Second book in the Miss Match series, Unlikely Match focuses on one of Samantha's new matchmaking projects.  Although it is a sequel/continuation, you can probably read it as a standalone but be just a  bit lost when Samantha and Luce have their scenes but it probably won't disrupt your enjoyment.

Overall this is a light, fun read - Shelley, the brilliant IT entrepreneur who can't seem to find the right match, and Claire, the career driven PR executive make a great couple  Being a bit of a nerd, I connected more with Shelley, but Claire grew on me once I got past her worries about how the relationship would impact her career.  There's definitely chemistry between the two and romance worked quite well - the initial attraction and subsequent build is just what you want in a good romance novel. There's a nice bit of humour laced throughout the story and I have to give a shout out for Hedy the cat.

'NetGalley ARC provided by The Publisher in exchange for a honest review'

Exceptional story!
In this the second installment of the Miss Match series,Ms.Riley writes a sizzling slow burn romance between a coding genius looking for the one and a PR exec who does not believe in true love--nerdy chemistry on high alert--this book was all about female empowerment at its best because it reminds us the readers that perfect love is not 'one-size-fits-all' and that our imperfections are so often not what makes us right for whomever we fall in love with. This storyline is a standout romance with two people learning to trust each other while dealing with their own fears regarding family issues plus their own:- there were also great backstory involving both leads and the characters were nicely developed & defined but do not forget as usual,Ms.Riley's love scenes are joyously steamy,and her dialogue is refreshingly realistic. There are a few of the same revolving characters from the previous series(book#1) that was mixed into this story for good measure and it just help in completing their journey to find true love. In addition their is also plenty of humor and a blissful ending that i think will truly leave a smile on lots of readers faces. Highly recommend to everyone!

I couldn’t stop smiling while reading this book. I love that Sheldon is a nerd but so sexy at the same time. I also love that Claire brings the best out Sheldon and sometimes opposites do attract. If you want good laugh and also a sexy romance, I would definitely read this book.

I was unable to review this book because of a conflict in my schedule. Sorry for any inconvenience this has caused the publisher or the author of the work. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review for you and  I look forward to reviewing for you in the future.

I loved the first one but after reading this one, i think i love this one more. Shelly and Claire were very likable and they made sense together. Nothing was too dramatic or over the top about the romance or the "fall out," which made me like it more...it felt kinda real. I also am a fan of series books that have previous characters like Lucinda and Samantha but they are not main characters. Those two probably took up 25% of the book and 75% of that involved the two main characters. I cannot wait for the next one.

Great book, I laughed, I smile, I could not put it down, great story and development and relationships.

liked the tropes used in this book. a lot of f/f I've been exposed to felt really comtemporary with no tropes, so really enjoyed this one

Shelly and Clair had a great connection in this story and while this is definitely outside my wheelhouse as a normal read, I still enjoyed the relationship as it developed between them, along with the insight into the business each of them ran. I would recommend this to someone with an interest.

<i>I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I had every intention in the world to complete this book before it popped up for sale.  And everything looked like I’d succeed.  I was at 67% and had five days left.  And I just stopped.  For reasons.  The most important one being that, while it is true I could easily have ‘powered through’ the end of the book, the last few percentage points, and then slapped up some quick review, I didn’t actually want to do that. I didn’t want to power through. I wanted to give this book a better chance to succeed with me. So I put it on pause.  Still fully intending to complete the book before the 20th of June.  So, here I am, the 24th of July and . . . well, I’ve finally restarted the book.  And completed the last 33% in a few hours.

There were elements of the first book in the series that I enjoyed.  Still, I didn’t like the book as much as I thought I would have, or as much as others did.  So I had figured that it’d be a while before I tried another book by this author – I don’t stop reading after just one book.   But then I spotted that this book here, and now I’m talking about ‘Unlikely Match’ not ‘Miss Match’, starred one of the characters who I thought was interesting in the first book, Shelly (plus another character from that book who hadn’t really made a massive impression on me – Claire).  So I decided to go ahead and leap into another book by this author.  Despite my somewhat tepid response to the first book.

Some of the problems that I had from the first book continued into the second.  Namely the part where I still, no known reason why, had a massive amount of trouble keeping Lucinda and Samantha separate in my mind. Figuring out which was which.  They just kind of merged in my mind.  And quite frankly, they were kind of evil in this book, well Samantha was.  In the old men from ‘Trading Places’ kind of evil.  The ones who, as kind of a lark, manipulated two men into trading places for just a bet. I think the bet was for just a quarter at that.  Why do I say that? Well, that’s what happened here, in a way – Samantha manipulated things to ‘force’ two people together who she thought would make a perfect match, despite how one of them never asked her to do so, <i>and</i> thought match making was stupid (or something like that) – and then that manipulation kind of continued, here or there, nudges, pokes, etc.  And not just by Samantha.  Shelly kind of got into that as well, maybe by accident. Like when Claire had come by to say that they can’t keep seeing each other because Shelly was Claire’s business client – and that got pushed aside by Shelly’s need to be close to Claire and hump her. But let’s move on from that.

