About the Author

Carrie Nichols is an award winning writer. Romance is mostly the main theme of her books. This is the first book written by her that I am reading.The Sheriff’s Little Matchmaker is all set to be out this fall on Oct 8, 2018.

Synopsis

Sasha Honeycutt kisses a handsome stranger at a bar and finds herself up against him in the town where she recently moved. Remy Fontenote, the good sheriff of Rose Creek,is not only her mysterious stranger but also the father of her student in the second-grade. Sparks raised up when they kissed as complete strangers, but things get complicated when they get to know each other more.

However, when the seven-year old Evie plays cupid for the two of them, Remy decides to give a chance to their romance. Unfortunately Sasha had vowed never to get involved with a man in law enforcement again! She came to the town looking for a new start and she was not going to repeat her mistakes. Is there more than just sizzling chemistry to them? Will they get past their self-made apprehensions and let love take it’s course?

My thoughts

I am not a regular reader of romance books but whenever I get my hands on one, I enjoy it to the fullest by giving in completely to what the book promises. It’s like relishing a sweet chocolate cake amidst your regular diet on a cheat day. Full of guilty pleasures!

When I picked up the book, I admit-going by it’s cover- I was expecting a regular romance story. The plot here has been tried and tested over the times. How many times have we read about young kids playing cupid to get two people together? The point is I had a fair idea about what I was getting into and the book did not disappoint me at all. That first kiss on a bar in New Orleans was too steamy and even I was squirming at the sight of Remy Fontenot.

The second encounter between Remy and Sasha when they recognise each other was set up nicely. It set the stage perfectly for what was to come next. Sasha and Remy had an unarguably great chemistry.I am generally skeptical when it comes to kids playing match-makers for it can backfire so quickly. A simple unwanted dialogue, here or there, can take away the innocence of the kid and you feel they are forced into the part. But Evie was a well-balanced sweet and innocent kid. Except once ot twice I never questioned her innocence. Even then, I could relate to kids who carry deeper things in their heart and speak their mind surprising grown-ups. On that note, I would say Evie was completely believable.

Being an outsider, this book gave me insights about the Cajun culture. Now I know, it might not be the authentic representation or whatsoever. But it was definitely from this book that I got to know about this group of people. Isn’t that what we love about books? You get to know so much more about the world than what you see around. Speaking of which, I am not much of a cat person yet I enjoyed Henry who made his presence felt even without a single dialogue!! I don’t know why but I kept imagining him as Garfield. I think it has something to do with the description of a “big furry orange indoor cat”.

Both our main characters had interesting back stories. It brought layers to their characters. Over the course of the story, we got to see more about Remy and what led him to think or say the things he did or said eventually. Somehow, Sasha’s past was a bit mysterious even till the end of the book. Her apprehensions were revealed now and then. However given the fact that the book spent so much time for calling out her inner thoughts out loud, it lacked some context regarding the depth of her fears. That was my one problem with the book. Not that I didn’t enjoy their self-reproaching moments, but you do not need to hear each and every word of what the characters are thinking. Even without those inner voices, you could feel the attraction and the tension betweeen them. The physical reactions when they were close to each other was enough to communicate the feelings. Not that I didn’t want those voices at all, but it could have been toned down a little bit.

Now let’s talk about the main content – Romance – in the book. The romance evolved along with the sotry which is one of the factors I enjoyed the most. As two strangers who parted after the steamy kiss, it was expected that they would be lethally attracted to each other. Then the story progressed and they got to know each other, their affections evolved as well which is what happens with real life too. The meadow with the wild flowers was my favorite part if I am allowed to pick one.

The fact that the story went to addressing their inner turmoils and actions based on what they thought as opposed to what they felt made it a matured story. Often people tend to act based on their deeper fears and turmoils rather than merely getting carried away by their emotions. It is only later you realise the need to salvage the situation which was clearly depicted here.

The third act ended with a rather trivial and predictable conflict. Sasha’s fear for marrying a man with badge was adressed once in the story. Or may be I didn’t quite buy it because going by the title, I was expecting the stakes to be a bit more higher. That being said it doesn’t take away the good moments in the third act. Overall, if you have a relaxing weekend and wish to drown yourself in a romantic novel, this can be your pick. Only you have to be genuinely into the romnatic genre at least during the course of the book!!

So, are you going to pick this for your TBR list? Share your thoughts and experience with the book here!!

You can find the book here : Amazon Books_Sheriff’s Little Matchmaker

The Sheriff’s Little Matchmaker by Carrie Nichols
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

View all my reviews