Wingman rule number one: don’t fall for a client.After a career-ending accident, former NFL recruit Ian Hunter is back on campus—and he’s ready to get his new game on. As one of the masterminds behind Wingmen, Inc., a successful and secretive word-of-mouth dating service, he’s putting his extensive skills with women to work for the lovelorn. But when Blake Olson requests the services of Wingmen, … services of Wingmen, Inc., Ian may have landed his most hopeless client yet.
From her frumpy athletic gear to her unfortunate choice of footwear, Blake is going to need a miracle if she wants to land her crush. At least with a professional matchmaker by her side she has a fighting chance. Ian knows that his advice and a makeover can turn Blake into another successful match. But as Blake begins the transformation from hot mess to smokin’ hot, Ian realizes he’s in danger of breaking his cardinal rule…
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I had to reread this before watching the film adaptation on Passionflix. Ian is such a lovable jerk that you can’t help rooting for him even as you enjoy watching him fall in love and completely out of his depth. Great side characters, too. Read this for fun banter and an all-hero POV.
The Matchmaker’s Playbook and The Matchmaker’s Replacement are cute, easy-to-read college romances with surprisingly snappy dialogue. I read both books in an afternoon and found myself smiling an embarrassing amount. I’ll definitely check out Rachel Van Dyken’s other series when I’m in the mood for something short, romantic, and humorous.
4.5 stars
Actually I’ve come to read The Matchmaker’s Playbook because its movie is going to be released on passionflix soon. I guess otherwise I might have missed out on this funny and light read.
The Matchmaker’s Playbook is an easy read that keeps your eyes glued to the pages until the very end. It reminds me a little of the movie “She’s All That” but with its very own twist and turns. Between all the heavy romance I’ve read lately it was refreshing reading something lighthearted.
The connection between Ian and Blake builds slowly and it’s pretty obvious that there is no way around that they fall for each other. Once into the story, I couldn’t put down this book. I’ve read it in one sitting.
Can’t wait to watch the movie with Nick Bateman as Ian <3
I just start reading Rachel’s books last year when The Consequence of Loving Colton was released. I am in love with that series so when I saw that a new series was coming out that would most certainly make me laugh out loud, I had to sign-up! It’s just the humor but I knew it would be be a great story and be amazingly written, and I was right! Yay!! I had no doubts.
Ian is back on campus after his very short NFL career ended after a knee injury. He loved the game but it wasn’t the only game he was masterful at. He was a player, he knew how to get the girl, and he knew what men were thinking. And with his talents along with his best friend Lex and his genius skills, they created Wingmen, Inc., a matchmaking business for woman. To give them lessons on how to get to the man that hasn’t noticed them. They will only take them as a client if they were willing to put in the work and if the man they wanted to be noticed by was a match. Time was important and wasting it on the wrong man wasn’t worth it. They had their rules set for their clients and for themselves with contracts. And the number one rule for Ian was not to sleep with a client. He was perfectly fine with this rule until he was hired by Blake…
Blake was a hot mess. She loved her basketball shorts, sport bras, and adidas flip flops. They might have gotten her noticed but for all the wrong reasons. She was a tomboy but she has some hidden sexiness in under those clothes. She just needed to bring it out so her crush, David would see her. Not as the childhood friend but as a woman he wanted. So soon after she meets Ian, the cocky man-whore best friend of her roommate, she decides to hire, Wingmen, Inc. to help her get the man she always wanted. Well…isn’t she surprised to find out that Ian is the love coach that she so desperately needs. But what she doesn’t expect is all the mixed signals that will turn her life upside down.
Ian was hired to get Blake her man. Fine. He can do that. But does he want to after spending time with her? Her 1992 adidas flip flops, and hoodies are growing on him. She is beautiful but she is also off-limits. She is a client. He can’t touch her unless it’s a lesson. But he wants to in every way possible. He finds that her sexiness isn’t in the way she wears clothes but in her attitude. She is witty, blunt, innocent, and doesn’t take his shit. His crude humor doesn’t even turn her off, he can see it when she blushes. Ian is used to women wanting him but he is not used to be the insecure one. The mixed signals they are throwing at each other is confusing the fuck out of him. Is she playing the player? Or does she want her love coach or her crush?
