This was a cute enemies to frenemies to lovers story. I loved the banter between the two characters and you could easily pick up on the building chemistry between them. It almost made me feel like where I was at with my own husband at one point in time, so it was somewhat nostalgic for me. There is a history from the first book that carries into this story. You can definitely read it as stand alone, I did, but you would know more and understand some of the interactions better if you read the first book.

Meredith is a very successful matchmaker with her own tv show, trying to secure a syndication deal. During a guest appearance on a morning talk show, she is asked about her own romantic relationship and in a moment of panic she takes Derricks name and paparazzi lands at his doorstep.
Derrick is trying to understand what’s happening and why the paparazzi is saying he is engaged to a woman he met just once when Meredith actually shows up at his cabin in Blue Hill, Maine, with an apology, a pot roast, and a proposal—play along until she secures her TV deal, and she’ll help him win back his ex.
It’s a simple plan till feelings make it complicated.
This is a light hearted rom-com with some funny characters and hilarious banter. This is a well written book with some fun characters, primary and secondary. Some of the scenes were laugh out loud funny, especially during the baby shower games. Overall a fun read.

I have been provided with a review copy of The Matchmaker Bride from NetGalley for an impartial review. This is the second book in the Blue Hill Brides series and I just loved getting to reenter this world. I was just drawn into this wonderful story and I just couldn’t get enough of it. It was just so easy to get lost in this great story. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

I did enjoy this story a lot.
Pretend relationship.
Meredith and Derrick are great.
True love always win.

Can this become a movie! Ratings:5/5

I enjoyed this book so much more than book 1. ( but gave both a 5 because they are amazing in there own way.)

I like how in the matchmakers bride there
is complete honesty from the start with the family.

I did read the duplicate bride and I know the reason why they couldn't tell the truth but this book is such a breath of fresh air with the truth.

I love Meredith and Derrick. I knew their was going to be a story for them after that car incident in book and I'm happy this book was made.

I love that Derrick was a boatbuilder and like building things too.

I'm happy that Meredith help Derrick with his ex because it gave them a fresh air and a good way to start a relationship and not holding in to the past.
I love seeing characters from the other books and also getting to know more about Derrick and his family.

Beautiful job.

I loved the first book in this series. There was a lot of tension, and heart break, and the usual stuff that comes with romances.

But this second book in the series, I was just treading water, waiting for the two crazy kids to realize they loved each other.

There was too much stuff in the middle, with the whole dang family, and party games, and bloody maries, and I just wanted to the story to progress.

While I thought it was very cleaver, of the author, to reuse the family, I didn't think we needed to see very single one of them, and hear what every single one of them had to say.

Usually when a book is part of a series, but is a standalone, it isn't necessary to read the first book in the series. And I did read the first book in this series, although over a year ago, and I vaguely remembered some of the characters, but after all of them had appeared, I just thought, what is this, War and Peace? Do we really need all these people?

Having said all this, that author has fun with people having passion they have to hold in, and there is a lot of that bubbling below the surface.

But at no time did I cry, for the lost loves, which is the mark of a good love story even a good ron-com.


<em>Thanks to netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

Harlequin Junkie Top Pick!

The Matchmaker Bride by Ginny Baird is the second book in her Blue Hill Brides series. This was a really fun enemies to lovers/fake engagement story. I fell for this storyline from the beginning and laughed and loved along til the end. The characters are great. Meredith and Derrick are a fun couple. One of the best scenes in the story was the family baby shower and the games they played. One game was a timed diaper change of baby dolls with peanut butter smeared throughout the diaper area. The pair who changed the doll's diaper after cleaning up the mess won. The way Derrick accomplished the task was really funny. This is an entertaining series and I'm sure the next book will be as fun to read as this one was.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was sweet and funny. It held my interest and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

What happens when the matchmaker specialist set out to make a match for herself? You need to read The Matchmaker Bride by Ginny Baird to know the details. It was a adorable rom com with some dramatic emotions. Small town romance sweetness combined with enemies to lovers sharpness in this story.

Meredith is a very successful matchmaker with her own local tv show but she wants to take it to next level. Syndication. Streaming services. But when a famous talk show host corners her for lack of her own love life, she blurts out the description of Derrick Albright. The grumpy boatmaker in Maine who had an issue with her in a wedding...Now she has to convince him to play fake fiance and in turn she promised him to get him back together with his ex wife Olivia. But does Derrick want Olivia?

