The Matchmaker Bride

I really wanted to love this book - I loved the first book in the series and full expected this one to build on that. Instead, I had great difficulty connecting with the characters and couldn't connect with their story. Truly, I put down this book so many times that I seriously considered just not finishing it. Fans of the author will probably enjoy this one, however, this one wasn't for me.

What happens when the matchmaker specialist set out to make a match for herself? You need to read The Matchmaker Bride by Ginny Baird to know the details. It was a adorable rom com with some dramatic emotions. Small town romance sweetness combined with enemies to lovers sharpness in this story.The story started pretty well and I was excited to see how this zing between Derrick and Meredith goes. She has come to Blue Hill and she is stuck with him in his cabin. The possibilities were endless and I was enjoying the simmering slow burn. But then came families. Don't get me wrong. I love big families. The Albrights are a large bunch and I found spending lots of time with them rather than exploring their complex dynamic. Then came Olivia and everything became muddled. Meredith is such a strong and bright and loving woman. And Derrick is a real gentleman. He has a sexy side, a charming side, a witty side and a caring side. Overall an adorable rom com.( arc review)

The Matchmaker Bride by Ginny Baird, book two in her Blue Hill Brides series, has an intriguing premise, but I struggled with this story; probably because I hadn’t read the first book in the series. I seemed to feel loss, confused, needing to know some of the history that Meredith and Derrick had in the previous book. It was difficult to become invested in this rom-com featuring a small town romance with enemies becoming lovers; especially when chunks of the story are missing. It almost felt like I was missing part of a private joke, I didn’t feel like I knew the secondary characters enough to care about them. I may have to pick up the first story and then do a re-read of this one. I’m disappointed as I have heard such good things from this author. Ms. Baird wrote a story with an intriguing premise that I felt was missing chunks of background story needed before becoming invested in the drama. The Matchmaker Bride might appeal more after reading the first book in the series, as it is not a stand-alone story. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.