A Match in the Making by Jen Turano

A Match in the Making is my first time reading a book by author Jen Turano but I certainly hope it won't be the last. This latest story was a delightful mix of romance, humor, and heart that gave me some modern day Pride and Prejudice vibes as well.

Here our protagonist is Miss Gwendolyn Brinley, former travelling companion to her cousin turned assistant matchmaker in Newport's well-known summer season. I really loved Gwendolyn's no nonsense approach to life, her sense of humor, and her care for those she encounters. She's a lead you just want to cheer for. While there is some tension in her storyline  about traditional vs. nontraditional goals the takeaway felt more about finding one's own path wherever that may lead which felt appropriate for Gwendolyn

Her male counterpart is Walter Townsend, a widower looking for a wife who ends up one of Gwendolyn's clients in Newport. Townsend had a lot more depth than I expected and I truly enjoyed watching his growth with regards to his family throughout the tale, not to mention his frequent head to heads with his matchmaker. 

My favourite part of the whole story though was simply the experience that comes through Turano's writing. Her ability to capture the little details, to add the ridiculous and hilarious scenarios that come from both life with small children and from a pack of socialites looking for a catch, and the careful ways she slowly weaves her characters together to a satisfying ending just makes this an enjoyable read start to finish.

 As a final note, Adelaide really stood out among the Newport Summer crew and I'm definitely excited to see that she'll be continuing the series in To Spark a Match  the second addition to this series currently slated for release in late 2023.

5 out of 5 stars

Book was provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. and Baker Publishing Group.

After the Shadows by Amanda Cabot

 

Amanda Cabot is back with another small town tale on love and finding life after loss.

After the Shadows focuses on the story of Emily Leland. Faced with the recent loss of her parents, her husband, and the departure of her sisters, Emily finds herself running a boarding house out of her childhood home for Mrs. Carmichael, the new schoolteacher Mr. Ferguson, his son Noah, and more as she struggles to rebuild her life and find the truth behind her father's passing.

Now, one thing you can count on with Cabot's writings is a romance that will pull on your heartstrings and After the Shadows is no exception.  

Given Emily's introduction, it would be easy to see her "in need of rescuing" in this genre but Cabot has provided a protagonist who's a wonderful balance of heart and determination as well as vulnerability and healing. Cabot really works well to provide a balance for the type of space and grieving the difficult and painful situations in Emily's recent life would have created while also showing the resilience possible when people are given room and support to heal.

I also must say Cabot created a wonderful male lead in Craig. I appreciated how he too had his points of grief and restoration needed rather than the default "white knight." 

 Cabot also included a subplot that brought up the topic of ableism centered upon the young resident Beulah a young girl who physical and mental disability. I'm definitely a fan of including disabilities into the stories we read and Beulah was a sweet young girl in the story that had to face down many challenges. The story was a bit hard to read as a disabled person though when I realized how many of the Christian townsfolks protests at Beulah's inclusion are still prevalent in churches today.

Now, I will say, I wish there had been a little more satisfaction with the storyline involving the new ministers family. It felt a little rushed and incomplete compared to Cabot's usual attention to detail, which threw me for a little seeing how much these characters affected the town. However, I've made note of similar "hanging threads" in the first of a Cabot trilogy before only to find more revealed in books 2 and 3. So perhaps the minister's wife and daughter may return?

For readers who may be sensitive to certain topics, it's worth noting that this particular novel does touch on spousal abuse, suicide, murder, and as noted above ableism where a town's actions are directed towards a minor.

4 out of 5 stars.

Book was provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. and Baker Publishing Group.