Melinda prides herself on her matchmaking ability as evident by the number of couples getting hitched in the town of Chester. She wants everyone to find the kind of love she shared with her late husband. Melinda is satisfied to remain the mysterious widowed matchmaker. Facing her future alone is less painful than risking her heart again. Adam is a retired Marine. He longs to have a partner but … partner but carries the physical and emotional scars from his last tour of duty. He protects his heart as fiercely as he protects his scars. Until a chance meeting with the highly successful matchmaker, Melinda changes his ideas about his future.
Taking a leap of faith Adam signs up for her matchmaking services. In turn Melinda hires Adam as a carpenter to fulfill her wish to have a pergola in her back yard. As the structure is constructed piece by piece their friendship grows.
Will Adam and Melinda’s relationship develop into something deeper or will the scars from their past keep them from finding love?
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The Matchmaker and The Marine: A Second Chance Small-Town Romance
By Lucinda Race
5 out of 5 stars
I loved reading the book The Matchmaker and The Marine: A Second Chance Small-Town Romance by Lucinda Race. It is a story that hooked me in from the very beginning and I didn’t want to put it down until the final page. It is a book that has a wonderful storyline and amazing characters. I loved reading about Melinda Phillips and Adam Bell. Melinda wants everyone to experience the kind of love she lost. Her goal as a matchmaker is to find her clients that special someone. Melinda has resigned herself to a lonely life. Then she meets Adam. Adam is a man who has a physical reminder of his war-torn past. He still remembers the pain when his girlfriend left him. Now he has met Melinda at a friend’s wedding. Adam and Melinda start a friendship. They seem to be able to talk easily with each other. What will happen if their feelings for each other begin to change? What does the future hold for Melinda and Adam? Would they take a second chance at love? Read this book to find out. This story had my emotions going up and down the entire time I was reading it. I grew to care about what happens to Melinda and Adam. I wanted them to be happy. I enjoyed the bantering that goes back and forth between them. I also enjoyed reading about the other characters that they interacted with. This is a romantic story that warmed my heart. I highly recommend reading it.
This is a Second Chance Romance and it is Melinda and Adam’s Story and it is definitely a must read. Melinda is a successful matchmaker and even though her husband has died she still believes in love and helps other’s find there perfect match. Adam is a ex marine and she to what he suffered on his last four but being alone all the time makes it difficult to move forward and even though he wants to find that special someone he is still worried about getting his heart broken again. Melinda and Adam had both suffered loss but of a different kind and they have baggage and secrets but they find friendship in each other even though they are vulnerable because of what they had both been through but can it eventually turn into love. This is a beautiful second chance story about love, loss, friendship and being ready to take a chance on love and I absolutely loved it and I couldn’t put it down as the characters and storyline pulled you in and it was written so well and totally engaging that you have to keep turning the pages to see what would happen next and I definitely recommend you read this book and others by Lucinda Race who is an amazing author and writer and her books are definitely worth reading.
I Voluntarily Reviewed a copy of this book
I couldn’t put this book down. I was caught up in the tale of two people who had been badly damaged by life, but who forged new lives out of the rubble of their grief. There were so many interesting secondary characters that added color to the story, bu it was the matchmaker and the marine who tugged at my heart all the way through. Loved it.
This is a hard review to write. I’m not sure how to rate this book. I’m giving it four stars but it’s a weak four stars. Race writes well. The characters are good and the story entertaining but it never really pulled all the emotion from me I expected it to. The book is worth reading.
As a Marine, I’m more often than not disappointed with the Marines in books. It’s incredibly hard to get the emotions and intensity of a Marine right if you’ve not been one and lived the life or lived with a Marine. The jargon and attitudes really need to be experienced to be understood. Race gets several parts right and others wrong but keeps it generic enough to not spoil the story for those in the know or for outsiders. And now I’ve said too much about this aspect.
Melinda and Adam are likable. Adam’s stresses and lingering battle scars (physical and emotional) are believable. The same with Melinda’s past traumas. Their story is interesting to watch unfold. Their friends and support characters all add to the story. But I was left wanting even more emotion from Mel and Adam. I wanted to feel their pain even more as well as the joy of their eventual HEA. The super intense feels this story could have come with were just a tad out of my reach.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley and MC Two Press.
This is clean reading! I very much enjoyed this story and the writing. I read it in one sitting. This story had great characters and relationships. I thought the author did a good job of addressing PTSD, physical trauma and mourning. This was a new author to me! I’ll look forward to more from Author Lucinda Race.
Yeah, you bleed just to know your alive.
