Amelie Hampton loves reading murder mystery novels so when Detective Michael Baker asks for her assistance to get close to a murder suspect she is excited to help. As their investigation comes to an end Michael must race to save Amelie before she dies at the hands of a blackmailing, wife-killer. Much like in her beloved novels, Amelie’s story will end after the killer is stopped and she marries the detective.

Nancy Campbell Allen has written another clean proper romance. I really enjoyed this Victorian London setting and hope this is the beginning of a new series.

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

This was a delightful novel! I usually read regency, but a step into the Victorian era was a breath of fresh air. Amelie was a wonderful heroine. She toed the line of independence and needing a hero very well. She was perfectly capable of fighting her own battles, but to have Michael there to help just made life all the sweeter. I love how her spunk helped change Michael's perspective on many thing in his life and thoroughly enjoyed watching their romance blossom. I hope Ms. Allen makes this a series with some of the other characters being the stars of their own novels!

Thank you NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the eARC!

I loved this Victorian romance mystery.

Amelie writes a local romance advice column for her Aunt's newspaper. She decides to spy on one of her advice receivers on a date and is surprised to see Mr. Radcliffe, a man she may fancy. She is caught by a local Detective, Michael.

Michael is sure that the man, Mr. Radcliffe actually killed his wife that "drowned in the Thames". As the investigation goes on, Mr. Radcliffe is fine to have more secrets he's hiding. Amelie and Michael start to become friends and become really fond of one another. The blue they became closer, the more dangerous Mr. Radcliffe becomes.

Amelie is one stubborn woman (as she puts herself into the investigation) but she knows herself and she makes up her mind and just does what she feels. Though a little reckless, she is very smart.

Michael is a great detective and really smart too. He's very protective of Amelie and others.

Smartly written and very vivid in the setting.

This was a delightful read of Victorian Era proportions. A little mystery and a little romance all packed into one that made this one quite diverting.

I've been watching Miss Scarlet and the Duke with my husband so I guess i've been in the mood for some mystery and female detective sleuthing. I also tend to love grittier historicals so when the book starts with a body of a young woman being pulled out of the Thames... it definitely had my attention.

Amelie is a columnist for a Matchmaking Gazette and a hopeless romantic, when she's pulled into a case over a man she's been pining for, she seeks to prove the mans innocence. She's a little naive and hasn't been hardened by the world yet so it was nice to see her growth as she realizes the dangers and realities of what actually exists by helping in the case.

Michael is a great character, hardened by his job that killed his best friend and vows to never marry to save others the heartache of his loss. When he meets Amelie his rough edges and her enthusiasm and innocence clash but in the best of ways. And as they grow closer to finding the killer, they also grow closer in matters of the heart.

Like I said...mystery, romance and adventure all in one read, and I truly hope Amelies cousins also get their own stories as well. I feel like I saw some foreshadowing in there.

Romance, whodunit, Victorian era...I'm into ALL of these things. This was quick read, well written, and very entertaining. Who knew a murder mystery romance was what I needed in my life! I love when characters have quick and banter, and this book did NOT disappoint. I need to read more books by the author asap.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Victorian mystery / romance—the Scotland Yard Detective and a Woman of Independent Means!

I so enjoyed this! Amelie Hampton is a columnist for the Marriage Gazette, a respectable Lonely Hearts publication that introduces perspective couples. Amelie is keen to see how two people she’s put together might hit it off. So, against all the Gazette rules, she decides to observe their meeting. Imagine her surprise when the man turns out to be not the Mr. Dashing he’d presented himself as, but Mr. Radcliffe, the handsome widower who attended her book club, whose presence turns her knees to jelly and her thoughts to mush. When asked about this, Mr. Radcliffe gives Amelie a host of smooth and plausible answers to cover his subterfuge, at least to Amelie’s ears—but not for at least one of her cousins.
Detective Michael Baker notices the young woman standing outside the restaurant in the rain, for at least thirty minutes, spying on the couple. He’s here because he believes the solicitor, Harold Radcliffe may have killed his wife. He’s gathering proof. Intrigued, Michael follows Amelie to question her which turns into something not quite that simple.
After a rocky beginning Michael manages to persuade Amelie to take him to the next book club event to meet Radcliffe socially, as her guest. The book club features a host of interesting characters, including two rather risqué elderly sisters.
Somehow Michael finds himself deputising Amelie and her cousins. This is all rather hilarious as Detective Baker’s world is turned on it’s head—and much to her dismay so is Amelia’s. Amelie is absolutely committed to being a working woman, a Woman of Independent Means.
I love the depth of characterisation that Allen brings to her leads. Both Detective Baker and Amelie Hampton are well rounded, and as the plot progresses we learn so much more about them. They are alive and engaging. Similar growth happens with the secondary characters.
We watch Detective Baker’s relationship with his new partner, Detective Nathaniel Winston develop, the small moments of them becoming a team. Michael’s former partner had not only been his long time friend, but also his brother-in-law. He’d been killed in pursuit of criminal. Michael is still grieving. And now a new partner. This is a huge step! How to move forward and trust someone you don’t know. Allen really capture Michael’s hesitancy. Nathaniel slowly wins Michael’s appreciation—and he wins me!
Murder and nefarious doings lead to a highly charged last few chapters. Taut plot formation pushes the action along.
A rather unexpected Victorian romance mystery that well and truly delivered.

