Meredith Galanes is a television matchmaker whose inability to find a match in her own love life might just cost her those syndication dreams. A little white lie about a boyfriend in Blue Hill, Maine sends the media to Derrick Albright's door. Derrick agrees to play along, only because Meredith has promised to reconnect him with his with ex-wife, Olivia. But his perfect match might not be Olivia...

Baird has a delightful way of taking a ridiculous premise and turning it into a very enjoyable romance. Meredith and Derrick really did feel like a perfect match. I'd say that the length of this book was also a perfect match for me, after some rather exhausting novels. I was quite amused by Meredith's aunt and the baby shower games - what a lot of fun. And how can one not love the Albrights? The Duplicate Bride is still my favourite book of the series, but I did enjoy this.

Overall, this is a cute story with likable characters. It was fun to see the family from book 1 again and to meet some new family. Unfortunately, this one didn't quite carry the same tension and anticipation as the first book. The lack of communication was more frustrating than anything else. But with that said, I still want to be adopted by the Albright family and live in their waterfront Maine mansion.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this title.

The Matchmaker Bride by Ginny Baird a three-star read that may be worth a second chance. This was number two in the Blue Hill Bride series, and they are supposed to be able to be read as stand-alone, but I felt lots for chunks of this story, it was clear that Meredith and Derrick had history, and maybe if I had known more about that I would have enjoyed this one, but honestly, I struggled to read it most of the time. It almost felt like I as missing part of a private joke, I didn’t feel like I knew the secondary characters enough to care about them. I may pick up the first story and then do a re-read of this one, after I have read something else by this author as I hate feeling like I have left a story not fully finished, I only hope that I enjoy the story as I have heard such good things from this author. If you like to get deep and under the skin of characters like I do I would advise reading The Duplicate Bride first, if you just like light and don’t care about the secondary characters then try reading this one first.

4.5☆
Cute and fun

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: Blue Hill Brides
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue

I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

I liked the characters. I liked that there was no insta-love. I liked that the characters took time to understand each other, talk to each other and generally get along with each other.

I haven't read the first book in the series, so I was at a loss a couple of times in the beginning of the book. I took a minute to read the synopsis of the first one and then, it was golden. So, do that if you are reading this first.

I received a free book from NetGalley. This doesn't impact my opinion in any way.

The Matchmaker Bride is a delight to read. This fun and flirty story has a fake relationship, lots of family, and perhaps the start of a second chance...if the matchmaker can get her targets and her own longing to cooperate. Ginny Baird’s characters always have such depth and goodness that it’s hard not to fall in love while reading her books. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.

The Matchmaker Bride was my first book by this author and was exactly what I needed. It was sweet, romantic, and just a fun/easy read.

I would definitely read more from this author and recommend this book to readers.

I received a copy of The Matchmaker Bride by Ginny Baird from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel was okay, but I was not captivated and felt no connection to the characters or the plot. The summary seemed interesting, but the novel’s pacing was uneven and the characters were kind of bland. Just not my cup of tea.

A beautiful love story of a couple falling in love when they least expect it. I t was funny and had great dialogue great charcters I enjoyed both of their families a great summer read.

Opposites attract in this new fake dating romance by Ginny Baird. The second book in the Blue Hill Brides series, The Matchmaker Bride is filled with miscommunication, hidden feelings, longing, angst, and some laugh-out-loud antics.

The characters in this story are great. Meredith is a smart, positive, and ambitious woman who has a gift for matchmaking. Derrick is a gifted boat-builder and instructor. Though they are very different and they seem to contradict each other, they actually have a lot in common. They are both kind and thoughtful, and they are both close with their families. They also both hide their growing feelings for each other.

It’s interesting to see this pair slowly realize the depth of their feelings. Because of something she said on live television, Meredith must convince Derrick to pretend to be her fiancée. In return, Meredith will help Derrick reunite with his ex-wife. Neither is honest about their feelings and what they really want, which adds a lot of angst to the story. Meredith is sure that Derrick wants his beautiful ex-wife back, and Derrick knows that Meredith doesn’t want him. How wrong they are!! Whether they are bickering, joking with each other, or working in harmony together, their chemistry is fantastic.

The secondary characters, especially Derrick’s family and Meredith’s aunt, are fabulous. Meredith’s aunt is funny and very insightful. I love her vivacious personality and how supportive she is of her niece. Much like Meredith’s family, Derrick’s family is so close and loving. You can tell that they’re very involved in each other’s lives and that they spend a lot of time together. They support each other through the ups and downs of life, and their loyalty shines through. Plus, they’re so fun! Some of the shenanigans they get up to in this book are fantastic, especially when they are at the baby shower.

This is a light and charming contemporary rom-com with fun characters and a lovely romance. Though it’s the second book in the series, you don’t have to read the first book to read this one. However, many characters from the first book, including Meredith and Derrick, have roles in this book. The Matchmaker Bride takes place about a year after The Duplicate Bride, and it’s great to see how the characters’ lives have progressed throughout this time. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Ginny Baird, and Entangled: Amara for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

This book is adorable - a mix between enemies-to-lovers and fake dating combine into a sweet novel about finding your true love when you least expect it. The story follows Meredith and Derrick, two people who met the year before under (apparently) less than ideal circumstances and are now being brought back together once again due to a misunderstanding Meredith created. The story is straightforward, all of the characters have a lot of heart, and there really isn't anyone that stands out as being truly awful (save for maybe the original morning talk show host). This book is able to be read as a standalone in a universe with a book previously written by Baird, and while I don't feel there was anything I truly didn't understand having not read the other book, there was definitely a plot point that was alluded to frequently but never explained that clearly came from the previous book. As long as you are willing to overlook the lack of explanation on something relatively minor, this is a nice, lighthearted contemporary read.

I enjoyed this book and I will now pick up the other book in this world so I can see these characters from another perspective & fill in some gaps. There wasn't anything too emotionally jarring or unpredictable, so this made for a nice easy read with a happy ending.