Such an adorable small-town Christmas romance. The perfect book to curl up with next to the tree with your hot chocolate.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

My Kindle broke and I had to factory reset it and lost all of my Net Galleys, so I wasn't able to complete my read/review of A Very Merry Match.

The archive date had already passed and I wasn't able to re-download it. I'll be catching this book from my local library.

oh i got a hard copy of this book too and i really loved reading it during christmastime! it was so cute and full of dogs which everyone loves. so pick it up this christmas!!

A Very Merry Match by Melinda Curtis

During this holiday season, kindergarten teacher, Mary Margaret Sneed, didn’t think she would be unwrapping herself in a burlesque gig to be able to pay her late husband’s gambling debts.

This book was a very warm romance novel, plus a few bad guys. A widow, who had very little cash, was trying to clean up her late husband’s debts. The characters were warm, witty, and humorous.. I enjoyed this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

Complementary copy given for honest review and opinion. Such a cute romance. I would buy this for all ages. I loved it. I laughed so much throughout.

This was a cute, fun and festive read. I liked it as a quick cozy read. We follow two main characters, Margaret a kindergarten teacher with huge debt and some interesting side gigs. Kevin the other main character is divorced father of a 5 year old looking at making a political advancement. Mix in some romance, small town during the holidays, with everyone nosing around in everyone's business and you have a great holiday read.

Thanks to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is definitely not your typical Hallmark movie Christmas story. It involves Burlesque dancing, political ambition, a busybody matchmaking Widows Club, but also love (lost and new) and the sacrifices we make for love.

It's told from a few different alternating perspectives which I always enjoy. I am really not a fan of politics in my books so that portion of the story was a bit boring for me. I honestly wasn't a real fan of the romantic relationship either. They didn't seem like a great fit to me. But I did enjoy the Burlesque aspect. That was a bit spicy and different for a holiday book.

i loved reading this story. Melinda Curtis is becoming an autobuy author. I will feature this book in a future episode.

A Very Merry Match

by Melinda Curtis

What a book I chose to read on Christmas week! Melinda Curtis’ A Very Merry Match is a romance that involves serious threads. Mary Margaret, widowed last year at Christmas, is trying to survive the memories of the season. As a Kindergarten teacher with a strong sense of honor, she has been very disciplined with her finances to try to repay her husband’s debt accrued through shopping therapy at the end of his life. Just when the mountain of debts have been conquered, two unsavory characters show up on her doorstep wanting an obscene amount of money.

You’ll like Mary Margaret. She’s a dedicated and loving teacher always wanting to do the right thing. Sadly, she carries around the physical and emotional scars of childhood abuse. Kevin, the mayor of the little town of Sunshine, has a son in Mary Margaret’s class. His initial dilemma is a decision regarding a development project that has potential positive and negative impacts on the town and is thus quite controversial. He also develops an interest in his son’s teacher. Along the way we meet Barb, Kevin’s ex-wife, and Edith, Mary Margaret’s supportive and fun-loving grandmother along with the local Widow’s Club whose members are always interested in matching up lonely hearts.

Mary Margaret has, out of financial necessity and a love of dance, a second career as a burlesque dancer, and Kevin is being considered for political office at the state level. Although they are attracted to each other, a serious relationship seems unlikely. Christmas is the backdrop for the fun, romance, and conflict that permeate the plot. This is a clean romance you can enjoy at Christmas…or any time of the year!

I would like to extend my thanks to NetGalley and to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Romance

Notes: #2 in the Sunshine Valley Series, but I had not read the first book in the series and had no problem jumping right into this book.

Publication: September 29, 2020—Forever (Grand Central Publishing)

Memorable Lines:

Dancing always loosened up the stress, shook it off, made her feel free, moved her beyond her worries and fears. How could this be wrong?

“I’ll tell you a secret I learned growing up.” Her smile was tentative, as if her secret was sad. “Preacher’s kid wisdom. There’s always someone in a worse situation than you are.”

Doubt crept between his shoulders on spiked cleats.

Very cute, clean Christmas romance.

A little group they self titled, The Widows Club, have decided that Mary Margaret is the next widow they're going to matchmake for. But Mary Margaret is resistant to their nudges and manages to find love on her own terms.

Certain parts seemed to jump time and got a little confusing, but other than that it was quite enjoyable.

Curtis captures the magic of the holiday season within the pages and you can almost smell the cookies baking as you read. Kevin and Mary Margaret are slow burn, friends to lovers, perfection, though Tad steals the show. Perfect for Hallmark fans.

This was the perfect holiday read that I was looking for. This book had me dreaming of snuggling up the fire with hot cocoa, the snow falling, christmas lights, and this book. This was such an uplifting holiday read! The characters in this book were witty and entertaining. The plot was engaging and had me wanting more. I am excited for the next book in the series. I would recommend checking this one out.

I enjoyed this book but I usually do enjoy most holiday books. I have never read this author. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the oportunity to discover new to me authors..

A Very Merry Match by Melinda Curtis was so different from what I expected. I think that it’s nice to be surprised by a holiday book, however. I was expecting a little bit more steamy based upon the description, but this book veered in a more sweet direction. It does a wonderful job of capturing a holiday miracle though.

