Made for Each Other by Lynn Painter follows Abi and Declan, whose relationship starts in one of the most awkward ways possible. Abi works as Declan’s maid, and while he’s out of town, she secretly stays at his house because her apartment is infested. Of course, that’s exactly when Declan’s parents show up and assume Abi is the mysterious girlfriend he’s apparently been talking about.
Instead of correcting them, Declan and Abi decide to go with it. Declan needs a fake girlfriend for the weekend because his family and coworkers have been hounding him about settling down and becoming more of a “family man.” In exchange, Abi gets somewhere to stay while her apartment is being taken care of. Seems like the perfect arrangement—until the fake relationship starts feeling a little too real.
I really, really enjoyed this book! Lynn Painter is such a fun romance writer, and one of my favorite things about her books is the banter between her characters. Abi and Declan have such great chemistry, and I loved watching their relationship develop from employer and employee to fake couple to something neither of them expected.
The book also gives us that classic rich guy/poor girl romance, with Abi suddenly getting a glimpse into Declan’s wealthy lifestyle. It definitely gave me Pretty Woman vibes at times, especially when Declan starts spoiling her and giving her experiences she’s never had before.
One of my favorite moments was the 5K. Abi has asthma but pushes herself to keep running because she doesn’t want to disappoint Declan. When he realizes what’s happening, he immediately switches into protective mode and takes care of her. I loved seeing that softer side of him.
Then there’s their spontaneous trip to New York. Abi has always wanted to go, so Declan simply makes it happen. Between the trip, the clothes, and the billionaire lifestyle, I was eating it up!
I also loved Declan’s family. His parents, his grandma, the bowling alley birthday celebration for his dad—all of those little moments made the story feel so warm. His family genuinely starts to love Abi, which makes the fake-dating situation even more complicated because eventually neither Abi nor Declan really wants their arrangement to end.
There’s even a little mystery surrounding Declan and his friend Roman and their secret side business. Abi is curious but tries not to be too nosy, while her best friend Lauren is basically ready to investigate everything because she needs to make sure Declan isn’t secretly a serial killer. I loved having that little storyline happening alongside the romance.
And, of course, we get the dreaded third-act breakup.
I am not a third-act-breakup girl, but if I have to endure one, I’ll take a Lynn Painter third-act breakup. She doesn’t drag them out forever! Abi and Declan’s misunderstanding only lasts a few short chapters before everything starts coming back together.
Abi gets hurt when Roman asks her to be his fake girlfriend because she feels like she’s just being passed around between friends, especially now that her feelings for Declan are very real. She doesn’t even take the money Declan promised her for their arrangement—she leaves it behind because, for her, their relationship stopped being about the deal a long time ago.
Meanwhile, Declan finds Abi notebook and reads what she’d originally written about him and his wealthy lifestyle for a class assignment. He doesn’t realize that her feelings and perspective have completely changed since she first wrote it, leading to another misunderstanding between them.
Thankfully, they work things out pretty quickly, and I appreciated that because I wanted to get back to the romance!
Overall, Made for Hire was such a sweet, funny, romantic read. The banter was great, the side characters were lovable, and Abi and Declan were so easy to root for. If you love fake dating, billionaire romance, rich guy/poor girl, forced proximity, great banter, and a romance with Pretty Woman vibes, this is definitely one to add to your list.