A Shadow Mountain ARC via NetGalley
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart is a suspenseful, engaging, historical romance. I had no idea what this book was about when I downloaded it. I knew I liked Nancy Campbell Allen writing style and wanted to read it right away. It turns out to be a murder mystery, but so much more. I love the Victorian era, when woman were a bit more independent. Amelie is one of those women. She is inadvertently pulled in to a murder investigation. Because of her love of books, she uses her fiction knowledge to get herself out of so precarious situations, and to help solve the mystery. Michael Baker is the detective in charge of the investigation. They can hardly stand to be in each others company, until they realize they can help each other. It is a slow build, but eventually there are many twists and turns. You find yourself gasping often and reading quickly to uncover the truth. There are some disturbing dialog and descriptions, in conjunction with the murder scenes, but nothing graphic. I would give Pg-13 rating. I am of the impression that there will be more books involving Amelie’s cousins. I’m looking forward to those stories.
I received a complimentary copy I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Book Review: 4.5 out 5 stars
I loved The Matchmaker's Lonely Heart by Nancy Campbell Allen. Set in Victorian England, this romantic suspense brings together humor, setting, and character in a way that creates a wonderful story. I felt transported to Victorian London and I especially enjoyed how the obsession with Egypt came into play at one of the homes in the novel. I loved Amelie Hampton! She's curious, romantic, and just sassy enough to make her endearing. The fact that she can't eat anything when she's around a man she finds attractive made me giggle. I loved Detective Michael Baker! His determination to protect the people of London and watch out for his family makes for an admirable hero. I also loved how Amelie encourages him to open his heart. This book reminded me of The Blue Orchid Society series by Jennifer Moore and I sure hope that this is only the first book in a series as it blended humor with just the right amount of intensity to keep me guessing and reading to the end.

*Thank you to the publisher and author for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I’ve read many of Nancy Campbell Allen’s books and this might be my favorite. I am a BIG fan of witty banter in a romance and these characters were bantering it up like champs. Great chemistry between the h/h and good supporting characters. Hoping their stories are coming up - I will certainly be watching for those!

A bit of a misnomer, the title may be misleading as to the genre of the story. I’m a big fan of Nancy Campbell Allen and I was expecting the novel to be all proper romance. However, The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart didn’t have much to do with matchmaking or loneliness other than a brief set up in the beginning and the protagonist’s supposed occupation. Readers would do well to note that this is a fun mystery whodunit caper where the protagonist (Amelie) unwittingly stumbles upon a mystery and tags along with the professionals trying to solve it. Amelie may just lose her heart in the process. Once I got over my presumptions as to how the novel should read, I enjoyed it immensely.

*3.5 stars

A really enjoyable book. The who-donnit aspect of the book didn't take itself too serious and reminded me a bit of something like Death in Paradise. However, I would like there to have multiple suspects and made it a little bit more complex mystery.

Good book that I would recommend to anyone who wants a light(ish) murder mystery with some added romance and feminism.

I love a good murder mystery! This one falls under the category of “we know who the murderer is, let’s figure out how they will put it all together and capture him,” which I don’t mind at all! It was fun trying to guess just how deep the crimes went and how they would get him in the end. I liked that Amelie and her cousins were not afraid to get involved and put their talents to good use. Each character had a very distinct personality, which I enjoyed! I wish the relationship between the main characters wasn’t quite so fast paced- I enjoyed the tension and banter and wanted more. That said, theirs is a truly sweet relationship and I loved the moments that brought them together! If reading about murder/a bit of gore makes you squeamish, maybe skip this one. It was a fun mystery to solve and left me wanting more- I hope we get to hear more from the other characters!

Thanks to the publisher for a copy, all opinions are my own.

I am amazed that this is the first book I have read by this author. It appears that she has written heaps and is very popular. Having just finished The Matchmaker's Lonely Heart I can understand why.

