04/08/2024

A derringer-toting matchmaker gets embroiled in a love affair of her own in Turano’s spirited latest entry in the Matchmakers historical romance series (following To Spark a Match). After having her heart “shattered” by fortune hunter George Sherrington, Camilla Pierpont swore off romance forever and dedicated herself to orchestrating others’ relationships instead. Her relatively stable life in the Hudson River Valley is interrupted on a morning horseback ride when she and her assistant, Lottie, are pursued by a band of kidnappers. Thankfully, handsome businessman Owen Chesterfield swoops in to save the day, then enlists Camilla to transform his “ragamuffin” younger sister into a refined debutante. Eager to avoid the newly divorced George Sherrington’s return to town, Camilla accompanies Owen to his West Virginia home, where flirtatious banter and stolen glances spark an attraction. Just as Camilla starts to rethink her “spinsterhood,” however, the kidnappers—one of whom may be closer to home than she realizes—reappear, threatening to curb the budding romance before it can start. Buoyed by self-aware humor (when Camilla confesses her irritation with Owen to his grandmother, the latter suggests they “could very well be experiencing that enemies-to-something-delightful scenario that authors often write into their romance stories”), the propulsive narrative pulls off its twists and turns with aplomb, and the chemistry between the leads will keep readers invested to the last page. Turano fans old and new will be delighted. (July)