The Matchmaker Bride

by Kate Hewitt

Will love conquer…her boss?

Beautiful, clever, rich—and determinedly single—Emily Wood is the youngest ever head of HR at her company. Whether dousing corporate fires or matchmaking lonely colleagues, Emily's at the top of her game. Only her handsome, sardonic boss, Jason Kingsley, appears to remain immune to her charm…

Jason is used to women falling at his feet, but relationships, with all their illogical demands, are not for him. So why does he find Emily so attractive? She's a highly unsuitable target for his seduction and merger skills—what with her misguided belief in the power of love…

Genres: Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Mills and Boon, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin Romance

187 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Kate is the USA Today-bsetselling author of many books of both historical and contemporary fiction. Under the name Katharine Swartz, she is the author of the Tales from Goswell books, a series of time-slip novels set in the village of Goswell.

She likes to read women's fiction, mystery and thrillers, as well as historical novels. She particularly enjoys reading about well-drawn characters and avoids high-concept plots.

Having lived in both New York City and a tiny village on the windswept northwest coast of England, she now resides in a market town in Wales with her husband, five children, and two Golden Retrievers.

Reviews

[Booklover · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a okay read,Jason-Emma have grown together,they know each other very well are friends the age gap os 12 years though,Emma has crush on Jason from the age of 17,then at her sisters wedding she asks Jason to kiss her though he wanted to but cause he was a child he did'nt and Emma felt humiliated rejected,then they carry on Emma ignores Jason tries not to be where he is then after 7 years she lands in London asking for a job and Jason gives her but he always remains out of town

Emma is good,sweet,match maker and part lover girl,but as the time passes her crush develops in love,but she knows Jason does'nt and she keeps her feelings for herself,Emma believes in love and grand gestures and expressing love in words

Jason is Cynic does'nt believe in Love his reason cause it brings unhappiness,sadness and it always asks for more Love in itself is never content ,Jason is back for a personal work and that is to find a wife for a marriage of convenience,he is 37 years old and he needs a Heir for his empire so he is back looking for candidates and if he finds a woman who fits his list he will get married

When these two meet they know the attraction is there and Jason gets to know how Emma was hurt that night,he fights his attraction cause he knows Emma wants love,wedding,roses and grand gestures but then soon both give in and get physical,Jason is clear that this is only a fling cause according to him Emma is not wife material according to his list so he is involved with Emma and side by side finding the wife,Emma ends it saying no she can't do she loves him and cannot carry with the fling Jason is sort of angry n hurt cause Emma walked away first,Jason thought it is what he wanted but he should be the first one to walk away not Emma

Anyways they go seperate ways and then a tragedy strikes and how these two realise what is love exactly and they have their HEA

Okay read

[Lu Bielefeld · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 ⭐⭐ - Meh!
============
portuguese edition: Auge da Paixão - O poder e a Inocência 3 - Harlequin

Nenhuma das atrizes e modelos que geralmente estão de braços dados com você? — ela provocou, embora ainda estivesse irritada e um tanto magoada. — Servem para encontros, não para casamento.

tipo de esposa que precisava: conveniente, sensata, prática. Nada de amor ou de romance.

Ele fora sincero ao dizer que ela não estava na sua lista de candidatas a esposa. Voltara a Londres para resolver assuntos muito pessoais, ou seja, encontrar alguém com quem se casar. Estava com 37 anos, e a saúde de seu pai começava a fraquejar. Precisava de um herdeiro.

Estava convencido de que, por mais charmosa e desejável que Emily fosse, também era tola, fútil, inconveniente e jamais serviria para ser sua esposa.

Tirar Emily da sua cabeça. E o único jeito de fazê-lo, seria tê-la em seus braços, em sua cama. Por que não? Ela lhe dissera não estar interessada em amor. Queria se divertir.

Ela dormira. Na sua cama, em seus braços. Finalmente, tivera o que queria.

Não queria magoá-la, mas não podia se casar com Emily. Precisava de uma mulher sensata, com uma visão prática do casamento.

Um caso. Ela sabia. Entendera e aceitara as regras. Jason as estabelecera claramente quando lhe dissera que não estava na sua lista de candidatas a esposa e quando afirmara não querer magoá-la.

Ela era o caso, não a esposa. Um pouco de diversão antes de se casar.

Agora vejo que estava me protegendo contra o sofrimento, mas não adiantou porque o amor é como a água. — Ele apontou o rio. — Uma força incontrolável. — Ele a abraçou. Emily não conseguia acreditar. — O meu coração não tem barreiras contra inundação — ele falou baixinho. — O amor, você, me derrubou.

