Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Match Me If You can

Annabelle's endured dead-end jobs, a broken engagement . . . even her hair's a mess! But that's going to change now that she's taken over her late grandmother's matchmaking business. All Annabelle has to do is land the Windy City's hottest bachelor as her client, and she'll be the most sought-after matchmaker in town.
Why does the wealthy, driven, and gorgeous sports agent Heath Champion need a matchmaker, especially a red-haired screw-up like Annabelle Granger? True, she's entertaining, and she does have a certain quirky appeal. But Heath is searching for the ultimate symbol of success -- the perfect wife. And to make an extraordinary match, he needs an extraordinary matchmaker, right?
Soon everyone in Chicago has a stake in the outcome, and a very big question: When the determined matchmaker promised she'd do anything to keep her star client happy . . . did she mean anything? If Annabelle isn't careful, she just might find herself going heart-to-heart with the toughest negotiator in town. 

Comment: This is the sixth installment in the Chicago Stars series by this author. This series has achieved great reviews total and this book in particular has been one of the ones I looked for the most based on the blurb alone. I was very curious about how the story would develop and thankfully, I was proved right by its execution.

This is the story of Annabelle Granger and her attempt of further developing and improve her late grandmother's matchmaking business. She gets a huge opportunity when her friend Molly sets her a meeting with Heath Champion, a very smart sports agent.

Heath already has a contract with a matchmaking agency but he decides to listen to Annabelle as a favor but she's late to the meeting. Annabelle doesn't give up though and storms his office. He thinks she will ruin her own prospects and he doesn't mind her much.

But Annabelle is everywhere in Heath's life now and strangely, he kind of likes her and welcomes her help too. Maybe he's not looking for a wife in the right place...

It's always such a pleasure to read a book by this author. Although some situations are often exaggerated and too unlikely to be done by thinking people, I still think her stories are highly entertaining and point out many human reactions to things out of our control. I like to expect what will happen, how the characters will talk, meet, deal with each other. 

This isn't drama nor literary fiction but I think some of the themes present in the novels and how the characters learn to deal with them give enough depth to the stories in order to not make them simple chick lit things.

I liked the two main characters. Heath and Annabelle have a good story and my favorite aspect in the whole book was how they grew to be comfortable around each other and happy with the other one even in silly situations. At first things happened with reluctance between them, but as time went by and they knew how the other was more and more, they developed a real friendship and acceptance. The attraction was quiet, not over the top but the intimacy between them was a bit too easy though and I think I'd have liked for that side of their romance to not have been treated almost as without the level of meaning it deserved. My opinion, of course.

Their relationship turned into greatness by the end and the HEA was assured. Still. I believe the intensity and emotion this story should have bee given wasn't totally there. This would have bumped this to perfection level and I really wanted it to, but it almost got there.

Annabelle is a very funny woman. She is a good person and acts accordingly. I liked how she treated Heath and how she tried to get the best of him. I liked her family reactions, because she comes from a successful family and she feels she isn't. This didn't affect her sort of bubbly personality which I think was a missed opportunity, but it didn't mean she was aloof about the emotional hits from the family.

Heath too had things to overcome, thus he's success, drive and pragmatic way of finding a wife. I think he went over the top here but a plot was needed. His childhood issues were important and I feel they weren't given the importance they needed, but overall, I liked how his personality was balanced now.

As usual, the sex an intimacy are treated in a way I find too easy and not as powerful as it could. Things are always too routine and seen too much to be really meaningful in my opinion. Maybe if they didn't think about it so much...

Anyway, this story was as good as the others I've read. There's always something I wish could be different but all things considered, the author delivers good, entertaining stories with couples who face moments and situations that really make them grow.

I like seeing that and hopefully, all the books by her I still want to read will be as good.

Grade: 8/10