Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

2 stars, was hoping for a meet cute type story, but this one was just all over the place.

Selena is the scorned ex-fiancé with Daddy issues who runs off to a fictional island to investigate modern harems or “coteries” undercover. Upon her arrival she literally runs into a window, meets Prince Shai and then instant love.

I can appreciate a story with a good plot, but this book is almost novella length, so there was a lot in a little amount and some plots that never resolved. It also had a bit of a dual personality between the first and second halves.

I think with some polish and a few more pages, the book would work better.

This was well written enough, but the insta love was too much for me. From the synopsis I had hoped to have an angsty, jealousy type situation for the heroine, but it's not. TBH, in was too far fetched to be really enjoyable. you would have to suspend belief a great deal. But it was a light, easy read and I imagine that readers who enjoy no drama will like it.

ARC/Netgalley

A tale as old as time... Girl’s fiancé cheats on her so she joins a modern day harem in hopes of furthering her career with an expose piece. The book follows a very short period of Serena McAllister moonlighting in Prince Shailemon’s coterie and focuses on both dealing with internal turmoil. Prince Shailemon must marry in order to be king. The big question is: Will he marry out of obligation or for a love match? While at times the back and forth on their feelings became a little too much, this was a solid read.

Love Match is a great read! Laire takes you on an enjoyable ride, one that you can see, smell, and almost feel the sun on your skin. I loved how the storyline was an original idea, it was very refreshing with all of the books out there now a days. The main charter goes undercover as part of an modern day harem, and it turns into a great romance story that unfolds. Laire has such a way with words you truly feel like you are right there. I have never read anything by this author. but after this book I am now hooked. I hope that there is more books with some of the other charters in the book to get their own.

I really wanted to like this book. The cover and the description sounded like a cute start to a romance and I’m a sucker for solid chick-lit. Unfortunately, this is not that book. It’s not even that genre! Love Match is a true romance novel that was challenging to get through. Luckily, it is a fairly quick read taking under 3 hours to complete reading. About 4% of the way in, we get this charming piece of insight into our character’s burgeoning love story:
“Her long chestnut hair flowed down her back in loose waves. The tan pencil skirt and white button-up blouse made her look like a 1950s secretary, but he liked the look and easily—too easily—envisioned her shimmying that skirt up over the curve of her hips. He cleared his throat as he lowered his folded hands over his groin.” For me, it seemed like a great story idea that was poorly executed. The dialogue is just a little too cheesy, the romance is just a little too fast, etc.. It just didn’t work for me but may work for someone looking for a light and steamy beach read.

I received a free copy of this book’s ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love a good meet cute and a novel with a sizzling romance. I also love a book about travel and learning about different places around the world. Love Match was an exciting book to receive on NetGalley, because I loved the idea of Serena, visiting a harem in a far away island to write a striking expose about the mistreatment and objectification of women.

As a reader, I was quickly plopped into the middle of Serena first meeting Prince Shailemon Sharma (Shai). Their instant chemistry felt forced and their internal dialogue about one another was shared too quickly which made their appreciation of each other almost feel dirty.

I was excited to hear about Shai’s struggles in navigating his home’s customs but I didn’t learn enough about him before I heard him say masochistic and degrading things about women. This made him hard to relate to and root for.

Laire McKinney has used great description and this could be a fast,c heap and cheery beach read.

Two stars

A sincere thank you to NetGalley and BHC Press for the digital ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

The blurb of the story had me hooked. As someone who loved watching Magnificent century (Turkish dizi ), I wanted to read about the harem in "Birin island". I really, really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, it wasn't the case for me. The h is rude, she reminds me of a 90 days fiancé participant who leaves to another country, another culture, clouded with an air of superiority and who waits for it to be exactly like America. I went off track but great stupid show ! Recommend. This book? it ain't for me but can be your cup of tea.

Sorry x

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange of an honest review.

I thought it was a cute read. I enjoyed the characters, the story flowed nicely.

I honestly looked forward to reading this book and was so pleased when NetGalley awarded me an ARC. I think I am one of the biggest fans of romance fiction in today’s market, and I enjoy reading these types of books, but this one was a great idea that did not translate to the page. I think it could have made an excellent story, but it didn’t deliver in the end. My main suggestion, if I were bold, would be that the author tone down the slapstick comments like “sleep-around-Sue” and the cartoonish cast of characters like Serena’s pot-smoking Mother. This book read more like a Disney fairytale with a little sex thrown in for good measure. I’m sorry it was not for me.

Serena's fiance has cheated on her one too many times, she's also up for a promotion at her job, she just needs a great story. After seeing an article about coteries, modern day harems, she decides to go undercover to get the scoop on them.

If you're looking for a mindless, quick read, this is it. It had the potential to be a much better story but lacked a lot of depth. A lot of it was just farfetched and unbelievable. I had a hard time believing that a prince, who is educated and has lived abroad, is in awe of an "American" and what he considers Americans to be. This is a great read if you want something quick that you don't really need to pay attention to.
Thanks to Netgalley and BHC Press for the ARC of this book.

Ah... I have got mixed feelings about this book. Its beautiful cover was the reason for my intrigue towards this book. I was extremely excited to see a cross-cultural love story which *might* feature India. Though I am well aware of why the author might've created a fictional Island but everything felt... generalized and flat.

