Tag: matchmaker

BONUS REVIEW: Courting Can Be Killer by Amanda Flower

BONUS REVIEW: Courting Can Be Killer by Amanda Flower

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Millie spent 10 years in Michigan, caring for her ailing sister. While there, she became acquainted with a boy named Ben. Now an adult, Ben has followed Millie back to Holmes County, Ohio, to start over. He has fallen in love with a young woman named Tess. Ben hoped his honorary aunt, Millie, as the local matchmaker, would help him convince Tess’ father to let them marry. While Millie can see the love Ben has for Tess, she advises patience rather than going against Tess’s father’s wishes. But Ben seems to be in a hurry to move the relationship along. Millie can’t get him to explain why.

When tragedy strikes at the Amish Flea Market where Ben worked, Millie and her best friend, Lois, are determined to find out what happened to Ben and if it had anything to do with Tess or her father. “‘Amish Marple’ and her lovely sidekick are on the case.”

Review

Millie and Lois are such a fun sleuthing team! I am thoroughly enjoying this Amish Matchmaker Mystery series by Amanda Flower. There’s just enough crossover with the Amish Candy Shop series to make fun connections. But not too much that it would alienate readers unfamiliar with that series. And I love Millie’s goats! (Far more than the pig, Jethro, from the other series. That pig is a menace.)

I was caught off guard that Ben was the victim in this book. It’s in the official synopsis, but that wasn’t in my head when I started reading. Usually there’s some emotional distance between the protagonist and the victim. And often the victim is odious. But that wasn’t the case here. Ben is earnest and hard working. And he’s loyal to Millie who cares for him as if he’s family. That connection gave this mystery an unexpected emotional edge, and I liked it.

I will read pretty much anything Amanda Flower writes at this point, but I think this is my favorite series of hers right now. Millie and Lois are an odd couple in all the best ways. They make for a dynamic and FUN duo. Add in those hilarious goats, and a great mystery that kept me guessing until the end, and I am a happy reader. You can read my review of book one, Matchmaking Can Be Murder, here.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Can I See You Again? by Allison Morgan

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

A matchmaking romance! Bree Caxton has it all. She’s built her matchmaking business from the ground up. She’s in a long term relationship that seems on the edge of commitment. And her book is about to be published, and it’s got the potential to be a best seller.

But her boyfriend breaks up with Bree instead of asking her to marry him. And the publicity her agent has arranged requires her to have a boyfriend. So she convinces a client to pretend to be her boyfriend. What could possibly go wrong?

Matchmaking Romance

Review

I discovered this book on a new releases table at my local book story several months before I bought it. The story sounded fantastic, but I was getting other things that day and decided to wait. Then I couldn’t remember what it was called or who the author was! I would go back to the store, remember that I had read about this great book, and I would wander, hoping it would jump out at me once again. Once I found it, I was eager to dive into it right away. I had waited and thought about this story for a long time and couldn’t wait to find out what happens.

But when the book started, I was disappointed. I knew the story would be stressful. This is a common set up. The main character tells one lie to fix an immediate problem and then the lies compound until everything falls apart. But I found some of the characters crass and off-putting in the beginning. I wasn’t sure I would even finish the story.

Then I got to the “Tough Mudder.” (It’s like an Iron Man competition.) All of a sudden, I was laughing! The whole story came together for me in that chapter. From there, I couldn’t put the book down, even as it careened inevitably toward disaster. I was so glad I stuck with the story!

If the summary above sounds like something you might like, I recommend trying it. If it doesn’t click right away, keep with it until the Tough Mudder and see if it clicks for you there like it did for me. I even went back and read parts of that chapter a second time, I enjoyed it so much!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