I loved Ian and Blake’s story! Blake is a total mystery to Ian, one that he wants to solve. Bad. I, for one, fell for Ian quickly. The book is written in his POV and he is funny as hell. And I might just have a girl crush on Blake. She is hilarious even when she doesn’t try to be. Together, they make one funny, sexy, and messy story!
Overall…I laughed like crazy. Cried on occasion. And was hooked from the start. I also want to give a shout out to Lex and Gabi. Damn those two are crazy mofos. I can’t wait to see what happens with their hate/hate relationship in the next book. I have a feeling it’s going to be epic!
Quotes:
“We’ll find you something else that doesn’t make you look like you starred in Napoleon Dynamite, okay?”
“Good, no sex. Go to a nunnery. Lex and I will sneak in chocolate and wine for you every year on your birthday.” I reached across the table and patted her hand. “Blessings, child.”
“Who has porn?” Lex waltzed into the kitchen, his grin lazy as he eyed Gabi. “Looking good, Gabs. Run out of makeup this morning, or are you trying to look twelve so you can pay less for a movie ticket?”
The Matchmaker’s Playbook (Wingmen, Inc #1) was a great read by Rachel Van Dyken. Ian Hunter was a former NFL recruit, who suffered a career ending accident. He’s back on campus and is now one of the masterminds behind Wingmen, Inc. It’s a successful and secretive word of mouth dating service. Blake also requests the services of Wingmen, In and seems to be completely hopeless. It seems as though she will need a miracle to land her crush. Ian and Blake never thought they would have an attraction to each other that they can’t deny. I really enjoyed reading Ian and Blake’s story and can’t wait to read more but the author.
I had been wanting to read this book after watching the movie on Passionflix. Even though I knew how the book would end because I’d seen the movie, it was still worth it to read. I loved reading more of their banter and scenes that weren’t in the movie. I liked that the book was in Ian’s POV. Now I’m off to read Lex and Gabi’s book.
So Good! I loved the story line, the concept and the chemistry between the MCs. It was effortless.
This rom-com was overloaded with so much word porn and profanity that there wasn’t much of a story to enjoy. That being said, I listened to this in an audio edition. The narrator, Jeremy York, was good and offered distinct character voices, good inflections, and maintained a flowing pace while reading.
Amazing, sweet, funny love story about a player who broke his one absolute rule and fell for his client. I always love Rachel’s books because she’s amazing and i love her sense of humor.
So so good. Loved this series.
Such a fun listen! Ian Hunter suffered a career-ending injury so instead of enjoying life in the NFL he went back to school and now, along with his best friend, they have a business where they help the girl get the guy of their dreams. Rules and contracts and statistics and formulas and success. Yes, Ian is a bit cocky and he does dip it just about everywhere but then he meets the one who he shouldn’t…his newest client…Gabby’s new roommate, Blake. She is naive and sporty and perfect for him. Once he starts the transformation and they really get to know each other they both start to fall and once the falling starts there is no hope for either. This one was so good! The banter, the witty comebacks, the secondary fighting between friends. Perfect.
Read: 4/15/19
The Matchmaker’s Playbook was the first book in the Wingmen series by Rachel Van Dyken.
Ian and Blake were both college students. They were complete opposites and would never be matched together under any guidelines.
Ian was a dick. He was gorgeous and knew it. He was also the successful co-owner of Wingmen, a company that assisted shy or awkward women in catching their “hot guy” crush when they didn’t have the confidence to do so on their own. Wingmen was the fastest growing relationship business in the Pacific Northwest.
Blake was a tomboy from Idaho. She was raised by her father, was a volleyball athlete and was awkward wearing oversized and outdated clothes. She needed help attracting a friend she grew up with since a young child. She had crushes on him forever but he never seemed to notice her.
The Matchmaker’s Playbook was written from a single POV, Ian’s. It was well written, well developed, a fast read, great characters, humorous, light hearted and pure, clean, sexy fun. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to see what Van Dyken does with Lex and Gabi in The Matchmaker’s Replacement.
