No Match for Love by Karen Thornell (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

What is or will be your first read of September?  I read No Match for Love by Karen Thornell in this past weekend.  It was a perfect book to escape on a camping trip.

Lydia Faraday has lived a lonely life on her guardian’s estate.  She has suddenly been called into London by her guardian to have a season amongst the ton.  She is not sure why he has a sudden interest in marrying her off, but she is going to experience London to its fullest.  Lucas Berkely escapes the pain of his past by starting a secret club and becoming a prize boxer.  He wants to keep this secret from society, but through a chance meeting, he is afraid that Lydia has uncovered his secret.  When his brother Charlie decides to court Lydia to appease his mother, Lucas finds himself drawn to Lydia.  Why has Lydia’s guardian suddenly decided she is to be married?  What is the secret of her past?  Will Lucas’s secret come out and will he be able to come to terms with the tragedy in his past? 

My thoughts on this novel:

·       Lydia and Lucas were wonderful characters.  I loved the growth that both characters had during this novel.  I also enjoyed the chemistry between these characters.  Both were believable characters.  Lucas is socially awkward and haunted by the death of his twin sister.  Lydia grew up without a family and was raised by servants at her guardian’s estate.  She has become a healer, and she loves to help out those less fortunate than herself.  She shares this with Lucas.

·       The chapters alternate between Lucas and Lydia’s points of view.

·       The side characters are fun as well.  I loved Lucas’s entire family, especially Charlie and their mother.

·       I enjoy that this is set during the Regency time period.  I love Regency romance.

·       The storyline was enchanting.  I really wanted to know both Lydia and Lucas’s back stories and what would happen to them.  The mystery and suspense in this novel was very fun. I also loved how they both helped others throughout the book and this willingness to be a helper is what attracted them to each other.

·       No Match for Love is a clean read.

Overall, No Match for Love was a very engaging read with great characters, story, and romance.  I couldn’t stop reading this book once I picked it up.  I highly recommend it.

Book Source:  Review copy from Covenant Communications as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you!  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Lucas Berkeley has a secret—one he cannot risk anyone discovering. After all, a future marquess belongs in drawing rooms, not underground boxing circles. Yet with a painful past and a need to control every aspect of his life, it is his only outlet. And when his brother begins to court the one woman who could ruin everything, Lucas needs the secret diversion more than ever.

Lydia Faraday is exhausted from living a life in which she has no say. When her taciturn guardian drags her to London intent on marrying her off, she determines to thwart his plans. If she is to have freedom in any aspect of her existence, it ought to be with whom she marries. And when a solicitor turns up with new information, she thinks that just might be possible. Or it may complicate her future further.

When Lucas and Lydia become entangled in a dangerous scheme, they cannot help but become closer, even as the obstacles between them grow. The last thing either is looking for is love. But their hearts have different plans.

AUTHOR BIO

Karen Thornell grew up reading when she should have been sleeping, but it wasn't until 2019 that she started writing. Tired of ending books and saying 'goodbye' to beloved characters, she wondered what it would be like to have her own characters that lived in her head always. It was probably a mark of sleep deprivation that she wanted people living in her head, but the idea was planted regardless.

Karen lives in Utah with her husband and kids. When not writing contemporary or regency romance, she spends her free time doing endless loads of laundry, playing board games, and, yes, talking to those characters in her head.