Book Review and Giveaway: Matchmaker's Best Friend

One of my happy places (besides between the covers of a good book!) is the beach.  I spent part of my childhood in Southern California and would go to the beach about once a week with the summer day camp that my parents sent me to while they worked.  Although the water was colder than the Gulf of Mexico of my younger childhood, I loved to get in the water and ride the waves, get in the sand and make sandcastles.  At night I would go to bed with the sensation of the waves lulling me to sleep.  Living in landlocked Memphis, we rarely get the opportunity to go to the beach now.  I was able to take Gracie to Malibu when she was six (OK, my brother took us - I don't drive much in California) and had a wonderful time.  The same brother retired to Florida and our little family was able to go to Port-a-Passe (something like that) last November.  We had a marvelous time playing in the water and collecting seashells.  One thing I enjoy about the Independence Islands series is that I get to "visit" the beaches of the fictitious islands located off the coast of Georgia.

Matchmaker's Best Friend is

set on Elnora Island.  Pen Reese is the owner of a very successful party planning business in Savannah and she wants to expand her business to include the Independence Islands.  During the time of this book, she is struggling to launch her new venture and she also struggles with not being able to tell her best friend Mike that she loves him and has loved him for as long as she's known him.  All of these trials (and more) prompt her to stage a mock wedding to show others the kind of party she can put together . . . and she sets up her best friend Mike with one of her closest friends Jazzy in hopes that maybe seeing him happy will help her get over her love for him.  That didn't work out so well . . . or did it?

All in all, I enjoyed this book.  The tension and struggles were very real and kept the book moving.  I honestly cannot relate to Pen or Mike or Jazzy at all.  However, they do not feel like fake characters.  I mean, I know they are - but they feel like they could be real people, just people I have not yet met.  I loved how sweet and caring Mike is to Pen and how well they treat each other.  They both made mistakes in the book, but they're supposed to be human, so it makes sense.  I really love the cover and I love how a similar photograph of Pen and Mike was briefly mentioned.  I would've liked to have seen the photograph mentioned again.  (I do wonder if the cover came before the photograph idea?  It really is a perfect cover for the book.). I also would've liked to have known more about Mike's faith as a Messianic Jew.

Thank you to Celebrate Lit for allowing me to choose this book to read and review.

About the Book

 

Book:  Matchmaker’s Best Friend

Author: Kari Trumbo

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

Release date: March 30, 2021

 

“You’re just like a brother to me. I don’t like you in that way.”

When they dated ten years ago as teens, it almost destroyed their friendship. So Pen Reese did the only logical thing.  She lied about how she felt—and still feels—about him.

She’s still paying for that lie.

A brilliant plan to set Mike and a friend up and get over him has one problem.

It’s breaking her heart.

When Pen pushed him away, Mike Gaines assumed she just didn’t understand his faith. People like her persnickety aunt even claim he’s part of a cult—ridiculous, but it’s true. Still, if she wants him to play the part of a big brother, fine. At least he can stay close this way.

At first, Pen’s attempt to set him up with one of her close friends hurts. But what if it’s the perfect opportunity to show her what she’s missing if she sees him with someone else?

In this friends-to-more-meets-second-chance romance, The Matchmaker’s Best Friend continues the Elnora Island romances of the Independence Islands Series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.
The Independence Islands Series: beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

 

Where western meets happily ever after.

Kari writes swoony heroes and places that become characters with detail and heart.
Her favorite place to write about is the place her heart lives, (even if she doesn’t) South Dakota.

Kari loves reading, listening to contemporary Christian music, singing when no one’s listening, and curling up near the wood stove when winter hits. She makes her home in central Minnesota, land of frigid toes and mosquitoes the size of compact cars, with her husband of over twenty years. They have two daughters, two sons, one cat, and one hungry wood stove.

 

More from Kari

Pen is Mightier than the Sword

Especially in sparkly, stacked espadrilles and pink power suit. Don’t let Pen Reese’s pink façade fool you, she’s a businesswoman to the core, with a heart of gold. She has built a party planning business from the ground up, and she’s about to create another.

Pen is one of those characters that I could just see CLEARLY as I was writing. She is about ninety percent Elle Woods from Legally Blonde and ten percent a close personal friend. I heard her voice in my head. I could hear her talking as I wrote the book. Her personality was perfect for the energetic party planner.

I’m sure if I put a character description up without context or clarity many people wouldn’t want to read the book, they would write Pen off as shallow. But she’s not. She’s heartbroken.

Do you still remember your first love? Maybe you still care for them? Pen fell hard for her first love and no matter how professional she is or how many lavish weddings she plans, she can’t forget the one wedding she’ll never get to create. Her own.

Pen thinks that if Mike falls for someone else, goes off and gets married, she’ll finally be able to move on. So, she sets a plan in motion. That’s when her world completely falls apart and you see the tender parts of Pen that she doesn’t show to just anybody.

She is a very complex character and I hope she touches you like she touched me.

I hope you enjoy Pen’s tale of matchmaking gone wrong.

Blog Stops

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, April 14

Books and Everyday Life, April 14

Labor Not in Vain, April 14

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, April 15

The Meanderings of a Bookworm, April 15

lakesidelivingsite, April 16

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, April 16

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, April 17

Rebekah Reads, April 17

Artistic Nobody, April 17 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)

Debbie's Dusty Deliberations, April 18

A Novel Pursuit, April 18

She Lives To Read, April 19

deb's Book Review, April 19

Library Lady's Kid Lit, April 20

Mypreciousbitsandmusings, April 20

Splashes of Joy, April 20

Aryn the Libraryan, April 21

For Him and My Family, April 21

Texas Book-aholic, April 22

Blogging With Carol, April 22

Because I said so -- and other adventures in Parenting, April 23

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, April 23

CarpeDiem, April 23

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 24

Connect in Fiction, April 24

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 25

Simple Harvest Reads, April 25 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Inklings and notions, April 26

Godly Book Reviews, April 26

Batya's Bits , April 26

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 27

Blossoms and Blessings, April 27

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kari is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10acd/matchmaker-s-best-friend-celebration-tour-giveaway