“Joanna Porter loved love”
“There it was … her sarcasm. It made his heart beat faster”
“You are a spitfire, Joanna Porter”
Wow, wow, wow, this book was AMAZING !!!!!
A young matchmaker trying to do everything in her power to make her friend happy even if it involves matching her new client to someone else … while slowly falling for him.
A Duke who’s grumpy, close minded and determined on getting a proper wife but strangely feels attracted to this young woman who is everything but proper!!!
The romance, the plot, the scenes, the banter and the spice were great !!
I honestly couldn’t put it down !!!!
The strange dynamic, developing between the two main characters, is definitely what draw me closer to the book and I couldn’t be happier!!!
Jo is a badass and honestly everything she does is amazing but Matthew … wow that man … he can make you feel like puddle with just a couple of words … the RIGHT words !!!!
I’m so happy I had the chance to read this book and thank you to everyone who made this possible!!!
“Do you want me to love her? Do you want my heart to ache and my palms to sweat and my body to grow hard whenever I think of her?”
“Let go, Jo, love. Feel it. You’re so beautiful. So sweet”

A Regency romance with a little bodice ripping and an easy to love heroine!

Joanna Porter is a spinster as a single woman working for money as the ton's Matchmaker. Finding a match for her newest client, The Duke of Crestmont (Matthew), would solidify her status as a premier matchmaker. She loves love and finds joy in helping others find it, but has given up on it for herself. The Duke has a vendetta against love and expects Joanna to find him "the perfect Duchess" and has made it clear that his match won't be for love, but instead to fulfill his societal obligation.

This was a fun historical romance and Joanna was by far my favorite character. She's strong and witty and refuses to let anyone (let alone a man) talk over her. She has a huge heart and is willing to sacrifice her happiness for those she loves. Matthew starts out as a rigid, self serving man but as the story progresses and the layers unravel we see more from him. My only qualm was the time it took for them to come around to the idea of each other. I would've liked to see it a little sooner, but alas, I still loved the book.

The language is period accurate and I love the modern day touches thrown in. Overall, this was a great Regency read with spice!

Spinster matchmaker, Joanna Porter loved 'love.' Even though she thought herself too old to be considered a potential bride for anyone, she still dedicated herself to arranging love matches for all her clients. So when her latest client Matthew Leighton, the Duke of Crestmont announces that he doesn't believe in love and only aims to find an amiable woman with flawless pedigree who would make the perfect duchess, Jo vows to prove him wrong. But the more they meet to consider potential candidates, the more they draw closer to one another. Will Jo risk her business for a chance at love; will Matthew finally realize that Jo is 'The One' that he has been looking for?

This was a light-hearted, steamy romance that I finished reading in a couple of hours. Jo is the quintessential spitfire heroine who is struggling to make ends meet. Matthew, as with most historical romances, is the brooding hero with a traumatic past that turns him off love until he meets the beguiling Ms. Porter. While the attraction was instant on both ends, i liked the gradual progress of their relationship from strangers to friends to lovers and more.

The first half of the book establishes the relationship between the protagonists while the second half is full of angst, longing and misunderstanding. The supporting characters aren't just window dressing but play a crucial role in the plot.

Overall, a perfect weekend read. Thanks to Entangled and Netgalley for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The characters were very believable. I fell in love with the character Jo and was rooting for her all the way through. She is truly in love and I found myself wanting her to have her happily never after

It was hard for me to connect with the Duke, Matthew, but I won't say more as I don't want to give away anything, but for me he seemed like a wimp and rather wishy washy at times. I mean, make up your mind and get over it and go for it already.

The love scenes were steamy, but not over the top.

A clean historical romance.

Recommend.

Thanks you to NetGalley, the author, and Entangled Publishing for granting me a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

The spinster matchmaker finds her match! Too bad that she's expected to pair him off with someone else.

The good: likable characters (though he's quite a bit more likable than she is), a hero you want to root for because of his past, some steam

The bad: class conflict (not my favorite trope as it is hard to work around), a little superfluous with details (it dragged a little as a result)

Overall, a good series starter.

4 stars

A good story with quite a bit of angst. The heroine works as a matchmaker. She has been consciencious in providing names to clients and been successful. The Duke arrives at the door and because she realises that she can help her best friend she compromises her rules.
As he's been treated poorly in the past this spoils their own promising romance. Luckily their friends turn the situation around. It doesn't say this is a series but their are some interesting friends that would be heros/heroines in further books.


I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was hooked from chapter 1 and couldn’t wait to see how the relationship between the duke and Jo played out. I did find some sections dragged on and found myself wishing for more interactions with Jo and the duke instead of telling their separate stores of heart break. I’m saying this I would read more in this series and more from this author!

In 1817, Joanna Porter is an outspoken and lively spinster and an up-and-coming matchmaker. Matching Matthew Leighton, the insufferable Duke of Crestmont would cement Jo’s status as England’s greatest matchmaker. He has a tarnished reputation and a broken heart and can’t believe he’s in the situation of needing a matchmaker to find an appropriate duchess—and he’s certainly not interested in finding love.

Matthew wants to order a suitable bride and have it wrapped and delivered to his doorstep. Joanna doesn’t believe in love for herself, but she takes joy in finding it for other people. He’s not used to anyone standing up to him and she has a professional reputation to maintain. Jo is not about to let anyone, not even a duke, walk over her.

This is my catnip.

Matthew is so rigid he might as well be a wooden plank. He certainly doesn’t want a meaningful connection with his future wife. He is not at all attracted by Jo’s impertinence.

Can you die from too much catnip?

Jo knows the value of both money and family. She might actually need more in her life than work and family. And she likes being challenged. And actually finds this duke interesting when he relaxes enough to talk. He’s stern but gradually relaxes enough to really confide in her! Too bad she has to match him with someone else so that entire family can afford to marry. Too bad he wouldn’t want a penniless, title-less spinster.

Dead from catnip overdose.

Jo took way too long to come around given how much she liked him and Mathew was hardly any better in finally considering Jo, and the third act misunderstanding was stupid. Did I still want to finish? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes. Each has a supporting cast of friends or family, and those characters’ and plot lines are well done, but I’m here for Matthew and Jo to get over themselves and get together.

Immediate Reaction: That was very satisfying.

The spoiler-free summary: Joanna Porter is a Matchmaker extraordinaire who leaves her clients extremely happy. When the Duke of Crestmont solicits her help they are both fighting an instant attraction.

All the things I loved: I really loved Joanna for who she is. She is caring and loving and loves love. She is described as curvy but I am unsure of what that means. Is she plus sized or does she have the very coveted hourglass shape. I also love how she is tall because most HR novels have teeny tiny herorines. I also loved her love interest Matthew Leighton, Duke of Crestmont. He is everything a romance hero is supposed to be Tall, handsome, kind, and of course rich. He is supposed to be stoic but the way he treats Jo and thinks about her when she is on his mind is swoon worthy.

The things I didn't love: The way he pursues her even though he has no intention of marrying her. He takes some risks that while he would be okay her life would be completely ruined. I think his reasoning for not wanting to fall in love were a little childish for a man of 33. He grew up with very loving parents who were an excellent example of what a healthy relationship should be. One bad experience when he was 17 should not follow him 16 years later. When he finally decided to marry Jo I think she forgave him to quickly and went along with it to soon. I would have liked to see him grovel or at least pursue her a little more.


Final Thoughts: Buy it or borrow it from your library, It's a pretty enjoyable read.

This book was a Netgalley ARC read

Joanna Porter, an on the shelf spinster, is the ton's newest, hottest matchmaker. Matthew Leighton, Duke of Crestmont, enlists her services to find a suitable bride as quickly as possible. Joanna loves love despite never having had it... and Matthew, having been badly burned by love in the past, no longer believes in it. Have we just set the stage for a spectacular "slow burn/professional colleagues to friends to lovers" Regency romp? You bet your sweet bippy, baby!

This was my first time reading a Jennifer Haymore book, and I'm so glad my ARC request was granted because now I'm going to add her entire back catalog to my TBR list and eagerly await her future releases. I LOVED this book -- the relationship between the main characters unfolds beautifully, and all of the choices they make throughout the story make sense; nobody did anything that made me want to slap them silly or question their sanity. The side characters were well created, the steam level in the love scenes was medium-high (sexy but not porny), and if a follow-up were to appear featuring one of Matthew's marriage-avoidant friends I'd be thrilled to read it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled for the opportunity to read this book!

Matthew Leighton, Duke of Crestmont doesn’t believe in love but wants to find a duchess before the end of the season. One of his friends recommended a matchmaker he knows, Mrs Porter (Joanne). Crest is a bit of a snob at times and Jo had to pry the information out of him as to what his expectations were for his duchess so that she could recommend the right person for him. This is where the fun adventure of their love story starts.

I loved both these characters, you could tell from the beginning that sparks were about to fly between them and that the attraction would be fierce. Matthew was trying to fight his attraction to Jo. Jo was slowly falling in love with him and in the meantime, a deep friendship was developing between them. It was breaking her heart to match him with a wife.

