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4 Stars / Contemporary / Review

Review: An Astonishing Match by Barbara Dunlop

Construction boss Hunter Vashon owes a huge debt to his grandmother Daisy for keeping his teenage secrets. When she asks for his help playing “Henry Higgins” to match-make his older brother, he can’t possibly say no.

Machinist Kalie Gray has never been one for dresses and frills. She spends her days crafting state-of-the-art robotic parts and her weekends at dusty, off-road race-tracks. So she’s confused when handsome, sexy Hunter Vashon shows an interest in her.

Kalie might be his brother’s perfect match, but Hunter can’t seem to stop himself from falling for her. She’s smart, funny and down to earth. And after her makeover, she’s drop dead gorgeous. He wants her for himself and tries desperately to reason with his grandmother. But Daisy stands her ground, and Hunter is torn between family loyalty and the woman he loves.

Title:An Astonishing Match
Author:Barbara Dunlop
Series:Match Series
Pages:181
Category / Genre(s):Contemporary
Trope(s):Opposites Attract
Ugly Ducking
Point of View:
Location:US
HEA:✔️
Release Date:10th May, 2014
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A wonderful tale of romance

I haven’t read any of the other books in this series and I didn’t feel that I was missing out by not having done so. There were references to the couples in the previous books, and of course the matchmaking geriatrics – the common theme across the series – were doing their thing but everything stayed within the moment of this book.

From the very first, this was a fresh, fun and light story. The writing is superb and you get drawn into the story so easily and quickly that you fall for both Kalie and Hunter as soon as you meet them. And as soon as they meet each other you just know they’re perfect for each other. There’s a lot of banter, a lot of fun and a lot of conversations that you could honestly believe normal people would have with each other.

There’s some minor storylines working away in the background but these just add depth to – and never take away from – our main love story. Speaking of that, I loved how the romance between Hunter and Kalie developed slowly and that we got to see it all happening. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach and the giddiness you feel when you meet someone you like.

“The writing is superb and you get drawn into the story so easily and quickly…”

There were only 2 points that stopped me from giving this book a full 5 stars and it was really more of a personal preference rather than a criticism of the book itself. Firstly, I would have loved there to be just a little bit more heat. The sensuality really worked for me and the tension that continued to build between Hunter and Kalie throughout the book – loved it. I felt that these elements and the writing style really lent themselves to something a wee bit racier when it came to sexy times. All that build up and then just pleasantly warm.

The second thing is that I would have loved something extra at the end of the book. I always moan about books that don’t have epilogues and I just felt that this one was crying out for one. Even if the matchmaking group did their bit in the epilogue – I just wanted more time with Hunter and Kalie.

Now I feel a bit mean for only giving this book 5 stars when I enjoyed it as much as I did and only had very minor peeves. I would highly recommend this story and I’m planning to put the rest of this series on my wishlist in the hopes that they’re even half as enjoyable as this story.

Barbara Dunlop penned–well pencilled, actually–her first major work of fiction at the age of eight. It was entitled How The Giraffe Got His Long Neck and was released to rave reviews. Unfortunately, the print run of one copy hindered distribution. But the experience whet her appetite for celebrity and acclaim.

Three years later she became a reporter for the venerated publication, The Berry Street Times. With a circulation of eleven, this forum allowed Barbara to reach even more faithful readers.

Several years after that, she began writing romantic comedy. Barbara is now an award winning and best-selling author, writing for several Harlequin and Silhouette imprints. Her work is available in ten languages and in dozens of countries around the world.

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