To Spark a Match - (Matchmakers) by Jen Turano (Paperback)

I was so excited to get my hands on this book! Turano makes the most unique and interesting characters, and I was dying to read Adelaide’s story. I first met Adelaide in A Match in the Making, which is the first book in the The Matchakers series. She easily gained my affection, and I was excited to hear her get her happy ending. Being an avid book reader myself, I could identify with the curiosity that caused Adelaide to find herself in the middle of the most interesting situations. Catching Gideon in a suspicious one, is only the tip of the iceberg. This book kept me on the edge of my seat, and caused me to giggle out loud several times. If you enjoy romance mixed with mystery and suspense, you’ll love this book as much as I did. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House publishers and was in no way forced to post a positive review. All options expressed are my own.

To Spark a Match by Jen Turano is the second book in The Matchmakers series. I absolutely loved the first book in the series, and after meeting Miss Adelaide Duveen in the first novel, I was thrilled that she and her eccentric personality were the highlights of this story. And Adelaide did NOT disappoint. Not only is she prone to hilarious calamities, but she is incredibly witty, tenacious, and brave. I loved her humble heart, spy-level-worthy intuition, and uncanny ability to throw Gideon Abbot off balance. His forced partnership in matters of intrigue with Adelaide was thoroughly entertaining. I loved watching them discover one piece of the puzzle after another together. And the slow-burn romance between them was spectacular. Overall, this is another hilarious and endearing story from Jen Turano. Fans of Christian, historical romance, especially fans of the Gilded Age will love Adelaide and her escapades. I was given a copy of this book by the publisher with no expectations of a positive review. All opinions are my own.

After reading several really heavy novels, To Spark a Match was the perfect lighthearted read. Jen Turano's quirky, Gilded Age, romantic mysteries are always delightful. Mr. Gideon Abbott, a member of the Four Hundred, strives to balance his place in society, his secret occupation, and participating in a plan to reintroduce a new and improved Miss Adelaide Duveen into society. Adelaide's penchant for finding trouble and her working her way into his heart makes finding and keeping that balance a difficult proposition. Author Jen Turano's ability to turn a phrase and her sparkling sense of humor combine to give her reader abundant smiles and chuckles. Her ability to plot an interesting mystery with well-paced developments keeps readers fully engaged with the story. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a truly fun read. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of To Spark a Match from Bethany House Publishers via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

If you need to buy a gift for someone or for yourself, you cannot go wrong with this book. Completely entertaining in the mad rush that Jen is known for, as well as a perfectly written romance. Adelaide has the wonderful traits of being unique in the Four Hundred, beautiful without knowing it, a caring heart, brilliant observant mind, and a love for books and cats. She's not afraid to look through it all and enjoy the commonplace, and always lands on her feet, which is fortunate, since she gets into some real mishaps. Handsome Gideon comes to her aid and gets involved, finding she's more competent than he thought and a diamond of first water. Always a treasure, pure joy to read. As your brain takes in every little, quick moving detail, you never know what's going to happen. Parts where I truly laughed out loud, others that were aw-a-aw sweet. As I always say, cheer up! read a Jen Turano book! I received this book free from the author, publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Delightful! This read had me laughing out loud, and quickly became an enjoyable page turner! Now this is the second book in this series, and both books are equally great, but can be read alone! This is Miss Adelaide Duveen's story, an enjoyable young woman who really doesn't fit into the 400's societies mold, and as we begin she has just shown to all present her unmentionables, and then in an attempt to help others, well, I don't want to spoil this but you can't help but feel sorry for her, but you'll have to hold back the giggles. Adelaide has a big heart, especially for cats, and books, and what a journey we have with both. Now Giddeon Abbott owes her big time, and we are there to see how this leads him into a world he never expected! Be prepared for gangsters, spys, cats, dogs, and a bit of sweet romance! Now we are left wondering whom will be next! I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House, and was not required to give a positive review.

What a delightful Romantic Historical Comedy! Once again, Ms. Jen Turano delivers a story that captures the heart with endearing characters, a unique and engaging plot, and lots of that makes you smile and laugh out loud! I loved it! Miss Adelaide Duveen has resigned herself to die a spinster. After five unsuccessful Seasons and no suitor, she tries not to take it very hard and embrace the idea that her life will be devoted to her cats and devouring books. What she never expects, when she tries to escape society at a dinner party after a very embarrassing mishap, by hiding away at the library, is to stumble upon Mr. Gideon Abbott, who is engaged in a very mysterious and clandestine activity that she inevitably finds herself in the midst of trouble that seems to be permanently following her. Gideon, a former intelligence agent, feels guilty and responsible after society threatens to banish Adelaide because of the distraction -a chaotic one- she caused to help his case. As a way to return the favor, he turns for help to his good friend Camilla Pierpont, a high society leader and very refined lady, to take Adelaide as her personal project and turn her fashionable and in consequence, an incomparable of the four hundred. But Adelaide finds herself as the target of the criminals in Gideon’s case, and as they spend more time together, and while Gideon fights to protect her at all costs, the spark of love ignites, but will it be too late as they fight to survive and capture the bad guys? As I said, this book was incredibly enjoyable! The characters felt relatable and were so easy to love. I kind of related to Adelaide in her awkwardness and naivety, even if I may not be as clumsy as she was, but she gave me a lesson in simplicity and not caring about what society thought of her. She was more worried about her family’s reputation because of her mishaps, than her own reputation and rejection of others. I also loved how she discovered that God created her to be so much more than fashionable and how she was loved precisely because of who she is, not what others want her to appear to be. Gideon was a swooning hero! I loved his patience with Adelaide, and his protectiveness. It was also inspiring to see him discover how precious and lovable Adelaide was precisely because of her unique personality. And her propensity to find herself in trouble only made her more endearing to him. Their romance was slow burn, but really sweet. Their dialogues were so funny and I found myself laughing out loud more than I imagined. The mystery part gave the plot more action and made it more fast-paced. I was truly intrigued and wanted to find out who the villains were and what they were concocting. All in all, a wonderful Romantic Historical Comedy that will leave you smiling! This book can be read as a standalone, but I recommend to read them in order because you get to know the characters better. They feel like family to me! I highly recommend this book to anyone! I received a copy of the book from the Publisher but wasn’t required to post a positive review. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.