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kbranfield's review
4.0
4.5 stars.
Miss Match by Laurelin McGee is a super cute and downright fun novel with a delightfully unique premise. This charming and rather unconventional romance has plenty of witty banter and giggle inducing inner dialogue that will keep readers laughing out loud as Andrea "Andy" Dawson and Blake Donovan unexpectedly fall in lust while Andy tries to find Blake a wife.
Andy is in desperate need of a job when her sister Lacy convinces her to answer Blake's ad for a "personal concierge" aka matchmaker. Andy really has no intention of taking the job but once all her other leads fizzle out, she reluctantly accepts the position. She has a very unwanted attraction to her new boss, but his less than appealing attributes make it easy for her to resist the sparks between them. But once Andy jumps to conclusions about his dates, Blake proposes they indulge in a no strings fling while she continues trying to find him his perfect match. Much hilarity and extreme hotness ensues but a will a misunderstanding destroy their chance at happiness?
Andy is a tad bit annoying at first but once she starts working for Blake, she becomes a much more enjoyable character. She has a very unusual ability to read people and this skill was the basis for her previous job. She might be attracted to Blake but his cold, businesslike approach to marriage makes it difficult for her to like him, and she does not hesitate to point out his character flaws. She is exasperated by his ridiculous qualifications for a wife but she has a job to do, so she begins the onerous task of finding prospective brides for him while at the same time trying to make Blake appear more interesting and approachable.
Blake is rather unlikable when he is first introduced, but thankfully, any misconceptions about him are quickly cleared up. He comes across as a little cold and calculating with a side of chauvinist thrown in, but first impressions can definitely be misleading. Blake really does have softer side but he goes to pretty extreme lengths to keep his more endearing traits hidden. Although he wants a submissive, serene bride, he cannot help but appreciate Andy's feistiness and he surprises both of them by immediately changing the rules of her employment so he can spend more time with her. Andy keeps Blake off balance right from the start and he gradually begins envisioning a different life than the one he thought he wanted.
Miss Match by Laurelin McGee is a sweet but sexy read. Andy and Blake are beautifully developed quirky characters that are very easy to like. The chemistry between them is palpable and their sex scenes are scorching hot. The storyline is quite distinctive and outrageously entertaining with a few unexpected twists and turns. It is an absolutely hilarious and very heartwarming love story that is sure to be a hit with fans of contemporary romances.
Miss Match by Laurelin McGee is a super cute and downright fun novel with a delightfully unique premise. This charming and rather unconventional romance has plenty of witty banter and giggle inducing inner dialogue that will keep readers laughing out loud as Andrea "Andy" Dawson and Blake Donovan unexpectedly fall in lust while Andy tries to find Blake a wife.
Andy is in desperate need of a job when her sister Lacy convinces her to answer Blake's ad for a "personal concierge" aka matchmaker. Andy really has no intention of taking the job but once all her other leads fizzle out, she reluctantly accepts the position. She has a very unwanted attraction to her new boss, but his less than appealing attributes make it easy for her to resist the sparks between them. But once Andy jumps to conclusions about his dates, Blake proposes they indulge in a no strings fling while she continues trying to find him his perfect match. Much hilarity and extreme hotness ensues but a will a misunderstanding destroy their chance at happiness?
Andy is a tad bit annoying at first but once she starts working for Blake, she becomes a much more enjoyable character. She has a very unusual ability to read people and this skill was the basis for her previous job. She might be attracted to Blake but his cold, businesslike approach to marriage makes it difficult for her to like him, and she does not hesitate to point out his character flaws. She is exasperated by his ridiculous qualifications for a wife but she has a job to do, so she begins the onerous task of finding prospective brides for him while at the same time trying to make Blake appear more interesting and approachable.
Blake is rather unlikable when he is first introduced, but thankfully, any misconceptions about him are quickly cleared up. He comes across as a little cold and calculating with a side of chauvinist thrown in, but first impressions can definitely be misleading. Blake really does have softer side but he goes to pretty extreme lengths to keep his more endearing traits hidden. Although he wants a submissive, serene bride, he cannot help but appreciate Andy's feistiness and he surprises both of them by immediately changing the rules of her employment so he can spend more time with her. Andy keeps Blake off balance right from the start and he gradually begins envisioning a different life than the one he thought he wanted.
