3.25 stars

I enjoyed this book despite the premise (some people like the “I’m hiding my identity so you can get to know the real me” thing, but I’m not usually one of them).

Sophia Kent is freshly divorced and has uprooted her life to relocate to Portland, occupying her sole settlement from the split, a beautiful family home called Patton Place. She’s ready to settle in, building a new life for herself, and potentially opening a restaurant.

John Everett Monroe is on a quest to regain his family’s stolen property, the very same Patton Place. But from the moment he serves Sophia with the notice that he’s taking her to court over the property, he’s smitten.

While they’re falling in love, Everett is trying to stay one step ahead, and sort out whether Sophia is an innocent bystander in the theft of his demented grandmother’s home.

My biggest complaint about this book is that it left me wanting more showing and less telling. We hear about how awful Sophia’s es-husband is, but we only meet him once and he’s a lukewarm villain. There are no flashbacks to the time when Everett actually lived in Patton Place. I did appreciate the discussion of black homeownership in the Pacific Northwest, and of infertility/pregnancy loss.

Once Sophia figures out who Everett really is (and that he’s trying to take her home away), she’s obviously devastated. In my opinion there was insufficient groveling by the hero at the end, and what he did do (proposing to her after weeks of no contact at her cousin’s wedding reception) was tacky beyond belief.

Cute but not one I would revisit.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the main characters in this story. I will admit, I had not read the first one until I received the arc. I devoured them both in about two days. The character moments felt very realistic. The romance in the book did feel very rushed. I wish I could have seen it grow more organically. I kind of felt like the plot was a little rushed too, I wish I could have seen more struggle. Overall it was a great read. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to review this title.

Mixed Match – part of a series about couples who meet in unusual circumstances – is a fun book with a worthwhile romance that will bring on tears for some, but doesn’t really rise to a higher level.

After a messy divorce, restaurateur Sophia Kent is in the middle of moving to Portland from Las Vegas. All she needs is a location for her new restaurant. Unfortunately for Sophia, she’s got a lawsuit to battle concerning a dispute over the house she and her ex used to live in.  The previous owner’s family believes her ex obtained it fraudulently as a revenge tactic in a long-standing family feud, and Sophia has received the house as part of her divorce settlement.

Everett Monroe is a real-estate investor who’s here to hand papers to Sophia the moment she arrives in town.  He does not expect to become instantaneously attracted to her while there on business, but attracted he is. But he’s closely related to the family suing Sophia and has been fed lies about the sort of person she is.

Everett soon hates that Sophia’s been dragged into the middle of the situation, his guilt compounded when Sophia asks him for help in finding a location for her restaurant.  So – half spying on Sophia, half falling in love with her, he sets up some recon of his own into the situation.

Soon enough, Sophia is into Everett and his adorable dog.  But when she finds out that Everett’s working for the enemy, can their love survive?

Mixed Match is a pretty darn good romance with an unusual conflict and some realistic character moments.  But a few annoying points kept me away from giving this a higher grade

I really liked Sophia, who’s tough and self-reliant, has a great bond with her very funny sister and busybody mom, and is determined to succeed on her own after a lousy marriage. Everett has a close, complicated relationship with his own family; his grandmother died of dementia recently, and most of what he does in the book is driven by family loyalty and family bonds – until Sophia pulls him in and close.

Their romance is very nice and very tender, though at times it feels a little rushed and, for the first fifty pages or so, a little unbalanced on Everett’s side.  He becomes obsessed with Sophia at first sight, while her process of falling in love with him feels more natural and well-paced.

Another strike against the book; its interesting plot is complicated by a Big Misunderstanding.  You probably know that going in, since Everett is hiding a big secret from Sophia and Sophia has no idea he’s related to the guy behind the suit (how and why I will not reveal because Spoilers).

The prose also feels a little weak in places; it could have used some judicious editing, as I noticed a number of grammatical errors.

Overall, Mixed Match is a very pleasant, very readable romance with some lovely ups and downs.  But be prepared to be disappointed by a few clichés along the way.

Notes: There is discussion of a miscarriage within the novel.

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Thought this was an okay read. I immensely appreciated the representation and the story was interesting enough but I felt like it could've moved the plot forward in a more conducive way. The pacing was off and the romance felt lacking, not to mention the fact that I left the book asking the same questions I did when I went into it. It had a lot of potential but sadly, this just wasn't for me.

A great read, the second book in this series.

Sophia is new in town, determined to make her own way after her nasty divorce. Everett is determined to get his family home back after it was swindled from his grandmother. But when he meets Sophia and realises it is her house he is trying to take back will he change his mind?

As they spend time together and fall for each other, the issue with the house is still there, and what will Sophia do when she realises who Everett really is?

A great read, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.