This was a lighthearted fun read with very little drama. I loved the aspect if the alpha jock falling for his client. The story line was fun and the dialogue was awesome. I loved the humor and sass. This author has the wonderful ability to write “real” books. The characters, issues and speech always feel right and true. I look forward Lex’s book.
Arc received courtesy of Goodreads.com first reads giveaway.
I really enjoyed reading The Matchmaker’s Playbook. The characters and story were very good, as well as, the pace of the book. I really enjoyed this series.
Rachel Van Dyken is definitely one of my favourite authors. As soon as one of her books releases, I am bound to one-click it. Not only have I loved everything she has ever written, but I am amazed at the unique plot lines she is able to come up with.
At the start of this novel, I was not a huge fan of Ian. Due to this, I was slightly worried that this would be the first Rachel Van Dyken book that I did not like. But, true to her writing fashion, she quickly turned me and made me end up liking Ian. He is so much more complex and diverse that what I thought at the beginning.
I loved Blake. Part of this was due to her initial dislike for Ian, which made me love her even more. Their relationship was a gradual progression and was not the typical insta-love. This was refreshing to read about.
If you’ve read and enjoyed previous books by Rachel, this book is definitely for you. I highly recommend reading it.
5/5 Stars!
I wanted to prepare myself for the upcoming movie premier of this book and I don’t know why I waited so long to read it. I mean, I bought this back in 2016…what the hell is wrong with me. I denied myself one of the most UNIQUE experiences EVER. Not only was the whole “Kindle in Motion” the coolest thing ever, but the audiobook narrator took characters that were already so lifelike and practically made them 3D for me.
This was the most AWESOME way to read a book. It was funny, sexy and everything I could have wanted in a romance!
All the feels and loads of giggles.
So, I have been hearing so many great things about this book for a long time and recently realized I needed to have it in my reach. Great investment i could ever make! Ian Hunter is a total player, but man does he know his stuff! I must be honest. I was hesitant to even start this book because the main girl is named Blake. I’ve always associated the name Blake with guys. A major reason I’ve wanted to read this book is because of the movie. Having the kindle in motion feature is amazing! So my final thoughts? It’s amazing.
P.S. Kinda hard not to envision Ian as Nick Bateman
*4 Stars*
So I finally got around to reading this after I read Co-Ed by Rachel not all that long ago, on its release. I wanted to go back to where it began because that book was so much fun, and a spin-off of sorts.
While I enjoyed this one, it wasn’t my fave. For some reason I couldn’t warm up to Ian. I read this on my phone in the kindle app, rather than on my kindle itself, because I read the Kindle in Motion version, which was really cool with its little movies/pictures/animations etc. A whole new experience for reading a digital copy of a book. I think I just didn’t picture Ian the same way as the guy who portrays him in Kindle in Motion.
I did like Blake though and it was a fun story to read and experience. Particularly the concept of Wingman Inc and exactly what they do. This is also a story of learning about oneself as well, so that was a great aspect of it.
I am keen to read Lex and Gabis book though, they were really entertaining.
All in all, still a fun book from Rachel and I look forward to more!
Ian’s perspective is quite something, “I had to, damn it! What did she want me to do? Sound interested? Turned-on? Intrigued? Curious? I was all those things. I just tried to ignore the insanity bouncing around in my head and blurted, “Your boobs look really good. Perky, happy, just . . . awesome.” Blake was real entertaining, she really was blind to what she was doing to Ian and it was fun watching him unravel slowly, “you think?” She stared down at her breasts, then grabbed them. Holy ***t, was she seriously feeling herself up? I braced my hand against the door and sucked in a breath. “They still feel comfortable,” she said.” I enjoyed this book Ian was an idiot at times, his bff Lex was just stupid at times I secretly think he has a thing for Gabs and he’s always thinking with his balls so his book should be interesting.
I live the book had motion picture to it. That was different. Ian was cute, funny, and very confident. They start there on business to help women get the man the want. They made a movie on passionflix , it a must watch movie