The story started pretty well and I was excited to see how this zing between Derrick and Meredith goes. She has come to Blue Hill and she is stuck with him in his cabin. The possibilities were endless and I was enjoying the simmering slow burn. But then came families. Don't get me wrong. I love big families. The Albrights are a large bunch and I found spending lots of time with them rather than exploring their complex dynamic. Then came Olivia and everything became muddled. Meredith is such a strong and bright and loving woman. And Derrick is a real gentleman. He has a sexy side, a charming side, a witty side and a caring side. They spent a lot of time convincing themselves that Derrick wants to go back to Olivia and ignoring their feels. A lot of unnecessary complications and they were dragging the story down. It slowed the pace a bit. That ending was all about grand gesture and I was happy with it!

If you are looking for a light hearted rom com, The Matchmaker Bride by Ginny Baird is worth trying.

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily received through Netgalley and Entangled Publishing

An amazing, fast-paced read. The banter and chemistry between Meredith and Derrick throughout the story was extremely fun to dive into. The characters were enjoyable and cute. "The Matchmaker Bride" was the kind of light-hearted book I needed to read this summer.

This book was a good palate cleanser. It's also a slow burn. As well as a standalone but they reference events that happened in the first book that might leave you a little confused about why some characters feel a bit wary of the plan.

Meredith Galanes is a successful Bostin matchmaker and tv personality. While appearing on a morning talk show she is asked about her love life. Embarrassed to admit she's single and wanting to secure a deal with her broadcast bosses she says she's involved with a very special man. When she's pushed she tries to stay vague and admits he's a boatbuilder from Maine.

Before she knows it, the press is saying she's engaged. And the assumed fiance is tracked down.

When Derrick Albright opens his front door he is not prepared for the onslaught of the press or the news that he's engaged to Meredith. A woman who drove him crazy last summer during his brother's wedding preparations. Meredith arrives on his doorstep with an apology, a pot roast and a proposition. Play along while she awaits to secure her TV deal and she'll help him win his ex back.

He's giving her ten days to get the ball rolling is the first challenge, the second, her growing attraction to the handsome boatbuilder.

Thanks so much to Entangled, the author and NetGalley for this ARC to review.

The Matchmaker Bride by Ginny Baird is the second book in her Blue Hill Brides series. A fast-paced enemy to lovers/fake engagement story that is sure to send you on a roller coaster of emotions. The characters are well-written with undeniable chemistry. This is an entertaining series, and I'm sure the next book will be as fun to read as this one was.

This is the perfect book to be made into a Hallmark movie. It has everything you would want in a sweet romance. The way the story was written, I was rooting for Meredith and Derrick from the very begin.

You did not have to read the first one to know what was going on in this book, but I sure wish I had. I felt like I missed the beginning of Meredith and Derrick's relationship - when they met and how they started off with some misunderstandings. I really enjoyed that this was not insta-love. I also liked that it was a sweet love story with no steamy scenes.

This ended the way you want your romance book to end - happy and lead into the next book. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

This story reminds me of The Wedding Planner starring Jenifer Lopez — I loved it.

Meredith has found herself in a tight situation when she was asked if she was dating someone on a TV show. Being a matchmaker and businesswoman she doesn't find it hard to lie Now she heads to Maine to convince the one man that can’t stand her that they are ‘dating’.

The book has the perfect angst and chemistry and I highly recommend it.

I received an arc of this book, and this is my honest opinion.

This story is a downright blast. It is funny and witty. Meredith is a matchmaker who finds herself needing a match. Improvising on the fly is not her strong suit. Derrick is boatbuilder who suddenly finds himself in the spotlight. These are two characters who have been more enemies than friends and now they have to form an alliance. There are many opportunities to laugh out loud as well as to have your ovaries wiggle at the sweet and endearing moments throughout the book. If you have read the previous story in the series you will once again be delighted by the family of characters and all the crazy antics they can get up to. It is another fun happy ending in the Albright family.

At 40% I am done and gone. DNF

A woman shows up with a pot roast to engender happiness (why did I feel like this was a Mrs. Maisel episode from the first season?)

At about the 20% mark, a Gertrude Stein quote reverberated in my head: there's no there there. Nothing of substance happened in the 40% of The Matchmaker Bride that I read. I didn't laugh. I didn't care about the characters--oh, not quite true. I did care that the main character seemed like an idiot. Why does a woman only pack heels for a trip to coastal rural Maine? It's not like she wasn't there before and didn't know the landscape...so, why? Ah, vanity.

And, that leads to the next point. This book is by no means a standalone. Perhaps I would have appreciated it more, may have even joined in on some inside chuckles if I'd read the previous book, and may have understood what a lot of the allusions to past events were about. So, no, definitely not a standalone.