Miss Match by Laurelin McGee is a sweet but sexy read. Andy and Blake are beautifully developed quirky characters that are very easy to like. The chemistry between them is palpable and their sex scenes are scorching hot. The storyline is quite distinctive and outrageously entertaining with a few unexpected twists and turns. It is an absolutely hilarious and very heartwarming love story that is sure to be a hit with fans of contemporary romances.
bookbriefs's review
4.0
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Oh, how I love a good match maker story! And Miss Match is a great one. I loved the back and forth head butting/banter between Andrea and Blake. Miss Match is told in dual narrative between Blake and Andrea. Sometimes it was hard to decide whose point of view it was, but I always caught on pretty quickly. Miss Match is a perfect summer read- funny, light and of course, a great romance.
Andrea is strong willed and very intuitive and perceptive. I really like people with those qualities, and Andrea is no exception. Or maybe I should call her Drea like Blake seemed hell bent on doing at first. (I thought that was super cute.) And along with the inevitable (oh come on, you so knew it was going to happen!) romance between her and Blake, we also get a really great sibling relationship with her and Lacey. I loved watching the siblings go at it back and forth. She reminded me of me and my sister sometimes.
If a romance is going to win me over, it needs to be endearing and have great chemistry. Banter and URST never hurt either. And Miss Match has all of those elements and more. I really liked Blake's point of view, because it humanized him more to me. As soon as the book started out I thought he was a big jerk just like Andrea initially thought, but during his first voice passage, he broke down my resolve to dislike him a bit, and the more I heard from him the weaker my resolve got, until I was just a big ole puddle of a Blake fan.
Miss Match will be a great read for fans of match maker stories. It is a trope that never gets old with me. Yes, you know what is ultimately going to happen (maybe.) but so what that is half the fun for me in a feel good summer read. Miss Match was a really good time.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Oh, how I love a good match maker story! And Miss Match is a great one. I loved the back and forth head butting/banter between Andrea and Blake. Miss Match is told in dual narrative between Blake and Andrea. Sometimes it was hard to decide whose point of view it was, but I always caught on pretty quickly. Miss Match is a perfect summer read- funny, light and of course, a great romance.
Andrea is strong willed and very intuitive and perceptive. I really like people with those qualities, and Andrea is no exception. Or maybe I should call her Drea like Blake seemed hell bent on doing at first. (I thought that was super cute.) And along with the inevitable (oh come on, you so knew it was going to happen!) romance between her and Blake, we also get a really great sibling relationship with her and Lacey. I loved watching the siblings go at it back and forth. She reminded me of me and my sister sometimes.
If a romance is going to win me over, it needs to be endearing and have great chemistry. Banter and URST never hurt either. And Miss Match has all of those elements and more. I really liked Blake's point of view, because it humanized him more to me. As soon as the book started out I thought he was a big jerk just like Andrea initially thought, but during his first voice passage, he broke down my resolve to dislike him a bit, and the more I heard from him the weaker my resolve got, until I was just a big ole puddle of a Blake fan.
Miss Match will be a great read for fans of match maker stories. It is a trope that never gets old with me. Yes, you know what is ultimately going to happen (maybe.) but so what that is half the fun for me in a feel good summer read. Miss Match was a really good time.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
kimmylovestoread's review
4.0
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The blurb of this book really caught my attention. Blake is looking for a wife. He places an ad asking for help finding that special lady and despite not wanting the job, Andrea applies for it. She goes on the interview and finds Blake to be kind of an ass. He definitely does not make a good first impression, but Andrea ends up taking the job anyway.
Andrea has a special skill of being able to read people and it worked for her in her last job, until it didn't. It is the perfect kind of skill she needs to help find Blake the wife that he wants. Although the more time he spends with Andrea and the more dates he goes on, the more he realizes that maybe he was wrong about what he wants.
Throughout the whole trying to find Blake a wife process, Andrea slowly realizes that Blake is not as bad as she thought he was. The two come up with the idea that they should start sleeping together so that Blake won't be tempted to sleep with his dates.
This was a great read. It was funny at times, but it also brought the heat (i.e. the excerpt above). I loved Andrea from the start of the book, but it took me a while to warm up to Blake. He was so focused on finding the perfect wife, he didn't really know what he actually wanted. Once he started to figure it out, he became a more likeable person. Andrea and Blake complemented each other and I was rooting for them to make it work.
