Meeting Her Match by Jen Turano

Meeting Her Match
by Jen Turano

ISBN-13: 9780764240225
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Released: July 16, 2024

Source: ebook advanced review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Miss Camilla Pierpont, a renowned matchmaker and influential member of the New York Four Hundred, has vowed never to marry after suffering a devastating heartbreak during her debut years ago. However, when she is nearly abducted along the Hudson River, she finds herself rescued by an annoyingly outspoken, albeit fascinating, gentleman. After learning that Camilla Pierpont has enjoyed success with taking wayward young ladies in hand, Mr. Owen Chesterfield travels to the Hudson River Valley determined to convince Camilla to sponsor his sister, who is in desperate need of social rehabilitation. Knowing her life is in danger, Camilla agrees to Owen's proposition and travels with him to West Virginia, finding herself charmed by the less-than-formal attitude of his small hometown, as well as by Owen himself. But danger waits in the shadows...


My Review:
Meeting Her Match is a romance set in 1889 in Hudson River Valley. I find it odd that a matchmaker that tries to match people who share interests finds her match with a man that she has nothing in common with. Except they danced well together. For half the book, he constantly offended her, though it's from ignorance and he modified his behavior when he was told it's offensive. Then, suddenly, they liked each other. He did rescue her several times, so maybe that's it.

By the end, it felt like the author thought if she had the characters repeat enough times what a perfect match they were then the readers wouldn't question it. Owen's relative said that your perfect match will turn you on when you kiss (and so encouraged this test), and another relative said Camilla was fated to marry into the family if she touched a certain recipe card, which eventually happened. I understand Camilla liked the more relaxed society in his hometown and made friends there, but none of these things seem like a good reason to marry someone.

Anyway, this was a very bland story with a lot of talking. Most of the scenes were multiple characters talking about interesting things that happened in the past. I'd prefer to see the scenes where these things happened rather than getting sometimes confusing summaries of what happened. For example, Camilla painted a fence but put the paint on a fence post high enough that when it fell off it drenched her head to toe. Why would she do this as she'd need the paint where she could easily dip her brush in it even if she's foolish enough to think a tall fencepost is a stable place to put a bucket? We'll never know because we never got her viewpoint of the event.

The story wasn't about Camilla teaching Owen's sister refined manners and fashion. Half the book pasted before Camilla even met the sister. Then we skipped ahead by three weeks and were told that the last weeks were spent teaching her and she's fitting in now. There was no sex or bad language.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.