I liked, for the most part, both Shelly and Claire in this book.  They had some great scenes and dialogue, cute, sweet, humorous, touching.  They also had some vaguely gross scenes, but that’s probably just me. I mean, maybe it’s just me that finds it kinda gross that someone would masturbate while thinking about the other woman and then – without in any way cleaning her hands, using that same hand that hand just been playing with herself, manipulating herself, gotten all slick and wet . . . that same uncleaned hand was then used to . . . . pet the cat.  You know how cats keep themselves clean? By running their tongue over their body.  I’m becoming vaguely nauseated as I’m mention this issue.  So, I can’t continue.  Please draw the correct conclusions as to what would happen next after basically wiping your pussy juices all over your furry cat who keeps themselves clean by use of their tongue.

Right, sorry. I had meant that paragraph to go ‘For the most part, I liked the two main characters in this book, Shelly and Claire, and, again for the most part, enjoyed their story. The thing that caused me to take a break for a month?  Lucinda and Samantha.  Why did they have to be in this book? They ruined things for me. I didn’t want to ‘break away from the action’ to go and visit them, who seemed to spend most of their time being lovey-dovey and dancing while planning a . . . big event (is that event a spoiler? I forget now, so I be vague).’

So: 1) liked Shelly and Claire; 2) liked Hedy the squeaking purring fur-ball cat; 3) there was sex, it was graphic, and occasionally it was gross (see my comment regarding cat earlier).  AND 4) it did actually help me like this book more by giving myself time to pause and then restart.  Maybe I didn’t really need a month pause, maybe I did. 

Last thought: so the third book in this series involves the firefighter, Sasha, who has appeared, briefly, in this book here (and might have appeared in the first book).  Hmm.  She was kind of described as being strong and butchy looking.  Why is the woman holding the fire-extinguisher on the cover wearing a tiny red dress and wearing high-heels?  Right, sorry, I’m probably wrong in my recollections, and/or that’s supposed to be Abby holding Sasha’s fire-extinguisher.  Oh, right, was going to say: I’m less excited about reading Sasha’s story.

Rating: 3.75 (which is an almost full star increase from my rating for the first book in the series)

July 24 2017

An honest review thanks to NetGalley.  This was a great read by Fiona Riley; I do recommend reading the first book in this series first.  It is not necessary, but as it is all about Lucinda and Samantha and her matchmaking business, I greatly encourage it.  Once again I fell in love, I liked Shelly from the previous book and fell for her the more I got to know her.  This was a great romance read that you will never want to put down!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars

Yes! These are the women I want to read about! Shelly is a Silicon Valley genius. She runs a successful tech company and spends her days inventing technology that will change the world. Her only problems are personal. The qualities that make her successful have also made her socially awkward and perpetually single.

I loved watching Shelly move between her life as a powerful genius at work and her private life where she struggles to care for her father and is plagued by relationship insecurities. Claire is a perfect counterbalance for Shelly because she is much more balanced and confident. Claire is also successful and confident at work, but she is also close to her family and she finds it easier to engage with people.

The chemistry between these two is hot from their first awkward dance. When Claire finds herself working for Shelly, she finds the power balance in the relationship difficult. The result is a workplace romance high on sexual tension with a nervous and sometimes oblivious Shelly and a wary Claire. I enjoyed the courtship these two enjoy and I love the way Shelly gradually lets Claire see her inner geek. And once these two get naked together – they seriously don’t stop. The sex here is imaginative, steamy, and ultimately fun.

There is a miscommunication near the end that causes all sorts of over-the-top emotional drama from two women who spent the rest of the story as rational, analytical beings. I struggled to believe in this plot twist because it seemed out of character for both Claire and Shelly.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved all of the geeky details about Shelly’s company and her inventions. This is a proper girl power story and I loved all of the confident, competent women we get to know in the book.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in the series, and although I haven't yet read the first one, I have every intention of doing so, as the relationship that it created is one worth reviewing! I do not think that I was seriously disadvantaged by coming to this fresh.

We get to meet the two leads in ways which give us plenty of insight into their ways, before they ever meet each other. Under the cover of a matchmaker meeting, Shelly's issues and insecurities as well as her passion and her wealth are revealed. She is a very interesting mix of quirky, nerdy, and successful. As we get to know her more, other traits are brought to the fore, but in an organic manner. Her literal way of seeing things is useful at moving the story forward. The help she has received from Samantha is significant.

Claire is a person we get to know through her family and her workplace – and she is conflicted about the work issue from the beginning – even though she met due to her boss, something which she never seems to consider might be relevant. As things progress, in what has to be both a sweet and hot way, the fear of overstepping boundaries is causing her much worry.

Ms. Riley makes sure that we get the story that we want, but works well at ensuring there are some missteps along the way. Thank you!

