This was a delightful fake dating to real love romance, complete with mystery. I was happy to read this book.

I am always looking for a good, clean period mystery that keeps me on the edge of my seat and is not over the top gory and this book fit the bill and was an utter delight, I loved all of the characters and I loved how the romance progressed, it was incredible, I am becoming a huge fan of this author and cannot wait for the NeXT book in the series!

I loved this even more than the first one! The characters were so much fun. The whole Winston family, from Nathan, to his sisters, to his mother, I loved them all. Evie, was such a likable character, feminine and strong at the same time. The story was sweet and entertaining, moreover, the ending was a surprise. I was not expecting that. I’m looking forward to Charlotte’s story.

I may have liked this second book of the Matchmaker's series more than the first! Eva and Nathan are two vibrant personalities that suit well. This time we are spending time with Nathan's wealthy family at their famous annual house party, but danger is never far for a talented inspector.

I love the support of each other's work, the fake dating they both want to be real, and their truly kind (and brave) hearts. Fans of Miss Scarlet and the Duke and Sarah M. Eden's Dread Penny suspense series will enjoy this fast paced story.

2nd book in a series. Victorian Era. First off, the book art is perfect for the series and era. Fun and light romance. No spice. The pacing of the boom is just right. Light read for a moment to step away.

A delightful read from beginning to end.

Photographer Eva Caldwell and detective Nathan Winston are both respected professionals who hold one another in high regard, content in their lives but longing for more than friendship. Nathan's mother throws a weeklong party for singles, with matchmaking in mind and in order to avoid his mother's schemes he asks Eva to attend as his love interest to prevent his mother from attempting to make him a match. Eva agrees to the arrangement but it also makes the feat of making known their true feelings for each other more difficult. When strange things start happening at the party the must work together to figure out what is going on before someone gets hurt.

Just like its predecessor before it this charming Victorian mystery was engaging form the start with winning protagonists and a riveting plot. I loved that this book brings back many familiar faces, including the main characters who were a part of the previous book as well, though this book could also be read as a stand alone. Great character development and interaction, I loved how the speech and mannerisms felt authentic to the time period and really added to the story. I also really liked how Eva employs Sam as her assistant, he is such charming young man, eager to learn more and be helpful.

Overall, this was such a fun read, engaging from beginning to end. I liked that Nathan is such gentleman, and is protective of Eva in the most gallant ways throughout. He is thoughtful and really admires her work. A wonderful escape of a read, clean in content with a great plot. Definitely recommend!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Eva has built up a small and successful photography business and recently began to work with the local constabulary to photograph crime scenes. A friend through work, Nathan, requests that she come to his mother's house party as photographer with a side of fake courtship. He needs the ladies, mostly his mother, off his scent. It doesn't hurt that he's held a tendre for Eva and maybe can use it as a means to get closer to her.
The mystery aspect of the book wasn't surprising in its conclusion but I look to Nancy for her ability to write a sweet and thoughtful romance. I love a "he fell first" and Nathan's interest in Eva is delightfully expressed through the prose. This can easily be read as a standalone but I recommend reading anything Nancy writes, especially to those who love a believable historical romance without on page intimacy.
Thank you to Shadow Mountain and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

This is the 2nd book in the series and has my favorite romantic trope, the fake engagement. I enjoyed the book. The characters are great. The mystery is good. I appreciate the ARC I received from NetGalley.

What an enjoyable Victorian mystery! To Capture His Heart is book two in the Matchmakers series, following The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart. If you read book one, you will already know the two main characters in this story, Eva and Nathan. However, this book can also be read on its own, too, although the previous events in book one are referenced a few times in this novel.

I loved the gentleness and respect in this story between Eva and Nathan. They both greatly admire each other, yet are hesitant to put their hearts on the line when the novel begins, as they do not want to jeopardize their friendship. But I love watching as their playacting at courting becomes the real thing. The flirting and care that Nathan shows Eva begins to move him to be honest about his affections. So sweet!

I ended up listening to the audio version of this story and thought the narrator did a great job, too.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I loved the first book The Matchmaker's Lonely Heart and was really excited to learn there would be another book. I love the Victorian era and how women had a little more freedom to have jobs, which Eva has. She's a photographer but also photographs crime scenes for local police which I found interesting. She enters into a fake relationship with Detective Nathan Winston so he can avoid all the young ladies his mother has lined up for him at her house party.

This was such a fun read with a mystery to solve and all the people at the house party to investigate. Nathan and Eva are perfect for each other and I found all the information about photography in the Victorian era very interesting. I really hope the author plans to write another book in this Matchmakers series.

I received a complimentary copy from Shadow Mountain via NetGalley, but also purchased a physical copy for my personal library. All thoughts expressed in this review are my own.

I just love this series, and this is Matchmakers #2.
You can't go wrong with the combination of historical mystery and romantic suspense.
Having worked professionally with Nathan Winston who is a detective, Eva Caldwell has worked with him and the constable documenting crime scenes with her photography.
When his mother decides to have a weeklong dinner party and matchmaking session, she needs a photographer and he knows just who to get for the job, if she'll agree to it. Yes, you guessed it, Eva. It'll be easy he says, she just has to pretend he is courting her so the matchmaking ladies at the event won't look his way because he'll be "taken."
And for Eva when the pretend courting starts to feel all too real, well is she really to blame when he has the most charming personality and is so handsome?
When danger from Nathan's past creeps up he and Eva have to be extra vigilant to keep themselves and the other guests safe all the while solving a mystery and perhaps falling in love.
I love how the author weaves intriguing mystery and history with a well told and fast paced story.

