The Irish Matchmaker by Jennifer Deibel

 

The Irish Matchmaker - Jennifer Deibel - 4 Stars

Jennifer does NOT disappoint with her newest release, The Irish Matchmaker. I have read every one of her books and they consistently deliver captivating tales filled with profound emotion. In The Irish Matchmaker we follow the daughter of a well-known matchmaker, Catriona Daly. She is helping widowed cattle farmer Donal Bunratty find a wife to help take care of their family farm and raise his daughter by his side. He attends the matchmaking festival as a wish for his young daughter, only to end up not finding the one he thought he would. But what happens when the one doing the matchmaking appears to be the woman of his dreams? The story goes on from here as Donal and Catriona get to know one another but Lord Osborne's son, Andrew, throws a "cog in the wheel" we will say in all the matchmaking.....

This Christian Historical Romance is set in Ireland and Jennifer always has the best descriptions and dialogue for the setting and characters. You really feel like you are there with them. The characters always touch your heart too. I love a good single Dad story finding love again - one of my favorite tropes - and this was so sweet as his little girl stole my own heart! The story did take a little bit for me to get invested but around the 50% mark, I finished the book so quickly and loved the ending. The romance was sweet - I thought originally it was going to be a love triangle, but it wasn't really a serious one, as we knew Andrew was not a good guy from the beginning and Donal and her had a great connection together. 

My favorite part of this is the ending and the Sermon on the Mount scriptures and discussion with his little girl. Absolutely beautiful.

I will always recommend Jennifer's books - solid clean, Christian Historical Romance. No content warnings or triggers to report as the romance was completely clean with kisses only. :)

Thank you to Revell and Jennifer for allowing me to be on the Launch Team and providing me with a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6198893136
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3UKxWDF

Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/542763

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The Maid of Ballymacool by Jennifer Deibel

 

The Maid of Ballymacool - Jennifer Deibel - 5 Stars - Full of mystery, romance, history, faith, cinderella vibes - so GOOD!

The Maid of Ballymacool by Jennifer Deibel is one of my favorite books of 2023 so far! Full of mystery, romance, history, emotions, faith, secrets, Cinderella vibes, a swoon-worthy male lead and a villainous headmistress -- this story has all the makings to be one of my favorite books of the year! 5 stars!

I have loved both of Jennifer’s books so far, A Dance in Donegal and The Lady of Galway Manor, but The Maid of Ballymacool is my favorite one yet! There was something about Michael and Brianna that just made them unforgettable and unique.

Set in the 1930s in Ireland, Brianna Kelly was abandoned at Ballymacool House and Boarding School as a baby. She’s worked there her entire life and the Headmistress, Maureen Magee, runs the school and is a force to be reckoned with. Miss Magee also raised Brianna since she was a baby who was left on her doorstep. She is so cruel to Brianna and we are trying to figure out why she holds such a grudge against her – because it’s obvious there’s some internal turmoil secretly stored with Miss Magee about Brianna. Michael Wray comes to Ballymacool to oversee his unruly cousin and from the very beginning he stole my heart in this story. He meets Brianna, they connect immediately, and things take off from here as Michael shows his loyalty and heart throughout the story. He is truly the hero in this story and I LOVED it! What they discover together throughout this book changes so much in Ballymacool House and Boarding School.

The reason I loved Michael so much in this is he showed such love, loyalty, strength, commitment. He was not afraid to stand up for what is right, especially to the headmistress. Jennifer pulled Michael in the story at all the right moments when I, as a reader, would think “I hope Michael is about to show up!” and he did! He just has such a tender, loving heart and respect for others that I loved. He also had a good foundational faith that I really appreciated.

Brianna was such a complex character, and I was so intrigued from the very beginning. Her story really reminded me of Cinderella in many ways. She was passive because of all the hardship she had in her life and Michael helped her really open herself up to everyone else and be able to grow. Also loved the side characters, specifically Finnuala.

Overall, this is my favorite of Jennifer’s books so far and I highly recommend if you love Historical Romance! (Also, loved seeing a couple of characters from A Dance in Donegal here! 😊 )

Thank you to Baker Publishing, Revell and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy to honestly read and review.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4926442550
Amazon: https://amzn.to/44oTKqC
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/465113
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuFKv2eeju0