The book is set in Victorian London where Amelie Hampton is employed as a 'matchmaker' for the Marriage Gazette. This would be unusual for a young lady at that time but the paper is owned by Amelie's Aunt who is very much an independent woman. Amelie is a romantic with a good sense of humour and a lot of common sense. Sometimes these attributes war against each other but fortunately sense normally wins.

So the book is partly romance with a delightful situation developing between Amelie and a rather gruff policeman, Detective Michael Baker. There are also several murders and near misses even though the culprit is fairly obvious throughout. I enjoyed the humour between the two main characters and I was very happy with the conclusion. I look forward to the next book and in the meantime will also look up some other books by this same author.

I really enjoyed this book. It has everything mystery, intrigue, action, and romance. I look forward to reading more by this author. Well done

Amelie, columnist at The Marriage Gazette, prides herself on her matchmaking skills. But when Detective Michael sees her observing a date she's set up, she is drawn into quite a different world. Michael is convinced that Mr Radcliffe murdered his wife but so far has been unable to prove it. When he notices a woman watching the man, he suspects she may be involved and accosts and questions her. But Amelie is attracted to Mr Radcliffe herself and promptly thrusts herself into the detective's investigation with the aim of proving him innocent. Unfortunately, the more time she spends with Mr Radcliffe, the more she begins to doubt him - and the more time she spends with Michael, the more she begins to reconsider her thoughts about love...

To be honest, for the first third to half of this book, it really didn't grab me. I kept reading more because I'd agreed to review than because I cared much about what happened. Somewhere along the way, though, that changed. I actually started caring about the characters and the outcome (though it was hardly a mystery - it was obvious from very early on who was going to be responsible, it was more a problem of proving it and uncovering his background). Looking back, it feels like a few things either never got fully cleared up or didn't quite make sense to me, but overall I did enjoy the last half of the story and would be willing to try more by the author. For those who are interested, the writing is generally good and the content is clean.

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

Nancy Campbell Allen is definitely a favorite author. Whether it’s her steampunk fairytale romances, time travel romances, or her fabulous historical series, she delivers well crafted enjoyable stories in any genre. This new Victorian era romance set in England has all the great elements: a feisty humorous heroine, a dashing police detective, a suave evil villain, a compelling mystery, and a slow build swoon worthy romance that kept me reading late into the night.

Amelie writes a matchmaking column for her Aunt Sally’s society paper, The Marriage Gazette. She’s young, unmarried, and a bit naive when it comes to love and romance; yet, she has a successful track record of matching couples. Her latest project involves Mr. Harold Radcliffe, a handsome, charming widower who also happens to be a member of her book club. Even though his wife was recently found dead in the Thames River under suspicious circumstances, Amelie still finds him sympathetic and attractive.

Detective Michael Baker has assumed a lot of responsibility since he was a child and is not looking for a wife. He’s handsome, intelligent, and dedicated to helping his brother and sister. Finding Radcliffe’s dead wife shakes him, and he’s determined to prove his suspicions that Radcliffe killed her. When he finds Amelie spying on the suave widower and his date, he thinks he may have found Radcliffe’s accomplice. Instead, he finds a beautiful, spunky, determined woman who does have connections to Radcliffe that might just help him in his investigation. As the two work together, their attraction and admiration grows. However, when another person is murdered and Amelie’s doubts about Radcliffe increase, the smarmy widower begins taking a romantic interest in her, but what are his motives and can Michael keep the intrepid Amelie whom he’s developed feelings for safe?

I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters including the side characters. Amelie and Michael were a fabulous couple whose relationship was built on mutual admiration and respect. Their banter and interactions always left me anticipating the next chapter. The villain was especially delicious and one you love to hate. The two enjoyable main characters are assisted by several delightful minor characters. There’s Amelie’s bluestocking Aunt Sally, her lovely cousins, Michael’s fellow detective and partner Nicholas, and a likable street urchin named Sammy. These engaging characters add to the charm of the story. I’m excited to see these characters’ stories developed further as the series hopefully continues.

All in all, this was a fantastic read that completely hooked me from the beginning. With rich characters, an intriguing mystery, a sweet romance, and plenty of twists and turns, this compelling story was thoroughly satisfying. Highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical mystery romances. I gave this 4 1/2 stars. I received an arc from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review.

Before the days of Tinder and Bumble and whatever other dating apps there are nowadays (I’ve lost count), people had to meet their partners in-person or be match-made with the help of friends and family. Admittedly, I’m only 22 and therefore born into the generation of people who use online dating apps as their main source of meeting new people, but I was lucky enough to meet my partner in person. But I’ve also known others who met their partners through dating apps and there are members of my family who met their partners through mutual friends.