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dari teman baik menjadi kekasih, jelas novel ini gagal total. Emily yg sdh dikenal baik oleh Jason sejak mrk masih kecil, masih bersikap kekanakan di mata Jason. Tidak cocok sbg istrinya. Yg saya heran tidak ada upaya dan usaha Jason utk meningkatkan hubungan mrk dari teman mjd kekasih. Sedangkan Emily sendiri sibuk mencomblangi teman-temannya. Dan mendadak .. booom tiba-tiba saja mrk sudah terdampar di tempat tidur dan lagi-lagi menyesali perbuatan spontan mrk. Emily yg kelewat idealis ttg cinta, jg tidak melakukan tindakan apapun terhadap Jason. Chemistry pasif begini bikin saya ngantuk bacanya.

[Tommy S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a very interesting romance. Good to improve my understanding and listening skills in Spanish:)

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The heroine Emily and the hero Jason grew up together, Jason was always the sensible and almost authoritative one whereas Emily, 12 years younger, was scatty and a bit of a dreamer. Emily has grown into quite a competent and successful career woman, something that surprised both of them, but still has an edge of spontaneity about her. She likes to matchmake and generally be involved in the lives of the people around her. Jason sees this as meddling and tries to warn her off doing it, of course Emily ignores him. They both find each other frustrating; Emily thinks Jason is boring and Jason thinks Emily is silly. They also have two very different opinions on love, where Jason thinks love is destructive and a marriage should be based on mutual convenience Emily believes in true love and being swept of your feet. They have the whole love/hate thing going on and they want each other, badly. But even the thought of giving in to their desire for a short term affair is terrifying for the both of them, for fear that it simply wouldn't be enough.


It took me a little while to get into this book, through a combination of distractions and confusion, but once I did I couldn't put it down. This book is a modern retelling of Jane Austen's Emma, and while I personally do not like this story I think Kate Hewitt has done a fantastic job in taking all the good elements of Emma and using them (but not copying them) in a way that fits a book in the Modern/Presents line perfectly. I'm so glad that the author didn't make Emily a watered down version of the character of Emma, let's face it one of the best things about Emma is that she is a bit abrasive and a little meddlesome, and sometimes frustrating. These traits are captured in Emily perfectly, she's a great heroine but she's also a little annoying!
I really liked reading the love between Jason and Emily develop even if they didn't realise it. It flowed beautifully throughout. There is plenty of sass and emotion in the book, which makes fantastic reading.

I love how Kate Hewitt's books have a real 21st century feel to them, and this book is another brilliant example.

Recommended.


Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....

[Nas Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

MR AND MISCHIEF by author Kate Hewitt is from Harlequin Modern line.

Emily Wood is beautiful, clever, rich but single career girl with no interest in love and marriage. Yet she does matchmaking for her friends and co-workers to their happily-ever-after.

Her boss and childhood crush, Jason Kingsley appears immune to the fact that Emily has grown up now. But he feels the chemistry between them sizzle and is hurt when Emily to cover her attraction, teases him as boring.

In Jason’s view love hurt. It hurt the person loved and the person loving. It was messy, disappointing, complicated and unnecessary. He never planned to feel it. In his opinion, love was overrated!

I had grave doubts how the author would manage to get this two characters together for their happily ever after, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The growth and progression of the love between Emily and Jason, though they, themselves are not aware at the time, is depicted in a natural flow which is emotionally satisfying. We know Jason loves Emily, yet he doesn’t realize it because he feels himself incapable of experiencing love.

The author has delivered a tortured hero, who doesn’t believe in love, a strong feisty heroine, who ends up wanting the fairy tale love with all its frills and rolled them in a story that is filled with emotion and sizzle. Emily and Jason’s story is hugely enjoyable and highly romantic tale readers will find absolutely impossible to resist.

Redolent with breathtaking romance, spectacular emotional punch, a believable conflict and vivid atmospheric details MR AND MISCHIEF is the latest high standard offering by Kate Hewitt.

[Izzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blurb:

Beautiful, clever, rich - and determinedly single - Emily Wood is the youngest ever head of HR at her company. Whether dousing corporate fires or matchmaking lonely colleagues, Emily's at the top of her game. Only her handsome, sardonic boss Jason Kingsley appears to remain immune to her charm...

Jason is used to women falling at his feet, but relationships, with all their illogical demands, are not for him. So why does he find Emily so attractive? She's a highly unsuitable target for his seduction and merger skills - what with her misguided belief in the power of love...

*************

This isn't going to be a great review, more of a comment.

