A Wager with the Matchmaker is a page-turning historical romance set in 1840s St. Louis.
A Wager with the Matchmaker by Jody Hedlund
Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction (1840s), Historical Romance, Irish Immigrants, Classism, St. Louis
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My Summary:
Thanks #NetGalley @Bethany_House for a complimentary eARC of #AWagerWithTheMatchmaker upon my request. All opinions are my own.
Alannah works as a maid, but she needs to flee St. Louis after an Irish gang threatens her safety. She goes to work for her brother’s employer’s family as a maid. The family is wealthy and she feels a strong attraction to Kiernan. Both of them try to deny their feelings because it will cause trouble in his family, hoping he will make a match with a wealthy woman. Kiernan seeks the help of a matchmaker, and Alannah’s brother goes to the same matchmaker on his sister’s behalf because it’s the only way he can protect her from the gang. Alannah and Kiernan cannot conceal their attraction to each other from the wily matchmaker, and he devises a clever plan.
My Thoughts:
Matchmaker
A matchmaker adds an interesting layer of complexity to a romance. I guess matchmakers were needed when marriage was more of a business deal. It’s odd, isn’t it, to think about a matchmaker (or parents) choosing your life partner based on social standing or financial gain. Don’t get me started on the man taking all the money in a dowry for himself! I’m grateful I live in modern times and in a culture where marriage is not a business arrangement. Stories like this one seem to romanticize matchmakers and give them special abilities. Do you love stories that feature a matchmaker?
Likeable Characters
Alannah and Kiernan are likeable characters who find themselves caught up in a forbidden romance.. Alannah is strong-willed, determined, and brave, while Kiernan is generous, protective, and kind. I loved the gifting of books and their habit of reading together late at night on a blanket by lantern light.
Page-turning Plot
I love a page-turner. This story is compelling from the first page. An Irish gang threatens the safety and happiness of our main characters. A forbidden romance provides tension and threats from the gang endangers their physical safety and livelihood.
Content Consideration: threats of physical harm
Recommending A Wager with the Matchmaker:
I recommend A Wager with the Matchmaker for fans of page-turning historical romance and for readers who enjoy the 1800s and stories of Irish immigrants. This story is the third in a very loosely connected series and can be read as a standalone.
Related: You might also enjoy Saved by the Matchmaker by the same author.
My Rating: 4 Stars
Meet the Author of A Wager with the Matchmaker, Jody Hedlund
Jody Hedlund is the best-selling author of over fifty books and is the winner of numerous awards. She writes sweet, clean romances with plenty of sizzle (but without the spice).
QOTD:
Do you love stories with matchmakers?
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Nice post 🎸🙏
Hi, Carol – I love all of the great reads that can be found on NetGalley. Thank you for another great review!
Thanks! 🌻
Wonderful review, Carol. I too, am glad I live now and not when parents arranged marriages. Of course, we weren’t rich, so that probably wouldn’t have been an issue. I haven’t read a Jody Hedlund book in awhile, but have enjoyed the ones I read in the past. I will take a look at this series.
It’s an entertaining read….and the one before this is good as well. Haven’t read the first one.
My library has the first two in ebook and audiobook.
Enjoy!
Lovely review Carol. I have often wondered which have the best success rates – arranged marriages or pick your own partner? 💖📚
Thanks! Good question!
[…] Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Historical Romance. I have read Saved by the Matchmaker #2 and A Wager with the Matchmaker #3 in this series and I wanted to go back and read book #1. A good story, but I think I enjoyed 2 and […]