Pub Date 12 Oct 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

A quick-thinking reply lands Nathan and Eva in a fake relationship for a Victorian house party. There is a mutual attraction from both parties, and as they occasionally work together (he as a detective and she as a photographer), this match seems to be natural and easy.

Mysterious happenings occur and with a wide cast of probable culprits, this duo is determined to solve it. I loved all the characters, from Eva's matter-of-fact and capable personality to Nathan's charming, smart self, and the house full of friend, strangers, and servants.

Nancy Campbell Allen creates a highly entertaining tale with believable characters and a convincing, swoony romance. I couldn't get enough of this story!

Content: mild moments of peril/danger; mild romance

*I received a complimentary copy through Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*

I loved everythign about this, the two leads, the part of the series, the house party undercover and the mom and other characters, I want to go back and read the firs t in the series to

I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did, just couldn't get into it. I think this has more to do with the fact that I haven't been enjoying historical fiction as much recently, than the book itself.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for the opportunity to preview this ARC.

I read and reviewed the previous book in the series and had lukewarm reactions towards it. I decided to take a chance on the second without actually checking to see what this one was about. I am glad I took that plunge because this series jumps onto the next woman introduced in the original trio and only mentions the previous couple in fleeting terms.
In the first book, three women, cousins, were the focal point from which the story begins. Each of the three women had uncommon interests for women at the time and therefore kept to themselves.
Eva, the central protagonist of this story, is a photographer. She is trying to get her business off the ground and keeps running into the detective she met in the first installment. He has talked himself into a corner with his wealthy family and now needs a pretend love interest (or so he convinces himself). Eva is now a guest at a long party, as well as the official photographer of said party.
There is an undercurrent of unease as there is a convict who has it in for Nathan (our male protagonist) and has sent threats against people that Nathan cares for.
The people are more engaging in this one, and although it may seem odd, it will not be wrong to begin with this story. Reading the previous one will give a better picture of the world these women lived in, but here the people felt more interesting, and I was invested in the ultimate outcome of it all.
I would recommend this to people who like clean historical romances. It is a quick read and has some excitement almost throughout the book. I am looking forward to the next in the series.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I’ve been really enjoyed romance fiction and To Capture His Heart ticked all the boxes. Will read again.

A mystery that keeps you on your toes. Loved the first half in particular, probably because the romance was more subtle and the mystery had more clues. Towards the end things speed up a lot and there's not as much for the reader to figure out. A solid clean proper romance.

Nancy Campbell Allen never fails to give readers what they want. This delightful romance brought back all my favorite characters from The Matchmaker's Lonely Heart, yet gave me all the Eva and Nathan I could handle. I love how Allen incorporates mystery with falling in love.

Nathan and Eva made my heart pitter-patter throughout the entire house party. They also made me want to take a vacation to the seaside to explore caves and wade with my feet in the shallows.

Though, I do have to say that Sammy steals the show. I love that little boy and his witty attitude. He is a good nugget through and through.

I award To Capture His Heart a full 5 out of 5 stars.

We met Eva and Nathan in book one of the matchmakers series. He is a detective and she is a photographer who sometimes photographs crime scenes. When his mother wants him to attend her annual house party full of eligible young ladies, Nathan panics and claims he is already interested in someone so there is no need to meet her guests. When his mother asks about the woman he likes he tells her she is a photographer. Since there is no other female photographer in London, his mother knows instantly who he is talking about and has him invite Eva and hires her to photograph the party. They make an agreement to act interested in each other to save Nathan from his mother's matchmaking. The story is slow moving and mellow even with an escaped kidnapper out to get his revenge on Nathan. The party moves along, there's a couple of "Mean Ladies," to hate, parlour games to play, and sabotage to the camera equipment, while Eva and Nathan quickly fall in love. This is a zero steam romance.

Thanks to Nancy Allen Campbell and Shadow Mountain Publishing for an e-arc of To Capture His Heart

I’m a sucker for historical romance and this book was no different. I love that the main women of this series are seeking independent lives and even have their own jobs as it is the turn of the century. Eva, who this book is centered on, is a photographer who occasionally moonlights for the police department for crime scene photos. Nathan, a detective, just so happens to be one of the detectives she works with often and met the previous year when her cousin was working with Nathan's partner.

Nathan and Eva have been dancing around their feelings for a year, but when Nathan’s mother is hosting her yearly fundraising event, he is concerned his mother is plotting in hopes he might marry. Nathan blurts out he is interested in someone and his mother insists on hiring her as the photographer and inviting her to the event. So begins Nathan and Eva’s “fake” courting.

Meanwhile a criminal from one of Nathan’s past cases has resurfaced. Nathan and Eva work together to solve the mystery at hand, while dealing with snooty ladies of the upper class, and also dancing around their true feelings for one another.

If you enjoy historical fiction romances I recommend you pick this up. Also I would recommend this romance to anyone since it is a clean romance with no sex, since I know not everyone wants that in their books. This is book 2 in the series, but you could easily read this as a standalone as well.