The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins
Series: Blue Heron #2
Published by Harlequin
Publish Date: October 29, 2013
448 Pages
Source: Publisher
Find it here: Goodreads / Amazon / B&N
What if the perfect match is a perfect surprise? Honor Holland has just been unceremoniously rejected by her lifelong crush. And now—a mere three weeks later—Mr. Perfect is engaged to her best friend. But resilient, reliable Honor is going to pick herself up, dust herself off and get back out there
or she would if dating in Manningsport, New York, population 715, wasn’t easier said than done.
Charming, handsome British professor Tom Barlow just wants to do right by his unofficial stepson, Charlie, but his visa is about to expire. Now Tom must either get a green card or leave the States—and leave Charlie behind.
In a moment of impulsiveness, Honor agrees to help Tom with a marriage of convenience—and make her ex jealous in the process. But juggling a fiancé, hiding out from her former best friend and managing her job at the family vineyard isn’t easy. And as sparks start to fly between Honor and Tom, they might discover that their pretend relationship is far too perfect to be anything but true love
. (from Goodreads)
The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins
My Thoughts: I have been so excited about this book since I finished the first book in this series, The Best Man. What I’m learning about Kristan Higgins is that she is a perfect go-to for a romance that is the perfect amount of charming, funny, and swoony. As expected, I absolutely loved The Perfect Match.
The first thing you need to know is this:
As the book opens, Honor Holland gets some eye-opening news.
As the book opens, Honor Holland gets some eye-opening news.
Honor is at a doctor’s appointment for those all-too-lovely ladies’ visits when she finds out that she’s “advanced maternal age” and that in terms of her eggs, her years are precious. Basically, if Honor wants any children, she needs to make a plan and stick with it. Considering she doesn’t even have a boyfriend, this could be a problem. Well, there is Brogan – her ‘best-friend-with-benefits’ – but they’ve never really talked about taking the next step and making it official, let alone marriage. Does he want children too? Because if he does, MAN this could be the perfect situation for Honor!
See, Honor has been SO in love with Brogan for-practically-ever, and while Brogan doesn’t really seem to share her feelings, she doesn’t mind taking what parts of him she can get….which means that she comes running whenever he calls. Honor decides that since her eggs are on a ticking time clock, she needs to take matters into her own hands, so she makes a plan – she’ll propose to Brogan! Honor heads over to his house dressed in nothing but a coat, finds that he’s cooking dinner, and accepts his invitation to stay for dinner – then drops the coat…just as Brogan’s mom and dad enter the room (they’re in town for a visit!). WHOA DUDE!! Talk about mortifying!
Despite her humiliation, Honor is in love with Brogan, so of course she ends up staying the night. Honor and Brogan of course end doing ‘that thing’ that they do. And Honor does end up proposing to Brogan…only to end up with her heart demolished.
What will Honor and her eggs do now, now that the boy she’s spent almost twenty years loving doesn’t love her back in the same way?
The second thing you need to know is this:
Tom Barlow is a mechanical engineer and college professor.
Tom Barlow is a mechanical engineer and college professor.
He is about to lose his work visa, which means he’ll have to leave America.
He REALLY wants to stay and he has his reasons.
A while back, Tom was engaged to a woman that had a young son. Tom was quite attached to the boy, but unfortunately the woman was killed. The son, Charlie, has spent years blaming Tom for his mother’s death but Tom has never stopped loving him and wants desperately to remain in the United States so he can try and repair the hurt and be a part of Charlie’s life. Being forced back to his homeland of England will effectively ruin those chances for him. Tom begins brainstorming ways that he can stay.
Tom is losing his work visa here in America because the college he works for cannot afford to keep him on board. He is looking for other jobs, but so far he hasn’t had much luck. When it looks like he is about to pack up and move back to England, his aunt makes a connection and ends up setting him up on a blind date…with Honor Holland.
This is extremely interesting, you see, because Honor Holland could use a husband herself – for her own reasons. SHE WANTS BABIES, DOGGONE IT. Those eggs aren’t getting any younger! The thing is, see, marrying so Tom can stay in America would be highly illegal and the punishment is kind of huge. BUT WAIT! I’m getting way ahead of myself here. They haven’t even met yet…
Tom and Honor are all set to meet – Tom arrives nervous and a little drunk, makes a horrible first impression, and that’s that. It doesn’t really look like there will be another chance for Tom.
Until there is. AND IT IS SO INCREDIBLY CHARMING.
The third thing you need to know is this:
Hooray for these secondary characters…
which are the rest of Honor Holland’s family. And a few others.
AND the rest of the story, because OF COURSE there is more to the story.