The leads have great chemistry and the author's writing style is very engaging. The dialogue could be better but overall the plot is well developed and the slow build up of the relationship feels natural. Also great to see characters from the author's previous book.

Thank you Fiona!!!!!!! This second book is quite amazing, I loved the interactions between shelly and Claire, and Shelly character is developed in an astounding story

Two strong women that make their way towards each other with a tiny little nudge from some friends, what's not to like?

If you read the first one you'll be delighted to know that we get snippets of Samantha and Lucinda when Samantha meddles in Claire and Shelly's "chance" meeting. I kept giggling like a little girl every time Samantha or Lucinda were involved. 

I really like the match series because the relationships that develop in them feel so natural and progresses at a steady speed. There's no speed up at the end or that BAM BOOM I'm automatically in love with you right from the beginning. It's believable with a little sparkle of les-fic. Claire and Shelly though different worked so organically well together, I was definitely rooting for them. 

Overall, great light read. Loved seeing the updates from the characters of the previous book. Would 100% recommend for anyone who enjoyed the first of the series.

I really enjoyed Fiona Riley’s first novel, Miss Match, but I loved Unlikely Match.  If you haven’t read Miss Match I think you would be fine reading this one, but I wouldn’t miss out.  Read Miss Match first, you won’t be disappointed.  I really enjoy the character, Shelly.  I mean really how could you not?  I was just pulling for her from the moment she was introduced in book one.  I can easily see Ms. Riley becoming one of my favorite authors.  I know it is early, but what a great start.

Review by Natalie

I didn't realize that this was the second book in a series when I picked it up. The fact that it was a sequel became clear pretty quickly,  but I didn't feel like I was losing any really important information by reading this novel first. However, the characters from the first book, Lucinda and Samantha, continue to play an important role in this novel, and even have viewpoint chapters. This was both good and bad, because Lucinda and Samantha were stronger characters and more compelling to me than Claire and Shelly.

Unlikely Match never clicked with me. The beginning was slow, and it seemed like the interesting tensions in Shelly and Claire's lives and relationship were held back for too long. There's a lot of story threads introduced early on that are promising, but by about halfway through the book, I felt like I was still waiting for the story to start. I think part of this is because each scene seemed very slow, like a camera panning slowly over the setting, the characters, and every action. With every scene stretched out like this, it felt like there was less and less reason to get to the next part. I started skimming around the half-way point, and when the inevitable other shoe drops in the last half to add conflict between Shelly and Claire, it felt like it had been withheld for so long that a) I didn't remember that we were waiting for this particular reveal and b) it didn't seem to be revealed in a way that justified the reaction.

Although I was initially intrigued and a little charmed by Shelly and Claire's characters, I ended up feeling like I was getting so many competing views of Shelly in particular (from her own perspective, from Claire's perspective, and from Lucinda and Samantha) that she never really gelled as a character for me. I felt that both Shelly and Claire, as individual characters and as a romantic pairing, were overshadowed by Samantha and Lucinda. In the few viewpoint chapters we have of them, Lucinda and Samantha's relationship had more spark than Shelly and Claire, and Unlikely Match feels like Samantha and Lucinda's sequel, rather than Shelly and Claire's story.

I really think that if I had been in a different mood or mindset, then I would have appreciated the slower pace of this book. As it was, I never felt like there was a very compelling reason to keep turning pages. I was really looking forward to a book about a geeky, successful woman who codes, but this one was ultimately a miss for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, great sequel! I loved the characters and their chemistry, found myself rooting for love. The narrator was also great and made the story come alive! Very nice and easy listen, highly recommended!

An entertaining romance story of a socially awkward computer programmer and a PR wiz -- it is the second book in the Miss Match series, but it stands alone.  The framework of the story is well staged and the cast of characters meshed well with those in the first book.  It is an engaging and fun read.

I enjoyed this follow up to Perfect Match. This one combines two minor characters from that book, Claire who works with Lucinda, and Shelly who is a client of Samantha's. 

Both lead characters are interesting and well fleshed out and come with their own equally interesting side-characters. I thoroughly enjoyed Claire's relationship with the twins, but do wish we'd also been introduced to her other brothers. Shelly's sidestory with her father was also relatable (for me anyway).

I was also pleasantly surprised by what a go getter Shelly was in the relationship. As described in the first book, I was kind of expecting her to be a shy mousy little thing, but she knew what she wanted and had no trouble going for it (in any sense), which was a nice surprise.

I could have lived without the obligatory breakup, which honestly seemed to be made up of pieces that were shoved together to just make a reason for them to fight, but since it was over quickly it didn't bog the story down that much. 

We also got to revisit Sam and Lucinda and add on to their story, which I also enjoyed. 

This is another sweet romance from Fiona Riley and I am already looking forward to book three, which I'm assuming will be about Sasha, with the additional benefit of revisiting these characters as well.