The blurb of this book really caught my attention. Blake is looking for a wife. He places an ad asking for help finding that special lady and despite not wanting the job, Andrea applies for it. She goes on the interview and finds Blake to be kind of an ass. He definitely does not make a good first impression, but Andrea ends up taking the job anyway.
Andrea has a special skill of being able to read people and it worked for her in her last job, until it didn't. It is the perfect kind of skill she needs to help find Blake the wife that he wants. Although the more time he spends with Andrea and the more dates he goes on, the more he realizes that maybe he was wrong about what he wants.
Throughout the whole trying to find Blake a wife process, Andrea slowly realizes that Blake is not as bad as she thought he was. The two come up with the idea that they should start sleeping together so that Blake won't be tempted to sleep with his dates.
She answered quick and sure. “Touch me, Blake Donovan.” Her voice was thick with desire. He stared at her, unblinking. “I said, touch me!”Talk about an idea backfiring. The more Andrea and Blake sleep together, the more they find they actually like each other and get to a point where they enjoy each other's company. And Blake starts to think that he has been going about this all wrong.
Never in his life had Blake been given orders during sex.
It was the most goddamn sexy thing he’d ever heard.
He snapped back into position, pulled like a magnet by her command. One of his hands grabbed a fistful of curls, and they were just as soft as he’d imagined. Even better was the breathy gasps she made as he tugged on them. He wanted to explore her body, cup and squeeze her breasts until her nipples hardened to twin peaks. Strip her of all her clothing and stare at her flushed skin.
But this was frantic and unplanned. And in the office. Not a time for savoring, and with Andrea now working on the zipper of his pants and the echo of her touch me playing in his ears, he felt obligated to return his fingers to the apex of her thighs.
Sliding beneath the crotch of her panties, he trailed his finger along the top of her cleft, so near to where he knew she wanted him yet so far away. Her hand stilled at the waistband of his briefs as he taunted her. “Is this where?” His tone was low and gravelly as his thumb settled in her nest to find her clit. “Is this where you want me to touch you?”
She didn’t make him ask again. “Yes.” Andrea wriggled under his touch. “Yes, please, yes.”
He swirled his thumb against the swollen bud, watching her reaction as he exerted differing pressures. When her breathing grew heavier and her grip on his hair tightened, he felt sure that he’d discovered exactly what it was that she liked. And her expression—lids half closed, her face tightened into a look of impending pleasure—it was almost enough to get him off without anything else. He had to look away.
Returning his attention to his actions, he splayed his fingers like he was holding a bowling ball, one playing at her bud while he slid two digits down to test her hole. Ah, she was wet. So wet. And tight. But he was sure she was wet enough to take care of that. He could slip in now, certain she was ready to accommodate him. Yet he could sense she was close and even though he knew this wasn’t an occasion to indulge, he wanted her to come apart all over him. For him.
Even in the throes of passion he recognized that this was absurd overthinking for a quick office shag. Damn, this woman…
She was amazing.
In awe, he watched as she reached the edge and spilled over, her muscles tensing and quivering with her climax, her voice crying out with the sound of his name.
Crying out! What if she was heard? In a split second he wondered if his office walls were soundproof or if his secretary had left for her lunch break yet. Then simply decided the matter could be handled another way.
Gripping her behind the neck, he pulled Andrea toward him and sealed his mouth over hers, swallowing her sounds. He should have been doing this the whole time. Her kisses were incredible. She tasted like coffee and the caramels she didn’t know he knew she hid in her desk for when she skipped lunch and needed a sugar fix. It was delicious.
He continued to kiss her through her orgasm, until she’d relaxed in his embrace. For one split second, he feared that now that she’d gotten her release, she’d return to her senses and push him off her. Wouldn’t that be a kicker?
Those fears were quickly relieved when her hand settled on his erection and squeezed. “Your turn, Tiger.”
This was a great read. It was funny at times, but it also brought the heat (i.e. the excerpt above). I loved Andrea from the start of the book, but it took me a while to warm up to Blake. He was so focused on finding the perfect wife, he didn't really know what he actually wanted. Once he started to figure it out, he became a more likeable person. Andrea and Blake complemented each other and I was rooting for them to make it work.
prationality's review
2.0
So the best I can offer is that I didn't HATE this. It was just kind of ehhh. Nothing excited me and while I read it in one sitting it was with a sort of bored detachment towards the characters.