I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between Serena and Shai but their Insta-Love did not seem believable. Her actions, which should've come off as being cute and maybe even goofy turned out to be cringe-y. I have no idea how she is a professional journalist. Same with Shai, he seems to have roamed the world, met people from different countries, and has resided in London but is caught off guard by an American woman and her mannerism. There's something lacking that sort of rubs me off the wrong way. The story advances too fast and the characters lack depth so does the plot of a modern-day Harem in an imaginary island/country. (Could it not be a Harem, please?)

Though it's a sweet story. Cliche. Quick read. Lightens up the mood too but it needs some work done. I would've given it a 2.5 if it wasn't for the author's writing. I have to give it to her, There is essence in her words but lacks direction. Good luck!

Thanks for the ARC, BHC Press, and NetGalley

It is a light and quick read which is great, read it in under 3 hours, if it had been longer it might have been a DNF for me. This just was not my cup of tea. For me this was a a lesson on not judging a book by its cover. I saw the cover and its description in Netgalley and thought it might be a cute story. First the cover does not match the story at all, this happens in a tropical island why is the cover or almost like a Taj mahal? Second this is a total romance disguised as a cute romance novel cover. I saw the authors other book alter and its cover clearly state that it is a more steamy romance that I was expecting. Not that its bad, it just did not fit the story for me here. The ending seemed just an unnecessary moment to throw extra steamy romance scenes when really the story was done and it just didn’t add anything to it. The concept is great and i was all for it, it might be far fetched but I was totally into it ( i love my hallmark movie style girl meets prince and fall in love in a day fantasy) yet somehow here it didn’t totally work for me. I don’t know if it was the writing or the characters but i never fully got into it. Also by the end of the book i still wasn’t clear as to the point of a coiterie and its difference to a harem. For it being the key point I think it glossed over it and involving some of the other female characters

This was a quick and easy read. I enjoyed the book. I found the main characters to be likable. I do feel like some of it was rushed, but would still recommend for those who like romantic fiction.

This book was overall a very cute story! I waver between 2-3 stars, so I'm going with 2.5 just because of how light of a story McKinney wrote. After reading a few very dense books, a more "fun" story was what I needed and this one fit the bill. I enjoyed the snark from Serena and how it contrasted with the more serious tone of Prince Shai. Some of their banter made me laugh aloud and it was such a pick me up. The ending was what I expected, but honestly, I would have been upset if it hadn't been.

I do wish the book had not moved so quickly. I know many romance novels move very quickly and this one was no different, but it made it much less believable. I just can't see someone falling in love that quickly, especially after being through the things Serena went through. Many moments were cliché, but if you really enjoy those types of romancy moments, you'll like this book. I think if the book had been longer and the characters more flushed out, it really could be a higher quality book. Or perhaps if there had been one less plot twist; there were so many that it felt like they all were discovered and then wrapped up so neatly and quickly that I got a bit of whiplash.

Still, I'm glad I read this book. A cute story is what you need sometimes. Plus, the cover is absolutely gorgeous!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read the electronic ARC.

This was a fun and quick read! While I did like the characters and enjoyed the story and their banter, I'm afraid it was missing the little spark for me, personally. However, this has drama, humour and rivalry and it's an entertaining story!

I thought this books was very easy to read and although I found the premise a little corny I found myself constantly coming back to this book. The story flows nicely and it was a quick 2 sitting read, but I did find the characters to be a little erratic in their actions and found some of the events that happened to be unbelievable. Although I wish that the story was a little more believable and I wished the characters were a little more likable, or that I could form a stronger connection to them, I found myself really enjoying this read.

I loved the concept of the plot, but the delivery fell short. Everything felt like the epitome of a cliche, and I longed to see more development and consistency from the characters. It did make for an easy fast read, however.

I keep flip flopping back and forth on this one; but I think ultimately it just wasn't for me. The good: the sexy scenes were quite good and the banter between Shai and Selena was actually really funny in moments. I will always love the trope of "woman goes abroad and stumbles into loving a prince," because it's just so insane who wouldn't, this story in particular felt a little stiff and weird.

Some things that I think could have been better/changed: (1) I really wish the reason for her being there wasn't the harem thing, it felt weirdly racialized and insensitive (like she could have been a tutor or nanny or secretary or something!), (2) if Selena really works with and cares about sex workers, she would not call them "prostitutes" like she does through the entire book, and (3) the timeline was a little strange to me, and I couldn't tell if this happened over the course of a month or 4 days (I think it was the latter).

I received a copy of this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Although the heroine was likable and the scenery intriguing, Their relationship proceeded too quickly and I found it to be less than believable. The premise itself was very far-fetched..

"Love Match" by Laire McKinney, was an easy read.
Serena, a journalist, signs up to be a member of a royal coterie. She wants to investigate the culture to see how women are treated. What she finda3, however, changes her perspective on everything.
I liked Serena's character. She was funny and flawed, which made her relatable. Shai, was the total opposite, but not in a bad way.
The setting was fun, but hard to believe. Everything really just fell into place with no hiccups. Definitely followed the typical romance plot line.