Title: MATCHEDSeries: Misfit Brides #2
Author: Jamie Farrell
Narrator: Karen White
Format: Unabridged Audiobook, 10 hours and 37 mins
Published: August 10, 2016 (Jamie Farrell)
ISBN: ASIN: B01K0IXC06
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Audible
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Author
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wine Glasses
Welcome Back to Bliss, The Land of Happily Ever Afters!
Lindsey Castellano couldn’t ask for more. She’s the most successful divorce lawyer ever raised in Bliss. (Never mind that she’s the only one.) She’s her nephew’s favorite aunt. (For the moment, anyway.) And thanks to a little gift (or curse) from the universe, she’s an expert at avoiding love, commitment, and inevitable heartbreak. Or so she thought until the night of her sister’s wedding.
Will Truitt might’ve grown up living a country song—his momma died, his daddy went to prison, and his dog ran away—but as an adult, he’s been blessed by the country rock gods. Being Billy Brenton on stage isn’t an honor he takes lightly. He likes to give back what fame has given him, which is how he finds himself happily crashing a wedding in this quirky little bridal-obsessed town. The one thing he isn’t counting on, though, is colliding with the only girl he ever let himself love.
It’s been fifteen years since she shattered his heart. Then, she’d been a sorority girl on her way to the top, and he’d been a lowly janitor with a little bit of a dream. Now he’s on top of the world, and she’s the last person he should need or want.
But she’s the only person who has ever inspired his music. And he’s the only man she’s never been able to forget. Have the years made them wiser, stronger, and better able to love, or this time, will they simply crash and burn harder?
Linda's Thoughts:
“Though everyone who mattered to him told him to walk away, though Lindsey herself told him to walk away, he was still here. And she was still glad.”
Jamie Farrell takes readers back to the quirky bridal-fixated town of Bliss, Illinois with MATCHED. Even though MATCHED is the second installment in her fun contemporary Misfit Brides series, it can easily be enjoyed as a stand-alone read, if that is your preference. However, be aware that the town of Bliss and its colorful residents were first introduced in BLISSED. That said, the whole series is a sizzling wild ride and I recommend savoring it in order, if you can.
I listened to the audio edition of MATCHED with the fantastically talented Karen White narrating. Karen White is one of my all-time favorite narrators. Once again, Karen’s narration is really, truly wonderful. Her pacing is spot on. Her delivery is natural. I could listen to Karen all day and still be mesmerized. Her performances are always highly entertaining, polished and sublimely executed. I have discovered numerous new-to-me authors – including Jamie Farrell - thanks to Karen.
MATCHED is the story of Lindsey Castellano, Natalie’s sister, and Will Truitt, aka southern country music superstar Billy Brenton. As a divorce attorney, Lindsey has not exactly had the welcome mat rolled out to her in the most wedding-obsessed place on Earth. The next novella, SMITTENED, actually occurs parallel to MATCHED. It is the story of Billy’s drummer, Mikey, and Dahlia, an ice cream parlor entrepreneur. I can tell you right now that you will want to pick-up SMITTENED with MATCHED as they work very well together!
Fifteen years ago, Will and nineteen-year-old Lindsey met and fell madly in love on the ski slopes during spring break. Will was a janitor at the time with big dreams of being a famous country music star some day. However, Lindsey has a secret matchmaking gift and her gift said that she and Will were not a good match. When Will very publicly proclaimed his love to Lindsey, she broke his heart.
Fast forward fifteen years to the wedding of the hero and heroine from the first book. As a favor to the groom’s sister, Billy has agreed to crash the wedding and sing a few songs. As Billy looks out over the crowd, the eyes of the woman he has not been able to forget meet his. Does she remember him?
Jamie’s writing personifies Will’s and Lindsey’s fears, longings, pain and joy. Apart they are broken; together they are better versions of themselves. Without Lindsey, Billy’s music mojo has pretty much dried up. With Lindsey, the notes sing again. “She was the only one who made him hear music. The only one who made him feel home. The only one who wanted nothing more than for him to be plain, simple Will Truitt.”
Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from this mega entertaining listen:
“And this is Kimmie Elias.
”Kimmie inhaled a loud breath. “I had a dream you were the love child of Bugs Bunny and the abominable snowman, but in my dream that was a good thing, and you lived in a mushroom that had secret passages into outer space,” she said.
And here he thought he’d already heard it all.
---
Like Momma says, only thing you get by digging dirt is dirty.”
---
“Heard a rumor you can’t cook,” he said.
She didn’t look away from her reading. “You know rumors.
They’re always true.”
She had him there. According to some of the tabloids, he had fourteen love children, two with aliens and one with the sister of Bigfoot.
---
She ran her hands under his shirt, over his chest, her cool touch igniting shivers over his skin. “Is this a ploy to get another song out of me?” she asked.
“It’s a ploy to get you out of your pants.”
And what, exactly, are you planning on doing once you get me out of my pants?”
Will felt his lips curving up again. “Darlin’, you leave the
details to me.”
As with the first book, I found myself laughing-out loud often. I loved catching up with the Bliss townfolk including Natalie, CJ, Pepper and Kimmie; and a new canine character, Wrigley, solidified a claim on my heart. Jamie has written an intensely emotional tale with Southern sass. You certainly won’t want to miss the scoop on Lindsey’s smiley face panties. If you are looking for a delightfully humorous second-chance-at-love romance conjoined with some fabulous swoon-worthy country songs, check out Jamie Farrell’s MATCHED. AND don’t forget to pick up SMITTENED too!
Suggested Reading Order:
Blissed (Book #1)
Matched (Book #2)
Smittened (Book #2.5)
Sugared (Book #3)
Merried (Misfit Brides Book 5)
GIVEAWAY:
The author has kindly offered an audible copy of this book to one reader! *Winner will receive a promo code for a free download. *Winner must have an audible account or sign up for an audible account to use the code. To enter, just fill out the rafflecopter below. Good luck!
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ReplyDeletecongrats jamie and love the cover
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