There was lots of humour within the story which made me laugh. The story kept me reading until the end and I couldn’t put it down! I loved the secondary characters of his best friends and how they were included and I can’t wait to read about their own romance!

I love these types of historical romance stories and this touched on perfection, history, romance, humour and very steamy with a HEA. This is the first time I’ve read anything from Jennifer Haymore and I can’t wait to read more from this author. If you’re like me and love to read a historical love story that feeds the soul, this one is for you.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing. I will be leaving reviews on Goodreads and Amazon when released.

4 1/2 stars. This is a sweet, steamy book from an author I've never read before, and I really enjoyed it.

Joanna Porter is a popular matchmaker in the ton, and Matthew Leighton, Duke of Crestmont, has come to her to find an appropriate wife to be his duchess. He doesn't believe in love due to a betrayal that happened to him years before, tarnishing his reputation, and so he intends to approach the issue of marriage from a businesslike perspective. Joanna (Jo) sees an opportunity to help out her friend, Lilly, whose beau, Charles, has just called a halt to their courtship, as he must marry a woman of wealth before his family becomes bankrupt due to his father's profligate spending. Jo believes that one of Charles's sisters might be the perfect match for the Duke.

If only Jo can stop from falling in love with the Duke herself!

The biggest strength of this book is the relationship between Jo and Matthew. You truly believe that they become best friends, not just lovers, with the spicy scenes being emotional and heartfelt. Matthew is stern at first, and a bit of a snob at times, but he blossoms around Jo, opening up to her about his past and his insecurities. Jo and Matthew's friends are also likable and serve as the voices of reason who help steer the couple toward their HEA.

The primary reason this is a 4 1/2 star read and not a 5 for me is that the plot slows toward the middle. Jo keeps waffling about not allowing her feelings toward Matthew to grow, but Matthew never once considers her marriage material. Jo is very open about trying to protect her heart, while Matthew remains on the obtuse side. Also, there are a few characters/scenes that seem a bit like red herrings; I thought they might lead to plot developments but didn't (for example, Matthew tackling a cutpurse at Vaxhall Gardens, and the reappearance of Matthew's nasty uncle late in the book). I have to add that I didn't have a lot of respect for Charles. His behavior didn't seem all that trustworthy, particularly toward the end of the book. Not exactly sure what Lilly saw in him.

The bottom line: This is a wonderful Regency romance, with two MC's who are easy to root for. The author's writing style is smooth and the language is true to the period, with touches of modern humor here and there given with a little wink. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Steam level 3. This is not a "sweet and clean" historical romance. Language is PG rated.

I read an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my voluntary review. Opinions are my own. Thanks to the author, Entangled Publishing, and Netgalley for this opportunity. Reviews left on Goodreads and Bookbub and will be left on Amazon closer to publication.

Thank you, NetGalley, for introducing me to Jennifer Haymore; I am now a huge fan. I had never read any of her books before. Not sure why she hadn’t yet come up on my radar (I’m relatively new to romance, about 2-1/2 years). But I was looking through the NetGalley shelf offerings and the cover intrigued me. So I requested it and, thank goodness, was approved because otherwise, I possibly would’ve missed finding her works.

This book was awesome and the only negative thing I can say about it is the fact that it kept me up until 2:30 this morning reading it because I could not put it down. There was no way I was sleeping until I got to the end.

First of all, I adore the hero and heroine. In fact, I liked them both from the very moment they were introduced. No, that is not a prerequisite to liking a book. But it sure made it a delightful journey from start to finish. This is not to say that Matthew and Jo had an easy journey. But they are both written as intelligent and logical characters and I love it. Sometimes I read things and the conflict seems forced and far-fetched but this does not. In addition, the romance is very natural. Of course when you are working so closely with someone on an issue that is so personal, it makes sense to start feeling something for that person. In many romance books, I have to really suspend my disbelief, because a lot of it is just too much of a fairytale—but this is not. You DO get that wonderful fairytale fantasy that we crave in romance books, but you also read along and nod your head and go, “that makes sense.” And that is one of the things that makes her writing delightful. Also, she’s just a GOOD writer; I remain engaged the entire time. There was not one moment when I considered skipping ahead. Actually, I reread several passages because I enjoyed them so much. There were a few things that made me laugh out loud. “That’s so 1799,” made me spit out my coffee laughing.

I also love the secondary characters. I cannot wait to see more about the men in the rowing club. It’s been a long time since the first book in a series has gotten me this excited.