These adult contemporary romances always have just a little more to the story than what you expect. The Perfect Match is no exception and I loved every single bit of it. There’s Charlie, the boy Tom so desperately wants to reclaim as part of his life, and the love that he still has for him – Charlie has some issues, just regular teenage boy stuff, but I loved it. And there’s the family relationship that is so very awesome and wonderful with the large, loud, and crazy Holland clan that owns and operates the Blue Heron Winery. There’s the side-story of Brogan after he turned down Honor’s proposal – it’s very interesting. And there’s a ton more.
And these characters, oh! how I love them. I got to know most of them in the first book which is when I really fell in love with them, and it’s so good to be back in their world, in their homes, and a part of the conversations.
I LOVE THIS SERIES TO MUCH
AND WE’RE ONLY TWO BOOKS IN, YOU GUYS.
THERE ARE MORE COMING!!!
**************************************************************
The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins was a wonderful follow-up to The Best Man and I’m so in love with this series right now that I’m already excited about the next book, Waiting On You, which is scheduled for publication in March of 2014.
Honor Holland has always loved her best friend Brogan, but quietly and probably with the assumption that he would either love her back one day or that she would end up living live the way that they do forever. She wasn’t ready to hear the news that she needed to hurry up and have children if she planned it, so when she did hear that news, her plans and her life changed quite a bit. And, of course, her first thought was to settle down and marry her best friend because it wasn’t like he had a steady love interest either. The problem was, she found, he didn’t feel the same way about her – that is absolutely the worst feeling, right? When you find out that someone you love doesn’t love you the same way you love him or her? YES IT IS. Oh man, Honor was humiliated and crushed and didn’t know what to do. Lucky for her, some meddling older ladies did know what to do, and things sort of fell into place for her.
Tom Barlow is one of those men that attracts attention everywhere he goes – it’s definitely probably the accent, sure (would be for me, I shall not lie!) – but he’s also handsome and kind and manly. His first impression of Honor was (hilariously) excellent, but that wasn’t actually their first date (and I’m not spoiling it, either, because it’s so good). They started off on the wrong foot, which was unfortunate, but eventually they evened things out and came up with an agreement that the two thought they could live with – an arranged marriage with both getting something out of it. The biggest challenge? Fooling everying, including US Immigration, that their relationship is real and authentic.
The interesting and fun thing is that along the way, it sort of becomes real and authentic BUT! it takes FOREVER AND A DAY before either one of them wants to admit it. So stubborn, these two! We, the readers, can spot it a mile away and it is delicious and lovely and the slow-burn of wonderful (when it isn’t frustrating) but MAN, it’s also one of those instances in which you want to slap them both a few times and also push their heads together and make kissy noises for them. In the end, it’s pretty obvious that they admit their attraction for one another and there is some steam and swoon, but THEN life happens and things pop up and stresses occur and DOES IT EVEN WORK OUT LIKE WE WANT IT TO?
DOES IT??
As before, and as I mentioned earlier, the supporting cast is wonderful and hilarious and comfortable (because I already knew most of them). Even the new characters are wonderful – you guys, there is one character that I PROMISE will remind you of The Count from Sesame Street. He is wonderful and made me laugh out loud!
I recommend The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins to fans of Adult Contemporary Romance that enjoy lighter stories and enjoy laughing a little bit while reading them. This second book in the Blue Heron series continued with the snappy wit that I was introduced to in the first book and I found myself laughing out loud several times while at the same time cherishing the more serious moments (and also swooning). This series is pretty much one of the most perfect adult contemporary romance series out there and I’ll be reading ALL THE BOOKS in it. It was so much fun.
**************************************************************
The Perfect Match will appeal to fans of:
Adult Contemporary Romance/ChickLit
Romance: Slowly Developing, No Triangle.
Small Town Setting
Stories Incorporating Family
The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgans
is currently available for purchase.
**************************************************************
And now for the Giveaway!
Thanks to the generosity of the publisher and
Author Kristan Higgins
I have one copy of THE PERFECT MATCH to offer to
one US resident!
This is a quick contest, you guys.
Ends 11/7!
About Asheley
Asheley is a Southern girl. She loves Carolina blue skies, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and NC craft beer. She loves all things history but prefers books over everything.
You can find her somewhere in North Carolina, daydreaming about the ocean.
Find Asheley on Litsy @intothehallofbooks!
I'm so glad you loved this one, Asheley – I did too! I adore this series and though Levi Cooper is totally my kind of guy (more than Tom), I have to admit that Tom won me over in this. *swoons* 😉
I like Jessica Sorensen's books. 😉