Despite being a highly successful matchmaker, Amelie Hampton has yet to be blessed by Cupid himself. Instead, her efforts are focused on helping her clients find their own one true love. But when Amelie is recruited by the police to help in solving a gruesome murder, things seem to be turning around for her love life. That is, if she can keep her feelings straight for her new “boss”, Michael Baker.

The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart is sickeningly sweet; Nancy Campbell Allen managed to marry (heh, get it?) romance and mystery into a lighthearted and easy read for anyone who likes their fluff with a little bit of teeth to it.

It would be easy to fall into certain romance tropes with the setting that the novel is in: toxic relationships, damsels in distress, overbearing men, but Allen manages to avoid these tropes while weaving in others that turn this love story into something a lot more wholesome and modern. Amelie is never really shamed for her job or her lack of experience in dealing with crime (past the times , she never once loses her independence even as she begins to fall in love. She has her own ways of solving her problems, even if her methods are unorthodox by the police’s standards.

The title is a bit of a misnomer—although that is not really something that I consider a flaw—I don’t particularly feel that it is Amelie who is lonely, but rather her counterpart, Michael. I also do wish that considering Amelie’s job is featured rather prominently in the title that we explore her job a little more, I did find her interactions with her clients rather amusing, but once the murder happens, we moved away from her job rather quickly in order to focus on Michael’s.

Nevertheless, Amelie and Michael’s relationship had me smiling over the two days that it took me to finish this book and I genuinely squealed when they managed to get their shit together and confess their feelings for each other. I really do recommend this book for anyone who needs something light on their TBR as we go into the colder seasons.

This was a wonderful read with an interesting plot. I really enjoyed the flow the author has with her writing and the way she can weave a story. It was fun to follow the characters as they tried their hardest to catch a killer.

The one thing that threw me slightly, was the way the characters meshed. At times they didn't seem to work well together and they seemed awkward. I couldn't tell what the main character, Amelie's character really was. Was she a a naive young woman jumping at every opportunity for adventure because she didn't know better, or was she a sassy strong woman who knew exactly what she was doing? I wasn't quite sure.

Either way, where the characters failed to excite, the plot picked up to fill the space. I really enjoyed reading this book and hope to read something more by this author.

My review will be live on my blog Book Confessions on 9-11-21.

This book was so entertaining! Amelie is so naïve, but in this book it is endearing and funny. I loved her optimism and determination.

My favorite parts of the book were her interactions with Detective Michael Baker. The banter was spot on, and their adventures were so hilarious. I do think that they stretched propriety just a bit for the time period, but I'm not complaining!!

The mystery element was fairly predictable, but I didn't mind because I felt like the whole point was the character development of both Amelie and Michael.

If I had a complaint, it's just that sometimes the character growth seemed a bit too sudden. Otherwise, I found myself struggling to put this book down!

Thanks to Shadow Mountain, NetGalley, and the author for the chance to read this book early in exchange for my honest opinions!

Will their partial view of the suspect keep them apart …

I discovered the author last year with one of her steampunk release, and I swore it would not be my last read.
I am bad at following all the authors I like, too many to keep track. So when I saw this one advertised, I definitely marked it on my schedule.

I thought Amelie a hopeless romantic, whom she is, so much it biases her view of people and blinds her to a cad hidden under a gentleman’s suit. But my opinion of her was altered as I knew instead of her who the villain was. So I had to adapt to her pace as she slowly acknowledges even if it is unwillingly at first that things are not all rosy and grasps one step at a time that the man of her dreams is no hero.
All the while realizing, she had during this time of revelation walked along with an other fellow more worthy of her affections.
She is no amazon, yet her analytical mind is an asset as she with ease synthesizes and pieces together the clues and informations they had dug to woven the tale behind the villain’s deeds.

Michael through his upbringing and occupation is more circumspect and jaded about people and their motivations. Wounded by life’s unfairness, he is much determined to never fall prey to this fickle and impeding sentiment love is. Yet no one is master of its heart. So what began as an investigation for murder with the usual first suspect as the spouse’s victim, turns quickly into something more when he begins to react more strongly than his should to his newly appointed accomplice. A young Miss who awakens feelings he wants to deny himself.

I enjoyed watching them fall for one another, it is no hurried realization, they slowly dig their way into one another’s heart. They do not fight it and once acknowledged, they accept their sentiments whatever were their initial feelings about love and its cost.

I do hope to see more of them again in the future with their friends and relations.
5 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 kisses

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher Shadow Mountain Publishing, here is my true and unbiased opinion.