Helpful Score: 3
~ Great romance (with terrific chemistry!) - stubborn and independent woman meets a charming but tortured hero (5 stars) ~
I absolutely loved THE MATCHMAKER, Becnel's first book in her "Maker" series. She is a talented writer and really knows how to write wonderful chemistry that leaps off the page! Her main and secondary characters are three-dimensional and accessible and we meet a great hero and heroine in Neville and Olivia. One looks forward to each of their encounters and the subsequent teasing and sparring that takes place.
MAIN CHARACTERS:
Olivia is 21 years old and though she's been on the marriage mart for three years and received many offers, she has yet to meet a man whom she would want to attach herself to for life. Her family situation is an interesting one: she has an older brother and younger sister and they each have different fathers. Her mother, Augusta, is a woman who loves being in love and has been widowed three times. Memories of her father's devil-may-care ways and watching her mother's relationships with men has made Olivia wary of passion and matters of the heart. She's a wonderful heroine who is easy to like - independent and strong-minded, intelligent and sensitive.
Lord Neville Hawke (~30) is the tortured hero-type. He has suffered a great deal of loss in his life: he was in the army and watched many of his friends and fellow soldiers die in battle (causes his nightmares, feelings of guilt, and escape into alcohol addiction) and a couple of years ago his parents and brother died. He's friendly and charming and flirts with Olivia at every opportunity, engaging in a battle of wills and chasing after her, unable to resist the strong pull between them. His devil-may-care facade (which reminds her too much of her late father) hides an extremely sensitive and lonely man, however, who (of course!) is unknowingly waiting for the right woman to provide him with his HEA.
SUMMARY (from back cover):
"Since her entry into society three years ago, Olivia has kept detailed notes on every eligible man with whom she's ever sipped a cup of tea or twirled across the dance floor. Some of her diary entries have resulted in successful matches for her friends, but she's never found any man she considered remotely suitable for herself.
But once Lord Neville Hawke comes into her life, the other men in her book look positively perfect. Neville's a notorious scoundrel with a shady and painful past, and a penchant for destroying rooms in fits of drunken rage. A heartbreaker and a rogue, Lord Hawke is the kind of man who knows how to seduce a woman with only his taunting eyes and challenging words. The kind of man to whom a well-bred lady like Olivia is quite definitely immune. Until he kisses her.
And in that kiss he lets her know she is his salvation. With each caress he dares her to stop looking in her book and start listening to her heart. For two very stubborn souls have just found their perfect match ..."
OTHER BOOKS IN "MAKER" SERIES:
Olivia's younger sister, Sarah, is the heroine of the second book in Becnel's "Maker" series, THE TROUBLEMAKER, and her older brother James, Viscount Farley, is the hero of the fourth and last book in the series, THE HEARTBREAKER. The third book is THE BRIDEMAKER and it's hero, Adrian Hawke, is Neville's illegitimate nephew.
BOTTOM LINE:
A definite keeper and re-read for me; the only complaint I have is that the ending (right before the epilogue) is a little too sappy, but the book is so great otherwise that I found it easy to overlook.
(http://historical-romance-heaven.blogspot.com)
I absolutely loved THE MATCHMAKER, Becnel's first book in her "Maker" series. She is a talented writer and really knows how to write wonderful chemistry that leaps off the page! Her main and secondary characters are three-dimensional and accessible and we meet a great hero and heroine in Neville and Olivia. One looks forward to each of their encounters and the subsequent teasing and sparring that takes place.
MAIN CHARACTERS:
Olivia is 21 years old and though she's been on the marriage mart for three years and received many offers, she has yet to meet a man whom she would want to attach herself to for life. Her family situation is an interesting one: she has an older brother and younger sister and they each have different fathers. Her mother, Augusta, is a woman who loves being in love and has been widowed three times. Memories of her father's devil-may-care ways and watching her mother's relationships with men has made Olivia wary of passion and matters of the heart. She's a wonderful heroine who is easy to like - independent and strong-minded, intelligent and sensitive.
Lord Neville Hawke (~30) is the tortured hero-type. He has suffered a great deal of loss in his life: he was in the army and watched many of his friends and fellow soldiers die in battle (causes his nightmares, feelings of guilt, and escape into alcohol addiction) and a couple of years ago his parents and brother died. He's friendly and charming and flirts with Olivia at every opportunity, engaging in a battle of wills and chasing after her, unable to resist the strong pull between them. His devil-may-care facade (which reminds her too much of her late father) hides an extremely sensitive and lonely man, however, who (of course!) is unknowingly waiting for the right woman to provide him with his HEA.
SUMMARY (from back cover):
"Since her entry into society three years ago, Olivia has kept detailed notes on every eligible man with whom she's ever sipped a cup of tea or twirled across the dance floor. Some of her diary entries have resulted in successful matches for her friends, but she's never found any man she considered remotely suitable for herself.
But once Lord Neville Hawke comes into her life, the other men in her book look positively perfect. Neville's a notorious scoundrel with a shady and painful past, and a penchant for destroying rooms in fits of drunken rage. A heartbreaker and a rogue, Lord Hawke is the kind of man who knows how to seduce a woman with only his taunting eyes and challenging words. The kind of man to whom a well-bred lady like Olivia is quite definitely immune. Until he kisses her.
And in that kiss he lets her know she is his salvation. With each caress he dares her to stop looking in her book and start listening to her heart. For two very stubborn souls have just found their perfect match ..."
OTHER BOOKS IN "MAKER" SERIES:
Olivia's younger sister, Sarah, is the heroine of the second book in Becnel's "Maker" series, THE TROUBLEMAKER, and her older brother James, Viscount Farley, is the hero of the fourth and last book in the series, THE HEARTBREAKER. The third book is THE BRIDEMAKER and it's hero, Adrian Hawke, is Neville's illegitimate nephew.
BOTTOM LINE:
A definite keeper and re-read for me; the only complaint I have is that the ending (right before the epilogue) is a little too sappy, but the book is so great otherwise that I found it easy to overlook.
(http://historical-romance-heaven.blogspot.com)
Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
