Sophia Rose Reviews: The Merry Matchmaker by Sheila Roberts

 

Today Sophia Rose reviews, The Merry Matchmaker, a heartwarming holiday tale from Shelia Roberts.

Enjoy!

The Merry Matchmaker by Sheila Roberts

Contemporary Romance

Publisher:  MIRA

Published: 10.1.24

Pages:  329

Rating: 4 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  NetGalley

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Blurb:

“Sparkles with warmth, wit, and a sweet helping of holiday charm! The perfect stocking stuffer for readers who crave all the holiday feels and a happy ending!” —Rachel Linden, bestselling author of The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie

Inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma, this joyful Christmas romp tells the story of a woman who can’t stop trying to help everyone around her find their happily-ever-after—even when her help leads to disaster.

Frankie Lane knows what’s best for just about everyone but herself. Her divorced sister, Stef, who is too young to give up on love; her shy employee, Elinor; and her daughter, Natalie, who works in Frankie’s shop, Holiday Happiness, and really needs to start her own business selling the delectable chocolates she makes at home; even her best friend, Viola, who is trying to renovate her old Victorian. Frankie knows she could help all of them, if they’d just let her—and if all of her help didn’t end in utter disaster.

Then there’s Mitch Howard, the owner of the local hardware store. They’ve been friends ever since Frankie opened her store, nine years earlier. He got her through the nightmare when she lost her husband in a freak accident, and he’s her favorite shoulder to cry on. He’s been divorced for years, and it’s such a waste of man! Mitch is the fittest, finest man Frankie knows. He’s easygoing, wise and kindhearted. Mitch needs someone. And she’s determined to help him find that someone—whether he likes it or not.

 

Sophia Rose's Review:

Romance is the surprise holiday gift the meddling Matchmaker wasn’t expecting when she set out to pair up all her single acquaintances.  Hearkening back to Jane Austen’s Emma, Sheila Roberts brings another heartwarming holiday charmer brimming with good cheer.

 

The Merry Matchmaker caught my eye originally because I spotted in the blurb that it was inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma.  There are some broad strokes that brought that novel to mind, but for the most part this was loosely connected to it at best.  Rather, we have a middle-aged widower who thinks she knows best about other people’s love lives from her adult kids to her bestie.  She tries to hook them up and doesn’t read it well to humorous, disastrous results.  One would think having a holiday-themed store going great gangbusters during the holidays would be enough, but no, Frankie knows best and is insistent that she will help and advise everyone.  However, fellow business owner, Mitch, her friend for many years does have a clear eye about matters including about Frankie who is doing her level best to set him up, too. 

 

I have to chuckle because, while this isn’t a modern Emma retelling in the strictest sense, I had a similar reaction to Frankie as I did to Austen’s character.  I guess I’m put off by people who have to get their noses into other people’s business.  Frankie rubbed me wrong because she was so strongly opinioned and couldn’t read the room well at all.  She’s the annoying relative every family has to put up with who knows best about jobs, friendships, love and everything. 

But, I enjoyed the holidays, the store, the cast as a whole and there was Mitch to keep Frankie grounded.  Then, as Frankie had to get it wrong, learn, and then finally grow, I was cheering her on to get her own special holiday match.  Mitch was there all along and waiting if Frankie didn’t make the biggest mistake of her life pushing her shop gal, Eleanor at him.

 

Altogether a light and sweet holiday morsel that was a women’s fic and contemporary romance crossover set in small town shops, family and friend circles bringing out the holiday season mood rather well.

 

Author Bio:

USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly best-selling author and fan favorite, Sheila Roberts has almost fifty books to her credit. Under different names she’s written Regency romance novels as well as devotionals and personal development books. She did lots of things before settling in to her writing career, including owning a singing telegram company and playing in a band. Her band days are over, but she still enjoys writing songs.  Her novel “On Strike for Christmas” was a Lifetime Network movie and her novel “The Nine Lives of Christmas” was made into a movie for the Hallmark channel. When she’s not speaking to women’s groups or hanging out with her husband or her girlfriends she can be found writing about those things near and dear to women’s hearts: family, friends, and chocolate. Sheila divides her time between Washington State and California.

Website:  https://sheilasplace.com/

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose