Book Review: "12 Dates of Christmas" by Brigham Vaughn

“It suddenly feels a little crazy to realize I totally uprooted my life in Chicago to move to some Christmas-themed small town on the off chance of finding love.”

Leo likes living in Chicago, but dating there drives him crazy. He’s tried it all—apps, bars, blind dates—but he can’t seem to find the right person. He’s even gotten scammed because he’s too naive.

His best friend Hayden had moved to the small town of Christmas Falls a year or so ago—reluctantly—but he ultimately found true love and decided to stay. With his job as a web developer, he can work from anywhere, so he decides to give Christmas Falls a try.

He already has a client in town he’s been working with—Nick, who runs a matchmaking service. When he meets Nick face-to-face for the first time, Leo is instantly smitten. But Nick is not only a widower, he’s straight. So when Nick offers to set Leo up on some dates as a way to thank him, Leo agrees.

Each date turns out to be a total flop. And after every date, Leo and Nick debrief, which Leo starts enjoying more than anything. When Nick tells Leo that he’s actually bisexual, Leo is filled with hope that they might get together. But Nick needs to be sure that his heart is ready to take a chance on love again. Will Leo be willing to wait?

This was my second trip to Christmas Falls, and I absolutely love this series. There were so many themes at play here that I loved, and the characters were just so appealing. I’m thankful that there are so many books in this series still to read!

Book Review: "Adam & Evie's Matchmaking Tour" by Nora Nguyen

My travel bucket list is really quite long, and I hope to actually get to some of the places I’ve read about. Interestingly enough, I hadn’t ever thought about visiting Vietnam. Until I read this book.

As if losing her beloved Aunt Hao wasn’t bad enough, Evie’s life is completely falling apart. She’s been secretly dating the chair of the English department—and her boss—at the college where she teaches. And then she discovers his secret plan to fire her. Needless to say, that relationship is toast.

Now she’s at loose ends. But her aunt has left Evie her fantastic San Francisco row house, where Evie spent a great deal of time as she was growing up. Of course, there’s a catch: Evie must travel to Vietnam and participate in a matchmaking tour. She doesn’t have to fall in love, she just has to try.

Adam is in charge of marketing his sister’s matchmaking tour business. There’s a great deal of competition among companies like this in Vietnam, so Adam puts everything into his work. But given that he can’t land a successful relationship of his own, his sister dares him to join the company’s maiden tour, and he agrees.

From their very first encounter, Adam and Evie dislike each other. Adam is too stiff for Evie; Evie is too flaky for Adam. Yet every time they turn around, they run into each other again and their irritation—not to mention their chemistry—grows. Have they fallen into an enemies to lovers situation of their own?

This book was fun and romantic, and the storytelling really made me feel as if I were seeing the sights myself. That isn’t a surprise, considering Nora Nguyen is the pen name for Thao Thai, who wrote Banyan Moon. Was this predictable? Sure. But it definitely gave me the feels!!

Book Review: "Lunar Love" by Lauren Kung Jessen

Are perfect matches written in the stars, or are they found more practically?

Olivia’s grandmother is a legend in the matchmaking business. Her ability to use the Chinese zodiac to find the perfect matches for her clients has resulted in so much happiness through the decades, and the business she created, Lunar Love, is known through LA’s Chinatown neighborhood and beyond.

After passing the business to Olivia’s aunt when she retired, her grandmother is now ready for the company to be led by the next generation—Olivia. She has so many ideas, so much enthusiasm for how to attract a generation more interested in using their phones to find a match.

Imagine Olivia’s surprise when she discovers there’s a company with an app that utilizes the same principles as her grandmother but focuses on “animal attraction.” She’s furious, especially when she discovers that Bennett, the handsome guy she met cute at the bakery, is behind the app. She will not let him destroy her family’s legacy.

As the two battle and banter, they make a deal: each will try to find a match for the other. The first person to fall in love loses. (But do they really?) Will true love flourish because of tradition or something more modern?

This was a really cute book. I’m a sucker for banter as well as the whole enemies-to-lovers thing, so I enjoyed it!

Book Review: "Mr. Perfect on Paper" by Jean Meltzer

In Mr. Perfect on Paper, this matchmaker has met her match.

Dara is the third generation of matchmaker in her family, after her mother and grandmother, but she’s taken matchmaking into modern times as the creator and CEO of J-Mate, the popular Jewish dating app. Yet while her app has been responsible for thousands of people finding true love, her own love life is rather empty.

When Dara and her beloved bubbe (grandmother) appear on television to talk about matchmaking, the last thing Dara is expecting is for her bubbe to humiliate her on air by sharing her secret checklist for “The Perfect Jewish Husband.” But the segment is such a hit that the show’s handsome host, Chris Steadfast, proposes that he find men that meet Dara’s characteristics and she go on dates with them—on the air.

Of course, the more time Dara spends with Chris, the more she realizes that he’s the one she wants. But the non-Jewish widowed father is not the match that Dara has in mind. Should she settle for merely content with a man who checks off boxes on her list, or should she choose the man who makes her heart beat faster, regardless of the complications?

This book was so good—it’s romantic, funny, poignant, and it really gives an in-depth look at Judaism and the tug-of-war people feel when dating and finding a mate. It’s also an emotional look at starting over, and provides perspective on living with generalized anxiety disorder.

Thanks so much to TLC Book Tours, Jean Meltzer, and MIRA Books for inviting me on the tour and providing me a complimentary copy of the book. I loved it!!