There's lots of aka too much dialogue that takes the plot nowhere.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ah what a sweet sweet book this was.
I'm so sad it's over. Ms.Baird really tells an amazing hilarious and heart melting story with characters you're so to love as well.
So if you're looking for a sweet summer read to curl up to this is your book.

Meredith Galanes has a problem. As a renowned matchmaker and tv personality she has successfully paired up many couples. Her successful tv show showcases her matches, proving she has the magic touch when it comes to setting couples up. This isn't Meredith's problem, though. Her problem stems from her inability to successfully match herself. Her love life has been nothing but one disastrous date after another. While trying to secure a syndication deal for her tv show, Meredith appears on a talk show and their main question involves her love life. She can't go in front of the entire viewing audience and admit that, while she can pair other couples up, her attempts at romance are epic failures. What's a little white lie in front of the camera?! Meredith has no idea that her little white lie would be escalated to the point that her new, fake boyfriend would be hunted down by the press.

Derrick Albright is a boatbuilder in Maine. He lives a quiet, laidback life. That all changes when reporters come knocking on his door wanting him to comment on his relationship and engagement to Meredith Galanes, matchmaker extraordinaire. There has to some mistake. Derrick has only met Meredith once and spent a lot of time trying to avoid her. Now, she's on his doorstep trying to explain away the reporters all while trying to butter him up with a homecooked meal, a proposal, and a guarantee she can find Derrick's ex and get them back together. First, they have to learn to get along or the entire plan will go up in smoke right along with Meredith's successful matchmaking empire.

Meredith and Derrick are an amazing couple of characters in The Matchmaker Bride. They were constantly bickering, in total denial of any feelings and chemistry, yet tried to convince the world they are perfect for one another. Their dance was one filled with missed opportunities, longing glances, cute moments, and miscommunications. All things that helped make this enemies-to-lovers/fake engagement romance novel hard to put down.

I was engaged in their story from the very beginning and devoured the book. I enjoyed this contemporary romance. The author's writing style is smooth and conversational. The characters have depth and development. The setting was written well, and I was able to visualize the story as I read along. While this series is listed as each story being a standalone, I highly recommend you read the books in order so you understand what happened in book one between Meredith and Derrick. The author does a great job bringing in all the details from The Duplicate Bride into The Matchmaker Bride, I found myself searching for Meredith and Derrick's interactions in The Duplicate Bride as a refresher.

Firstly a huge thanks to Riki from Entangled Publishing for reaching out and ensuring that I don’t miss out on this delightful rom-com

The Matchmaker Bride is my second Ginny Baird book and I am absolutely now obsessed with her books. The book follows Successful Boston matchmaker and television personality Meredith Galane. Meredith finds herself in a pickle when she is asked if she is dating someone on a TV show being a matchmaker and all and she finds herself blurting out a lie in the form of the delectable( Derrick Albright) boat builder in Maine. She ends up heading to Maine to convince the one man that can’t stand her that they are ‘dating’ and offers a nicely packaged offer to convince him that I won’t talk about because I am not going to spoil it for you. The book has the perfect angst and chemistry and I highly recommed it for the romance

4/5⭐
The Matchmaker Bride is a Contemporary YA Rom-com in the Blue Hills Bride series by Ginny Baird following The Duplicate Bride, which I'm yet to read as the books in this series are STAND-ALONES and from the little snippets of Hope & Brent I read in the Matchmaker Bride, I'm excited to read about them!!
Successful Boston matchmaker and television personality Meredith Galanes’s reputation is on the line. During a guest appearance on a morning talk show, she’s broadsided by questions about her own romantic attachments, just as she’s trying to secure a syndication deal. Afraid to admit her love life is a total disaster, Meredith blurts out that she’s seriously involved with a very special man—a boatbuilder in Maine. She never expects that small slip to get spun into a story about her supposed engagement. Or that the paparazzi will track the guy down…
Derrick Albright is laid-back about many things. Being hounded by the press about some imaginary engagement to a woman he’s only met once—and couldn’t stand—isn’t one of them. Then Meredith actually shows up at his cabin in Blue Hill, Maine, with an apology, a pot roast, and a proposal—play along until she secures her TV deal, and she’ll help him win back his ex.
It’s a simple plan, but if they have any chance of pulling
it off, they’ll have to survive each other first...
I won't say this is an typical Enemies to Lovers where the characters are at each others throats, they are just a little annoyed that they're attracted to eachother & think that the other doesn't return the feeling. I loved the banter throughout the book so much & I was laughing so hard at some scenes, especially the games during baby shower! I would recommend it, if you are looking for a funny, Light-Hearted quick read.