So this is obviously a modern day version of 'Emma' by Jane Austen. Since I love 'Emma', this did appeal to me but it wasn't a great read.
Emily and Jason are very cut and dry characters. They were created to be opposites but it didn't really work. It was too much of a jump, if you know what I mean.
Their relationship was off/on, hopping to acquaintances, tentative friends, lovers, ex-lovers and then a proper couple.

It was tiring and boring. I wasn't wowed by the characters or the story. If you're interested then I think it's one of those that you should buy in charity shops or borrow from a friend.

[Jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a barely readable version of Emma. I was sort of offended on Emma's behalf.

[Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the idea of M&B's based on classic literary romances and EMMA is probably my favourite Austen, so I obviously had to read Kate Hewitt‘s take on it. After a couple of false starts (tip – it’s THE MATCHMAKER BRIDE in the States, but MR AND MISCHIEF in the UK), I downloaded it onto my Kindle and ahhh, fun read.

I did wonder how this would read to someone not familiar with EMMA because really, I had the original novel and its characters and plot at the back of my mind more often than not, comparing and contrasting the two.

Did this detract from my reading experience? I think not. There were just enough allusions to the original novel to delight me, while Emily and Jason were more than enough to hold my attention in their own right – I certainly didn’t view them as mere fascimiles of Emma and Mr Knightley. In a way, having read EMMA may even have added to my enjoyment of MR AND MISCHIEF – being familiar with the eventual relationship between Emma and Mr Knightley made me love Emily and Jason’s interactions even more, right from the start. I did think Emily came across as more sympathetic than Emma (while still retaining that I-know-best personality), which is probably a good thing in a book constrained by category romance word count limits.

Friends-to-lovers is one of my favourite tropes, and having that bit of history between Emily and Jason made the chemistry and romance even more satisfying, while the London background was a lovely way of bringing EMMA into the present-day. Emily’s insta-friendship with the receptionist struck me as slightly off (Emily being the head of HR), but then again, Emma’s friendship with Harriet in Austen’s novel was probably just as unlikely, and the office setting – unlikely friendships aside – hit the right note (one of my pet peeves is anachronisms in office settings, which used to be prevalent in M&Bs*).

I thought Ms Hewitt’s MR AND MISCHIEF did an excellent job of capturing the key themes and the spirit of the original novel, while translating EMMA into a category romance. I really enjoyed this book and am planning on reading the rest of the “inspired by” books, especially if they’re all just as good. And I hope there will be more than four in this series.


*I’ve not been reading many M&Bs recently, so have no idea whether this is still the case or not – I think this tends to be author-specific actually.

A version originally published on my blog:
http://bookdaze.wordpress.com/2011/10...

[Caro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an overall good book. There were definitely some slower parts and this was a little aggravating too, but I liked the plot and the good HEA. The characters were a little complex but stubborn and I definitely wanted to give them the heave-ho a few times. This was written well though. I'd say a good book but more for passing time and for something to read than one to search out.

[Tiny Shen 沈帝妮 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ceritanya super biasa saja..
Jason yg 7 tahun lalu menolak Emily remaja.
Lalu, 7 thn kemudian akhirnya ingin menarik perhatian Emily dewasa.

Setelah tarik ulur sana sini. Akhirnya mereka bersatu, dengan Ending yang bener2 kurang nendang klo menurut saya..

[Janet]

DNF

[Malvina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've uncovered an old stash of books where the romances are loosely based on classic romances. This one gives a huge nod to Jane Austen's Emma. Very enjoyable.

[MaryD · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really couldn't like the heroine, Emily Wood. I don't understand how she got the position she had as head of HR when she was so inept in interpersonal matters- ie playing "matchmaker".

[Mandy Sickle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emily Wood has spent the last five year working her way from the ground up to become the youngest HR in the history of her company. Emily has become a good matchmaker since she’s not looking for a relationship. She happens to work for Jason Kingsley a friend of the family that she threw herself at when she was a teenager. After his rejecting she pushed him out of her mind as nothing more than a professional manner. When he shows up back in town however she can’t deny her attraction for him.

Jason never really rejected Emily all those years ago but being 12 years older than her 17 years at the time it wouldn’t have been appropriate for him to kiss her even if he wanted too. He’s worked hard to forget her but seeing her again as not the innocent teenager has rekindled his attraction. Thinking he just needs a fling to get her out of his system he pursues her but what was supposed to be no strings attached is far from it. Will their fling turn to more?

I like Emily as a person she’s the kind of person I would find myself wanting to be friends with. I like that she’s worked hard starting out at the bottom and working her way up the corporate ladder. I wasn’t sure how I felt about Jason but as the book progressed I think he’s perfect for her. I’m a fan of two people who have always loved each other finding love.