Melinda Curtis’s A Very Merry Match is the second book in the Sunshine Valley series, but the first book I’ve read from the series. The premise is that Mary Margaret Sneed is a young widow. She works as a kindergarten teacher in the town of Sunshine, Colorado. Unfortunately for Mary Margaret, she’s just learned that her late husband ran up a gambling debt to the tune of $100,000 and some shady men have come collecting. Her teacher’s salary comes nowhere even close to paying off that debt. So, she does what she did to put herself through college and dances burlesque in the next town over.

Kevin Hadley is the mayor of Sunshine. He’s somewhat reeling from his divorce from town queen bee Barbara and is looking for a woman who would be good for his reputation. The Widow’s Club, whose primary objective is matchmaking, places Mary Margaret Sneed in his way. She’s a very nice teacher after all, with no skeletons in her closet. Kevin likes her for the most part. Only, he can’t stop thinking about Foxy Roxy from the Burlesque. I think we all know the direction this will go in.

Anyways, A Very Merry Match is such a fun read with some humorous moments. However, I still found myself feeling for Mary Margaret and how she gets stuck paying off a giant debt through no fault of her own. We also learn that her past wasn’t all roses and it’s heartbreaking. I loved reading about the Widow’s Club, especially Mary Margaret’s grandmother Edith’s attempts to get on the board. Also? Mary Margaret’s friends are just wonderful.

After finishing this book, I immediately added the third book to my TBR and made a mental note to get to book one ASAP. Oh and before I forget, there’s definitely chemistry between Kevin and Mary Margaret. It just takes them both some time to figure that out. Oh and there’s zero adult scenes in this book, so don’t go in expecting that.


ON A SCALE OF ONE TO BUDDY THE ELF, HOW MUCH CHRISTMAS SPIRIT DOES A VERY MERRY MATCH HAVE?
A Very Merry Match has something I would really like to try – this hot cocoa drink called a mile high whip. It sounds AMAZING. This book put me in a jolly mood because it’s about romance, but also dealing with and overcoming a problem through grit but also with the help of friends. There’s that small town feel and snow and a Christmas tree farm, and quite a few more events. Melinda Curtis’s book was completely unexpected but so wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend for the warm fuzzy feeling.

A Merry Match was a cute book about a small town mayor and a kindergarten teacher with a secret.

I enjoyed reading it but I think the ending was a little too rushed and took too long to get to the happier things. I would have liked a little more resolution on it but it was still satisfying.

Thank you Melinda Curtis, Forever Publishing, and Netgalley for a gifted copy of this book.

A Very Merry Match is a cute holiday story about Mary Margaret, a kindergarten teacher who starts moonlighting as a burlesque dancer after being extorted for her dead husbands gambling debts. Small town mayor Kevin needs to find a stable girlfriend after his divorce, if he wants to advance his political career and he thinks Mary Margaret is the perfect match. Enter the Widows Club who intends to find a love interest for Mary Margaret.

This story is told from the third person POV of Mary Margaret, Kevin, and Grandma Edith and set in the very small town of Sunshine, Colorado. This is your typical conservative small town, where everyone knows everyone’s business and gossip takes flight like wildfire. This book contained many characters, but I thought that they were each unique in personality and backstory. There were some very lovable characters (Tad) and some that were down right mean girl status (Barbara), which kept things interesting and the story moving.

If you’re looking for a sweet Christmas story, this might just be the book for you!! While it was easily read as a standalone, the many of the secondary characters caught my attention and I’d love to follow up with them in upcoming books.

Karen McAtlin
4.0 out of 5 stars More Sunshine Valley fun!!
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2020
I love visiting Sunshine Valley! The characters in Sunshine Valley are so unique and funny. You never know what they will be up to next! I enjoyed the story of Mary Margaret and her struggles to pay off her deceased husband's debts and the way she went about doing it. Grandma Edith and the rest of the Widow's Club are hilarious! You never know what Grandma Edith is going to do or say next!
I wasn't thrilled with the hero, Mayor Kevin Hadley. He was somewhat of a jerk in my opinion and I think Mary Margaret could have found someone better.
I would recommend this story to fans of the series and other rom-com fans. Though I wasn't as happy with the romance in this story, the antics of the rest of the town are well worth reading about!
I received an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Sweet, funny, delightful, and perfect to get me in the mood for the holiday season! These ladies remind me of the women in our nursing home who are still so full of life.

Melinda Curtis writes the cutest stories and this one was no exception! I love knowing I'm gettng a sweet love story when I open one of her books, and adding christmas just makes it all the better. Thank you Netgalley and Forever publishing for this one! A kindergarten teacher turning to burlesque, some match-making old biddies, and a little enemies to lovers? Sign me up :)

The Widows Club is essentially a group of matchmaking fairy godmothers. And this Christmas they have set their sites on Mary Margaret, the kindergarten teacher who became a widow the previous Christmas. But Mary Margaret's husband left her with large debts, and she dances burlesque to pay them off.

Kevin is the mayor of the town. He is newly single after his wife cheated on him, and he is looking toward the next step on the political ladder. Who better for the Widow's Club to pair together?

I loved many of the characters (especially Mary Margaret's grandmother) and the Christmas charm. Over time, I came to appreciate Kevin more. However, I was put off by his political strategies ('tis the season). Additionally, the general tone throughout the book included a lot of shaming of women that I found tough to read. I appreciated the final scenes, but it wasn't quite as fun and festive getting there as I had hoped.