Look it's a romance, there's only one ending in your typical romance. So once the hero meets the heroine it's a a matter of time til they wind up together. A good romance makes you not care you know the ending. It makes you forget that really no other ending exists.
Tension, passion, banter...the journey in the case of a romance is the important part, not the destination.
MISS MATCH just...did nothing of the sort for me.
Look it's a romance, there's only one ending in your typical romance. So once the hero meets the heroine it's a a matter of time til they wind up together. A good romance makes you not care you know the ending. It makes you forget that really no other ending exists.
Tension, passion, banter...the journey in the case of a romance is the important part, not the destination.
MISS MATCH just...did nothing of the sort for me.
gerireads's review
2.0
2.5 stars!
The premise reminded me a bit about Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. It almost has the same set up: A powerful rich guy hires a matchmaker to find him a wife that he thinks he needs. Of course, as the book progresses, we all know that it's the matchmaker herself who is the perfect match for our hero. Unfortunately, I didn't quite love this one as much as I loved Match Me If You Can.
I liked Andrea Dawson. She was fun, quirky, a bit irresponsible and impulsive. I know, I know, but that one particular flaw was something that endeared her to me as a reader as well as her knack for reading people. I especially enjoyed her interaction with her younger and more responsible sister Lacey. Their banter was the best thing in the book for me.
Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Blake Donovan. I usually like closed off and assholish heroes but Blake didn't do it for me. I couldn't relate to his angst. As I'm writing this review, I'm trying to remember what exactly made him act like a douche but I couldn't remember. The authors did try to make him more sensitive by making him a closet Downton Abbey fan who also likes arcade games, but I never did warm up to him.
Humor plays a big part in the story as well. Miss Match, while funny in parts, didn't quite live up to that humor part. Don't get me wrong, like I said, there were some hilarious parts. But some scenes were head-scratchers. Maybe I just missed the joke but it just fell flat to me. The humor was too uneven. Some of the jokes felt off and cringe-worthy. And not funny at all.
Still I was ready to give this 3 stars but the end pissed me off. It's a personal bias so I know that most readers wouldn't be bothered with it the same way I was but I've come to loathe the whole BIG MISUNDERSTANDING plot device as a final climax/conflict in a book. I could handle it at the beginning where both parties can learn from it and we see them avoid the same trap along the way. But nope. It was towards the end and it annoyed me because flouncing was involved. She flounced and he also flounced. Grrr. I wanted to flounce myself but it was already near the end so I finished it. Like I said, it's something that I personally just don't like in my books. I'm sure most readers won't find any problem with it.
ARC provided by St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.
The premise reminded me a bit about Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. It almost has the same set up: A powerful rich guy hires a matchmaker to find him a wife that he thinks he needs. Of course, as the book progresses, we all know that it's the matchmaker herself who is the perfect match for our hero. Unfortunately, I didn't quite love this one as much as I loved Match Me If You Can.
I liked Andrea Dawson. She was fun, quirky, a bit irresponsible and impulsive. I know, I know, but that one particular flaw was something that endeared her to me as a reader as well as her knack for reading people. I especially enjoyed her interaction with her younger and more responsible sister Lacey. Their banter was the best thing in the book for me.
Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Blake Donovan. I usually like closed off and assholish heroes but Blake didn't do it for me. I couldn't relate to his angst. As I'm writing this review, I'm trying to remember what exactly made him act like a douche but I couldn't remember. The authors did try to make him more sensitive by making him a closet Downton Abbey fan who also likes arcade games, but I never did warm up to him.
Humor plays a big part in the story as well. Miss Match, while funny in parts, didn't quite live up to that humor part. Don't get me wrong, like I said, there were some hilarious parts. But some scenes were head-scratchers. Maybe I just missed the joke but it just fell flat to me. The humor was too uneven. Some of the jokes felt off and cringe-worthy. And not funny at all.
Still I was ready to give this 3 stars but the end pissed me off. It's a personal bias so I know that most readers wouldn't be bothered with it the same way I was but I've come to loathe the whole BIG MISUNDERSTANDING plot device as a final climax/conflict in a book. I could handle it at the beginning where both parties can learn from it and we see them avoid the same trap along the way. But nope. It was towards the end and it annoyed me because flouncing was involved. She flounced and he also flounced. Grrr. I wanted to flounce myself but it was already near the end so I finished it. Like I said, it's something that I personally just don't like in my books. I'm sure most readers won't find any problem with it.
ARC provided by St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.
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