish the resolution had been given more time to unfold. A slower build-up would have made the conclusion more satisfying.

Cute romcom about a freelance furniture designer and a corporate CEO of a major furniture chain who fake date their way into love. Overall concept and dialogue were fun and believable. The only major plot issue i had was with how the MMC brings the FMC into his work. I'm all for serendipity and a little silliness to bring a couple together but the general hiring/firing antics were to far fetched and took me out of the story. I haven't read the other books in this series but would definitely pick up the other ones!

I’ve really loved this series. Watching all of the Lost Boys find love. There’s certainly no lack of drama and emotion between Trent and Natasha. There’s time to shed a few tears and time to hate Trent for clearly getting the assignment of running with a misunderstanding.
I was wishing there was more from these guys but I’m thinking there’s not much more to tell for Dominic and Stacy. I guess I can be content with this ending.
5 stars!!!!

This story was sweet and entertaining. Yet a lot of the plot seemed repetitive which the characters themselves even acknowledge. I will still read the next book because I really love the characters.

This book was everything I wanted and more. Typically, I’m not the greatest fan of billionaire romances but this book blew me away. Natasha and Trent were a match made in heaven. Grump sunshine is one of my favorite tropes and they brought out the best in each other. Expect some steam, a good laugh, and a couple to swoon over for days.

A really fun, light-hearted read!

Likeable characters and an interesting storyline made this an enjoyable and easy-reading book, perfect for lovers of romance/romcoms. The motivations behind each character really added to the depth and pace of the storyline, lifting this book into my four star rating!

A fun enemies to lovers fake dating romance. With plenty of humor and developed side characters, I was invested the whole time. I loved their chemistry and banter. A good read that will have you laughing....plus the perfect amount of spice.

The pace of events in this book is extremely fast, and that was something I didn't enjoy. I've read a couple books by this author in the past and I haven't given them five stars, I think they are pretty entertaining though. Not the biggest fan of this one with the miscommunication trope being dominant. I'm used to second act breakups but this one took it way too far with it feeling too plot driven. I didn't love Trent after many such instances. The highlight for me was Natasha's banter with Trent's brother. This book isn't something I strongly recommend.

This was a fun book to read! The Coffeezilla and the Hellcat. They were great characters and I loved their banter and watching their romance grow.

The Hellcat - Natasha is a furniture designer working as a barista to support herself and her designs. She's fired after an altercation with Trent, the Coffeezilla. Trent happens to run a furniture company and inadvertently hires Natasha to build something special for his Nana Dee.

Their stories are so different - Natasha grew up surrounded by love and Trent grew up in a cold home, except for his grandparents and little brother. I liked their interaction and their romance and watching their stories grow together.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.