The Matchmaker

I must admit, the first book I read in this series is The Bridemaker. I liked it so much that I searched out the rest of the series. The Matchmaker is the first book in Rexanne Becnel’s latest series -“Maker” books. Rexanne Becnel has apparently been writing books for 14 years and has produced 19 novels. This is the first time I have read any of her books and I was impressed. Some books I read just to pass the time; other books require effort to read, with intricate plots and many characters. This series of books fit somewhere in the middle.

Olivia, the heroine of the story, has kept a journal of all the men that she has encountered during her three years on the marriage mart. She prides herself in arranging many matches for her show more friends, but has yet to meet someone who she considers even remotely suitable for herself. Olivia’s mother has been married and widowed three times. As a result Olivia has a half-brother and half-sister who have different fathers. Olivia’s less than stellar memories of her drunken rake of a father seem to color her views of the opposite sex.

Lord Neville Hawke is our tortured hero. He has lost many people in his life, from friends and fellow soldiers in the war, to his parents and his brother. He escapes the nightmares of battle memories in alcohol, insomnia and fast women. When he meets Olivia he mistakes her for a servant in the household and tries to seduce her. This sets the scene for the beginning of their difficult relationship! Neville flirts with and tries to charm Olivia, but he just succeeds in reminding Olivia of her devil-may-care father. Gradually Olivia discovers that Neville’s scoundrel facade hides a sensitive and lonely man who, of course, is waiting for the right woman to take him in hand!

Upon reading the back of this novel, one would anticipate a light and breezy story, but this is not found to be true. Neville is a tortured hero with problems that justifiably give Olivia pause, but the story ends in a “love conquers all ending”. I feel that the pacing of the story is good until the end where I feel that it is a bit rushed. Overall, a nice, pure romance with enough meat to keep your mind busy and enough believability to keep you turning the pages and looking forward to the next book in the series. show less

The Matchmaker had all the right ingredients, but somehow fell flat. It got bogged down in the middle, with lots of repetition, after a decent start. It was difficult to keep reading(without falling asleep) and had a fine ending.

If you enjoyed Rexanne's other Regency-set book (see above), you'll love these, too. They're not your average family series. The heroines of the first and second books are half-sisters. The hero of the third book is the illegitimate nephew of the hero of the first book. And the upcoming fourth book features the two half-sisters' half-brother. It's less complicated than it sounds, and oh, are these books delicious!

From BookCover:
From the journal of Miss Olivia Byrde:

Lord H…Drinks too much. Ill-mannered and altogether too bold. Though rough-edged, he is tall and reasonably handsome. But he proves the rule that looks can be deceiving.

Ill-suited for marriage.

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, show more 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.... show less