It’s been ages since I read a harlequin novel but I forgot how much a quick romance novel. I needed a corporate romance for a challenge so The Matchmaker Bride fit the bill perfectly. The characters are easy to connect with you can’t help wanting to know if Emily gets her guy. I love a fast paced story that captures the imagination and this one does just that. It was one of those books I couldn’t put down I had to finish it in one sitting. It has a little steaminess between the characters but it doesn’t overwhelm the story which I like. I enjoyed the book it was perfect for a lazy afternoon read.

[Tali · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Mills and Boon story, which is based loosely on Jane Austen's Emma, would've been so much more enjoyable to read if Hewitt had focused more on the central characters of Emily and Jason and less on the secondary plot involving the naive Helen (based on Harriet Smith). While Austen's machinations and manipulations of her characters work wonderfully, this novel tries to clumsily replicate the social snub of Mr Elton in modern times and it just doesn't work. You just end up massively annoyed that Emily pushed Helen into a relationship with someone she doesn't really show much enthusiasm for and ended up taken to bed and then abruptly dumped. It's all a little infuriating that all this shows is that both Emily and Helen haven't got a brain cell between them and are both stunningly gauche in a way that modern girls aren't when they've reached the age of 21. In contrast with this clumsy attempt to bring the early nineteenth century into modernity, Hewitt has done a wonderful job of developing and revealing the relationship between Emily and Jason. They have a history and a way of behaving that's perfectly natural to their characters. I enjoyed this book but I would have enjoyed it even more if only Hewitt had stuck to the central relationship and its intricacies instead of trying to be too clever.

[Devina · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's one of those books you should get at some charity shop or borrow from a friend, I'm afraid it was a disappointment for the most part. Emma is the immature woman she thinks she might be for most of the book, Jason is marginally better. There could have been more to this story of not knowing they both wanted love but refuse to acknowledge it, something to spice it up a little, give it more volume.

I should have suspected it would be one of those fluffy reads given the size of the book but for the life of me I don't quite understand why I was overcome with the need to finish reading it so badly I spent the night and part of the morning finishing it. Perhaps I wanted it over quickly or I was hoping that it would get past the point where they - more like Emily - would quit bringing up that wedding night seven damned years ago. I swear, I was rolling my eyes so much I was getting a mild headache.

It ended nicely, as could be expected. There was one thing that held me, Emily's realization that love didn't have to be the full works of flowers and romancing, just a few simple sincere words the heart would know that rings true, and the strong, secure warmth of being held by someone who cared with so much depth. For the record though, this got three stars because it made me stay up to finish it, for whatever elusive reason.

[Jasey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emily and Jason have know each others for years as they grew up with their families being friends. She now works for him and he is CEO of his own company and rich. He has been traveling for years and they haven't seen each other even though she works at his company. Now he is back to stay for a few months to find himself a wife. Emily is nothing like the wife material he has in mind. When they were younger - she 17 and him 29 - they danced once at a wedding and she asked him if he wanted to kiss her and he said yes but that he wouldn't. All these years she has thought of that as a rejection when the reason he didn't was because he considered her a child as he was so much older than her.

[ena · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I have no idea what 'harlequin' is. Somebody dropped this book into my hands and said, "Read it, it's really good" so I did. I thought it was a pretty good book, although that may just be a little bit biased since I've got a weak spot for the whole CEO sexy boss falls in love blah blah blah (all thanks to Christina Lauren's Beautiful Bastard , cuz goddamn it Bennet Ryan) but seriously. It was a decent experience for my first harlequin novel. No regrets.

[Mlleelizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book.

For a full review, please go to:
http://mlleelizabeth.booklikes.com/

GoodReads's policies no longer comply with my review policy. Therefore my reviews will be posted at BookLikes going forward. Thank you for following my reviews here. I hope to continue discussing books with you on BookLikes.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

more 2.5 stars instead of 3. hewitt is a decent writer, but i just didn't feel much empathy with, or fo, her hero and heroine.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: The Powerful and the Pure

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: The Powerful and the Pure

[Wendy Darling · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Marse · Rating 1 out of 5]

No me gustó nada, es la típica historia....por lo menos tiene pocas páginas y no perdí tanto el tiempo.

[Kesha · Rating 2 out of 5]

k

[Helen Charles was gell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked this book a lot but the one I have is called mr and mischief but has all the same people in and it has same story so not sure if the title has been changed at some point.

[Modesty_b · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was good. I liked the hero and the heroine was meddlesome.

[Primadonna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light, fun read.

[Fitria Mayrani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ceweknya sok jual mahal banget.