I absolutely fell in love with this book its characters, everything. I read this book in two days. I went to bed early so that I would have enough time to read. Melinda and Adam broke my heart, made me laugh, cry, and weep. You will go through all the emotions with this book,
Melinda Phillips is a widow who lost her beloved husband in a horrible accident four years ago. Since then, She’s dedicated her life to finding the perfect match for the lovelorn and lonely. Melinda believes she will never find the special kind love she had with John. Adam Bells
Is a retired Marine with PTSD and a prosthetic leg. Adam keeps his leg a secret ever since his ex-girlfriend left him because she was repulsed by the leg. The only person who knows about his leg is his best friend. Adam meets Melinda at a beach party and they talk and become friends. Melinda tells Adam her occupation and he asks for her to find him a woman he can love and marry. Adam is attracted to Melinda but Melinda tells him she’s not looking for love ever since her husband died. Adam doesn’t pursue it because he thinks Melinda will be repulsed by his prosthetic leg like his ex-girlfriend. Melinda and Adam become good friends and much later with the help of their friends Melinda and Adam discover they were each other’s love of their lives all along. Melinda and Adam leave the past and look forward to the future, together.
What I loved most about this book is the author letting Melinda and Adam fall in love in real-time. It is a really slow burn like in real life. First the attraction, then you get to know each other and be friends and then you fall in love. Lol. I loved that. I especially loved how Ms. Race integrated Melinda’s and Adam’s friends. They were a big useful part of the story. They weren’t just there to annoy or slow down the story like in other books. This is a very well-written book. It keeps your attention to the end with no slowing down. It is truly a beautiful book that you will want to read again when you finish which I will. I miss Melinda and Adam, already and you will too. Lol. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and will not be my last. I will definitely look for more by this author in the future, I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley.com and the author. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Such a sweet romance! I mean, how can you not fall in love with a Retired Marine, and the Heroine who is widowed because of a terrible incident? And, of course, they have issues that they have to get through before they realize they have fallen for each other.
I loved it this book! This story has all the feels. A broken-hearted widow meets her match when a military hero enlists her services as a professional matchmaker. It’s her job to help him find love. It becomes his mission to prove he already has.
sweet, wholesome, uplifting romance between an amputee and widow.
What do a matchmaker and a Marine have in common? Maybe, more than you think. THE MATCHMAKER AND THE MARINE is a sweet and heartwarming story with characters that are vulnerable and endearing. They deserve happiness and maybe, they can find it with each other.
Melinda is a matchmaker and she is trying to find a match for Adam, a former Marine. As Adam and Melinda get to know each other and slowly let down their guard, they realize they are falling for each other.
Both Adam and Melinda have baggage for their pasts and they have a hard time opening up and trusting people, but they are also lonely and would like to share their lives with someone. Adam and Melinda are genuine and nice people who have had some bad luck in the past. They make a wonderful couple, it just takes them a while to realize they should be together. They enjoy each other’s company but move very slowly toward each other because of their fears. They also have a wonderful group of friends who are always there to give them support and laughter.
I have to confess, I don’t usually read stories about matchmakers, but I do enjoy reading about wounded veterans and that is why I decided to read this one. This was a delightful surprise and I am glad I gave it a try. I enjoyed this small town story.
Thanks to the author for providing a copy of this book via Cocktails and Books and Netgalley. The opinions expressed are my own.
This is my first introduction to the work of Lucinda Race. It is a sweet, clean romance between two people who have to heal, before they can find love. The characters drew me in from the very first chapter.
Melinda Phillips is the widow of a policeman, who was killed by a drunk driver. She had been very much in love with her husband, and despite or maybe because she had been very successful and popular therapists, she leaves Philadelphia to start a new life in Chester, Connecticut, as a Matchmaker. She has been quite successful in her new career, wanting to help others find the same love that she had had with her husband, John, and has made many new friends, which is all she is looking for. She already had the love of her life. Adam Bell is a retired Marine- a forced medical retirement after a run in with an IED. He suffers from PTSD and uses a prosthetic. He was burned by his almost fiancee, after his injury, but wants to find the same love that his best friend Will found with Stacey and Will’s sister, Molly with Tim, both thanks to Melinda.
While Melinda works to find a good match for Adam, his heart is already telling him that it is Melinda that it wants. Will he and his friends be able to convince Melinda that she deserves a second chance at love too? Detailed descriptions provide the reader with lots of imagery. Easy banter between the characters set a light mood to the story. And what I liked most about the story is that Melinda and Adam talked everything out, without anyone getting their nose out of joint and storming off, with regrets.
I read an ARC provided by NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.
This was such a charming book to read. It was the first one I have read from this author and I’m so glad I gave it a chance. Melinda had married her school sweetheart and after his tragic death, she moved to the small town of Chester. She wanted to help others find their happy ever after so she starts a business matchmaking couples. Adam had been injured as a Marine and forced to retire. He had no family so he moved to Chester to be by his best friend, Will. He suffered emotional and physical scars from his time in the Marines. His ex-girlfriend dumped him, and he is insecure about telling others about his injury. His friends introduce him to Melinda and later he hired her to find him a match. He slowly opens up to Melinda and realizes he doesn’t want to date other women, but Melinda hasn’t let go of her past and isn’t ready to date. Can two scarred people create their happy ever after? Adam and Melinda were perfect for each other. The book was fast-paced and hard to put down once I started to read it. I will certainly be looking at other books by this author after reading this emotion-filled book.
