Series:
Matchmakers of Bath (Book 1)
The one match
She doesn't want to make…
The Earl of Fleetwood was Eleanor St. Aubin's first love,
but being a mere vicar's daughter held her back from admitting her feelings.
Now she's a successful matchmaker, and the prospect of finding Frederick the
wealthy wife he needs to settle his inherited debts is a nightmare come true!
But returning from war, Frederick's facing nightmares of his own. Eleanor feels
compelled to help him, but could she ever be his Cinderella countess?
Good friends-to-lovers/second chance story. Eleanor and
Fred were best friends years earlier, and he was her secret crush. She was the vicar's
daughter, and he was the earl's youngest son. Then Eleanor's mother died, and
she had to leave school to care for her father. Fred joined the army and went
off to fight Napoleon, and they lost touch.
After her father died, Eleanor and her sister Mary moved
to Bath to join their friend, Lady Henrietta. Together, they established a
matchmaking agency and have enjoyed some modest success. Imagine Eleanor's
shock when she ran into Fred in Bath. As the new Earl of a financially strapped
estate, Fred must marry a rich wife, and Eleanor promises to find him one. To
do so, she must bury her feelings for him.
As the younger son, Fred joined the army to make his way
in the world. He had dreams of returning someday and marrying Eleanor, but
between the stupid things he did as a young man and the things he witnessed
during the war, he no longer feels worthy of her. He returned to England after
the deaths of his father and brother, only to discover that the estate was in
dire straits. He needs an infusion of cash; the best solution is to marry.
I ached for Fred and Eleanor. It is immediately evident
that they still have feelings for each other but are caught in an impossible
situation. Fred needs money, but Eleanor doesn't have what he needs. The more
time they spend together, the stronger their feelings grow. There were some
sweet scenes of them as they rekindled their friendship, but their inability to
find a way to be together was frustrating. I had hope when Fred found a way to raise
some of what he needed, and I wanted to shake Eleanor over her determined
self-sacrifice of her happiness. I felt like she didn't trust Fred to know his
own mind and heart. I loved the surprise solution that enabled Fred to finally
convince Eleanor that they could be together.
There was a secondary romance in the book between Fred's
stepmother and a man from her past. Anthony was terrific, and I loved watching
him fall deeper under Penelope's spell. However, another case of potential
self-sacrifice nearly ended things before Pen accepted that she, too, deserved
to be happy.
I enjoyed seeing the matchmaking business in Bath rather
than London. It is always nice to see the world outside of the nobility and
experience the lives of more ordinary people. Another character was introduced
near the end that I suspect will play a part in the next book. I'm looking forward
to reading the rest of the series.
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