I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
5 Star
The Matchmaker and The Marine: A Second Chance Small-Town Romance by Lucinda Race
The Matchmaker and The Marine is a sweet second chance small town romance that I couldn’t stop reading till I finished. There were moments where my heart ached for Melinda and Adam as they both suffered a loss. She lost her husband and decided to move and started a matchmaking business called “It’s just Coffee “. She wanted to help people find the kind of love she had with her husband. Adam is a retired Marine who absolutely stole my heart. These two meet at a wedding and become fast friends. The attraction is definitely there but both of them needed move on from there past. I could go on and on but I don’t want to give anything away. I highly recommend reading this Book. I look forward to reading more from this Author.
This is my first book by Lucinda Race, and it won’t be my last. Melinda is a Matchmaker and is able to bring people together to find everlasting love. Adam is a marine but after an attack he has been discharged. The characters are both flawed in different ways and the friendship and trust comes through the story and builds to a great ending. I loved Lucinda’s writing style and can’t wait to read more from her!
I absolutely love a second chance romance it is one of my favourites, this one certainly didn’t disappoint it had a brilliant well written storyline. I fell in love with all the characters and I enjoyed watching them grow throughout the story. It’s such an easy emotional fun romantic read one i struggle to put down so i must admit I read it all in one sitting. I highly recommend reading this novel It’s a beautiful second romance storyline one worth definitely taking a bite into!
The Matchmaker and The Marine: A Second Chance Small-Town Romance by Lucinda Race was a romantic and wholesome read. I loved Melinda and Adam’s chemistry. Both seemed like independent and self sufficient individuals. That air and none of the games was super refreshing. I enjoyed the pacing and thought the story was well thought out. I had fun reading this in one go over the holiday weekend.
This love story follows widow Melinda and veteran disabled Adam. Melinda owns a matchmaking service and Adam is new in town. She lost her soul mate and never thought she would find love again – until Adam comes along. He hires her to find him a date and they become fast friends. They are loss brings them closer together. What a great story!
Matchmaker Melinda Phillips has devoted her life to helping others find love. Having tragically lost her husband, and childhood sweetheart, in a hit and run accident, Mel’s job is to help others find love like theirs.
Adam has heard a lot about the matchmaker that helped his friend find love. He’s interested in seeking her expertise, but when he falls for Mel can he make her see that she’s allowed to love again? And, can he trust her with his biggest secret?
When Mel hires Adam to work in her garden she gets to know him better, and a playful friendship takes shape. With Adam going on a string of unsuccessful dates the pair have plenty to keep them busy.
Mel and Adam are both such lovely characters you can’t help but wish them well. They both have a lot of baggage, but for me, this makes them more relatable and real. I was rooting for them to get the happy ending they deserve. I was keeping my fingers crossed that this second chance at love would work out for both of them. The story is easy to read, perfect for a cosy afternoon.
5 years widowed
4 friends in love
3 boarders of ocean
2 second chances
1 gray striped Skye
The Matchmaker and the Marine: A Second Chance Small-Town Romance, is a beautiful, slow-burn tale of healing hearts, self-forgiveness, and second chances. Lucinda Race has written such relatable and heartfelt characters in Melinda Phillips and Adam Bell. The realness of their doubt and grief; how even the smartest and most logical people can see they are not acting rationally, due to fears, losses, and regrets. Wanting so desperately to find happiness again, yet still not able to find the hope or strength to change course. You don’t have to be Marine to understand and sympathize with Adam’s trepidation of opening up. You don’t have to be a widow to feel Melinda’s loss of her husband so acutely.
It would have been easy to stay on the path life throws you on. It would have been far less scary to not at least try at a second chance of love, more freeing to stay jaded and guarded. But to have missed out on your happily ever after would have been far more painful than living in your darkened past.
You won’t regret taking this journey with Mel and Adam….after all. Timing is everything!
The matchmaker and the marine was a great book that was well written with great characters.
The two main characters have their own issues.
Melinda moved to Chester to start a new life after losing her husband and facing memories everywhere in her home. It was to much for her to handle. In Chester she has become a very successful matchmaker who gets referral and referral from the many HEA’s she has played a part in creating.
Adam is in Chester staying with a friend who is like a brother. They have been best friends for many years. Adam is at a wedding when he runs into Melinda. They start to talk about how they both know the couple and become quick friends. Adam hires Melinda to be his matchmaker but things don’t go very smooth for him. He’s ex military with many emotional and some physical scars. Adam not only hires Melinda but she also hires him to do some work in her yard. The chemistry is amazing between these two main characters throughout the book but is it enough? What happens when a secret is exposed that isn’t ready to be told?
I thought this was a really great book and look forward to many more from this author. This is definitely a book you do not want to miss out on!